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NOYESISM UNVEILED.
A
HISTORY
OF THE SECT SELF-STYLED Qk
PERFEOTIGNISTS ;^
WITH A
SUMMARY VIEW ^
■ y ' 0-
OF THEIR
LEADING DOCTRINES,
By Rev. KUBBAED EASTMAN.
For there are certain men crept in unawares ,; . . . ungodly men,
turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. — Judt.
Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel : for Satan himself is
transformed int<3 an aneel of light.— Paw?.
BRATTLEBORO:
LISHED BY THE AUTHOE
1849.
f
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849,
By Hubbakd Eastman,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Vermont.
B. D. HARRIS & CO PRINTERS.
POWER PRESS OF J. STEEN & CO.
<?-707-76
PREFACE
Many judicious persons were decidedly of the opin-
ion that the welfare of community required the publi-
cation of a work like the one here presented. It was
thought that the public ought to be put in possession of
facts, sufficient to enable them to form a correct judg-
ment, in relation to the moral character of the Society
which has lately arisen under the auspices of Mr. John
H. Noyes. It was also deemed important that the
pernicious principles, propagated by Mr. Noyes and his
coadjutors, should be exhibited in such a manner that
their immoral tendency and ultimate ruinous results
might be clearly seen.
Moreover, several professional gentlemen of high
standing — who were familiar with the principal facts
elicited by some startling disclosures made at Putney,
Vt., in the autumn of 1847 — were consulted in refer-
ence to the propriety of publishing the present work ;
and they were unanimously of the opinion that the cir-
IV PREFACE.
cumstances not only justified, but loudly called for suck
a publication.
Furthermore, a prospectus was issued, briefly stating
the design of the work, and about three hundred copies
were readily subscribed for in the town where the Soci-
ety under the immediate supernsion of Mr. Noyes was
located, and which, for several years, was the head-
quarters of the sect, self-styled Perfectionists. Many
subscribers were also obtained in adjacent towns, and
in other places at considerable distance — thus affording
unmistakable indications of public sentiment relative to
the propriety of the present undertaking.
The writer, for a few years past, having been a resi-
dent of the village where the Community under the
immediate control of Mr, Noyes had its location, and
also having had access to the published documents of the
Perfectionists, has thus been favored with many facili-
ties for acquiring a knowledge, not only of the doctrines
of the sect, but of the character and pohcy of the Soci-
ety in Piitney — their head-quarters, until recently.
The work, however, owing mainly to the mass of material
and the peculiar character of the subject, has been one of
much labor and many difficulties. To prepare, select,
and arrange such matter as would be suitable for the
public eye, adapted to the design of the work, and prof-
itable to the reader, must necessarily be an arduous
PREFACE.
task. How far tlie object in view lias been success-
fully accomplished, is left for the reader to decide.
The following pages contain matters, not merely of
local or sectional interest, but bring to view some im-
portant facts and principles in which all classes of com-
mvmity have a common interest. Disclosures have
been made, clearly exhibiting the practical tendency of
the pernicious principles held and promulgated by the
Perfectionists. An account of recent developments—
so far as deemed advisable— has been given ; and one
of the most iniquitous systems ever devised and propa-
gated under the name and garb of Christianity, is
brought to view—- exhibiting a deeply laid scheme of
personal aggrandizement— a scheme designed to sever
the ties of consanguinity — sunder the social relations —
subvert the present order of society— sap the founda-
tions of civil government— and erect upon the ruins of
republican institutions and the relics of morality, a
petty Monarchy, with a head as dogmatical and merci-
less as the Papal Throne, and the whole throughout as
corrupt and shameless as the " mother of harlots
AND abominations" — thus exalting an ambitious indi-
vidual who aspires to be sole dictator of all under his di-
rection and control ; and who has assumed that he and
his adherents, in their present " advanced position/^ are
exempt from all " K^ritten law^^' both human and divine !
VI PREfACE.
Matters connected with recent disclosures, have, to
some extent, been legally investigated, and the results
of that investigation are given — also all events worthy
of note connected with the history of the sect, so far as
known, have been recorded.
Owing doubtless to the nature of the facts which
have gone out from the head-quarters of the sect — ac-
companied it is presumed by some exaggerated state-
ments and false rumors — some persons entertain slight
fears as to the moral influence of an exposure. But
it is probable that this impression prevails only to a
Hmited extent ; and arose doubtless from a misappre-
hension of the design and character of the work. Facts
sufficient to exhibit the most prominent features of the
sect, must necessarily be given ; but this has been done
in language the least objectionable. Although it was
necessary to speak of vice with some degree of free-
dom, under the peculiar aspect which, in the present
instance, it has assumed ; yet it has been the design
throughout to do it in the most proper manner ; and at
the same time the most correct moral sentiments have
been strictly inculcated and strongly enforced. An
extended detail of disgusting scenes has not been given ;
neither a repetition of much odious language used by
Mr. Noyes. This was uncalled for, and deemed highly
improper. One prominent object in preparing the
Pimi'ACfi. vii
present work has been to place upon record such mat-
ters as the times imperiously demand. Were tins not
done at the present juncture many facts might be for-
gotten, and at some future period this hideous monster
of iniquity — which still exists — might rise up, with
renewed vigor, when the facts necessary to counteract
its deadly influence could not be rescued from oblivion.
It does not enter into the design of the present work
to discuss the subject of joerfection as presented in the
Bible. Every pers©n conversant with die Scriptures
is familiar with the fact that the terms perfect and per-
fection are employed to designate a state or standard
of moral attainments, especially imder the Gospel Dis-
pensation, which men are exhorted to strive to attain.
As to the height or definite point to which we may
arrive in the present life, there is some difference of
opinion among evangelical denominations. In regard to
this question sincere Christians may honestly entertain
different views without being derogatory to their Chris-
tian character. Touching this matter it does not come
within the province of this work to give even an opinion ;
but to exhibit the hind of perfection taught by Mr. Koyes
and his followers. Bible perfection and Noyesism are
as diverse as light and darkness. The one is the high-
est state of moral purity at which man is capable of
arriving ; the other is the worst of spiritual maladies
VUl PREFACE.
with which man's moral nature was ever infected.
Bible perfection is moral purity^' — the perfection of
l^ojes and his followers is perfection in sin !
The issue of the work has been delayed beyond the
time originally intended. This was rendered necessary
in consequence of the impracticability of obtaining at
an earlier date some important facts and documents
deemed very essential. The delay, however, will doubt-
less add to the permanent value of the work. The
subject has lost none of its importance ; meanwhile,
matters of considerable interest have been in a course
of gradual development, and it is beheved that the addi-
tional information obtained will amply compensate for
the necessary delay.
* Having been prepared to meet the present exigen-
cies, this unpretending volume is now commended to
the favor, and submitted to the candid consideration of
the pubhc, with an earnest desire that it may be instru-
mental of good. Should it contribute something toward
effectually correcting the existing evil — which it is de-
signed to expose— and thereby subserve, to some extent,
the cause of truth and correct morals, the end of its
publication will be answered.
Putney^ May^ 1849,
eOKTEKTS.
Page»
Introduction, .,.»... 13
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary Remarks— Birth, Parentage, and Early His-
tory of John H. Noyes, ..... 25
CHAPTER II.
Origin of Modern Perfectionism— Brief Sketch of its
Early History, . , . . . , . 30
CHAPTER III
Legal Proceedings, ...... 85
CHAPTER IV.
Legal Proceedings Continued, . . , .89
CHAPTER V.
Confessions of John H. Noyes, ..... 46
CHAPTER VL
Action of the Citizens of Putney — Proceedings of Public
Meetings, 51
CHAPTER VH.
Citizens of Putney falsely charged with having adopted
harsh measures for the extirpation of the Perfection-
ists—Gratuitous plea of Repentance set up for the
Leading Perfectionists, Q8
CHAPTER Vm.
Reproaches cast upon the Citizens of Putney-^ Cry of
Persecution raised by the Noyesites, . . .74
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
Page;
Noyesism at Putney, 79
CHAPTER X.
Principles taught by Noyes, 85
CHAPTER XL
The Battle Axe Letter and its History, . . . 91
CHAPTER XH.
Principles on which the doctrines of the Battle Axe ,
Letter are based, . . . . « . 102
CHAPTER Xm.
Ultimate results of the sentiments of the Battle Axe
Letter, 117
CHAPTER XIV.
Extracts of letters addressed to Mr. Noyes—Noyes's letter
to Miss Harriet A. Holton, . . . . 12?
CHAPTER XV.
Koyesite Community at Oneida — Rule in the Putney
Community — State of things in New York, . 137
CHAPTER XVI.
Extracts from Correspondence — Visit of Mr. Lowell to
the Oneida Community, 147
CHAPTER XVH.
Noyes searching for Stolen Goods, . . . . 154
CHAPTER XVIH.
Affidavit of Alexander Wilder — Expulsion of Mr. John
B. Lyvere and Miss Almira Edson,
CHAPTER XIX.
Bible Secretiveness,
CHAPTER XX.
Pretensions of Perfectionists to Miraculous Power,
CHAPTER XXI.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes — Case of Mrs. Harriet A.
Hall, 185
CONTENTS. 2d
CHAPTER XXII.
Page.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes continued— Case of Mrs,
Harriet A. Hall continued, . . . . 198
CHAPTER XXm.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes continued — Case of Miss
Mary A. Knight, 210
CHAPTER XXIV.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes continued — Sundry Cases, 238
CHAPTER XXV.
Prominent trait in the character of Noyes — His Censori-
ousness — Intolerant Spirit of Noyesism — False state-
ments of Noyes — Martyr-Spirit of ancient Chris-
tianity, . . . . , . . . 243
CHAPTER XXVL
Article from the Advocate -of Moral Reform — Remarks
of Rev. Joseph Tracy and Rev. "S. B. Yarrington, 259
CHAPTER XXVII.
Remarks of O. H. Piatt, Esq., ..... 271
CHAPTER XXVin.
Putney Perfectionism, . . . . . . 1>84
CHAPTER XXIX.
Assumed and acknowledged Supremacy of Neycs— His
female co-workers at Putney — Remarks of Mrs. S.
T.Martyn, ..,..,. ^88
CHAPTER XXX.
Latitudinarlanism — Effects of Licentiousness, . . 298
CHAPTER XXXI.
Doctrines of the Perfectionists — Perfectionist Creed —
Theses of the Second Reformation, . . . 30&
CHAPTER XXXII.
Noyes's Views of Deity — Image of God — View of Noyes
concerning Angels, 324
CHAPTER XXXIIL
Abolition of Death, 341
m CONTENDS.
<
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Pagsv
Noyesite Theory of Disease, . . . . . S57
CHAPTER XXXV.
©istinguishing and Leading Doctrines of Noyesisnij . 36^
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Origin of Evil — Human Depravity — Holiness of Adam —
Judgment — Resurrection — Sabbath — Temperance
Amusements — Fellowship, . . . . . 38^
CHAPTER XXXVH.
Concluding Observations, . . . . . . Z9T
Appenpix, . , . . o , . . 43Z
INTEODUCTION,
Ii? «verj age and among all nations impostors and
fanatics have existed — ruinous errors and pernicious
heresies have prevailed — and delusions dark and deep
have exerted a mde-spread and destructive influence.
But the present appears to be an unusually prolific
period, distinguished for the multiplicity of erroneous
systems and idle theories, which are starting into exis-
tence in rapid succession on every hand ; and which,
after continuing for a time, will undoubtedly share the
fate of many which have gone before — ^be exploded and
pass away, or remodelled and merged in other systems
of kindred character, between the essential elements of
which there is a close affinity.
But a few years have elapsed since a singular sect,
claiming a religious character of the highest grade,
arose in New England, called Perfectionists. This
sect — which has advanced some. very novel sentiments
—has attracted but little attention until very recently.
Its adherents, however, have been actively engaged^
during the brief period of its existence, in propagatmg
their pecuhar tenets ; and the leaders, especially, have
been industriously disseminating the most pernicious
principles. Almost from the very outset, there have
been occasional demonstrations in different places
among small societies of Perfectionists, which clearly
indicated the corrupting influence and immoral ten^
14 INTR0DUCTI0I7.
dency of their distinctive doctrines ; but of late there
has been such a disgusting exhibition of their legitimate
fruits among the leading Perfectionists at head-quarters
as to shock the moral sense of the community, demand
some legal action, and call for a public exposure of the
enormities of this sect.
Perhaps, as a general rule, the best method to over-
throw error is to present its opposite — plain, simple,
unvarnished truth. But when new and erroneous sys-
tems, and especially such as are peculiarly iniquitous,
are first being promulgated and urged upon public
attention, a presentation of such facts as may have
come to light, tending to exhibit their true character,
and an investigation of their fundamental principles, are
sometimes, if not always, demanded. This the public
good imperiously requires.
Recent disclosures of a startling character have eli-
cited some astounding facts, which, together with senti-
ments heretofore pubhshed by the Perfectionists, place
this sect, but more especially the leaders and most
prominent members, before the public in a very unfa-
, vorable — yea, in a most contemptible — light ; and they
now occupy a no very enviable position. The veil,
which had been spread, and had long hung, over this
hydra-headed monster of iniquity, has at length been
removed, and the principal actors in the scene behind
the curtain are now exposed to public view. And
especially the leader, Mr. John H. Noyes, stands out
very prominently.
It is well known, at least, to some extent, that Mr.
INTRODUCTION. 15
N. was arrested in the fall of 1847, for some very high
crimes — that he was placed under heavy bonds — that
he absconded soon after his arrest — that the Grand
Jury for Windham County found a Bill against him —
and that he did not appear at Court when his case came
on for trial, and his bonds were forfeited; Now, these
circumstances are sufficient to fasten the conviction
upon every mind that Mr. N. is guilty of the charges
alleged against him ; but in addition to this, they're is
abundant proof in relation to this matter, and not a
shadow of doubt remains as to his guilt.
Prior to his arrest, Mr. N. and his coadjutors had
put in motion a somewhat complicated machinery, which
required some ingenuity to invent, and considerable
time and labor to construct and bring to completion.
This engine, the product of so much labor and skill,
was designed to operate against all existing organizar
tions, both of Church and State.
Many of the views advanced by Mr. Noyes are so
peculiar to himself, and the doctrines taught so diverse
from evangelical truth, and the system in all its funda-
mental principles and practical tendencies so evidently
anti-Christian, that we think it should hereafter be
known by the more appropriate name of Noyesism, in
preference to Perfectionism. But for the sake of con-
venience these terms are used as synonymous in the
present work.
Noyesism is evidently near akin to, if not the worst
form and must dangerous species of, the Come-outism of
the present age. That it is treasonable in its designs
•
16 IKTRODUCTIOF.
there is not a shadow of doubt — this its advocates ac-
knowledge and assert. It aims a deadly blow at the
foundations of the civil and social fabric, and is as det-
limental to the moral interests of a community where
its influence is felt, as the pestiferous Sirocco is to the
health of the person who inhales its baneful, breath —
and it is as fatal to the moral principles of those who
are brought fully under its power, as the deadly
Simoom is to the hapless wanderer who may chance to
fall in its way.
Such being the character and tendency of Noyesism,
arguments for its refutation may seem almost superflu-
ous. Indeed, so numerous are the discrepancies in the
writings of Mr. N. and his co-laborers, and such palpa-
ble absurdities appear in almost every part of the sys-
tem, that it carries to every considerate mind its own
refutation. The contagion contains, to some extent, its
own antidote.
That the character of the sect, and the tendency of
the entire system of doctrines which they advocate and
to which they pertinaciously adhere, are what they are
here represented to be, is abundantly sustained by a
multitude of well authenticated facts ; and when
divested of the false glosses which its principal advo-
cates have thrown around it, the whole system is so
utterly revolting that it can gain no credit in an intelli-
gent and virtuous community ; — it needs only to be j
known, to be discarded.
Hence it has evidently been the settled policy of the
prime mover in this matter to keep, at least to some
INTEODUCTIOX. 17
extent, its true chai-acter and direct tendency conceal-
ed from public view ; and although much was inferable
from the language used at different times, yet such
confused explanations of terms and phrases were often
given, and so many artful disguises thrown around it,
that the mind of the reader would be darkened, and
the whole subject mystified, except to those who had
been initiated into the secrets of the system. More-
«Dver, when facts discreditable to the characters of the
leaders w^ere in danger of being disclosed, eveiy possi-
ble efibrt was made for their suppression.
It is deeply to be regretted that this enormous sys-
tem of error and iniquity ever had an existence, and
rendered an exposure necessary ; but it must be a
matter of heartfelt rejoicing to every lover of truth and
good morals, that facts have beea so far divulged as to
undeceive the public in relation to the character of the
sect, and the .tendency of their . distinctive doctrines.
And even now., rather than exMbit the guilt of those
•concerned, it would be more agreeable — were it com-
patible with the public good, and in keeping with cor-
rect principles — to throw the mantle of charity, or the
pall of obhvion, over the whole matter, and let it for-
ever rest in undisturbed repose. But this can never
be consistently done ; — then if it cannot be buried in
oblivion, nor covered with the broad mantle of Chris-
tian charity, it should be held up to public view with
^11 its '• imperfections upon its head," and its most
glaring features exposed to the ga.^e of an outraged
and justly indignant community.
2
t8' INTEODtTCKO^'.
The subject, we are aware, l3 naturally uninviting
and even quite repulsive ; but, however irksome or
unpleasant the task imposed, exposure is necessary in
order to afford timely warning to the unwary, and
cruard against further encroachments of one of the
most fatal delusions vfhich ever had an existence — not
unaptly t-ermed a mushroom growth of all' modern
fanaticisms. How exceedingly strange that men will
plunge into those follies which make them the derisioii
of their race ! But " tlie more egregious a foolery, the
more greedily do men sivalloiv it dmtm, and the more
anxioud are th-ey to he gulled with still 7nofe rnorisfroni>
absurdities.''
Had the principal advocates of this system renou.a-
ced their errors, and abandoned their vicious course of
conduct, the necessity of exposure would have been
gt-eatly diminished, if not entirely obviated. But tliiir
is not the case. Tliey have renounced none of their
principles — they have abandoned none of their practi-
ces ; but on the contrary are laboring, and evidently ]
intend to labor with renewed zeal and redoubled i
energy for the dissemination of their heretical and' dtn:
gerous doctrines : and they will continue to exist ai^ i
exert a fatal infiuence where^'er their touch is fell,
unless some eountera^cting inffucnces are brought ^:
bear against them.* Information of what has tra; ^
*Aft€r leaving Putney, Mr.Noyes located at a place called Oae,! •
Keserve, in Central New York, and is now building up a Coramu: :
there on the sanme principles of tag ons fji-si?rly under hh sapci . y*-
JOQ a; Putney
INTRODUCTION. 19
pired at Putney should be communicated to ail parts
where the contagion has spread. But says one — " Let
it alone and it will die of itself — let it take its natural
course and it will work its own cure." This is just the
doctrine the leaders would like to have preached —
such a course would essentially subserve the interests
of their own cause. The history of the past clearly
exhibits the incorrectness of such sentiments. If appli-
cable in one case they would be in all, and if univer-
sally appKed it would be a death blow to every moral
enterprise of the age. Moral evil finding in the unre-
generate h%art a congenial soil, if not timely eradi-
cated, shoots up with the rapidity and l^Lixuriance of a
noxious plant.
Aside from occasional references to this sect by a
few public JQjirnals, it has passed almost entirely unno-
ticed. The movement has generally been regarded as
a mere chimera of a distempered brain, and looked
u}X)n as an insignificant and harmless affair, utterly
unworthy of notice. A public attack, it was thought,
would give it a notoriety and importance to which it
was not entitled. Thus it was permitted secretly to
diffuse its poison through society, until it began to
assmTie a tlu-eatening aspect, and call loudly for expo-
sure.
But the peculiar character of the subject renders it
extremely embarrassing. To give publicity in a proper
manner to a sufficient number of facts, and exhibit the
peculiar doctrines of the sect in such a manner as to
give the public a correct idea of itg characterj and tbs
20 INTRODUCTION.
tendency of the whole system, and at the same time
Bot outrage the moral sense and offend the correct taste
of an intelligent and virtuous community, is a difficult
work. Moreover, objections are sometimes made to
any disclosures or efibrts for the suppression of the sin
of licentiousness. It is true, there are extremes to be
avoided on either hand. Indiscriminate disclosures
and injudicious efforts on the one hand, and profound
silence and a heartless apathy on the other, are equally
to be deprecated. The proper position is a medium
point equi-distant from these two extremes.
Noyesism, in all its essential elements, tends to
immorality, and has resulted in systematized licentious-
ness I This is the sum and end of the system ! But
what renders it doubly dangerous is the fact that it
originated with, and is sustained by, a few persons of
considerable talent ; but delusions are not confined to
the ignorant, and vice in its most revolting forms often
appears among persons of acknowledged talent. The
odious sin of licentiousness, in whatever form it makes
it sappearance, is debasing in its character,' and ever
ruinous in its results. That it exists throughout the
land, and prevails to an alarming extent in our princi-
pal cities, we are compelled to believe ; and this state of
things caUs for combined and energetic efforts for its
suppression. In view of its bearing upon this subject,
we think it proper here to notice briefly some recent
action in one of our principal cities. A large number
of clergymen belonging to different religious denomina-
tiona in Boston, being alarmed for the morals of the
INTRODUCTION. 21
citj, in consequence of the increase of licentiousness,
held, in the winter of 1848, a series of meetings for
consultation, and for the purpose of directing attention
to this subject. The various Protestant denominations
of the city were represented, and more than seventy
clergymen were present at different periods in the
course of the proceedings. At one of the meetings a
resolution was adopted, appointing a committee to pre-
pare an Address to the citizens of Boston, which was
to be confined " to the consideration of the opinion
entertained hy many persons, that licentiousness is a
subject of such a nature as not to admit of any direct
notice ; an opinion which, so far as it prevails, must
prevent afiy action that would be effectual in restrain-
ing the increase of this sin,^^
The committee appointed reported an Address to an
adjourned meeting, which, after, being amended, was
adopted, and, by a special committee appointed for
that purpose, presented to the citizens of Boston
through the public prints. That Address contains
some sentiments so truthful and well-timed, touching
matters under consideration, that we shall make no
apology for quoting a few paragraphs. In reference
to licentiousness, the Address speaks thus :—
" It is the impression of many thoughtful and excel-
lent persons, that this is a vice so peculiar in its char-
acter, and so surrounded by hazardous associations,
that nothing can be said about it, without the probabil-
ity of doing more harm than good. They fear to speak
of it, even to look at it, much more to encourage any
22' INTRODUCTION.
effort for its suppression, lest the evil should be aggra^
vated, rather than diminished. We do not wonder a^
this apprehension, or at the silence and inaction which
it produces. But we entreat our friends to review
their judgment under the hght of this single considerar
tion, that, if nothing be done, or said, or attempted,
the evil must go on increasing, multiplying its means
of ■ destruction, and augmenting the number of its
victims.
" This is not a vice that declines by being. ' let
alone.' It thrives under concealment. It spreads its
snares, and destroys its prey, with the advantage which
it gains from bemg left to pursue its plans unreproved
and unobserved. — It seems to us clear, therefore, that
disregard of its existence is unwise and wrong. To do
nothing, to attempt nothing, to say it is so (difficult or
so delicate a subject that we cannot even speak of it
without aggravating the evil, is to yield to a despair,
as unjustifiable on principles of reason and experience,
as it is unworthy of those who have faith in Christ and
his religion. We know that harm has come from inju-
dicious action and inconsiderate speech. We know
that the subject is environed with difficulties. But we
also beheve, that the difficulties which lie in the way of
abating any moral nuisance, and the mistakes which
have been made by others, should only quicken our
endeavors to discover and apply the proper means for
its suppression All history and observation, the
tendencies of human nature, and the facts of universal
experience, contradict the supposition, that this vice,
having its origin in an abuse of our nature which many
of the habits of modern civilization tend rather to
encourage than to check, will cease from the land
through its own want of ability to perpetuate itself.
Unhappily, this, more than most vices, is independent
:rNTRODUCTION. 23
of social circumstances. It is found among the poor
and among the rich, the coarse and the refined, in the
country and in the city There is no alternative,
as we conceive, but direct effort for the suppression of
this vice, or its unchecked continuance and probable
increase. We say probable, but vre might more justly
speak of its certain increase. .... We are pursuaded,
that the reluctan^je which so many feel, to have any
connection with it even in thought, keeps them in igno-
rance of much that ought to be known. And worse
still, it prevents that contemplation of the real charac-
ter of the evil, which could not but awaken an anxious
desire to be instrumental in its removal. If a proper
sense were 'entertained of the enormity of the vice ; if
its mournful and fatal consequences were rightly appre-
hended ; if the wise and good would allow themselves
to think about it long enough to see vfhat it is, and
what it produces — we cannot believe they would rest
m that inactivity which now leaves the mischief to its
own natural power of diffusion."
Emanating from so high a source, the foregoing sen-
timents are entitled to serious consideration. They
are so candid and weighty that they can hardly fail to
<jarry conviction to every unprejudiced mind, of the
propriety and importance of judicious action in relation
to this subject. A strong reason for directing special
-attention to tliis matter at this time, is found in the
fa-<;t that licentiousness as an integral part of Noyesism
has come up in a new form — has assumed an aspect
before unknown. Hitherto this vice has shunned the
public gaze, and been content to Hve and thrive in its
own secret haunts. All have been ready to admit its
heinousness, not excepting its votaries and victims.
24 INTRODUCTION.
But Mr. Nojes has undertaken to transform this enor-
mous YiGe into an exemplary virtue, and make it ulti-
mately stalk unblushingly abroad at noon-day ! And
with this unholy mantle dra\Yn around him, Mr. N. ha&
impiously thrust liimself forward into the front rank of
the " sacramental host," professing to be conducting
the tribes of the true Israel on to glorious achievements
^nd ultimate triumph ; when in fact he appears to be
leading on to certain defeat the very van of Abaddon's
inglorious army !
NOYESISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER I.
Preliminary Remarks — Birth, Parentage, and Early
History of John H. Nbyes,
Error assumes almost eyery conceivable aspect, and
presents itself to public view in various forms. It is
often arrayed in a gorgeous attire, and brings to its aid
the most plausible arguments. But however pleasing
or imposing in aspect— however ably advocated or art-
fully adorned, error is ever delusive and dangerous,
misleading and tending to ruin those who embrace it,
and are brought under its fatal influence. Its victims,
however, are often unconscious of danger, even when
sudden destruction awaits them ; and its advocates not
unfrequently labor with quenchless zeal and tireless
assiduity for its dissemination.
Error, in all its diversified forais, is ever dangerous
and destructive, but never more so than when it
assumes an apparently sanctimonious garb, and is so
interwoven with truth, that to trace it through all its
devious and intricate windings, and detect and expose
it, would be an arduous work*— an almost hopeless task.
2$: NOYESISM UNVEILED,
But happily our Savior has given us a plain, simple .
Tule by wliich all difficult and doubtful cases may be
readily decided. He said, in reference to the false
teachers of primitive times — " By their fruits ye
SHALL KNOW THEM." This rule is not only applicable
to all teachers of like character in every age, but it
contains a principle by which all false systems of reli-
gion may be tested. The nature of doctrines may be
known by their legitimate fruits. Practical consequen-
ces ever stand as a fair commentary upon principles —
the character of which may be as definitely determined
hj their results, as the nature of the tree is known by
its fruit. The ruinous results of erroneous doctrines
should be faithfully exhibited, that their true nature
may be kno^\ii, and their certain tendency clearly seen
— that thus a sufficient number of beacon-lights may be
set up along the dangerous coast of error to afford a
timely w^arning to the inexperienced voyager upon the
ocean of life, lest his bark be suddenly wrecked upon
the hidden rocks below.
Without a knowledge of facts, the innocent and
unsuspecting would often be unapprized of the dangers
to which they stand exposed — and, lured by a syren
song, they might be unconsciously drawn a^ide from
the path of rectitude, and fall victims to a fatal delusion.
For the purpose of exhibiting the nature, tendency and
practical results of Noyesism, we proceed to give a
concise history of the rise, progress and present position
of the sect of Perfectionists — and shall exhibit and
briefly notice some of their most prominent doctrines.
■ N0YESI8M UNVEILBB. 27
John H. Noyes claims to have been the founder of
this seci>— which claim it is preetimed no one will feel
disposed to contest, for such honors are not to he
coyeted.
To gratify, to some extent, a natural curiosity, exist-
ing in the public mind, in regard to persons who have
published nevf doctrines and founded new sects, we
shall briefly refer to the parentage and early history of
the founder of modern Perfectionism.
John H. Noyes was born at West Brattleboro, Yt.,
Sept. 3, 1811, and was the eldest son of John and
Polly Noyes.
Hon. John Noyes, the father of John H., was a man
of respectable talents, had a liberal education, and in
early life proposed to enter the Christian ministry, but
subsequently abandoned the idea, and devoted himself
to mercantile pursuits, in which for many years he was
extensively engaged. Being successful in business, he
accumulated considerable property ; and subsequently
acquired some political distinction — ^being a Represent-
ative in Congress in 1816, from the Southern Congres-
sional District of Vermont. He became a resident of
Putney about the year 1823, where he afterward lived,
— and died in 1841. At his decease the lawful heirs
to his estate — consisting of three sons and three daugh-
ters— inherited each a handsome patrimony.
Thus it appears that the founder of the sect of Per-
fectionists had a respectable, and even somewhat hon-
orable parentage. But in a country like this, where
every person •mu.ot rely upon his own merits and
28' NOYBSISM UNVEILED,
resources if he would rise to eminence, or be exten-
sively useful, the question of pedigree can never be one
of very great importance in a moral point of light.
Ancestral titles and artificial distinctions can never
screen the guilty, and make vice honorable — ^neither
will a want of them detract from true merit, and render
virtue valueless.
We are not apprized of any thing remarkable in the
early history of Mr. Noyes : we shall, therefore, pass
over the scene of his boyhood as affording little worthy
of note, simply adding an item of information, which he
has given of himself: — " Much of my youth was spent,
in reading history, romance and poetry, of a martial
character, such as the Life of Napoleon, The Crusa-
ders, Marmion, &c."
Mr. N. graduated at Dartmouth College in 1830,
being then nineteen years of age. Soon after leaving
college, he commenced the study of the law. After
having studied law about one year, or, in August,
1831, his attention — as he says, in ^ving an account
of himself — w^as directed to rehgious sulgects, and he
soon after made a profession of religion, at a protracted
meeting held in Putney, Vt., and became .a member of
the Congregational church in that town. Soon after
uniting mth the church in Putney, Mr. N. determined
on entering the ministry, and commenced his studies
preparatory to engaging in that work. ' In about four
weeks from the time of his professed conversion, he
entered the Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass.,
where he remained one year, and then went to New
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 29
Haven, Ct., and entered the Theological Seminary con-
nected with Yale College, in the fall of 1832, In
August, 1833, he was licensed to preach, "by the New
Haven Association. After receiving license, he labored
for six weeks as pastor of a small church in North
Salem, N. Y, In February, 1834, he came out a
Perfectionist, so called.
Soon after this took place, the Association from
which Mr. N. received license to preach, withdrew that
license ; and subsequently, he was excommunicated
from the Congregational church in Putney — of which
he had been a member — for heresy and breach of cov-
enant, on the ground of the following " specifications of
charges," which, together with several others of a more
local character, were fully sustained : —
"1. That he has taught that the ordinances, Bap-
tism and the Lord's Supper, are done away.
"2. He has spoken of social and public prayer in
terms of condemnation, as being hypocritical.
"3. He has inculcated the sentiment that the Sab-
bath is abolished, and that the whole moral law, as
summarily contained in the ten commandments, is abro-
gated,"
30 lfOYE,3ISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER II..
Origin of 3Iodern Perfectianmn—Bnef Sketch of its
Early History,
In February, 1834, as we have seen, Mr. Nojes
became a Perfectionist— he being then a student in the
theological department of Yale College. For many
months prior to this period, Mr. N. had been approxi-
matmg toward this point. He had become connected
with a " little band of re\dvahsts " in New Havea,
which was called the " Free Church," and labored wifcii
them in some new measure movements. For some
time Rev. James Boyle, a revivahst of that day, wa^^
pastor of the Free Church. During the excitement:
under the labors of Boyle in the winter of 18og~4,
Noyes hoisted his colors. In the following spring Boyle
became a Perfectionist. Noyes and Boyle, being asso-
ciated, soon commenced the pubhcation of a paper.
This was the genn, and here wa« laid the foundation,
of the sect of Perfectionists, which, in a few short years,
has fully developed its tme character. This was the
origin of the new ism, and from New Haven went forth
the moral contagion, which has since been diffusing; its
poison through society.*
^ may be proper here to remark that No yes and
Boyle did not long labor in unlson^ — they soon separa-
*A gentleman residing in Central New York has given a brief
sketch of the origin Q.f a sort of Perfectionism, m that State, which
carr:»3 us back b^yoa^ %H HJOYement by Noyeg at New llmm. It
KOYESISM UK VEILED. 81
k-d, and Boyle subsequently renamiced lii^ Perfection-
ism. Boyle, though an early, was not the first corner t
of Noyes. Abigail Merwin, a member of the Free
Church, was the first to embrace Perfectionism after
Noyes. She made rapid proficiency, and rendered
efficient service to Mr. N., but soon left him. Mr. N.
afterward in the " visions of his head " had a \iew of
her, and says : —
*' I saw her, standing, as it were, on the pirmacle of
ohe Universe, in the glory of an angel ; but a voice
appears that one Hiram Sheldon raised up a small society in Central
ISiew York, about the year 183") or 1834. I'he gentleman just alluded
to thus speaks of him : —
"During his life-time his Influence was great in Central New York,
and lie used it to develop and sustain order. He is now dead. His
followers scarcely retain a separate identity, except a few ■ New
Lights ' in the vicinity of his place of residence."
The same writer continues : —
'-' The lumen of Eastern New York Perfectionism is referred to
JoHK B. EooTE, a tiieological student in Kirk's School, at Albany.
Modest and timid to excess, the revival spirit soon impelled him witli
its deep-toned enthusiasm. Around him gathered the most devoted
of the class. Mr. K. tried to quell the storm, but failed. The refrac-
tory students became the preachers of the new faith. To their labors
most of the Perfectionism in Mass. and westward owes its existence.
'■• Chauncey E. Dutton had breathed tlie afflatus. In 1S33 be left
Albany and entered the theological department at New Haven. Ct.
Here he infused the new enthusiasm into John H. Noyes, a young
man from Putney, Vt., v/ith whom he had become familiar. Thus
began the logos of New Haven Perfectionism."
Whatever influence the move in New York might have iiad at New
Haven, it is evident that Noyes has advanced views so peculiar to
himself, and so diverse from all that had gone before, that he may
properly be said to be the founder of modern Pesfectioiijism in its pres-
ent pecuH.^.r aspect.
32 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
fi-om which I could not turn away, pronounced her
tijle — ' Satan transformed into an angel of light. ^ I
_gave her up, and cast her from me as one accursed."
Many of the members of the Free Church embraced
Perfectionism and left the Church, but afterward
seceded from Noyes and returned.
Noyes, having lost most of his influence at New
Haven, left, and spent considerable time in travelling
in different parts of the country. During his peregrin-
ations he made a few converts to his faith ; but at
length he gave his " wanderings o'er," and returned
and seated himself at Putney in 1838, where he
resumed the publication of a paper called " The Wit-
ness," which had been suspended about a year previ-
ous, in consequence of the odium brought down upon
him by the publication of the Battle-Axe Letter, which
we shall hereafter notice.
A minute detail of events which have from time to
time transpired among small societies of Perfectionists
in different parts of the country — possessing as they do
more of local than of general interest — would not be
very entertaining to the reader, and would swell this
little volume beyond its intended limits. Therefore we
shall pass over many things as unworthy of note. Suf-
fice it to say, that enough transpired long since to
clearly indicate the course of the current among Per-
fectionists, and point with unerring accuracy to ultimate
results. One writer who has been acquainted with
their movements from the very commencement, and is
familiar with their whole history, says : —
KOYESISM UNVEILKP. 3o
'' It has been the standing reproach of Perfectionists,
that their views of the peculiar binding nature of the
Decalogue, were such that the grossest hcentiousness
might be indulged, and then would be in strict accord-
ance with their theology. And, in fact, their views
have been so carried out. We omit the late rumors,
which appear to be well founded, of the abominable
lewdness of Noyes and his immediate disciples.* From
the outset of New Haven Perfectionism, there have
been a succession of individuals, receivers of that pecul-
iar type of Perfectionist doctrine, who have been guilty
of overt acts of immorality. .... But what makes this
look more abhorrent, is that those involved, asserted the
favorite tenet that they were '' bom of God," " not
under law, but under gTace," and led, as all Perfec-
tionists profess to be, by the Spirit of the Lord in all
these matters ! It being a sentiment of the sect, that
all w^ho believed (setting charity so far aside as to sel-
dom speak even its name, it being all faith) became
so perfectly free from sin, as to be no more able to com-
mit any transgression of moral law : all the vv^rath,
malice, evil speaking, harsh denunciations, and other
evils in which they indidged, were stamped with the
seal of the Almighty — all was inspired by God ! I
have known Perfectionists in the highest excitement of
rage, assert that it was a holy anger, vfell pleasing to
God."
Passing by other places and matters of minor conse-
•'luence, we shall direct the attention of the reader more
paTticularly to Putney. Here, at an early period, Mr.
I^. planted his standard — here he unfurled his banner
— here his press teemed with his heresies' — here was a
*This language was penned soon after the disclosures at Putney,
in 1847.
3
'34 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
socictj liiider his immediate eye and supervision — 4iere
was the head quarters of the whole sect — here Perfec-
tionism was disconnected from all other doctrines — and
here was a fair criterion by which to judge. What
Nojesism has been in Putney it will be elsewhere —
for the streams will partake of the natiu-e of the fown-
tain whence they flow.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 35
CHAPTER III.
Legal Proceedings.
Persons familiar with the doctrines taught by Mr,
JS'^oyes, would naturally expect that, sooner or later,
there would be an outbreak — an exhibition of their
practical results ; for the legitimate fruits of those doc-
trines would, in due time, naturally make their appear-
ance among those who adhered to them. What wa^
expected, has come to pass. Almost from the very
commencement of the promulgation of those doctrines
there have been occasional demonstrations ; and- —
according to Mr. N.'s own acknowledgments — 'frequent
violations of moral and statute law, among small socie-
ties of Perfectionists in difterent parts of the country.
But Mr. N. denied at the time that such immoralities
were the proper fruits of his doctrines, and attributed
tliem to an admixture of what he was pleased to tenn
spurious doctrines, with his own, in such societies. But
]io pointed to Putney, Vt., as the place where Perfec-
tionism was pure^ — unmixed with other doctrines — and
asserted that he was willing it should be judged b}- its
moral fruits there. But it was soon found that Mr. N.
and the society under his supervision at Putney were
(|uite as d.eeply involved in guilt as others had been—
showing conclusively that the conduct of other societies
elsewhere was in perfect keeping with his principles.
['; is true, he denounced such conduct after it wa^ made
public, but he thereby cither wished to expiv-^s.!! bis dis-
36 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
approbation of the course pursued by some of the pre-
cocious members of such societies, because they had
commenced carr3dng out his doctrines before consulting
him — thus committing an act of insubordination against
the acknowledged head — or he secretly favored such
conduct, and openly denounced it when made public,
merely for the purpose of blinding the eyes of the peo-
ple. The latter is the more probable, for he taught
his followers at Putney that such conduct 'wa8 right
among them !
But facts of a startling character at length came to
light, in relation to the conduct of Mr. Noyes, and the
civil authorities deemed it their duty to institute a legal
process against him ; and he Avas accordingly arrested,
Oct. 25, 1847, charged with adultery and fornication.
He waived an examination before a Justice of the
Peace, and came forward and gave bonds for his
appearance at the County Court. If innocent of the
charges alleged against him, why did Mr. N. waive an
examination ? He could not have feared false witnesses,
for the witnesses were from among his own people. If
innocent, an examination would have resulted in an
honorable acquittal. But he well knew that an inves-
tigation would bring out facts highly discreditable to
his moral character ; hence he waived an examination,
and remarked, as we leam, that the people of Putney
should not have sport that day at his expense.
But let us glance at the course pursued by the Per-
fectionists in relation to the examination of the case of
Mr. N. before the Grand Jury. When it was ascer-
NOYESISM UNVEILED, • 87
tained that a subpoena was about being issued for the
purpose of summoning the witnesses, there was quite a
stir and scattering among the Noyesites at Putney.
Several important witnesses hastily left the State,
before the officer could serve the subpoena upon them,
and they remained away till after Court. Why all
this ? If those persons knew nothing against the moral
character of their leader, why abscond ? The reader
can draw his own inferences.
Let us look a little farther. The Grand Jury before
w^hom the case was examined found a bill against Mr.
Noyes for adultery and fornication. The witnesses in
the case were all Noyesites except one or two who were
formerly followers of him, but, faltering by the way,
had lost their fellowship with him. Now it cannot be
supposed that Mr. N.'s own disciples w^ould testify
falsely against hun ; — they were very reluctant to tes-
tify at all, and acknowledged no more than they w^ere
obliged to ; and undoubtedly they told the truth as far
as they went, but whether they told the whole truth, It
is not for us to say — they know in relation to that.*
Now the fact that a panel of eighteen Grand Jurors,
without one dissenting voice, found a bill against Mr.
* It may be proper here to remark that the testimony taken before
the Grand Jury is of such a character, that, as a whole, it would be
improper to publish it. It brings to view language so obscene, and
conduct so base on the part of Mr. Noyes, that it would be unfit for
the public eye. Moreover, the end may not be yet, in relation to legal
proceedings ; and there would, in that case, be an impropriety in pub-
lishing even detached portions of the testimony before all such mat-
ters were fully matured.
38 • NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Noyes, and that too upon the testimony of his own fol-
lowers, speaks volumes, and makes the case exceed-
ingly clear.
But again : — At the session of the County Court for
Windham County, held m September, 1848, the case
of Mr. N. came on for trial ; but he did not appear,
and his bonds were of course forfeited. Now it is
always to be presumed that an accused person who
IwJds Jiimself ready for a legal investigation before a
proper tribmial, is mnocent mitil he is proved guilty.
^wX: fleeing from a legal investigation is always deemed
prima facie evidence of gniilt. This case at the com-
mencement, in regard to Mr. N.'s character, was quite
dark, but it grew darker and darker at every succes-
sive step of the legal proceedings ; and the manner in
whiich those proceedmgs were closed up, leaves not a
shadow of doubt in tlie public mind as to the guilt of
Mr. N.
NOYESTSM UNVEILED., 39
CHAPTER IV.
Legal Proeeedings Continued.
We give a certified copy of the Record in the office
of the Clerk of the Court for Windham County, in the
case of Mr. Noyes, It contains the indictment against
Mr. N., together with all other legal proceedings which
were matters of record :
STATE OF VERMONT.
WlNDnAM,....SS.
Pleas and Actions heard and tried by
the County Court, begun and held at Newfane, within
and for the County of Windham, on the fourth Tues-
day— being the twenty-sixth day — of September, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
forty-eight.
P R E S E N T ,
Hon. Daniel Kellogg, Chief Judge.
Hon. James H. Phelps and \ . . ^ , r r
Hon. Thomas Miller, \ Asm,toM. fudges.
The S tate of Ve^rmont, ] It appears to the Court here,
vs. ^ that at a Court of inquiry and
John H. Xoycii. J examination, held at Putney,
in the said County of Windham, on the 25th day of
October, A. D. 1847, before Royall Tyler, a Justice
<jf the Peace within and for said County, John H.
Noyes, of said Putney, was brought upon a Complaint,
exhibited to Jonathan Cutler, Esquire, a Justice of the
Peace ' in and for said County, by Thomas V/hite,
Grand Juror of said Putney, who, on his oath of office,
complained, and gave said Justice to understand and
be informed, that John H. Noyes, of said Putney, he
40 IS'OYESISM UNVEILED.
the said Jolni H. Noyes, of said Putney, on or about the
first day of August, A. D. 1847, at said Putney, he the
said John H. Noyes then and there being a married
man, with force and arms did carnally know one Fanny
M. Leonard, she the said Eanny M. Leonard then and
there being a married woman, and the wife of one Ste-
phen R. Leonard, and with her the said Fanny M.
Leonard did commit adulterj^, contrary to the form,
force and effect of the statute in such case made and
pro^dded, and against the peace and dignity of the
State. — And the said Thomas White, Grand Juror as
aforesaid, upon his oath of office further complained,
that the said John H. Noyes, on or about the first day
of September, now last past, at Putney, aforesaid, he
the said John H. Noyes, then and there being a mar-
ried man, with force and arms did carnally know one
Achsah Campbell, a single woman, and with her the
said Achsah Campbell did commit adulterous formica-
tion, contrary to the form, force and effect of the stat-
ute in such case made and provided, and against the
peace and dignity of the State.
Thomas White, G-rand Juror.
Oct. 25, 1847.
And the said Grand Juror names as witnesses in
support of the above Complaint, Daniel J. Hall, Har-
riet A. Hall, Eunice Baker, James L. Baker, and
Clifford Clark. Thomas White, Grand Juror.
The mthin Complaint was exhibited to me this 25th
day of October, A. D. 1847, and process then issued.
Jonathan Cutler, Justice of the Peace.
State of Vermont, \ To any Sheriff or Constable in
Windham^.. ..ss. \ the State, Greeting.
The foregoing Complaint having been exhibited to
me, this day, by the authority of the State of Vermont,
you are hereby commanded t-o apprehend the body of
KOYESISM UKYBILSD. 41
tho said John H. Nojes, and him have forthwith before
the subscribing authority, or some other Justice of the
said County, at the inn of J. Black, in said Putney,
that he may answer to the foregoing comphiint, and be
further dealt with according to law.
Given under my hand, at said Putnev, this 25th day
of October, A. D. 1847.
Jonathan Cutler, Justice of the Peace.
And you are hereby commanded to summon the
above named Daniel J. Hall, Harriet A. Hall, Eunice
Baker, James L. Baker, Clifford Clark, and Ellen A.
Baker, to appear at the time and place of examination.
Jonathan Cutler, Justice of the Peace.
Windham ] Putney, Oct. 25, 1847.
County ^....ss, \ Then by virtue of the within precept,
I arrested the body of the within named John H.
Noyes, and now have him here in Court.
Attest, Charles Chapin, D. Sheriff,
Windham \ Putney, Oct. 25, 1847.
County, ....ss. \ Then summoned the within named
witnesses by reading the within precept in their hear-
ing. Attest, Charles Chapin, D. Sheriff,.
State of Vermont, ] Be it remembered, that at a
Windham,.... ss. j Court of Inquiry, holden at Put-
ney, in the County of Windham, on the 25th day of
October, A. D. 1847, before Boyall Tyler, a Justice of
the Peace within and for said County, John H. Noyes,
of said Putney, was brought upon a complaint exhibited
to Jonathan Cutler, Esquire, a Justice of the Peace in
and for said County, by Thomas White, Grand Juror
for said town of Putney, who complains that John H,
Noyes, of said Putney, on or about the first day of
August, A. B. 1847, at said Putney, he the said John
H. Noyes then and there being a married man, with
force and arms did carnally know one Fanny M. Leon-
42 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
ard, she the said Fanny M. Leonard then and there
being a married woman and the wife of one Stephen R.
Leonard, and with her the said Fanny M. Leonard dil
commit adultery— contrary to the form of the statute
in such case made and provided, and against the peace
and dignity of the State.
And the said Thomas White, (xrand Juror as afore-
said, further complains that the said John H. Noyes,
on or about the first day of September now last past, at
Putney aforesaid, he the said John H. Noyes then and
there being a married man, with force and arms did
carnaliy know one xlchsah Campbell, a single woman,
and with her the said Achsah Campbell did commit
adulterous fornication — contrary to the form of the
statute in such case made and provided, and against
the peace and dignity of the State. And the said
John H. Noyes, being present, waives an examination,
and submits himself to the order of the Court in the
premises.
Whereupon, the said Royall Tyler, Justice of the
Peace as aforesaid, doth order and direct that the said
John H. Noyes be held for trial before the County
Court next to be holden at Newfane, ^\ithin and for
said County of Windham, on the fourth Tuesday of
April next, by giving bonds, by way of recognizance,
with sufficient security, in the sum of I' wo Thousand
Dollars, to the Treasurer of the State of Vermont, con-
ditional for his the said John H. Noyes' s personal
appearance before said Court, to answer to the things
which shall then and there be objected ' to him on this
behalf, and abide the judgment of said Court thereon.
A true copy of Record.
Attest, RoYALL Tyler, Justice of the Peace,
State of Vermont, ( Be it remembered, that at Put-
Windhamy...S8. \ ney, in the County of Windham
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 4'6
' lesaid, on the 25tli day of October, A. D. 1847,
tonally appeared before me, Royall Tyler, Justice
rhe Peace in and for sejd County, John H. Noyes,
said Putney, as principal, and John R. Miller, of
•^aid Putney, as surety, and jointly and severally
' ' nowledged themselves indebted to the Treasurer of
State -of Vermont in the sum of Two Thousand
liars, to be levied of their, and each of their goods,
attels, lands and tenements, and for want thereof, of
tiieir bodies, if default be made in the condition follow-
ing, that is to say : — The condition of this recognizance
is, that if the said John H. Noyes, charged before me
with the crimes of adultery and fornication, shall make
his personal appearance before the County Court next
to be holden at Newfane, in and for the County of
Windham, on the 4th Tuesday of April, A. D. 1848,
and answer to the matters and things which shall then
and there be objected to him in that behalf, and shall
abide the order of said Court thereon, and not depart
without leave of Court — then this recognizance to be
void, otherwise offeree.
Taken and acknowledged this 25th day of October,
A. D. 1847.
Before me, Roy all Tyler, Justice of the Peace.
I hereby certity the foregoing to be true copies of
Records and Files, remaining in my office.
RoYALL Tyler, Justice of the Peace.
As by the Files and Copies of the said Royall. Tyler,
Justice of the Peace, here on file, more fully and at
large appear.
And the cause was entered in this Court, at a term
thereof begun and held at Newfane, in said County,
on the fourth Tuesday, being the 25th day, of April, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
forty eight.
44 NOYESISM UNVEILBD.,
And the said John H. Noyes stands indicted by the
Grand Jurors within and for the body of the County of
Windham, at said April term of said Court, which
indictment is in the words following, to wit : —
STATE OF VERMONT, ) Be it remembered, that at
Windham County ^....ss. \ the County Court begun
and holden at Newfane, within and for the County of
Wmdham, on the fourth Tuesday of April, in the year
eighteen hundred and forty^eight, the Grand Jurors
within and for the body of the County of Windham
aforesaid, now here in Court, duly empanelled and
sworn upon their oaths, present : — That John H. Noyes,
late of Putney, in the County of Windham aforesaid,
on the tenth day of June, in the year eighteen hundred
and forty-seven, at Putney aforesaid, in the County of
Windham aforesaid, he the said John H. Noyes then
and there being a married man, with force and arms
did carnally know one Fanny M. Leonard, she the said
Fanny M. Leonard then and there being a married
woman, the wife of one Stephen R. Leonard, and with
her did commit adultery — contrary to the form, force
and effect of the statute in such case made and provi-
ded, and against the peace and dignity of the State.
And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths
aforesaid, do further present : — That the said John H.
Noyes, on the twentieth day of August, in the year
eighteen hundred and forty-seven, at Putney aforesaid,
in the County of Windham aforesaid, he the said John
H. Noyes then and there being a married man, with
force and arms did carnally know one Achsah Camp-
bell, then and there being a single woman, and with
her the said Achsah Campbell did have that intercourse
and connection which in case the said Achsah Campbell
had been a married woman would have constituted the
crime of adultery — contrary to the form, force and
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 45
effect 01 the statute in such case made and provided,
;ind against the peace and dignity of the State, as by
;-aid indictment on file.
The said John H. Noyes appeared at the last term
this Court, by Larkin G. Mead and Wilham C.
, £»iadley, his Attorneys ; it was then ordered by the
Court that this cause be, and the same was, continued
to the present term of this Court.
And now upon this twenty-sixth day of September,
in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-eight,
and during the session of this Court, the said John H.
Noyes being thrice called in open Court to appear in
Court, and save himself and bail, appears not, but
thereof makes default; and the said John R. Miller,
who recognized to have the body of the said John H.
Noyes in Court, being thrice called in open Court to
have the said John H. Noyes now in Court and save
his recognizance, does not appear, neither does he have
the body of the said John H. Noyes in Court here, but
thereof makes default.
Whereupon it is considered by ihe Court here, that
the said recognizance be, and the same is, forfeited to
the Treasurer of the State of Vermont.
STATE OF VERMONT, ]
Windham Coimty Cowrt Clerk's Office^ y
Newfane, Dec. 12, A. D. 1848. J
I hereby certify the above and foregoing to be true
copies of Record.
Attest, M. MiLLEK, Clerk.
46 :y'OYBSISM UNVEILBD.
CHAPTER V,
Confessions of John H. Noyes.
Mr. Noyes, in his organ — the Spiritual Magazine of
Aug. 5, 1848 — announced the intention of publishing
a book of several hundred pages, to be entitled
" CO^STESSIONS OF JOHN H. NOYES."
This work we are informed is to comprise — 1. The
" religious history " of Mr. K. ; 2. A " historj of the
Putnej Community, including the transactions which
led to the agitation, prosecutions and dispersion '' in
the fall of 1847 ; 8. "A full theoretical exhibition of
the social organization of the kingdom of heaven, inclu-
ding all the principal articles " which Mr. N. had pub-
lished in his papers on that subject.
^' Co-nfessio7is of John II. iSfoyes " ! Now this title
is certainly calculated to raise, at first sight, the expec-
tation that the book would contain some acknowledg-
ment of his offences ; but we are informed that nothing
of the kind is to appear. In common usage, the term
coifesdon signifies an acknowledgment of guilt ; using
it in this sense, Mr. N.'s book and its title would be as
far apart as opposite points of the compass. But the
term in the present instance ir; used in an entirely dif-
ferent sense. We are to have a confession of Mr. N.'s
■''" Religious Experience " .' — a co7ifession of his ''Social
Experience^' ! — and a confession of his " Social Prin-
ciples " ! Wonderful confessions indeed I
But pei-sons acquainted with Mr. N.'s position would
not expect, even from the title of bb book, any conf"-.-
I
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 47'
'sion of guilt, for he has assumed that he cannot sin ;
and when a person arrives at this point, a quietus is
put upon conscience. And we can never expect con-
victions of wrong, or confessions of guilt, from a perijon
who has completely stultified or lost his conscience !
Mr. N. has made a clean sweep of all legal barriers,
bv assuming that he is exempt from all " ivritten law ";
and as an offset for rejecting Imv^ he professes to be
under grace ; but facts show conclusively that he is
under neither law nor grace I
We learn from jNIr. N. that he has delayed the pub-
lication of the book which he announced as forthcom-
ing, for the purpose of having the '• advantage " of
saying something in relation to '' Noyesism Unveiled."
He is perfectly welcome to all the '' advantage '' he
can gahi in this respect. We intend the present work
shall stand upo!i its own merits, and if it does not carry
to the mind of the reader a conviction of its truthful-
ness, we ask no credit for it.
But Mr. N. has recently pubUshed the ^'.Firsi Part "
of his promised book, as there was no " advantage'' to
be gained by delaying the publication of this part. It
contains a " Confemon of Religious JSxferience."
Now it is rather late in the day for this. It is about
as proper as it would be for a criminal, standing upon
the gallows, to relate his religious emotions when com-
mitting the crime for which he is about to be executed !
A confession of Mr. N.'s irreligious acts would be bet-
ter suited to the times.
But a word in relation t-:> ih^ part just pubHshed.
48 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
This is a pconjyJdet of 96 pages, rather poorly " got up."
A parcel of these books was sent to Putney and offered
for sale at fifty cents per copy ! Not finding a ready
sale at that, they soon went down to twenty-five cents,
and we learn that they are a drug in the market at
that. One thing is certain — the buyer could have the
satisfaction of reading 96 pages, made up almost
entirely of old, stale matter which was published four
or five years ago by Mr. N. in his paper at Putney.
It was thought by some that this was a little akin to
Mormons ^^ milking the Grentiles " / So much fo}' the
'• Fii-st Part" of Mr. N.'s book.
The Second and Third Parts are coming " sooner or
later. "^^ Perhaps, from the mtimations given by Mr.
N., we can so far anticipate the character of what is
forthcoming as to say all that may be necessary in
reference to it.
Part Second is to contain a " history of the Putney
Community, including the transactions which led to the
agitation, prosecutions and dispersion " in the autumn
of 1847. We think we shall give a pretty full history
of the Putney Community, and '' shall endeavor to
complete, if we do not supersede " Mr. N.'s " work."
We know something about Putney matters, and touch-
ing the " transactions " the whole may be summed up
in few words — a hnoioledge of the high-handed offences
which Mr. JV. had been committing, was the cause of
the " agitation, prosecutions and dispersion.'^'*
Speaking in reference to his course, Mr. N., under
date of Aug. 5, 1848, says : —
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 49
"* We think we can do better than to engage in a
small quarrel with an excited village. We thought so
last fall, and chose the peaceable, non-resistant course
— ' giving place unto wrath.' "
We had not supposed Mr. N. was so extremely
" peaceable and non-resistant " — a change must have
come over him. After his arrest, he roared like the
lion at the end of his chain ; but when he found that
the grapplings of the law were fast upon him, he
became quite " peaceable and non-resistant." There
was a powerful motive for this. The prospect of being
encompassed by granite walls, and looking through iron
grates, was not the most pleasing ; and in view of this,
he might vrell become so very " peaceable and non-re-
sistant" as to leave the State — thus voluntarily absen1>-
ing himself from a legal investigation, which was a
virtual acknowledgment of his guilt.
The Third Part of Mr. N.'s work is to comprise a
" full theoretical exhibition of the social organization of
the kingdom of heaven." In this part Mr. N. is going
to bore the reader again with old, stale — not to say,
obscene — matter, published in his paper long ago. But
in addition to this we expect he will give us something
new. After leaving Putney, Mr. N. drew up a long
article, entitled " Institutions and Organization of
THE Kingdom of Heaven," i. e. a Noyesite Commu-
nity ! He sent this article to the " believers " at Put-
ney, and they copied it and sent it to three persons in
different parts of the country, and gave them instruc-
tions to show it to sincere inquirers. They deemed it
4
&0 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
'' too treasonable to human institutions to admit of its
being published with safety ^^^ at first ! This article
was considered so wonderful bj the Noyesites, that
they imagined if the doubting could only see it, they
would exclaim, " My Lord and my God P^
This production was thought by the Noyesites to be
equal to any article in the Beeean — a book published
by Mr. N., — and they declared that it was written with
the same inspiration that dictated the articles in that
book !
Indeed I the fact has at length leaked out, then, that
the Noyesites regard the Berean as an inspired book !
Then we may lay it upon the shelf by the side of the
Golden Bible got up by Joe Smith — for it is highly
probable they were both coined at the same mint !
Now, as Mr. N. has promised to give a '^fidl theo-
retical exhibition of the social organization of the king-
dom of heaven," and as the article just alluded to is
undoubtedly very essential to the accomplishment of
that object, we may expect to see that article, unless it
is too " treasonable to human institutions tjo admit of its
being published with safety" even now;— but if he
withholds that article w§,^n hardly see how he catt
fulfil the promise to gx^'^Mtfidl theoretical exhibition
of the social organization of the kingdom of heaven,"
What course he will take'^ time will determine.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 51
CHAPTER VI.
Action of the Citizens of Putney — Proceedings of
Public Meetings.
Soon after his arrest at Putney in the autumn of
1847, Mr. Noyes absconded ; and about the same time
several members of his society there, left town. But
some of the most prominent membei-s still remained ;
the Association was not disbanded, and they continued
the publication of the Spiritual Magazine, their official
organ. Mr. N., though at a distance, could keep up
an open communication, by letter, with the society at
Putney, and still control their affairs ; and although
under arrest, with not a shadow of doubt remaining as
to his guilt, — through the medium of his press, which
was still in operation at Putney, he could disseminate
his pernicious principles with almost as much facility as
before.
Under this state of things the citizens of Putney
would of course feel dissatisfied ; and they deemed
it advisable, in a collective capacity, to take some
action, and in a proper manner give an expression of
public sentiment. They accordingly assembled for
consultation, and several resolutions were adopted
expressive of their sentiments, and those resolutions
were as mild as could have been expected under the
circumstances. Several public meetings were held in
December, 1847, the principal proceedings of which)
as reported by the Secretary, we give below : —
62 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
" The inhabitants of the village of Putney met at
the vestry of the Congregational Meeting-House, on
the evening of the second day of December, inst., for
the purpose of taking into consideration the outrageous
proceedings of the Perfectionists, so called.
"1. Organized by appointing Preston W. Taft,
Chairman, and Wilham Houghton, Secretary.
" 2. On motion of Dr. John Campbell, appointed a
committee of five to draft and report some appropriate
resolutions at a future meeting.
" Israel Keyes, Esq., Rev. A. Foster, Rev. H. East-
man, Hon. John Kimball, and James Keyes, Esq.,
were appointed said committee.
" 3. On motion, adjourned to Monday evening,
Dec. 6, 1847.
" Monday, Dec. 6. Met agreeably to adjournment,
and Israel Keyes, Esq., reported the following pream-
ble and resolutions, which, after being discussed, were
unanimously adopted : —
^* Whereas^ An Association of Perfectionists, so
called, has existed in the town of Putney for several
years past, who, among other things, have declared that
the Moral Law is abolished, and have inculcated senti-
ments of a licentious tendency, and exerted an influ-
ence detrimental to the moral interests of the commu-
nity ; — and whereas^ from recent disclosures it is evi-
dent that those licentious principles have been carried
out in practice to an alarming extent in said Associar
tion, threatening to ruin the characters of all connected
therewith or brought under its deadly influence ; — and
whereas J John H. Noyes, the founder and leader of
said Association, has recently been arrested for his
licentious practices and placed under heavy bonds, and
has since absconded ; and whereas^ George Cragin, an
associate of Noyes, has also recently absconded under
cover of the night, evidently from fear of the threatened
NOYESISM UNVBIL8D. 58
penalty of the law ; — and whereas, said Association is
publishing a periodical, denominated the Spiritual Mag-
azine, through the medium of which they are dissemin-
ating their pernicious principles, and are thus exerting
a demoralizing influence, not only upon the community
in the more immediate vicinity of its publication, but in
different parts of the country where it is- circulated ; —
and whereas, the principles of said Association are evi-
dently disorganizing in their tendency, and adapted, if
carried out to th*eir utmost extent, to abolish all law
and government, both of Church and State, and erect
upon their ruins an irresponsible hierarchy : There-
fore,
" 1. Resolved, That the moral interests of this com-
munity demand the immediate dissolution of said Asso-
ciation.
" 2. Resolved, That the Spiritual Magazine, which
is the principal organ of said Association, through
which they are disseminating their pernicious senti-
ments, and which has evidently become a public nui-
sance, ought immediately to be discontinued ; and that
no publication whatever ought hereafter to be issued by
said Association inculcating those principles which, if
carried out in practice, would result in a violation of
the laws of the land.
"3. Resolved, That those Perfectionists who stiU
remain in this town, ought publicly to renounce those
principles which tend to, and abandon those practices
which are, a violation of the statute laws of the State.
'^ 4. Resolved, That those persons in this town who
have received serious injuries from said Association,
ought to be suitably remunerated by said Association.
'' 5. Resolved, That the Editors of the Vermont
Phoenix, Windham County Democrat, Semi- Weekly
Eagle, and Bellows Falls Gazette, be respectfully
requested to publish the proceedings of this meeting,
54 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
and that the Secretary farnisli eacli of them with a copy
of the same. Preston W. Taet, Chairmcm.
" Wm. Houghton, Seeretary.
" Putney, Dec. 6, 184T."
The foregoing Preamble and Resolutions embody the
deliberate sentiments of the citizens of Putney, who
were resolved, by all prudent and lawful measures, to
vindicate the rights of the injured, bring the guilty to
justice, and remove this gangrene wfiieh had fastened
upon the morals of the community.
The first resolution, the purport of which was that
the moral interests of the community demanded the
immediate dissolution of the Perfectionist Association,
contains a self-evident truth, as clear as the shining of
the sun at noon-day. No right-minded person, acquain-
ted with affairs at Putney, could doubt this. But the
Association was not dissolved. It is true, the pubhc
meetings at the chapel were discontinued ; but the few
still remaining continued to have little gatherings at
private dwellings, and have kept them up to the pres^
ent time — ^March, 1849.
But we have a little information touching this point,
which came direct from head quarters. In the spring
of 1848, about four months subsequent to the passage
of the foregoing resolutions, one of the master spirits
in the Putney Community held the following lan-
guage :—
" The world may think our Association dissolved ^
hut we have been going on from strength to strength
during the past winter , in union ivith the heavenly
world, and felloivship among ourselves.''^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 55
Among the Noyesites, '^ fellowship "^^ has a peculiar
meaning and an unusual significance. Thus it appears
that in regard to the dissolution of the Association there
was a total disregard of the deliberate sentiments of
the citizens of Putney as set forth in the first resolu-
tion. By the expression, " Union with the heavenly
loorld^^ which is coupled with " Fellowship among our-
selves^'' the reader will readily perceive how impiously
the Noyesites connect the most sacred things with the
most crying abominations !
The second resolution in the series has reference to
their organ, the Spiritual Magazine. The substance
of that resolution is, that their paper, having become a
public nuisance, ought forthwith to be discontinued;
and that no publication of a licentious tendency ought
to be issued from the press of the Putney Association.
This was taken in high dudgeon by the " acknowl-
edged head " of the sect of Perfectionists. Touching
this matter, Mr. Noyes, in the Spiritual Magazine pub-
lished at Oneida Reserve, Aug. 5, 1848, speaks thus :
"It is sufficient to say here, that the immediate
cause of the suppression of our paper at Putney, was a
resolution passed at an ' indignation meeting' of the
citizens of that place, denouncing our pubhcation as
licentious, and requiring an immediate stoppage of our
press. If we had been fond of squabbling, it would
have been natural for us to have resisted this arbitrary
requisition ; and it would be easy for us now to com-
ment severely on the entire mistake of the citizens in
regard to the character of our paper (which is too well
known to its subscribers to need justification from the
charge of licentious tendency); and we might say
56 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
something about the inquisitorial, anti-republican char-
acter of proceedings which demanded the summary
closing of a printing-office in a free country."
In the foregoing paragraph Mr. Nojes denies that
his paper has been licentious in its tendency. The
numerous extracts from his own writings found in this
volume are prima facie evidence agamst him ; and with
this testimony before them, we could submit the ques-
tion to the public without any doubt in regard to the
decision. But we wish to ask a few plain questions
touching this point. Will Mr. Noyes den;i/ that his
paper from the very commencement has been the expo-
nent of his principles, and that he has designedly set
them forth, though often in an ambiguous and mistified
manner ? Will he deni/ that the infamous conduct
among the Perfectionists at Putney, which was a gross
violation of the civil law, and gave rise to the prosecu-
tions in the fall of 184T, was the legitimate fruit of
those very principles ? Will he den^ that in the Com-
munity over which he presides the marriage covenant
is virtually nullified ? Will he deni/ that the seventh
commandment in the Decalogue is set aside by Perfec-
tionists ? Will he deuT/ that he and his most enthusi-
astic admirers believe and teach that the crimes known
in law as adultery, fornication and incest, are the
'^ Cross of Christ " ? And will he deny that his paper
has been set for the defence and promulgation of most
or all of these doctrines, and that they have been openly
avowed or covertly taught through this medium ?
If this be the case — which can be clearly shown — we
NOYESISM UN^-EILBD. 5T
are at once carried to the conclusion that the paper has
been grossly licentious in its tendency, Mr. N.*s naked
assertion to the contrary notwithstanding. In view of
all the facts, it appears that the citizens of Putney were
7iot mistaken in regard to the character of Mr, N.'s
paper. Was it, then, " inquisitorial " and " anti-re-
puhhcan " for them to ask for the stoppage of such a
print ? Certainly not. But Mr. N. thinks he ought to
be permitted to do as he pleases in this ''free country.''''
Hjs views of freedom evidently coincide with those of a
certain foreign emigrant who once landed upon our
shores. A son of Erin's " swate " Isle had heard of
the land of liberty, and had long and ardently desired
to enjoy its mestimable privileges. At length he was
permitted to reach this happy country ; and he sought
an early opportunity to give a practical demonstration
of his freedom. Scarcely had his feet pressed Ameri-
can soil, when he dealt a heavy blow at the first person
he met, and laid him prostrate upon the ground. When
called to an account for his offence before the civil
authorities, he remarked, in justification of his conduct,
that he thought this was a free country, where every
man might do as he "' plazed^
So Mr. N. would Hke to do as he pleases ; and is not
only determined to " pass and repass as he pleases the
usual boundaries of technical theology," but resolved if
possible to caiTy away all the legal landmarks in the
land, and " pass and repass " at pleasure the " usual
boundaries " set up by Statute Law.
But we will dismiss the point relative to the licen-
58 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
tious character and tendency of Mr. N.'s official organ,
by here introducing a few pertinent remarks of 0. IT.
Piatt, Esq., Editor of the Vermont Phoenix. The
opinion of Mr. Piatt is entitled to weight from the fact
that he is a barrister by profession, and consequently
conversant with judicial matters, and competent to
judge in relation to the character of Mr. N.'s paper
when viewed in a legal point of light. It is as fol-
lows : —
"A ^ajMT so licentious and indecent — so seditious
mid immoral m its character^ as this has been ever
since its co7nmencement, would not, even in the tainted
atmosphere of the city, he tolerated for a single iveek.
It ivould he indicted as a nuisance, hefore a seco7id
numher could he issued, and suppressed hy the strong
arm of the lawP
The purport of the third resolution of the series
under consideration, was, that those Perfectionists still
remaining in Putney " ought publicly to renounce those
principles which tend to, and abandon those practices
which are, a violation of the statute laws of the State."
No attention was paid to this resolution — or at least no
evidence was given that there was any reformation in
their conduct ; and it is a well known fact that they
renounced none of their principles.
The substance of the fourth resolution was, that the
Perfectionists ought suitably to remunerate those per-
sons in Putney whom they had seriously injured. This
they refused to do, and several actions were brought
against Mr. Noyes for damages done to different fami-
lies ; and they found it expedient to " settle itpy But
N0YE6ISM UNVEILED. 59
no one pretends that an ample remuneration was made
for the damages done to different individuals in conse-
quence of the infamous conduct of Noyes and his col-
leagues.
We have thus briefly referred to the character of the
resolutions passed by the citizens of Putney . Were those
resolutions unreasonable ? Not in the least. In view of
the circumstances, we do not see how the citizens of Put-
ney could have consistently expressed themselves in mil-
der terms. Moreover, they did not imperatively demand
that the resolutions shoidd be complied with, for they
did not consider that this was their prerogative ; but
they deliberately said in a collective capacity that they
ought to be complied with ; and it was then left optional
with the Perfectionists to heed the voice of the people,
or abide the issue. The resolutions were but partially
complied with. The people said the moral interests of
the community demanded the dissolution of the Perfec-
tionist Association at Putney, which was a self-evident
truth ; but it was not dissolved, according to their own
declaration. The people said that their paper ought to
be discontinued^ but it was not. It is true, a notice
was issued, announcing the suspenmn (not discontin-
uance) of the publication of the paper, but that only
'-^ for the present.''^ And the publication of the paper
has since been resumed at Oneida Reserve, N. Y. A
remark here, touching the topic of newspaper liberty,
may not be ill-timed. The freedom of the press has
the sanction of a constitutional guarantee ; but the
largest authorized liberty is remote from unrestricted
60 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
license. Every denomination professedly religious has
the right, through the medium of the press or other-
wise, to promulgate their peculiar tenets, provided they
are not contrary to the laws of the land^ nor injurious
to pMio mo7'als. But whenever any sect professedly
rehgious incorporate into their creed principles which
tend to, and countenance and even enjoin those acts
which are^ a gross violation of statute law, and intro-
duce vice and immorality in their most revolting forms,
they forfeit the protection of law, and render themselves
obnoxious to its penalties. Now it is a notorious fact,
that the principles taught by Mr. Noyes are diametri-
cally opposed to, and the course pursued by him and
his followers is a gross violation o/, the laws of the
land, and are fatal to public morals wherever their
touch is felt. This being the case, was it unjustifiable
in the citizens of Putney to say that their press ought
to be stopped ? By no means. Yet Mr. N. denounces
it as " inquisitorial " and " anti-republican." Such a
charge comes with an ill grace from such a source.
Again — the citizens of Putney said that the Perfec-
tionists ought to renounce their pernicious principles,
but this was not done. In the notice which was issued
by the publishers of the Spiritual Magazine, announcing
the suspension of the publication of that paper, the doc-
trines which they had formerly taught, and all along
had been inculcating, were commended, "/or the pres-
ent^ to the re-examination of Perfectionists.^^ Thus
their disciples were put back upon a review, that they
might refresh their memories and become more famiUar
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 61
with the sentiments already taught, until circumstances
would admit of their resuming the publication of their
paper, which, as we have seen, has already been done.
No evidence has been given that they have renounced
a single iota of their principles ; and the course which
they are pursuing clearly indicates a settled determin-
ation on their part to disseminate still the same princi-
ples as heretofore pubhshed, so far as circumstances
will admit. If they pertinaciously adhere to their per-
nicious principles, and are resolved to carry them out,
unless prevented by the rigid supervision and adminis-
tration of municipal law, it is time for the conservators
of the public morals to be on the alert.
When at Putney, the Noyesites necessaiily mingled
to some extent in their business matters with the citi-
zens of the village ; and this state of things they found
to be a little unfavorable to the carrying out of their
peculiar social principles — ^being subject to public
observation ; which, together with their published prin-
ciples, made no very favorable impression as to the
state of morals among them. And when the law would
allow them to remain no longer without feeling its pen-
alties, the leaders left, and retired to a somewhat seclu-
ded spot, and now congratulate themselves on being
" clear of the clashings of village interests." At
Oneida Reserve, in Central New York, they have
planted their standard, and are now beating up for
recruits ; and they hope to be permitted there to
'' work out " their social principles, unmolested. At the
very outset in their operations, they gave the people in
62 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
the vicinity of Oneida Reserve quite a smart sprinkling
of " soft solder ^^^ obviously with a design to ingratiate
themselves into their favor. But probably this worth-
less commodity will be duly appreciated by the intelli-
gent citizens of that section of country. Mr. Noyes tells
the people there that they are " less bigoted " than the
inhabitants of New England, and he presumes they will
let him " w^ork out and pubhsh his principles of associa-
tion in peace." As much as if he had said, " If you
wiU let us do as we please, and give us your sons and
daughters to aid in building up our kingdom, we will
call jow pretty goodfelloivs — otherwise, we shall think
you 710 ' less bigoted ' than the people of New Eng-
land. Meanwliile we will keep up a very fair exterior
— you shall have no occasion to complain of ' our gene-
ral behavior to our neighbors,' but you must not meddle
with our domestic affairs — -you must not come mthin
the ' chaniied circle,' unless you will submit to all the
rules and regidations.^^ The heads of famihes in the
vicinity of Oneida Reserve, if they would protect their
own firesides, and preserve the sanctity of " sweet
home," would do well to keep a vigilant eye upon the
Noyesite Community there, although they will need no
such caution after a full account of the doings at Put-
ney is fairly laid before them. Should they suffer
their sons and daughters to be enticed from under the
parental roof, and by the soft hand of persuasion drawn
mthin the " charmed circle," their certain ruin would
be sealed.
But to return : — The citizens of Putney said that the
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 63
Nojesites ought to renounce their pernicious principles.
Was this improper ? Not in the least. It will be read-
ily gi-anted that in matters of mere belief, not affecting
the moral interests of the community, nor tending
to the infraction of statute law, a resort to coercive
measures would be an unauthorized invasion of the
rights of conscience. But this was far from bemg the
case in the present instance. The doctrines taught by
Noyes tended directly to, and had actually resulted in,
gross ^dolations of law. The outrageous conduct com-
plained of at Putney, was not contrary to^ but in per-
fect Jceeping ivith^ their principles. It " was not only
a necessary consequence, but a positive mandatory
injunction of their doctrine " ; and they have at last
taken the Heaven-daring and utterly outrageous posi-
tion, that such infamous conduct is the " Cross of
Clirist^^ ! ! I Now it is perfectly plain that nothing
short of a renunciation of the principles which were the
basis of such conduct, would be satisfactory, or afiford
any security for the future. Circumstances might be
such that they might deem it expedient, or consider it
good pohcy, to promise an outward observance of the
law ; but what confidence could be placed in such
promises ? How far could we trust a person hardened
in crime, upon a mere verbal promise, when he con-
tended that he had a perfect right to transgress the
laws of the land? He might be compelled by the
pressure of exterior circumstances to change his course
of conduct for a season, but without a renunciation of
those pernicious principles which naturally lead to
64 WOYESISM UNVEILED.
offensive conduct, there could be no radical reform.
A Noyesite who pertinaciously adheres to his princi-
ples, would not obey the law unless compelled to. Ohe-
dience to law would be disobedience to his leader,
whose authority is considered paramount to all law.
We know full well what Mr. Noyes will say in
regard to some points which we have noticed. He
contends that he and his followers are exempt from
law ; hence in their view there is no immorality in per-
petual violations of legislative enactments, or the letter
of Divine law. Such absurd assumptions, and the
sophistical arguments brought to sustain them, will have
no force in an intelligent and candid community.
Let it be remembered that the resolutions to which
we have already referred, were passed at a public
meeting of the citizens of Putney, held Dec. 6, 1847.
At that meeting a committee was appointed to lay the
proceedings before the heads of the Corporation,* and
they were instructed to urge imrtieularly upon their
attention the propriety of complying with the resolution
relative to making remuneration to those whom the
Perfectionists had injured. This committee was also
to confer with them in relation to their future course of
conduct, and report to an adjourned meeting to be held
* Mr. Noyes, when at Putney, tried the experiment in a small way
of conducting his pecuniary affairs on a plan similar to that of the
Fourierists. He adopted the principle of a community of goods, and
gave to the concern under his control the name of Corporation,
although an act of incorporation was never granted by the Legisla-
ture of Veraaont.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 65
on the 9th of the same month. It was hoped that hy
this course the necessity of further prosecutions might
be evaded. The committee reported that the heads of
the Association refused to acknowledge that thej had
Injured any one ; but promised that for the future they
would regard the requisitions of moral and statute
laws, and that nothing of a licentious tendency should
appear in their paper. This report was laid upon the
table, not being satisfactory for the reason that they
refused to remunerate those whom they had seriously
injured, and because the promises made were considered
worthless. But it may be asked — ivere the promises
made by the Noyesites of any real value, and ought the
citizens of Putney to have been satisfied with them ?
Let us see. The Committee appointed to confer with
them, reported, that the leading Noyesites remaining in
Putney, promised that their conduct, and that of the
members of the Association, so far as they could
control their action, sliould be governed in future by
the requisitions of Moral and Statute Laws. Now,
this language among common people would mean some-
thing, but in the mouth of the Noyesites it amounts to
a '-' SOLEMN NOTHING." They positively assert that
the Moral Law is abohshed ! They have proclaimed it
upon the hill-tops, and rung it through the valleys, that
they are exempt from all '' written law," and they
glory in their freedom. They utterly scout the idea
that the letter of the Moral Law, and the enactments
standing on the Statute Books, are binding upon them,
or should be regarded as a rale of life. They set
Q6 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
themselves up as a privileged fraternity — exempt fron.
all external law — having a law within them which i<
the rule of action — and they pretend that they are
divinely inspired 1 They may he inspired, but if so,
their inspii-ation is certainly of a very questmiable
character, li they will have it that they are inspired,
we will not here contest the pomt, but must be allowed
the privilege of expressing the settled conviction that
they are mspired from the WRONG SOURCE ! If
their doctrmes are doubted, or the correctness of their
course of conduct questioned, the olyjector is met with
the "mouth-stopping" declaration — •• ^\'e aee divinely
INSPIRED !" This answers all questions — this ends all
controversy in their estunation I However vicious thoi
conduct and aggravated their crimes, they will no'
admit that they transgress any law that is bindins:
The law within them, by which they are governed, the;.
assert to be paramount to all external, or >mtten law '
Of how much value would a promise be, coming fror
persons adhering to such principles ? If they believed
the Moral Law to be abrogated, they could not cori-
sistently obey it ; for obedience to it would be disobe-
dience to that internal prmciple which they declare
to be paramount to all law. Moreover, it was declared
by one of their number several montlis after this pror.
ise was made, that they had been pursuing tlu' sani ?.
course as fonnerly.
But it was reported that they promised that nothing
of a licentious character or tendency should appear in
leir paper. This at first view appears very specious,
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 67
but amounts to nothing. The j will not admit that they
have ever pubHshed any thing of such a character.
They could have re-published all the oflfensive matter
that had ever appeared in their paper, and, according
to their construction, it would have been no violation
of this promise. They could have set forth principles
of the most immoral tendency in perfect keeping with
such a pledgee
That this is the hght in which they viewed the
subject is perfectly clear from Mr. N,'s own language.
He has since said that the citizens of Putney were
entirely mistaken in relation to the character of his
paper, and that it was " too well known to its subscri-
bers to need justification from the charge of licentious
tendency." This language contains a peremptory
denial that they had ever published any thing licentious;
hence in promising not to publish any thing of such a
character, they promised to do jii%t as they had done !
A valuable promise this.
Thus it appears that for the purpose of allaying the
justly indi.gnant feehngs of the citizens of Putney, the
leading Noyesites promised to be governed by whole-
some law^s, and to pursue a proper course ; but their
promises were couched in such language as to deceive
the people ; and it appears that they really meant that
they would do just as they had done, so far as circum-
stances would warrant ; but that for the time to come
they would be careful and not be detected. Thi?,
appears to have been the sum of all their promises.
68 NOYESiSM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER VII.
Citizens of Putney falsely charged with having
ad/Of led harsh measures for the extirpation of the
Perfectionists — Gratuitous plea of Repentance set
up for the leading Perfectionists.
The citizens of Putney have been charged wth
having adopted hai-^h measures instead of mild ones for
the purpose of breaking down and extirpating the
Perfectionist Community there. But this charge, from
whatever source it may emanate, is utterly false and
groundless. The facts in the case will speak for them-
selves, and the course pursued by the citizens of
Putney, clearly shows that they did not wish to resort
to any improper and unlawful measures, for the purpose
of con-ecting the existing e\il. Instead of violent
measures, the usual process in such cases was instituted
against Mr. Noyes in the midst of his high-handed
offences, and all the facts abundantly show that the
citizens of Putney resorted to the mildest measures
which could have been consistently adopted. They
have been charged with having urged the ci-editore of
the Corporation *' to jjounce upon them for the imnie'
diate payment of their demands, for the purpose of
breaking them down in a pecuniary sensed But not
% solit-ary instance his been produced, neither indeed
cun be, as we verily beheve, in which the citizens of
Putney as a body, or any considerable portion of them,
or even a singh individual, has urged one creditor of
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 69
the Corporation k? call for the immediate payment of
his dues. The facts in the case are simply these : —
Several citizens of Putney had loaned considerable
sums of money to the Corporation, and after the arrest
of Mr. Noyes they became somewhat alarmed. They
had reason to fear that things were so " rotten in
Denmark," that they mic/M'diW go to ruin ; and they
accordingly took the timely precaution, upon their own
responsibility, to obtain ample security, or have their
demands liquidated. What prudent — not to say
shrewd- — business man would not have taken a similar
course ?
But was there no just cause of alarm ? And did
not the creditors even, pursue a proper and justifiable
course ? Let us see.— Strong fears were evidently
entertained by some of the near relatives — persons
best acquainted with the circumstances- — of the woman
known in Imv as the wife of John H. Noyes, for he
was required to convey by deed to a certain individual
— to be held in trust — a large amount of real estate,
for the purpose of affording security to his wife for a
portion of the property which she possessed at the time
of her marriage. How can we account for this, if
there was no just cause of alarm? If there was any
pouncing^ here was the hea^^dest part of it. So much
for the harsh measures of the citizens of Putney,
touching this matter.
But let us look a little further. Mr. Noyes was
arrested — ^he soon after absconded — and not appearing
at court, his bonds were forfeited. Although the peni-
70 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
tentiary was the proper place for him, yet, by paying a
few hundred dollars he has the privilege, for the
present, of running at large out of the State of
Vermont. — Geo. Cragin, an intimate and accomplice
of Noyes, fled hastily under cover of the night to
avoid an arrest. — Two prominent Perfectionists who
owned the dwelling in wl5ch Mr, N. had his company,
were not disturbed — one remaining in town a number
of months, and the other is still there. They might
have been indicted for keeping a house of prostitution.
But the citizens of Putney wished to be lenient ;
and thought if the leaders were brought to justice,,
others who had been led away by them would forsake
their evil ways. But nothing of the kind has occurred
— and because sentence against their evil works was
not " executed speedily," their hearts are evidently
'' fully set in them to do evil."
Now in view of all the facts and circumstances,
it plainly appears that the citizens of Putney were
extremely lenient — lenient even to a fault. They
evidently erred on the Me of mercy. How unjust
then to charge them with having adopted liarsh meas-
ures.
Speaking in reference to their^ paper, the Editor of
a neighboring pubhc journal says : —
" That it has been so long endured by the respecta-
ble and intelligent inhabitants of Putney^ is otving
probably to the respectability of his family^ and a
reluctance to wound their feelings by any public pro-
ceedings.^^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 71
Again alluding to the public meeting at which the
resolutions noticed in the preceding chapter, were
passed, the same wiiter says : —
'' We most cordially participate in the sentiments
and indignant feelings expressed by the meeting. It
is almost incredible, that in tliis intelligent community,
people can be found so deluded, or so shameless, as
boldly to avow and practice the doctrines attributed
to this sect ; and we should l^e much more amazed, if
they were for a moment tolerated or suffered to exist.
We are only surprised^ that the citizens of Putn&y
have exercised so much forhearance and moderation.,
and have not sooner extirpated so disgraceful an
outrage upon society and Moral and Statute Law.^^
In fine, it has been matter of much surprise to
people abroad, that the citizens of Putney have been
so tolerant. Often have individuals in different places
made remarks to this effect : — •' Had the Perfection-
ists been located in our village or vicinity, they would
not have been tolerated for any length of time. A
community professing and practicing such doctrines as
the one at Putney, if it could not be reached any
other way, would come under the jurisdiction of
moh law.
But an individual is occasionally to be found whose
sympathies are wonderfully moved toward the Noyes-
ites ; the reason for this we are utterly at a loss to
conceive, unless it be found in the fact that such
persons find in the Perfectionists, congenial or kindred
spirits. The plea of repentance was gratuitously set
up for some of the Noyesites, evidently for the purpose
72 NOYESISM UNVEILED,.
of palliating their criminalities. It was thought at
Putney — whether by more than one person we are not
prepared to say — ^that a promise of amendment by a
few of the remaining Perfectionists was sufficient :
which promise, as we have seen, was utterly worthless.
That the Noyesites have reformed or ever intend as
a body to reform, we have not a particle of proof to
show. The course which Mr. N. and his followers are
pursuing is a living commentary upon the utter futility
Qf all promises of amendment coming from that quar-
ter. But even admitting such promises to be rehable,
would they satisfy the demands of justice agamst
offenders ? Not in the least. Such a principle apphed
to pecuniary matters would liquidate every debt which
a person might have contracted. Just let him promise
not to augment his Kabilities, and he might demand
exemption from payment. On the same principle the
most notorious culprit might demand acquittal at the
hand of the minister of justice.
Some persons have extremely lax views of repent-
ance. Repentance has mostly to do with the past and
present, although its genuineness is evinced by an
exemplary future walk. Conviction of wrong done is
indispensable to true repentance. Now the Noyesites
have no such' convictions, for they will acknowledge
no sin ; it is a leading doctrine with them that they'
cannot sin, do what they may. Here then is an insu-
perable barrier to repentance.
Again, sorrow for sin is necessary to true repent
ance ; but the Noyesites have no compunctions of
NOYESISM UNVJSIL3B-. 73
conscience whatever — do what they may, they are
ready to wipe their mouths and say — ^^ We have
drine no evil.^^ Moreover, the legitimate fruits of
genuine repentance appear not only in reformation of
conduct, but in reparation for injuries already inflicted,
so far as circumstances will admit. At Putney, crimes
were not only committed against the " peace and
dignity of the State,'' but individuals were seriously
injured ; and the Noyesites there have manifested no
disposition to make voluntary restitution. They have
done no more than they were compelled to do by law.
But gentlemen, in trymg to make it appear that the .
Noyesites have repented, have undertaken to do a work
of supererogation ; but perhaps they are not aware
that they are rendering a gratuitous and thankless
service. The Noyesites cannot consistently ask for,
or accept of, any such work ; for repentance has no
place among them. It implies the existence of sin,
and this they will never admit. The security of the
saints, i. e. Noyesites, is represented as the key-stone
in the arch of Noyesism. Should they acknowledge
that they have sinned^ or even admit it 2^(^-^'^^^^ fo"
them to sin, they would thereby knock the key-stone
out of their own arch, and the whole superstructure
would tumble down. They profess to be "■ stand-
ing on the plain eternity, beyond the judgment,'' and
we might as soon expect to find repentance among the
sinless intelligences of heaven, as to obtain an admis-
sion of its existence among the Noyesites.
T4 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER yill.
Reproaches cast upon the citizens of Putney — Cry
of persecution raised hy the Noyesites.
The inhabitants of Putney have, for several years
past, suffered more or less in the estimation of people
abroad, according to the amount of information which
the public have possessed in relation to the character
of the Perfectionist Community located there. This,
undei^ existing circumstances, could not well be avoided.
Although the citizens of Putney had, for some length
of time, had reason to siisjyect there was " something
rotten in Denmark ;" yet facts did not come to their
knowledge sufficient to warrant a prosecution imtil
the autumn of 1847. In the mean time, however,
the Perfectionists, through the medium of a periodical
published at Putney, and the efforts of a few public
teachers, had been scattering their licentious doctrines
broadcast over the country. People abroad had
become familiar, at least to some extent, with those
doctrines ; and guided by the sentiment that men are
not better thaii their principles^ they arrived at the
legitimate conclusion that they were a licentious people.
Moreover, facts confirming this conclusion had also
come to light. The practical results of their pernicious
principles, had appeared among some societies of Per-
fectionists elsewhere. Hence, people abroad supposed
they were not mistaken as to the true character of the
society at Putney. This was the -model, and other
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 75
societies at a distance receiving their impress from this,
were regarded as so many mirrors reflecting its true
features. And the people of Putney, for several
years, suffered the reproach of permitting them to
exist in their midst. But in this they acted wisely.
Had they on mere suspicion, however strong and well
founded, resorted to violent measures, or commenced
a legal process without sufficient evidence to sustain it,
the cry of persecution, long and loud, would have gone
up — the sympathies of some would have been enlisted
in their behalf — a prejudice would have been created
against the citizens of Putney, and the evil which they
wished to eradicate, would have taken deeper root,
and they would have been under the painful necessity
of enduring it for a much longer time. But at length
sufficient facts were elicited, and a wholesome correc-
tive was applied.
But, alas ! strange as it may seem, we are evidently
doomed to hear the cry of persecution. This is a
weapon which impostors ever have at hand, but one
that culprits seldom have the confidence to use. But
It evidently appears that in the present instance it is to
be brought into requisition. Mr. Noyes, we under-
stand, when arrested, remarked to his followers, that
the more they were 2^^'^secuted the nearer they came
to the Primitive Church !
And from present indications it would not be at
all surprising if Mr. N., in a work which he has
announced as forth-coming, should give us a dolcrous
account of his persecutions at Putijey. But the citi-
\
76 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
zens of Putney have asked for no raore than even-
handed justice ; and should that be administered, and
any considerable portion of them remain dissatisfied,
and proceed to unjustifiable acts, there would then be
sufficient time to tall^ about persecution. The subtle
incendiai-y, the daruig highway robber, and the
cold-blooded midnight assassin, might with as much
propriety raise the cry of persecution when pursued
by the officer of justice, as the Noyesites, or any of
their minions, can lift their voices and raise such a cry
5e/bre justice is administered.
Persecution implies the infliction of unjust punish-
ment for crimes committed, or the doing of injuries for
adherence to any particular religious creed, or mode
of Divine worship.
Has Mr. Noyes or any of his followers been injured^
for adhering to their 'pecidiar hreligious notions^
simply considered ? Not in the least. Has any unjust
punishment been infficted for the heinous crimes which
they have committed ? Not at all. The sequel will
clearly show that not even a moiety of justice has yet
been admhiistered. Irreparable injuries have been
done to some of the citizens of Putney — injuries for
which dollars and cents would be a poor remuneration.
Thus it appears that the cry of persecution comes with
an extremely ill grace from the Noyesites, especially
so far as the action of the citizens of Putney is con-
cerned.
Inasmuch as the citizens of Putney have been
charged with adopting unjustifiable measures in rela-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 77
tion to the Perfectionists — and the charge may be
reiterated from a certain quarter — ^we have deemed it
proper to saj thus much in vindication of their course,
and for the purpose of laying tLe whole matter before
the reader.
Perhaps before dismissing this subject it may be
proper to say, that Mr. Noyes had a standing and influ-
ence at Putney, wliich he could not have acquired
elsewhere. The family to which he belonged were
formerly very respectable and highly respected.
Possessing, as they did, talent, education, wealth, and
consequently considerable influence, there was a com-
bination of favorable circumstances calculated to give
them a somewhat elevated position. Several members
of the family to which Mr. N. belonged, having
embraced his views at an early period, added something
to his influence in Putney. Although many of the
citizens of Putney regarded the move as wholly chhn-
erical, and did not even read the publications of Mr.
N., yet there were some inclined to favor his notions.
There were also others — and among them some of the
sober and staid citizens — who, notwithstanding his
published sentiments, were slow to believe that he
would plunge into iniquity — but they were at leng-th
compelled to beheve that he had ; showing that what
he taught in theory he intended to carry out in
practice.
Noyesism, it has been seen, unlike many of the isms
of the age, had a ' respectable origin — ^having been
started by men of considerable talent and intelligence.
78 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
This circumstance probably gave it character and influ-
ence ; but the delusion is none the less deep and
dangerous, and its enormities none the less alarming,
but even the more so — for the greater the amount of
perverted talent, the more disastrous the results.
NOYESLSM UNVEILED. 79
CHAPTER IX.
Noyesism at Putney.
I Noyesism as a system — if a heterogeneous mass of
I the grossest errors and most palpable absurdities can be
! called a system — is peculiar in its character, and as
■ diverse from pure Christianity as the darkness of
I midnight is from the light of noon-day. Although it
; claims to be a perfect embodiment of the Christian
j virtues and the very beau ideal of moral beauty, yet it
will be seen on examination that it has no affinity
whatever with the Gospel of Christ. That it is diverse
I from the doctrines taught by Evangelical denominations
I is evident not only from its general features, but is
' acknowledged and asserted in unequivocal language
I by the founder of the system. Mr. N. says : — " New
HavPM Perfectionism is a neiv 7'eligion . . . has affinity
until no sect this side the ^:>r^w^^^^Ve church. . . . As
a system it is distinct from all the popidar theologies. ''''
Perfectionist, Vol. iv. No. 4.
Mr. N. terms it a new religion to distinguish it from
the popular theologies now extant ; but in calling it a
new religion he has unwittingly spoken an important
truth. Noyseism is verily a neiv religion — another
Gospel ; and St. Paul says : " But though we or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him
be accursed!" Gal. i. 8,
But where shall we find the Simvn Pures of this
new system ? Has there ever been a full development
80 NOYESISM UNVKIMID,
— a practical demonstration of this neiv ism f In
what follows we shall find an answer to these questions.
Mr. Noyes visited Belchertown, Mass., in Feb. 1842,
and in reference to a meeting held there, he says : —
'' I made one remark at B., in reply to rumors which
had begun to circulate there, about the licentiousness
of Perfectionists in Southampton, Brimneld, and other
places, which I will repeat here ; viz.,
'■'•New Haven Perfectionism is a doctrinal system, standing hy
itself, distinct from Wesleyan, New York, and Oberlin Perfec-
tionismy as it is from non-resistance, ^ comeoutisin,' §'c- -'Is such
it is to be judged by its own proper fruits, not by those of its
supposed kindred. And its own proper fruits are to be looked
for in those fields where it has had an opportunity to take root
and groto to maturify by itself, not in fields where it has been
aown incidentally among other seeds, and has been corrupted
and choked. The only place that I know of lohere it has had
an extended and fair opportunity to manifest its own proper
nature and tendency, is Putney, Vt. : and I am willing it should
oe judged by the moral fruits which it has produced in that place.
Perfectionism in other places, so far as Iknow, (individual instan-
ces excepted,) has been mixed up with New York fanaticism,
Boyleism, Gatesism, non-resistance, ^'c, §'<?., and must stand or
fall by itself. New Haven Perfectionism is not responsible, la
Putney, during an experiment of seien years in the faith of
perfect holiness, there has been no tendency towards licentiousness
among believers ,\ and excepting a temporary leaning toioard
Shakerv^m, there has been no practical departure from ordi-
nary sexual morality.'' "
The italicising in the above language of Mr. Noyes,
is his ov/n. We have given his statement entire ;
and it is a happy circumstance that he has taken a
bcid stand, and so di?tmctly defined his position. The
I^OTESISM UITV^EILED. 81
public mind is thus fortunately directed bj Mr. N.
himself, to a point where Perfectionism exists ^:>2r/^^ and
unalloyed — unmixed a?id imearrupted. Here it appears
in its native dress, and exhibits its true, character.
For the purpose of evadingfethe charge of licentious-
ness, which had been brought against Perfectionism.
Mr. N. asserts that the distinctive doctrines of his
system, v/ith a few individual exceptions, have been
mixed with the doctrines of Boyle, Gates, and others,
wMch he disavows, and for which he says D^ew
Haven Perfectioaism is not responsible. Hence,
whatever improprieties may have appeared among
societies of Perfectionists elsewhere, he w^ould attribute
to other doctrines which had been incorporated vrith
his own ; and he seems to be quite unwilling to
acknowledge such improprieties as the legitimate fruits
of genuine Perfectionism. But in the society at
Putney we have a genuine embodiment of the princi-
ples of Perfectionism. This society from its verv
infancy has been under the inmiediate vratch-care and
control of Mr. iT., the father and foimder of the sect.
Mr. N. Speaks in behalf of the T\^hole society respect-
ing their conduct ; and we should infer that he has
been perfectly familiar with all their movements, and
has controjled the whole internal regulations, — wliich
has undoubtedly been the case.
In Putney, then, and only there, according to Mr.
N.'s own statement. Perfectionism "Aas had an
extended anJj fair opportunity to manifest its oivn
proper nature and tendency.'^ Here it stands alone.
8^' NOTESISM UNVEILED.
and in this fair field, T\-liere it has not been " corrupted
and clioked^'^ we are to look for its legitimate fruits.
Here it has taken deep^oot, and been tenderly nnrtnred
under the fostering care of its own parent, and has
" grown to maturity" — has exhibited its legitimate
fruits — and w^e will add, has recently gone to seed !
The reader cannot be in doubt. The foregoing
pages have thrown a flood of light upon this matter.
The moral fruits which Perfectionism has produced in
Putney, have been exhibited in a manner which cannot
be mistaken. The true features of Noyesism are
portrayed, and it is held up to public view in its native
aspect. And a more disgusting picture cannot well be
imagined.
The society in Putney, having been a perfect pattern,
other societies formed elsewhere, so far as they have
been moulded after the true model, have borne its
impress, and exhibited its distinctive features.
Moreover, should Noyesism for a season survive the
shock which it has lately received, and like a wounded
reptile " drag its slow length along," and linger out
a miserable existence, still its nature and tendency
would be the same. What it has been, it Avill, in all
probability, continue to be, except it be to " increase
unto more ungodliness ;" for in Putney we^ave not
had a false and corrupted form of Perfectionism, but
the true one — not a counterfeit coin, but the genuine
mintage. There it has taken its natural course —
worked out, so far as its influence has extended, its
legitimate results — and exhibited its own proper fruits.
2?0y-ESISM UNVEILEBc SS
Mr. 1^. having affinned that he is willing it should
he judged bj the moral fruits which it has produced in
Putney, it seems to be very necessary, in order that
I Sk correct judgment m-ay be formed in relation to it.
' that its moral results there should be faithfully and
fully exhibited. It is hoped this volume will accom-
plish that work.
In Feb, 1842-5 ^s seen by the extracts already given,
Mr, Noy^s holds the following language :■ — " In Put-
ney^ -during an experiment of seven yearB in the faith
•of perfect holi^iess, tJiere has heen no tendency tovjard
licentiousness among helievers ; and excepting a tempo-
rary leaning toward Shakerism^ there ha% been no
practical departure f rem ordAnary sexual morality J'
In a letter bearing date, Putney, July 2, 18>39^
addressed to a Mr. HoUister, Mr. Noyes alludes to the
*' temporary leanimg toward Shakerism" above men-
tioned, in the following terms :— " In 1838, after an
absenoc of more than a year, from the Lord's flock in
this place, I returned, and found a considerable number
of them strongly disposed to adopt the legality of Slrak-
■erism on the subje<3t of sexual iiitercourse. I testified
plainly against it, and the brethren and sisters above-
mentioned have since unanimously renounced their
legality.-'
The reader will readily perceive •from fhe aboye
language, that the members of the society in Putney
have been so completely under the influence of Mr.
Noyes, that they could be swayed by Mm at will,
with the ease of the sapling by the hand of the sturdy
84 KOYESISM UNVEILED..
woodman. Mr. N. was fearful that his followers were
getting too much under the influence of legality — were
getting to be too strict, and he sets himself about
rescuing them from under the rules of law, and bringing
them into a state of liberty.
If the statements of Mr. N. are entitled to credit^
we must beheve that the Putney Perfectionists had
regarded the common rules of morality up to Feb.
1842. But as we pursue the subject we shall find
other statements which conflict with these, and the
reader will be left to form his own conclusions after tlict
whole subject is fairly laid before him.
l^OYESISM UNVEILED. 85
CHAPTER X.
Principles taught hy Noyes.
In addition to the facts already presented, so strik-
ingly illustrative of the character of IsToyesism, we
shall now proceed to notice some of the principles
taught by Mr. ISf., and considered as essential parts of
the system. It will be seen on examination that the
principles and practices of Noyes and his followers
go hand in hand, and are in perfect keeping the one
with the other..
But we would frankly acknowledge that we continue
the investigation of the subject with extreme reluc-
tance ; and no consideration whatever, but a settled
conviction of the necessity of so doing, in order to
apprize the public, and especially the young, of the
danger to which they are exposed, would induce us to
propeed in the work. Much perplexity arises from the
fact that Mr. Noyes, in speaking of some points, has
descended so low, and unblusliingly published senti-
ments so sensual and debasing in their character and
tendency, and in some instances used language so very
obscene and vulgar, that it is extremely difficult and .
almost impossible to present the subject in a just light,
without transgressing the common rules of propriety.
But we will endeavor to avoid corrupting the mind of
the reader while we seek to remedy the existing evil.
The utter impiety and solemn mockery to which Mr.
Noyes descends in trying to couple his gross licen-
i^ KOYESISM UNYEILED.-
tiousness mth the sublime mysteries of Christianity^
can but shock the sensibilities of every virtuous mindj,
and is an utter outrage upon the morai sense of a
Christian community I Never was the grace of God
more completely turned into lasciviousness [—2^ever
vyas the demon of darkness more effectually trans-
formed into an angel of light, than in the instance-
before us ! The characters spoken of in scripture as—
'' Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease
from sin," come up before us in all their native cor-
ruption under the cover of Noyesism !
In investigating the subject, we shall quote some-
what largely from the writings of Mr. NoyeSy thereby
presenting his principles to public view in their native
dress. We shall however withhold some portions of
his language which he has unblushingly blazoned
abroad through the medium of his official organ-
Though it may have been read with pleasure by the
Koyesites, who have cast out all the bond-woman's'
children not excepting " decen€7/^^-—jet 5t is utterly
unfit for the public eye. In the letter addressed tc
Mr. HoUister, and which has already been alluded to,
Mr. N. writes as follows : —
" About three months from the time when I received'
Christ as a whole Savior, my mind was led into long
and deep meditation on the subject which principally
interests Shakers — the relation of the sexes. I then^
came to the conclusions in which I have since stood, viz,
that the outward act of sexual connection is as innocent
and comely as any other act, or rather, if there is any
difference in the character of outward acts, that
NOYESISM U2T VEILED. 87
is the most noble and comely of all. This sentiment,
covered with any covering but that of the Spirit, is
licentiousness. The same is true of every principle
of human action. ^Whatsoever is not of faith is
sin ;' and to him that believeth, ' all things are law-
ful.' God tells me that He does not care so much
what I do, as lioiv I do it, and by this word I walk in
all things. I never inquire whether it is right to do
this, or tvrong to do that, but whether Grod leads me to
do it or not- I look not at the thing to be done, but
at the influence by which it is done. These principles
I apply to the use of women, ardent spirits, money,
carnal weapons, &c. So I have testified for the past
five years ; and every day sinks me deeper ?jid deeper
in the certainty that these are the principles of God,
and his heavenly hosts."
The above are the settled principles of Mr. Noyes,
and they throw a flood of Hght upon the whole system
which he has laid down. And they have been the rule
hj which he has walked from 1834 up to the present
time.
Kow, if sentiments of like character, or equally
licentious in their tendency, should come out from those
hot-beds of iniquity, city brothels, it would not be very
surprising ; but coming as they do from a man claiming
to be a Christian^ and setting himself up as the founder
of a sect which is called 7'eligious, it surpasses any
thing which has ever existed either in ancient or
modern times. Verily this is a " master stroke of
Satanic pohcy— a refinement of wickedness which
puts papacy to the blush," and is the " very i7icar-
nation of impurity." As a kind of screen for his
W NOYESISM UXVEILEIf.
fv'ickedness. Mr. N. impiously and hypocriticalij pre-
teiids to throw the " covering of the Spirit" over all
his acts, of whatever character ! To him all things are
la'wful I This is throwing off all legal restraint, and
stepping out upon the platform of universal freedom.
If this is not unrestricted license, then we know not
what is. Under such principles a man might carry
out whatever notions might chance to come into his
head, and if his course was questioned at all, he might
reply — " I am led hy the S'pirit.^^ This reply would
answer all questions I
But to return — ^Let the reader bear in mind that
the long and deep meditations of Mr. JST. upon this
subject commenced about three months after he came
out a staunch Perfectionist, which was in Feb. 1834.
Now he asserts that he had since " stood^^ in the
conclusions to which he then came, which conclusions
are contained in- the extracts already given — that he
had walked by the rule there laid down " m all tilings'^
— and says — '' These principles I a^pply to the use of
women, ardent spirits, ^-c." — And that he had testified
the same from 1834 up to 1839.
How do these statements agree with the assertion
that there had been nothing immoral among the
" believers" in Putney up to Feb. 1842 ? Plowever
it might have been with liis followers, we venture to
say that the reader will find it difficult to beheve that
Mr. N. had been guiltless all the while, his protesta-
tions of innocence to the contrary notwithstanding..
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 89
But let us hear him again. — In the Spii'ituai Mor-
alist of June 13, 1842, he writes as follows : —
'' In the whiter of 1834, I abandoned the popular
rehgious system in which I had been educated, and
became a perfectionist. The change in my views at
that time, Avas not confined to the subject of holiness,
but extended to every department of theology and
morals. Finding gi'oss error in the foundation of my
pre\ious faith, I suspected error in every part of the
8uj)er.structure. I therefore gave it up altogether,
and commenced a new course of investigation, trusting
myself more exclusively than I had before done, to the
guidance of the Bible and the Spirit of truth. The
subject of sexual morality was early forced upon
my attention, by its close connection with those
pecuhar views of the laiv, of the leadings of the
Spirit, and of the resurrection .^ which are among the
principal elements of my testimony in the Perfectionist
and in the Witness. Personal circumstances of an
interesting character, the startling and in some instan-
ces the corrupt suggestions of men with whom I was
then connected, and a variety of scandalous reports
concerning the licentious doctrines and practices of
certain Perfectionists, conspired to urge me to a thor-
ough examination of the matter. On the one hand
my 'practical propensities, trained as they had been in
the school of New England sobriety, and confirmed by
the deep interest which I had taken in the Moral
Reform enterprise, strongly attached m^e to the ordi-
nary maxims of sexual virtue. On the other hand^
I cared nothing for reputation, for I had none to lose,
and was therefore free to adopt any theory^ however
' heretical' and offensive, which the gospel of the
resurrection might require. Under these circum>
90 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
stances, I meditated on the subject much of the time
for two years. My mind was particularly exercised in
relation to it during several long seasons of spiritual
trial. In the winter of 1836-7 my views assumed a
definite and satisfactory form."
What the " definite and satisfactory form^^ was,
which the views of Mr. Noyes assumed in the winter
of 1836-7, we gather from what is familiarly called
and generally known as the "Battle Axe Letter."
This letter bears date, Jan. 15, 1837, and on account
of the peculiar doctrines which it contains has acquired
considerable notoriety, and exhibits the views of Mr,
N. in a — to him — '' definite and satisfactory form."
NOYESISM UNVEILED. %1
CHAPTER XI.
H^he Battle Axe Letter and its History.
The famous Battle Axe Letter of which so much
has been said, was written by Mr. Noyes, when at
Ithaca, N. Y., and was addressed to Mr. David Har-
rison, of Meriden, Ct.— ^Mr. Harrison, in accordance
with the liberty given by Mr. Noyes, lent the letter to
an acquaintance, and after passing round among a few
Perfectionists, it fell into the hands of Theophilus R.
Gates J of Philadelphia, who published a part of it—
in Aug. 1837— in a periodical which he was then
issuing, called the Battle Axe. From the circum-
stance of its being published in that paper it took ..the
name of the Battle Axe Letter* The following extract
contains the substance of the letter, or that portion of
it which relates to the subject under consideration : —
'•'- 1 will write all that is in my heart on one delicate
subject, and you may judge for yourself whether it is-
expedient to show this letter to others. When the will
of God is done on earth, as it is in heaven, there will
he no marriage. The marriage supper of the Lamb^
is a feast at which every dish is free to every guest.
Exclusiveness, jealousy, quarrelling, have no place-
there, for the same reason as that v/hich forbids the
guests at a thanksgiving dinner to claim each his
separate dish, and cjuarrel with the rest for his rights.
In a holy community there is no more reason why
sexual intercourse should he restrained hy law, than
why eating and drinking should he^ — and there is a&
little occasioji for shame in the one case as in the other.
92 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
God has placed a wall of partition between the male
and female during the apostasy, for good reasons,
which will be broken down in the resurrection, for
equally good reasons. But woe to him who abolishes
the law of the apostasy before he stands in the holuiess
of the resurrection. The guests of the marriage
supper may have each his favorite dish, each a dish of
his own procuring, and that without the jealousy of
exclusiveness. / call a certain woman my wife — she
is you7's, she is Christ'' s^ and in him she is the bride of
ALL SAINTS. She is dear in the hand of a stranger,
and according to my promise to her I rejoice. My
claim upon her cuts directly across the marriage cove-
nant of this world, and God knows the end."
It will be remembered that in 1834, after " long
and deep meditations" about certain Shaker doctrines,
Mr. N. came to some definite conclusions^ in which he
declares he had '^ stood'^ up to 1839, a period of five
years. In connection with his conclusions he had also
adopted certain pincijjles^ in which he had walked
during the same period, and which he says he applied
to the " use of women, ardent spirits, &c." — Now it
is evident that the ''conclusions'^ to which Mr. N.
came after " long and deep meditations," and also the
''principles'^ which he adopted as a rule of action^
" in all things," were in perfect keeping with the
sentiments of the Battle Axe Letter ; for he " stoocV
and " walked ^^ in them, and " a/)pZ?ec?" them in all
cases from 1834 up to 1839 ; although they did not
assume the "definite and satisfact6^y form" of the
Battle Axe Letter till 1837. The Battle Axe Letter
was evidently intended as a kind of feeler among a
NOYESISM UNVEILED. y3'
few choice spirits, for Harrison to whom it was written
was a staunch Perfectionist. Nojes undoubtedly
designed to broach the subject of the Battle Axe
Letter to different individuals as circumstances might
warrant, and thus secretly and silently diffuse among
thorough-going Perfectionists the specious doctrines
contained in that letter.
But through the agency of T. R. Gates it was pub-
hshed without the knowledge of Noyes, and he was
evidently not a little chagrined and disconcerted at its
sudden appearance ; but it could not be recalled, and
the only alternative was to make the best of it he
could. Gates published the letter without giving the
author's name, and there were many conjectures
relative to the source whence it emanated. Some
attributed the authorship of the letter to James Boyle,
who was an early convert to Perfectionism, and for
some time an associate of Noyes. — Others supposed
Noyes to be its author, and a number of letters were-
soon written to ascertain whether it originated v^'ith
him. He acknowledged that he was the author of the
letter ; and in the Witness published at Ithaca, N. Y.,
Sept. 23, 1837, he holds the following language rela-
tive to the matter : —
" Several persons have written to inquire whether I
or Mr. Boyle was the author of the letter lately
published in the Battle Axe. I answer, I am the
author, hut not the publisher ^ of the letter. As an
anti-mason, I cannot object to its publication ; and as
an optimist I am bound to rejoice. Yet I must be
permitted to say, that it contains doctrines and allusions
94 NOYBSISM UNVEILED,
which I should never have obtruded npon the public,
not for fear of persecution or reproach, but lest my
liberty should become a stumbling-block to others."
In the Spiritual Moralist pubHshed at Putney, Vt.,
June 13, 1842, Mr. N. again refers to the same point.
Speaking in reference to the publication of the Battle
Axe Letter, he says : —
" He (Gates) pubhshed a part of it in a periodical
he was then issuing, called the Battle Axe, without
any suggestion of the circumstances under which it
was written, or of the person to whom it was addressed,
leaving his readers to suppose that it was written to
himself and designed for publication. I was then at
Ithaca, just commencing the pubhcation of the Witness.
I had scarcely seen the paper containing the letter,
before I received several letters of inquiry about it.
Some supposed Boyle to be the author of it ; others
attributed it to me. I immediately acknowledged
myself the author of it in the Witness, avowed my
continued conviction of the truth of its sentiments, and
promised a full explanation.
" I confess I had previously shrunk from the respon-
sibility of ])ringing forward into puhlie discussion a
matter so delicate and inflammatory ; not because I was
ashamed of the truth, or afraid of the wrath of man,
but because I dreaded the ruinous offences which it
would occasion. Yet I had seen the ultimate necessity
of the open warfare to which I was now summoned,
and was waiting on the providence of God for a leading
movement. Gates's publication of my letter, fraud-
ulent and foolish as it was on his part, was to me the
voice of God calling me to my post. I had not been
willing to begin the battle myself, but when it was
begun, I was willing to stand in the front of it, for I
knew ' the battle was the Lord's.' "
N0YE3ISM UNVEILED. 95
It may be proper here to introduce a brief account
of the circumstances connected with the pubUcation of
the Battle Axe Letter, given by Mr. Harrison, to
whom the letter was written. Tliis account is found
in an extract from a letter written by Harrison to
Noyes, and is as follows : —
" I have never told you how the Battle Axe Letter
escaped me. I kept it several months without showing
it to any one ; but the Lord gave me no liberty to
suppress it. I first showed it to Lovett — he liked it
and wished it to peruse — I consented, but requested him
to return it. While it was with him, Elizabeth Haw-
ley got hold of it, and insisted upon sending it to
Gates, or ' she ivould leave the house in a thunder-
storm that night for Neiv Haven.'' So it went. I
soon heard of it, and anticipated the result, and should
have written immediately to Gates 'forbidding its
publication, hut I coidd not get the Lord^s consent.
So you see, the Lord obtained the letter from me as it
2vere hy stealth P''
This account must have been very satisfactory to
Mr. Noyes. What a wonderful providence in the
affair ! But Mr. JST, says : — " The letter was written
not for the pubhc, but for the perusal of a famihar
friend, with due regard to the delicacy of its subject,
and without any mtention of obtruding it upon the
notice, even of Perfectionists — much less of casting
it before dogs and stvvne. * * * While I cast from me
the fear and shame of guilt, I nevertheless acknowl-
edge myself a follower of Paul in my views of expe-
diency, (See I. Cor. ix. 19-22,) believing that there
are things spoken of ' in the third heaven, which are
96' ' NOYESISM UNVEILED.
not lawful to be uttered,' and that there is wisdom
which ought to be communicated only to ' the perfect.'"
The allimons of Mr. ISToyes in the foregoing lan-
guage cannot be mistaken. Such sentiments indicate*;
a mind grossly sensualized^ and irrecoverably lost to
all chaste and delicate feelings !
But in the Witness of Sept. 23, 1837, Mr. N.
speaks in reference to the publication of the Battle
Axe Letter as follows : —
"As I am not responsible for the consequences of
its puhlication^ I might easily escape in a measure the
fury of the storm which must follow it, but I choose to
' bide its brunt,' and therefore say, that / hnoiv the
doctrine of that letter 'is God's truth, and that ivhoso-
ever contends with it, ' rushes upon the thick bosses of
His buckler.'^
"As to the expediency of its publication at the
present time, I say nothing. God understands his own
business, and I leave it with liim and T. R. Gates to
settle that matter. One thing I know, viz: that
before the will of God is done on earth, as it is in
heaven, that doctrine will be preached upon the house-
tops."
In the Spiritual ^^loralist of June 13, 1842, Mr. IST.
again alludes to the sentiments of the Battle Axe
Letter and its publication by Gates as follows :■ —
" From that time I have never faltered in my
purpose of ' pubhshing on the house-tops,' the truths
contained in that letter."
The foregoing extracts have been made from the
writings of Mr. Noyes, for the purpose of presenting,
in one connected chain, his remarks made at different
NOYESISM UNVEILED, 97
times in reference to the circumstances connected with
the publication of the Battle Axe Letter.
The attentive reader will readily perceive, from the
concluding language of the foregoing extracts, that,
according to Mr. N.'s view, the time when the will of
<Tod would be done on earth — at least by a portion of
its inhabitants — as it is done in heaven, could not be
very far distant. He says that before the ushering in
of that period, the doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter
would be preached upon the house-tops. These
doctrines had been partially preached from the time
of the publication of that letter by Gates in 183T, up
to 1842 ; and at that time Noyes and Cragin, by the
publication of the Spiritual Moralist, addressed them-
selves " to the task of making a full exposition" of
those doctrines, and they were proclaim.ed abroad, and
preached not only upon the house-tops, but upon the
hill-tops, and scattered through the medium of the
Spiritual Moralist broad-cast over the country.
It is true, Mr. K. does not undertake to fix the
precise time when this great event should take place,
but as the tender branch and unfolding leaves of the
fig-tree betoken approaching summer, so from the
public manner in which the sentiments of the Battle
Axe Letter had been sounded abroad, through the
length and breadth of the land, in 1842, we can but
see that " coming events were casting their shadows
before," and should naturally infer that the time was
drawing near !
Subsequent events have shown this to have been the
7
98 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
case. The coming of the kingdom has been formally
announced, and it seems that 1847 was the year in
which, according to the views of Mr. N. and his
followers, the long looked for event, which was the
" Jiope of their ealling^^'' was ushered in ! And a full
disclosure of startling facts clearly shows that the
doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter have been carried
out in the Perfectionist Community at Putney, to an
alarming extent. A multitude of facts have already
been presented touching this matter.
It will be recollected that Noyes wrote the Battle
Axe Letter to D. Harrison, and left it discretionary
with him to retain it in his own possession or show it
to others, as he might deem it expedient. Harrison, it
seems, lent it to a friend, and after having been exam-
ined by several Perfectionists, it fell into the hands of
T; R. Gates, who was not, as Noyes asserts, a Perfec-
tionist; but who certainly hold doctrines in perfect
keeping with the sentiments of the Battle Axe Letter,
for he approved of, and pubhshed it. Gates, however,
puWished the letter upon his own responsibihty, without
the knowledge of Noyes, who evidently was taken by
surprise at its unexpected appearance in print, and
deeply mortified in view of its pubHcation. But as an
anti-mason, he says he could not object to its publi-
cation. Certamly he could not object with any show
of consistency, in view of his avowed anti-masonic
principles in opposition to all secret movements.
But he also says, that as an optimist he was bound
to rejoice. Although to be consistent with his princi-
NOYESISM UNVBILKB. 99
pies as an optimist, or one who believes that all things
are ordered for the best, he acknowledges himself
hound to rejoice, yet it does not very clearly appear
that he did rejoice. His attempt to make this appear
is extremely lame. Although he says that he had seen
the " ultimate necessity of of en warfare,'* and was
"waiting on the providence of God for a leading
movement ;" and although he asserts that the publi-
cation of the Battle Axe Letter by Gates, was
regarded by him as the " voice of God calling him to
his post," yet the language of Mr. N. relative to the
matter, implies a severe censure upon Gates for pub-
lishing the letter ! Manifest insincerity is here clearly
exhibited. If he had really rejoiced, his gratitude to
Gates should have been proportionate to his joy in,
view of the publication of the letter ; and he should
have regarded him as an honored instrument in the
Divine] Hand, in carrying out a wise purpose, and
accomplishing a desirable end.
Neither would he have denounced the publication of
the letter by Gates as a " fraudulent and foolish" act,
if he believed that it was in accordance with the dic-
tates of Infinite Wisdom, and the arrangements of an
unerring Providence.
Mr. N. says that he knew the doctrine of the Battle
Axe Letter to be God's truth, and that the contest in
which he was engaged was the Lord's battle ; yet ha
doubted the expediency of the pubHcation of the letter
at the time, and uses language implymg a severe
censure upon Gates for doing \{^ Kis doctrine seems
1^ HOYESISM UNVKILMJ,
to be that it was right for the battle to be fought, but
wrong to commence it ! — That it was right for the
thing to be done, yet wrong to do it !^— That it was
both right and wrong at the same time !
Mr. N. says that he, shrunk from the responsibility
of brining the subject before the pubhc, simply
because he dreaded the ruinous offences which it would
occasion ; and that he never should have obtruded the
doctrines and allusions contained in the Battle Axe
Letter upon the public, lest his liberty should become
a stumbling block to others. From all this it appears
that he intended to keep his peculiar doctrines a pro-
found secret, or at least within certaui prescribed
limits, lest others not so wise and holy as he, should
misapprehend and misapply them! But when pub-
lished he tries to be reconciled to it, although he finds
it very difficult to bring himself up to the sticking
point, and humbly submit.
If the doctrine was God's truth, and the publication
of it in accordance with His will, Mr. N. need not
have entertained any fears about " ruinous offences."
Truth never suffers by exposure to the Hght, nor shrinks
from the pubhc gaze, and its influence is ever salutary ;
but error and iniquity ever shun the hght, and seek
for the darkest seclusions.
The pubhcation of the Battle Axe Letter brought
down much odium upon the head of Mr. N., and he
was compelled immediately to suspend the pubhcation
of the Witness, which was resumed, however, at
Putney in about one year, and that paper continued to
HOYESISM UKVBILSD. 101
be the medium through which he disseminated his
licentious doctrines. Mr. N. has never renounced the
doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter, but has repeatedly
reaffirmed his belief in them, and he still pertinaciously
adheres to them.
102 NOYBSISM UNVEILED,
CHAPTER XII.
Principles on which the doctrines of the Battle Axe
Letter are based.
Mr, Noyes has laid down the principles on which
the doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter are based, and
given the mental process by which he arrived at the
conclusions contained in that letter. He says that the
change which took place in his views when he became
a Perfectionist in 1834, extended to every department
of theology and morals. Finding, as he supposed, gross
error in the foundation of his previous faith, he
suspected error in every part of the superstructure^
and gave it up altogether. Thus it appears that on
mere suspicion, Mr. N. gave up the whole noble super-
structure of Gospel doctrines and Christian morals as
held by different evangelical denominations. What-
ever different views may have been entertained by
evangelical Christians relative to doctrinal points, many
of which are non-essential, there has hitherto been
perfect unanimity respecting the morals of Christianity.
And it is very surprising that an attempt should be
made to bring about a change relative to this departs
ment of the Christian rehgion. The morals of the
community are all-important — the peace, the prosperity,
and the welfare of the whole body politic are deeply
involved in this matter.
But let us look at the manner in which Mr. Noyes
came to the conclusions contained in the Battle Axe
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 103
Letter, and the principles from which they were
derived. Says Mr. N. : —
'' The process by which I attained this result, was
like that by which I had before found the truth in
relation to holiness and the Second Coming of Christ.
In the case of both of these subjects, after balancing a
while in suspense between the apparent contradictions
of Bible testimony, I found it necessary to fix my
mind upon that part of the evidence which was direct
and decisive, and believe it boldly, leaving that which
was indirect and doubtful to after consideration, and
assuredly expecting to find conclusions thus formed
ultimately ^conciled to all truth. In other words,
my maxim was, not to alloio uncertain objections to
lander my belief in certain testimo7it/.
'' Finding direct, mdisputabie evidence in favor of
the doctrine of holiness, for instance in I. John, iii. 8,
I made that an unchangeable land-mark of faith, and
then waited patiently, with all confidence, for the
removal of objections. So on the subject of the
Second Coming, I found rest, only by stubbornly
believing such certain statements as Matt. xxiv. 34,
in spite of all uncertain evidence to the contrary.
Guided by the same principle in my inquiry concerning
the sexual relation, I at length formed two fixed points
of belief, viz.,
1. " TJiat God made mankind at the beginning
male and female, and lias given no intimation that
this original constitution will ever be altered, but on
the contrary has declared hy the mouth of Paul, that
' the man is not without the tuoman, neither is the
tvoman without the man in the Loed.'
2. " That in the resurrection, i. e. in the ultimate
perfect condition of the human race, there will he
^neither marrying nor giving in marriage.^
10^4 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
" It hardly need be said, that the conclusions which
necessarily folloTy from these premises, are exceedingly
alarming and offensive to those who sympathize with
the fashions and feelmgs of the world. It will be the
first object of this paper (the Spiritual Moralist) to
exhibit those conclusions, and guard them from perver-
sion. It is sufficient for the object of my present
statement to say, that I mentioned them without dis-
guise, in a private letter (dated Jan. 15, 1837) tc^
David Harrison, of Meriden, Conn."
Thus we learn that the views of Mr. Koyes which
assumed a " definite and satisfactory form" in the
winter of 1836-7, and were embodied in the Battle
Axe Letter, were legitimate conclusions necessarily
following from the " two fixed points of beHef " which
we have already given ; and which in the ehtimation of
Mr. N. constitute the central point of truth relative to
this whole subject, and are the " direct and decisive"
evidence to which all other testimony must yield.
We do not object to the abstract principle which Mr„
N. has laid down, viz., that we should believe " direct
and decisive" evidence relative to any doctrinal pointy
but we object to the application in the case under
consideration. The question arises, Is the testunony
adduced touching this point "direct and decisive?"
This Mr. N. asserts, but it will be found on exam-
ination, that the testimony on which he relies to sustain
the "two fixed points of belief," instead of being
" di7'ect and deeisive,^^ is " indirect and doubtful.''
And if it appears that the foundation is false, the
whole superstructure of the Battle Axe Letter and all
NOYBSISM UNYJSILBJD. 105
will fall to the ground unless it can stand without any
foundation. As the Battle Axe Letter, with all its
concomitant sentiments, sprung from these " two fixed
points of belief," they should be carefully examined.
The first principle which Mr. N. has laid down is,
" That Qod made mankind at the beginning male and
female^ and has given no intimation that this original
constitution will ever he altered^
We reply, the Scriptures do give intimations^ and
also positive proofs^ that the original physical consti-
tution of man will be changed. It is asserted by St.
Paul that the resurrection body will be '^ spirituaV'
and ''• incorruptible.''^ It will be entirely different
from the natural body. The resurrection body will
be built up on entirely new and wholly indestructible
principles. It will be free from all infirmities and
imperfections, and will not be dependent upon natural
productions for its support; it will be exempt from
disease^ decay and dissolution. In the Apostle's
description of the resurrection body we certainly
discover very strong intimations that man's original
constitution will be altered.
But the Apostle holds the following definite and
emphatic language touching this point : —
" Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats ;
but God shall destroy both it and them." I Cor. 6 : 13.
We infer from this language, that the Creator has
given man an animal appetite^ or a desire for food, and
that He has provided various aliments to meet the
demands of his nature. This is clearly demonstrated.
106 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
The appetite is adapted to the aliments, and the
aliments to the appetite ; hut God shall destroy both it
and them. These are not eternal ; all the lower appe-
tites and sensations will be destroyed by death, and
have no existence in the resurrection body.
The only passage adduced by Mr. N. in support of
the position which he has assumed, is one of doubtful
import, found in the writings of St. Paul : — " The man
is not without the woman, neither is the woman without
the man in the Lord." I Cor. 11 : 11. — Before utter-
ing this language, St. Paul had argued the supremacy
of the man over the woman in the established order of
things ; and lest this doctrine should be construed into
a disparagement of the female sex, he intimates that
there is a mutual dependence between them.
In the Lord, Theodoret renders in the world. Per-
haps the meaning of the Apostle is, that the human
race is continued by an especial providence of God.
Thus the testimony of Mr. N. appears to be " indirect
and douhtfid,^^ and is entirely swept away by the
'' direct and decisive^'' evidence which we have already
adduced. The second position or " fixed point of
behef " on which Mr. N. rests the superstructure of
the Battle Axe Letter is, " That in the resurrection,
i. e. in the ultimate perfect condition of the human
race, there will he * neither marrying nor giving in
marriage."* "
The resurrection, or ultimate perfect condition of
the human race, of which Mr. N. speaks, is not the
resurrection of that body which dies, for he utterly
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 107
discards this doctrine. The resurrection state, or
*' perfect condition of the human race," according, to
the vi^w of Mr. N., is to be attained in this world —
is to be wrought out by spiritual influences — and every
'' increment of faith" in the " body of believers," in
the view of Noyes, is tending directly to this result —
the exemption of the body from death ! This state
has long been the "hope of their calling," and it
appears that at last they think that they have attained
it. One of the master-spirits in the Putney Com-
munity, who is perfectly famihar with every point of
doctrine among them, has asserted that they have
attained the resurrection of the body. They have not
made bold to publish this to the world, but have
expressed it in a somewhat private manner. Their
policy seems to be to keep such doctrines for a time,
vrithin the " charmed circle," lest they should be too
fully committed, and get into difficulty by letting their
" advanced position" be publicly known. The doctruie
of " Bible secretiveness" is very convenient for Per-
fectionists, and quite applicable in this case.
But the passage on which Mr. N. relies mainly for
support concerning his second position is this : — " In
the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, hut are as the angels of Q-od in heaven.'^''
Matt. 22 : 30.
As Mr. N. evidently considers this passage his
strong hold, and has drawn from it a stereotyped
argument, let us endeavor to ascertain its true import.
It will be seen, by considering the circumstances under
108 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
which it was uttered, and the evident design which
the Savior had in view, that it perfectly harmonizes
with the commonly received opinion of a literal, resur-
rection of the body, and yields no support whatever to
Mr. N.'s new notion.
Our Savior was combatting a formidable objection
of the Sadducees to the resurrection of the body.
That objection rested on two grounds.
1. They denied that there was any future state
whatever. " For the Sadducees say that there is no
resurrection, neither angel, nor Spirit : but the Phari-
sees confess both." Acts, 23 : 8. Denying that men
have any souls after death, of course they would deny
the resurrection of the body.
2. They supposed the doctrine was irrational^ and
absurd in itself, as is manifest from the case of the
woman who had seven husbands, which they adduced,
and from which they reasoned. Our Savior first clears
away the difficulties which they had thrown around the
subject, and then attacks their main position, which
was a denial of the immortality of the soul. If the
foundation of their theory could be removed, the super-
structure would fall.
But their doctrine must be overthrown by the
Scriptures. And they had rejected all the Scriptures,
but the five books of Moses. Our Savior proceeds,
therefore, to prove the immortahty of the soul from
the Pentateuch itself; and quotes Exodus 3. 6, — "I
am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob." And his comment upon the
NOYESISM UN VEILED. 109
passage, is, that " God is not the God of the dead^
but of the living.'''' Thus showing that Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob were living when this declaration
was made to Moses, although their bodies were dead,
and had been for centuries. Their souls, therefore,
lived after their bodies were dead. Thus the Saddu-
cees were confounded out of their own acknowledged
Scriptures, and the foundation of their objection to the
resurrection of the body removed. Never was an
argument more logically constructed or strictly con-
formed to the established rules of argumentation than
this, and it completely silenced the Sadducees.
Thus it appears that the passage under consideration,
refers to a resurrection state entirely diverse from
the one which Mr. N. has pictured in his imagination.
For a better understanding of the views of Mr, N.
relative to the subject under consideration, we will
give some remarks of his made by way of comment
upon the passage just quoted. . Speaking . of that
portion of the Battle Axe Letter which treats of
marriage, Mr. N. says it " teaches neither ' a commu-
nity of wives' nor ' plurality of wives,' but a nullity of
wives. Its doctrine is, ' When the will of God is done
on earth, as it is in heaven, there will he no marriage;''
which is a simple and necessary deduction from the
saying of Christ, 'In the resurrection they neither marry
nor are given in marriage^ but are as the angels of
God.' How are the angels ? Answer. ' Suffer little
children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom
of God.' How are little children ? Answer. They
110 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
' neither marry nor are given in marriage ;' they are
' naked and are not ashamed/ as Adam and Eve were
before they sinned, and as all God's creatures are m
heaven and under heaven, except man. Moreover let
it be marked that the Battle Axe Letter teaches not
even a nullity of wives, as a matter of ^yese?it practice.
Its language is, ' When the will of God is done on
earth, as it is in heaven, there will he no marriage.'' "
The above language was pubhshed in Jan. 1839.
Mr. N. evidently feared that his doctrine would appear
too revolting without some guarding and garnishing —
hence he denies that it was then to be a " matter of
present practice,''^ but was applicable to a prospective
period — a state of things yet in anticipation.
But let us here draw, with all possible accuracy,
an outline of the state anticipated. And in doing this
we shall quote Mr. N.'s own language. He defines
his position relative to this matter with all necessary
precision. In 1838 he says : —
1. " I believe f that marriage does not exist in heaven.
2. " / believe, thai the will of God will be done on earth, as it
is done in heaven: consequently that a time will come when
marriage will not exist on earth.
3. " 7 believe, that for the present transition period, proper
instruction for believers is contained in the 7th Chap. I. Cor.
especially 29-31 verses.
4. " I believe, that in the heavenly state — which is the hope of
our calling — the Holy Spirit takes the place of vrritten laws, and
arbitrary ceremonies, in regard to the intercourse of the sexes, and
all other matters.
5. ^^ I do NOT believe, that any have attained to that state that
are now on earth."" — Witness, Vol. I, No. 4.
KOYESISM UNVEILED. Ill
In stating that none had attained to that state then
on earth, Mr. N. flatly contradicts what he had
previously said of himself. He says that in 1834 he
had eaten of the tree of life, and partaken with Christ
of the marriage supper ; and certainly we are at a loss
to conceive w^hat higher attainments can be made in
this life. But let us hear him further in relation to
the state of things anticipated for the body of behevers.
" I will state briefly my reasons for behevmg that'
the marriage supper of the Lamb, is a ' feast at which
every dish is free to every guest.
1. "I believe that distinction of sexes exists in
heaven. ... I have never jfound the shghtest valid
reason for the common nebulous impression that
heaven is inhabited by a company of non-descript
ghosts. I believe that the paradise of redemption^ in
its elementary constitution, in all respects, except those
which involve evil, resembles the paradise of creation,
2. " Applying to the views which I have just stated
several familiar passages of scripture, I cannot avoid
the results described in the Battle Axe Letter. The
passages are these — Luke xx. 25 : ' They which shall
be counted worthy to obtain that world, neither marry
nor are given in marriage.'' Luke xviii. 17 : Sufier
little children to come unto me and forbid them not,
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'' If the
distinction of sexes exists in heaven, and yet there
is no marriage, but the inhabitants are Uke little
children, what else can the marriage supper be, but
' a feast at which every dish is free to every guest ?/
I am not frightened by this inevitable result, (however
fevoltmg it may seem to that kind of modesty which
was the first fruit of sin,) because I know by expc-
112 NOYESISM DlSrVEILED.
rience^ as well as by the testimony of God, that the
Holy Spirit, which grives and executes the laws of
heaven, is a surer safeguard of modesty, chastity, and
whatsoever is pure, and lovely and of good report,
than laws, and ceremonies, and pubHc opinion.
** Having explained to you then, 1st, my views of
present duties of Christians — ^2d, my views of d, future
heavenly state— it only remains to inquire 3d, Whether
the heavenly state is to be expected in this world ?
I answer, I fully believe that the will of God will he
done on earth as it is done in heaven, because it
is predicted in Scripture." Witness, Vol. I. No. 10.
Again says Mr. N. : "As Paul says of the second
coming, * We which are alive and remain, shall be
changed, and caught up^ — it may now be said of the
third coming, We which are alive and remain, shall be
changed and take everlasting possession of this world.^^
Witness, Vol. I. No. 5,
It appears from the foregoing extracts that Mr. N,
in 1838 was anticipating a glorious state — an eventful
era not far distant, when the will of God would be
done on earth — ^at least by a portion of its inhabitants
— as it is done in heaven. This " heavenly state"
was the hope of their — the Perfectionists — calling. —
This paradise of redemption, which Mr. N. had pictured
in his imagination, would be in its elementary constitu-
tion, in all respects, like the paradise of creation, except
that sin could never enter there ! And when this
auspicious period should be ushered in, the saints —
that is all genuine Perfectionists — would take everlast-
ing possession of the earth! Would all set down
together at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. US
But has the long-looked-for period arrived ? Has the
millennial day been ushered in ?
On the evening of the first day of June, 1847, it
was declared by a unanimous voice that the kingdom
of God had come to the town of Putney^ and the
Perfectionist Comnmnity established thtre 1
This was the ^^ consummation" so long and devoutly
desired, and appears to have been the signal for the
carrying out of the doctrines of th€ Battle Axe Letter
through the ranks of the Perfectionists. The whole
matter then may be summed up in few words, and in
plain English stands thus : — The time had arrived for
the Perfectionists to '' take everlasting possession of
this world''^-^The will of God was being done among
them as it is done in heaven — They had entered the
^' heavenly state,^^ which had long been the " hope of
their calling^ ^ — Had taken possession of the ^'paradise
of rede7np)tion^'' — And were banqueting at the feast
— the marriage supper of the Lamb — where " every
dish is free for every guest P^ What impious mock-
ery ! I What daring impiety ! ! !
Their ideas of heaven appear to be confined to a
little clan of Perfectionists who have "joined their
households under one common roof," with John H.
Noyes at their head — where there is a " nullity of
wives'^ — and where the doctrines of the Battle Axe
Letter are carried out ! Such was the little company
of Perfectionists at Putney until the strong arm of the
law reached the leader and scattered the clan. And
such is the Community of Perfectionists lately estab-
114 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
lished and now existing at Oneida Reserve in Cen-
tral New York, under the immediate eye and super-
vision of John H. Nojes.
More grovelling sentiments and debasing views of
heaven, with all its angelic purity, its hallowed enjoy-
ments and extatic delights, cannot well be entertained !
If this is not the " master stroke of Satanic policy,'^
then it has no existence. Ifthis is not the very incar-
nation of impurity" and " wickedness that puts Papacy
to the blush," then it cannot be found.
This is a — if not the — " man of sin, the mystery of
iniquity." It is a covering for —
" All wicked, all abominable things/'
Model most complete
Of perfect wickedness, where deeds are done, —
Deeds ! let them ne'er be named ! —
From first to last it was an evil place :
And now such things were acted there, as made
The devils blush ; and from the neighborhood,
Angels and holy men, trembling, retired :
And what with dreadful aggravation crowned
This dreary time, was sin against the light.
These men knew God, and, knowing, disobeyed ^
And gloried to insult him to his face.
Of every order, sin and wickedness,
Deliberate, cool, malicious villany,
This age, attained maturity, unknown
Before : and seemed in travail to bring forth
Some last, enormous, monstrous deed of guilt.
Original, unprecedented guilt,
That might obliterate the memory
Of what had hitherto been done most vile."
The peculiar doctrine— the reader will understand the
NO YESISM UNVEILED . 115 .
allusion — of Noyes is represented by Perfectionists as
tlie stumhling-stone arid roek of offeyice which God has
laid in Zion ; and the " confession of this doctrine** is
declared to be the " cross of OJmst in this dispensa-
tion, the end of the world, and the judgment of selfish-
ness," JVo^es^s doctrine of " sexual morality^^ the
CROSS OF Christ ! ! This caps the climax ! This is
the chief corner stone of that edifice-^or " monument
of disgrace'^ — wliich Mr. N. has built upon the princi-
ples on which the doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter
are based. He professes to have received this doctrine
at an early date — •'•' when he received the doctrine of
holiness, or soon after at the tim« he received hm
commission!" And his foilowerp think that he " sus-
tains it by as mighty truth as Ae does the doctrine of
holiness or the Second C-pfliing"- — and Perfectionists
declare that in their " e^penence they have had as
many signs of its truth is they have had of any other
doctrine !"
Now Mr. N. professes to have received the doctrine
of holiness in Feibruary, 1834, and soon after received
his commission^ Indeed ! He is divinely commis-
sioned, then ! From Mr^ N,'s account of some peculiar
exercises which he experienced in May, 1834, we infer
that he received his commission about that time. Mm
doctrine of " sexual morality" he received at as early
a period as this ; thus it appears that it is no new thing
with him, however it may have been with some of Km
followers.
It appears that Mr. N., — at least so far as doctrine
116 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
is concerned — ^has fairly outstripped MaJiomet himself,
and thrown the great Arabian Impostor far back into
the shade 1 Mahomet promised Ms faithful followers a
paradise of sensual pleasures after this life, or in a
future state of existence ; but Mr. Noyes has fitted up
Buch a place in this world, and offers to his followers
in this life what Mahomet promised after this life.
Thus it appears that Noyesism is an improved and
enlarged edition of Mahometanism !
Noyes is holding out to his disciples the promise of
exemption from death. And it appears that his
heaven is to be composed of a little company of immor-
tals— i. e. a Per&^ctionist Community — in which he
pretends that the ^Holy Spirit takes the place of
written laws and arhwary ceremonies, in regard to
the intercourse of the sext^ and all other matter s^^ —
or in other words, where th^ doctrines of the Battle
Axe Letter are carried out. '^at blasphemous senti-
ments! Such a Community ajipears to be all the
heaven the Noyesites know any thing about !
NOYBSISM UNVBILBi). IIY
CHAPTER XIII.
Ultimate results of the sentiments of the Battle Axe
Letter.
The reader has already been made acquainted with
the sentiments of the Battle Axe Letter, and some of
the disgusting fruits which a practical application of
those sentiments has produced ; but a further notice is
necessary to B^full understanding of the subject.
The Battle Axe Letter not only contemplates a com-
plete annihilation of the conjugal relations, but it
designs to sever the ties of consanguinity, and its ulti-
mate object is to make a clean sweep of all the social
relations ! And when all the ties of kuidred are cut
asunder, there must be complete submission to the will
and absolute control of Mr. Noyes ! But let us look at
a few more phases which the doctrines of the Battle
Axe Letter have assumed.
Speaking in reference to the Shaker doctrine of
entire continence, Mr. N. quotes Luke xx. 35—" But
they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that
world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither
marry, nor are given in marriage '^ — and adds the fol-
lowing comment : —
" In order to avail themselves of this text, Shakers
are obliged to take for granted that where there is no
marrying there is of course no connection of the sexes
— the only alternative of matrimony. Now, I aver,
that all animals except man ' neither marry nor are
given in marriage,' and yet are not Shakers. If it is
118 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
objected that this is a degrading allusion, I aver again,
that ^ little children,' whom Christ expressly declares
are patterns of the heavenly state, ' neither marry nor
are given in marriage,' and yet are not Shakers. The
truth is, marriage and the sexual connection are differ-
ent things. The first is artificial, the second is natural.
One is an ordiaance of man, the other an ordinance of
Grod. Christ simply declared, in Luke xx. 35, that the
ordinance of man (which, alone, be it observed, cre-
ates the difficulty presented by the Sadducees) has no
place in heaven. There^ as among ' little children,' all
belong to all. But mamage is nearer this state than
Shakerism." — Witness, Vol. i. No. 10.
More unscriptural and debasing sentiments can
scarcely be conceived, than those contaiued in the fore-
going language. In view of the doctrines of Noye&
and the facts which have been developed, who can
refrain from exclaiming with Pollok —
'Poor, poor, poor man ! fallen far below the brute !"
Such doctrines, carried out among mankind, as Koyeff
has here and elsewhere taught, would transform this
beautiful earth into a complete Pandemonium —
" And make, on every side, so black a bell.
That spirits, used to nigbt and misery,
Would far withdraw, and look another w^ay.'^
The scheme which leads directly to the ruinous results
which we are contemplating, was devised —
" In that dark den of shame,
Which who hath seen shall never wish to see
Again."
This diabolical scheme was an —
" Invention savoring much of hell! Indeed,,
It was the master-stroke of wickedness^
Last effort of Abaddon's council dark,"^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 119
But let US hear Mr. N. a little further — he says : —
" Adultery^ fornication and incest are horrible
€iimes, but they are crimes created hy law. The acts
which those crimes designate, are not had itf themselves,
but bad because the law forbids them. The law that
forbids them is good, and worthy of all reverence,
because it is necessary, in the present apostate condi-
tion of the human race. Its value is proportionate to
its necessity, and offences against it are criminal in
proportion to its value. But observe, its necessity is
earned by the sinfulness of mankind. Incest, for
instance, is a crime of great magnitude, not by nature,
.... but by a law for which experience has found a
dreadful necessity: and that necessity is created by
human wicJcedness.^^ — Spiritual Moralist, Vol. I. No. 2.
The doctrine of Mr. Noyes is, that the necessity of
the law prohibiting the crimes specified — adultery,
fornication and incest — arises wholly from the . " sin-
fulness of mankind.^^ Then it follows, of course, that
in a Noyesite Community professing to be free from
sin, the necessity for a laio prohibiting these crimes is
entirely done atvay ; and although the " acts which
those crimes designate" exist, there would be no sin ;
for Mr. N. contends that they are " not bad in them-
selves ! ! " Argument is mmecessary- — comment is
uncalled for. It may be said of the man who has pro-
mulgated such doctrines under the guise of Christi-
anity : —
" He was the devil's pioneer, who cut
The fences down of virtue, sapped her walls,
And opened a smooth and easy way to death."
And he who can carry out, and urge upon his
120 NOYESISM UNVaiLB©,
Mowers the practice of such doctrines, richl/ deserye®
the searching application of the keen and cutting
language o^ the poet :—
" Most guilty, villaaous, dishonest man f
Wolf in the clothing of the gentle la.mh !
Dark traitor in Messiah's holy camp I
Leper in saintly garb ! — assassin masked
In Virtue's robe ! rile hypocrite accursed ?
I strive in vain to set his evil forth.
The words that should sufficiently accurse.
And execrate such reprobates, had need
Come glowing from the lips of eldest hell.''
It appears frojn the foregoing language of Mr.
Nojes, that adulter?/, fornication and incest constitute
the triple crown which has been placed upon the head
of Nojesism !
But let us look at Mr. N/s position in relation to
marriage ; in 1842 he defined it thus : —
" We believe that we sustain a similar relation to
the institution of marriage, that the Old Testament
saints did to the first, or Old Covenant. The Old
Covenant was good and adapted io their condition, as
a course of discipline preparatory to their entrance
into a perfect and future state, of which thej were
constantly reminded. But did they on this account
abandon the dispensation under which God had placed
them ? By no means : Faithfulness in the discharge
of duties devolving upon them,, as servants under the
law, was the qualification which fitted them to enter
into the dispensation where their education would be
perfected ; So with us in regard to the institution of
marriage : notwithstanding we find many objections, to
it, and pronounce it imperfect and adapted* only to a
state of trial and discipHne, yet we beheve the new
NOYESISM UNVBILBD. 121
order of things which we anticipate, will not take its
place until we have attained the resurrection of the
body ; and then only by the manifest authority of
G-od."— Spiritual Moralist, Vol. I. No. 2.
The " new order of things" which they were
anticipating in 1842, contemplated the sundering of
the ties of kindred, the crucifying of the natural
affections, and the breaking up of all the social rela-
tions. The resurrection of the body was to introduce
them into this " new order of things," in which mar-
liage was to be done away. We are credibly informed
that they believe they have attained .that resurrection.
And indeed this is fairly inferable from their published
sentiments. Soon after the proclamation went forth
early in the summer of 1837 that the kingdom of
God had come, which it was declared included all the
elements of the judgment and the resurrection, Mr. N.
spoke as follows in behalf of the Putney Community : —
" We have attained a position in which, before heaven and
earth, we trample under foot the domestic and pecuniary fashions
of the world. Separate household interests, and property exclu-
siveness have come to an end toith us. Our association is
established on principles opposed at every point to the institutions
of the ivorld."
Thus it appears that having entered into the " new
order of things," they had thrown off all legal re-
straints ; and subsequent developmenta clearly show
that—
" They stole the livery of the court of hearon
To serve the devil in.''
And—
" la holy phrase, transacted villanies
That common sinners durst not meddle with."
122 ' NOYESISM UNVEILED.
It appears to have been the settled policy of Mr.
N. to keep the ruinous results of his licentious doc-
trines carefully concealed from public view. Knowl-
edge of these things was to be communicated only to
" the perfect^^ — ^not cast before " dogs and swine.''''
In this Mr. N. exhibits some wisdom — ^his doctrines
Y/ere too revolting for even " dogs and swine,''^
however readily they might be received by "Me
perfect. ^^
The process to which Mr. N. subjects his disciples,
appears to be this : In the first place he holds up the
doctrine of holiness suiTOunded with a tolerably fair
show of Scripture, and mixed with a measure of truth
to make it a little palatable ; and as soon as they have
fairly swallowed the somewhat pleasurable potation,
Mr, N. sets himself to work to bring them up to the
" sticking point" and fix them fast ©n the subject of
miracles- — and if by sleight of hand and " cunning
craftiness" he can succeed in making them believe that
he has power to tvorh miracles, they must as a natural
consequence acknowledge that he is a holy man, and
if so, it would be very logical to believe that he could
do nothing ivrong. Thus the door is open to all
manner of iniquity ! Do what he might, it would not
be wrong in the eyes of his followers. Murder,
rapine, robbery, and all manner of evil, might come in
and take a stand upon this broad platform ! For let it
be remembered that Perfectionists reject the written
word as a rule of action, and Mr. N. asserts that
" the controlling element of the moral philosophy of
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 123
Perfectionism, is a reference to the will of God,
REVEALED BY HIS SpIRIT."
Now they might take it into their heads that
they were led by the Spirit to put an enemy out of the
way ; and even a member of the Putney Community
was heard to say a few years since, that he would kill
a man as quick as he would a serpent, if the Lord told
him to do it I We do not say that Perfectionists stand
charged with having committed any such crime, and
we do not know that any one even suspects any such
thing of them ; but we do say that from the premises
which they have laid down, this conclusion might be
reached without any difficulty. We have no warrant
against this; and some of the staid citizens of
Putney would be no more, if as much surprised, to
learn this of them, than they were when they were
compelled to beheve that they had violated extensively
— and utterly rejected as a rule — the seventh com-
mandment of the Decalogue. Should they say that
the command — " Thou shalt 7iot kilV — is of perpetual
obligation, then they would recede from the position
that the will of God is to be ascertained by special
revelation, or the " direct communications of the 'Holy
Spirit ;" and they would have to fall back upon the
external or written law as being, at least in part, an
infallible rule of life.
If they have thrown away the command forbidding
adultery, might they not that prohibiting murder on
the same principle. These two commands are coupled
together in the Decalogue, and stand upon the same
124 NOYESISM UNVBILBD.
basis. They each forbid crimes the most heinous
in their nature ; and in the order in which the j are
mentioned in the Scriptures, the crime of adultery
sometimes takes the precedence of murder ; and from
the whole tenor of Scripture we are led to the conclu-
sion that adultery, if not equal to, stands the next in
order after, murder, in point of enormity.
If they have laid aside the command prohibiting
adultery with such perfect coolness, and with a settled
determination to carry out their principles, have we
any assurance that they will never lay aside that
forbidding murder? Past events may justly excite
some fears touching future action.
Moreover, the Noyesites at Putney have buried
some of their dead in the night. This course every
one knows may sometimes be dictated by common
prudence, and existing circumstances may not only
render it expedient but necessary. But we have
every reason to believe that in the present instance it
has been matter of choice and not of necessity. But
why take this course ? Was it simply to show their
utter contempt of all the customs and fashions of this
world ? Some of the people of Putney have suspeeted
that in adopting this rule they had an eye to some
future events. Past transactions show that they have
generally had some design in their moves. Deeply
laid schemes have existed where all was looked upon as
very harmless. We express no personal opinion rela-
tive to the present case, but we must confess that to
bury the dead in the night from choice looks a little
NOTBSISM UNVEILED. 125
dark. And our Great Teacher has taught us that the
sole reason why men love darkness rather than light,
is because their deeds are evil.
We have contemplated some of the ultimate ruinoug
results of the doctrines of Noyesism, and others equally
sad, naturally follow in their train. Mr. N. is laboring
to palm off the grossest errors and the worst of
corruptions, under the guise of that ever-to-be-admired
system of truth which issued from the Fountain of
Wisdom and Purity, and was designed to reform, ele-
vate and crown with the happiest of consequences the
human race. And in some instances he is too
successful — the young and inexperienced are some-
times drawn in — and occasionally persons of age and
considerable experience. A person's safety lies only in
a timely precaution. If once upon the outer circle of
this whirlpool of ruin, there is great danger of being
drawn into the awful vortex. If Mr. N. can succeed
in getting a person into the rapids above the Niagara
of licentiousness, he is quite sure to be carried over
the fearful cataract, and make the fatal plunge ; and
pehaps he is gone ere he is aware of danger. In
view of all the facts developed and doctrines taught by
Mr. N., may it not be said that —
*' He set himself, with most felonious aim
And hellish perseverance, to root out
All good, and in its place to plant all ill ;
To rub and raze, from all created things,
The fair and holy portraiture divine.
And on them to enstamp his features grim ;
To draw all creatures off from loyalty
126 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
To their Creator, and make them bow
The knee to him
. Vilest of traitors ! most dishonest man ! —
Sat by the door of Euin, and made there
A melody so sweet, and in the mouth
Of debauch, that else had croaked
In natural discordance jarring harsh,
Put so divine a song, that many turned
Aside, and entered in undone, and thought,
Meanwhile, it was the gate of heaven, so like
An angel's voice the music seemed.
Nor the saints elect,
Who walked with God, in virtue's path sublime.
Did he not sometimes venture to molest :
And in their way
Bestrewing pleasures, tongued so sweet, and so
In holy garb arrayed, that many stooped.
Believing them of heavenly sort, and feel ;
And to their high professions, brought disgrace
And scandal."
KOYESISM UNVEILED. 127
CHAPTER XIV.
Extracts of letters addressed to Mr, Noyes — Noyes's
letter to Miss Harriet A. Holton.
We present a few paragraphs from communicatioas
addressed to Mr. Noyes by different individuals who
embraced Perfectionism at an early period in its
history. They are curious specimens of reUgious(?)
experience and emotions — ^mere echoes of the senti-
ments uttered by the great oracle of Perfectionism,
The letters from which the extracts are taken, were
published in the Witness of Jan. 23, 1839.
The first extract we shall give, is from a letter
written by Wm. Green, Jr. in Jan. 1839.
" Dear brother Noyes — ^A few days since, the
Spirit said to me, write to Noyes, and ever since,
there has been a controversy in my mind whether to
address you by brother Noyes, or dear brother Noyes.
My feelings said the latter, but there were so many
things that I could not understand, that safet}^ said the
former. . . . The Lord said to me last fall, that the
doctrines advanced by you were from hell, and when
I found within the few past weeks, that the opposition
of my heart was gradually giving away, I could not
for some time, reconcile it with what he had told me
of your doctrines, but before I became free to write
to you, the Lord cleared up my mind, by showing me
that the views I received as being your real sentiments,
were licentious,' but that those were not your real
sentiments as they lay in your mind."
Wonderful indeed !, What a marvellous clearing up
12B NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
of the poor man's mind in the midst of this perplexing
bewilderment !
The next letter which we shall notice, is from a Mrs.
H. C. Green, who appears to have been very much
displeased at the first appearance of the Battle Axe
Letter ; so much so that she turned Mr. Noyes out of
doors. But probably viewing it afterward through the
glasses placed before her eyes by Mr. N., she
appears to have been perfectly enamored with its
beauties ; and becoming " converted to the practical
channs of Perfectionism," she hastily retraced her
steps, and expressed herself thus, under date of Jan.
12, 1839.
"• Dear brother Noyes— You have not to learn in
this stage of your experience not to be surprised at
any thing strange, or indeed, not to consider any thing
as strange, since God's ways are not as man's, and
seeing he has declared that a strange work will he per-
form in the earth. I shall therefore make no apology
for calling you dear brother, but only say that the
Lord has taught me that it is safe to love in some
cases where it is not safe to judged
Mrs. Green appears to have been formerly a mem-
ber of the Moral Reform Society, but on the avowal
of her sentiments was disowned by that society, in
reference to whose members she continues :
" Poor souls ; they are deadly opposed to the truth.
How can they, with such beams in their own eyes, see
to pull out the mote out of their brothers. The veil
of worldly modesty and delicacy which they have put
on to cover their nakedness, does but make manifest
NOYESISM TJNVEILEJD. 129
the filth and rottenness withm. I believe that this
subject in every root and branch will have to undergo
a most thorough reform, even until that which is now
called purity will be seen to be utterly abominable in
the sight of God. I believe that every thing ought to
be done under the leadings and guidance of the Spirit,
and every relation^ so far as it has a tendency to inter-
fere with that Spirit, has the curse of God resting
upon it. I am beginning to learn the great secret that
' whatsoever is not of faith is sin,' and bless the Lord
that he is cutting the cords one after p^nother, that the
• word may have free course and be glorified.' The
axe is laid at the root of the tree and the last stroke
will complete the wonk. Glory to God, we are riding
in chariots on the king's highway, and cry, 'Cast ye up,
cast ye up, take the stumbling block out of the way of
my people.' . . . We find the members of the body
imperfectly formed and scattered — what vfonder then
that we • cannot always fit smoothly together. While
some are farther advanced and others behind, we have
need of that cement of love which ' hopeth all things,
believeth all things, endureth all tilings.'
-' I feel that you are passing through a fiery furnace,
and though we have iielped kindle the fire, I am sure
you will be more refined, and it is your turn to rejoice
that we too have liad our clothes scorched by the same
fire. Bless the Lord — let it burn, until the last rag is
consumed, it is not our fire but His. When he brings
us out, we shall not have even the smell upon our
garments.
" We should like one of the books, v/hich you have
been publishing. Should an opportunity present,
will you send us one ? I need not say to you, should
the Lord lead the way, come yourself. I can assure
you a hearty reception to the house, and at least one
130 NOYESISM UNVEILED..
heart. Tlie others are of age and must speak for
themselves. It would give me pleasure to see that
sister whom the world calls your wife. I hear you
passed under something of a forra, I hope it con-
tained nothing of the ingredients which composed the
first marriage ceremony ever pronounced upon woman
— viz. Eve's curse — ' Thy desire shall be to thy hus-
band and he shall rule over thee.' Nay, I am
persuaded you know what it is to live without being
bound by any law, and yet be the more firmly united.'''^
We next give some extracts from a letter written by
Mrs. R. Black, about the time Mrs. Green indited
her epistle. It appears that the \dru3 of Perfection-
ism had already been diffused to some extent — that the
infection had taken in some localities, and was becom-
ing quite contagious among a certain class :—
" Dear brother Noyes — I. have sat down to write to
you because the Spirit of the Lord leads me to do so,
and as he shall give me so sliall I write, neither more
nor less. At the time I saw you in N. Y. at brother
Green's, I supposed that I understood your views, and
with some of them was perfectly disgusted, and also
with you for entertaining them, but I now beheve that
I was not prepared to receive them at that time, and I
bless God that lie has taught me all 1 know of the
subject upon which we differed. Possibly my present
sentiments would not agree with yours, indeed, I need
not expect to have so extensive an acquaintance with
the subject as yourself. Yet I think it probable, that
as far as I have gone we shall agree : if I can get the
e\ddence that we are in the same school, this will be
sufficient for me. I anticipate your answer, that I
may receive the truth come from vfhence it may, but
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 131
this is not enough for me ; although I want a candid
expression of your sentiments, I want still more to
know that you are my dear brother. I believe that
you are, or I should not write thus plainly. . . .
Every one has got some of the 5(?wc?-woman's children
clinging about them in some form or other. Some-
times I think I can discover one hanging about me,
but my cry is, ' Cast out the bond woman and her
children.' Some of them are safety^ prudence^ expe-
diency, decency, and the hke. I hate them all. Now
I recollect to have heard the word expediency used by
yourself, in a number of instances ; you may mean
something that I do not : do tell me brother, what you
do mean. Do come and see us. The Lord is doing
great things for us. He has made me to laugh, and
all those that see me will laugh with me. It is indeed
a strange work, it is just like my God— to Him be all
the praise. Give my love to all who knoiv Jiimy
This caps the climax! The "bond-woman's chil-
dren" must be turned out, " decency^^ and all !
Fanaticism here completely runs riot.
These sickening extracts serve as fair samples of the
communications which Mr. Noyes was frequently receiv-
ing from different quarters thus early in the history of
Perfectionism. These being specimens, the reader can
judge as to the general character of the correspondence
which was pouring in upon Mr. Noyes, from all points
of the compass.
Straws show which way the current moves. And
the tenor of the extracts given, as clearly shows the
natural tendency of the doctrines taught by Noyes,
at that early period in his career, as the shining of
the sun at noon-dav.
132 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Eut it seems that some of the early converts to
Perfectionism — some of the weak disciples of Noyes,
were at first disgusted, and almost horrified, at the
open avowal of his sentiments ; but they appear to have
made rapid proficiency under his tuition ; for we soon
find them looking with favor upon his doctrines, and
liberally interlarding the wonderful change which had
passed over them, with the most pious expressions.
Thus hypocritically pretending that divine influences
had brought about their conversion to these new notions ;
when in fact the natural inclination of their own unre-
newed hearts must have caused them to drink the
fatal poison, which Noyes had prepared and placed
before them. And we find them at length blasphe-
mously attributing the most sheer nonsense, the most
indecent and even ridiculous conduct to a divine
impulse !
Mr. Noyes, as if boasting of the victims he had
secured and the converts he had made, unblushingly
confronts the public with the letters — in the character
of testimony — from which we have selected the
extracts already given; which letters were accompa-
nied by a note of unqualified approbation from Mr.
Noyes. He asserts that the cause of truth -required
him to set aside " all considerations of personal
dehcacy," and he introduces the testimony of Mrs..
Green and Mrs. Black, as " pertinent and necessary I''
Mr. Noyes, to exhibit his gallantry, and show that
he was not a whit behind those zealous females in
discarding the " bond-woman's children,'* publishes
NOYESISM UNVEILED, 133
the substance of a letter which he wrote to a young
lady, making proposals for a kind of " partnership"
which the world commonly calls marriage. He
undoubtedly designed this letter as a kind of ofifeet to
the productions of Mrs. Green and Mrs. Black;
or a significant response to the sentiments they had
uttered, which were probably called forth by the open
avowal of his own liberal and licentious doctrines.
Mr. Noyes introduces the letter alluded to, by a few
remarks : —
^' To prove that I repudiate in myself as well as in
others, all unreasonable dehcacy, I wUl now introduce
un epistle of my own, written on what is commonly
considered a very ' delicate' occasion. I do this the
more readily, because it has been requested by several
friends, who judged it might be very serviceable as a
practical explanation of the doctrines of the Battle
Axe Letter. Moreover, it is a sufficient reply to Mrs.
Oreen's inquiry about forms, and Mrs. Black's
inquiry about my views of expediency. ... A fe\v
paragraphs in the original letter are here omitted, as
being irrelevant to my present purpose."
" From J. H. Noyes, to Miss H. A. Holton."
Putney, June 11, 1838.
"Beloved sister: —
After a deliberation of more than a year,
in patient waiting, and watching for indications of the
Lord's will, I am now permitted — and indeed happily
constrained — by a combination of favorable circum-
stances, to propose to you a partnership, which I will
not call marriage, till I have defined it.
" As behevers, we are already one with each other,
and with all saints. This primary and universal union,
134 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
is more radical, and of course more important, than any-
partial and external partnersMp ; and with reference
to this, it is said, ' there is neither male nor female,'
' neither marrying nor giving in marriage in heaven.'
With reference to this, also, my offensive remarks in
the Battle Axe Letter were written. With this in
view, we can enter into no engagement with each
other which shall hmit the range of our affections, as
they are limited in matrimonial engagements, by the
fashion of this world. I desire and expect my yoke-
fellow will love all who love God, whether they are
male or female, with a warmth and strength of affection
unknown to earthly lovers, and as freely as if she
stood in no particular connection with me. In fact the
object of my connection with her will be, not to
monopolize and enslave her heart or my own, but to
enlarge and establish both, in the free fellowship of
God's universal family. If the external union and
companionship of a man and woman in accordance
with these principles, is properly called marriage, I
know that marriage exists in heaven, and I have no
scruple in offering you my heart and hand, with an
engagement to be married in due form, as soon as God
shall permit.
" At first I designed to set before you many weighty
reasons for tliis proposal ; but upon second thought,
I prefer the attitude of a witness to that of an advocate,
and shall therefore only suggest briefly, a few matter
of fact considerations, leaving the advocacy of the case
to God — the customary persuasions and romance to
your own imagination — and more particular explana-
tions to a personal interview.
1. "In the plain speech of a witness, not of a
flatterer, I respect and love you for many desirable
qualities, spiritual, intellectual, moral and personal;
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 135
and especially for jour faith, kindness, simplicity and
modesty.
2. " I am confident that the partnership I propose,
will greatly promote our mutual happiness and
improvement.
3. " It will also set us free, at least myself, from
much reproach, and many evil surmisings, which are
occasioned by celibacy in present circumstances.
4. *" It will enlarge our sphere, and increase our
means of usefulness to the people of God.
5. " I am willing at this particular time, to testify
by example, that I am a follower of Paul, in holding
that ' marriage is honorable in all.'
6. '^ I am also willing to testify practically against
that ' bondage of liberty,' which utterly sets at nought
the ordinance of man, and refuses to submit to them
even for the Lord's sake. I know that the immortal
union of hearts, the everlasting honey-moon, which
alone is worthy to be called marriage, can never be
made by a ceremony, and I know equally well that
such a marriage can never be marred by a ceremony.
"You are aware that I have no profession save that
of a servant of God — -a profession which has thus far
subjected me to many vicissitudes, and has given me
but little of this world's prosperity. If you judge me
by the outward appearance, or the future by the past,
you will naturally find in the irregularity and seeming
instability of my character and fortune, many objections
to a partnership. Of this I will only say, that I am
conscious of possessing by the grace of God, a spirit of
firmness, perseverance and faithfulness in every good
work, which has made the vagabond, incoherent
service, to which I have thus far been called, almost
intolerable to me ; and I shall welcome heaven's order
for my release from it, as an exile after seven years
pilgrimage, would welcome the sight of his home. I
136 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
see now no reason why I should not have a ' certain
dwelling place,' and enter upon a course which is
consistent with the duties of domestic hfe. Perhaps
your reply to this will be the voice saying to me, —
' Watchman ! let thy Tvanderings cease,
Hie thee to thy quiet home.'
" Yours in the Lord,
J. H. NOYES.'^
We have thus given the letter of Mr. Noyes, in
full, as he published it. It seems to have been regarded
with favor,, by the lady to whom it was addressed ;
and in entering into the proposed " partnership" they
" passed under something of a form," and that lady
has since been known in law as the wife, or perhaps
we ought to say, the '' ijartner'^ of Mr, N.
KOYBSISM UNVEILED. 137
1 CHAPTER XV.
NoT/esite Community at Oneida — Rule in the Putney
Community — State of things in New Yorlc,
In an article publislied in the Spiritual Magazine of
Aug. 5, 1848, Mr. Noyes speaks of the dispersion of
the believers at Putney, in the autumn of 1847 — refers
to their removal from Putney to Oneida,' and their
settlement there, and says : —
".We find ourselves now, after a short interval of
comfortable confusion, by the invitation and cordial
co-operation of Mr. Jonathan Bukt, and others of
this vicinity, in a position much better than Putney
ever gave us. . . . Our dispersion last fall, and the
revolutions among believers generally, resulting from
the new position of our cause, have opened and
warmed many hearts, as the varied correspondence
presented in this paper shows."
That the reader may be made acquainted with the
character of the elements which lie at the bottom of
the Noyesite Community at Oneida, it is necessary to
state that Mr. Jonathan Burt — who invited Noyes to
locate at Oneida Reserve, and who is cordially co-oper-
ating with him — went to Jesse Ball, of Canastota, N.
Y., and demanded his (Ball's) wife, affirming that,
" She was his, for Cod had given her to himJ^ Mrs.
Ball had been converted to Perfectionism, through
the influence and agency of Burt, but she refused to
follow her spiritual father in this matter. This mfor-
mation we have derived from a reUable source. Hav-
ing such a foundation, with Noyes at its head, we
138 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
cannot mistake as to the character of the Oneida
Communitj. This Community is henceforth to be the
rallying point, the centre of attraction to all " true
believers^' in the Noyesite heresy.
But let us glance at their " new," or " advanced
position." There can he no doubt in regard to the
stand which they have recently taken. Facts and
circumstances abundantly show that the carrying out
of the sentiments of the Battle Axe Letter, and
consequently a virtual nullification of the institution of
marriage among all Perfectionists, is the distinguishing
characteristic of their present position. This, more-
over, is in perfect keeping with doctrines which Mr.
N. has long taught.
But let us look at a few facts. In the sunmier of
1847, soon after it was announced that the kingdom
had come, Mr. Noyes made known the rule which was
henceforth to govern the Putney community. It
appears that prior to this period, the specious doctrines
of Mr. N. had been confined principally to the leaders
or master spirits in the society at Putney ; but the
time had arrived when there was to be a more general
spread of those doctrines, and they were to be more
extensively carried out in practice. But there must
be some exercise of discretion. The subject must be
laid before advanced scholars instead of young disci-
ples. But Mr. N. broached the subject to a person in
Putney village, who was a Perfectionist, but had not
joined his household under the " common roof," and
met with a prompt repulse.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 139
The course marked out by Mr. N. for the Putney
Community henceforth to follow," cuts directly across
the marriage covenant of this world /" This rule was
to be applied to all in the society, both married and
unmarried ; and those who refused to come under the
rule, and submit to the regulations, were considered
guilty of disloyalty to the " acknowledged head of the
Corporation !" Mr. N., in order to induce the indi-
vidual alluded to, to comply with his Jesuitical requi-
sitions, told him that without taking this last step, and
pursuing the course which he had marked out, they
could not be perfect^ or could not have 'perfect love !
An associate of Noyes also labored with the individual,
and asked him if he was not going to submit to Mr,
N. — as though resistance to his authority would be a
high handed offence. But they did not succeed ;
and lest some matters might be divulged not very
creditable to the " acknowledged head," — if a recon-
cihation was not brought about — they compromised the
matter by Mr. N.'s agreeing to let the person referred
to, be exempt from the rule which had 'been adopted.
And thus the matter ended.
It appears that there were a few in the Putney
Community, who, notwithstanding the teachings of Mr.
N. for several years, had not seen the practical ten-
dency of his doctrines, and did not actually know what
the final results would be, until the matter was
unblushingly laid before them, and every shadow of
doubt was dispelled. Hence, as a matter of course,
there would be some refractory spirits, who would not
140 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
bow down in humble submission to Mr. N. — but such
were given to understand that they must submi| or
leave the premises; and one elderly lady from an
adjoining town, who had recently come under the
" common roof," but who refused to submit to the ruUy
actually quit the premises and removed to an adjoining
State.
But while strenuous efforts were being made in'
Putney, for the purpose of making thorough wo»k:,
and carrying out the precious doctrine through the
whole Community, other places came up in remem-
brance before the great leader. In the midst of the
move, or while things were progressing at Putney,
Mr. N. took a five weeks tour into the State of New
York, and attended two Conventions — one at Lairds-
ville, Oneida Co., which met Sept. 3, 1847 — and the
other at Genoa, Cayuga Co., which met on the 17th of
the same month.
These Conventions were called by John B. Foote,
and John Corwin, both of New York. The object
of the Conventions, as specified by those who called
them, was to bring Eastern and Western — or New
York and Vermont — Perfectionists together, "for the
purpose of acquaintance, acknowledgment of each
other, and co-operation."
One object — but whether "a primary or secondary,
we are not prepared to say — of Mr. N. in attending
these Conventions, undoubtedly was to give the mem-
bers a sprinkhng or a thorough baptism of the doc-
trines of the Battle Axe Letter. This is fairly infera-
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 141
ble from the following circumstance : — -At the Lairds-
ville Convention, Mr. Otis Sanford, of Clinton, N. Y.,
introduced a few resolutions, which, among other
things, expressed entire approbation of the " general
course of the press at Putney," and pledged a cordial
co-operation with the brethren there in the circulation
of their publications. The report of the Convention
says that these resolutions were " discussed harmo-
niously and passed unanimously." Mr. Noyes, in a
note appended to these resolutions, pubHshed in the
Spiritual Magazine of Oct. 1, 1847, says: — "After
the close of the meetings, Otis Sanford, in consequence
of discovering that I was the author of the ' Battle
Axe letter,' (which he had never seen before,)
retracted his assent to these resolutions."
Now, from this circumstance, it plainly appears that
Mr. Noyes introduced the Battle Axe Letter into
those Conventions — perhaps as a feeler — or at least
showed it to some individual members, for the purpose
of securing their influence in favor of its doctrines.
But it appears that they were not prepared, to any
considerable extent, for the reception of such revolting
sentiments. Even Mr. Sanford, who introduced the
resolutions expressive of entire approbation of the
course pursued by the Perfectionists at Putney, when
apprized of the fact that Noyes wrote the Battle Axe
Letter, immediately withdreiv his assent from the very
resolutions which he had himself introduced.
But let us look at the principles sanctioned and set
forth by the Conventions already referred to. These
142 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
principles are embodied in a series of resolutions
passed at the Genoa Convention, wliicli are as
follows : —
1. " Resolved, That we will devote ourselves exclu-
sively to the establishment of the kingdom of God ;
and as that kingdom includes and provides for all
interests, religious, political, social and physical, that
we will not join or co-operate with any other associ-
ation.
2. " Resolved, That as the kingdom of God is to
have an extensive manifestation, and as that manifes-
tation must be in some form of Association, we will
acquaint ourselves with the principles of Heavenly Asso-
ciation, and train ourselves to conformity to them as
fast as possible.
3. " Resolved, That one of the leading principles of
Heavenly Association, is the renunciation of exclusive
claim to private property.
4. " Resolved,^ That it is expedient immediately to
take measures for forming a Heavenly Association in
Central New York.
5. " Resolved, ThatWm. H. Cook be authorized, on
our behalf, to visit Perfectionists throughout the State,
for the purpose of stirring up their minds in relation to
Association, and ascertaining the amount of men and
means that are in readiness for the enterprise."
These resolutions speak for themselves — they cannot
be mistaken — comment is unnecessary. Let it be
borne in mind that all the " Heavenly Associations" to
be formed, must be based upon the principles embodied
in the foregoing resolutions; and built up in all
respects after the pattern of the one existing in
Putney. A site was selected, as we are informed,
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 143
near Oneida Castle, for a great central '' Heavenly
Association" in the Empire State, and measures taken
to obtain the necessary means. Mr. Noyes, having
thus hoisted his colors in JS'ew York, and put in motion
a train of operations which promised success, returned
to Vermont ; and soon after was arrested for several
crimes of the darkest shade I Soon after his arrest at
Putney, Mr. Noyes absconded, and finally fixed on
Oneida Reserve — upon the very site previously
selected, as we suppose, for founding a " Heavenly
Association ;" and as all the elite of the Putney
Community have been transferred to that point, we
take it for granted that they have there a genuine
Noyesite Association.
It may be proper here to remark, that Jonathan
Burt, to whom we have already referred, and who
laid claim to the wife of Jesse Ball, of Canastota, was
Moderator of the Lairdsville Convention ; and he
seems to be — at least, so far as pecuniary matters are
concerned — the pedestal, on which the Oneida Com-
munity stands.
John B. Foote, for a considerable time, stood at the
head of the Western division of Perfectionists, but at
the Lairdsville Convention, the supremacy of Noyes
was acknowledged; and Foote and his followers, as
we are informed by a gentleman who was present,
" paid the most servile homage and adulation to their
chief." Noyes, and his associate leader, Foote, imme-
diately concerted schemes for future operations. But
this state of things was destined to be of short
144 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
duration — a revulsion was at hand. The gentleman
just alluded to, who attended the Lairdsville Conven-
tion, says : —
"A new difficulty threatened to spoil all. The
Perfectionists of New York deserted Noyes hastily
and incontinently, as they had just before rushed
eagerly into his embrace.
" The ' Battle Axe Letter,' written by Noyes in
1837, declared that in the *■ holiness of the resurrection
there would be no marriage.' ' The marriage supper
of the Lamb,' says the letter, ' is a feast at which
every dish is free to every guest.'' This sentiment,
which they had hoodwinked their own eyes from
beholding, now disconcerted his new allies. Speedily
did they trumpet it forth as a new discovery, though
they had had the evidence ten years. For although
Noyes had quibbled around this letter, he had never
denied its real meaning. For most inquirers, a little
dust was sufficient to blur their eyes. Not till its
practical bearings were brought into notice, did they
allow it to be a doctrine of evil tendency. But as
soon as they heard of cross-fellow ship, and the fact
that their chosen apostle was under bonds for the
charge of adultery, they gave the alarm, when the
evil was already their own by endorsement. Perhaps
they were honest in all tliis ; but certainly appearances
are unfavorable. I except Wm. S. Hatch."
We infer from what follows, that Noyes and Foote
are now arrayed against each other. Speaking in
reference to the present position of affairs, the same
writer contmues : —
" In this curious predicament are the members of
this denomination. In the heart of New York, within
a few miles of each other, reside the leaders at open
liTOYESISM UNVEILED. 145
war. Their future course is a matter of curious spec-
ulation, but not a proper subject for present decision.
One party bids fair to perish in its own corruption ;
the other to be swept hither and thither with every
wind of doctrine."
The following remarks exhibit the leading charac-
teristics of the two prominent individuals just alluded
to — and refer to the early part of their career : —
"The aspirations of J. B. Foote were for spiritual
glory. Power was the element of J. H. Noyes."
That the reader may the more clearly see the true
position of Noyes, and the present state of things in
New York, we quote still farther from the same
writer : —
" To crown the whole, we must copy still farther
from a letter written by Noyes, an extract of which
was published in the Battle Axe and Weapons of "War,
1837.
" ' God is about to set a throne on his footstool, and
heaven and earth, i. e. all spiritual and political dynas-
ties, will flee from the face of him that shall sit there-
on. The righteous will be separate from the wicked
by the opening of the books and the testimony of the
saints. Between this present time and the establish-
ment of God's kingdom over the earth, lies a chaos of
confttslon, tribulation, woe, and such as must attend
the destruction of the fashion of this world, and the
introduction of the will of God, as it is done in heaven.
Cfod has set me to cast up a high ivay over this
chaos.'' . . .
" ' When the will of God is done on earth, as it is
in heaven, there will he no marriage. . . . God has
placed a wall of partition between the male and the
10
146 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
female during the apostacy, for good reasons, which will
be broken down in the resurrection for equally good
reasons. But woe to him who abohshes the law of the
apostacy, [i. e. marriage,] before he stands in the
holiness of the resurrection. [Observe the expression :
The holiness of the resurrection, not the resurrection
state. So Smith, Lyvere and other associates of Noyes,
affirm that he taught them.] The guests of the
marriage supper may have each his favorite dish.
[This probably refers to an external form of marriage,]
— each a dish of his own procuring, and that without
the jealousy of exclusiveness.' . . .
"It is due to Western Perfectionists, and many
others, to state again that they have not subscribed
to many of the more odious doctrines here copied.
Yet as they have silently passed over them, without
remark, the community is liable to attribute to them
the sanction of deeds which they would regard with
abhorrence. But the Antinomian elements infused
into all their habits of thinking, are very evident in all
their expositions of Scripture, and of com'se must be
exhibited in their lives. In spite of their protesta-
tions, they are but too Hable to be of the class whose
spirit is exclusive, who are inflated with conceptions of
personal superiority."
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 147
CHAPTER XVI.
Extracts from Correspondence-^ Visit of Mr, Lowell
to the Oneida Community.
Immediately after the startling disclosures at Putney
in the fall of 1847, there was quite a " revolution among
believers generally, resulting from the new position" of
things. Many, not only in the State of New York,
but elsewhere, who had embraced the doctrines of
Noyes, but . did not discover their immoral tendency
till their practical results were fairly exhibited, were
alarmed, fell off, and rejected their leader. But the
most prominent Noyesites at Putney professed to be
more surprised at the expressions of confidence from
believers in different places^ than they were at their
trials and the falling off among them. They now
profess to believe — but how long they have so behoved
we are not informed — that the doctrine of " sexual
morality'''* taught by Noyes, and which may now be
considered the distinguishing doctrine of the sect,
is the stumhling stone and roch of offence^ which
God has laid in Zionfl The Noyesites would of
course expect that '^ the world,'' ^ i. e. all who were not
Perfectionists, would take offence at this doctrine ; and
it seems that they were not • surpnsed that weak believ-
ers were stumbled at it. But notwithstanding the
falling off among them, there were some who were so
far advanced^ or who had such strong faith, that they
were ready for the new 'position. Many of these
148 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
" kindred spirits'^ sent in their Cliristian(?) salutations
by way of encouragement to the " hod^ of helievers'^
at head quarters. We make a few extracts from the
" varied," and to them " interesting correspondence,"
which has been coming in from almost all points of the
compass. The first is from a letter of encouragement
from a correspondent at Barnstable. Mass., whose
name is withheld. The letter bears date, March 14,
1848, and the extract is as follows : —
'^ Be not discouraged, mj dear friends. Although
you may be bound and crucified as was your Master,
because you tell the truth, and do the works* he inspires
you to do, you shall rise again from the dead, and
truth shall go forth from conquermg and to conquer."
It seems that the dear man did not know that
Noyes tras dead against the doctrine of the ^'resur-
rection of that liody which dies^ This correspondent
was trying to encourage them with the hope of that
in which they have no behef, and for which of course
they have nc desire ! Poor encouragement this.
The next extract which we give, is from a letter
written by Wm. H. Perry, of New York City, and is
datedMarch26, 1848:—
"I am at Oneida now in spirit a good part of the
time, and look forward with a good deal of anxiety,
when the saints of the Most High will be associated
and united together in the strong bonds of union,
never to be separated."
It seems that Oneida is the point to which all eyes
are now turned, and the true oelievers scattered abroad,
who appear to be " few and far between," although
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 149
absent in body, are there " in spirit a good part of the
time," and joyfully anticipate the day, -when they shall
be banded together under their " acknowledged head."
The course which they are pursuing is in perfect
keeping with the saying of the Savior — ''Where the
carcass is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."
Next Joseph H. Thomas comes up from New
Jersey, and tells what the " behevers" are doing at
Newark. Under date of April 25, 1848, he says : —
" We feel that we are fast condensing life in
Newark; the power of love, which is Grod^ 8 magnet-
ism, is increasing daily among us. . . . There never
was a time when such a oneness was manifest as now.
We find ourselves speaking the same things, and
thinking the same thoughts.''''
" Thinkixg the same thoughts !" This is truly
wonderful !
Next, Enos Kellogg sends up Fifty Dollars of
borrowed money from " the land of steady habits," to
aid in the '•^ estahlishment of Crod\s kingdmn on
earth P^ Writing from Somers, Ct., June 3, 1848,
he says : —
" I have no funds that I can come at just now, but
have borrowed fifty dollars, which I am happy in
sending to you, to aid in the estabhshment of God's
kingdom on earth."
What! The kingdom of God established with
money ! How apostolical ! That individuals have a
legal right thus to dispose of their money no one will
question. But they would do well to take warning
from those who have cast in their all to forward some
150 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
fatal delusion, and in a few years found themselves,
penniless and forlorn. Many of the deluded followers
of the Mormon Prophet have suffered immensely.
Some of the mistaken Millerites foolishly threw away
their property, and brought ruin upon themselves and
wretchedness upon their families. If individuals will
not heed these warnings, happy will it be for them,
if they learn wisdom, though late, by the things wbich
they may suffer.
Again, a voice from the " far west" proclaims high
hopes of final triumph. Simon Lovett, writing from
Bristol, Wisconsin, April 29, 1848, says : —
" One thing I know, — the stone is rolling which is to
break in pieces all these kingdoms."
But last, though not least, Stephen E. Leonard
speaks out from the very " paradise of redemption l"
While others have hailed from distant lands and
different regions, Mr. Leonard has given us an inkling
of affairs at head quarters. In a letter dated Oneida,
July 31, 1848, and addressed to John E. Miller of
Putney, he says :-—
" I have, with others, my ' impressions' of Oneida —
and very interesting and edifying ones they are too.
You are aware of course that before leaving Putney, I
would speak of our prospects here with enthusiasm. I
endeavored however at the same time, to look at things
soberly also, and was assured in my own mind, that my
enthusiasm was based on a substantial Spiritual founda-
tion. Mere external adversity was no stumbling-block
to my faith, and flattering external appearances were
not the soul of my sanguine hopes. ' Things not seen
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 151
and etemar were the groundwork of my anticipations.
Amidst all the turmoil of the past winter, the conscious-
ness of our having loving hearts was to me the surest
eartiest of success. I felt that this eternal principle
within us could not help working its way through any
difficulties that could possibly interpose, and in due
time find its natural expression in an unselfish Associa-
tion. With such a basis for my confidence, you may
well suppose I am not about to confess myself to have
been too ardent. ' Revelhng in the halls of the
Montezumas' is no camparison to me, with the pri'vd-
lege of living in a loving community — where we are
free to have God wash away all exclusiveness from our
natures, and teach us to worship Him in the beauty of
holiness and love. Such a community we have here.
The peace of God that passeth understanding, dwells
in our midst ; and the scouring of the material that is
destined for the great battery which is to abolish death,
elicits from time to time currents of the heavenly
electricity that are worthy of a place in the paradise
of God. The idea of leaiTiing to love one another as
God loves us, without reference to the outward rela-
tions we are made to sustain to each other by law, I
conceive to be the glory of the church ; and if this is
so, we shall ere long certainly be to the rest of the
world as a city set on a hill. We are all ' earnest
souls' for the practical developement of this idea. It
is plain to me that we are progressing steadily and
swiftly towards the accomplishment of that great
miracle — the unity of all believers — which is foreor-
dained to convince the world of our identity with
Christ."— Spiritual Magazine, Vol. II. No. 13.
Mr. Leonard is the printer in the " Heavenly Asso-
ciation" at Oneida, and in the foregoing extract he
has certainly given us quite a glowing description of
152 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
things there. Now, if " reveHing in the halls of the
Montezumas is no comparison to the privilege of living
in" that Community — and if " the idea of learning to
love one another without reference to the outward
relations they are made to sustain to each other by
law," is " the glory of the (Noyesite) church" — and
z/they " are all ' earnest souls' for the practical devel-
opement of this idea" — then we may fairly infer that
the Community at Oneida is just like the one at
Putney, and " a little more so /"
In the same paper from which the preceding extracts
were taken, we find a brief notice of a visit which the
Oneida Community had from a man by the name of
Lowell. We give it entire — it is as follows : —
"A Self-Trumpeter. — Our Community was hon-
ored with a call the other morning from a man by the
name of Lowell, who professes, we understand, to be
the blower of the ' seventh trumpet.' His pretensions,
as put forth in our presence, were not so imposing as
amusing. For instance, he observed with a most ludi-
crous air of mmgled solemnity and caricature, ' When
the Millerites talk about looking for the coming of
Christ, I tell them they need not look any further ;
I'm the man V We all had a very refreshing season
of laughter at his rhodomontades of this kind; and,
to do him justice^ he bore our merriment with good
nature, joined loudly, if not heartily, in the laugh^
and seemed disposed, like a good actor, to give us a
farce as extravagant and entertaining as possible.
He said he was a ' wayfaring man,' which being
interpreted, (as we have since been informed,)
signifies in his case — a pedler. It is a curious and
almost incredible fact that several PerfectionistSy
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 153
heretofore thought to he men of sense, finding them-
selves in a starving, malcontent condition, have become
the sucklings of this poor vagrant.^^
We were not aware that the kingdom of heaven was
a place of merriment and farcical scenes ! Perhaps
such things are befitting a Noyesite company, but not
a Christian community. We infer from the foregoing
that when individuals leave the Noyesite ranks, they
are no longer considered men of sense ; but it is highly
probable that they have as much sense after as they
had before leaving. And if persons can swallow such
a congeries of absurdities as Noyesism, with all its vile
abominations, it would not be at all surprising if they
should find themselves in a '' starving^ ^ condition —
seeing they are feeding upon " husks'^'' — and certainly
they would be fit subjects to become the " sucklings^ ^
of any '' poor vagrant" that might chance to come
along.
IM NOYESISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XVII.
Noyes searcMyig for Stolen Groods.
We give below a particular account, by an eye-wit-
ness, of a little affair which took place several years
ago, in Putney. It may be thought by some too small
a matter to be recorded. Under ordinary circumstan-
ces it would not be entitled even to a passing notice ;
but as almost every thing connected with the history of
distinguished individuals is read with some degree of
interest, we think it proper to give an account of the
affair just as it was related by the person under whose
immediate observation it transpired. Small as the
matter may seem, it appears to be a somewhat impor-
tant link in a chain of events which are evidently des-
tined to obtain some notoriety, flatters small in them-
selves sometimes throw great light upon the characters
of noted men.
The account of which we speak was given by Alex-
ander Wilder, Esq., of Verona, N. Y. Mr. Wilder
embraced Perfectionism several years since, and for
some time remained in fellowship with Mr. Noyes,
but at length became convinced that he was an impos-
tor, clearly saw the tendency of this new ism, and, Hke
an honest man, renounced the error which he in sincer-
ity had embraced. The account given by Mr. Wilder
is as follows : —
" The affair of Noyes's search for stolen goods took
place directly under my personal observation, and the
KOYESISM UNVEILED. 155
ridiculous light into -which it cast all his pretensions to
infaUibility of judgment, rendered it to me particularly
valuable. It saved me from attributing to him a divine
power which he did not possess, and eventually assisted
in my emancipation from his thraldom.
" When John L. Skinner — to whose care I was com-
mitted, that I might be restored to confidence and
fellowship — insisted on the superior spiritual wisdom of
our chief, I alluded to this case, and never without suc-
cess. The evil dispositions ascribed to me (for Perfec-
tionists have made me their scape-goat) were increased
by such occurrences. Now for the story :
" In the latter part of August, 1843, Austin Kent,
a Mr. Hurlburt and wife and two other women, from
Stockhohn, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., visited Putney.
They were spiritualists, on a very similar plan with
Noyes, but professing superior illumination. This
offence was unpardonable. S. R. Leonard and myself
were engaged in prefes-work, which occupied us for some
two hours of this visit. During this time they had
delivered a testimony to Noyes, disapproving of some
parts of his course, and implying that though he had
holiness of lieart^ his mind was still imsanctified.* He
would not cordially receive their words. They then
requested permission to repose, as they were in feeble
health and weary with travelling. Beds were accord-
ingly furnished them. They took piEows from those
couches which they did not occupy, as suited their con-
venience, and when they arose they left them where
they had lain down. About the time we had finished
our work at the office, and came in to see the new
comers, they were giving a last testimony to our leader.
*Kent and his followers believe that the heart and mind are dis-
tinct entities, requiring separate conviction and conversion ; and that
a person may be saved from sin in heart, and still be a sinner in mind.
156 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
As Kent exclaimed, in a quiet tone, ' You have a bad
spirit,' Noyes, in a sharp, loud tone, replete with rage,
exclaimed five or six times, ' You are an i7npostor —
You ARE AN Impostor.'*
" Probably his refusal to bow before the Putney
chief was the stamp of his imposture ; certainly his
manner indicated no such thing. The company then
retired from Mr. Noyes, going up to the old Noyes
homestead, where they had left their conveyances, with
which they proceeded to Mr. Perry's Inn, where they
* Kent and his company professed to be divinely commissioned to
correct certain errors and reveal important truths. Noyes, in giving
some account of the visit from these spiritualists, published in the
Perfectionist of Sept. 15, 1843, says : — " They called upon me recently,
and gave me to understand that they were commissioned to instruct
me. I invited them to open their minds As the discourse pro-
ceeded, I insisted on having the privilege of questioning their posi-
tions, and answering their arguments. They were very averse to this,
and strove hard to make me receive their testimony as a message
from God, not to be argued with. . . . The dispute waxed warm tow-
ard the conclusion, and they finally averred in plain terms that they
came to teach me, and not to be taught ; and that it was my business
to hear them, and not to argue. One of the men at last told me I
had a ' wicked spirit.' I told him he was an impostor. He threat-
ened me with the vengeance of God, and they departed. They re-
mained till the afternoon of the next day at the tavern in this village .
Several of the believers called, and had conversation with Ihem.
Their principal labor was to convince those that called that I am a
very wicked man ^ and that persons saved from the ' sin of heart,' are
not saved from the ' sin of mind.' ... I recommend that they be
called upon to prove their commissions. This is certainly no more
than is reasonable, if we consider merely tlie mouth- stopping author-
ity which they assume."
It appears that Noyes could not brook in others that dictatorial
spirit, that " mouth-stopping authority,'' which he is wont to assume
himself. And he also in turn may be called upon to " joroye" his com-
mission; not by TUQiQ false pretences, but by substantial evidence.
- NOTESISM UNVEILED. 157
put up. That evening and the next day (Sunday)
they were visited by the different Perfectionists in
town, myself among the number. They received us
courteously and treated us with urbanity.
"• At the invitation of Mrs. Louisa Shaw, they on
Sabbath afternoon left Mr. Perry's and went over to
the ' East Part ' of the town, where they remained sev-
eral days. The Perfectionists generally over there
gave them their fellowship. This was very offensive to
our ' acknowledged Head.' From tliis period I date
my declension in his favor, for I had treated them
civilly. As I had not held conversation with them
except as their guest, I could not decently do other-
wise.
" They had taken the pillow from my bed when they
laid down. As I am not very particular about such
things, I slept Tvithout it several nights, not caring
enough or even thinking to mention the affair. Fanny
White, who generally was the chamber-maid, was gone
to her father's. Mrs. Noyes at length asked me about
the pillow. I told her that I had slept without it a
number of nights, ever since the company were there.
She told it to her husband. In an instant he exclaimed,
' They have stole it.'' It was in vain that she affirmed
that it could not be, for the people had gone out in full
view of us all, so that we would have witnessed it.
'- The old woman,' he w^ould have it, ' could put it under
her clothes^ and it ivoidd serve for a cushion.^
" He hastened out and gave the alarm to the family
at the upper house. I think he had it searched, but
am not positive. He also went to Mr. Perry, to get
him. to search the tavern. His motions were uiiusually
rapid, for he was much excited — and a malicious tri-
umph characterized his manner. I had never seen him
possessed by such a spirit. He was as though half
insane.
158 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
" At this juncture, Fanny came over from home to
the village, and called in. Finding out our uproar, she
Tvent up stairs, looked over the apartments, and found
that the pillows were all there. Mrs. Noyes, who is
usually a meek, quiet woman, exclaimed, ' I am sorry
that all this fuss has heen made.'' It was a character-
istic remark.
" This is the contemptible affair which is destined to
obtain an importance, because of its forcible illustration
of the weak spot in Noyes's character. I have given
it at length, that other witnesses might recognize the
facts the more readily.''
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 159
CHAPTER XVIII.
Affidavit of Alexander Wilder — Expulsion of Mr,
JoJin B. Lylere and Miss Almira Edson.
In addition to the statements found in the foregoing
Chapter, we give the following Affidavit, which Mr.
Wilder has kindly furnished : —
" The question has often been put to me — ' Why do
you not forget past differences, and return into the fel-
lowship of Perfectionists and of their leader, John H.
Noyes V
" I have sought, heretofore, rather to evade than to
answer this interrogation. My reason for this was, that
the well-known habit of the individual above referred
to, ha^ been to pursue with unrelenting severity every
one who seceded from his connection. Indeed, when-
ever I have sought to give the desired information, it
has been attributed to personal enmity rather than to
the true motive. I have generally consented to be
abused, without attempting any regular self-defence ;
preferring quiet and peace before justice to myself.
Propriety requires, however, at the present crisis, that
I should announce myself in my true colors. I cannot
re-enter the fold of Perfectionism, because, in the first
place, I do not beheve several of its prominent doc-
trines ; secondly, I have no confidence in the religious
character, integrity, and fair deahng and wisdom of its
acknowledged chief, John H. Noyes.
" Orthodox Perfectionists do not substantially admit
that this man is capable of error of life, or even of
judgment. They also require, as a test of fellowship^
th« acknowledgment of his pontifical supremacy as the
160 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
successor of the apostle Paul. Indeed, he recently
asserted his authority in a public meeting, (at Lairds-
ville, N. Y.,) because, (to use his own words,) ' like
the strongest cow in the pasture, he had hooked down
every rival.'
" The doctrines of the Eternal Devil, and of that state
of things predicated in a letter written by Noyes, in
which he teaches a resurrection state, on which Perfec-
tionists are now entering ; and in which, while the sex-
ual distinction is not set aside, yet marriage is abroga-
ted, are to me especially odious. I fear the moral
influence of these sentiments. The more so, as he has
already announced the advent of the kingdom of hea-
ven at Putney, Vt., where he resides, and where he
has an association of disciples. See the Witness, Vol.
I. pp. 21, 22, 49, 50, 76 ; Perfectionist, Vol. V. p. 33 ;
Spiritual Magazine, Vol. II. pp. ^b^ 69. It may be
necessary to state that, so far as my kyiowledge extends,
though several of his intimate friends have, through the
influence of the ' Battle Axe Letter,' perpetrated acts
of flagrant licentiousness, Noyes himself is innocent of
any such impropriety.* Other difierences of doctrinal
opinions are not worthy of present notice.
" The lack of confidence in his character was occa-
sioned by several circumstances which occurred during
my residence in his family. In February, 1840, after
long and anxious deliberation, I rejected the religious
sentiments which I had held, and in which I was edu-
cated, and became what was termed a Perfectionist.
My firm, steady adherence to the new doctrines, is sat-
isfactory evidence of my sincerity in embracing them.
Some weeks after, I learned the existence of John H.
* W. H. Cook, of Syracuse, has since made it known that Noyes»
admitted to him that he had had sexual connection with seyeral
females.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 161
Noyes. With the simplicity of a child and the confi«
dence of a brother, I sought to be acquainted with his
character and publications. At length in November,
1842, I left my home in Verona, and went to Putney,
where I resided till February, 1844. When I parted
from him and his disciples, it was on my part with
unfeigaed good will. Since that time, however, I have
been separated in feeling from him ; nor do I expect,
knowing the character of the man as I do, that the
breach will be repaired. Before I left Vermont, I had
suffered severely from him; but it was afterwards,
that by reflection upon what had transpired, want of
confidence and embittered feelings, on account of
unkind treatment, sprung up in my mind, producing
alienation. I will how state the prindpal facts which
occasioned the estrangement.
" Returning from a tour in Massachusetts, in Febru-
ary, 1848, Mr. Noyes began to try his skill in Animal
Magnetism. Being impressible, I was the subject of
many of his experiments. By reason of their continu-
ation for some weeks, and being operated upon by
several of his family, a diseased state of mind and
body was produced. For m.any months I suflfered a
very great depression of spirits. I felt myself in
connection and rapport with influences which caused
the keenest mental anguish, and knew not how to free
myself. A nameless fear, despondency, gloom and
despair, paralyzed my strength of mind. A mwbid
attachment for individuals was induced ; and the whole
corporeal system partook of the disorder. The inter-
vals of pleasure, like the exhilarations of intoxicating
drugs, gave relief for a little season, but only to
plunge me into a deeper gloom. To heighten my
misery, Noyes began to berate me, charging my suffer-
ings to various causes, and even to the influence of the
11
162 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Devil. This devil, or evil genius, I now know eman-
ated directly from him.
" Toward the latter part of the year, my health
began to improve. I was more cheerful. A new
and more serious difficulty awaited me. Report had
gone abroad of his skill as a magiietizer. A young
man named Baker requested him to visit his sister,
[now Mrs. H. A. Hall,] who for several years had
been confined to her bed. He did so a number of
times. She also became a proselyte to his doctrines.
In October she came to his house, and remained about
three months. He continued his manipulations occa-
sionally. Presently after I incautiously tried the
experiment of casting her into the mesmeric slumber,
and succeeded even better than Noyes himself. As I
am of a temperament less harsh, forbidding, and
repelling than he, the rapport was probably the more
complete, so the patient acknowledged. She has
since, however, I regi^et to say, set her hand to a ver-
sion of this affair which widely contravenes the tiTith.
Nor can I acquit her of falsehood because she seals
her testimony with a miracle. I was persuaded to
continue magnetizing her, because I was assured that
Mr. Noyes wished it, and I was desirous to relieve
suSbring ; it bemg also at the request of her brother ;
not at all imagining that I was assuming the responsi-
bility of the case. I was informed subsequently that
she grew better, and so continued till he disturbed her
mind by bitter, angry reproach.
" I speedily abandoned a practice which, I am nov/
convinced, is more corrupting and enen^ating than
beneficial to the persons engaged in it. But I did not
draw away her fellowship from Noyes. Indeed, she
renounced him before I did. In this matter my con-
science has been ever void of offence. My motives
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 163
•were benevolent ; but I have been greatly misrepre-
sented.
" At this time a protracted meeting was held at the
Methodist Chapel in Putney, in which I took great
interest. No party feeling directed me. I only
desired the salvation of souls. This too was offensive
to our leader. Spies watched my words and actions ;
they were reported to him ; my language was miscon-
strued to a meaning which I thought not of. In short,
by a trial behind my back, wholly ex 'parte ^ I was
decided to be out of fellowship, and committed to
discipline. My vindication was treated with scorn ;
I looked for friends, they were all as briers ; and the
best was sharper than a thorn hedge.
'"' One Monday morning in December, 1843, while
the protracted meeting was going on in the Methodist
Chapel at Putney, and in which I was greatly inter-
ested, not from sectarian motives, I arose before the
rest of Noyes's family, built a fire and began a French
Lesson. Noyes soon got up, came out and began to
commence directing me how to proceed with inquirers.
I felt oppressed. The peculiar espionage of his family
was very disagreeable to me. His false accusations
were more tormenting. My own health was very poor.
As he went on I timidly remarked, ' I think it were
better to follow the lead of the Divine Spirit at the
time. Arbitrary, set rules tend to confuse, and I am
like an animal about to strike a given mark, if you
seige the horn and attempt to guide it, he will falter,
all confused and effect nothing.'
" With an eye sparkling with rage — for he possesses
an infernal temper — N. exclaimed, — ' If you think to
get from under my control, you will find that I will
take you by the horns.' These words struck a blight-
ing feeling all over me, like a torpedo shock. Many
164 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
hours passed before I recovered. Never again did I
converse familiarly with that man, though I remained
in Putney six or eight weeks. My eyes were opened.
Not till the steel entered my o^vvn soul, was I willing
to think evil of J. H. Noyes. But I know him to be
a despot — an ambitious self-seeker — and my horror of
him is as intense as my horror of a venomous serpent.
" Three times have I been assailed in his paper.
These affairs have not given me pain. In those very
articles that man lied — lied in his throat — and indorsed,
if he did not instigate, others to lie. He gives liberty
to his followers, provided they exercise it as he chooses.
As the French officer addressed his soldiers^' Com-
rades you are at liberty to vote as you please on the
question whether Napoleon shall be First Consul for
life — ^but all who don't vote so shall be shot. Vive La
Liberty.' ^
" Thus, in my youth, ignorance, and inexperience ,
was I involved in difficulties from which I lacked
courage and power to extricate myself. I have since
been published in the Perfectionist as a false brother
and a hypocrite ; but have never responded publicly to
the attack. I doubt whether the majority of Perfec-
tionists are sufficiently candid and honorable to give
me a fair hearing. I have not found them the people
which I had hoped. I make this exposition, not so
much to justify myself as to show why I cannot co-op-
erate with John H. Noyes and his adherents. I regret
that I ever indulged personal bitterness of feeling
toward him ; but am glad to say that such is not now
the case. I remember the past, not to feel ill will ;
but because it warns me to beware of that man for
the future : that life and reason be not again endan-
gered by his influence. I can excuse many of his
unkind deeds ; I can forgive all : that forgiveness he
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 105
has spurned. He undoubtedly will retract notliing —
not even his incorrect charges against my brother
David.
"As to my own theological views, I regard all that
is true in doctrine, all that is useful in practice to
result from our union and conformity to God. This
is the Grospel of the New Covenant.
" I belong to no sect in religion. I am identified
with no body of people. Yet all that savors of piety,
philanthropy and honesty attracts my warmest sym-
pathy. For in every nation, every party and denom-
ination, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness
shall be accepted.
" It is proper to add, that I consider all obligations
assumed by me, and devolving by reason of my rela-
tions to Perfectionists as now canceled.
" Alexander Wilder.
*' Oneida Co., ss.
" Subscribed and sworn (affirmed) before me this
6th day of Sept. 1847.
"Geo, C. Cadwell, Justice of the Peace^
The foregoing affidavit of Mr. Wilder speaks for
itself. It certainly breathes a very commendable
spirit, and will carry to the mind of the reader a
conviction of its truthfulness. Though plain and
pointed, it is devoid of harshness and unwarrantable
severity. There is one important point, worthy of
special notice, brought prominently to view, viz., the
complete surveillance to which the followers of Mr.
Noyes are subjected. They must bow in silent and
humble submission to his sole dictation, or incur his
hot displeasure, and feel the scorching flame of his
fiiercest indignation !
166 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
The case of Mr. Wilder is not a solitary instance in
which Mr. Noyes has assumed the sole dictation of
members of the Putney Association. These cases are
of common occurrence, as the citizens of Putney well
know. And indeed none are suflfered to continue long
in the Perfectionist Community unless they are found
to be loyal subjects. The point under consideration is
clearly illustrated by the excommunication of Mr. John
B. Lyvere and Miss Almira Edson from the Perfec-
tionist Association at Putney. The following is the
form of expulsion, with quite a list of names attached :
" Whereas, faithful subordination is essential to the welfare of
our association, and ivhereas John B. Lyvere and Almira
Edson, hy a clandestine marriage in defiance of the known
will of the acknowledged head of the corporation, have committed
an act of gross and deliberate insubordination, therefore —
" Resolved, That our connection with them be dissolved, and
that they be requested to withdraw from the corporation,
John H. Noyes, Harriet A. Noyes,
Geo. Cragin, Mary E. Cragin,
Geo. W. Noyes, Polly Noyes,
John L. Skinner, Harriet A. Skinner,
John R. Miller, Charlotte H. Miller,
G. W. Wilder, Fanny Lord,
David Wilder, Sally Cobb,
Isaac Palmer, Jr., Polly Palmer,
WilHam Sherwood, Lauretta Sherwood,
Clifford Clark, Sally Clark."
H. Bowles,
Thus it appears that a Bull of excommunication was
immediately issued by Mr. Noyes against Mr. Lyvere
and Miss Edson, because they acted for themselves,
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 167
and contracted a marriage — as they had a perfect
right to do — agreeable to their owii choice ; but con-
trary to the '• known will of the acknowledged head of
the Corporation !"
And furthermore, it appears that a large number of
the members of the Association in Putney were con-
senting to the act ; and by attaching their names to
the instrument of expulsion thereby became aiders and
abetters of the deed.
If any of those individuals whose names appear,
were not fully persuaded in their own minds relative to
the propriety and justice of thus summarily disposing
of those members whom Mr. Noyes considered refrac-
tory, they were probably awed into humble submission
and implicit obedience by beholding the rod of correc-
tion extended in terrorem over their heads ; and lest
a refusal on their part to affix their names to the fatal
instrument should be construed by the " acknowledged
head of the Corporation" into " an act of gross and
dehberate insubordination." In such a case there
would be no alternative but to submit to a fate similar
to that of the victims before them, and suffer aU the
pains and penalties in such cases made and provided.
But, perhaps^ we ought in justice to a few individu-
als whose names appear in the foregoing list, to say,
that they have since renounced the doctrines of Noyes,
and voluntarily withdrawn — to their praise be it spoken
— from the Association ; and now have no fellowship
with, nor sympathy for, the Perfectionists.
But the question may be asked. Were Mr. Lyvere
16S NOYESISM U]S"VEILEI>.
and Miss Udson Perfectionists f That they were
professedly so there is no doubt ; but were they really
so ? If they were Perfectionists merely in ^profession
but not mfaet^ then in point of character they were
on a level with common sinners, and were not entitled
to the privileges and immunities of a society so holy
as Mr. Noyes and his followers profess to be ! That
Perfectionists lay claim to all the heights and depths
of perfect holiness, there can be no manner of doubt.
The language of Mr. Noyes is plain and unequivocal
touching this point. He says, " We verily believe and
unUusMngly maintain that we are free fronoi sin /'^
Berean, p. 181. Here Mr. N. undoubtedly speaks in
behalf of Perfectionists in general, and in reference to
himself in particular.
Now if Mr. Lyvere and Miss Edson were Perfec-
tionists in profession merely, then according to the
doctrine of Mr. Noyes, they were entirely sinful ; for
he assumes that " Every being in the universe^ at anfiy
given time, is either entirely wicJced, or entirely holy^^
— that " all men are either as righteous as Christy or
as ivicked as the devil. ''^ If Mr. Lyvere and Miss
Edson were " entirely wicked," then they had no
right to a place in a community as holy as the Putney
Association professed to be, and might have been
expelled at any time without any injustice — and indeed
in that case they never ought to have been admitted
to membership. If they were thus wicked what
becomes of the arrogant claims of Perfectionists ?
They profess to be the true Church. They set them-
NO YESISM UNVEILED . 169
selves up as a perfect model of primitive Christiamtj,
and lay claim to all the miraculous gifts of the apos-
tolic age ; and thej have promised " to surrender all
pretensions of being a true Christian church,^ ^ if they
cannot " make out a case substantially like that of the
primitive c^i^rc^."— Spiritual Magazine, Yol.II. No.lO.
Now Mr. Noyes asserts that " the power of ' dis-
cerning spirits ' was one of the gifts of the primitive
church." — Berean, p. 45. But where is this gift
among Perfectionists? If Mr. Lyvere and Miss
Edson were '' entirely wicked, ^^ then Mr. Noyes or
some of his co-adjutors, had they possessed that gift,
would have been able to discern such " wieked^^ spirits.
But this they were unable to do.
Being unable, at least in this, as well as in other
instances, to " make out a case substantially like that
of the primitive church," will they now " surrender,"
in fulfilment of their promise, " all pretensions of being
a true Christian church " ; — or will they falsify their
word and still stand it out when stubborn facts stare
them full in the face, and they are destitute of a parti-
cle of proof to substantiate the an-ogant claims which
they have impiously set up ?
Turn this subject which way you please, Mr. N.
occupies a no very comfortable position ; and from what
precedes, as well as from what follows, it plainly appears
that he must hang upon one or both horns of a
dilemma !
But the question recurs — Were Mr. Lyvere and
Miss Edson Perfectionists? That they were profes^
170 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
sedly so, no one doubts ; but we ask again, were they
really so ? Were thej Perfectionists not onlj in name^
but in deed and in truth f
If it be admitted that they were Perfectionists, in a
full and proper sense, then Mr. Noyes is plunged into
still deeper difficulties. It will be readily granted that
in that case he might with the utmost propriety receive
them into his society ; but Mr. N. has assumed that
real Perfectionists, or Perfectionists of a higher order,
are not ox^j free from sin, but that they can never fall
into 8171.
Now if Mr. Lyvere and Mss Edson were really Per-
fectionists, they could not sin, according to Mr. N.'s
doctrine. For what, then, were they expelled ? For
doing right ? If so, injustice was done them, and the
most downright despotism exercised over them. They
had done no wrong — they had committed no sin — and
yet they were summarily severed, at a single stroke,
not only from the head, but from the whole " body of
believers " ! But will it be asserted, to avoid the charge
of injustice, that they had really sinned ? Then the
security of the saints, so strenuously contended for by
Mr. Noyes, goes by the board, and is clean gone
forever.
But the mystery about the whole matter may be
cleared up in few words : — If a person is perfectly sub-
missive to the " acknowledged head of the Corpora-
tion," and commits the keeping of his conscience to that
self-exalted functionary, do what he may, all will be
well. But if he has a mind of his own, and acts for
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 171
himself, the very first independent deed, however right
of itself, will be denounced as "an act of gi*oss and
deliberate insubordination " — a mortal offence, worthy
of immediate excommunication !
By Perfectionists the will of John H. Noyes must be
regarded as the rule of right, and taken as the standard
of judgment. Whatever accords with that will is pro-
nounced praiseworthy ; but whatever is contrary to it,
if it is not set down as sin, yet in point of demerit and
penal deserts, is considered tantamount to it. Quiet,
humble and unceasing submission alone can secure the
favor of the " acknowledged head of the Corporation."
But the case which has been under consideration,
together with other important facts which have come to
light in Putney, show conclusively that Mr. Noyes has
assumed the prerogative of controlling all matrimonial
arrangements among Perfectionists, or at least in the
society over which he has the immediate supervision.
Implicit submission in all such matters, or prompt expul-
sion, are the only alternatives !
Mr, Noyes recommends marriage, not because he
behoves in its validity^ but because he deems it expedi-
ent under existing circumstances. T\iq penalty of the laiu
probably prompts his faith in that expediency ; and he
seeks to evade that penalty by d, partial conformity to the
law. Were there no penalty annexed to the law touch-
ing this matter, Mr. Noyes would utterly discard the
marriage institution among his followers, and trample it
under foot as a thing of nought. When a person mar-
ries a member of the Corporation under the direction of
172 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Mr. Nojes, that person is not united to one member
only, but joined to the whole " body of believers.''
Thus when a bride is introduced to the Association, she
is welcomed within the " charmed circle," and given to
understand that she must consider herself a member of
that body of which John H. Noyes is the head. And
the bridegroom, to be a loyal subject and meet with
favor in the eyes of the " acknowledged head," must
be ready to adopt the sentiments of the Battle Axe
Letter, and address Mr. Noyes as follows : — " I call
this woman my ivife — she is yours, she is Ohrisfs, and
in Mm she is the bride of all saints ^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 178
CHAPTER XIX.
Bible Secretiveness,
An editorial article under the above heading, pub-
lished in the Spiritual Magazine of Sept. 1, 1847,
clearly exhibits the process by which Mr. Noyes and
his coadjutors indoctrinate their followers, and lead
them along step by step till they reach the verge of
ruin ; and then, perhaps, pleased with the fatal delu-
sion, they take a fearful leap into the dark abyss below,
almost unconscious of danger, though doomed to
destruction.
Although the article referred to reveals the modus
operandi by which these master spirits initiate their dis-
ciples into the higher branches and sublimer mysteries
of Noyesism, yet it is couched in such language and
contains such allusions as would render it unintelligible,
— aside from recent disclosures, — without a thorough
knowledge and insight into the system. But happily
the veil has been removed, and the clue obtained by
which to unfold the hidden abominations of Noyesism.
The author of the article alluded to, in his modesty
more than intimates that Noyesism is the key which
unlocks the store-house of divine knowledge and reveals
the wonders of the universe ; and that unless a person
becomes a Perfectionist, the Bible will be to him a
sealed book, and the priceless treasures of divine truth
never obtained !
174 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
It is, moreover, asserted that " infinite treasures '*
are reserved for " advanced minds." Thus it appears
that although an individual should secure the key of
knowledge by embracing Noyesism, he is not to be let
into all the secrets at once, lest his moral sensibilities,
not yet rendered obtuse, should be shocked, and being
affrighted at the grosser parts of the system, he should
retrace his steps, and the object thus be defeated and
the prey lost. But their sentiments must be dealt out
very cautiously, and the sublimer doctrines inculcated
only as the mind is prepared by a regular training for
their reception, and in accordance with the principles
brought to view in the folloTving extract from the article
alluded te : —
" Honesty will not suffer us to make a false state -
pieni of our views, but it will allow us te reserve them
when we please. . . . Milk for babes, and strong meat
for them that are of full age. . . . The Bible contains
the germs of all truth — the distinct clue to all science.
While, therefore, its meaning maybe said to be so plain
that ' he who runs may read ' ; and its straight path
such, that ' the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not
err therein ' ; yet it is also certain that the revelation
of its deep treasures is altogether a matter of attain-
ment. Get hold of its clue at the right end, and
you proceed steadily and safely to unfold the myste-
ries of the universe : come at it elsewhere, and either
you find it a sealed up volume of dullness, or if you
attempt to interpret it you are liable to -be lost in the
midst of truth, inverted and misunderstood — liable to
make the Bible the leading path to error and damna-
tion. There is only a possibility that you will find your
way back to the true starting place. Now the begin-
* NOYESISM UNVEILED. 175
ning of this clue, the primary station of departure from
which we shall alone safelj and certainly be led into all
truth, is undoubtedly found in the doctrine and experi-
ence oi salvation from siny
Alas for us ! the whole world en masse is doomed by
these modern wise men to darkness impenetrable, and
must hang their harps upon the willows and sit down in
sad despair, never expecting to get the clue to a right
understanding and correct interpretation of the Sacred
Writings unless they become Perfectionists ! These new
lights, in some respects, appear to be near akin to the
Romish clergy I If they do not, like Papal priests, lock
up the letter of the Scriptures from the mass of the
people, they profess to hold the keys of the kingdom of
heaven, and they alone can give their true spiritual
meaning ! Hence we must wait on Mr. JST., — ^he being
the " acknowledged head" of the " body of believers" —
to turn the key, unlock the sacred volume, and reveal
its hidden mysteries !
But the same writer, speaking in reference to the
receivers of holiness after the Noyesite faith, proceeds
as follows : —
" That untruthful curiosity which disregards the
principal, plain significance of their lives, and prefers
rather to criticise and understand the details of their
conduct and motives, will find in them the same enigma,
the same occasion of error and stumbling, that they find
in the Bible. ' The wind bloweth where it listeth,' says
Christ, ' and ye hear the sound thereof; but ye cannot
tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth : so is every
one that is born of the Spirit.'' "
176 NOTESISM UNVEILED.
Thus Perfectionists, with their high-sounding profes-
sions of hohness and pretensions to super-emiaent spirits
uality, shrink from the scrutiny of the world respecting
the " details of their conduct and motives." But why
so ? The Savior assigns the sole reason why men pre-
fer darkness to light, and that is, because their deeds
are evil ; and he asserts in the same connection, that
" he that doeth truth, cometh to the hght, that his
deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God." John 3: 19-21.
Again — the same writer continues : — .
'' While it is our business to present day by day to
the world the great proposition which they most need,
and which honest men can understand, viz., ' the right-
eousness of God which is by faith,' it is not our duty
(because it would be injurious if not impossible) to set
before them all the lessons which a spkitual man finds
in perusing the revelation of God in the illumination of
the Holy Ghost."
Undoubtedly there is direct reference in the above
language to those peculiar sentiments characteristic of
Perfectionism — those licentious doctrines which Mr.
Noyes considers of great importance — holding them
second only to theology itself !
Thus we are made acquainted -vvith the course pur-
sued by Mr. Noyes and his associates in conducting
their followers, deluded and hoodwinked, along the road
that leads to infamy and death, and bringing about
their utter degradation and ruin ; and probably they
witness with rapture the results of their well-directed
efforts.
NOYESISM VJHVE1LED-, 1'7T
It is not probable that all are thus deluded and
mi consciously led like the lamb to the slaughter ; for
^ome, having acquired a tolerably correct knowledge of
the character and tendency of the system, have, no
doubt, viewed it with the eye of the libertine, and
"influenced by impure motives, joined the '^. body of
believers," and thereby availed themselves of a favora-
ble opportunity to carry out their base designs, and^
gratify lawless lust. They may also fancy that they
have found in Noyosism a kind of universal salvo for all
conceivable sins ; and may have appeased the upbraid-
ings of conscience by viewing through the medium of
the Noyesite faith this ruinous vice, transformed into
an exemplary virtue I
It is ever dangerous to listen to the dulcet strains of
the alluring syren, but some have listened to the voice
of the charmer — being unacquainted with the nature
and tendency of the doctrines taught by Noycs, they
have, in the sincerity of their hearts and the simplicity
of their souls, embraced them ; and becoming at length
intoxicated with the pleasing delusion, by the aid of
subtle influences exerted upon them, have been brought
to submit to the sole dictation of Noyes, who has
regarded them as lawful prey ; and they have in the
end, and perhaps to their sorrow, found themselves
fast bound in the meshes of Perfectionism. Being
brought under powers and surrounded by influences
with which they were unable to grapple, and against,
wliich it would be in vain to attempt to contend — the
avenues of escape being closed around them, and
12
1T8 KOSTBSISM UN VEILED.
terrified at the thunderbolts of wrath and indignation
which not unfrequently burst forth from his " Holiness "
whenever any uneasiness is manifested, they have been
compelled to succumb, and have yielded themselves,
though perhaps very reluctantly, to his sovereign sway,
and have at length become the passive instruments of
lust and cupidity. These hapless victims having lost
their virtue, lay aside their modesty and are soon seen
glorying in their shame. Their ruin went on rapidly
^— the work of destruction was cut short in wickedness ;
and from the very depths of degradation and the pits of
pollution, these deluded votaries of vice send up the
ringing shout of liberty, and loudly proclaim their
fancied freedom ! Freedom from law, but bondage in
sin ! They hug their chains with a death-like grasp,
though boasting of freedom, and are the subjects of the
most servile bondage while loudly proclaiming their
liberty! Such are the results of this strange and
almost unaccountable delusion !
But let us listen to their own language relative to
the subject under consideration. In the Spiritual
Magazine of Nov. 1, 1847, we find the following
graphic account of events which had but recently
transpired, and were frequently transpiring in the
Association at Putney :—
" The concentration of interest, of will, of affection, in this
body, demonstrates the presence of a moral magnet of incon-
ceivable strength. Every kind of character has succumbed to
its power. Iron wills have broken ; excessive self-esteem has
bowed ; acquisitiveness has opened its hand ; the affections have
vjithdrawn their strength from every attraction without, and
KOYESISM UNVEILED. 1T9
gathered within the charmed circle. The resistance of nature
in many cases was tremendous. How often have we seen passion
exasperated to the pitch of insanity, in the last agony of cruci-
fixion— the last strain upon its attachments ; hut the inflexibility of
truth conquers — the central {ittraction prevails, and immediately
rapture illumes the countenance where the blackness of despair
was brooding. This process has been repeated till all its phe-
Tkomena are familiar, and we are able to calculate results with
precision. . . . We have seen imaginations suddenly cast down,
and thoughts captivated by one flourish of our spiritual weapons.
" The gravitation of hearts is irresistible. One daily inter-
course is rapidly condensing life and intensifying the power of
love. . . . Private tastes are all offered up on the altar of
universal love. Our senses perceive a jar or discord -with
increasing acuteness, and perfection must be the result of the
revolution of our social machinery. It turns out daily miracles."
If their social maciiinerj turns out daily miracles^
we may infer that they can be manufactured to order !
Thus we have laid before us, by Perfectionists them-
selves, the breaking-down process — the bringing of
wills and thoughts into captivity and complete subjec-
tion, not to the will of Christ, but to the will of John
H. Noyes ! And this, too, not in a solitary instance —
a few isolated cases — -but in numerous instances. AU
must bow the knee and lick the dust before this would-
be Pontiff. The language above quoted was somewhat
dark and mysterious before the recent disclosures, but
the revelations in Putney have thrown a flood of light,
and language which before was very obscure is now
perfectly plain and intelligible. The process alluded
to by Perfectionists appears, from their own language,
to have been so often "repeated" that they had
180 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
become adepts in the business of hreaklng-down ; and
the whole phenomena was so perfectly familiar that
they could " calculate results with precision." They
appear to have acquired wonderful skill in flourishing
^' spiritual weapons." And under the influence of the
great "moral magnet of inconceivable strength,"
which was among them, is it at all strange that each
devoted victim should be drawn within the " charmed
drde^'' and doomed to irretrievable ruin ?
Wherein does this " process" differ, in its essential
features, from the course pursued at houses of ill-fame
in our principal cities ? A virtuous, inexperienced,
and unsuspecting female is unfortunately thrown
within the circle of influence Vy^hich surrounds a city
brothel ; immediately the most unhallowed influences
are brought to bear upon the hapless victim. Find-
ing it impossible to extricate herself — after many
unavailing efforts — the last ray of hope being extin-
guished, she yields herself into the hands of her
destroyers and^her fate is sealed. The rising emotions
of a virtuous heart being suppressed, and the moral
sensibilities rendered obtuse, sensual delights alone
" illume the countenance w^here the blackness of despair
was brooding."
The " process" which was so •' familiar" to the
master-spirits of the Perfectionist Association at
Putney, agrees in all its essential features with the
course pursued at those fountains of iniquity, those
gateways to death, to which we Iiave alluded. The
analogy,- .between the tw-o is striking, the parallel
N0YESI8M DKVMLBD. 181
almost perfect. If the course pursued bj Perfection-
ists is not in every respect so compulsory, it is none
the less effectual and fatal. Virtuous females have been
drawn in and ruined by the heads of the Association
in Putney, yet Mr. Noyes called the company banded
together there a holy Community, and impiously
asserted that the kingdom of Heaven was established
in that Association !
IM NOYESISM UNVEILKD,
CHAPTER XX,
Pretensions of Perfectionists to Miraculous Power.
Perfectionists lay claim to all the miraculous gifts of
the apostoHc age ; and strenuously contend that as
signal displays of Divine power may be expected
among them as were exhibited in the Primitive Church.
A simple portraiture of the moral character of
Perfectionism abundantly confutes this preposterous
assumption, and the subject might thus be summarily
disposed of; for we cannot suppose that supernatural
gifts would be conferred upon persons who do not
sustain a fair moral character. ' But the Perfectionists
appeal to facts in confirmation of their assumptions,
and present arguments to sustain the position which
they have taken. The subject is one of some impor-
tance, and the question whether the age of miracles is
past, has, for centuries, been one of hackneyed discus-
sion throughout Christendom. Whatever views may
be entertained in relation to this question, the sequel
will present the pretensions to miraculous power by
the Perfectionists to pubhc view in a most glaring and
even ludicrous light.
Miracles have been seized upon by all the petty
impostors, from the days of Mahomet down to the
times of Joe Smith and John H. Noyes. The mantle
of pretended miracles has been thrown over the most
hideous deformities by all the pseudo-^Qci^ in Christen-
dom. The credulous and those in whom the hump of
KOYBSISM UNVEILED. 183
marvellousness is fully developed, are struck with awe
and wonder at the very mention of a miracle, and are
easily deceived with pretensions to wonder-working
j^ower ; and if an impostor by spiritual jugglery can
produce the conviction that he is divinely commis-
sioned, and thus gain the entire confidence of a
person not accustomed to investigation, he can palm off
the most glaring absurdities, and accomplish the most
nefarious designs, with the utmost ease and facility.
The great rnagician* of Putney, as well as the won-
derful seer of Palmyra, is no less an impostor than the
far-famed Arabian Prophet ! Mahometanism, Mor-
monism. Perfectionism, and a long catalogue of other
isms^ are all of kindred character. They are but the
varied species of the same genus. In addition to the
Koran and the Golden Bible, we now have the Berean,
a production of Mr. Noyes, which his followers firmly
believe to be an inspired book !
The limits of this work will not allow of an extended
investigation of the subject of miracles. The question
of the cessation of miracles, we propose. Providence
permitting, to examine in a separate pubHcation;
and shall here make only a single remark touching this
matter. Much confusion in relation to this subject has
*The application of the term magician to Mr. Noyes is not gratui-
tous, or wholly unauthorized. A writer in the Spiritual Magazine,
who was a niember of the Putney Community, speaking in reference
to that Community and its " acknowledged head," says—" He must
be a magician indeed^ if without any weapon but the wand of hig
word, he had reduced the intelligence, the pride, the natural independ-
ence of this company, to its present subordination."
184 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
undoubtedly arisen from a want of distinction between;
the ordinary and extraordinary gifts of the Spirit.
The extraordinary gifts of the apostolic ago, such as-
miracles, &c., were designed to substantiate the
Divine commission of those who possessed them, and
place upon a permanent basis the whole noble super-
structure of Gospel doctrhies. The specific object for
which these miraculous endowments were conferred
having been accompHshed, they would of course cease,
being no longer necessary. The first promulgators of
Christianity, under a Divine commission, spread abroad
the doctrines which they had received, and confirmed
the truths which they taught by many infalUble signs ;
and having accomplished their work, their acts were
placed upon record and transmitted to after genera-
tions, accompanied by the ordinary influences of the
Spirit, which were to continue to the end of time. If
the record given does not convince a person of the
truth of Christianity, he would not be convinced though
one should rise from the dead.
Although it does not enter into our present design to
discuss at length the question of the cessation of
miracles, yet we propose to give a full account of the?
pretended miracles wrought by Mr. Noyes at Putney ;
and shall exhibit the utter shallowness of his preten-
sions to mirac^ulous power, and also the gross wicked-
ness connected with such pretensions and carried
forward imder this assumed covering. In the follow-
ing chapter we shall commence the examination of Mr.
N.'s pretended miracles.
N0YESISM UNVEILED. 185
CHAPTER XXI.
' Pretended Miracles of Noyes.
CASE OF MRS. HARRIET A. HALL.
Great prominence has been given bj Perfectioniste
to the case of Mrs. Harriet A. Hall, and through then',
efforts to give it publicity, this case has obtained some
notoriety. And in view of the fact that Mr. Noyes
attaches much importance to it, and has even set it
forth as an '•'unirnpeacliahle^^ miracle^ perhaps this case
is entitled to some attention. Mr. N. seems to take it
for granted that tliis case is unanswerable, and evi-
dently considers it sufficient, in connection with many
other cases of like character but of a lower order, to
fully substantiate his claim to miraculous poiver^ and
settle the question of his divine commission !
In the Spiritual Magazine of Oct. 15, 1847, Mr, N,
speaks thus in reference to this case : —
" The cure of Mrs. Harriet A. Hall is as unimpeach-
able as any of the miracles of the primitive church. It
is notorious that she had been sick eight years, with a
complication of diseases ; that she was completely bed-
rid, and almost blind, lying in nearly total darkness.
From this state, she was raised instantly, by the laying
on of hands, and by the word of command, into strength
which enabled her to walk, to face the sun, to ride
miles without inconvenience and with excessive pleas-
ure."
Now, if the case of Mrs. Hall is as " unimpeacha-
Me'' as it is represented to be, we are certainly bound
186 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
to acknowledge the supremacy of Mr. Noyes, and
admit the claims which he has set up. But the case is
open for inspection, and the people have a right to
investigate the matter, and are not bound to concede
the claims of Mr. N. — which appear to be quite arro-
gant— unless the facts in the case fally sustain the
position which he has voluntarily assumed.
We think we hazard nothing in saying, when the sub-
ject is submitted to public scrutiny — has passed a careful
examination — and the facts are brought out, the opinion
will be almost or quite unanimous that it was a very
-vdsionary affair — one of the greatest apologies for a
miracle ever got up ; and having no sure foundation on
which to rest, it will be left " air-suspended like the
baseless fabric of a vision."
But let us look at a few of the most prominent fea-
tures, and endeavor to take a just view of the whole
affair. As it has been publicly announced by the Per-
fectionists as a miracle as " unimpeachable " as any in
the " primitive church," perhaps the curiosity of many
has been so far excited as to create some desire to
know the circumstances connected with the " raising"
of Mrs. Hall. It may not be improper to gratify, to
some extent, that curiosity ; and, indeed, this may be
necessary to a right understanding of the case, although
it must necessarily occupy more space than was origin-
ally assigned to the subject.
A very circumstantial account of the whole affair is
given by three witnesses — all interested, however,
being the parties concerned ) but as their testimony is
NOYBSISM UJT VEILED. 187
all we have, we must take it for what it is worth. We
presume Mr. Noyes takes it for granted that every
word is firmlj- estabUshed by the testimony of these
three interested witnesses !
The testimony is published in the Spiritual Magazine
of Sept. 15, 1847, and is introduced as follows: —
" The testimony of the parties concerned was taken
at the request, and in presence of John B. Foote, of
Westmoreland, N. Y., for his private use, and not with
a view to publication. We think, however, it may be
appropriately inserted here.
The Testimony of Three Witnesses in the ease of
Mrs. Harriet A, Hall* Given at Putney ^ July 3,
1847.
• TESTIMONY OF HARRIET A. HALL.
' Eight years ago I was taken sick. The physicians
called my disease the dropsy, particularly of the chest
and region of the heart. There was also at the same
time a serious affection of the spine. I had previously
had a liver complaint, for which I had been under
Thompsonion treatment. This became much worse at
the time above mentioned, insomuch that my breathing
became very difficult, and I was under the necessity of
being cupped frequently. I had night sweats and
hectic fever — was thought to be in the last stages of
consumption. My life was despaired of. A dreadful
cough attended all these symptoms, which continued
about eight months. After that period, the difficulties
about my chest and lungs subsided, but my back
became much worse. This disorder was connected with
a terrible pressure on the brain. All exercise was
* Formerly Harriet A. Baker.
188 NOYBSISM UNVBILHD.
attended with much pain, and evidently aggravated mj
disorder, so that I was at last forbidden by the physi-
cian even to walk, or stand on my feet j and I lay a
year and a half without attempting any exercise.
After that I was able to walk a little. Three years
from the commencement of my sickness I was suddenly
reduced to entke blindness. This continued six months.
In the seventh month I began to see a little.
* About this time my mind became interested in the
subject of Animal Magnetism, and hearing that Mr. J.
H. Noyes had made some successful experiments in
that science, I sent for him. His operations had some
good effect upon my eyes. I soon began to perceive
that he was a Christian, and requested him to inform
me about his faith. He sent me books and papers, and
conversed with me, and I immediately saw the truth of
his testimony, and confessed myself a believer in per-
fect holiness. — From that time I began to improve ih
health, took more exercise, and was able to walk more
and more. Soon after this, (Oct. 27, 1843) I was
conveyed to Mr. Noyes's house. To the astonishment
of my friends, the ride (distance two miles) did not
pain or tire me, and I steadily grew better, under Mr,
Noyes's care, till I was able to walk about the house
quite comfortably. My head and eyes improved, so
that I could write again.
' After several weeks, Alex. Wilder, who was in Mr.
ISToyes's family, began to magnetize me, and assumed
the charge of my case. He drew me away from Mr.
Noyes, and by constant manipulation enveloped me in
his own spirit. From this time I began to be worse.
My old disorder returned upon me, and with more
power than ever. I returned home, and to my old
state of prostration and darkness. About this time the
separation between Mr. Noyes and Mr. Wilder took
place, and I was deceived by Mr. Wilder so far that I
KOYESIBM UNVEILED. 189
lost much of my first confidence in Mr. Noyes. My
health continued worse for the ensuing three years and
a half.
• In the course of this time (viz. on the 2d of Nov.,
1845) I was married to Mr. Hall, a man who made no
profession of rehgion, and who, though somewhat
friendly to Mr. Noyes's writings, was on the whole an
infidel. I was barely able to sit up long enough to go
through with the marriage ceremony. After this I was
separated still farther from Mr. Noyes, and at last
became nearly as much a skeptic as my husband.
^ But in the mean time my brother and two sisters
had returned fully to fellowship with Mr. Noyes, and
so communication was kept open between him and our
family. By this means my heart was finally turned
back to my first love and confidence. Indeed, very
soon after my feelings took a favorable turn, I was
attracted and bound to Mr. Noyes more strongly than
ever, and invited him to visit me. This took place in
the fore part of June last.
• I had felt, through all my sickness, a dim, instinc-
tive assurance that I should yet recover, and from the
time of my first acquaintance with Mr. Noyes I had
more or less expectation that I should be healed by
faith. This expectation revived with much strength at
tlie time of my return to his fellowship.
• It may be mentioned here, that in the whole course
of my sickness, medicine of every kind proved ineffec-
tual and injurious. I tried many kinds, and many
systems of practice. I consulted at different times not
less than ten physicians. At length I lost all confi-
dence in medicines, and about the time of my renewal
of intercourse with Mr. Noyes, entirely abandoned the
ase of them, committing my case to the care of God.
' On the 22d of June, Mr. Noyes, in company with
Mrs, Cragin, visited me. I was at that time in a very
190 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
low condition — lower than ever before. An additional
disease, viz. ulceration of the kidneys, which commen-
ced a year and a half ago, had become very painful
and threatening. I was unable to move or to be moved,
without excruciating pain in my back and kidneys.
My eyes could not bear the light. A mere crack of
the window, below the curtain, was all that I could
endure. Yet I expected to be healed, and even to go
home with Mr. Noyes, at his first visit, and had told
my husband on that morning that I should certainly
get well, and asked him what he should think if I should
go away with Mr. Noyes.
' I will not attempt a particular account of the things
that were said and done by Mr. Noyes and Mrs. Cra-
gin during the three hours of their visit to my dark
room. They will speak of these things themselves. I
will only say that I was calm and happy through scenes
which would once have been agitating and even fright-
ful to me.
' Mr. Noyes at one time spoke of going home, but I
could not beheve that he would go till I could go with
him. At length I told him that I would do any thing
that he would bid me. He told me. to sit up in the
bed. I did so with ease. He then commanded me,
with great energy, to ' get up ' ; and taking me by the
hand, led me to a chair. Without pain and with great
dehght, I sat before the window. Mrs. Cragin raised
the curtain and let in the blaze of day. My eyes were
perfectly well, and drank in the beauty of the world all
new to me, with wonderful pleasure. I was constrained
to declare again and again that I was ' perfectly well.*
I called for work, and found myself able to knit with
facility. It was soon determined that I should go home
with Mr. N. and Mrs. C. I was immediately stripped,
by my sisters and Mrs. C, of my extra flannels and
caps, and my grave-clothes in general, and in an ordin-
KOYESISM UKVBILBD. 191
arj dress, without spectacles or veil, I took my seat in
the carriage, and rode two miles, in a south direction,
in the light of a mid-day summer's sun, without the
least fatigue. That was indeed a joyful ride. I was
conscious of perfect health. All pain in my head, back
and kidneys had vanished.
' This event took place about two weeks ago. I have
never doubted since that I was healed instantaneously
by the power of God. I have gained daily in power
over my muscles. I have been able to ride long
distances, to attend meetings in the evening at home,
and on Sunday at the Chapel, to take my meals with
the family, &c. &c. My appetite is very good. My
eyes are strong. I am fast overcoming the effects of
the long disuse of my limbs, and am learning to walk
as fast as can be expected of a child. On the whole I
can honestly say, that whereas for eight years past I
have been a miserable, bed-rid, half dead victim of
disease, I am now well.'
TESTIMONY ^F M. E. CRAaiN.
' During the past three months, I have been myself
affected with a painful disease which I ascribed to
various secondary causes. Despairing of help from
human aid, I committed myself fully to Jesus Christ
as physician for the body as well as the soul. After
making this surrender the scales fell from my eyes,
and I recognized unbelief as the first cause of disease
and death. I saw that I must have a healthy spirit in
order to have a healthy body. After much bodily
suffering and mental conflict with the powers of dark-
ness, I was enabled through the grace given unto me
to confess Christ within me a Savior from the power of
unbelief. The result was an almost immediate restora-
tion to health. Sickness left me as suddenly as it had.
seLzed me, and I found myself able to prove by word
192 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
and deed that the power of Christ's resurrection had
taken effect m every part of my nature.
' Before I received final deliverance I thought much
of the case of Mrs. Hall. From what I heard from
time to time from her, I was sensible that she was tast
approaching the same point with myself, namely, a
thorough conviction that faith alone could save her
from death. I fully believed that the work begun in
her in 1843 would be completed, but was conscious that
any testimony which I could give her respecting my
confidence in the power of faith would be powerless so
long as I was in bondage myself. On the morning
after my confession of Christ, I felt as though I wcis
ready to visit her and testify to her of the power of
God. On my way to her residence I was perfectly
well, and very happy in the prospect of being a help
to her. When I entered her darkened room and saw
her helpless condition, I was struck with horror at the
nightly power of unbelief, and the thought arose in
my mind that she wa< in the same grave from w^hich I
had been raised. At the same time I felt a perfect
willingness to go doAvn into the grave again, if by s.>
<loing I could help her out. As these thoughts and
desires occupied my heart, I was conscious of general
sickness and distress of body unlike any thing I had
ever felt before. But as my mind was filled with
what I was anxious to say to her, I did not give my
attention at all to my bodily feelings.
• When Mr. Noyes said to me that lie had got
through what he wished to say, and that I might talk
to her, I imnnediately began to tell her what God had
done for me in saving me from unbelief. I had not
talked more than a minute before a ' horror of great
darkness' seized me. I realized as I never did before
the murderous nature of unbehef, and God's hatred to
it. My eyes grew dim so that I could not distinguish
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 193
objects, and my hearing left me so that I could not
hear the sound of my voice. Still I resisted until my
tongue was palsied and I did not know what I was
saying. I had sufficient consciousness left to attempt
to rise to go to the door, but I felt as though Mr.
Noyes was not willing. I felt as though I was sinking
lower and lower into a dreadful dark abyss. When I
began to recover I found myself sitting in my chair,
and heard Mr. Noy^s commanding me in a loud voice
tx) look at him. The tones of his voice thrilled through
me like a shock of electricity, and as soon as I looked
at him hfe triumphed over death. I rose and walked
the room, astonished and delighted at the power which
I felt diffusing itself through my veins, recaUing me to
newness of life. I said to Mrs. Hall, This is the most
effectual preaching you can have ; I have tasted of
death, and behold the power of the resurrection.
After conversing with her some time, this same horror
of unbelief began to paralyze me again. I rose and
attempted to throw it off, but could not. I called to
Mr. Noyes, and had sufficient presence of mind to
look steadily at him until I partook of his strength,
and it passed away. The remainder of the day I was
stupid and sleepy, and felt as I imagine persons do
who have been recovered from drowning ; but since
that time am perfectly sound in health.'
TESTIMONY OF J. H. NOYES.
• Many circumstances have conspired to draw the
attention of believers in this place within a few months
toward the healing power of Christ, and to raise a
belief in their minds that great manifestations of that
power are at hand. The unity, internal and external,
into which we have lately been brought, the power and
vsuccess of our testimony to the world around, and the
exigency of our situation in the midst of the raging
13
194 NOYBSISM UNVBILBD.
enemies of faith, enlarged our expectations and stimu-
lated us to demand more strength from God. Some
instances of the victory of faith over disease, which
were notable to us, though not to the world, occurred
during the past winter and spring.
' Soon after we came together in family unity, Mrs.
Cragin was attacked by disease of an obstinate and
threatening character. This brought me into a neces-
sity of examining our position in relation to sickness,
death, medicines, &c. I settled my own principles
more thoroughly than ever before, and gave a course
of lectures, in which I declared my independence of
the medical systems of this world, and claimed for
Christ the office of physician to our community.
There was but one heart and one voice among us about
the matter. I treated Mrs. Cragin's case on faith
principles entirely ; and though the struggle with the
power of death was long and desperate, life graduall}'-
prevailed.
' After Mrs. Hall returned to our fellowship, I.
began to have a strong impression that the first signal
manifestation of heaUng power would be in her case..
The fact that she had come under my care several
years ago, and a cure had been commenced, which had
been defeated for the time by evil powers, seemed a
pledge of a complete work yet to come. Her connec-
tion with an infidel husband and an infidel father,
made her case just such an one as we might suppose
God would choose, if he wished to strike a death blow
at unbelief. From the time when she invited me to
visit her, I felt myself challenged to a pubhc contest
with death. I made up my mind not to go to her, till
I could go in the fallness of faith ; and I had an
assurance that my- dealings with her at this time would
not be like those of the former trial, but altogether
more swift and decisive.
NOYESISM UNVEILED, 195
* Mrs. Cragin's case was yet upon my hands. Her
enemies, though often routed, yet persecuted her from
time to time, and I found at last that the traitor who
let them in was a subtile spirit of unbehef. It became
evident to me that a decisive and final victory over
unbelief was essential to a permanent victory over
disease of any kind, forasmuch as unbehef is the
protecting cover of all subordinate powers of evil. It
also became evident that I could not reasonably expect
to carry victory over unbelief abroad, till I had
obtained it at home. This then was the burden that
lay upon my heart, viz., I must lift Mrs. Cragin out
of the grave of unbehef, before I can hope to raise
Mrs. Hall, On Monday (the 21st of June,) the con-
£est of unbehef came to its crisis in the case of Mrs.
Cragin. In the evening meeting she testified her
assurance that Christ had saved her forever from the
unbeheving spirit. The next morning, I saw that all
was ready for a movement towards Mrs. Hall. Her
sister was at our house and wished to be carried home.
I and Mrs. Cragin went with her.
' The first half hour of our visit to Mrs. Hall was
spent in general discourse on the subject of faith.
Wh^n I had finished what I had to say, I called on
Mrs. Cragin to speak. She commenced, but had not
proceeded far, when she began to be pale and faint.
I took her hand and supported her while she sunk into
death. I said to her several times in a loud voice,
^ Look at me.' She heard me not. Her eyes were
open, but fixed and glassy Hke a dead person's. I
carried my head forward till my eye was in range with
the direction of hers. At that moment there was a
ghmmer of recognition in her eye. I smiled and she
replied by a smile (!). Immediately the deadly spell
passed away, and Mrs. C, emerged into angelic life
196 NOYESISM UN VEILED.
and beauty (!). This scene was afterwards repeated
in a milder way.
' When these transactions were finished, Mrs. C.
and I placed ourselves in more immediate communica-
tion with Mrs. Hall, by taking hold of her hands. I
perceived that the power of unbehef was broken.
Mrs. Hall declared with emphasis that she felt ' some-
thing good' taking place in herself while Mrs. Cragin
was dying(!). Up to this time, I had no very definite
idea of what was to be done for Mrs. H. The way
seemed to be open for her release, but the circum-
stances in which I found myself were new, and I
shrunk from any thing like over- boldness or experi-
menting. I thought and spoke of returning home,
and yet it seemed to me that she ought to go with me.
On the whole I could not leave her so.
' At length as I walked the floor meditating on these
things, an omnipotent will began to infuse itself into
my consciousness. I said in my heart with a freedom
which goes with the power of realization. — ' God shall
have his own way in this matter.^
'• Soon after this the way was naturally and easily
opened for me to call her forth from her prison, and I
did it as she has described, with full consciousness of
the co-operation and authority of God.
' Aft^r she arose, and while the women were chang-
ing her clothes, I walked in another room, and then
again felt an omnipotent will going forth from my
heart, decreeing as from the throne of the universe,
that she should go home with me(!) ; which she did as
she has related."
An editorial note added to the above says : —
*•' At the date of this paper [Spiritual Magazine of
July 15, 1847] Mrs. Hall remains well. Her mus-
cles have nearly recovered their natural strength, so
NOYESISM UNVEILED, 197
that she is able to walk with ease, and to work moder-
ately."
We have thus given the testimony in full relative to
the raising of Mrs. Hall, just as it was spread out
before the public by the Perfectionists. As the trans-
actions were of a somewhat private character, we take
it for granted that we are now in possession of all
the material facts respecting the whole affair, with
which they intend to enlighten the public. Let it be
remembered that the testimony relative to this won-
derful case, was given by the ''parties concerned^' —
the operator, the assistant, and the subject !
This case has been trumpeted abroad as a miracle,
as " unimpeachable as any of the miracles of the
primitive church ;" but it wiU be looked upon as
a contemptible affair by an intelligent community.
The whole account from beginning to end is tinctured
with the ludicrous, and some portions of it are extremely
disgusting ; yet it is spread out before the public by
Mr. Noyes with ^all the minuteness of exact detail, as
though every part of the transaction was of the
utmost importance. And Perfectionists swallow the
whole story, as a marvellous affair, without any scruples
or hesitation. This is undoubtedly very gratifying to
the ambitious spirit of Noyes ; and seeing the affair
took well among his followers, he spread his sails,
caught the breeze, and attempted to advance the more
rapidly, but his glorying and triumphing — like that of
the wicked — was destined to be of short duration. A
sad revulsion was at hand.
198 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XXII.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes continued,
CASE OF MRS. HARRIET A. HALL — CONTINUED.
It may perhaps be thought bj some to be a mere
waste of words to dwell upon this case ; but it is
claimed to be a cure as " unimpeachable as any of the
miracles of the primitive church f^ and should it
receive no special attention, Perfectionists might lift up
their heads and triumphantly assert that it was such a
notable miracle that it could not be gainsayed. Hence,
it seems to be necessary to exhibit the shallowness of
the pretensions of Mr. Noyes, and show that the
attempt to palm off this affair as a miracle^ is a perfect
imposition upon the people, and an utter outrage upon
the intelligence of the community.
It will be found on examination that this pretended
MIRACLE was no cure at all ; but a mere temporary
effect resulting from natural causes to which we shall
hereafter allude. Cases of Hke character are of quite
frequent occurrence ; and we deny point blank that this
was a miracle, or even a semblance of one ; and shall
endeavor to show to a demonstration that there was
nothing at all supernatural in this case, the testimony
of the " three witnesses" to the contrary notwithstand-
ing. We dehberately take this position, although we
thereby run the hazard of having the gentleman uncork
anew the vials of his wrath — labelled " holy indig-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 199
nation" — and pour out their contents without mixture
of mere J upon our head.
But let us look at a few of the statements contained
in the testimony given. After Mr. Noyes had com-
manded her to " get up," Mrs. Hall^says, " I was con-
strained to declare again and again that I was per-
fectly tvelV She also says that during her ride of two
miles, she " was conscious of perfect health^ Again,
about two weeks after this event she says, ''I have
never dovhted since, that I was healed instantaneously
by the power of Grod.''^ And finally, Mrs. Hall closes
her testimony in the following emphatic language : —
" On the whole, I can honestly say, that whereas for
eight years past I have been a yniserable, bed-rid, half
dead victim of disease, I am now well.^'
But accompanying the strong and unequivocal asser-
tions of Mrs. Hall, that she was " welV^ — ''perfectly
well " — and " conscious of perfect health,''^ we find
the following language used about two weeks after she
was " healed instantaneously " and made ''perfectly "
whole :- — " I have gained daily in power over my mus-
cles. . . I am fast overcoming the effects of the long
disease of my limbs, and am learning to walk as fast as
can be expected of a child " !
How do these diiferent statements agree with each
other ? Two weeks after she had come in possession of
*•' perfect health,^'' she says she had " gained daily in
power over her muscles," and was " learning to ivalk
as fast as could he expected of a child " ! About tliree
weeks after the wonderful occurrence transpired and
200 NOYESISM UN VEILED.
she pronounced herself '^ perfeetly well,'^ the Editor of
the Spiritual Magazine says : — '' Her muscles have
nearly recovered their strength, so that she is able to
walk with ease, and to work moderately " I
But how, if she was '^ perfecUy^^ healed at first, could
she be gradually and constantly improving for a long
time afterwards ? Why, Mr. Noyes had told her — and
she verily behoved it — that the disease was entirely
removed^ but that her hmbs had been so long inactive
that they must be gradually restored to strength, and
that she must learn to walk as the child learns !
How does this -case compare with the miracles of
Christ and his Apostles ? If it is as " unimpeachable
as any of the miracles of the primitive church," we
may certainly expect to find a striking resemblance, in
all their leading characteristics, between them. But is
this the case ? Not at all. Not a parallel case can be
found — not an instance on record, either in the Old or
New Testament, in which an individual who had been
unable to walk, from whatever cause, or however long
the period, and was miraculously healed, who was not
restored to perfect soundness. And not unfrequently
were persons thus healed immediately seen " ivallcing
and leaping ^^'' thus giving the most convincing and
incontestable proofs of the appHcation of superhuman
agencies, and the genuineness and completeness of the
work. We have an instance in Acts 14: 8 — 10, of
a man " impotent in his feet" who had never walked,
whom Paul restored, and it is said he " leaped and
ivalkedy AVe also have an account of a still more-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 201
striking instance, recorded in the 3d and 4th chapters
of Acts. We have there an account of a man " above
forty years old,^^ who had been lame from his birth,
whom Pet^r healed, " and wimediately Ms feet and
ancle hones received strength; and he, leaping up^
stood, and zvalked, and entered with them into the tem-
ple, loalhing, and leaping, and praising God." These
persons, though they had never walked, and one was
*•' above forty years old^^ did not have to learn to walk
hke a " cliiW
In all the miracles wrought bj Christ, his Apostles,
and the ancient Prophets, there was no half-way work.
Wlien commenced, the work was immediately carried
forward to its completion.
Had the miracles wrought in the Primitive Church,
wliich were designed to prove beyond a doubt the truth
of Chi'istianity and place it upon a permanent basis,
been of a partial kind, or of an obscure character,
doubts might have reasonably arisen, and been enter-
tained in reference to the matter ; hence the Divine
Author of the Christian system, for the purpose of
removing all cause of vahd objections, and every rea-
sonable ground of disbelief, presented the substantiatiag
proofs in the clearest light and the strongest possible
manner, so that if rejected, it must be in the face of
evidence as clear as the shining of the sun at mid-day.
How strong, how clear, how convincing the proofs
drawn from the miracles of the Primitive Church ; and
how weak, how dim, and even how contemptible, the
evidence coming from the mere pretensions of Noyes !
202 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
It is as valueless, and far more insignificant, than the
veriest taper in the fiill blaze of meridian day.
We might now dismiss the case of Mrs. Hall, and at
this stage submit it to the public for decision, with a
moral certainty — yea, without even a shadow of doubt
— respecting the verdict which would be rendered;
but as Mr. N. attaches so much importance to the mat-
ter, and as there are to him so many interesting cir-
cumstances clustering around this case, we deem it
proper to notice it still farther, and give the public a
few more items of information in reference to it.
Not a very long period had elapsed after Mrs. Hall
was " raised " by Mr. Noyes, before she relapsed into
her former condition — and her old complaints again
exhibited all their original strength and virulence.
After having remained at Mr. N.'s for a number of
weeks from the time she was " healed instantaneously,"
Mr. Hall, her husband, becoming dissatisfied for some
reason, was unwilling to let her remain longer, and
accordingly removed her home. Being away from the
presence of Mr. N., and beyond the reach of the influ-
ences with which she had been surrounded — whether
mesmeric, or what not — while at his residence, the
excitement, or whatever kept her up, subsiding, she
immediately sunk into her former state, and was as bad
or worse than ever. And Mr. Noyes had the privilege
of again trying his miracle working (?) power, but
without much effect, only affording temporary reHef ;
and she has ever since remained much in her former
condition, only alternately a little better or worse, as
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 203
surrounding circumstances and her own feelings might
affect her.
Does all this look like a miraculous work — a radical
cure ? Did any of those healed by Christ or his Apos-
tles thus relapse ? Certainly not. If they were not
afterward proof against disease, they certainly were as
likely to be attacked by some other disease as the one
from which they had been healed. But says Mr.
Noyes, " He [Christ] did not insure them [his patients]
against relapse, but on the contrary said to one of
them — ' Behold, thou art made whole ; sin no more,
lest a worse thing come unto thee.' " The case here
referred to is not parallel with the one under consider-
ation. A relapse appears to have been suspended upon
the condition of sinning, and it is certainly implied that
there would be no relapse if no sin was committed.
Mrs. Hall, being a Perfectionist and consequently not
capable of sinning, according to the doctrine of Noyes,
would be in no danger of a relapse. But she has
relapsed ; of course there was no radical cure.
Speaking in reference to this case some weeks after
it occurred, Mr. Noyes says — "How many said, 'If
Harriet Hall only holds out, we will believe.' She has
held out, and is daily walking your streets ; and how
many of you have kept your promise f* It seems, that
the pretended miracle not gaining much credit in the
community, and proselytes not being multiplied accord-
ing to his hopes and anticipations, Mr. N. felt disposed
to take the people to task for their unbelief ; and he
manifests the disposition — but unfortunately for him he
204 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
lacked the power — to force them up to the work, and
compel them to believe. Being impatient of delay, he
severely rebukes them for not acknowledging his power
and submitting to his authority. He says — undoubt-
edly considering it a very convincing argument — " She
has held out." But the truth is, she has not held out,
and all the arguments based upon that circumstance go
by the board.
Again : let us look at the means used for her recov-
ery at a former period. In the summer or early part
of the autumn of 1843, which was about four years
after her sickness commenced, Mrs. Hall says her
" mmd became interested in the subject of Animal
Magnetism, and hearing that Mr. J. H. Noyes had
made some successful experiments in that science, I
sent for him. His operations had some good effect on
my eyes." After having been mesmerized a number
of times, she embraced the doctrines of Noyes, and
says — " From that time I began to improve in health,
took more exercise, and was able to walk more and
more. Soon after this, (viz. Oct. 27, 1843,) I was
conveyed to Mr. Noyes's house. To the astonishment
of my friends, the ride (distance two miles) did not
pain or tire me, and I steadily grew better, under Mr.
Noyes's care, till I was able to walk about the house
quit« comfortably. My head and eyes improved, so
that I could write again."
It appears that some months previous to the time
just alluded to by Mrs. Hall, Noyes had commenced
operations as a magnetizer — for Mr. Wilder, as will be
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 205
seen by referring to his affidavit, says — '-Returning
from a tour in Massachusetts in February, 1843, Mr.
Noyes began to try his skill in Animal Magnetism."
And it appears that in a few months he had acquired
some celebrity, for Mr. Wilder continues — " Reports
had gone abroad of his skill as a magnetizer. A young
man named Baker requested him to visit his sister,
[now Mrs. H. A. Hall,] who for several years had
been confined to her bed. He did so a number of
times. She also became a proselyte to his doctrines.
In October she came to his house, and remained about
three months. He continued - his manipulations occa-
sionally."
From all that is said in reference to the case of
Mrs. Hall it is evident that no more wonderful agencies
were employed in the partial restoration or temporary
relief which she experienced in the autumn of 1843,
than mesmeric influences ; nothing supernatural was
even pretended. And yet there were some things
almost or quite as surprising as those which took place
at the time of her pretended miraculous cure. She rode
the same distance (two miles)to the astonishment of her
friends, and she asserts that it " did not pain or tire"
her. She also gradually improved in walking and in
other respects, much as she did after the wonderful
performance in the autumn of 1847.
Mr. Noyes says in his " testimony" touching this
matter, that " the fact that she had come under my
care several years ago, and a cure had been com-
menced, which had been defeated for the time by evil
206 NOYBSISM UNVBILBD.
powers, seemed a pledge of a complete work yet to
come." It seems then that Mr. Noyes would have it,
that, though the cure was commenced under mesmeric
influences, yet it was completed through supernatural
agencies. He pretends that he went to her in the full-
ness of faith, and with the assurance that his dealings
with her would not be hke those of the former trial,
but was confident before he commenced that the work
would be " altogether more swift and decisive !"
But let us glance at the manner in which he affected
to perform this wonderful work. He says, she was
" raised instantly, by the laying on the hands, and by
the word of command."
The Apostles, disclaiming all "power and holiness"
of their own were accustomed to perform their works
in the name of Christ. If this in every instance was
not expressed, yet it was so common that it was under-
stood to be invariably impHed. But it appears that
Mr. Noyes does not recognize the name of Christ in
his attempts at miracles, but pretends to perform them
by virtue of his own " power and holiness !"
Perhaps we ought to view him in the light of a
competitor of the Apostles, aspiring at superior honors.
From the testimony already given, the reader is left
to draw his inferences respecting the agency and effect
of mesmeric influences in the case of Mrs. Hall.
This testimony, let it be remembered, comes wholly
from those who have been, and mainly from those who
still are staunch Perfectionists. But however much
or little mesmerism may have had to do with the
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 207
matter, the case of Mrs. Hall evidentlj comes under
that class of .diseases in which a powerful exercise of
mind has a controlling influence, and may produce a
sensible and very visible effect upon the system; —
thus naturally arraying itself under this head, the case
of Mrs. Hall may be easily accounted for on this
wise: — •
She placed impKcit and even unbounded confidence
in Mr. Noyes, and under the peculiar circumstances,
a command coming from him with the thunder of a
stentorian voice, would naturally play upon the
extremely delicate net-work of the nervous system like
a shock of electricity. With a mind intensely excited
— with feelings wrought up to the highest pitch — and
with nerves distended to the utmost, Mrs. Hall would
of course be susceptible of very powerful impressions,
especially those caused by influences coming from
such a source !
And it is not at all surprising that under such
powerful impressions she forgot her real or imaginary
infirmities, and that she ralhed, arose from her bed,
and rode home with Mr. Noyes !
Perfectionists lost no time in trumpeting this farcical
affair through Putney village as a wonderful work, a
mighty miracle, equal to those in primitive times.
And Mr. Noyes himself was seen riding through the
street with Mrs. Hall, exhibiting that supercilious air,
and that haughty bearing which ever betoken an
approaching fall. The peculiar hauteur of his manner
was accompanied with a significant and consequential
208 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
expression, whicli seemed to say in the most emphatic
language to the villagers,—" SEE WHAT. I HAVE
DONE !"
The over-crednlous were half inclined to believe it
something marvellous and almost unaccountable ; and
those who are ever struck with awe at the very
announcement of a miraculous work, without inquiring
into the circumstances, were in suspense. Seeing the
matter was not fully understood by all, and that it
gave them some influence witli a certain class. Perfec-
tionists lifted up their heads, as though they expected
their claim to miracle-working power was about to be
substantiated. A spirit of vain boasting and self-confi-
dence characterized all their movements, clearly exhib-
iting a lack of humility, that most valuable of all the
Christian graces ; ako showing a want of that sense of
dependence so essential to spiritual prosperity. The
whole affair can be ^dewed in no other light than a
mere ruse for the purpose of diverting the attention of
the people and thus hiding their crying abominations.
While professing the greatest spirituality and proclaim-
ing their wonder-working power, it appears they were
fast filling up the measure of their iniquities. This
is the very tact of impostors. It has been said, and
probably with much truth, that " Impostors cover licen-
tiousness with great professions of spirituality."
Soon after Mrs. Hall w^as " raised," the Perfection-
ists were actively engaged as runners through the
village — calling upon their neighbors — feeling of the
public pulse — and sounding the people in relation to
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 20B
the matter, probalsly for the purpose of ascertaining
what impressions they had made — what their prospects
were ahead, and how much they might calculate upon
in their future operations. And if any one did not
readily acknowledge the " raising" of Mrs, Hall to be
a manifestation of the power of God, and would not
admit that John H. Noyes could work miracles, they
would immediately take offence, as though the people
were bound to believe in Noyes, and that they must
and sJiould believe at all events.
A Perfectionist belonging to the Putney Community
called at the residence of the writer, and the matter
of the notable miracle was introduced ; and because the
claim of Mr. Noyes was not unhesitatingly acknowl-
edged, it was taken in high dudgeon, and all the petu-
lance was manifested which is often exhibited in chil-
dren governed by unrestrained passion. But Mr.
Noyes gives to anger, which he and his followers not
unfrequently indulge, the very soft and inoffensive
appellation of holy iwlignation !
We are happy of the privilege of here introducing a
statement of the case of Mrs. Hall, prepared expressly
for this work, by her principal attending physician —
Dr. David Allen of Putney — who has been famihar
with her case from the very commencement, and who,
it will be seen, has given it as his deliberate opinion
that her disease has never been removed — that she has
vxver been in reality any better , and that the favorable
appearances at the time Mr. Noyes j)retended to work
a miracle,were produced by the power of imagination or
14
2t0 NOYESISM UNVBILBD.
mesmeric influences. Dr. Allen is an intelligent and
highly respectable physician, and holds himself res-
ponsible for the correctness of the statement which he
has made. He says : —
" Mrs. Harriet A. Hall, in her early sickness, was
affected with a derangement of the liver and digestive
organs generally, with a well marked scrofulous habit
of constitution. In this state of debiUty, by making
considerable over-exertion, she brought on an organic
displacement, which prostrated her upon her bed ; and
with her early complaints, and a highly sensitive
nervous development, was the cause of much suflfering,
and protracted confinement.
" Subsequently there came on a scrofulous disease of
the kidneys, which has since produced ulceration ; and
is now progressing in a regular course, and ever has
been, apparently, to a fatal termination.
" At the time Mrs. Hall first came out, she had
been for some time more comfortable, the system had
become so far accommodated to the state of her
disease, that she was able, under a strong effort of the
will, to exercise for a time as she did. But as might be
expected, her essential symptoms of disease returned,
with about the same violence as before. Medical aid
was again called for.
" Another period of more than two years confine-
ment and rest, with some appropriate remedies, enabled
her again to rally for a time, under the well known
power of a highly excited imagination, or mesmeric
influence. But the reported cure, seems after all to
prove no cure. Her diseased kidneys and other
debility, have never been removed ; and she is now,
(Dec. 28, 1848) and has been for some time past,
entirely confined to her bed ; an object of much sufifer-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 211
ing and pity. Apparently, death will ere long relieve
her of her sufferings.
" Cases where individuals were raised from long
confinement, by a strong mental efibrt, are compara-
tively frequent. The case of Miss Martineau, the well
known authoress, as reported in the Enghsh Journal in
1845, is in point. She reports herself as having been
raised from a protracted confinement, under somewhat
similar circumstances, by the influence of Mesmerism,
though she was destitute of the incipient disease, that
will doubtless in the event prove fatal to Mrs. Hall."
Another physician- — shrewd and somewhat facetious —
who was well acquainted with the case of Mrs. Hall,
and who is not easily deceived in relation to such
matters, remarked that Mr. Noyes had done no more
for her than any common sinner in the land could have
done if she had only had as much faith in him as she
had in Noyes ; and gave it as his opinion, that the
agencies employed in raising her, were about as sub-
stantial as '^ moonskine'^ or '^ bottled fog. ^^ Speaking
in reference to her immediately leaving her bed and
being able to ride, the same gentleman also remarked,
that highly charged with mesmeric influences, she could
go through ^'fire and brimstone P"*
Facts abundantly show that the power of imagina-
tion, even in removing — which in this instance does not
appear to have been the case — various diseases and
infirmities, especially those of a nervous kind, is very
great. From various circumstances, the effects pro-
duced may be shown to be the legitimate results of the
operations of natural laws, although the principles of
212 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
those occult lavys, and their mysterious operations may
forever elude the keenest philosophical research. The
old adage, " Imagination kills and imagination cures,"
contains much truth. Numerous instances might be
cited, in which different diseases have been caused and
cured, and even death superinduced by working upon
the imagination.
The following is in point : —
" Many years ago, a celebrated physician, author of
an excellent work on the effects of imagination, wished
to combine theory with practice, in order to confirm the
truth of his propositions. To this end, he begged the
Minister of Justice to allow him to try an experiment
on a criminal condemned to death. The minister con-
sented, and delivered to him an assassin of distin-
guished rank. Our savmit sought the culprit, and
thus addressed him : —
'' ' Sir, several pei-sons who arc interested in your
family, have prevailed on the Judge not to require of
you to mount the scaffold, and expose yourself to the
gaze of the populace. He has therefore commuted
your sentence, and sanctions your being bled to death
within the precincts of your prison ; your dissolution
will be gradual and free from pain.'
'' The criminal submitted to his fate ; thought his
family would be less. disgraced, and considered it a
favor not to be compelled to walk to the place of
public execution. He was conducted to the appointed
room, where every preparation was made beforehand ;
his eyes were bandaged ; he was strapped to a table ;
and, at a preconcerted signal, four of his veins were
gently pricked with the point of a pin. At each corner
of the table was a small fountain of water, so contrived
as to flow gently into a basin placed to receive it.
NOYBSISM UNVBILBD. 2lS
The patient believing it was his blood he heard flowing,
gradually became weak ; and the conversation of the
doctors, in an under tone, confirmed him in his opinion.
"'What fine blood,' said one. 'What a pity this
man should be condemned to die 1 he would have hved
a long time.'
" ' Hush,' said the other ; then approaching the
first, he said in low voice, but so as to be heard by the
criminal, ' How many pounds of blood is there in the
human body ?'
" ' Twenty-four. You see already ten pounds
extracted ; that man is now in a hopeless state.'
" The physicians then receded by degrees, and con-
tinued to lower their voices. The stillness which
reigned in the apartment, broken only by the dripping
fountains, the sound of which was also gradually
lessened, so affected the brain in the poor patient, that
although a man of very strong constitution, he fainted,
and died without having lost a drop of blood."
Not only extreme fear, but excessive joy has pro-
duced death, often instantaneously.
Br. Ramsey asserts, on well authenticated testimony,
that the door-keeper of Congress was so overjoyed on
hearing of the surrender of the British commander.
Lord Comwallis, at Yorktown, during our revolutionary
struggle, that he immediately expired under the rap-
ture caused by the joyful intelligence.
" It is said that Sophocles, the tragic writer, died in
consequence of a decision being given in his favor in a
contest of honor. Diagoras died at the instant when
his three sons were cro-wned on the same day as victors
at the games. Pope Leo X. died of a fever produced
by the joyful news of the capture of Milan."
£li NOYESISM UNVEILED.
We make the following extracts from a course of
lectures delivered by Professor Hitchcock of Amherst
College, in 1830, before the students of that institution.
They forcibly illustrate the power of imagination in
curing as well as producing diseases : —
" Imagination and passion have often proved of the
highest benefit in the cure of diseases. History is
fall of examples of this kind. The Animal Magnetism
of Mesmer, and the metalHc tractors of Perkins,
whereby thousands were actually cured of most obsti-
nate disorders, by means which were proved in the
most satisfactory manner to be mere mummery, curi-
ously illustrates this subject ; although I have no time
to enter into details. ... At the siege of Breda in
1625, the scurvy raged to an alarming degree ; so that
the garrison was about to surrender ; when the Prince
of Orange sent into the fortress a few phials of sham
medicine, which was distributed among the sufiferers,
as most costly and invaluable. The effect was almost
miraculous. ' Such as had not moved their limbs for
a month before, were seen walking in the streets,
sound, straight, and whole. Many, who declared that
they had been rendered worse by all former remedies,
recovered in a few days, to their inexpressible joy.' . .
The remarkable cures celebrated as miracles in the
Romish Church, by touching bones, rehcs, &c., all
belong to the same class ; and are well worth the
student's attention, as illustrating the power of imagin-
ation over the body, and as showing the facility with
which mankind may be duped by the crafty and
designing.
" Murat, king of Naples, received a letter from his
wife, while absent in Bonaparte's celebrated Russian
campaign, detailing some proceedings of his govern-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. ^^
ment, which he thought encroached upon the royal pre-
rogative ; and so great was the effect of jealousy, that
before he had finished the letter, his whole skin became
completely jaundiced. ... A boy was once let down
the side of a very high precipice in a basket, to rob an
eagle's nest : while suspended some hundreds of feet
above the rocky base, he was attacked by the eagle ;
and on cutting at the bird with the sword which he
carried with him, he struck the rope by which he was
suspended, and cut it nearly off; on drawing him up,
his hair was found changed to white. ... A widow
in Paris, on learning that her daughter with her two
children had thrown herself from an upper story of the
house and was dashed in pieces, became in one night
as black as a negro. ... A Jew in France came in
the dark, over a dangerous passage on a plank that lay
over a brook, without harm ; the next day, on viewing
the perilous situation he had been in, he fell down
dead. . . . Philip V. of Spain died suddenly on learn-
ing the disastrous defeat of his army ; and on dissection
it was fomid that his heart was literally burst asunder ;
showing that the common phrase, a broken heart, is
sometimes pathologically correct. . . . The case of a
man cured of the gout by terror and alarm, as men-
tioned by physicians, is striking. Another person,
disguised as a spectre, entered his chamber while he
was in a paroxysm of the disease, seized him and
dragged him down stairs with the gouty feet trailing
behind him. Then the ghost disappeared ; when the
sick man sprang upon his feet with the utmost ease,
ran up stairs, and never afterwards felt another symp-
tom of gout.'*
To the foregoing we will add an instance or two of
more recent date, and which occurred in this vicinity.
A person in a neighboring town, having an organic
&^' NOYESISM UNVEILEIX.
affection, applied to a physician in whom he had
unbounded confidence. The physician, wishing to try
an experiment, simply administered bread pills ; the
patient in the mean time believing he was taking some-
very efficacious medicine. The experiment proved
successful. The patient was healed not by the efficacy
of the pills, but by the power' of imagination.
Again— an amusing incident occurred several years
since in an adjouiing town. A person at some distance
pubHcly announced that he could heal diseases if per-
sons afflicted would send their names to liim legibly
written upon a slip of paper. A woman afflicted with
real or imaginary maladies, wrote her name according
to order, and safely lodged it in the hands of a person
who designated a certain day on which he intended to
start for the place where the wonder-worker resided,
and promised to deliver the billet containing the name.
A few days after the time specified for the person to
start, a neighbor called upon the sick woman, and to
her surprise found her at the tub, laboring with might
and main. " Well," said the woman, " my name has
got there and I am cured." But it so happened that
the person who was to carry the name to the wonder-
ful physician, for some cause, had not left his home.
When informed of this fact, the poor woman was very
much chop-fallen, and immediately felt the symptoms
of indisposition — soon took to her bed — and her old
complaints returning hke a spring-tide, rushed in upon
her apace, and she was soon as bad or worse than ever.
Had this woman remained ignorant of that one fact,
NOYBSISM UNVBILBD. 21 1
probably she would not have relapsed. The power that
raised her, was no doubt as mysterious and wonderful
as that which raised Mrs. Hall from her bed and sent
her home with Mr. Noyes ! There was as great a mirar
cle in one case as the other; with this difference,
however ; the case of the woman laboring under a sheer
mistake appears to be the more striking of the two ;
it exceeds that of Mrs. Hall. This woman was enabled
to labor immediately with her accustomed strength,
but Mrs. Hall, though able to walk, had her infirmities
still lingering about her, and was able to perform but
very little labor ; and as soon as she left the residence
of Mr. Noyes and returned home, she relapsed into
her former condition.
We have cited the foregoing eases to show the
power of imagination manifested in various ways.
Cases of a similar character are of common occurrence ;
and they so far exceed the case of Mrs. Hall that it
is thrown far back into the shade ; and yet Mr. Noyes
has the effrontery to declare it as '' unimpeachable as
any of the miracles of the primitive church." The
surprising effects in the cases cited were produced by
natural laws in their mysterious and inscrutable opera-
tions, and it would be utterly absurd to attribute such
results to any supernatural agency.
In conclusion, perhaps we ought to say, for the
information of the reader, that the whole affair res-
pecting Mrs. Hall, was crowned with the crying abom-
inations of Noyesism. Mr. Hall, the husband of Mrs.
Hall, becoming eonvinced of the wickedness of Noyes,
21$ NOYESISM UNVEILED.
brought an action against him for adultery ; but the
matter was hushed up and kept as still as possible.
Although the case was not legally investigated, yet
not a shadow of doubt remains as to the guilt of Mr.
Noyes. His criminality in the case is a " fixed facf^ —
a fact known and read of all the people of Putney — a
fact substantiated by the statement of Mrs. Hall herself.
So much for the pretended miracle of Noyes, which he
has exultingly proclauned to the world, and impiously
asserted to be as " unimpeachable as any of the mira-
cles of the primitive church ;" while the facts in the
case fix upon his brow in legible and indelible char-
acters one of the most heinous crime which man is
capable of committing !
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. $%$
CHAPTER XXIII.
Pretended Miracles of Noyes continued.
CASE OP MISS MARY A. KNIGHT.
Having been encouraged and emboldened in a meas-
ure by the partial success which, for a time, appeared
to attend their efforts in the case of Mrs. Hall, the mas-
ter-spirits in the Putney Community were evidently
waiting with some degree of anxiety for another oppor-
tunity to present itself for them to display their mirac-
ulous (?) power! Expecting, no doubt, that if they
should be so successful as to humbug the people to any
considerable extent, the bright day of prosperity would
be fairly ushered in ; and in that case they were
undoubtedly determined to ride rough-shod over all
who did not rally around their standard.
The next case that came in their way, and to which
their special attention was directed, was that of Miss
Mary A. Knight, a respectable young lady residing in
Putney village, who was not a Perfectionist. Miss
Knight for several months had been in a decline, and
at length was pronounced by her physician to be in a
confirmed consumption, and beyond the reach of medi-
cal aid.
While in a feeble state and gradually sinking, though
able to ride out occasionally, John R. Miller, a zealous
Perfectionist and an associate of Noyes, frequently
called on Miss Knight with a carriage, and gave her aii
220 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
opportunity to ride ; and took occasion at such times to
exhort her to give up the use of medicine entirely, and
seek to be healed by faith alone.
Mr. Noyes, in giving an account of the case of Miss
Knight, published m the Spiritual Magazine of Oct. 15,
1847, after speaking of calling on her at the request of
her father, says :- — " Soon after, John R. Miller took
her to ride a considerable distance, and, contrary to the
forebodings of her friends, his faith sustained her, and
she returned much invigorated." His faith sustained
her I Wonderful indeed !
The next day after Mr. Miller's faith so signally
sustained (I) her, Mr. Noyes says that he called on
her, and offered to take her to the " hospital," as Per-
fectionists were pleased to term it— a dwelling some-
what retired, and which they evidently wished to have
regarded as a kind of modem Bethesda.
Miss Knight being in a state of great debility, but
still having a strong desire to be restored to health if
possible — -all hope of being healed by medical aid hav-
ing fled, and knowing that she must die if she remained
where she then was, and that she could but die if she
went, and the nature of Mr. Noyes's conversation prob-
ably inspiring a faint glimmering of hope — she finally
concluded to go, and her friends generally consented,
She accordingly was conveyed to the ''hospital" on the
16th of Aug., 1847 ; and a somewhat singular scene
ensued.
After having removed Miss Knight to the " hospital,"
the first business would naturally be to instil into her
NOTESISM UNVEILED. 221
mind the most important principles of their creed, and
make her a proselyte to their faith, for they are not
backward in relation to such matters ; and by present-
ing plausible arguments and holding out to Miss Knight
the hope that she might be healed if she would embrace
their views and follow their directions, they in some
measure succeeded. Perhaps we ought hereto state
that Miss Knight was not a professing Christian, and
had never become established in any particular reli-
gious belief. Being in a state of great debility, and
consequently incapable of much reflection and investi-
gation, she was not able to detect — as she might have
done under different circumstances — the fallacy of their
reasoning and the untenableness of their positions ; and
it is not at all surprising that she fell in with their
views to some extent.
Having prepared the way for future operations by
securing the degree of faith, in Miss Knight, which was
deemed pre-requisite to a procedure, the next move by
the Perfectionists was to pass through a ridiculous and
disgusting performance, thereby exhibiting a most impi-
ous scene of solemn mockery, in which Mrs. Cragin,
who acted so conspicuous a part in the raising of Mrs.
Hall, pretended to die, or descend into the grave of
unbelief for Miss Knight, and then to rise to newness
of life and dehver her from the power of death ! And
it was then proclaimed around that she was cured^ and
would soon recover from the effects of the disease,
which still remained ; and Miss Knight was so far
deceived herself that she believed and asserted that she
222 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
was well, that is, that the disease was removed, and
that she should soon have her usual strength. The
Pefectionists unitedly and positively asserted that she
would be restored to soundness, and they repeated it
again and again, and held on with a strange pertinacity
till the very last. Their confident and repeated asser-
tions probably had much to do in inducing Miss Knight
to join in the belief that she should recover, and her
mind, through their influence, was wrought up to the
highest pitch, and being kept in a state of constant
excitement, for a number of days she maintained the
belief that she should soon have perfect health.
But while the pleasing phantom was playing before
the imagination, and holding out the beautiful bow of
hope, the disease, deeply seated and far advanced,
" Like a staunch murderer, steady to his purpose,"
was rapidly hastening to a fatal termination. Miss
Knight at length became convinced that she could not
recover. She sank rapidly, and in less than three
weeks from the time she left her father's house, she
died. And so strangely were the Perfectionists infatu-
ated that they believed, or at least professed to beheve,
that she would be raised 1 And we are credibly
informed — and this information is derived from a per-
son who was present at the time — that after Miss
Knight died, a company of Perfectionists assembled in
the room in which the corpse was placed, and there
remained for some length of time, expecting to see her
restored to life. But she slept the sleep of death, and
notwithstanding all their professions of faith and preten-
NOYESISM UNVEILBD. 223
sions to miraculous gifts, they possessed no power to
break the dreamless slumber 1
Thus it appears that they were carried away with the
same strange infatuation into which individuals in all
ages have fallen, viz., that they could raise the dead !
Now it is a well known fact that Mr. N. discards the
doctrine of the resurrection. He asserts that he has
" long argued against the notion of the resurrection of
that body which dies.^' Here then we find Mr. Noyes
stoutly contending against the resurrection of the body
which " dies ;" and at the same time Perfectionists are
trying to raise such a body ! Trying to do what Mr.
N. says is never to be done ! This is a fair specimen
of Perfectionist consistency !
All their efforts in the case of Miss Knight were
unavailing. Here was a deeply seated disease which
the power of imagination could not overcome — no
deception could be practiced. Here was a fair trial,
and it proved a complete failure.
Mr. Noyes appears to have been at his wits' ends to
escape the odium which this case has brought upon him
and his followers. He has undertaken to make the
very best he could of an extremely bad case ; but the
attempt to clear himself and his followers is a very
lame and ineffectual one. In reference to this matter
he says : — ^
" In the first place, supposing this case to have been
as complete a failure as it has been represented by our
enemies, it was no worse failure than the disciples met
with, when they undertook to cast out the arch-devil
224 NOYESISM UNVEILBD.
f
described in Mark 9 : 17. . . . The worst that can be
said of ns in relation to Mary Knight's case, is what
Christ said to his disciples, viz., that we failed ' because
of our unbehef,' that we needed more ' prayer and fas1>
ing ' in order to encounter successfully so tremendous a
devil as consumption in its last stages."
''Arch deviV\' — ''So tremendous a devil as covv
sumption in its last stages " f The reader will readily
perceive the state of mind indicated by these expres-
sions ; such a state borders upon the blasphemous, and
is naturally induced by the unhallowed and grossly
debasing influences of Perfectionism. But let us look
at the implied admission of Mr. Noyes found in the
foregoing language. Ke seems to admit that they had
a measure of unbelief. He says the worst that can be
said of them is that they failed through unbelief — and
he does not deny but it might be said in truth. In the
Spiritual Magazine of Oct. 1, 1847, Mr. Noyes holds
the following language, — " We say that unbelief is not
a mere lack of faith, but a positive baptism of the
devil." Now if Perfectionists harbor any unbelief
whatever, a,ccording to the doctrine of Mr. Noyes, they
have a " positive baptism of the devil." And if a
person has a " positive baptism of the devil" he must of
course be in a measure sinful ; and the doctrine of Mr.
Noyes is, that if a person is sinful at all he is " eii-
tirely^^ so. Thus it appears that Mr. N. with one
stroke of the pen put up a gallows on which to hang
the whole unbelieving world, but by a slip of the same
pen he drops himself ■ and his company from the scaf-
fold, and leaves the whole body of believers suspended
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 22B
'apon the gallows of his own erecting. But let us look
at the doings of Mr. Noyes, and what transpired after
Miss Knight was removed to the " hospital." We will
give his own language in relation to the matter :■ —
'' She was conveyed to the ' hospital,' and Mrs.
Achsah Campbell, the widow of a physician and a very
successful nurse, undertook the care of her, I visited
her frequently during the ensuing ten days. My spirit
was brought into several severe contests with her
disease, the details of which need not be given. The
presence of the power of God was very manifest in the
results. Mrs. Campbell is not inclined to fanatical faith^
and is certainly sagacious in regard to the symptoms
of the sick. She says she saw in that time a miracle
which no subsequent reverse can efface from her mind.*
She testifies that every symptom^ of Mary's disease
was subdued ; that her fever left her ; that her cough
became like that of a person recovering from a cold ;
that the pain in her limbs ceased ; and that there was
«very indication of new life. — The day before I left,
after witnessing a distressing drawback, caused, as
Mary herself declared, by a protracted visit from an
unbelieving friend,! I said to Mr. Knight — ' The suc-
cess of our treatment depends entirely on faith in the
* By turning to the 44th page of the present work the reader will
see that Mrs. Achsah Campbell, who '• saw'' this " Jiiirade''' v/as im-
plicated in the indictment against Mr. Noyes ! And she is the only
witness which Mr. N. brings forward to prove that he wrought a
miracle in the case of Miss Knight ! Thus he presents a person
involved with himself in guilt, to prove his mimculous power!
t ThQ unbelieving friend alluded to, was a respectable young gentle-
man to whom Miss Knight was engaged to be married. The Noyes -
ites were very unwilling to have him visit her, and he was given to
understand that if she recovered he would have to become a
Perfectionist or never enjoy her society.
15
226 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
patient and those around ; and if we are not at liberty
to shut off from her unbeheving friends, you may as
well take her home and let her die, for die she will.'
He gave us the liberty we demanded, and the next day,
at the time of my departure, she was riding abroad,
meeting her friends with a joyful smile, and declaring
herself well. So much for my agency, in this case."
The foregoing language, and especially the conclud-
ing sentence, savors strongly of the consequential.
Were we to admit all that he says, we must acknowledge
that there was a signal display of Di\'ine power — that
a miracle even was wrought — and that Miss Knight
was nearly or quite healed. But Mr. Noyes continues :
" On the eve of my departure, I earnestly fore-
warned Mary, and all who were to have the charge of
her, that if unbelievmg spirits could not be kept away
from her, and if her testimony of faith could not be
kept firm, she would certainly die. I wrote, while on
my way to ISTew York, that her case was like a tie on a
vote in Congress, where the Speaker has the casting
vote ; meaning that she would live or die according to
her own faith and testimony.''
" I shall leave it for othera to relate the particulars
of what took place after I left. It is sufficient to say
in general, that Mary soon began to decline from her
confidence and her strength ; that her worldly friends
closed around her, that the believers who had charge of
her fought the king of terrors heroically, desperately,
and even fanatically ; that she failed in spite of them,
and on the eighth day from my departure, died.'^
It will be perceived that the ^' departure*^ of Mr.
Noyes from Putney just previous to the death of Miss
Knight, is spoken of in such a manner as to indicate
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 227
i
that it was considered an important event, fraught with
deep interest, and that it was verj unfortunate for Miss
Knight that he was under the necessity of leaving at
that juncture ; and in fine, the tenor of the language
used hy Mr. Nojes seems to saj — ^' If I had he6n
there she had not died P^
But if she was well, as we are left to infer, at the
" departure" of Mr. Noyes, how are we to account for
her sudden relapse, her rapid declension, and her almost
immediate death ? Why, Mr. Nojes would lay it all
to the " unbelieving spirits " about her. These *' un-
believing spirits" troubled them very much, and it
seems they fought them very manfully, but were not
able to conquer them ! A great ado was made about
these troublesome, "unbelieving spirits ;'' and from the
language of Mr. N. we should infer that the Per-
fectionists had a " pitched battle" with them — that it
was a mortal affray ! But it appears to have been a
mere mock battle — a kind of " sham fight," if the ex-
pression is allowable. The whole affair, so far as the
Perfectionists were concerned, appears to have been a
ridiculous, contemptible farce, utterly unworthy of
people of sane minds.
At one time when Miss Knight had a sinking turn,
an apparently half crazy Perfectionist professed to have
a great struggle with " unbelieving spirits," and con-
fidently asserted that if it had not been for Ms faith she
would have died ! Mis faith kept her alive ! When
she rode out, if her friends came to the carriage to
speak with her, the Perfectionists appeared v. ry im-
228 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
willing to have them remain any length of time, and
■would apparently hurry away lest the influence of "un-
believing spirits" should have a bad effect upon her 1
Mr. Noyes appears to have been so troubled with
"unbelieving sprits" that he asked and obtained liberty
of Mr. Knight, the father of Miss Knight, " to shut off
from her unbelieving friends ;" not even excepting the
young gentleman to whom she was engaged to be mar-
ried.
When the friends of Miss Knight consented to have
her removed to the " hospital," it was with the under-
standing that they should have the privilege of visiting
her agreeably to their own wishes. This the Per-
fectionists had promised, and we are assured that with-
out this condition her friends would not have consented
to her removal. But very soon after she went, Mr.
.Noyes " demanded" the liberty to " shut off unbeliev-
" ing friends," assigning as a reason for the requirement
that the success of their treatment was involved in the
matter. But if this was really the case, did not Mr.
N. know it as well before as after she went ? Why
then did he not, like an honest man, inform her friends
in the beginning ?
The "unbeheving friends" spoken of were those
who did not acknowledge the supremacy of Noyes and
adhere to his doctrines. Such an act was requisite
in order to constitute a behever in the view of Mr. N.
A person might be a humble Christian, a devout dis-
ciple of Christ, but if he did not believe in this new
ism, in the estimation of Mr. N., he would be no
NO YESISM UNVEILED. 229
Christian at all ! Those who were favorably disposed
toward the Perfectionists, and gave indications of being
inchned towards the new faith, were considered as
" hopeful" cases, and received a little more favor at
the hand of the " acknowledged head." *
Perfectionists made efforts to induce some of the
relatives of Miss Knight to embrace their views, and
the circumstances go to show that in taking her under
their care they hoped thereby to gain readier access to
her friends ; and by an open communication through
this medium with the different members of the family
they could exert an influence which they could not
otherwise do, and would have a greater prospect of
making proselytes, and drawing some into this vortex of
ruin.
They assigned as a reason for asking the privilege of
shutting off ,,mibelieving friends," that the success of
their treatment depended entirely on faith in the patient
and those around ; but probably one great object was to
secure the privilege of managing matters according to
their own liking, and that others might not be ac-
quainted with all that might transpire. After having
shut off her " unbelieving friends," Mr. N. then threw
the whole upon her own faith ; and says after he left
her " that she would Hve or die according to her own
faith and testimony."
But notwithstanding Miss Knight died, Mr. N. will
have it that a miracle was wrought in the case ! We
have his naked assertion — which is not very valuable
at this late day— that the "presence and power of God
230 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
was Tery manifest." And this assertion seems to
be backed up by a statement from Mrs. Campbell.
She thinks she saw a miracle, but the sole reason as-
signed for so thinking seems to be the favorable aspect
which the symptoms at one time appeared to assume !
It is a well known fact that consumption is a very
flattering disease — that those who are gradually sinking
under its irresistible power, are often deceived and
entertain hopes of recovery to the very last. And not
only is the patient deceived, but friends also not un-
frequently partake of the same deception, unless they
have had considerable experience and have some degree
of discernment. To those who are familiar with the
workings of the disease in its different stages, favorable
appearances occasionally manifested are not at all
unexpected, neither are they regarded as omens of
lasting good ; but to anxious friends and relatives who
are watching with intense interest, and marking even
the slightest change in the disease, favorable ap-
pearances— ofton mistaken for indications of returning
health — serve to revive desponding hopes ; but such
hopes are revived for a little season, only to be sud-
denly dashed by a sad revei-se, followed by a more
rapid advance of the disease which is hastening to a
fatal termination. The favorable symptoms in the case
of Miss Knight, as the result clearly showed, were no
more than what frequently occurs in cases of like
character. So much for the miraculous work in this
case.
After trying to make it appear that he had performed
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 231
a wonderful work, and asserting that on the eve of his
'^departure," Miss Knight was riding abroad and
declaring herself well, Mr. Noyes says with much ap-
parent self-complacency, and in a spirit of vain boast-
ing— " So much for my agency in this case.^^
But he says that soon after his " departure" Miss
Knight " began to decline from her confidence and her
strength."* And might not this have been reasonably
expected ? — and indeed how could it have been other-
wise ? Her mind had been wrought up to a very high
pitch, and for a number of days kept in a state of ex-
treme excitement, which served to keep her spirits and
courage up, and caused her to exert to the uttermost
what httle remaining strength she had ; but the disease
in the mean time had been steadily advancing, and was
rapidly hastening to a fatal termination. Nature being
exhausted, her strength gone, and the lamp of life
just flickering in its socket, all hope of recovery would
naturally and necessarily expire ; and she could no
more reasonably and consistently beheve that she should
be restored to health, than a person could expect to rise
independently of the laws of gravitation, soar above,
and range the aerial regions without the aid of pinions.
But says Mr. Noyes; — " Her worldly friends closed
around her, and the believers who had charge of her
* A Perfectionist at on<; time remarked that Miss Knight^s faith was
so strong that she should recover, tliat she — the Pgrfectionist — believed
she would. Thus Miss Knight's faith was reprcsented as being very
fArong, and seems to have been the basis of the faith of the Per-
fectionist ; yet the language of Mr. N. implies that she died in con
sequence of a lack of faith!
:2o2 NOTESISM UNVEILE3>.
fought the king of terrors heroically, desperately y.
and even fanatically." What ! Perfectionists fanatics !
This is a strange concession for Mr. Noyes to make in
behalf of the " body of believers." What ! Divinely
inspired — '' a miraculous instinct every day shaping
their ends" — and yet fighting " fanatically !" Surely
so far as they fought fanatically^ so far they were
fanatics ! If they were fanatical in relation to this
matter they may b€ in relation to all others. If fanati-
cal in a measure, there certainly is danger of their be-
coming wholly so. If the door is thrown open, where
shall the bounds be set ?
Notwithstanding all the efforts made and all the faith
exercised, this case proved a complete failure. Mr.
Noyes met with a stern repulse which ended in a signal
defeat. Having been completely vanquished, but still
determined not to yield the point, Mr. N. turns every
way to find some rehef ; and finally flees for '^aid and
comfort" to the Battle of Bunker Hill! But what — ^
the half-astonished reader is ready to inquire — 'has the
Battle of Bunker Hill to do with the case under con-
sideration ? Let us see ; says Mr, Noyes : —
" In the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Americans were
defeated. They repulsed three terrible charges of the
British troops, and after their ammunition was ex-
hausted, they clubbed their muskets, and stood their
ground against the storming column. But finally they
were compelled l^retreat. Yet this battle is glorified
by Americans as a substantial victoiy. The day will
come when this first battle of faith with the terrible
despotism of consumption, though it ended in a retreat,.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 23^
will be glorified as the Bunker Hill of the Faith-Revo-
lution."
This caps the climax ! Mr. Noyes will have to look
far down the vista of future ages to behold the day
which he anticipates, and wait for several successive
centuries before he realizes the " consummation so
devoutly to be wished I" Before leaving the subject
let us look at the motives which probably induced Mr.
N. to take Miss Knight to the " hospital." By a
plausible statement he designed to palm the matter off
as an act of pure benevolence. But when all the cir-
cumstances are taken into the account, it evidently
appears, that if there were not sinister motives, there
were some selfish ends to be subserved ; that personal
aggrandizement was the leading object in view, and had
success attended his efforts, in all probability self-
glorification would have been the crowning act. But
let us hear Mr. N. in relation to the matter. He says
that the next day after she rode out with Mr. John R.
Miller, whose faith wonderfully sustained her ; —
" Seeing that her father was disposed to place her
under our care, I called on her, and said to her in the
presence of her friends, — ' Your room is very small
and near the street, exposed to noise and dust and
troublesome visitations. We have a room in our
' hospital,' a retired house, where you will be much
more comfortable than you can be here. That room is
at your service. You will certainly have as good
chance to live there as here, and if you cannot live, it
will he a pleasant place to die in. We will nurse you
as well as we can, and do our best to save you.' I
made this offer after deliberately counting the cost, I
234 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
had no special confidence that she would live, and I
knew if she should die on our hands, we should be dis-
graced, as we have been. But I said in my heart, 'No
fear of the cruel mockings of those who watch for evil,
shall hinder me from doing a simple act of benevolence
which is fairly set before me. Let the consequences
be what they may, I will do as I would be done by.' "
Now all this appears very well on paper — although
the one-sided allusion, or rather back-handed thrust at
those whom he suspected of watching for evil, does not
exhibit a super-abundance of Christian charity — and we
should be glad to regard it as a bright spot amid the
surrounding darkness if Ave could consistently do so.
But do the circumstances warrant the statement made,
and sustain the assumed position that it was " a simple
act of benevolence ?" How does the language used
agree with the course pursued ?
As soon as Miss Knight was fairly in their hands
and fully under their care, extraordinary instrumen-
talities were employed, and mysterious appHances were
resorted to by the Perfectionists, and it was confidently
affirmed by them that she would he cured. And
was soon sounded abroad that her disease toas removed,
and asserted that she only needed time to entirely
recover her usual strength.
Mr. Noyes asserts that before Miss Knight came
under his care, he " ?tad no special confidence that she
would live f but his confidence in her recovery
appears to have increased very rapidly, for he soon
after says — " The success of our treatment depends
entirely on faith in the patient and those around.''''
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 235
Thus it appears that in his view there was no insuper-
able barrier in the disease — that there was one only
pre-requisite, viz. faith — that a due degree of faith in
the patient and those around would accomplish the
work ! Having the privilege granted of shutting off
'' unbelieving friends," Mr. N. says on the eve of his
" departure" — '' That if unbelieving spirits could not
be kept away from her, and if her testimony of faith
could not be kept firm, she would certainly die." This
language plainly implies that if " unbelieving spirits"
could be kept away, and her testimony could be kept
firm, she would certainly live. Lest he should stand
fully committed, Mr. N., it will be perceived, at last
suspended the case upon that insignificant yet all-impor-
tant word, IF ; so that if there should be a failure, he
could attribute that failure to the non-fulfillment, on
the part of INIrs. Knight, of the conditions, and thus
clear himself.
Mr. N. asserts that it was " a simple act of benevo-
lence," but he does not appear to be content with the
mere honor of having performed such an act, for he
very complacently takes to himself the credit of hav-
ing wrought a miracle ! And he would have his signal
defeat celebrated as a " substantial victory !" And he
seems to think that ere long it will be " glorified as
the Bunker Hill of the Faith-Revolution!"
Mr. Noyes said to Mr. Knight at one time — " If
we are not at liberty to shut off from her unbelieving
friends, you may as well take her home and let her die,
for die she will." Thus it appears that if Mr. N.
23% NOYESISM UNVEILED.
could not have his own way in all things, he was ready
to tum her back upon her friends, and let her die ;
and yet he holds it up as an act of pure benevolence !
If it was a " simple act of benevolence,'' and if Mr.
N. " had no special confidence that she would live"
when he took her, why did he say to Mr. Knight —
" You may as well take her home and let her die, for
die she will, if we are not at liberty to shut off from
her unbeheving friends" ? He had said to Miss
Knight previous to her removal, that if she could not
live, the " hospital" would he '■' a pheasant place to die
inf yet, if his requests were not granted, and his
doctrines complied with, he uses language which seems
to imply a threat to return her home. If it was a
simple act of benevolence, why not let her remain and
die at the " hospital" ? The idea of its being an act
of benevolence appears to have been an after-thought,
designed to meet the emergency ; for the whole affair
shows upon the very face of it that the thought of an
act of benevolence was lost and swallowed up in the
strong desii-e of Mr. N. to accomplish something, if
by sheer humbuggery, that would redound to his own
glory and self-aggrandizement. The circumstances we
think warrant this conclusion.
Had Mr. N. been so fortunate as to have found in
Miss Knight a case like those which sometimes occur,
in which persons apparently near the close of life
recover ; who are pronounced beyond the reach of medi-
cal aid, but nature rallying throws off the disease and
health returns, it would have been trumpeted through
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 237
the land as a miraculous work, and Mr. N. would have
made capital of it, and turned it to his own account.
But he had to grapple, not with an imaginary or mild
disease, but with a stubborn case, and he found him-
self unequal to the combat ; the odds were against him,
and he was completely vanquished.
^
238 NOYSSISM UNVBILBD.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Pretended Miracles of Noye^ continued.
SUNDRY CASES.
In concluding our notice of the pretended miracles
of Nojes, we shall quote several cases, pubUshed in the
Spiritual Magazine of Oct. 15, 1847. Sajs Mr.
Noyes : —
" Instances of recovery by faith among us have been
very numerous. We will present a few samples of
them. ^
" My own case deserves to be recorded. The facts
are these : — In consequence of long and loud speaking,
and the wear and tear of a laborious life, I contracted
in 1842 a disease of the throat and lungs, which
deprived me of the use of my voice in public, and
rendered ordinary conversation painful. I was evi-
dently threatened with consumption. At first I listened
to friends and physicians, so far as to make some
slight experiments of medication. But I obtamed no
help in this way, and finally, in the face of Dr. John
CampbelFs warning and acl\dce, I gave up my case to
the sole treatment of Jesus Christ. I grew worse till
September 1845, and at that time had abundant inter-
nal reason to expect a speedy death. When the
symptoms were at the worst, Jesus Christ advised me
to neglect my disease, and act as though I was well.
I did so, and entered upon a course of new and severe
labor with my voice, in meetings and in conversation.
From that time I have been substantially well, and
have performed more hard labor with my tongue in the
last two years, than in any other two years of my life.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 239
" The case of Mrs. Fanny Leonard is well known
in this community. About a year ago, after the birth
of a child, she began to decline. The symptoms of her
disease were severe pain in her breast and side, and
sinking weakness. She became worse, till her friends
had httle hope of her recovery. In March of the
present year, a general persuasion manifested itself in
our association, that she would be healed by the power
of God. As that persuasion arose, she still sunk. At
length the crisis of faith and of her disease came
together. She received strength at the very time
when our faith predicted it, and she received it hy the
laying on of hands* She has been visibly improving
ever since, and is now a healthy w^oman.
'* The case of Mrs. E. Cragin may be briefly
referred to here, though she has given some account of
it in a previous paper. From the period of her six-
teenth year till the past summer, she has been subject
to frequent attacks of the ' sick headache.' The
disorder increased upon her till its visits were expected
regularly as often as once a week. Many attempts
were made to subdue it by medicine, but nothing
availed. In May last it became constant and terribly
distressing. Death seemed inevitable. We resisted
the disease as a spii-itual power, not by medicine, but
by the faith and will of our hearts. The devil was
♦Mr. Noyes, in conversation with a person professing to be a Perfec-
tionist, said that in this instance the layiug on. of hands meant sexual
intercourse. The person alluded to Ims testified under oath that
Noyes made this statement. By turning to the 44th page of this
work, the reader will see that Mrs. Leonard is implicated in the
indictment against Noyes. Whether the phrase laying on of hands
when used by Noyes always means tlie same, we have never been
informed; but in the absence of all knowledge to the contrary, we
are left to inf^-r that it docs ! Such baseness cannot well be sur-
passed !
240 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
cast out of her stomach, and she has not had an attack
of this ' sick headache' since.
" John R. Miller has long been subject to severe
attacks of headache. On one of these occasions in
the course of the last summer, I went into his room
and found him on the bed, suffering dreadfully. I
laid mj hands on his head, and told him to shake off
the devil. He arose at once, perfectly free from pain,
and has not been troubled with this disease since."
There ! the world must *' give in" now ! Such a
mass of miracles, and such miracles too, are over-
whelming ! !
But we must give the reader another precious mor-
ceau. An article published in the Spiritual Magazine
of Nov. 1, 1847, supposed to be from the pen of Mrs.
Harriet A. Skinner, a sister of - Mr. Noyes, and one
of the most prominent members of the Putney Com-
munity, contains the following language : —
" There is one miracle which the world gives us
credit for, which we cannot arrogate to ourselves ; and
that is, the combination of peace and licentiousness.
Licentiousness and quarreling are as inseparable as
fear and guilt ; and with all our povjer^ we cannot
sunder what Grod has joined together in these two
cases, . . . Are we not a miracle to ourselves, that
when all hell is stirred to do us harm, we are not only ,
trustful and calm, but hght-hearted and merry ? . . .
Stripes and imprisonments have not come yet, but they
impend — and not a heart quails. And do not our
hearts tell us that we ' love not our lives unto death,'
should enmity be excited to the desperation of mur-
der ? . . . Jl miraculous histinct every day shapes our
ends ; ive see the direction of the current, and every
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 241
thing sets that icouy ; our smallest affairs are foreor-
dained^ conspiring to the general effect. We fire^ avid
expect to hit the centre of the mark. How often the
ringing shout announces the unerring aim.''''
Thus we have noticed the most prominent pretended
miracles of Noyes. That we should notice all, could
not be expected ; for if their '• social machinery.)^'' is so
highly charged with a " miraculous instinct, ^^ that it
turns out '''daily 7niracles,^'thls would be a hopeless task.
Mr. Noyes appears to have been quite busily
engaged in casting devils out of his followers ; but the
reader may be curious to know how, if it is impossible
for the Noyesites to sin, it happens that they are so
extensively possessed with devils. Can Mr. N. tell us ?
Mr. Noyes stoutly contends that the age of miracles
is not past, but it is quite certain that the age of his
miracle's is past in Putney, and it is presumed that the
people generally are very much rejoiced that it is so.
In conclusion, let us gather up the divergent rays,
throw them into one common focus, and take a bird's-
eye view of Mr. N.'s field of miracles. And first in
importance — though not in the order of time- — is the
case of Mrs. Harriet A. Hall, declared to be a cure as
'' unimpeachable as any of the miracles of the primitive
church ;^^ but she is still and ever has been the subject
of the same disease that she was before Mr. N. pre-
tended to work a miracle ! And in this very case Mr.
Noyes was guilty of adultery!!
In the case of Mrs. Leonard, whom he declares was
healed by the '•' laying on of hands,^^ he was also
10
242 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
guilty of adultery ! Mr. N. alao says that he ca%t the
devil out of Mrs. Cragin^s stomach and cured the
sick headache ! Probably there might have been seven
devils cast out of her, for she was the mistress in
Noyes's seraglio !
He cast the devil out of John K. Miller's head — and
Miller was one of the joint owners of the harem kept by
Noyes ; and under this " common roof^^ the '-'body of
believer 8^^ were banded together !
Mr. Noyes asserts that he wrought a miracle in the
case of Miss Mary A. Knight ; and he brings Mrs.
Achsah Campbell to prove it — a woman implicated in
the indictment brought against him !
Thus we have a panoramic view of Mr. N.'s field of
miracles. Such an array of miracles the world never
before beheld, and for the honor of human nature, it is
hoped that it will never be called upon to witness such
a spectacle again 1 !
IfOYESISM UNVBILBD. 24S
CHAPTER XXV.
Prominent Trait in the Character of Noyes—Bu
Censoriousness — Intolerant Spirit of Noyesism —
False statements of Noyes — Martyr-Spirit of an-
cient Christianity,
There is one very prominent trait in the character of
Mr. Nojes which deserves a passing notice. He ap-
pears to have possessed bv nature a despotic disposition
— was evidently inclined to break away from restraint,
and disposed to rule those under his authority with a
rod of iron. This •independent, aristocratic spirit began
early to develop itself, and it appears to have been long
cherished, and has evidently come to maturity. Thus
from his youth up he appears to have been afflicted
with a kind of mental malady termed by Pollok,
" Incurable insanity of will."
Not only the coui-se which Mr. N. has pursued, but
his own language uttered at different times, clearly
exhibits this same disposition. Soon after determining
on entering the ministry, and when preparing for
admission into the Theological Seminary at Andover,
he says : —
" On one occasion, at this period, in conversation
with my father, who wa? fond of theological argument,
I suggested an interpretation of some passage in scrip-
ture, which he thought was new. ' Take care,' said he,
' that is heresy.' ' Heresy or not,' said I, ' it is true.*
^ But if you are to be a minister,' said he, ' you must
think and preach as the rest of the mimst-ers do ; if
244 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
you get out of the traces^ they ivill whip you in.'* I
Tvas indignant at the idea of being obliged to think bj
other people's rules, and replied, ' Never ! Never will
I be whipped by ministers or any body else, into
views that do not commend themselves to my under-
standing, as guided by the Bible, and enhghtened by
the Spirit.' "
The sentiments contained in the above language,
properly expressed under ordinary circumstances, might
not b^ very objectionable ; but the reader cannot fail
to perceive the pecuUar spirit, predominant in Noyes,
which looks out from every part of the paragraph.
The following unmistakable language, uttered a few
years later, is found in the first number of the " Wit-
ness," published at Ithaca, N. Y : —
" I have long traversed unshackled the broad field
of universal trutli, and have learned to scale or tram-
ple down the fences with which that field has been
disfigured by scientific fools. As an inhabitant, and,
with others, a joint proprietor, of the universe, I will
not be robbed of the right of universal thought. I
shall therefore pass and re-pass as I please the usual
boundaries of technical theology, knowing that the
theology of heaven includes every other science."
The idea of a new sect probably originated in the
indomitable disposition of Noyes to "" trample doivn^"*
all others ; and but for this cause Noyesism would, in
all probability, never have had ^n existence.
We shall quote a few paragraphs from the writings
of Mr. N., which will serve as choice specimens of the
sweet spirit which he has exhibited at different times,
and on various occasions, and which appears to have
N(JyBSISM UNVBILSDi 245
been long cherished, and evidently exerts a cotitrolling
influence.
Charles H. Weld became an associate of Noyes
at an early period in the history of Perfectionism —
sincere friendship appears to have existed between
them for a time, and even ripened into great intimacy.
Noyes approved of the general course of Weld, and
spake of him in terms of high commendation. Some
diflferences of opinion at length arose between them, and
they separated. The disagreement which subsequently
existed between them appears to have arisen, however,
not so much from mere differences of opinion, as from a
disposition on the part of Noyes to exercise the supre-
macy over Weld, and from an unwillingness on the
part of Weld to succumb in all things to the control
and dictation of Noyes.
This, in the eye of Noyes, was an unpardonable
offence, and he gave vent to his indignation in unmeas-
ured terms. The feelings which he indulged toward
Weld after the rupture, as well as the manner of express-
ing himself, appear in a letter written by Noyes, and
addressed to Weld, bearing date Sept. 1836, and was
published in the "Witness" in Sept. 183T. The
following is the language of Noyes, addressed to
Weld:—
" Our relations to each other, during two or three
years past, have been, apparently, those of sincere
Christian affection. On my own part, the appearance
corresponded to the reality, until a little more than a
year ago. The events of that period, forced upon mae
24B HOYBSISM UNVEILED.
the conviction that jou was an enemj in disguise. — -
Yet I was not disposed to publicly utter this conviction,
until every shadow of doubt had passed away. I have
since had full time and opportunity to analyze your
character. The darkness is passed and I am now pre-
pared not only to assert, but to prove, to you and to
all men, that you are ' a child of the devil, an enemy
of all righteousness.^ [,
After speaking somewhat at length relative to the
subject of supremacy — the " war of wUls," and a
" death-struggle" for the mastery, which took place
between him and Weld, Mr. Noyes resumes the strain
as follows : —
" I was compelled to give you up as a reprobate,
and to scrutinize you as an adversary. . . . ^he
proofs of your hypocrisy have since been constantly
accumulating, until now I can no longer shrink from
believing and declaring you to be in very deed, and
beyond hope, according to your own confession, a
Prince of Devils. ... I have suflfered personally
more, by the cruelty of your benevolence, than by all
other causes put together ; and the way of truth has
been evil spoken of more by reason of the perverse
things which have come in through you, than for all
other reasons. For God's sake, therefore, and for his
elect's sake, I will lay bare your nakedness, till you
receive your full portion of everlasting shame and
contempt J ^ ! !
How unlike the meekness and gentleness of Christ
must be the spirit which can prompt such expressions.
How diverse from the spirit of Him, who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, threatened
not. No person would cherish such a spuit, and
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 247
indulge in the use of such, language, who was striving
to comply with the apostolic injunction — " Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." —
Phil. 2: 5. It is the solemn asseveration of an
inspired apostle — " If any man have not the spirit of
Christ, he is none of his." Rom. 8: 9.
But Mr. N. appears to have arrogantly assumed the
character of a judge, and seems to be strongly disposed
to deal the bolts of his wrath " round the land," on
all whom he deems his foes 1
That years have not diminished, but rather strength-
ened this disposition, is evident from the fact, as the
writer is credibly informed, that an elderly lady, who
had connected herself with the Corporation in Putney,
but who refused to submit to the sole dictation of
Mr. N., and determined on leaving — was charged by
Noyes not to divulge what she knew of his heinous
offences, and was told by him, that in- case she did, he
would sink her to the lowest depths of hell ; blasphe-
mously asserting that he had power to do it in this
world, and in the world to come !
The same spirit that has been manifested toward
individuals, has also been exhibited toward all evangel-
i cal denominations in Christendom. Writing to James
Boyle, who was an early convert to PerfectionisM, but
afterwards renounced the system, Mr. Noyes expresses
himself in the following characteristic language : —
'^ God speed to you, my brother, in the work of
unmasking and proclaiming the shame of the mother of
abominations. Professors of orthodox religion in this
248 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
daj, fill the front rank of the army of hell. Their
mouths are ' the gates of helV '•
Comment is unnecessarj. Such uncharitable expres-
sions and sweeping denunciations speak for themselves.
But let us look at the instructions which Mr. N. has
given his followers relative to the subject under consid-
eration. He teaches the very principles which he
carries out in practice. He makes the following
remarks on anger : —
" ' Be ye angry and sin 'not.'' — Eph. iv : 26. I
take this passage as a precept ; and regard anger as
one of the most important duties of a Christian. The
apostle places it in immediate connection with cessation
from sin, as if he had said, ' Be ye angry that ye may
sin not.' No man will ever cease from sin, till he so
abhors it, as to be angry with himself and with all sin-
ners. No man will ever love God with all his heart,
till he 'hates the wicked with a perfect hatred.' — Where
there is ' love stronger than death,' there must be ' jeal-
ousy, cruel as the grave.' "
The foregoing singular comment of Mr. Noyes,
looks very much like gi^ang liberty to throw a loose
rein upon the neck of passion, and put spurs to the
fiery steed.
As an oflfeet to the exposition of Mr. N., we will give
a few remarks from the pen of a learned and critical
commentator* on the same passage ; and we think they
are far more rational and consistent, and entitled to
quite as much iveight as the remarks of Mr. Noyes.
They are as follows : —
* Dr. Aaam CI«rke.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. M9
'^ Be ye angry ^and sin not. — We can never suppose
that the apostle delivers this as a precept^ if we take
the words as they stand in our version. Perhaps the
sense is, Take heed that ye he not angry ^ lest ye dn ;
for it would be very difficult, even for an apostle him-
self, to be angry and not sin.^^
It is said of the Savior, that at a certain time he
looked upon the Pharisees with anger.
" And when he had looked round about on them
with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their
hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine
hand." — Mark iii. 5.
The commentator from whom we have just quoted,
well remarks upon the term, anger, as applied to our
Lord, in the following brief manner : —
" What was the anger which our Lord felt ? That
which proceeded from excessive grief, which was
occasioned by their obstinate stupidity and blindness :
therefore it was no uneasy passion, but an excess of
generous grief."
St. Paul exhorts the Christians at Ephesus and
Colosse in the following emphatic language : —
" Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with
all malice. But now ye also put off all these ; anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of
your mouth." — Eph. iv. 31 ; Col. iii. 8.
Thus it appears that every degree of anger, using
the term in its common acceptation, is prohibited by
express apostolic injunction.
260 NOYBSISM UN VEILED.
But let us look at the intolerant spirit of Noyesism.
Early in the autumn of 1847, the writer took occasion
publicly to express some general views relative to the
subject of miracles — to exhibit the absurdity and shal-
lowness of the pretensions to miraculous power, of the
many little chimerical sects which are springing up at
the present day — and also to expose the deception
which the Perfectionists were attempting to practice
upon the people of Putney. This of course gave
offence to the leading Perfectionists ; and soon after,
the following characteristic language was found in the
Spiritual Magazine, the intended application of which
no one could doubt : —
'' I have seen a man — perchance a priest — take ad-
vantage of the times and push aside the truth of the
gospel, giving its place to a mass of falsehood which the
people stumble over, and he thinks he has made a suc-
cessful revolution ; but every he is on its way to Tophet,
and that man has raised himself a monument of dis-
grace ; we can only deplore for him the certain ven-
geance of time, which is hurrying towards the triumph
of the right."
This language is supposed to be from the pen of Mrs.
Harriet A. Skinner, the so-called wife of Mr. John L.
Skinner, an associate of Noyes. Mrs. Skinner is a
sister of Mr. Noyes — was a liberal contributor to the
Spiritual Magazine, and is a Perfectionist of the deep-
est dye. The language quoted clearly indicates the
intolerant spirit prevalent among Perfectionists. Senti-
ments conflicting with their views are at once pro-
nounced falsehoods ; and whoever dares speak the
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 251
truth must expect to be denounced by them. As to
the -' monument of disgrace," we cheerfully submit it
to the judgment of the public, whether an exhibition
and refutation of the errors of such a system are as
great a " monument of disgrace" as the facts which
rec ent disclosures have clearly brought to view. If we
mistake not they, by their conduct, have erected a
" monument of disgrace" which will stand through all
coming time — whose towering head shall be distinctly
visible from far distant regions.
But the fair writer professes to " deplore" for us the
" certain vengeance of time." This language indicates
a disposition to assume a threatening aspect for the
purpose of intimidating ; and we greatly fear that the
wish to have ''vengeance" executed -vfSkS father to the
thought expressed.
We cannot find it in our heart to indulge aught but
feelings of the most profound commiseration for those
who cherish the spirit from which such language ema-
nates.
We would gladly have been excused from performing
tj^e disagreeable task of stirring this stagnant pool of
pollution, could it have been consistently done ; but he
proves himself recreant to duty, who refuses to speak
and act when time and circumstances demand it.
Again, m the autumn of 1847, we addressed a few
questions to the editor of the Spiritual Magazine,
touching the subject of miracles. These questions
were couched in respectful, and we think unob-
jectionable language, and were published in the above
2^ NOYESISM UNVEILED.
mentioned paper of Oct. 15, 1847. Mr. Nojes re-
plied at length, and that reply contained the tocsin of
alarm, and was taken for the signal to let slip the dogs
of war which bore down with their loudest bay, and
many a cur manifested a disposition to join the pack
and hunt down our humble self.
Various questions, unworthy of notice, were proposed
to the writer by different correspondents of the Maga-
zine and termed, by the astute editor of that paper, "-per-
tinent ;" — and all this because we dared to propound a
few questions expressive of doubt as to the infalhbihty
and miraculous power of the Putney Pontiff! This
was an unpardonable offence ! A more dictatorial,
mouth-stopping spirit is seldom manifested. Perhaps
they fancy that their residence is in such exalted
regions that they are exempt from the common civilities
of civilized and social hfe, and that those who are so
unfortunate as to dwell in this loioer world are not
entitled to the common courtesies of life.
Mr. Noyes has made some exceedingly erroneous
statements relative to the leading denominations of the
land, which are entitled to a passing notice. For n
better understanding of the subject we will quote a few
paragraphs from the writings of Mr. N. He in his
modesty says : —
" We believe that all true knowledge of the New
Covenant, and of the holiness which it gives, was lost
after the apostolic age, and that the system which has
existed since, both in Popish and Reformed Christen-
dom, though called Christianity, has been, so far as it
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 253
has had in it any divine element, only a second edition
of Judaism — a continuation of the spiritual testimony
of Moses and Elijah. . . . We have seen no evidence
that the Neio Covenant was ever known or preached
after the destruction of Jerusalem^ A. D. fo, till it
was published at New-Haven in 1834."— Perfectionist,
Vol. iv. No. 4.
Again, speaking in reference to an expectation of
the near approach of the Millennium, which prevailed to
some extent about the year 1830 and for some time
after, Mr. N. says : —
" In 1834, premonitory symptom of expectation
came to its highest point. Then the truth of the
primitive gospel was developed. It stood on the top
swell of the spirituality of that period. The revival
spirit and the attainments of the church had reached
their highest tide, and on that basis the gospel of
HOLINESS rose up again before the eyes of men. . . .
What has been the history of the churches since ?
They have had no revivals. . . . Since the time we
speak of, the churches have been steadily wilting,
drooping, and losing their influence over the minds of
men. The Methodist Church has fallen off largely in
numbers, as have also the others.". — Spiritual Maga-
zine, Vol ii. No. 13.
We wish to call the reader's special attention to the
concluding statement of the foregoing language. Mr.
N. roundly asserts that the " Methodist Ohurch has
fallen off largely in numhers'^ since 1834. Let us
compare this statement with the statistics of that
denomination. It appears that the Methodist Church
in different parts of the world numbered : —
254 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
In 1834 - 984,2%
" 184T - 1,765,680
Increase 781,290
In the United States the statistics stand as follows :
In 1834 602,136
" 1847 1,183,426
Increase 581,290
But Mr. N. asserts that other denominations have
also fallen off in numbers. Let us look again at
statistics : —
The Congregational, Presbyterian, and Baptist
Churches numbered in the United States : —
In 1834 917,934
" 1847 1,654,316
Increase 736,382
We have no data from which to ascertain the num-
bers of the Congregational, Presbjt-erian, and Baptist
Churches, throughout the world, consequently we have
given them for the United States only. There has
probably been a proportionate, and perhaps even a
greater increase in other parts of the world than in
the United States. Many of the foreign Missions have
been in a prosperous condition, and some of them have
been favored with very extensive revivals. Although
it is very difficult finding statistics that are perfectly
accurate, yet those which we have given probably
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 255
approximate as nearly to the truth as can be expected.
They show an aggregate increase in the four leading
evangelical denominations in the United States, of one
million three hundred and seventeen thoiisand six
hundred and seventy-two^ between 1834 and 1847, or
during the period in which Mr, Noyes says that the
churches have ''''fallen off largely in number s^^ !
Such random statements ill compoi^ with the high
professions of Mr. N., and yet his disciples who believe
in his infallibility^ are ready to receive any statement
he may make as undoubted truth, however false it may
be. If he and his followers can look the foregoing
facts full in the face without any misgivings, then they
are prepared for almost anything^ If this is a fair
sample of Mr. N.'s veracity, his word is of little value.
If he cannot state simple facts with the ordinary
accuracy of a common chronicler of passing events, he
had better moderate his claim to inspiration, or the
public will be justified in believing that he is inspired
from a very questionable source.
Mr. Noyes gives a lesson upon the martyr-spirit
exhibited in the Primitive Church ; and strange as it
may appear, he condemns that spirit, and speaks, as
will be seen, very reproachfully of those worthy men
who counted not their lives dear unto themselves, but
joyfully received the crown of martyrdom, and whom
the church in all ages has delighted to honor. The
reader would be struck with utter astonishment at what
follows, were he not prepared from the preceding pages
256 NOrEBISM UNVEILED.
to expect almost any thing, however heretical and anti-
christian, from the gi-eat Perfectionist leader.
Even the holy martyrs have not escaped the whole-
sale slanders and sweeping denunciations brought by
Mr. Noyes against every thing of a religious character,
which does not bear the impress, and is not in perfect
keeping with Perfectionism. Let us hear him ; —
" When we have learned from the scriptures, that
Christ came the second time immediately after the
destruction of Jerusalem, and took away the spiritual
part of the primitive church, we are compelled to infer
that the moiety which was left, though it bore and trans-
mitted the name and forms of Christianity, was actually
an apostate church. But then the question urges itself
upon us — ' What shall we think of the splendid and
innumerable martyrdoms which have been the glory of
that church through so many ages V We will endeavor
to answer this question ' without partiality, and without
hypocrisy.' For this purpose we will present a speci-
men of the martyr spirit that prevailed in the next
generation after the apostles, and then we will offer
several remarks showing our opinion of that spirit.
" Ignatius is universally regarded as one of the most
illustrious of the early martyrs. Indeed he was the
chief father of what may be called the martyr-mania of
the first three centuries. He is therefore an example
to our purpose. The writers of the Oxford Tracts give
the following account of him : —
' St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Martyr, is
reported to have been the child whom Christ took in
his arms, in order to give his disciples a pattern of
christian humbleness. But, however this was, he
certainly was a disciple and friend of the Apostles,
particularly of St. Peter and St. John.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 257
' St. Peter and St. Paul are said to have laid on him
their hands, and made him Bishop of Antioch. In A.
D. 106, when he had been Bishop nearly 40 years, the
persecuting Emperor Trajan came to Antioch ; and on
finding Ignatius resolute in confessing the faith of
Christ, he ordered him to be carried prisoner to
Rome, and there thrown to the beasts in the idolatrous
heathen show — a command which was strictly obeyed.
During his journey, he wrote letters to various
Churches, by way of taking leave of them, and to con-
firm them in Christian zeal, love, and unity.' "
After giving a few extracts from an epistle which
Ignatius wrote to the Romans, while on his way to
Rome, in which he exhorts his fellow disciples to
steadfastness in the faith, and expresses his willingness
to suffer martyrdom, Mr. JSfoyes proceeds to remark :
" So far as mere courage in coveting death, or mere'
religious zeal, is concerned, we might easily find
examples among the worshippers of Juggernaut that
would fully match Ignatius. The martyr spirit which
Ignatius exhibited, and which became so fashionable
afterwards, was not necessarily connected with holiness
and truth We have no fear in declaring
our belief that the ambitious thirst for martyrdom,
manifested by Ignatius and the mass of those who have
been glorified with him, as the ' martyr church,' was
the very climax of ' spiritual wickedness in high
places' — a strong delusion of self-righteousness, sup-
planting the atonement, making death instead of faith
the way to perfection, and planting the seeds of the
whole system of penances, self-torture, and purgatorial
salvation, which have since gained for Popery the name
of Antichrist."— Witness, Vol. II. No. 5.
Thus the noble army of martyrs, ^^ho, with true Chris-
IT
258 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
tian fortitude, maintained their position against fearful
odds, and manfully breasted the torrent of persecution
which burst upon the Church in the early ages, are trar
duced by Mr. Noyes. He does not hesitate to impute
to them the most unworthy motives, and impiously
asserts his belief that the spirit by which they were
controlled was the " very climax of spiritual wicked-
ness' " a
Mr. N. also virtually asserts his superiority, in point
of moral excellence and spiritual attainments, over that
veteran band of worthies who laid down their lives
rather than renounce their religion and treacherously
betray the cause of their Master which they had
espoused — thus would he disrobe them of the mantle
of righteousness, wrest the palms of victory from their
hands, and with a sacrilegious hand take the crowns of
glory from their sainted heads, and unblushingly place
them upon his own !
NOYESISM UNVEILBD. 259
CHAPTER XXVI.
Article from the Advocate of Moral Reform —
Remarks of Rev. Joseph Tra<^ and Rev. S. B.
Yarrinyton.
In delineating the character of Perfectionism, we
deem it proper, not only to present such facts and doc-
trines as will exhibit its true features, but also to give
the opinions of different individuals who have mformed
themselves relative to the subject, and whose position
and standing in society entitle them to confidence and
give weight to their opinions.
Thoughts emanating from different individuals, and
information derived from various sources at differ-
ent periods in the history of Perfectionism, being
gathered into one common focus, throw a flood of light
upon this " abomination of desolation, standing in the
holy place," and present it to pubHc view in all its
native deformity !
We deem it appropriate here to introduce an able
editorial article, pubhshed several years ago, in the
Advocate of Moral Reform. This article was pub-
lished when Perfectionism was comparatively in its
infancy, but had so far developed itself as to .give
unmistakable indications of its true character — ^its
direct tendency and inevitable consequences. It may
be proper here to remark, that Geo. Cragin, who for
some time was the publishing agent of the Advocate of
Moral Reform, probably finding the principles of the
W^ NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Moral Reform Society too strict for him and the place
he occupied too straight, renounced those principles
and embraced Perfectionism, which afforded him more
latitude. He soon qi'ter removed to Putney, and became
an associate and intimate of Noyes. He then deliber-
ately turned round and denounced the " Advocate of
Moral Reform as the greatest of religious humbugs. ^^
There are certain persons of whom it is sometimes
said, '' Their censure is praise." The present is an
instance in point.
In 1842, Cragin was associated with Noyes in the
publication of a paper called the Spiritual Moralisty
devoted expressly to the dissemination of licentious
doctrines. This paper contained such offensive matter,
and was so extremely disgusting, that it received but
little favor except from those who had lost all sense of
delicacy and propriety ; and it was discontinued —
probably for want of patronage — after the publication
of two numbers.
The article from the Advocate of Moral Reform
given below, is well-timed and very truthful. We
bespeak for it an attentive and candid perusal : —
" Perfectionism.^^
" We have not hitherto thought it advisable to intro-
duce any topics of discussion into the Advocate, which
were foreign to its immediate object ; and our readers
will bear us witness, that we have never contended for
the shibboleth of a party. Our high aim has been to
combine all the moral and religious influence in the
community, to bring it to bear upon the removal of a
national sin ; and thus far, all sectional and denomina-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 2&1
tional differences seem to have been merged in one
common feeling of interest in this great work. We
have not departed from the rule heretofore laid down,
in bringing forward the subject which stands at the
head of this article. Sentiments have of late been
openly advanced by those who call themselves Perfec-
tionists, of such an immoral and destructive tendency,
that it becomes our duty as humble conservators of the
public morals, to bear a decided testimony against
them, particularly as the names of some among us
have been coupled with this dangerous and seductive
heresy. To those who are happily ignorant of the
name and nature of Perfectionism, we fear we shall
hardly be able to make ourselves intelligible ; for we
shrink from the task of disturbing this stagnant pool
of corruption, even for the sake of warning the unwary
from its brink. But we dare not close our eyes to the
fact, that while some whom we loved and honored,
have fallen into this snare of the devil, there are others
in equal, or greater danger, who may be induced by the
warning voice of truth, to examine the ground on
which they stand, and escape for their lives, while yet
escape is possible.
" In some recent pubhcations by the leaders of this
sect, the doctrines, of Robert Dale Owen and Fanny
Wright are boldly espoused and advocated, and the
institution of marriage set aside, as a part of the sys-
tem of bondage from which Christ is to make us free..
We will not stain our pages with specimens of this
reasoning, which makes the blessed Redeemer the
minister of sin, and converts the bread of life into a
deadly poison. Indeed the language so much resem-
bles the jargon under which the ancient mystics used to
veil their meaning, that our readers would not probably
understand at once its full import. From the words of
our Savior concerning the inhabitants of heaven, * They
262 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
neither many, nor are given in marriage/ they argue
the abolition of the institution here, in a resurrection
state which it seems some of them have already
attained. It will at once be seen, that this master
stroke of satanic pohcy opens a flood-gate- to every
species of licentiousness ; and by a refinement of
wickedness which puts papacy to the blush, sanctifies
the very incarnation of impurity. A state of society
such as these doctrines would inevitably produce, can-
not be adequately conceived or described. The sacred-
ness of the domestic constitution invaded — the marriage
covenant annulled — parental and filial obligations tram-
pled in the dust — while unbridled license stalks among
the ruins, smiling at the havoc she has made, and
feasting on the last bleeding remnants of chastity and
virtue ! Surely, when sentiments like these are advo-
cated under the mask of high-toned piety, it is the
duty of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,
to ' contend earnestly for the' purity of ' the faith
once delivered to the saints.'
'^ But this doctrine, monstrous as it is, is only the
growth of another, which may be termed ' the root of
the evil,' viz. ' that believers under the Gospel dispen-
sation, are delivered from the obligation of personal
obedience to the moral law,"* The violation of this law
does not, they say, necessarily involve transgression,
for the spirit which is in them being an infallible guide,
may in many supposable cases lead them contrary to
the letter of the law, without bringing guilt upon their
souls. Those who are familiar with Ecclesiastical
History, will recognize in this belief the essential
features of that Antinomianism, which, under some of
its varying forms, has infested the church from the
days of the Nicolaitans whom Christ hated, down to
the present time ; and against which Wesley and
Fletcher in England, and Edwards and Bellamy in our
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 263
own country, sent forth the warning voice. It is
indeed true that we have become incapable of keeping
the law, as a covenant of works, ' the man that doeth
these things, shall live in them,' — but as a rule of
action, it is still obhgatory on us, and must continue to
be so, while those rights of God and man exist which
it is designed to protect. The Christian behever not
bound to obey the moral law of God ! That law which
binds all created intelligences together with a golden
chain, and hnks them indissolubly to his holy throne !
That law, in which, as in a glass, we see all the perfect
attributes of Jehovah's character, while love, like the
sun, sheds a full-orbed splendor over the whole, —
insufferable from its brightness, did we not behold it
tempered in the face of Him who came to be ' the end
of the law for righteousness, to every one that belie veth.'
" Those who can thus turn the grace of God into
laciviousness, may endeavor to take refuge in the
gospel from the unwelcome requisitions of the law, but
it will be found in another day to be a refuge of lies
which the hail shall sweep utterly away. ' Think not
I am come to destroy the law or the prophets,'
said the Savior, ' I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.' ' Bo we then make void the law through
faith V is the language of the apostle ; ^ God forbid ;
yea, we establish the law.' But time would fail, were
we to attempt an enumeration of the passages which
prove that the law of God, Hke his nature, is unchan-
geable and eternal in its spirit and sanctions.
''' We have not attempted to go into an exposition of
the views of the Perfectionists, or an argument against
them ; a task for which we have neither leisure nor
inclination. In common with many others, we have
been shocked and alarmed at the avowal of sentiments
which seem to us the very refineuient of licentiousness,
and a declaration of our views was deemed necessary
264 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
for the satisfaction of those interested in our course.
We desired hkewise to warn the sincere inquirer after
hoHness, to beware of embracing an error, which if not
abandoned in time, will certainly sink the soul to a
deep and dark perdition. The church must come up
to a higher standard of personal consecration and
holiness, before the world can be converted ; but in
doing this, let her not run into an extreme more dan-
gerous than the one she seeks to avoid. ' The tree is
known bj its fruits.' This doctrine leads its advocates
to neglect prayer, both social and private — to throw
away the Sabbath, with all its inestimable blessings —
to despise the ordinances and means of grace, as shad-
ows which vanish at the appearing of the substance —
in fine, to withdraw from all benevolent, moral and
rehgious associations, as a system of legality^ in which
they have no interest. These are not good fruits ; we
must therefore pronounce the tree corrupt, and refuse
all fellowship or countenance to those who walk thus
disorderly, though the act of excision be as painful as
the amputation of a limb, or the plucking out of an
eye."
The above language is strong and decisive, and cuts
every way, like the keen two-edged sword of truth.
Though penned several years since, it applies with as
much if not more propriety to Perfectionism now than
when it was first published.
In continuing our quotations from the writings of
distinguished individuals who have spoken in reference
to Perfectionism, we give a few remarks of Rev. Joseph
Tracy, an eminent Congregational clergyman. Mr.
Tracy was formerly editor of the Boston Recorder, and
is extensively and favorably known, especially in New-^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 265'
England. He speaks of Perfectionism as early as
1835 ; thus showing that its nature was known — ^its
tendency seen — and that even its fruits began to appear
at that early period, or very soon after it came into
existence : —
" This thing of Perfectionism is an affair which will
happen now and then. The previous condition, the
predisposing cause of it, in a community, is Ultra-
Calvinism, taking the form of Antinomianism. It
commences by a reaction, more or less thorough-going,
towards Arminianism. Next, the theoretic possibility
of becoming perfect is embraced as a speculative truth.
Next, it is reduced to pretended practice, by persons
who think they give themselves up, unreservedly, to be
guided \ij the immediate suggestions of the Spirit ;
accompanied by the behef that they can tell a move-
ment of the Spirit by the feeling of it. Next, — which
is scarcely another step, — they beheve themsei\jes
inaccessible to temptation ; either because they have
become so holy that the devil can have no access to
them, or because they can tell the movements of the
Spirit from every thing else so easily and infallibly.
Next, certain feehngs which some of the male and
female members of the sect have for each other, being
of the nature, not of hate but of love, are taken for
the motions of the Spirit, and followed accordingly ;
ending, theoretically, in certain nonsense about spiritual
marriage, and practically, in the grossest licentiousness.
This is the last stage of ihQ disease. Those who have
not yet joined them understand their character, and
they cease to make proselytes. They themselves — that
is, such of them as are not really insane, — become
undeceived. Some few, very few probably, who have
not been quite so ' perfect' as the rest, recover so
much of their Christian character as to be tolerable ;
266 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
others take up the business of rehgious imposture as a
trade ; and the greater part become avowed infidels.
Some years since we watched the progress of a little
sect of Perfectionists through all these stages, from its
predisposing cause to its final termination. Several
months since, we received a communication, on good
authority, stating that some of the Perfectionists of
this day had begun to practice their spiritual marriage
very disreputably."
We subjoin a more extended article, written with
considerable ability, by Rev. S. B. Yarrington, a
Methodist clergyman residing in the interior of New-
York. It was published in 1843. Mr. Yarrington
brings to view some of the mental phenomena attendant
upon the reception of Perfectionist doctrines. He
directs the mind to a subject for contemplation worthy
of- special attention. This is an all-important point.
We should cautiously guard against that morbific state
of mind, and that unhealthful tone of moral feeling
which tends to induce this dangerous disease. The
entrance should be sedulously watched, for it is much
easier keeping the enemy out than it is expelling him
when he has once entered. Mr. Yarrington speaks
briefly, though pertinently, of '' the rise, progress,
cause, tendency and cure of modern Perfectionism."
He says : —
'' This egregious error arose about twelve years since,
at a time of almost unparalleled excitement in these
States, under the labors of certain eccentric revivalists,
whose names need not be mentioned, — some of whom
have dropped like stars from the galaxy, and all ceased
to agitate and convulse the land.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 267
" The heresy spread rapidly for a time. The mass,
however, being composed of heterogeneous materials,
having little affinity, soon gave signs of disintegration,
and the fire that burnt strong at first, presently smoul-
dered away for want of sustenance. Still, the dying
embers remain in society, scattered in every direction,
and wherever they have fallen, to a certain extent
bum and sterilize the moral soil, destroying the seed of
truth that is sown therein. It is not probable that this
error is on the advance at present, but rather, it is to
be hoped, on the decline. Yet, like the wounded bear,
it makes an eflbrt to live, and to recover its energies
that it may revenge itself on its assailants.
" The cause of this delusion may be traced to the
efiervescence of certain minds about 1830. As Venus
is said to have arisen from the froth of the ocean, so
this heresy was begotten in the fumes of fanaticism.
As one extreme is attended by another, so the wild,
unscriptural notion of necessary indwelling sin, by the
collision of antagonist minds, gave place to the no less
extravagant and anti-biblical idea of impeccability.
An over-weening self-esteem, doubtless, conduced some-
what to the production of such an opinion. Cultivating
one class of faculties to the neglect of others, probably
contributed to the same end. It is pernicious to mental
improvement to become the ' creature of one idea.'
The human mind has more than one faculty. In it
many difierent powers inhere. These powers should
be cultivated so as to balance each other, or equilibrate.
The modem Perfectionist seems to have cultivated
self-approbation and marvellousness, whilst he has barred
the door to such intmders as comparison, causality and
veneration : whereas the latter had most need of
tuition. Intense, unabated study of divine subjects
may have, more innocently, beguiled some unwary
individuals into the arms of this Delilah. Man is so
26B NOYESISM UNVEILED.
constituted that he cannot for a very long season, with-
out interruption or relaxation, prosecute one train of
thought without shattering somewhat the pillars of the
intellectual edifice. No doubt many imbibe error by
first blunting their mental powers in this way ; and not
a few, by the same course, conduct reason to certain
and long, perhaps fife-long, interment. Some well
meaning persons have imagined that the height of
piety consists, not in active labors for the salvation of
souls, but in uninterrupted contemplations of refigious
themes. Let a person pursue this course one year, and
his mind, however strong in the commencement, will
have become somewhat imbeeihtated. Probably some
individuals of more than ordinary talent, have in this
way neutralized their influence, and well nigh rendered
themselves nuisances in community. Variety in things
lawful and expedient is truly the spice and food of the
mind.
"The tendency of Perfectionism is 'e\dl, only evil, and
that continually'. The suicidal efforts of its advocates
can but be injurious to the physical economy. As well
might the volcano remain undiminished within at the
time of its irruption, as such persons retain their health
in the midst of such awful disemboguements. Never
did a system of error have a more withering, scathing
influence upon intellect, than does this, where it is
allowed to have full scope, put forth all its energy, and
stamp its own image on its votary. Indeed, it is an
idiotic theory ; and cannot be expected to gender
aught but its like. The stream can rise no higher
than the fountain. Like system, like advocate. Fol-
low the fightnings in all their zig-zags through the sky,
before attempting to trace the trackless flight of such
an intellect I True refigion can by no possibility be
hostile to science and intellectual improvement. What-
ever, therefore, is prejudicial to these interests, is anti-
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 269
religion. To assume that man may not be deeply
pious without impairing at least some of his faculties,
is to present Christianity in a sorry attitude. On the
contrary, it may be asserted, fearless of refutation, that
there is nothing so well calculated to develop the native
powers of mind as the Christian religion. What injury
did Christianity inflict upon the subhme genius of a
Milton, or the philosophic mind of a Newton ? Men
never surpassed, the former in the department of
poetry, the latter in that of mathematics. No doubt
religion was the intellectual food of these men. Milton
was greatly indebted to his knowledge and love of the
Bible for his unrivalled sublimity of thought and
expression. Newton's reverence and love of Deity
contributed much to the profundity and acumen of his
gigantic mind. The absolute Perfectionist runs a
meagre chance of rivalling these or any other great
men in any department of science or literature, from
the fact that in the outset of his career he lays suicidal
hands upon the best faculties of his nature, and yields
himself up to the control of powers that ought to
operate in obedience to the guidance of their superiors.
The moral tendency of this presumptuous notion is
equally deleterious. As well might the Sirocco enter
Italy, or the Simoom rush upon a caravan in the desert
without inflicting injury, as this system be other than a
' Bohon Upas' to the morals of any vicinity where it
prevails. By it the ' fruitful field is converted into a
wilderness', and the song of the nightingale into the
croak of the raven. It sweeps by the board aU the
stated formal means of grace. Family religion is
blighted with mildew. The breezes of the Sabbath
sing the funeral dirge of Jehovah's day of rest, while
the monster prepares a sepulchre for its entombment.
" Little hope can be indulged of restoring to a
healthy state of mind the modem Perfectionist whose
270 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
belief is of long standing. The reason is, no access
can be had to those faculties which ought to be
addressed, on account of their dormancy, if not ex-
tinction of functions. Where the reception of this
error is of recent date, however, there is some prospect
of producing a state of convalescence bj making a loud
appeal to these nobler powers, their languishing
energies not having as yet become completely pros-
trated. The following directions may not, therefore,
be altogether unavailing. Make an effort to reflect on
a variety of subjects, rejecting none that are lawful
and expedient. This is absolutely necessary to restore
a sickly mind, and also to preserve it in that state.
Monomania is a mental disease of alarming prevalence
at the present time. It is produced by taking an op-
posite course from the one here advised. Be sociable
with all, and converse as instructed to meditate, that
is, on various topics, provided they are useful. Deeply
ponder the depravity of the human heart, aside from
grace ; and consider the imbecility and folly even of
the best of men compared with the potency and wisdom
of the Infinite Unknown, and yet sufficiently known to
the wise, in their judgment eternally to eclipse all
created excellence. Feel like a mere point amid the
splendors of the Great Adorable. In fine, pray to be
made and to be kept humble. Remember, so far from
being able to equal the Omniperfect here, no man or
angel, though constantly increasing in knowledge and
holiness, will ever approach so near to divine per-
fection, as not to find himself infinitely in the rear.
Be humble, therefore, and be wise.*'
NOYBSISM ITK VEILED. 271
CHAPTER XXVII.
Remarks of 0. H, Piatt, Esq.
The extracts given in the preceding chapter refer to
Perfectionism, both at an early period, and also after it
had existed several years, and had given some practi-
cal demonstrations of the direct tendency of its doc-
trines. At an early date its character was discerned
and its tendency clearly seen by the intelligent and
observing, and the sad consequences which it was
evident would naturally follow its promulgation were
anticipated and deeply deplored by the virtuous part of
community. From the time of its commencement
at New Haven in 1834, the tide of events took their
natural course among Perfectionists, and at length
assumed an alarming aspect.
Mr. Noyes, however, from time to time resorted to
various expedients to screen himself and his followers
from merited reprobation, and by repeated shufflings
succeeded in keeping, to some extent, from public view
the practical tendency and results of his pernicious
principles. But they have at length fully come to^
light, and doubt no longer hangs over the subject.
But let us for a season leave the past and come
down to matters of more recent date. We shall not,
however, here enter into any minute detail of transac-
tions which have taken place in Putney; but shall
quote some general expressions of opinion relative to
tiie posture of affiiirs after certain developments had
been made.
272 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Up to the time of the demonstration at Putney, in
the autumn of 1847, the press in this section, both
secular and religious, had passed the matter by as an
insignificant and harmless affair, unworthy of notice
and even undeserving of the notoriety which a public
attack would give it. But affkirs assumed such an
aspect as to attract public notice not only in this section
of the country, but elsewhere ; and several public
journals bestowed considerable attention upon them.
We shall give some extracts from several editorial
articles published in the Vermont Phoenix, at Brattle-
boro'. Those articles received the approbation of the
community, and were not only expressive of the views
of the Editor of that paper, but will serve as a fair
exhibition of the sentiments which universally prevailed
and which still prevail in the community at large, at
least so fa;r as the' facts in the case are known.
0. H. Piatt, Esq., Editor of the Phoenix, in his
paper of Nov. 24, 1847, holds the following language : —
" Since the last issue of the Phoenix, we have taken
some pains to inform ourselves, as well of the present
conduct and condition of the Society calling themselves
' Perfectionists,' in Putney, as of the tenets and doc-
trines they profess. We learn that though some of
the individuals of this sect have dispersed, the Associ-
ation itself is 7iot broken up, nor their organ discon-
tinued— but on the contrary, that the peculiar tenets
which, with them, justify the conduct complained of,
are still pertinaciously adhered to ; that meetings are
still held, and the community have a right to believe,
that, though popular indignation may suppress for a
time the public exhibition of their conduct, they still
JVfOrESISM UNVEILED. 273
continue to practice what thej boldly preach and
justify. . . . We confess to utter ignorance, until the
last week, of the origin and history, as well as of the
nature and tendency of the peculiar doctrines of this
sect of ' Perfectionists.' With a desire to do impartial
justice, and to be satisfied Tvhether the ebullition of
feeling manifested by the citizens of Putney, was
justified as well by the published principles, as the
actual practices of the 'Perfectionists,' we have taken
some pains to procure their pubhcations, and to
examine them. . . . The acts complained of are not
only the natural result of the doctrines they hold and
teach, but actually constitute in themselves one of their
pubhshed tenets. ... The avowal of them, [their
doctrines] though plain and positive, was so covered up
by subtleties, by mystification, and confused explana-
tion, and by bold denial of imputed licentious conse-
quences and results, that the unwary and the unsuspi-
cious might well be deceived. This consideration
should inculcate feelings of charity towards those who
seem innocently to have l)een misled, and drawn into
the vortex of ruin. It has also determined us to give
our readers v/ho may be as ignorant on this subject as
we have been, the history of this sect, and the proof
which their pul^lislied tenets afford, that in their
domestic relations they are not only absolved from the
observance of the moral law, but the constant infrac-
tion of it, is required as a necessary consequence of
the state of perfection they lay claim to— in fine, that
as to all sexual relations, they are strictly Antinomians.
" It is not within the province of tliis journal to
discuss controversial points of religious doctrine, unless
they tend directly to the infraction and subversion of
the laws which uphold the fabric of society and gov-
ernment ; and we shall tliereforc endeavor to keep
18
274 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
within this limit. But when such monstrous doctrines
as these are promulgated and practiced, and when
there is such indubitable evidence as the history of
this sect has furnished us, to prove that the young, the
innocent and unsuspicious, are enticed to disgrace and
ruin by them, and that systematic seduction and licen-
tiousness are practiced under the specious garb of
religion — or rather, made impiously a part of religion
itself — it is time for the public press to expose the true
character of its prmciples, and warn the young and
credulous, at least, of the snares that are spread for
them."
In the Phoenix of Jan. 7, 1848, Mr. Piatt continues
as follows : —
" The organ of this sect has been treated in general,
by the religious and political press, with silent con-
tempt, as the weak and harmless effusion of a distem-
pered brain ; but it has nevertheless obtained a wide
circulation, made converts, and secured for the sect a
foothold in many parts of the country. Its pernicious
principles, choked with artful disguises, have thus
been suffered to infuse their poison far and near,
unchecked by exposure and warning, and almost
imnoticed. The names of contributors, subscribers,
and converts, with their religious experience in the
form of letters, appear conspicuously in the^ paper, •
and have accompanied it, as endorsers of the doctrines
it inculcates. . . .
" The female converts seemed to take pleasure in
blazoning abroad their shameless doctrines, under the
authority of a multitude of Bible quotations, and the
solemn mockery of obedience to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit. We have given enough to show the
publicly avowed principles and practices of the ' Per-
fectionists,' at this early stage of their existence.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 275
" These principles were industriouslj disseminated
in all parts of the country, both bj the gratuitous circu-
lation of the paper, and the personal preaching of Mr.
jS'ojes ; and many societies formed. The idea of
])erfeet holiness, of being in a state where it is impos-
sible to sin, where salvation is secured beyond a perad-
venture, is no doubt alluring and sweet ; and it is not
wonderful that many persons, credulous and unreflect-
ing, or tempest-tost and shipwrecked upon the waves of
controverted points of religious doctrine, should fly
for refuge to this infallible soul-preserver, in v/hich
every fear and every anxiety is banished forever,
and all the passions hold a jubilee. It is a tempting
bait to the anxious and inquiring mind ; and, garnished
as it is, with plausible passages of Scripture, requires
but a little self-deception to make it palatable and safe.
The utter licentiousness and wickedness to which this
doctrine of Perfection leads, is glossed over and
buried, by specious denials, and a multitude of words,
which mean nothing. The new converts, unconscious
perhaps at first, of the practical results of their
religious belief, are led along, step by step, and their
minds gradually prepared to swallow Perfectionism,
with ail its revolting abominations.
"If Mr. Noyes is charged with holding himself exempt
from all obedience to law, he boldly denies it — he
admits his independence of external law, but he will
tell you he is guided by an internal law, the Imv of the
Spirit J which is paramount to all others. If you
charge him with licentiousness m his doctrines and
practice, he will deny this also, and tell you, that
though, in domestic relations and sexual intercourse,
the Perfectionists disregard the civil and moral law, yet
they are still acting under the ' law of the /Spirit,^
and therefore it is not licentiousness. In other words,
they may give free rem to unbridled vico and debauch-
276 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
erj, and may trample with impunity upon all the rules
of morality and decency, and still it is right, because
prompted by the ' law of the Spirit.'
" Many of the societies, that sprung up in other sec-
tions of the country, practiced the doctrines of the
'Battle-Axe' letter so openly as to bring down upon
them the indignation of the community, and the penalties
of the law. ... In Putney under the immediate eye
of Mr. Noyes, things were conducted more prudently ;
and while asserting, as he does in the ' Berean,' that
believers ' are released from the law, without the dan-
ger of licentiousness,' he kept their practices secret for
a time. . . . Not only is unbridled license given to
the passions by this state of ' perfect holiness,' but the
exercise of every natural affection is forbidden. Hus-
band and wife, parent and child, brother and sister,
must banish every feeling of affection, and regard each
other as not of kin, and if they are .all Perfectionists,
have the same freedom of intercourse with each other,
as with other members. In fine, the ordinary parental,
matrimonial and blood relations are annihilated, and
have no existence among the ' perfect' — they are aU
brothers and sisters, and husbands. and wives together.
Some of the female correspondents seem to take
special delight in boasting of their contempt of natural
affections. One of them, whose father attempted to
reprove her abandoned conduct, says she ' stepped^ up
and struck him in the face and said to him, he had got
the biggest devil she had seen, and if he would believe
she would cast him out.'
'-'• We sicken with this disgusting and revolting exhi-
bition of the very incarnation of beastly licentiousness
and crime, and, passing over the semi-monthly repeti-
tion of it, we come do^vn to the last year.
'' In the spiing of 1847, emboldened by the succees
of his operations, and the apparent indifference of
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 277
community to his proceedings, Mr. Noyes induced the
^ body of believers' in Putney to join their ' households
under a common roof.^ This was probably to facilitate
the promiscuous intercourse enjoined upon believers —
for, heretofore, though constantly urging upon them
the duty and necessity of submitting to this free com-
munity of intercourse, he still stoutly denied the
actual practice of it himself. But the impunity of his
previous conduct at length determined him to throw
aside the thin cloak of pretended decency he had
heretofore maintained, and to fraetice openly^ what he
had constantly preached openly, and doubtless secretly
practiced.
" On the first of June 1847 — as related by him in
the ' Spiritual Magazine' for July — at a meeting of his
flock, he argues the question fully, and thus states it :
" ' I will put the question. Is it not noiv the time for
us to commence the testimony, that the Kingdom of
God has come ? to proclaim boldly that God, in His
character of Deliverer, Lawgiver and Judge, has come
in this town, and in this association V
" After noticing the discussion to which it gave rise,
he states the conclusion thus :
" ' It was unanimously adopted, therefore, as the
consistent testimony of the believers assembled, that
the Kingdom of God has come.'
" This was nothing more than the public transfer of
themselves, by resolution, to that state of ' perfect
holiness' which sanctifies vice and profligacy as a
religious duty. ... It may seem strange that Mr.
Noyes should deem it necessary to hold a meeting and
put it to vote, whether the ' Kingdom of God' had
come ; but it is probable there were some refractory
members — some who could not see how an act that was
wicked and criminal on earth, could be holy and
innocent in Heaven, and it might be necesaory to bring
278 N0TE8ISM UNVEILED.
a little public opinion to bear upon them. It is saidy
however, that after this pubhc vote, the doctrine of
Perfection, in all its length and breadth, was carried
into practice by the Association at Putney, publicly
and professedly.
" It would seem, from his paper, that Mr. Noyes
had occasionally some difficulty in breaking down the
barriers of virtue and decency ; and considerable space
is devoted to the removal — ^by plausible sophistry, or
threatened expulsion from Heaven — - of supposed
scruples and reluctance, and the complete triumph
over shame, modesty, and the worldly ideas of virtue
and chastity, is treated as a Christian duty^ of necessity
preliminary to the attainment of perfect holiness."
After having given numerous extracts from the
writings of Mr. ISToyes, and from communications re-
ceived from his correspondents, accompanied with
appropriate comments, Mr. Piatt concludes his long
and able editorial, pubHshed in the Phoenix of Jan. 7,
1848, and from which we have made several extracts,
with the following appropriate and forcible remarks ;—
" We forbear further extracts to show what is the
doctrine and practice of the Perfectionists, in reference
to the moral law. We have been thus particular in
making quotations, to show and convince all, and
especially those who, unaware of their tendency, are
inclined to espouse their principles, that the recent
demonstration at Putney is no casual outbreak or effer-
vescence of excitement, nor the wild excesses of a
few pretended and hypocritical Perfectionists, but the
genuine, necessary, and inevitable result of their pid)-
lisTied doctrines and creed, from their first avowal at
New-Haven, to the present time. We have given
enough to show the criminality of their principles as^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 279
well as their practice ; to show, that they are utterly
subversive of the whole fabric of society, and of moral
and civil law ; and annihilate, at a blow, every vestige,
of VIRTUE, DECENCY, and NATURAL AFFECTION. These
shocking consequences of the doctrine of Perfection
are carefully concealed, however, from the young and
unsuspicious converts. To them, nothing is revealed
but the beauty of a state of ' perfect holinels' ; of the
bliss of believing, that though on Earth, they may
actually enter Heaven, where it is impossible to sin,
and where salvation is certain. Many, sjixious for the
future, and having no fixed ideas upon religious sub-
jects, clutch eagerly at this doctrine of ' perfect
holiness', as a drowning man catches straws ; and
shutting their eyes upon doubts and consequences,
believe because they want to believe it. Others doubt-
less look upon Perfectionism with the eye of the
libertine, and see in it only an easy and safe mode of
deluding and destroying.
" We would hope there are many who have been
deceived into the embrace of this pernicious doctrine,
and yet kept in ignorance of its true character and
tendency ; and who, when informed of it, will hasten
to escape from the fathomless abyss which yavfns at
their feet.
"Let it not be supposed that such impious ribaldry
and weak sophistry can do no mischief, and does not
require exposure and reprobation by the press. It has
already penetrated, and found advocates and victims, in
almost every county of New-England and New- York.
The newspaper organ has been mostly filled vfith letters
from recent converts, scattered through the whole
country ; and it plainly shows that many of them are
ignorant of the practical tendency of Perfectionism,
and have been deceived. The paper has attained, by
gratuitous distribution, a very considerable circulation,
280 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
and the ' Berean,' containing matter quite as infamous,
is meeting with a rapid and extensive sale. It was only
in September last that two conventions of Perfection-
ists were held in the State of New-York — one at
Lairds ville 5 and one at Genoa — and associations formed
upon the model of that at Putney. The association at
Putney has been the fountain of the poisonous stream
of Perfe(?fcionism, wherever it flows ; and though its
founder and some of the members have been driven
away by outraged public feeling, it still maintains its
organization, and the remaining members still adhere to
the doctrine of Perfection, as stated above. The
paper, which has been the instrument of all this
wide-spread mischief and ruin, is merely suspended in
deference to public sentiment, not discontinued ; and
the whole machinery of the association is evidently
waiting only for the excited public feeling to subside,
to be* again set in motion.
" Under these circumstances, we have felt it a duty
devolving upon the public press, to strip the veil from
this monster of iniquity — standing up in society like
the fabled Upas tree in the desert, alluring the hapless
wanderer by its luxuriant foliage and fragrant perfume,
to seek repose under its shade, but dealing instant
death to all who come within the influence of its
poisoned atmosphere. We have thought it a duty to
expose it to view, in all its naked hideousness, perad-
venture it may open the eyes of some, who have been
enticed within its influence, and forewarn the unwary
and innocent.
" If people have regarded this doctrine as harmless
and contemptible, they will do so no more. The
persevering and systematic attempts to entice the
young and unsuspecting into their association — some-
times successful and at others happily frustrated — show
how dangerous it is to community, and how necessary
NOYESISM UNVBILED. 281
it is to provide a prompt and efficient remedy. It is
the duty of every citizen, who would not see the sacred
family and domestic institutions broken down, to lend
his voice and influence to extirpate this evil. It is to
be hoped, that those now connected with it, will see
its destructive tendency, and abandon it ; but there
should be, in regard to it, neither toleration nor
compromise. The public should understand — what is
in fact true — that every household, -holding and prac-
ticing doctrines similar to this at Putney, is in fact a
brothel. It should be marked and shunned as infa-
mous. It should be known that each member of it
holds to principles that justify theft, robbery, arson, and
murder, and all other crimes his evil passions prompt ;
for he cannot sin, and his impulse is the only law he
recognizes. After all efforts to reclaim them have
failed, let every member of such association be fol-
lowed, wherever he goes, by public infamy and public
abhorrence, and marked and shunned as a pubhc
enemy.
^'We have charity to beheve, that many have
embraced this doctrine honestly, and without any
suspicion of its consequences or true character. All
such will hasten to abandon and denounce it. It
might be charitable to beheve that the founder of this
association is a monomaniac, on the subject of religion ;
and it may have been true in the beginning of his
course ; but a monomaniac is honest and truthful.
His opinions may be absurd, and his reasoning
ridiculous, yet he will never flinch from the position
he takes, nor tell a wilful untruth to escape the odium
of it. It is possible Mr. Noyes was honest in his
letter to the '• Advocate of Moral Reform,' denying his
own doctrines, as asserted and acted upon by him both
before and afterwards. It is possible he was sincere
in holding ' beUevers' to be in a state of ' perfect
282 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
holiness,' and incapable of sinning^ when he was
constantly denouncing as hypocrites, those believers,
whose licentious conduct happened to become public.
We say it is possible, but is it probable 9 To us, there
seems to be in his conduct a marvellous exhibition of
scheming, insincerity, and libertinism, for a mono-
maniac.
"We dismiss the subject with a single remark.
Many of the frie'nds of the individual identified with
this sect, are respectable and highly respected ; and
may consider themselves somewhat implicated in the
exposure and reprobation of his conduct. It is not,
however, the exposure nor the reprobation, but the
profession and practice of Ms infamous doctrines
which are truly disgraceful. These doctrines have been
boldly avowed and promulgated by him, here, for ten
years past, and scattered by means of his paper, all
over the country ; yet no efforts of friends or relatives
have sufficed to suppress, either the publication or the
practice of them. A paper so hcentious and indecent
— so seditious and immoral in its character, as this has
been ever since its commencement, would not, even in
the tainted atmosphere of the city, be tolerated for a
single week. It would be indicted as a nuisance,
before a second number could be issued, and suppressed
by the strong arm of the law. That it has so
long been endured by *the respectable and intelhgent
inhabitants of Putney, is owing probably to the
respectabihty of his family, and a reluctance to
wound their feelings by any public proceedmgs. But
to whatever cause it may be owing, that the dis-
semination of the infamous doctrines has been so long
tolerated — whether from the disability or disinchnation
of friends, or the apathy or forbearance of the people —
the welfare of society demands that these pernicious
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 283
principles should be held up to public detestation and
abhorrence.
" We shall make no apology for the length of this
article. The subject is one that concerns the whole
communitj, and if we have been remiss in bringing it
to their notice, it is because we had no conception of
the character or magnitude of the evil. In respect to
it, we may truly say, Hhe half has not been told ;' but
we trust enough has been said to put the public on
their guard, here and elsewhere,"
284 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Piitn ey Perfe ctlonism .
Below will be found the substance of an article
which was published, under the above heading, in
whole or in part, in several public journals, soon after
the developments at Putney in the autumn of 1847.
The article was prepared by the writer, and although
it gives but a very succinct account of what had trans-
pired, yet, as far as it goes, it is beheved to be a
correct statement of facts, and a fair representation of
existing circumstances : —
Events deeply interesting to the community have
recently transpired in this place. Disclosures have
been made, and facts eUcited, which can but shock the
sensibilities of every wtuous mind ; and it is due to
the pubhc that they should be made acquainted with
existmg circumstances, and thus be guarded against
further encroachments of errors most demoralizing in
their influence, and destructive in their tendency.
A small sect or community of Perfectionists^ so
called, has had an existence in tliis town for several
years past. They have been under the direction of
John H. Noyes, who, to some extent, is known abroad,
and who stands at the head of this modern sect. Mr.
Noyes, for a number of years, has been industriously
disseminating the most pernicious heresies, principally
through the medium of a periodical published in this
village, which, from time to time, has assumed different
names, but is now denominated the " Spiritual Maga-
zine,'^ and is issued semi-monthly. Mr. Noyes has
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 285
recently published a work entitled '■ The Beeean","
which contains his views relative to various topics,
and is for sale in different parts of the country. But
it does not appear that his efforts to spread his heretical
and dangerous doctrines have been crowned with any
very signal success, though some small societies have
been formed in different places.
Mr. Noyes has taken the strange and unwarrantable
position, that the moral law is abohshed, and that he
and his followers are governed and guided by direct,
inspiration and revelation, as were the inspired Apos-
tles. They claim to be the true churchy and pretend that
they have all the miraculous gifts of the apostolic age.
They repudiate the Sabbath, reject all religious ordi-
nances, deny the vahdity of the Christian ministry,
sip at the intoxicating cup, and indulge in common
amusements to any desirable extent. Some years
since, Mr. Noyes made war upon the marriage institu-
tion, and advanced sentiments of a most licentious
tendency, which he has never retracted, but has
repeatedly re-affirmed. He contends that in a holy
community, such as they claim to be, the marriage
covenant is virtually null and void !
From recent developments, the civil authorities
deemed it their duty to institute a legal process against
Mr. Noyes, and he was accordingly arrested, and
placed under heavy bonds for his appearance at the
next term of the County Court, for Windham County,
but has since absconded. From the facts which have
come to light, it appears that he has committed crimes
of the deepest dye — crimes of such a character that
delicacy forbids that they should be mentioned. Under
the seal of secresy, and the assmned garb of sanctity,
he has practiced the grossest iniquities ; but his deeds
of darkness have at length been revealed in open day
— ^the strong arm of the law has reached him — and he
2S6 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
has hastily fled from the face of justice to seek a shel-
ter and find a lodging place in some secluded retreat.
For several months past, a number of families have
resided together in a large dwelling in this village,
with Mr. Nojes at their head. The recent disclosures
have placed them before the public in no verv enviable
position : and the same odium is now attached to them
that there is to a house of ill-fame. All who adhere
to their doctrines and remain among them, are now
looked upon by a virtuous community, as immoral
characters ; and no person who wishes to maintain a
respectable standing in society, will hereafter be iden-
tified with them. The course which they have pur-
sued for some time past, has been well calculated to
deceive, seduce, and ruin the young and unsuspecting.
Efforts have been made, and allurements held out, for
the purpose of enticing the young, drawing them in,
and seahng their certain ruin ; and in some instances
they have been successful. The domestic circle has
been invaded, hearts have been broken, hopes blasted,
and characters ruined.
Although the most flattering invitations were
extended to several young ladies of this village and
vicinity, yet it is a happy reflection that the victims of
their guilt have not been very numerous ; the spell is
now broken, and some have escaped, like the bird from
the snare of the fowler, or the fascination of the wily
serpent. In this town they have heretofore numbered
only about forty, and that number has, of late, been
very materially diminished ; some have withdrawn,
others have left, and but a mere remnant now remains.
Mr. Noyes and his followers have made the highest
pretensions to moral purity and spiritual attainments,
and have boldly assumed that they covld not sin ; and
have thus thrown the mantle of high professions over
the most hideous deformities, and practiced the grossest
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 287
iniquities under the assumed garb of superior sanctity !
Not only have individuals been ruined, and families
irreparably injured, but they have exerted an influ-
ence as fatal to the morals of this community as the
deadly miasma is to man's physical constitution.
Under such a state of things, the people have become
alarmed and incensed to a high degree, and have
arisen en masse to correct the evil and ask for redress.
The disclosures already made have brought to light
a degree of moral turpitude seldom surpassed by the
most degraded and abandoned ; and it can but be a
painful reflection that they have assumed the name of
Christians^ and that too of the highest grade ; thus
claiming that to which they have no right, and casting
a reproach upon the Christian religion, which condemns
in the most unqualified terms, every species and
degree of moral impurity. Noyesism is the veriest
infidelity in its m.ost dangerous form. If infidelity and
irreligion would appear in their native dress, and sail
under their own black colors, we should then know the
character of the foe with which we had to contend ;
but when they fling to the breeze false colors and
appear in a borrowed garb of superior goodness, they
prove doubly dangerous, and often deceive and ruin the
unwary and unsuspecting.
288 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XXIX.
Assumed and acknowledged supremaey of Noye^ —
His female co-workers at Putney — Remarks of
Mrs. S. T. Martyn.
" There be, indeed, — ^I say it in all sorrow,— bad, apostate souls,
Deserted of their ministering angels, and given up to liberty of sin :
For these, ray counsel is, avoid them if thou canst :
For the iine edges of thy virtues will be dulled, by attrition with their
vices."
Mr. Noyes has assumed the supremacy over ail
Perfectionists proper, throughout the country. His
arrogant claims have been acceded to, on the part of
his disciples, almost by universal consent; and his
supremacy was pubhcly acknowledged by two Conven-
tions of Perfectionists held in Central New-York, in
1^37 ; the one at Lairdsville and the other at Genoa.
But particularly at Putney has his vanity been
flattered, and his ambitious feelings gratified. For a
number of years past he has been emphatically the
" acknowledged head^^ of the Perfectionist Association
in that place. And it appears that he has recently
reached: the very apex of ambitious desire. A few
months after the dispersion in the fall of 1847, a
promment member of the Putney Community said —
" Those who stand hy John now have given him every
thing^^ ! ! If his followers have made a full surrender,
Mr. N.'s ambition must be saturated. Moreover, he has
had quite a number of special agents employed in his
service in different places, but especially in Putney,
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 289
who have lent their entire aid, who have exerted all
their influence, and made every possible effort for the
furtherance of his nefarious schemes, and the accom-
phshment of his unhallowed designs.
The company of co-workers in Putney included
several females of considerable talent, and formerly of
some hafluence among the people of Putney. They
were liberal contributors to the periodical published by
Noyes, and were very fit instruments, and rendered
efficient aid, in carrying out his base purposes. The
persons particularly alluded to, together with other
members of the Association, were using their influence
and making special efforts to draw innocent and unsus-
pecting females into the vortex of ruin, at the time the
startling disclosures were made in the autumn of 1847.
In some instances they were successful, but in others
they failed. The active efforts of those special agents
at home, and the exertions of certain runners abroad,
together with the paper, which, with a liberal hand,
was scattered through the length and breadth of the
the land, contributed largely to the great object which
Mr. Noyes had in view. These agencies all combined,
were exerting considerable influence. And at the
time of the great eruption in Putney, followed by the
breaking up of that strong hold of hiiquity, the
'-' kingdom" estabhshed by Noyes, but undoubtedly
under the special supervision of his Satanic Majesty,
great exertions were being made to gather i\\Q outcasts
in ; and the forcible saying of the Savior was being
19
290 KOYBSISM UNVEILBB,
strikingly exemplified, " Wheresoever the carcass \s^
there will the eagles be gathered together.''
Below will be found the substance of an article from
the pen of an intelHgent female,* who saw with deep
regret, that even some of the most talented of her sex
were lending their aid to the growing evils of the age,
especially that of hcentiousness. This excellent lady,
in common with many others, has interposed her influ-
ence to impede, if not aiTest, the progress of that tide
of sensuality which is setting in with a strong current
upon the land, and which, if not turned back, will, it is
to be feared, roll on with accumulated strength and
accelerated velocity, and ere long acquire a momentum,
against which all efforts would be unavaiHng ; which
would carry away, as with a flood, all opposing influen-
ces, and fearfully sweep, like a desolating tornado,
over the land, spreading devastation around on every
hand, and making a moral waste of many of the fairest
portions of our happy country, and working the
temporal and eternal ruin of thousands and millions of
our race.
The remarks which we are about to give will apply
with much propriety to various classes in different parts
of the land, but they are pecuUarly applicable to the
Perfectionists, and especially to the most prominent
and active female members of the Association at
Putney. Let the extracts be read with special atten-
tion : — ■
Mrs. S. T. Martyn.
NOYBSISM UNVEILS©. 291
^' Among the various phases assumed bj the infidel
philosophy, which preceded and accompanied the
outbreak of the French revolution, in 1798, there was
one, which, more than all the rest, tended to destroy
the last vestige of social order and happiness during
that fearful period. The same unhallowed lips that
denied the existence of a God, and proclaimed ' death
and eternal sleep,' taught also, that marriage was an
intolerable monopoly,' — a burden which none but the
vulgar should bear, and that a ' union of souls,' was
the only union to be recognized by the enlightened dis-
ciples of the new code. This doctrine was openly
promulgated in the splendid saloon of Paris, by the
fashionable and high-born dames who worshipped at the
shrine of Voltaire, Condorcet and Mirabeau ; it was
echoed by the fierce spouters of the Jacobin clubs, and
re-echoed in the fauxbourgs, the garrets and the
cellars of the metropolis, where crime and misery
rejoiced in the prospects of unbounded license thus
opening before them. To the scenes that followed, we
need only refer. The annals of the Erench revolution
— its unimaginable horrors and atrocities, — ^have been
so long familiar to the ear, that we may well be spared
the revolting task of dwelling upon them here. It is
enough to say, that the tree thus blended, bore its
legitimate fruit ; and that beneath its poisonous shade,
e7ery thing honorable, lovely and of good report,
perished, until the land became a moral desert, almost
through the length and breadth of it.
The same sentiments with regard to obligation of
law, human and divine, and particularly in relation to
the sanctity of the marriage covenant, as those which
prepared the way for the scenes to which we have
alluded in France, are at the present moment prevail-
ing to an alarming extent in our country. They come
to us in a different garb, and wearing a somewhat
292 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
different aspect, it is true ; but their character and
tendency are always the same. Instead of furnishing
the material for a flowery discussion between male and
female philosophers in a spendid saloon, or a Jacobin
club, these principles, in some quiet and unsuspecting
guise, enter our domestic circles, seat themselves at
our firesides, and wait patiently for the best opportu-
nity of gainuig a foothold which shall never again be
surrendered. Their apostles may be known by the
cant words forever on their hps, of ' spiritual attraction,'
' secret sympathy,' ' affinity of souls,' &c.— words
which sound very sweetly to the uninitiated, but full of
deep and bitter meaning to those who know their
hidden signification. For when explained^ as they
too often are by acts^ these seemingly harmless sylla-
bles signify domestic discord and disunion, followed
perhaps, by actual separation, misery and death. It
is generally (we blush to admit it) by our own sex,
that the pernicious doctrines to which we allude are
most ably and fearlessly advocated. We know women,
whose personal accomplishments, and standing in soci-
ety, give weight to their opinions, and who do not
hesitate to affinn, that ' affinity of soul' forms the only
real bond of union between the husband and the wife,
and that where, in the judgment of either, this does not
exist, the legal ceremony of marriage is null and void,
to all intents and purposes. Of course, the parties
thus situated are at liberty to form a ' union of souls'
wherever they find the mysterious ' affinity' of which
they speak ; and no law, human or divine, has a right
to contravene their choice.
"As there are certain falsehoods of such intense
bitterness and potency, that one drop would be suffi-
cient to poison the whole vfell in which truth was said
to have dwelt, so there is in this ' declaration of senti-
ments,' enough specious error, mingled with some
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 293
important truth, to disorganize and destroy society,
wherever it is adopted. It is undoubtedly true, that
a union of hearts is absolutely necessary to marriage
in the sight of God ; but it does not therefore follow
that a public recognition of this union by others, is
unimportant ; or that the legal ceremony which ensures
this recognition, is unnecessary. Still less does it
follow, that a union thus legally recognized, may be
dissolved at the will or caprice of either of the parties,
without incurring fearful guilt, and the reprobation of
society. We know that some who have wantonly cast
off all domestic ties, and thus bid defiance to the laws
of God and man, talk eloquently of their sufferings
and wrongs, of the want of sympathy they have expe-
rienced, and the thirsting of heart they feel for
^ spiritual union and affinity ;' but under aU this gloss
of honied words, there is concealed a principle which
aims at nothing less than the subversion of all existing
institutions, and the entire banishment of God from the
world He created, and the hearts of the creatures who
were formed by his power, and sustained by his
goodness. It is this union of the ideal with the
sensual, (for disguise it as they may, it is sensually in
its most dangerous form with which we are contend-
ing,) that gave to the philosophy of France its deadly
venom — -and it gives strength and vigor to the same
sentiments in our own day. Divested of the mantle
of ideality, which so gracefully drapes it, the gross
deformity of this imaginary deity would at once shock
and disgust every beholder, while beneath its ample
folds it is doing its work of death unperceived and
almost unsuspected. . , .
''■ There are too many educated, intelligent women,
who do not hesitate, whenever they meet a ' kindred
spirit,' to repay the most generous confidence and
hospitality, by a systematic attempt to appropriate the
204 HOYBSISM UN VEILED.
affections of the husband and the father. While them-
selves glorying in having spumed the matrimonial
yoke, they inculcate in other families the most blind
and unquestioning obedience on the part of the wife,
and the right of the husband to do as he will in all
respects, unfettered by even the shadow of duty or
obhgation lioward the being whose earthly happiness
has been confided to his care. Such is the egregious
inconsistency of these victims of a moral leprosy,
infinitely more loathsome than that which banished the
poor Israehte from the society of his fellows, and con-
signed him to a living tomb. It would be well for
society were laws equally stringent now, where the
danger of infection is as much more imminent, as our
moral nature is higher and of more value than the
body, or wounds inflicted on the heart more grievous
than physical pain and suffering.
'' Our remarks on this subject may be deemed harsh
by those who have not met the evil of which we speak ;
but the case is not one which in our estimation demands
forbearance or toleration. It is not an impulse of the
heart which has led its subjects into unintentional
error; which we are condemning — but a belief of the
head — a perversion of intellect, deliberately conceived,
and carried out to its consequences, as coolly as though
no earthly interests were involved in the result.
Indeed, in many cases it would be impossible, in the
utmost exercise of charity, to believe that the affections
of the heart had any thing to do with the matter. The
thief who steals to satisfy the cravings of want, or the
homicide who takes the life of his fellow under the
sudden impulse of passion, may be subjects of pity and
forgiveness; but the woman who unblushingly avows
her disregard of all law, human and divine — who
scorns the restraints of marriage,' and casts off its
obligations, has, by this act, thrown herself out of the
N0YB6ISM UNVEILED. 295
pale of society ; and the sentence of outlawry it passes
iipon her, should be as complete and effectual as that
which separated Eobin Hood and his band of ' merry
men' in Sherwood Forest, from the yeomanry of Eng-
land.
'' We have not yet spoken of the source of all this
moral evil — the hidden spring from which these streams
of bitterness flow out to desolate and destroy. It may
emphatically be said of the class to which we allude,
^ There is no fear of God before their eyes.' Never,
until the sanctions of religion are forgotten or disre-
garded, and the Bible trampled under foot, can a
woman so far unsex herself as to promulgate a doctrine
which, more than all others, degrades and debases her,
and leaves her a defenceless prey to th-e passions and
caprices of the stronger sex. The want of religious
principle is at the foundation of all these errors in
belief and practice — and where this is wanting, the
human heart is like a ship at sea, without helm or
rudder, tossed about by the whirlvfinds of passion,
and liable at every moment to be driven on the rocks,
^nd wrecked irretrievably. The humble cottager, who
'' Just knows, and knows no more, her Bible true,' ■
who reverences and obeys its precepts, and looks
upward for divine guidance, lives usefully and happily,
and goes down to the grave in full hope of a blessed
immortality — while the woman of splendid intellect and
varied acquirements, who proudly rejects the light
from Heaven that would direct her steps, wanders from
the path of rectitude into the mazes of error, and after
a few years of eager and fruitless search after the
phantom happiness, she sinks Hke a falling star into the
blackness of darkness forever."
The foregoing extracts speak a strong and impressive
language ; they faithfully portray in characters of living
296 NOTESISM UNVEILED.
light the enormous sin of licentiousness ; and should
serve as a timely warning, especially to the youth ^
against the dangers to which they are exposed, and the
seductive influences which are abroad in the land^
under various guises. The evil is the same, however
specious the garb in which it may be arrayed, or
imposing the aspect which it assumes. The sentiments
which we have quoted bear directly against the Perfec-
tionists, and press heavily upon Mr. Noyes and his
followers; but we are well aware that Mr. N. will
strive to evade the force of the concluding remarks of
Mrs. Martyn, by asserting that Perfectionists do not
reject the Bible, and are not destitute of religious
principle ; but possess every virtue in the highest
possible degree. 0, shame ! where is thy blush! And
modesty, where hast thou fled !
Mr. N. assumes that he and his followers have
advanced far beyond the Bible — they reject it as a true,
standard, and treat it as a dead letter ! Mr. N.
impiously and presumptuously affirms that he is living
under a new dispensation, and is constantly receiving
fresh communications and revelations from Heaven !
It makes but little difference whether a person
rejects the Bible in toto, or, professing to believe it,
virtually nullifies it, by discarding it as an infallible
standard — whether he does not come up to it, or
whether he goes professedly beyond it — whether he
never takes it from the shelf, or whether he contempt-
uously tramples it under foot, as Perfectionists have
NOYESISM XTNVEILBD. 297
virtually done ! Infidelity lies at the bottom in the one
case as well as the other.
Does Mr. Koyes expect that such miserable subter-
fuges as he has got up and is laboring to palm off upon
the people as religious verities, will obtain credence
and currency, to any considerable extent, in an intelli-
gent community ? It is true that occasionally a rene-
gade from all respectable society falls into his ranks —
and from what motives they do it at this late day, the
reader is left to judge. If Mr. N. is really anticipa-
ting any formidable accessions to the company under his
control, he certainly cannot place a very high estimate
upon the intelligence of the community, or at least a
considerable portion of them. He must suppose that
they are yet in their leading strings — that they have
not arrived at their teens— that they are even in their
veriest dotage.
Common sense people with no extraordinary degree
of discernment, can clearly see through the gauzy garb
which Mr. N. has thrown over this monster of iniquity.
Reason with even half an eye could readily penetrate
the flimsy veil which has been somewhat dexterously
drawn over the most hideous deformities.
298 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XXX.
Latitudinarianism — Effects of Licentiousness,
One of the errors of the present age is a prevailing
disposition to theorize in relation to religious matters.
A great diversity of views and conflicting sentiments,
and the consequent multiplication of erroneous systems,
is a prolific source of evil. Indifference to practical
piety prevails to an alarming extent, and the tide of
infidelity is setting in. The endless speculations in-
dulged, and the frequent discussion of theological ques-
tions, tends to mar, in the eye of the spectator, the
just proportions and beautiful symmetry of the fabric
of Christianity. The restless elements unsettle the
faith of some, and threaten to carry away the an-
cient landmarks of religion. Noyesism is but one of
the offspring of a parent evil whose numerous progeny
are comuig up, like the plagues of Egypt, to afflict and
desolate the land. Much sickly sentiment exists, and
many are beconung perfect latitudinarians in relation
to all religious matters.
A morbid appetite which loathes the plain, simple,
substantial food of gospel truth, and craves the crude
and indigestible mass of errors which are afloat in the
world, has for many years been making advances upon
the pubHc mind, and has never, it is believed, prevailed
to a greater extent than at the present period. This
spirit not only prevails to an alarming extent without,
but to some extent within, the pale of the Church.
NOtESISM UNVEILED. 299
There always will be a few restless spirits who spurn
wholesome restraints and cry out against all rules and
regulations as oppressive. These characters may he
teraied religious croakers, and are near akin, at least in
spirit, to downright latitudinarians, though making
exceedingly high professions of piety at first. A few
scathing remarks from the burning eloquence of Reve
E, T. Taylor, the mariner's preacher who ministers at
the Bethel in Boston, shows up these croakers in their
true hght : —
" They are religious overmuch," says he ; " they
eat religiously, and breathe religiously, and walk
religiously, and dress religiously, and comb down every
hair religiously. With such I have no connexion.
There is a great gulf between us. I have been watch-
ing them for thirty years. They soon begin to fall out
with the world ; fall out with their brethren ; fall out
with the church ; and become too holy to remain in
it ; and finally quarrel with Almighty God himself ;
and then turn rank infidels, walking pestilences, scat-
tering mildew and death over society, staggering to
their graves under the curse of God, and cursing God
as they go !"
These ever restless and troublesome spirits, are,
from time to time, calling loudly for deserters, and by
continually beating up for volunteer recruits, have at
length succeeded in mustering quite a company of
Oome-outers, who have renounced, and are now, for
want of better employment and in perfect keeping with,
their peculiar calling, loudly denouncing the Church in
no measured terms.
The whole herd of Come-outers, of whom Per-
300 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
fectionists are a fractional part, have in a most reckless
spirit, thrown the rein loosely upon the neck of the
fiery and furious steed of uncontrolled passion and
unholy ambition, and are heedlessly hurrying hood-
winked, onward toward the vortex of ruin.
We shall make no apology for transfering to our
pages from the Ohristian- Observatory <^ some very
truthful and well-timed remarks upon the subject under
consideration. These remarks are entitled to an at-
tentive perusal : —
" There is a foolish notion stealing abroad, and
creeping into small and unoccupied heads, that Chris-
tianity is about to present itself in an entirely new
aspect, so broad as to have no outside, so comprehensive
as to include every thing but sound scriptural ortho-
doxy,, so liberal as to give away all the Gospel which is
worth keeping, so ' spiritual' as to contain nothing more
substantial than metaphysical fog, and ' the stuff that
dreams are made of,' so 'transcendental' as to get far
beyond the bounds of common sense and dull reality,
and so progressive that it will go to Beelzebub without
troubling him to come after it. It is thought % many
that some new exposition of religion is to be made,
which is to serve as a solvent for all sorts of opinions,
to regenerate society as -by some magic spell, and to
usher in the hght of the millennium as it were by the
combustion in the old candlestick of some newly
invented gas. In some way or other, instruction is to
be drawn from the teachings of Christ, which they have
never imparted before.
"It is an insult to- the Bible to cherish any such
expectation, for it implies that the multitudes to whom
it was given as a guide, have been laboriously and
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 301
prayerfully studying for two thousand years, without
discovering its most important meaning. In bringing
about this impossible expectation, much account is to be
made of the philosophy of religion, whereby men will be
able to philosophize the Assembly's Catechism so that
they can at the same time subscribe it and ridicule it,
with perfect consistency. It is from this propensity to
tamper with and tinker the philosophy of reHgion, or
to fit it up and rig it in some new philosophy, that all
the depravings and corruptions of the Gospel from the
days of the Apostles have originated. The dark ages
were caused by the thick clouds of speculation and
moral invention, which clouded Christendom in gloom,
and hid her radiant Sun.
"It is also necessary J in order to clear the way for
this style and fashion of Christianity, to explode every
' form of sound words,' and to cry up a crazy crusade
against creeds and dogmas. A great clamor must be
raised about creed-bondage. And the panic-stricken
fugitives fleeing from this bug-bear, are ready to rush
into a triple bondage of doubt, delusion and distress.
'' To have clear views, and settled convictions, and
fixed principles, involves no sacrifice of independence.
He who is overcome by the force of truth, is not
brought into bondage thereto ; but has for his own
share, all the fruits of this victory over himself. As
was said by the valiant Puritan, Thomas Hooker, of
Hartford, it is the honor of a man truly wise, to be
conquered by the truth ; and he hath attained the
greatest liberty, that suffers himself to be led captive
thereby. But our modern seekers after progress,
account it a species of slavery, if a man have attained
to decision of character, and to indulge in the luxury
of moral certainty on any point whatever.
" Hence they find it necessary for their purpose to
make a mock of consistency. This trait of character.
■8<@^ NOYESISM UN VEILED.
■whicli used to be proverbially ' a jewel,' has no beauty
in their eyes. They regard it as a gilded chain, fetter-
ing the free motions of the mind, and vexatiously res-
training the ' largest liberty' of thought. They are for
obeying the impulse of the hour, and the inspiration of
the moment ; and look upon it as a piece of imper-
tinence if you expect to find them of some certain way
of thinking to-day, because they professed it eloquently,
poetically, and with a fine scorn of all opposers,
yesterday or the day before.
" But the worst of it is, that this passion for
theological progress cannot be vented without peril-
ously tampering ivith the Bible. It is in vain to think
of educing any new Christianity out of the whole
Bible as it is. The plenary inspiration of the Holy
Scriptures must be denied at the outset ; for it were an
intolerable grievance to the freeborn ' oversoul,' to be
obliged to bow implicitly to the dictates even of Infinite
Wisdom and Eternal Truth. There is no such thing
as is now in demand, if we must hsten to the canonical
books as the utterance of the infaUible Arbiter of all
truth, righteousness and goodness. Accordingly it is
proposed, that we regard the Bible as inspired only in
part, and that it be left to our ingenuity to discriminate
as well as we can between ' the divine and the human
in the sacred records.' Take away from revealed
religion as much as need be of its supernatural and
authoritative character, and then you may invent as
many patent Christianities as you please.
" It is not considered at what a ruinous price we
must purchase this rare piuvUege of going to de-
struction, each in his own way. All the external
evidences of Christianity must be cast aside ; for if
these do not prove the inspiration of the whole Bible
they prove nothing. These evidences go to sub-
stantiate the claims of the entire book to an inspired
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 303
ori^ ; and hence our men of the movement party
undervakie them, and treat them as of no account.
The fulfilled prophecies they regard as random hits, or
the forecastings of pohtical sagacity. The miracles
they either utterly deny, or ascribe them to the use of
natural means. As to this, we shall be more ready to
beheve them when we see them able to repeat any one
of the mighty works of the Savior. Let them walk
upon the sea, heal the leprous, give sight to the blind,
or raise the dead. There is no lack of opportunity.
And if any one of them will do any one of these
things after our Savior's manner of doing them, we
will consent that the successful operator shall prepare
an improved edition of the Bible, with the text cor-
rected according to his judgment, the divine part
stamped with golden capitals, and the human part
printed in the humblest minion and brevier, or, better
still, wholly omitted. But till some messenger comes
from God, commissioned as evidently by signs and
seals from heaven, as were the Prophets and Apostles
who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,
we must adjure the new-theology men to keep their
profane hands from that scripture which is ' all given
by inspiration of God.' Till the same authority which
enacted the Bible shall repeal it, in whole or in part,
we must submit to it in its full force and power."
Mr. Noyes, it has been seen, has set himself up as a
worker of miracles, thus following in the wake of all
the impostors which have gone before, and exhibiting to
the world another sad spectacle of human folly.
We think it proper here to present a few general,
but very pertinent remarks, in reference to the sin of
licentiousness, taken from an Address — to which we
WA NbYBSISM UNVEILED.
have already alluded — which was presented some
months since to the citizens of Boston, through the
public prints bj a special Committee, appointed by a
large body of the clergymen of different religious
denominations in that city. As this great and growing
evil is the same in its nature, its tendencies, and its
results, whatever aspect it may assume, and under
whatever guise it may present itself to view ; and as
Mr. Noyes and his followers have become aiders,
abettors, and promoters of this alarming evil, though in
a very singular way, and a peculiar and specious form,
they naturally come under the general head, Noyesism
is but one species of a genus whose progeny is already
quite too numerous. It is a liideous monster, though
dressed in the richest drapery, decorated with the
nicest embroidery, and the whole tinseled with the
finest phrases. The remarks which we give, though
originally addressed to the citizens of Boston, are of
such a general character that they possess more than
mere local interest, and are equally applicable in other
latitudes : —
'•It, [ licentiousness ] is a sin which we entreat you
to devise some means of restraining, if it cannot be
extirpated ; — a sin against God, against our neighbor,
and against a man's own body and soul ; the most
debasing and destructive sin in which one can indulge.
More than any other unlawful indulgence, it corrupts
the character, impairs self-respect, breaks down moral
principles, shuts out piety from the heart, makes
religion a pretence, and faith a mockery. Do we use
language stronger than facts justify ? V/here, in
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 305
civilized or barbarous lands, in Christian or in heathen
countries, shall we find such a wreck of humanity,
such a perversion of all that is noble or lovely, such an
example of the debasement to which our nature may
be reduced, as in a woman who has given herself up to
a life of guilty pleasure ? And who merits the con-
demnation of his fellows, or may be regarded by them
with loathing, if it be not the man who has destroyed
female innocence, or helped to quench the lingering
reproaches of female virtue ? There is but one more
heinous crime than that which she commits who sells
herself to pollution, and that is his who sacrifices
woman to his own base passion.
" Look at the consequences of this vice. Take the
lowest point of view. Consider its economical relations.
We dare not tell you what sums are lavished upon the
support of estabhshments whose inmates are themselves
led, while they lead others, to destruction. We might
remind you of ^e temptations to fraud and theft, which
many of those who have little money of their own to
spend upon their vices, have found themselves unable to
resist. We might cite examples of open disgrace, of
beggary and misery, arising from this cause ; but we
will only hint at these things.
" Look at the efiect on health. Physicians tell us,
that illicit indulgence is the cause of a large amount of
the diseases which come within their practice. The
physiologist instructs us, that such indulgence must
impair the constitution, and lay the foundation of life-
long suffering or premature death.
" Look at the moral connections of this vice. Be-
yond any other, it depraves the whole man, enslaves the
reason, pollutes the imagination, deadens the conscience,
hardens the heart, tramples upon the affections and
rights of domestic life, and makes the soul a moral
20
306 NOYBSrSM UNVBILBD.
pest-house. Beyond any other, it inflames every low
desire, adds vehemence to every animal appetite, and
brings whatever is spiritual and immortal in man to
subjection to that which is carnal. It is even worse,
far more injurious in its effects upon the character,
than intemperance. The drunkard will have his
seasons of abstinence, and his hours of repentance :
the man of dissolute habits is a continual sinner,
without shame and without remorse.
" Look at its influence on the community in which
licentiousness is suffered to exist withsut rebuke. The
standard of character is lowered ; the sanctity of home
is less carefully cherished ; the tone of sentiment im-
perceptibly, but steadily decUnes ; and, when few
perhaps understand, or can trace the cause, a general
deterioration of morals takes place. The poison has
insinuated itself through the life of the community,
whose whole appearance indicates a secret malady.
" Look at the effect on Christian dharacter and
Christian institutions. The latter may obtain an out-
ward respect, but the former can only exist in a name,
among those who are the servants of uncleamiess. We
might with as much propriety talk of a profane, or a
dishonest, as of a licentious Christian ; with as little
misapplication of language speak of Christian forgery,
as of Christian profligacy. Sensuality and spirituality
are as opposite as darkness and light ; they can meet
in the same person, only when heaven and hell can
meet in the same experience.
" Consider, finally, the consequences which in a
future life must follow the indulgence of lewd desires
and the enjoyment of infamous pleasures, here. The
soul stained and branded with its vices, goes into
eternity, to a God whose authority it has disowned, a
judgment which it has defied, and a fate which it can-
NOrBeiSM UNVEILED. 307
not avert ? From that fate must we not desire to save
those who share with us the gift of immortality ?
" Fellow Christians ! our Lord and Savior came to
seek and to save that which was lost — to redeem them
who were ready to perish, from the evil of their ways —
to bear the quickening and renewing influences of divine
truth to souls that were buried in sin. Have we not a
duty to perform as his followers ? Is not the ministra-
tion of his gospel committed to our hands ? If we
have experienced the salvation that is through him, and
have ' tasted the good word of God, and the powers of
the world to come,' do we not owe it to those who are
held in the captivity of their own lusts, heirs of cor-
ruption and strangers to the promise, to exert ourselves
for their deliverance, that if possible, we may bring
them to God, through him who is ' the way, the truth,
and the life V Do we n@t owe it to those who are beset
by temptations with which they are unable to cope, to
assist them in their great peril, or to diminish, if we
may, the hazards of their condition ? Do we not owe
it to the community in which we live, at least to inquire
whether we may not do something to limit the ravages
of the most fearful evil that can fasten itself upon the
moral life of a people ?
" Friends and fellow Christians ! we appeal alike to
your conviction of duty, and to your sense of personal
interest. We appeal to your reverence for the Bible,
and remind you of the plainness and severity of the
language which is there used respecting those who
' fulfil the lust of the flesh.' Is a vice denounced in
such unequivocal terms in the Holy Scriptures, one on
which Christian sensibility or Christian delicacy may
not even utter a word ? We appeal to your faith in the
religion of Christ, whose name you bear. We entreat
you to remember not only his condemnation of every
308 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
impure desire, but his rebuke of those who, having
much committed to them, yet, through neghgence or
timidity, are unfaithful to their opportunities of useful-
ness. We beseech you to bear in mind his example,
and the encouragement he has given to those who shall
follow him in the regeneration of the world."
NOYBSISM UNVBILBD. 800
CHAPTER XXXI.
DOCTRINES OF THE PERFECTIONISTS.
Perfectionist Creed — Theses of the Second Reforma-
tion.
Having disposed, in the main, of the historical part
of Noyesism, we now proceed, in pursuance of our
plan, to notice some of its leading doctrines. We shall
in the first place give the Perfectionist Creed, at least
so far as it has been presented to the public in a tangi-
ble form.
In the Witness of Aug. 20, 183T, we find the
following : —
" What we believe.'^''
1. " We beheve, that God is the only rightful inter-
preter of the Bible, and teacher of theological truth, —
hence,
2. We beheve, that no doctrine can become an
article of true faith ^ which is not recognized by the
believer as an immediate revelation to him from God, —
jet,
3. We believe, that God, " who worketh all in allj^^
can and does teach his own truth, through his written
word and through the testimony of his sons, — therefore,
4. We beheve it is proper, that we should state, as
untnesses for God, the fundamental articles of our own
faith.
5. We believe " there is none good but one, that is
God," — that all the righteousness m the vmiverse is
God's righteousness.
6. We beheve, that God's righteousness may be
310 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
revealed in his creatures, as a man's spirit is revealed
in the motions of his body.
7. We believe, that " the works of the flesh, [i. e.
human nature,] are adultery, uncleanness, envyings,
strife, and such lihe'^ only.
8. We beheve, that all attempts to produce better
results from human nature, by instruction and legal
discipline, only increase the evil, — inasmuch as they
refine and disguise, without removing it.
9. We believe, that the Son of God was manifested
in human nature for the purpose of destroying, (not
reforming,) the works of the flesh, and revealing the
righteousness of God.
10. We believe, that the righteousness of God was
never revealed in human nature, till the birth of Jesus
Christ.
11. We believe, that the object of all God's dealings
with the human race before the birth of Christ, was,
not to promote the righteousness of the flesh, i. e.
self-righteousness, i. e. the perfection of sin ; but to
prepare the way for the manifestation of his own
righteousness through Jesus Christ, — hence,
12. We beheve that the righteousness of the saints,
under the law before Christ, was only " a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image of the
things," bearing a relation to the true righteousness of
God, like that of a type to its anti-type.
13. We believe, that the servants of God under the
law, by submission to the discipline of the dispensation
in which they lived, were prepared for, and became
heirs of the righteousness of God, afterward revealed
by Jesus Christ.
14. We believe, that " God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto himself," — that the union of human and
divine in him, made the righteousness of God accessi-
ble to all men.
NOYESISM tJNYEILBD. 311
15. We believe, that Christ is properly called the
second Adam, and as the human race in spirit is one
body, that he became, by his incarnation, " the light
that lighteth every man."
16. We beheve, that all who are apprized by the
gospel of the fact, that the Son of God has come, are
thereby called to choose whether they will hold the
fallen or the risen Adam as their head.
17. We believe, that faith alone receives, and unbe-
lief alone rejects, the blessings given to men by the
second Adam, — ^by faith men awake to a perception of
the truth as it is in Christ, — unbelief is the devil's
dream.
18. We believe, that Christ, as he is in his resurrec-
tion and glory ^ is given to every member of the
human race.
19. We believe, that all the faith, righteousness,
liberty and glory of the risen Son of God, are given to
every man.
20. We believe,. that Christ in his incarnation was
" made under the law," and that the christian dispen-
sation did not commence, in any sense, until he
ascended up on high.
21. We believe, that none are christians, in any
sense, till they receive Christ in his resurrection, —
hence,
22. We believe, that the disciples of Christ, during
his personal ministry in the flesh, were not christians.
23. We believe, that Christ in the resurrection is
free from sin, from the law, from all ordinances, and
from death ; hence all who are subject to any of these,
are not properly called christians, as not having
attained the hope of their calling.
24. We believe, that the history which the Bible
contains of the Church, after Christ's ascension, com-
monly called the primitive church, is a history rather
312 NOYESISM UNVBILBB.
of the latter-day glory of Judaism, than of the com-
mencement of Christianity.
25. We believe, that the apostles and primitive
believers, so far as they were subject to sin, law, and
death, were Jews and not christians.
26. We believe, that Christ plainly and repeatedly
promised to his disciples, that he would come to them
a second time and complete their salvation within the
life-time of some of his immediate followers.
27. We beheve, that the primitive church, living in
the transition period, from the first to the second com-
ming of Christ, were more or less partakers of the
resurrection, holiness, liberty, and glory of Christ
according to their faith.
28. We believe, that at the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, the end of the Jewish dispensation, Christ .came
to beHevers the second time, according to his promise.
29. We believe, that at the period of the second
coming of Christ, Christianity, or the kingdom of
heaven, properly began.
30. We beheve, that this was the period of the full
development of the New Covenant, (Heb. viii.)
which secures to believers perfect and eternal salvation
from sin, full freedom from written law and human
instruction.
31. We beheve, that the whole body of Christ, i. e.
the church, attained the perfect resurrection of the
spiritual body at his second coming.
32. We believe, that Antichrist, at the same period,
attained the perfect resurrection of damnation.
33. We believe, that this was the period of the
commencement of the judgment, (crisis, see the
Greek,) of this world.
34. We beheve, that after this period, the salvation
given to all men in Jesus Christ, included nothing less
than a perfect and eternal salvation from sin, — a por-
KOYESISM UN VEILED. 813
feet redemption from the law and legal instruction — a
perfect resurrection of tlie spiritual body, and a stand-
ing on the plain of eternity beyond the judgment."
Below will be found a few remarks made by Abner
Kneeland relative to the above creed. Pehaps we
owe an apology to the reader for here introducing the
name of Kneeland, the great champion of modern
infidelity. We would simply say, that we were induced
so to do from the consideration that his remarks would
serve a very important purpose. They show conclu-
sively that avowed infidels consider the practical results
of the principles held by Perfectionists as identical
with their own, at least, as it respects religious worship,
both tending directly to do it entirely away.
The remarks above alluded to were pubHshed in
connection with the Perfectionist creed by Mr. Knee-
land in his infidel organ, the Boston Investigator, of
July 24, 1835, and are as follows :
" We have pubHshed this week the creed of the
' Perfectionists,' as they modestly call themselves,
merely to let our readers know what a confused mess
of unmeaning and ridiculous nonsense religious people
can adopt as sublime mysteries. This is a mystery a
thousand times more mystified than any thing in the
Bible ; and if it be revelation, taken as a whole, it is a
revealed mess of hodge-podge. We hke this creed on
one account, because, as no one can tell what it means,
there is no risk in either behoving" or disbeheving it ;
and as it is intended to do away, and in fact does do
away, all necessity of worship, or religious teaching of
any kind, all being taught immediately from the pure
fountain, and all know that they are right, however
314 NOTBSIBM UNVBIL8D.
much they differ from each other, it comes, practically
at least, if not in principle, exactly to our views. Our
only fears are, that they will know so much, and so
perfectly, about rehgion, there will not be much room
for knowledge of any other kind. If they will be only
satisfied with what is revealed, so as to be perfectly
contented and unconcerned about it, givuig themselves
time and opportunity to attend to every thing else that
is useful for the time being, there will be practically no
manner of difference so far as regards all religious
mummery, between the behevers in this creed and
those who have no creed at all — ^between the consum-
mation and perfection of all religion and no religion.
The only difference will be, the Perfectionists will be
unavoidably superstitious, while those who make no
pretensions to religious faith, are mere rationalists.'^
We protest against the apparent coupling of the
Perfectionist creed with the doctrines of evangelical
denominations, which appears in the above language.
Aside from this, the remarks of Mr. Kneeland contain
more truth than fiction — he makes many just allusions
and gives the Pei-fectionists several happy hits. One
important fact, worthy of special attention, stands out
very prominently to view, viz., that the doctrines of
Kneeland and Noyes tend directly to the same point —
that Perfectionism and the rankest infidelity practically,
if not in principle, coincide ** exactly''' — both aiming a
deadly blow, though in a different way, at the very
vitals of true religion.
It is not at all strange that Abner Kneeland liked
the Perfectionist creed in some respects, seeing there
is so little difference between that creed and no creed —
N0TB6ISM UNVEILED. 315
between the perfection and consummation of that hind
of religion and no religion at all !
Of the two, Kneeland occupied the more honorable
position. He and his adherents had the boldness to
openly avow their sentiments — take a position antago-
nistical to all reUgion, and bide the consequences ;
while Noyes and his company, like a piratical crew or
a set of cowardly miscreants, have been sailing under
false colors. The one has worn its own true attire and
fully exhibited its native deformity, while the other has
appeared in disguise and concealed its disgusting
features.
Theses of the Second Reformation.
To give a more extended view of the doctrines of
Noyesism, we quote the following sentiments published
under the above heading, in the Perfectionist of Feb.
22, 1845.
"1. God is a dual being, consisting of the Father
and the Word ; and man, as male and female, is his
image and likeness.
2. By the Word, ^ all things were made that ivere
mflt<ie, viz., heaven and earth, and all the ' principalities,
thrones and dominions' that belong to them.
o. All things that God made were ' very good,' and
evil never originated by his act or in his works or with
his consent.
4. ' The old serpent called the Devil and Satan'
was a ' sinner from the beginning,' and is the un-
created source of all evil as God is the uncreated
source of all good.
5. This evil being was permitted to seduce Adam
and Eve into sin, and thus to incorporate into himself
spiritually the parent stock of the whole human family.
316 NOYESISM UK VEILED.
6. One consequence of this event has been that the
whole posterity of Adam and Eve have been born in
spiritual captivity to the author of sin and death.
7. Another consequence has been that Satan, availing
himself of the reproductive powers of human nature,
has intermixed his own proper seed with the posterity
of Adam.
8. The depravity of mankind is therefore of two
sorts. The ' seed of the woman' are depraved by
spiritual incorporation with Satan ; while the ' seed of
the serpent' are depraved by vital identity with him.
9. Both of these classes are involved in a ruin that
would have been eternal, had not a system of re-
demption been instituted.
10. The depravity of the latter class is such that
they will never avail themselves of the offer of re-
demption, and of course their ruin be eternal.
11. The former class being less radically depraved,
will hear the voice of mercy and attain eternal sal-
vation.
12. God foreknowing these diverse results of the two
sorts of depravity, predestinated men accordingly — the
' seed of the serpent' to perdition, and the 'seed of the
woman' to eternal life.
13. The proximate object of the system of re-
demption is the disengagement of men from the evil
spirit with which they are incorporated, and their
restoration to spiritual unity with God.
14. To the end the entire administration of God in
this world has been directed from the beginning.
15. Yet the means of its actu^ accomplishment
were not introduced into the world till the times of the
gospel.
16. By the call of Abraham and the isolation of
his seed, God prepared a nation to be the vehicle of
NOYBSISM UNVEILBD. 317
his communications and the theatre of the final act of
redemption.
17. By the law and the prophets he purged the
chosen people of idolatry, advanced them in external
morality and civilization, excited their hopes of a future
dispensation of holiness, and so prepared the way for
the gospel.
18. Yet there was thus far no radical redemption
from the spirit of evil, either in this world or in that
which is beyond death. The reunion of God and man
was a ' mystery hid from the generations and ages' of
the old testament ; and without that there could be no
effectual resurrection of the spirit from the power of
sin or of the body from the power of death, i. e. no
Second Birth.
19. Nevertheless, they who feared God and died in
faith, under the legal dispensation, were reserved in a
state of partial happiness in the world of souls till the
revelation of the gospel mystery, and then received
perfect salvation.
20. But their sinful experience under the law, as
recorded in the Old Testament, is not to be admitted
as evidence against the completeness of the salvation
which came by the gospel.
21. The incarnation of the Word or Son of God,
was the beginning of the process by which the effectual
redemption of mankind from the evil one, and their
re-union with God, was accomplished.
22. By the incarnation and its concomitants the
power of the uncreated God was introduced into human
nature, and brought to bear upon the power of the
uncreated Devil.
23. Jesus Christ, by the .strength of his divine
nature, overcame sin in his own flesh from the begin-
ning, and so maintained open communication with the
Father.
S18 NOYBSISM UNYHILBD.
24. Bj the influence of his spirit, bj the confidence
which his miracles elicited, and by the wisdom of his
words and deeds, he drew about himself such a body
of disciples as was necessary to constitute a medium
of spiritual communication between himself and the
world.
25. By his death he completed his obedience to the
Father, and his sympathy with the temptations of
humanity, and at the same time established com-
munication with Hades, the abode of the dead.
26. From this lowest point of his descent, the Father
by his mighty power drew him back to his own bosom ;
and in this ascent he burst the gates of Hades and
Mortality, the dominions of the evil one, and left them
open behind him.
27. As his descent into fellowship with humanity
had not broken his communication with the Father,
so his ascent to the bosom of the Father did not break
his communication with humanity. He was now, on
the one hand, ' Lord of the living and the dead,' (i. e.
in spiritual union with men in the flesh and men in
Hades,) and, on the other, fully reinstated in his
primeval partnership with the Father. Thus the train
was fully laid for the at - one - ment.
28. By the intercession of Christ, the spirit of truth
was next poured out ; and active communication
between God and man commenced.
29. It was the office of the Spirit to show believers
'the things of Christ,' and in process of time it revealed
to them his divine nature, his \'ictory over sin and
death, the judgment of the prince of this world, and
the spiritual reconciliation of God with man.
V' 30. The apprehension of these facts brought believers
into fellowship with Christ's death and resurrection,
and made them partakers of his divine nature and his
victory over the evil one.
NOYKSISM UNVBILKD. 319
31. This was the Second Birth ; and before this, no
man had ever been bom.
32. As the dispensation of the second birth dates
from a period subsequent to the personal ministry of
Christ, and subsequent to the out-pouring of the spirit,
it is manifest that the sins of the disciples while Christ
was in the flesh, and during the early part of the
apostohc age, are not to be received as evidence
against the perfectness of gospel regeneration.
33. The second birth of the primitive believers, was
in fact the beginning of their resurrection.
34. As such, it transferred them in spirit from this
world to immortality, and thus released them from the
law of ordinances and carnal commandments.
35. It set them free from all sin.
36. It gave them eternal security of holiness.
37. The life which it gave to the soul, extended its
influence more or less to the body.
38. It terminated, after a few years, in a full resur-
rection and glorification of the body, and a translation
to the presence of the Father.
39. The second Advent took place immediately after
the destruction of Jerusalem, according to the plain
predictions of Christ, and the acknowledged expecta-
tions of his followers.
40. The saints in Hades and Mortality were then
rmsed from the dead, and judgment was administered
upon them and upon their enemies.
41. These transactions took place in the spiritual
world.
42. This was a resurrection and judgment of only a
part of mankind.
43. The world, as a whole, had not then received
the preparatory legal training, necessary to the spiritual
apprehension of the gospel. The universal resurrec-
tion and judgment, therefere was deferred.
320 NOYBSISM UNVEILHD.
44. The legal dispensation wlu^h had been given to
the Jews, was transferred, after the destruction of
Jerusalem, to the Gentiles.
45. The rehgion of Christendom, since the apostolic
age, though it has borne the name and external of
Christianity, has in fact been a second edition of Juda-
ism.
46. The second birth, founded as it was in the prun-
itive chui'ch on a spiritual apprehension of the resur-
rection of Christ, and effectual as it was to save from
all sin, has not been known in the nominal Christian
church since the Second Advent.
47. The second and final resurrection and judgment
are yet future.
48. But within a few years the primitive faith of
regeneration by the resurrection of Christ has again
been given to the world ; and thus the process has
commenced, which, according to the order of the for-
mer dispensation, must ere long terminate in the second
resurrection and judgment.
49. No radical reformation of mankind will ever be
effected by any other agency than that which God has
employed, viz., the power of Christ's resurrection,
which overcomes the evil one and saves from all sin ;
and no end of the tribulations of this world will ever
be attained, but by the judgment which separates the
righteous from the wicked.
50. When the power of the resurrection and judg-
ment shall have done its work, uncreated Good will
commence its perfect and eternal triumph over uncre-
ated Evil — Christ will assume the dominion which
Satan has usurped over this world, and ' of the increase
of his government there shall be no end,' "
The above Theses, together with the Articles of
Faith already given, constitute the Perfectionist creed.
KOYBSISM UNVEILED. 321
or, at least, so much of it as Mr. Nojes has ever
drawn up in consecutive order, and given to the public
in a condensed and tangible form. Other portions of
the creed, considered no less important by them, have
been kept back, in perfect keeping with Perfectionist
policy. This creed, in the main, appears to be of a
speculative character — though not without some impor-
tant practical bearings of evil tendency, as the sequel
clearly shows — and is made up, for the most part, of
absurd and fanatical notions which all right-minded
persons would immediately reject; but as there is
nothing too absurd for a certain class of the commu-
nity to embrace, this creed, as unscriptural, contra-
dictory, and even ridiculous, as some parts of it
evidently are, is cordially received by those who are
extremely fond of netv things, however inconsistent and
erroneous they may be.
In addition to what has already been given, there
are also many broken fragments and detached portions
of the Perfectionist creed, scattered throughout their
multifarious writings, which it will be our object, so far
as they are worthy of notice, to gather up and present
in their proper place. Moreover, it is evident, from
recent disclosures and the present aspect of affairs,
that Mr. Noyes resorted to some well-devised strata-
gems, and had used considerable adroitness in the
aggressive warfare, which, for a number of years, he
has been carrying on against religion and the best
intei-ests of society. He appears to have studiously
21
322 NOYBSISM UNVBILBD.
avoided publishing his real sentimentg relative to some
points, and has so mystified others by confused expla-
nations and dextrous manoeuvres of the pen, as to keep
his readers in almost total darkness respecting his real
designs. Thus by his artful policy he kept the worst
features of the system concealed for several years from
the community at large ; and he undoubtedly did this
lest it should be so disgusting, when viewed in its
native dress and most revolting form, as to be instantly
discarded by those whom he wished to secure, and
thus his hopes be blasted and his plans frustrated.
He evidently laid the heaviest contributions upon
his available energies, and toiled almost incessantly to
make the fatal draught of error and iniquity assume
the pleasing aspect of a rich and wholesome repast,
that the specious poison of sin, like a gilded bait,
might be swallowed ere the devoted victim should be
apprized of the danger to which he was exposed. And
in some instances he has been too successful.
By garnishing the most fatal errors and seductive
heresies with the tinsel drapery of his false philosophy,
Mr. Noyes has deceived and drawn in those who had.
not sufficient discernment to penetrate the flimsy veil
which he had thrown over this monster of iniquity,
modem Perfectionism ! And those who have been
duped and deluded by his artful disguise, perhaps in
many instances have verily behoved that he was setting
foiih the soundest doctrines, when in fact he w^
roaming the regions of fancy and expatiating at
pleasure —
NOYBSISM UNVBILBD. 323
•* On speculations wild,
And visionary theories absurd,
Prodigiously, deliriously absurd,
Compared with which, the most erroneous flight
That poet ever took when warm with wine,
Was moderate conjecturing !"
Nevertheless he has sought to sustam his visionary
notions bv proofs drawn from the Bible ; and bj utter
perversions of scripture, arid an imposing array of
sophistical arguments, he has confirmed his deluded
followers in the belief that he is a sound and logical
reasoner ; and this is not very surprising, for it is evi-
dent that —
" He had an art,
A kind of hellish charm, tiat made the lips
Of truth speak falsehood, to his liking turned
The meaning of the text, made trifles seem
The marrow of salvation."
And undoubtedly to the full satisfaction of hia fol-
lowers, he —
" Proved still his reasoning best, and his belief,
Most rational, most scriptural, most sound,
Though propped on fancies wild as madman's dreams ;
With mortal heresy denouncing all
Who in hia arguments could see no force."
3M HOYESISM UNVEILBD.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Noyes^s Views of Deity — Image of God — View$ of
Noyes concerning AngeU.
We deem it proper in this connection to give the
views of Mr. Noyes respecting the Deitj. In refer-
ence to the Godhead he lays down the following
proposition as an article of faith : —
" God is a dual being, consisting of the Father and
the Word ; and man as male and female, is his image
or likeness."
Again, speaking of the unity of our first parents,
and assuming that they are '• an image or miniature by
which we are to form our conceptions of the nature
of God," he says,
" We are led to the simple conclusion, that the
uncreated Creator, the Head of the universe, like the
head of mankind and the head of every family, though
one, is yet ' twain ;' (Mark 10 : 8 ;) in a word, that
the creation has a Father and a Mother."
Again in reference to the same point he says : —
•* If we reason from the seen to the unseen, assuming
that the essential nature of the effect is in the cause,
we have proof as broad as the universe, that the God-
head is a duality ; for every link of the chain of pro-
ductive life, in its whole visible extent from the lowest
region of the vegetable kingdom, to the highest of the
animal, is a duahty. The distinction between male and
female is as universal as vitality, and all visible
evidence goes to prove that it is the indispensable
condition of reproduction, i. e, of vital creation. If
NOYBSISM UNVBILSD. 825
we j&nd two elements in all the streams of life, why
should we not infer that the same two elements are in
the Fountain ?"
Once more— as more fully explanatory of his views
Mr. N. holds the following language : —
'' I do regard the Father and the Son, as two Spirits^
who bear a similar social (not physical') relation to
each other as that which exists between man and
woman, one of whom is greater than the other, (as the
man is greater than the woman) who love each other
and have pleasure in their fellowship, (as man and
woman love and have pleasure in spiritual fellowship)
who are the joint parents of all created things, (as
man and woman are the joint parents of their offspring)
who are thus the prototype in whose image Adam and
Eve were made."
Lastly, in his preface to the Berean Mr. N. says :
" We believe, not in the Trinity, nor in the Unity,
b ut in the Duality of the Godhead ; and that Duality
in our view, is imaged in the two-fold personality of the
first man, who was made ' male and female.' Gren. 1 :
27. As Adam was to Eve, so is the Father to the
Son ; i. e. he is the same in nature, but greater in
power and glory. '^
The reader will undoubtedly find it very difficult to
discover the propriety of representing the Son of God
as the female part of the Godhead ! Moreover, Christ
is represented in the above language as being inferior
in "power and glory" to the Father, which is diametri-
cally opposed to the most plain and unequivocal
declarations of Scripture. St. Paul says Christ
" thought it not robbery to be equal with God."
326 U0YB6ISM UNVBILBD.
Phil. 2:6. And the Evangelist John declares that
the " Word was Crod.^^ John 1:1. These passages
with many others of similar import clearly show that
the Son was not inferior in power and glory to the
Father, the assertions of Mr. N. to the contrary
notwithstanding.
The untenableness of the positions and the fallacy
of the reasoning found in the foregoing extracts, must
be apparent to all.
The Godhead is represented by Mr. N. as a duality,
in opposition to the doctrine of the Trinity, so clearly
taught and abundantly supported by the Scriptures.
The Bible teaches us that there is one God — and that
there are three distinct persons united and existing in
the Godhead, co-equal and co-existent, viz : — The
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
From the whole tenor of Mr. N.'s writings, but
more especially from tracing his views of Deity, the
reader cannot fail to perceive, and must be forcibly
impressed with the fact that his sentiments are ex-
tremely low and grovelling. He turns every thing
that he touches into a polluted channel : and his mind
appears to be almost or quite incapable of soaring above
sensual objects. From the corrupt vein running
through all his writings, the current of his thoughts and
drift of his feelings are most apparent.
Image of God,
Mr. Noyes imagines that he discovers an image of
the Gt)dhead in the circumstance of our original
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. S27
progenitors having been created male and female !
This is supremely contemptible, and the most absurd
of all absurdities. God being an infinite and eternal
Spirit, no visible form or physical organization can be
an appropriate symbol of the Divine Nature. God
being a Spirit, can have no corporeal image whatever.
That great prohibitory precept with which the deca-
logue opens, and which was designed as an antidote to
every species of idolatry, forbids the making of any
'' image ^ or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven
ahove^ or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earthJ' Ex. 20: 4.
Moses, in exhorting the children of Israel to beware
of the idolatry so prevalent in Egypt, says : — " Take
ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; (^for ye saw
no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake
unto you in Horeh out of the midst of the fire ; ) lest
ye corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, the
similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or fe-
male." Deut. 4: 15, 16.
There were some among the corrupt and idolatrous
Egyptians, who, like Mr. Noyes, found in the male and
i^male figure the fittest image to gratify the impure
workings of their own depraved hearts and sensualized
imaginations ; and Moses^ in cautioning the Israelites
against such gross idolatry, uses specific language —
language plainly implying that a figure or image
representing the male or female form would be as
improper and inappropriate to shadow forth the God-
head as any representation whatever, which would not
328 NOYESISM UNVBILED.
have been the case were it what Mr. N. imagines it to
be. All material forms whatever, in heaven or earth,
utterly fail to give us any adequate conception of the
incomprehensible Jehovah. There is not the least
approximation in any figure toward that mysterious
Bemg who has neither " body nor parts.'^
The language just quoted is fatal to the theory of
Noyes, and clearly shows that the position he has
assumed is utterly mitenable.
For scriptural proof to sustain his position, Mr. N.
rehes solely upon Gen. 1 : 27, " So God created man
in his own image, in the image of God created he him ;
male and female created he them." This passage
affords no support to Mr. N.'s favorite theory. The
o-rammatical construction does not warrant the con-
es
elusions to which he has arrived. There is reference
in this passage loth to the image in which man was
created, and his physical structure — they are spoken
of separately and not conjointly — ^the one being distinct
from, the other.
Moreover, the image of God, in which man was
created, could not have been physical, but must have
been intellectual or moral ; for God in his very nature
is a spiritual essence — an intellectual and moral being.
The image then of the creature must have corresponded
with the nature of the Creator.
But the Scriptures are not silent relative to this
subject. St. Paul fixes this image with so much pre-
cision and definiteness that no sincere inquirer after
truth need err or be in doubt. He makes it to consist
NOYBSISM UNVEILBB. B20
in knotvledge, in righteousness, and true holiness. In
fwriting to the Colossians he says :- — '' Ye have put off
the old man with his deeds ; and have put on the new
man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him." — Col. 3 : 9, 10. Again, to the
Ephesians he sajs : — "Put on the new. man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holi-
ness:'—E^h. 4 : 24,
Thus it appears that man was originally ivise in ^m-
derstanding, holy in heart, and righteous in life ;
which moral qualities constituted the image in which
he was created. Here we have proof toucliing this
point which is " direct and decisive,'' and that which is
" indirect and doubtftd " must yield to it.
This point is settled, then, by incontestible proofs ;
but it will appear in a clearer hght on further ex-
amination. The great end of the mission of Christ
into the world was to recover man from the ruins of the
fall — reinstate him in the Divine favor — and restore
the image which was lost by transgression. The image
to be restored by Christ was that which was lost by the
fall — the image lost by the fall was the image in which
man was created — hence the image which Christ came
to restore was that which man originally possessed ;
and we have already ascertained that it was a moral
image, consisting in knowledge, righteousness, and true
holiness.
The Scriptures abundantly sustain the position that
it is the peculiar and appropriate work of Christ as a
Redeemer and Savior to restore to man that which was
380 NOYBSISM imVEILED.
lost by the fall. If the image in which man was
created was physical, then the loss of that image by |
the fall was a physical loss, and the restoration by
Christ must be physical also. But the fall produced
no change in man's physical structure, and the
restoration — at least so far as relates to what takes
place in the present life — is not physical ; hence the
image in which man was created was not physical.
But again — if the image was physical, then all men,
irrespective of moral character, possess that image, and
will to all eternity, according to Mr. N.'s views ; for he
beheves that image will never be effaced, much less
obliterated, but that the identity if not the present
peculiar structure of man's physical organization will
continue forever. Mr. Noyes also believes in the
future punishment of the wicked — then it follows,
according to his notions, that the wicked, while writh-
ing under the scalding vials of Jehovah's wrath, will
retain, with as much distinctness and in as high a
degree of perfection, the image of God, as man
possessed when he came pure from the plastic hand of
his Maker ! Forever suffering and yet forever pos-
sessing the image of God, in which he was created !
But in addition to the feeble testimony adduced to
sustain the unwarrantable position assumed, Mr. N. has
advanced one argument, and the rest he has to say
relative to the subject is made up mostly of assertions
and assumptions. The argument alluded to is found in
the preceding extracts and is as follows : —
^' If we reason from the seen to the unseen, assuming
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 331
that the esential nature of the effect is in the cause, we
have proof as broad as the universe, that the Godhead
is a duality ; for every link of the chain of productive
life, in its whole visible extent from the lowest region
of the vegetable kingdom to the highest of the animal,
is a duality. The distinction between male and female
is as universal as vitality, and all visible evidence goes
to prove that it is the indispensable condition of repro-
duction, i. e. of vital creation. If we find two elements
in all the streams of life, why should we not infer that
the same two elements are in the Fountain."
The above appears to be the sum of Mr. N.'s rea-
soning touching this point ; and although it is somewhat
plausible, it is nevertheless unsound. To reason from
the seen to the unseen in this matter is quite sophistical.
Though the visible creation bespeaks an invisible Author,
yet from the works of nature we cannot ascertain, to
any considerable extent, the true character of Deity, or
the mode of the Divine Existence. It is one thing to
institute comparisons and draw analogies, and quite
another thing to prove that they are founded in the
reality of things. If the essential nature of the cause
is in the effect, then we might prove that God is a
material Being ; and on the same principle we might
prove that the " essential nature" of the artisan is in
every piece of handiwork which he produces — which
would be utterly absurd.
From the views and reasoning of Mr. N., we should
infer that through his inverted optics and distorted
vision he sees all things double, and that nothing to
him has any beauty or comeliness except a duality,
332 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
having the distinction of male and female. Who can
refrain from expressing his utter abhorrence of such
grovelling sentiments, and such debasing ^dews of the
Divine Nature ? While Mr. N. has been deahng
largely in sublime mysteries, so evanescent that they
have evaporated into airy nothings, a few disciples have
gathered around liim, apparently struck with amaze-
ment ; and while gazing almost with adoring wonder,
have verily behoved that Mr. N. was soaring to the lofti-
est heights, diving to the lowest depths, and ranging the
remotest regions of spiritual philosophy, when in fact
he was fast bound to the car of carnality himself, and
was dragging his hoodwinked and deluded followers
through the filth of sensuality down to the lowest
depths of degradation and the darkest shades of black
despair.
Views of Noyes concerning Angels,
Mr. N. not only assumes the position that sexual
distinction exists in the Godhead, but also that it exists
among angels ! The following language of Mr. N.
contains this sentiment : —
"' I confess I see nothing very horrible in the idea
of there being sexual distinction in the angehc race.
If the distuiction of spirits^ the twofold life, which I
have described in what I have said ' of God, exists in
the angelic nature, (as I behove it exists in every
living thing, from God to the lowest vegetable,) I see
no very alarming reason why that distinction should
not be expressed in the bodily form of angels as well as
men."
In support of the theory that sexual distinction
NOYESISM UNVEILED. BS3
exists in angelic natures, Mr. N. relies mainly, if not
wholly, upon a few passages found in the 6th chapter
of Genesis, and the Epistle of Jude. And a remark
which he makes in reference to these passages brings
his ideas in relation to the nature of angels distinctly
to view. He says his view of the meaning of these
passages " involves no intrinsic absurdity. It only
makes a breach in the theories of those who assume
without proof that angels have not a corporeal and
sexual nature."
Here Mr. N. takes a stand, and we think he
" assumes without proof" that angels have a " corporeal
and sexual nature." This sentiment is apparently
very gross, and a little investigation will show that it is
utterly absurd and anti-scriptural.
The proof on wliich Mr. N. rehes to sustain his
theory in the Old Testament, is found in Genesis, 6 :
1, 2. "And it came to pass, when men began to
multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters
were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they were fair ; and they took
them wives of all which they chose."
Mr. N. contends that the sons of God here spoken
of were angels ; and asserts that most of the ancient
Christian Fathers, and many of the modern Jewish
Rabbins favor this exposition. But such authorities
will never sustain a theory so obviously absurd and
anti-scriptural. The declaration of the Savior made in
reply to the curious and inquisitive Sadducees, is fatal
to the position of Mr. N, Christ declares that, " In
834 N0YBSI8M UNVBILBD.
the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. '^
Matt. 22 : 30.
Mr. N. believes and asserts that " marriage does not
exist in heaven," which is equivalent to admitting that
it has no place simong the angelic hosts ; and in the
passage just quoted it seems to be assigned as the prin-
cipal reason why in the " resurrection they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage,'* — that they are as
angels. This shows conclusively that the Creator
never designed angels for a marriage stat6 ; and from
their very natures they are evidently incapacitated for
such a state.
Now, the sons of God mentioned in Genesis, 6 : 2,
took wives, or entered into the matrimonial relation;
consequently they could Twt have been angels. The
most rational and consistent interpretation of the
passage under consideration is, iiiat the " sons of God"
were the descendants of Seth, who were so called
because of their eminent piety ; and that the " daugh-
ters of men" with whom they intermarried, were the
progeny of wicked Cain.
But Mr. N. tries to press St. Jude into his service,
and obtain from him some support for his theory. We
give his quotation with a few comments which he has
attached : — ■
" The angels which kept not their first estate, but
left their own habitation^ he hath reserved in everlast^
ing chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the
great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the
NOYBSISM UN VEILED . 335
cities about them, in like manner giving themselves
over to fornication^ and going after strange Jieshy are
set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of
eternal fire.' The account, and the only one which we
have in the Old Testament, to which we can suppose
Jude to have referred, of angels leaving their own
habitation and going after other flesh, is found in the
sixth chapter of Genesis, where it is said, that ' when
men began to multiply on the faee of the earth, and
daughters were bom unto them, the sons of God saw
the daughters of men that they were fair ; and they
took them wives of all that they chose.' " — Berean,
p. 100.
The quotation from Jude, which Mr. N. has given,
taken independently of the connection in which it
stands, gives a false and perverted view of the apostle's
teaching. According to Mr. N.'s construction, Sodom,
Gomorrah, and the cities about them, gave themselves
over to fornication in like manner unto the angels
which left their own habitation. This exposition
carries its own refutation with it, for it has already
been seen that the sons of Cfod spoken of in the sixth
chapter of Genesis to which Mr. N. supposes Jude
referred, were not angels.
They " took them wives," and however unwise this
m-ay have been under the circumstances, and whatever
ruinous consequences may have resulted to them per-
sonally therefrom, we have no intimation that they
violated any natural or statute law. If there was
nothing unlawful in their course, they were not guilty
of fornication, and could not have been referred to by
Jude as having gone after strange flesh. This view of
336 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
the subject completely overturns the whole theory of
Mr. N., for the inhabitants of Sodom, Gomorrah,
and the cities about them, Avere guilty of fornication
in like manne?' to a class already mentioned, which
could not have been the sons of God as Mr. N. would
have it, for they were not guilty of that sin, as has
been seen.
Mr. N.'s interpretation is far-fetched, as appears by
consulting the context of the passage which he has
quoted. Jude opens his Epistle with a general exhor-
tation to all true believers, '' earnestly to contend for
the faith which was once dehvered unto the saints."
He also warns them against the dangers to which they
were exposed, arising from false teachers who were
among them, disseminating their pernicious heresies.
" Por," says he, " there are cei^tain men crept in una-
wares, who were before of old ordained to this condem-
nation; ungodly men, turning the grace of our God
into licentiousness." — Ver. 4.
Thus Jude prominently sets forth the sin of those
false teachers who had insinuated themselves into the
Church by specious pretences, and who were striving
to overthrow the faith of true believers, and turn them
away from the simplicity of the Gospel ; and he inti-
mates that they were doomed to condign punishment.
And for the purpose of illustrating the subject, and
making it more impressive, Jude immediately intro-
duced several striking examples where signal judgments
had been inflicted for heinous offences. The first
example mentioiieA, is, .that of tlie unbelieving Israelites,
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 33T
wlio, notwithstanding they had been miraculously
delivered from Egyptian bondage, were afterward
destroyed in the wilderness, because they believed not
the word, neither obeyed the commands of Grod. The
seco7id example cited, is that of the apostate angels
who are '' reserved in everlasting chains, under dark-
ness, unto the judgment of the great day." The
third example adduced is that of the wicked inhabit-
ants of Sodom and Gomorrah, who, giving themselves
over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, in
LIKE MANNER unto the false teachers mentioned in verse
4, dxe set forth for an example of what God will do to
such transgressors.
He then calls these false teachers '^filthy dreamers,^''
and conveys the idea that they and their followers
were as unbelieving and disobedient as the Israelites in
the wilderness, as rebellious against the authority of
God as the fallen angels^ and as impure and unholy 2i^
the Sodomites; and that consequently they must
expect similar punishment.
But the sentiments of St. Peter perfectly harmonize
with those of St. Jude when speaking of the same or
a similar class of persons, and come in to corroborate
the view which we have taken of the subject, and
confirm, our exposition of Jude's language. St. Peter
says : — " There shall be false teachers among you, who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies."
These false teachers appear to have advanced and
inculcated sentiments quite similar to those taught by
Noyes, at least in some- resr^ects. A kind of Antino-
22
338 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
mianism was probably the foundation of their many
heresies. One commentator says : — '^ They pampered
and indulged the lusts of the flesh ; and, if the
Nicolaitans are meant, it is very appHcable to them,
for they taught the community of wives, &c."
It is said that many should follow their pernicious
ways ; by reason of whom the way of truth should be
evil spoken of. If persons professing Christianity,
follow abominable practices, the way of truth — the
Christian religion, is blasphemed. Should they call
themselves by any other name than that of Christ, his
religion would not suffer.
Now, Peter presents the rebellious angels, the wicked
antideluvians, and the corrupt inhabitants of Sodom
and Gomorrah, as ensamples to those who should
afterward live ungodly ; thus showing that those wicked
and false teachers who corrupt the pure doctrines of
Christianity shall not escape condign punishment.
But to return — the Scriptures afford not a particle
of testimony to prove that angels have a corporeal
nature. But the Bible is not wholly silent relative to
this subject. Though the testimony in relation to the
nature of angels is not very abundant, yet it is suffi-
ciently clear and conclusive to prove that they are
spiritual or incorporeal beings ; capable, however, of
assuming different forms and appearing in a bodily
shape, for there are several instances on record of
their having thus appeared in ancient times.
That angels are incorporeal beings, is evident from
the following passages :-— " And of the angels he saith,
KOYESISM UNVEILED. 889
Who maketh his angels spirits." Heb. 1 : 7. — Again,
speaking of the angels, it is said :-^" Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs to salvation ?" Heb. 1 : 14.— Here
angels are termed spirits ; and the Savior has taught
us— and in the very nature of things it is impossible
that it should be otherwise— that spirits are incorporeal
substances. Addressing his disciples on the eve of his
ascension, when they were " terrified and affrighted" at
his appearing suddenly am.ong them, and supposing
that they had seen a spirit, he said to them, " A spirit
hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." Luke
24 : 39. This shows to a demonstration that spirits
are not corporeal, but are distinct in their natures
from material beings. Angels being spirits and spirits
being incorporeal, it follows that they are not material
beings. The theory, then, of Mr, Noyes is clearly
anti-scriptural.
But the position assumed by Mr. N., viz., that
angels have a corporeal and sexual nature, and came
down to earth and entered into the marriage relation,
is as unphilosophical and repugnant to reason, as it is
anti-scriptural. In the scale of being, there ?s a ''just
gradation," and one part rises in " due degree" above
another, from the lowest point of created existence, up
through all the ascending series to the throne of God,
Each class of beings in this connected and wonderful
chain, has a distinct and peculiar nature, occupies its
assigned position, and acts in its proper sphere. All
the varied species of sensitive creatures have their
340 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
constitutional peculiarities, and the bounds of their
appropriate spheres are drawn by the infinitely wise
Architect of the universe, and are defined with exact
precision. And although, as links of the great chain
of being, and parts of the " stupendous whole," they
approach near to each other, yet there are distinct
lines of demarcation drawn between them which they
can never pass. But the -theory of Mr. Noyes makes
angels, those higher and holier intelHgences, step from
their exalted station, leave their " divine abode," pass
the limits of their appropriate sphere, and come within
the precincts of humanity ! Or his view represents
men and angels as being identical in all the essential
elements of their natures ; thus would he recklessly
break down the barrier between the two, and impiously
attempt to commingle natures which Infinite Wisdom
ordained should ever be distinct.
The conclusions and views of Mr. N. relative to this
subject approach nearer the wildest vagaries of a dis-
tempered brain, than the deliberate and rational deduc-
tions of a reflecting mind. His theory appears to be
a mere creature of the imagination, having neither
Scripture, reason nor philosophy to sustain it.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 341
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Abolition of Death.
Mr. Noyes lias assumed a somewhat novel position
relative to the subject of death. He boldly asserts, in
opposition to the uniform and unequivocal testimony of
Scripture, and the universal experience of all past
ages, that there is no necessity/ of dying !
No person who receives the Bible as an infallible
rule of faith can be in doubt relative to this subject.
The following plain and positive declarations of Scripture
are the unmistakable land-marks of every true believer's
faith in reference to this point :—
" Du8t thou art and unto dust shalt thou return — we
must needs die — the7^e is no man that hath power over
the Spirit to retain the Spirit : neither hath he poiver in
the day of death : and there is no discharge in that
war — it is appointed unto men once to die — wherefore
as hy one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned.''^
The universal prevalence of death in every age, and
among all nations, has been a hving commentary upon
these divine declarations — a standing memorial of the
melancholy truth, that man is mortal. And we might
as soon expect to arrest the planets in their course,
reverse the wheels of nature, break the immutable
decree of Jehovah, or demolish the pillars of the
eternal throne, as to escape the jaws of death. To
this general rule there have, however, already been two
M% SrOYESISM UNVBILEBv
exceptions, viz., in the case of Enoch and Elijah, who
for wise ends were translated that they should not see
death ; but we have no intimation that another instance
of like character will ever occur, except in the case of
those who shall be found living upon the earth when
Christ shall " so come in like manner" as he was seen
to ascend on high, and who, instead of passing through
the ordinary form of dying, will experience an in-
stantaneous change equivalent to death. In view of
the repeated declarations of Scripture, no person can
discard a doctrine so clearly taught as the certainty of
death, without utterly rejecting the Bible as a perfect
standard of faith, and closing his eyes to the light
which has shone in all ages as clear and strong as the
sun at noon-day. The efforts of Mr. Noyes to make it
appear that death may be abolished in our present
state, clearly exhibit a strong disposition, not only to
" put far away the evil day," but to banish all thoughts
of death forever from the mind. The course pursued
by Mr. N. and his followers would naturally render
death repulsive, and array it with so many terrors as
to make it an unwelcome subject, which could not be
contemplated with any great degree of composure.
The mind also must be rendered grossly dark by sin
and error before the vain and delusive hope of escaping
death can be indulged.
But let us look at the position of Mr. Noyes, relative
to the subject under consideration, as defined by him-
self. In the Perfectionist of Sept. 7, 1844, he dis-
KOYESISM UNYEILEI). 348
eourses as follows, in reference to what transpired in
May, 1834 :—
" On sitting down to my proposed task, (of writing)
I found myself very much straitened in spirit and
mind. My thoughts refused to take the direction
which I had prescribed for them, and I soon became
satisfied that God was calhng my attention to other
subjects than those I had chosen- — that the thinking I
had to do was to be for myself, instead of for others.
" The first subject toward which the instincts of my
heart turned, and which soon took possession of my
thoughts, was th^^ resurrection. The gospel which I
had received and preached was based on the idea that
faith identifies the soul with Christ, so that by his death
and resurrection the believer dies and rises again, not
literally, nor yet figuratively, but spiritually ; and
thus, so far as sin is concerned, is placed beyond the
grave, in ' heavenly places' with Christ. I n^w began
to think that I had given this idea but half its legiti-
mate scope. I had availed myself of it for the salva-
tion of my seuL Why should it not be carried out to
the redemption of the body f Heretofore I had had
no occasion or time to look at this bearing of m.y
theory, but now I found myself face to face with it.
And my attention was riveted upon it, not as a matter
of speculation, but as a subject involving tremendous
practical obligations. The question came home with
imperative force — ' Why ought I not to avail myself of
Christ's resurrection fully, and by it overcome death
as well as sin V
'' The suggestions and spirit of Weld had some
^agency in turning my mind to this physical aspect of
the gospel, and there was doubtless a tinge of legahty
in the feelings with which I viewed it at this time.
There was a mixture and strife of good and evil
844 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
spiritual influences within me — the good seekmg to
bring on a new and healthful crisis of faith, and the
evil busy mth enchantments, hoping to make that crisis
an occasion of false imaginations and ruin. Not in a-
presumptuous or ambitious spirit, but under a solemn
sense of duty resultmg from what I reg-arded as logical
deductions of truth, I summoned all my powers to an
act of faith in Christ as the Savior of the body as well
as of the soul. — A spirit of wrestling pi-ayer for victory
over death came upon me. It was not so much the
act of dying that I wished to be dehvered from, as the
spiritual power of death which broods aver all men
Uving and dying — that dominion of the 'king of terrors'
by which men are ' all their life-time subject to bond-
age.' I sought that identity with Christ by which I
might realize his emancipation from death, as well for
my body as for my soul ; that I might with him, see
death behind me — the ' debt of nature' paid. What I
sought I obtained. From that time to this I have
acknowledged and felt no allegiance to death. The
fear that once hung like a cloud over my life passed
away, and has long been a forgotten thing.
" As it has been frequently reported that I have pro-
fessed a belief that I should ' never die,' I may as well
briefly define here my position in relation to this point.
The conclusions to- which I came, at the period under
consideration, and which I have always avowed since,
are as follows : —
" 1. As Christ did not scruple to say, ' He that be-
lieveth on me shall never die,' and that too with mani-
fest reference of some kind to the body, (see John 11:
26 and 8: 51,) so the behever need not scruple to apply
that language to himself. If then I am pressed to say
whether I take the language literaUy or figuratively, I
answer. Neither way, but S2?irifualhj. The believer
may part with his flesh and blood, but shall never pari
NGYESISM UNVEILED. 345
with his hfe. His true body — that which is within his.
flesh and blood — is ah-eady risen from the dead by the
power of Christ's resurrection, and parting with flesh and
blood will be to him no death. He will pass into the
inner mansions, not naked but clothed with his immortal
body.
''2. The death of flesh and blood to the believer is
not inevitoMe. It is not a ' debt' which he owes to the
de\'il, or to sin, or to the laws of nature. His debts to
all these tyrants are paid. Christ has bought him out-
of their hands ; and the question whether he shall die in
the ordinary sense will be determined, not by some in-
exorable necessity, but by the choice of Christ, and of
course by the choice of himself as a member of Christ.
' No man taketh my life from me, (said Christ,) but I
lay it down of myself.' — (John 10: 18.) The power
which he had in respect to his own life, he has in
respect to the lives of those who believe on him. As
members of him, they may lay down their lives as he
did ; but no man or devil takes their lives from them.
Accordingly Paul, balancing between the desii^e of 'life
and death, said, ' 1 luot not ivJdcli I shall choose' —
(Phil. 1: 22.) This language implies that life and death
were at his option. The fact that the saints who lived
till the Second Coming (to say nothing of Enoch and
Ehjah) passed within the vale without dying, proves that
the death of flesh and blood iij not inevitable — that
Christ has power to discharge believers from its bond.
"3. It is certain from the predictions of scripture
that the time is coming when death will be abolished
both as to form and substance in this world. .It is not
to be expected that individuals will enter into this last
victory of Christ much in advance of the whole body
of believers. — God is evidently preparing for a general
insurrection against the ' king of terrors,' and we may
reasonably anticipate the crisis and victory as near.
346 NOYBSISM UNVEILED*
* They that are alive and remain' till the promised con^
summation, will not die in any sense, but will pass from,
the mortal to the immortal state by a change similar to
that which is described in I. Cor. 15: 51, &c.
" My profession, then, since 1834, has been briefly
this : ^ If I pass tkrough the form of dying, yet in
fact I shall never die. But I am not a debtor to the
devil even in regard to the form of dying. No man
taketh my life from me. I wot not whether I shall
choose life or death. But this I know, that if I live
till the kingdom of God comes, which I believe is near,
I shall never die in fact or in form. This is the pro-
fession, for which I have been charged by certain
' devout and honorable women' with ' stumping my
Maker.'
" The first results of the act of faith which I have
described, were delightful. I passed one night in
unspeakable happiness. I felt that I had burst through
the shroud of death into the ' heavenly places.' " — ■
Perfectionist, Vol. iv. No. 13.
* The sentiments expressed in the foregoing para-
graphs are in perfect keeping with the tenor of the
following extracts from a letter written by Mr. Noyes
about the same time, viz., May, 1834. Both the pre-
ceding paragraphs and the following extracts refer to
what took place at that particular time :
" I determined to cease from out-going effort, and
fall back upon the leadings of the Lord. Soon I was
led to a distinct view of this truth, that while I have
been reproving others for lagging behind their privilege,
remaining in Judaism, &c., I have been unwittingly
doing the same thing myself. I have only come up to
the ground on which Paul stood, whereas it is my
privilege to attain 7igw the resurrection of the dead.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 347
* . . On Sunday I became assured that within three
days I should eat of the tree of life which is in the
midst of the paradise of God. * * * Yesterday in the
forenoon the travailing pangs of the final resurrection
came upon me. I read the last chapter of Isaiah, and
found a peace I never knew before. I wrote in my
journal, ' Death is swallowed up in victory.' — (Isa. 25:
8.) In the evening I felt assured the coming of the
Lord drew nigh. I even expected to see Jesus face to
face. Yet I knew not how or when he would come.
Imagination was very busy, but the Lord helped me to
curb its flight. I gathered in all my thoughts and
desires upon this one wish — Come, Lord Jesus, come
quickly. He came ; not in bodily or visible shape, but
in a manner more satisfactorily demonstrative of the
reality of his presence. He entered the secret
chamber of my soul, and we sat down together to the
marriage supper. I will not attempt to describe to
you the glories of that feast. * * * I scarcely closed
my eyes during the night. This morning I am sick of
love, and feel that this mortal must indeed put on
immortality, or it would be consumed in the love of
Grod, Now indeed I am married, and will henceforth
wait only on my husband. I know he will give me all
the desire of my heart. I have no heart to pray— my
harp is tuned for an everlasting song of praise. I
have eaten of the tree of life. God is the temple of
my spirit. I think, brother, we have been but in
embryo hitherto. * * * The cherubim and flaming
sword are withdrawn at the gate of Paradise. Adam
may return, and eating of the tree of life, become im-
mortal. * * * Faith is the key of the door of the third
heaven, as well as the door of the outer court. You
may enter as soon as you believe from the heart. "^ —
Spiritual Magazine, Vol, ii. No. 9,
348 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
It is evident from several points of resemblance in
the extracts from the Perfectionist and Magazine, that
Mr. Nojes refers in both accounts to the same peculiar
exercises of mind at a given time in May, 1834. Mr.
N. says in the Perfectionist — " The first results of the
act of faith which I have described, were delightful.
I passed one night in unspeakable happiness.'^ In the
Magazine he says — " I scarcely closed my eyes during
the night." The connection in which these respective
expressions occur, clearly shows that they refer to the
same time. Now what was the great object which Mr.
N. had in view at this particular time ? Certainly the
resurrection. Mr. N. says he had previously " only
come up to the ground on which Paul stood." But he
concludes to step beyond the great Apostle ! He
discovered it to be his " privilege to attain noiv the
resurrection of the dead." He wished to see the
"debt of nature" paid. And he says — "What I
sought I obtained." He also says that he felt " that
this mortal must indeed put on immortality, or it would
be consumed in the love of God." Now we have no
intimation that the " mortal" was thus " consumed,"
and of course we are left to infer that, in the estimation
of Mr. N., it put on " immortality" ! He also says
that he sat down with Christ at the " marriage supper"
— and that he ate of the " tree of life which is in the
midst of the Paradise of God." Now this is as plain
as language can well be, and defines the position of Mr.
N. relative to the resurrection as applied to himself, with
considerable precision. Occupying this position rela-
NOYESiSM unveiled: 349
tive to the resuiTection, we might readily anticipate his
position respecting death. But he does not seem
disposed to 'bide the consequences naturally deducible
from the premises. Although he had stepped beyond
St. Paul, and attained the " resurrection of the dead,"
lest, by positively asserting, in so many words, that he
should never die, and thereby too fully commit himself,
he steps back upon the apostle's ground and says — " I
wot not whether 1 shall choose life or death J^ If the
power of life and death was at his own option, and
death an enemy which it is desirable to conquer, we
can hardly see how he could be in doubt relative to
the point.
But the reader will readily perceive the utter per-
version, and consequent misapplication, of the apostle's
language, as used by Mr. Noyes. St. Paul expressed
a desire to " depart and be with Christ," which he
considered " far better" than to remain in this vale of
tears, subject to the common sorrows of life. If the
power of life and death had been lodged with Iiim, he
could have readily decided the question. And his
language — "J tvot not ivhich I shall choose^^ — did not
'imply that he possessed any such power. But knowing
that he must die, and being ignorant of the time when,
he did not wish to assume the prerogative of judging in
relation to it, but in the spirit of humble submission he
was disposed to refer the decision of that important
question to the infinitely wise Ruler of the universe.
We have given, in the extracts already made, the
views of Mr. Noyes relative to the subject of death, at
350 NOYBSISM UNVHILED.
considerable length; and it will be seen on further
investigation, that he has defined his position in relation
to this matter, in a manner which cannot be mistaken.
Some points are quite clear, though he has thrown
his wonted mysticisms around some portions of the
subject. On this subject Mr. N. stands fully com-
mitted. He has voluntarily placed himself in a position
from which he can never retreat. He speaks in plain
language touching one point. He says : — But this I
hnow^ that if I live till the kingdom of God comes,
which I believe is near, I shall never die in fact or in
formy
Mr. Noyes, then, has not only assumed that he shall
never die spiritually, but he positively asserts, in the
most unequivocal language, that should he live till the
kingdom of God should come — which at the time of
making the assertion he believed to be near — he should
never part with flesh and blood — should never die in
any sense whatever.
Mr. Noyes having thus plainly defined his position,
the question naturally arises. Has the kingdom of God
come F Have we any data by which this point can be
definitely determined ? Now, however visionary the
matter may appear in the eyes of an intelligent and
sober community, it appears that in the opinion of Mr.
Noyes and the Putney Community, this long-looked-for
event has actually taken place. The body of believers
assembled in secret conclave on the evening of June 1 ,
1847, took the subject into consideration, and after
fully discussing the whole matter, gravely passed, a
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 351
very famous resolution. It is reported in the Magazine
of July 15, 1847, in the following manner : — " It was
unanimously adopted^ therefore^ as the confessio7i and
testimony of the believers assembled, that the kingdom
of G-odhas comeT
Let it be remembered that in 1844, Mr. Noyes said
that his profession since 1834, had been — " This I
hrioiv, that if I live till the kingdom of God comes,
ivhieh I believe is near, I shall never die in fact or in
form^ In 184T it was proclaimed abroad that the
kingdom had come. Consequently his position is
clearly defined. Then the Rubicon is passed — the
question is settled. And it has become a " fixed fact,"
that John H. Noyes has announced that he " shall
never die in fact or in formP^
But Mr. N. stated several years since, and it can be
proved by several substantial witnesses — that he should
never die !
But was Mr. N. sincere in all this ? Further exam-
ination will clearly show that he was not sincere.
Several months after it was announced that the king-
dom had come, Mr. N. stated publicly, as we learn
from a reliable source, that he did not know whether
he should die or not ! And denied that he had ever
said that he should not die ! Before the kingdom
came, he knew that if he lived till it come, he should
never die ; but after it had come, according to the
notice of Noyes and his company, he is in doubt about
it — he does not know what he so well knew before !
He wot not which to choose !
352 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
But let us look at his own published language
touching this point. Some three months after it was
decided by the unanimous voice that the kingdom of
God had come, speaking m reference to the case of
Miss Mary A. Knight — a young lacly in a confirmed
consumption who was under his care, an account of
whose case is given at length elsewhere, and whom he
was trying to heal in a miraculous manner — Mr. Noyes
holds the following language : —
" As to my leaving her at this juncture, the simple
truth is, that I had engaged to attend two conventions
in the state of New York, had published that engage-
ment in the Magazine, and had set the day for my
departure, before I was called to Mary Knight. She
and her father were anxious about my going away,
from the beginning, and fre(pently asked if I should
go, in case she remained sick. I always answered
them that I should go at the day appointed, if I tvas
alive, whatever might be her state ; and all that I
should do must be done before that day."
Let the reader mark his language : — " I always
answered them that I should go at the day appointed,
IF I WAS ALIVE." Mr. Noyes had declared that he
hiew he should never die if he lived till the kingdom
of God came— he had announced the coming of that
kingdom — but several months subsequent to that period
he uses language highly expressive of doubt relative to
his own case ! Language implying not only that he
mi(/ht die, but that he might die ver^ soon, ev*en before
the time appoii^ted for his departure should arrive,
NOYB>SISM UNVEILED. .g^
whicli was but a few days after ! What beautiful
consistency !
Thus, in an unguarded moment, Mr. N. unwittingly
betrays himself, and clearly exhibits his own insincerity
— showing conclusively that he had but little or no confi-
dence in his own statements. And we are irresistibly
carried to the conclusion that Mr. N., in assuming for
the time being his position relative to the subject of
death, must have been actuated by some sinister
motives, and had in view the accomphshment of some
.nefarious ends. He could not have acted without hav-
ing some object in view.
He would fain deceive the people by his contempti-
ble juggling, and many of his followers are mightily
pleased with the delusion. They prefer to be hood-
winked and humbugged, rather than be made acquaint-
ed with sober facts and substantial reaUties. And he
would be considered an enemy, who should attempt to
break the spell, and let in the searching light of truth
upon the whole matter.
But in the extracts already given Mr. JST. not only
speaks in reference to himself, but the whole •• body of
believers," i. e., all genuine Perfectionists. He had
long been anticipating a period in which death would
be abolished, both in form and substance, in this world.
He,viewjed the " crisis and victory" as being not far
distant, and fancied that God was " preparing for a
general insurrection against the king of terrors" ; and
asserts that those who should be " alive and remain till
the promised consummation, would not die in (iny
23 • '
354 NOYESISM UN VEILED.
sense, ''^ but would " pass from the mortal to the
immortal state by a change similar to that which is
described in I. Cor. 16: 52, &c."
The "promised consummation" spoken of is un-
doubtedly the coming of that kingdom to which we
have alluded, which event, as we have seen, has already
taken place according to the notions of Perfectionists.
Consequently Mr. Noyes and all his true followers, or
the whole body of believers, have passed from the
" mortal to the immortal state," and have experienced
that change spoken of by St. Paul, w^hich was to take
place " in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump." — ^I. Cor. 15: 52. This view of the sub-
ject is confirmed by a statement made, in a somewhat
private manner, by one of the master-spirits of the
Putney community, which was — that they had attained
the resurrection of the body ! Thus with Perfectionists
eternity has begun, and they are now walking the earth
in their immortal bodies I !
But let us look at the influence which the doctrine
of Mr. N. respecting death has had upon the " body
of believers" at Putney. A prominent member of that
" body" holds the following language, pubHshed in the
Spiritual Magazine of Nov. 1, 1847 : —
" The pall of the fear of death which overspreads all
the world, is removed from our abode. We are all
conscious of the fact, by whatever means it has come
about, and it is ha-vdng a tremendous influence upon our
character. — Strength, ambition, hope, have ten times
the chance to flourish. Healthy merriment is not
checked by the ghostly spectre. Our happiness never
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. SS
feels its chill. Age does not rest on its oars and wait
for it, but wends back as fast as possible to immortal
youth. * To be prepared for death,' never enters our
heads ; • and a visitor from some sphere where it is not
known, might go in and out with us ever so long, and
not have his curiosity excited about this point in human
destiny."
From the above it appears that the subject of death
is one that receives no attention among Perfectionists,
especially those at Putney. All thoughts of it are
banished from the mind. " ^ To he prepared for death^^
never enters their heads. ^''
And when a person embraces their views, the
Noyesites,
" First of all eradicate,
As much as possible, from out His mind,
All thought of death."
The influence of Noyesism is here seen in its true
light. What can be more ruinous or sad in its results ?
The sentiment of Solomon — " It is better to go to the
house of mourning, than to go to the house of feast-
ing"— -is utterly discarded by Perfectionists ! This is
being wise above what is written !
Suitable reflections, at proper times, upon the close
of life, exert a salutary and reforming influence upon
the heart and life. And he who never indulges in
such reflections, cannot be prepared for a death-bed
scene. It is almost incredible that people should be so
strangely deluded as to suppose they can escape death.
When health und prosperity attend them they may
indulge in their vain boastings ; but the scene will ere
366 NOYBBISM UNVEILED.
long be reversed. Death, like the unerring archer, has
marked each for his victim ; and " like a staunch
murderer, steady to his purpose," will sooner or later
accomplish his work. A few short years will tell the
sad tale. " Passing away'' is written upon the very
brow of every human being ; and each in turn must be
lodged in the "narrow house," and sliunber beneath the
silent clods of the valley. And he who makes no
preparation for the coming change — whose sensibilities
are locked in profound slumber, it is to be feared will
at last lie down upon a thorny pillow. Is it not wise to
timely prepare for our approaching end ?
KOYBSISM UNVEILED i 357
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Noyesite Theory of Disease.
Perfectionists assume that sin — ^not the sin of our
first parents, but of each individual person — is the
immediate cause of disease and death ; and that if
disease makes its appearance and death ensues after a
person is freed from sin — as all Perfectionists profess to
be — it is owing to a '' Spiritual Momentum^'' which
was acquired before the person experienced a de-
liverance from sin. Let us hear them touching this
matter, and look at an illustration which thej have
given of this subject : —
"In consequence of the belief of Perfectionists that
dn is the cause of sickness and death, questions like
the following have many times been put to them:
" How is it that you who profess to live without sin, yet
suffer the consequences of sin ? Can an effect exist
without a cause ? Does not the fact, then, that you
still suffer pain and sickness, (if these are consequences
of sin,) prove you to be still a sinner V &c. I have
sometimes thought that an answer to such questions
might be found in the following illustration : —
" We see a locomotive with its train, travelling at a
rapid rate ; and when we inquire into the cause of its
motion, we find it is the power of steam operating
through the agency of machinery. Yet, though the
steam may be shut off, as is the case when the cars are
about to stop, we perceive that the motion of the cars
does not cease immediately, but is continued through
35B NOYBSISM UNVEILED,
the agency of another force called momentum^ which ig
a secondary cause of motion, and which, though it may
for a Hmited time continue motion already produced,
has no power to produce it, and therefore cannot long
overcome the resistance of the atmosphere, friction,
&c. Hence all motion whose primary cause is cut off
and which consequently has nothing to sustain it but
secondary causes, must gradually cease, because such
causes are not equal to the resistance with which they
meet.
" Passing from the natural to the spiritual world, we
find powers in existence similar to, if not the same as,
the natural laws of this world, such as attraction,
cohesion, repulsion, light, heat, &c. And judging from
analogy, we should naturally infer that there was such
a thing as spiritual momentum, as well as motion. . . ,
Taking this view of the subject, then, we see that men
in their fallen state are travelling with a fearful rapidity
in the way to death ; and the only motive power that
has been and is driving them in that way, is sin. But
when sin is cut off, as is the case of those who are bom
of God, the only possible subjective reason for the con-
tinuance of the effects of sin, must be found in spiritual
momentum — in secondary causes, which have no power
to beget disease, and which are not able long to over-
come the resistance of the atmosphere of heaven which
surrounds every renewed heart, and is constantly
opposing all tendency toward sickness and death. So
that letting things go along naturally, if a man has been
delivered from the propelhng power of the devil, his
tendency toward death is continually decreasing, and
would as certainly cease eventually, as a train of cars
would cease their motion after the propelling power of
steam was withdrawn.
" But there is another thing to be considered : if a
train of cars were fast approaching a precipice, th^
NOYE^ISM UNVEILED. 359
mere shutting off of the steam might not save them.
Their headway might be such, with the shortness of the
distance to be travelled, as to secure their destruction.
The wheels must therefore be reversed, and the brakes
applied. By such efforts many hves have been saved
that would otherwise have been lost.
'' Perfectionists should keep it before their minds,
then, that if according to their faith sin has been
destroyed in them, the motive power which has been
driving them away from life, has ceased to act ; and if
holiness has been begotten in them, the wheels have
been reversed and are now turning in their right
direction. The cessation of the deadly tendency and
influence of a wicked spirit, the commencement of
healthy action within us, the natural effects of salutary
causes, and the promises of the Gospel, all combine to
strengthen and enlarge our hope in regard to the
extension and final victory of the Spirit of Life." —
Perfectionist^ Vol. iv. No. 13.
Whatever plausibility may be attached to this theory
in its practical application, it appears to have been of
no essential benefit, even to its strongest advocates.
The Perfectionist Community at Putney was established
in 1838 — in 1847, Mr. Noyes said in regard to that
Community, " We have had a reasonable share of
diseases^ both chronic and acute.^^ Again, in 1834,
Mr. N. became a Perfectionist ; in 1845 he says of
himself — when speaking of a disease of the throat and
lungs which he had contracted — I "had abundant
external reason to expect a speedy death.^^
Now if the members of the Putney Community,
during the nine years following its estabHshment, "had a
NOYESISM UNVEILED.
reasonable share of diseases" ; and if Mr. N. eleven
years after he became a Perfectionist, '' had abundant
external reason to expect a speedy death," it appears
that the train of disease was moving on among them
with its accustomed speed, if net indeed with ac-
celerated velocity !
If this be the fact one of two thino'S must necessarily
follow — either they must have been under tremendous
headway, and acquired a fearful " spiritual momen-
tum^ ^ before they shut off the steam, or they have
never yet shut it off, reversed the wheels, and applied
the brakes. The latter appears to be the more probable.
They can have the privilege, however, of hanging upon
which horn of the dilemma they please.
Eut the Noyesites, not content with sweeping away
moral and statute laws, assert their independence of
natural laws ! A correspondent of the Spiritual
Magazine, under date of Nov. 7, 1847, says : —
" According to the degenerate age in which we live,
it is expected that if we transcend or violate any of the
laws of nature, we must smart for it. Suppose we
hoist a counter project to this, and say that the laws of
nature have been and will again be subject to spiritual
power ; so that the child of faith may by a full sur-
render step upon the platform of perfect deliverance in
this life from sin, disease and death."
In what foolish and fruitless speculations will men
sometimes indulge ! What ! the laws of nature cease
their operations at the bidding of a puny mortal 1
Verily here is faith that amounts to fanaticism ! And
fanaticism completely runsriot !
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 361
In 1844, Geo. Cragin sent a paper to Br. Sylvester
Graham containing an absurd and sillj article on '-^The
Love of lAfeP The article was marked for Dr. G.'s
perusal. He returned the paper with the following
pithj and truthful note upon the margin, in his own
hand-writing : —
" The labUings of a fool — not a natural fool, hut a self-made,
self-deluded fool, wJwse heart is set on perverting the truth, and
v:resting the scriptures to his own and others' destruction !"
To indulge in endless speculations appears to be the
height of ambition with some of the Nojesites — specu-
lations grossly absurd, and of no sort of practical
application or importance whatever.
But let us hear the Noyesites a little farther in
relation to diseases and death — their cause and cure.
Says a correspondent of the Spiritual Magazine —
" The devil has the jooiver of death, and of course of
disease in its every stage P
Again, says Mr. Noyes :
" Among the most formidable enemies to be overcome
in order to the establishment of Christ's kiugdom in
this world, diseases and death hold a conspicuous place.
How many of our King's Hege subjects have been made
prisoners, or have been wounded,' and disabled for
efficient service, by the assaults of these tyrannical
invaders. . . . And though many of the King's sub-
jects may still fall in battle before the termination of
the war ; yet they can feel that they are fighting in a
glorious cause ; that even though they fall in this cause
they cannot be destroyed ; and that complete victory
is certain at last. . . . Let us not consider ourselves
Sft N0YESI6M UNVEILED.
as lander obligation to receive kindly, or to entertain
honorably, Death's ambassadors or envoys, who come
to us in the forms and under the names of various
diseases. Let us not consent to enter into any amicable
negotiation vrith them, nor count them worthy to lodge
in our houses, or to be waited on and nourished by us ;
but treat them as their real character deserves, as a
set of base, insidious, murderous intruders ; and let
us arouse such a general sentiment of just indignation
against them, that they shall be thrust forth from every
company of the faithful, and from all decent society,
and be expelled out of our coasts."
Again, the " body of believers'^ in Putney "joined
their households under one common roof" in the spring
of 1847 ; and in the following July Mr. Noyes said :
" Soon after we came together in family unity, Mrs. Cragin
was attacked by disease of an obstinate and threatening charac-
ter. This brought me into a necessity of examining our position
in relation to sickness, death, medicines, &c. I settled my own
principles more thoroughly than ever before, and gave a course
of lectures, in which / declared my independence of the medical
systems of this world, and claimed for Christ the office of physi-
cian to our Community. There was but one heart and one voice
among us about the matter^'
Now it is a well known fact, that, after the above
declaration was made by Mr. Noyes, and sanctioned by
the united voice of the members of his Communit;y , a
physician was employed in that same Community, and
that too while Mr. N. was with them — showing con-
clusively that his claim was quite arrogant. Moreover
the Noyesites still remaining in Putney have had, we
think, a common share of sickness. Thus stubborn
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 363
facts stand out against Mr. N.'s theory, and upset his
absurd assumptions. It evidently appears that he has
" Great striving made to be ridiculous.
The mighty reasoner, he who deeply searched
The origin of things, and talked of good
And evil much, of causes and effects,
Of mind and matter, contradicting all
That went before him, and himself the while,
The laughing-stock of angels j diving far
Below his depth, to fetch reluctant proof,
That he himself was mad and wicked t©o "
NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
CHAPTER XXXY.
IHstinguishing and Leading Doctrines of Noyemm.
In June 1839, E,ev. Charles T. Torrey of Salem,
Mass., addressed a letter to Mr. Noves in which he
made several inquiries relative to Perfectionism. Mr.
N., in his reply to that letter, says : —
" In order that I may give a definite answer to your
inquiries relative to matters of fact, I must first define
Perfectionism.. You are aware that a considerable sect
has recently appeared among Calvinists, with President
Mahan at its head, who believe that perfect holiness is
attainable in this life, and yet are not called Per-
fectionists. You are also aware, as your letter
intimates, that similar classes of believers exist among
the Methodists, and Friends, who likewise decline the
name of Perfectionists. So^ that it is evident that
Perfectionism, in the prevailing sense of the word, is
not distinguished from other religious systems merely
by the doctrine of perfect hohness. What then are
the adjuncts of this doctrine peculiar to Perfectionists,
which actually distinguish them from all other sects ?
I answer —
1. " Their belief that jyerfect holiness, when attained,
is forever secure. This point is not insisted upon by
any of the classes before mentioned. . . .
2. " Their belief that perfect holiness is not a mere
privilege, hut an attainment absolutely necessary to
salvation. Holding this belief they of course deny the
name of Christian to all other sects. . . .
3. " Their belief that the second coming of Christ
took place at the period of the destruction of Jerusa-
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 365
Urn. . . . Perfectionists insist upon this doctrine, as
the foundation of the two preceding.
^' Other distinctive tenets of Perfectionists might be
named, and perhaps would be regarded by many as
more important than those to which I have adverted ;
for example, their ' Antinomianism,' their belief of a
present resurrection, their peculiar views of the fashion
of this world in respect to marriage, &c., but I regard
all these as secondary consequences of the doctrines I
have mentioned, not essential in a radical definition of
Perfectionism. . . . Then, you will understand that by
Perfectionists, I mean that class of religionists who
hold the three points of faith above noticed."
We shall merely glance at the doctrines above
mentioned — as the limits of this work will admit of
nothing more — and then proceed to briefly notice a
variety of other points embraced in Noyesism.
The position assumed by Mr. Noyes in relation to
the second coming of Christ, viz., that it took place at
the destruction of J erusalem, appears to be regarded
by him as as an €ill-important point — a leading and very
essential doctrine. That there was a coming of Christ
in the events connected with the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, might be readily granted without strengthening the
position of Mr. N. or proving prejudicial to the opposite
view of the subject ; but that the Second Coming of
Christ took place at that time, we deny point blank.
At the ascension of Christ the angels said to those who
witnessed that event —
'^ This same Jesus which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven.'^'' — Acts 1: 11.
366 NOYESISM XINVEILBD.
Until Mr. N. can point us to the book, chapter, and
verse, where it is said in unequivocal language that
this prediction has been literally fulfilled, he must not
complain if we refuse our assent to his doctrine of the
second coming. Mr. N. assumes without a particle of
proof, that Christ's coming at the destruction of Jerusa-
lem took place in the spiritual world ! But was not
the ascension of Christ a visible event ? and did not
the disciples behold him with the natural eye when he
ascended ? Then if he is to "so cortie in like manner''^
as he was seen to ascend, will it not be a visible trans-
action ? Most certainly. Mr. N. asserts that Christ
came in the spiritual world ; but how does he know
this ? He has not learned it from the Scriptures, for
they teach no such doctrine. Where, then, did he
find it ? Why, forsooth, he assumes that he is inspired,
and was taught it by the Spirit ! And lo, his followers
beheve it ! In all ages individuals have been found
afflicted with a similar disease. A few years ago, when
the Millerites were moving heaven and earth and com-
passing sea and land to make proselytes to their faith,
some of the tvisest — ^in their own eyes — among them,
roundly asserted that the Spirit had revealed to them
the precise time when Christ would make his appearing.
With all such, reasoning was out of the question —
entirely at an end. You might as well undertake to
reason with a mad man, as with such persons. But
time proved all their predictions false, and their revela-
tions went by the board. They might have been
insjHred by a, but certainly they were not by the Spirit^
yOTESISM UNVEILED. 367
in this matter. And so it is with Mr. Noyes. He and
his followers assume that they are inspired and are
receiving special revelations. They also profess that
they are living under a new dispensation, as far in
advance of the Gospel as that was of the Jewish
dispensation. The followers of Noyes believe that he
wrote the Berean by inspiration, and in their estimation
it is as much more valuable than the N'ew Testament^
as that is than the Old ! The word of John H. Noyes
with his disciples is better authority than the sayings of
Christ and his Apostles recorded in the New Testament.
They receive the doctrine that Christ came in the
spiritual world from his mouth as undoubted truth,
without a particle of scriptural proof to sustain it, and
even in opposition to the plain language of Scripture !
The doctrine that Christ came in the spiritual world
appears to be the mere creature of Mr. N.'s perverted
imagination in ^ts erratic wanderings. That his mind
is subject to excursive r amblings is very evident from
his own language.
In the Spiritual Magazine of March 15, 1846, speak-
ing in reference to his future course, Mr. N. says : —
" Without pledging ourselves to any precise course,
(for we cannot foresee very definitely the travels of our
own minds) . . . we expect to extend our excursions
freely hereafter beyond the province of Perfectionism
into other and all regions of spiritual science^
" Beyond the province of Perfectionism " / Where
is the man going ! No wonder that he is already lost
in the mazes of error ! And we might as well undertake
368 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
to follow the thunder-bolts of heaven m then- travels
through the trackless ether, as the fitful excursions of
such a mind in its undefined and indefinable course !
But to return : — Nearly aUied to Noyes's doctrine
of the Second Coming of Christ, stands the idea that
'''' perfect holiness is not a mere privilege, hut an attain-
ment ahsolutely necessary to salvation.''^ If by this is
meant that moral purity is a pre-requisite or passport
to a full possession of the heavenly inheritance, we do
not object ; but if it means that no person in a state of
justification, prior to perfect purification, can have a
well-grounded hope of future happiness, we enter our
solemn protest against the doctrine.
Next, as a distinguishing tenet of Noyesism, stands
the doctrine of the security of the saints. Mr. N.
asserts that ^'perfect holiness, lohen attained, is for ever
secure.'^
In support of this position he relics very much upon
the following passage : — '' Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in him ;
and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." —
1 John 3 : 9.
Mr. N. rejoices over this passage as though he had
found great spoil. He ensconces himself behind this —
as he supposes — impenetrable shield, or invulnerable
rampart, and is ready to defy the world in arms to
meet him. The rigid - interpretation which he gives,
and for which he strenuously contends, makes this pas-
sage prove that it is utterly impossible for the Christian
to sin.
KOYESISM UNVEILED. 369
If Mr. N, adopts the principle of exegesis that the
term cannot implies an impossibility^ we think he will
find that in many cases it will prove quite too much,
and will not always work well in its apphcation. If he
will turn to the 24th chapter of Joshua, he will find
that the term cannot is there used without implying a
moral invpossihility, Joshua, after rehearsing to the
heads of Israel the dealings of God with them, and cau-
tioning them against the sin of idolatry, exhorts them
to serve God ; and the people replied emphatically that
they would serve him. Then '' Joshua said unto the
people, ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is a holy
God ; he is a jealous God ; he will not forgive your
transgressions nor your sins." — Josh. 24: 19. " And
the people said unto Joshua, Nay ; but we will serve
the Lord." — Verse- 21. " So Joshua made a covenant
with the people that day, and set them a statute and
an ordinance in Shecliem." — Verse 25. " And Israel
served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and the days
of the elders that outhved Joshua." — Verse 31.
The sum of the whole is — The people of. Israel
asserted that they would serve the Lord — Joshua' says,
Ye cannot serve him — the people repeat. We will serve
him — Joshua makes a covenant with them — and Israel
then "serves hiiu. No person will contend that the term
cannot in this case implied a moral impossibility^ for
matter-of-fact shows to the contrary.
Now if the term cannot^ did not, in the case under
consideration, imply an impossibility ^ it may not in
other cases. That it. does not when used by St. John
24
370 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
is quite probably, if not morally certain ; for were it
otherwise, all the warnings, admonitions, and cautions,
as well as the exhortations to steadfastness and perse-
verance, addressed in the Scriptures to Christianis,
would be perfectly nugatory !
We have thus briefly noticed the points which Mr,
N. has set forth as the distinguishing doctrines of
Perfectionism; and we shall now proceed to notice
several others embraced in the same system.
Let us hear Mr. Noyes in relation to the Primitive
Church. He says :
" The Apostles, prophets, and believers, who were
gathered into Christ during the period preceding the
destruction of Jerusalem, are certainly still in ex-
istence. This no one doubts. They are risen from
the dead, and glorified with Christ. This no one will
deny, who believes that Christ came the second tirae
according to his promise. But have they any concern
with this world? Are they not laid away in some
secret mansion of the universe, so distant that they
have nothing to do with us or we wita them ? These
are questions to which conscience as well as curiosity
demands an answer. The fact that the primitive church
has passed through death into the invisible state, does
not prove that it has no concern with this world. . . .
The first thing to be done in order that we may have
fellowship with the primitive church, is to believe that
it is a real, living church, and is at work ever us and
around us^ — Berean, pp. 497, 499.
In the Spiritual Magazine of May 15, 1847, we find
the following language : —
" The Magazine is the exponent and organ of a
NOYESISM UJJ VEILED. 371
religious body whose direct ambition is to give the
renewing power of God full scope in their characters,
and to multiply their points of sympathy and attraction
with the primitive church, until a perfect junction is
formed."
In the Magazine of June 15, 1846, we read as fol.
lows touching this matter : —
" Again, when we consider the object which is before
us, of joining ourselves to the primitive Church, we
shall not think it strange that we are tried with fiery
trials. We believe that God has gathered a glorified
throng, and that the church is one ; and our aim and
calling are, to approach toward it and enter into
sympathy with it — to join it here in this world, and to
invite it into this world. And the only way for us to
join that church, is, to be strained up to the pitch of
love and faith which exists in it. To use a vulgar
expression, if we are to be welded on to the primitive
church, both ends of the irons must be white JioL Cold
iron cannot be welded. If God is ever to raise a
touching point between believers here and his church
above, he must find a way to bring up our faith and
love to the white heat of heaven.'*
This is Perfectionist dialect, and it contains the
Noyesite Shibboleth. Comment is uncalled for.
As being closely connected with the foregoing re-
marks relative to the Primitive Church, we proceed to
give the views of Perfectionists in relation to the
Kingdom of Heaven. Mr. N. assumes that the com-
missions given by Christ and the Apostles did not
extend beyond the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70
— that all the commissions since that time handed
372 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
down in the various Christian churches are not valid —
and that the kingdom of heaven exhibited in this world,
and the divine authority derived from Christ and his
Apostles, must stop at the destruction of Jerusalem
*^ till we can find a church that can prove hy une-
quivocal credentials that it is in conjunction with the
primitive government.''^
Mr. N. takes it for granted that the Perfectionists
have the " unequivocal credentials" ! And from the
foregoing premises he draws the following conclusions :
1. " The kingdom of heaven is not to be confounded
with popular Christianity, Popish or Protestant.
2. " On the other hand, it is not to be conceived of
as something hereafter to be instituted. Its organiza-
tion is a fixed fact, and it is eighteen hundred years
old. . . .
3. " We are not to think of our own sect as the
kingdom of heaven. It can never be more than a
provincial department of that kingdom. The seat of
the government and of its chief functions, is and forever
will be in the spiritual world.
4. " The way to ' seek the kingdom of God,' is to
seek conjunction with Christ and the Apostles and the
primitive church.
5. " When we pray ' Thy kingdom , come' — we
properly mean to ask that the spiritual organization
commenced by Christ at his first coming and matured
at his second, may be extended into this world.
6. " Until that organization shall be demonstrably
extended into this world, we have no external vehicle
of the authority of the kingdom, except the Bible.
'' The ways and means of entering into conjunction
with the kingdom of heaven, of obtaining authority
NOYBSISM UNVEILED. 3T3
from it, and thus of establishing a branch of it in this
world, deserve to be considered at some length here-
after.— Perfectionist, Vol. v. No. 19.
In the Spiritual Magazine of July 15, 184T, we
have the extended notice, at least in part, of the
kingdom of heaven, promised at the conclusion of the
foregoing extract. At an assembly of behevers " under
the common roof," on the evening of June 1, 1847,
Mr. Noyes put the following question and made the
accompanying remarks : —
" HAS THE KINGDOM OF GOD COME ?
* * u y[q |)elieve that the kingdom now coming is the
same that was established at the Second Coming of
Christ. Then God commenced a kingdom in human
nature, independent of ^the law of the world. The
church was then emancipated from the institutions of
men, and commenced a course of existence under the
sole management of God. TJiat kingdom, having been
zvithdrawn to heaven, has been strengthening and en-
larging itself ever siyiee. We look for its establishment
here — for its complete extension into this world ; and
this 'extension of an existing government, is what we
think and speak of as the kingdom of heaven which is
now at hand. We at the same time have expected that
its manifestation on earth, after a successful operation
of 1800 years in the invisible world, would be by a
diflferent process in some respects from that by which it
was originally formed. . . . The kingdom of heaven
will be established here by a process hke that which
brings the spring on the earth. The primitive church,
like the sun, will come near to us. The destruction of
evil, and all the transactions of the last judgment, will
be effected by a spiritual infusion from them of the light
and energy of God. The resurrection also will come
374 NOYESISM UNVBILED.
by a similar communication of life. We discard entirely/
those gross, mechanical impressions concerning these
transactions which are common in the world. We are
persuaded that all the powers of the world to come are
to be let in, not in a formal, theatrical way ; but silent-
ly, like a thief in the night, they are to be established
in the world. . . . How shall we determine the time of
its advent ? What shall be the manner of our transi-
tion from the testimony, ' The kingdom of God is at
hand,' to the testimony, ' The kingdom of God has
come V
" The difference between our situation and that of
the primitive church previous to the Second Coming, is
like this : Suppose it is universally understood that on
the 20th day of March, at noon, spring begins. The
natural declaration, before that time, would be, ' Spring
is at hand ' ; but immediately on the arrival of the
appointed hour, it would be said with one consent,
' Spring is come.' This illustrates the circumstances
of the primitive church. The personal coming of the
Lord Jesus was to be the definite signal, was to mark
the precise period for them, of the institution of the
kingdom of heaven. ... On the other hand, if the
spring comes as it usually does, it is not subject to any
such arbitrary, definite rules, by which we can fix the
exact date of its ascendancy. Its advent is not limited
and determined by a certain day of the month and hour
of the day, but by the progress of the sun's power on
the earth. To determine the presence of spring in this
case, is a more difficult problem than was offered in the
other ; but still, within a moderate latitude of time, and
with a certain accumulation of data, it i^ easily done.
Through the month of March the progress of the sun
up the heavens is distinctly visible, though there is yet
a prevalence of wintry weather. Still later, when we
begin to have sunny, spring days, there are also occa-
NOYESISM UNVEII^D. 875
sional ones in which the ground is covered with snow.
Thus with the common alternations ©f sun and clouds,
which characterize the early part of the season, it is
impossible to refer the advent of spring to any precise
point of time. Yet we are certain that some time
within the limits of April, that event will have taken
place — spring will have come,
'' Now if our theory of the manner m which the
kingdom of heaven is to he .established is true, then we
are certainly somewhere in the transition towards it ;
and the question will sometime urge itself upon us, Has
spring come ? We shall sometime have to change our
testimony from the future to the present form, and to
say decisively, The kingdom of God has come. Sooner
or later, we shall have to stand forth and face the prin-
cipalities and povfers of the world with this declaration.
" I will put the question, Is not noio the time for us
to commence the testimony that the kingdom of god
HAS COME ? to proclaim boldly that God, in his charac-
ter of Deliverer, Lawgiver and Judge, has come in this
town and in this Association ? ... No more should
we expect the full power of the judgment and of the
resurrection, until we have made a decisive response in
the boldness of faith, to that divine influence which is
with us, and which only waits confession to expand into
the full majesty of its nature. . . . Christ can do no
more for an individual or a corporation, after his voice
has wakened them, until it is recognized by them, and
confession made according to the fact.
" The process of advancement in this dispensation, as
we have said, is like the progress of the sun in spring.
The work af spiritual development has been going on,
steadily and silently, until we are finally brought to the
question. Is not the kingdom of God in us ; including
all the elements of the judgment and the resurrection ?
Have not these closing >cts of the great drama com-
376 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
menced ? I believe we are now called upon to take
our stand on this great truth as a corporation : and our
confession of it to ourselves and the world, will be
the beginning of a new development of its power in us.
I am as well prepared as ever I shall be, to make this
great corporate confession of Christ. ... I think there
is abundant evidence in the past, especially in the last
year, that the judgment has begun. He that search-
eth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children of
men, has been among us, cutting between the righteous
and the wicked, between good and evil in our own
characters.* In the most important sense, we have
been conscious of living in the day of judgment. So
of the resurrection. We have seen enough to prove
that there is a power among us that can conquer
death. . . ."
From an editorial note appended to the foregoing
extracts, we take the following : —
" The discussion that followed these remarks corres-
ponded in interest to the suggestions presented. The
nature and effect of the proposed act, in all its bear-
ings, were fully examined and illustrated. . . . All
the believers present expressed themselves deliberately
and freely on the subject under consideration. . . .
Respecting the present existence and operation of the
fire of judgment and the power of the resurrection
among us, there was but one belief and one voice. It
was seen that a new and further confession of truth was
necessary ; that it was the next thing before us, in the
course of progress to which we have been called. It
* Perfectionists "believe and unblushingly maintain that tbey arc
free from sin." Mr. N. assumes that if a person is sinful at all he is
entirely so. Now if there has been evil in the character of the Noyes-
ites, what. position have they occupied ?
NOYESISM UNVEILED. ' 877
was unanimously adopted, therefore, as the confession m
and testimony of the believers assembled, that the
KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME."
The reader -sv-ill perceive from the foregoing extracts,
that Mr. N. assumes much and proves nothing ; but
his followers, who believe in his infallibility^ receive,
as undoubted truth, every word he utters. He specu-
lates upon sublime subjects, but his object evidently
was to bring his followers up to the point, and prepare
them for the doctrines of the Battle Axe Letter in all
their practical bearings ; for the announcement that the
kingdom of God had come was the signal for the carry-
ing out of those doctrmes through the Perfectionist
ranks, which is now being done, as far as circumstan-
ces admit !
Soon after the proclamation went forth that the
kingdom of God had come, Mr. Noyes made the great-
est pretensions to miraculous power. His followers
acknowledged this power, and under these circumstan-
ces he put forth the following manifesto : —
" The kingdom of God is an absolute monarchy. . .
So far as there is a true church on earth, it is a frontier
department of this kingdom ; and it will possess the
great characteristics of heaven's government, viz., cen-
tral executive power, and subordination. It will mani-
fest in all its operations perfect unity of design, and
true harmonious effort. To secure this, it includes a
gradation of authority ; — officers, not self-elected, not
popularly elected, but appointed by God ; whose cre-
dentials, if truly received of him, need no secondary
influence to secure theii* respect. In fact, the creden-
378 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
tiaJ of authority through all God's kingdom, from the
Supreme himself, down, is not a matter of parchment,
or a voice from heaven merely, but the possession of
actual ability. Carlyle's doctrine is true, that ' mights
in this just universe, do, in the long run, mean rights.'
God's appointment to office confers on the individual
ability corresponding to his commission ; and it is as
certain that his ability will make his office recognized
by those with whom he has to do, as it is that in a mix-
ture of fluids the heaviest will sink to the bottom. . . .
In that organic body, [Christ's church] as we said
before, superiority of every degree is a gift of power
from God, which vindicates itself by an irresistible
ascendancy over that which is inferior. ... In this
construction of the church, the autocratic principle of
the kingdom of God is seen throughout. . . . Every
Christian finds himself under a despotism extending far
beyond any earthly rule."
From the sentiments expressed in the paragraphs
just quoted, and from the fact that they were pubhshed
immediately after the case of Mrs. Hall was noised
abroad, we think it may be fairly inferred that Mr.
Noyes wished to have it distinctly understood that the
" central executive power " of the " frontier depart-
ment" of the kingdom of heaven was lodged in him !
Having as he evidently supposed established this point,
he then proceeds to read his followers a lecture on sub-
ordination. This he deemed very essential. Relative
to this point he starts with the questions : —
" What is the effect of this tremendous, irresponsible
government upon individual liberty ? Can freedom
exist under, it ?"
In answering these inquiries Mr. N. designates tw©
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 379
clsses of subjects — the one wholly submissiye, the other
partially so. In reference to those who are wholly
submissive he speaks thus : —
" We believe that only those who have passed the
quarantine of judgment and become naturalized citizens
of the kingdom of heaven, know what is the glorious
sensation of unshackled freedom of will."
That is, in plain English — Those who have passed
the ordeal to which Mr. Noyes subjects his disciples,
and have become perfectly submissive to his will, and
on whom he has set the broad seal of his approbation,
are liberated from all law except the will of Noyes him-
self ! They may then do just as they please, provided
that it is always their pleasure to do just as he wishes
them to do ! And Mr. N. would have them distinctly
understand that in doing his will they are doing the
will of G-od; for he sets himself up as Jehovah's vice-
gerent— as His accredited ambassador — His represent-
ative upon the earth ! " Under the monarchy of God,"
he asserts that " all forms of popular representation are
dispensed with," and in the " organization of interme-
diate agencies," there is a " disregard of democratic
forms and privileges."
The upshot of the matter is — John H. Noyes has an
'' ability corresponding to his commission " ! And this
ability is manifest in the mighty works he has wrought !
But in reference to the second class of subjects —
those who have not become wholly submissive — he
says :—
<< It is inevitable, in the first stages of intercourse
3?0 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
with God, while evil influences still exist in the charac-
ter, that his will should come into constant collision
with those influences, and the wills growing out of
them. The inner and better part of our nature is even
then free and happy ; and it is only the selfish, egotis-
tical part which loves darkness, and loves to do as it
pleases at all cost, that experiences the efiect of collision
with a superior spirit. The efiect is suffering ; a bitter
sense of bondage ; coercion of the soul. No prison can
realize the idea of helpless constraint that the soul expe-
riences when conscious of a hostile contact with the
will of God. . . . Every spirit opposed to him, is des-
tined not to slavery, but to destruction. ... He will
have no drudges about him, no unwilling subjects."
As Mr. Noyes virtually claims to stand at the head
of all J)rincipaUties and powers upon earth, he thus
gives his followers who are not entirely submissive to
his will, to understand, that, if they would escape " suf-
fering," and be freed from a " bitter sense of bondage,"
and not come in collision with his " superior spirit,"
they must yield imphcit obedience to his will, and sub-
mit to his absolute control.
From the language of Mr. Noyes which we have just
noticed, we should naturally infer that he was a finished
aristocrat. Circumstances justify the inference, and
facts confirm its correctness. We learn from a person
formerly connected with the Association at Putney,
that the followers of Mr. Noyes appeared t® regard
him with a kind of awe when in his presence.
There were evidently two classes among them — the
higher and the lower. The line of distinction probably
lay between those who were wholly submissive to
NOIBSISM UNVEILED. . 381
Noyes, and those who were but partially so. Those
who rendered implicit obedience to the '■' acknowledged
Head," and were his particular favorites, had special
honors conferred upon them, and were admitted to
peculiar privileges ; while others had a humbler place
assigned them, and must there remain till by proper
discipline they were prepared for a more honorable sta-
tion ; and must patiently wait until the " acknowledged
Head" was pleased to say, " Come up higher,''^
For the special benefit of the lower plass, or menials,
the higher order found it necessary occasionally to give
some instructions. Some among them appear to have
been ambitious of higher honors, and to reconcile them
to their humble lot, soon after Mr. Noyes had given
the necessary instructions relative to " central execu-
tive power " and " subordination," they had the follow-
ing significant '' hint " : —
'' In the household of faith, he is chief who serveth
most ; and he that humble th himself is exalted. The
spirit that disdains not the lowest ofiice, that is diligent
and does with its might what the hand finds to do, has
a path of honor before it. ... A disposition that is
not fastidious and dainty, but will condescend to any
thing, is of high price. . . . Here [in the Putney Com-
munity] honor and service are balanced. Every one
is rewarded according to his works. ... It is here, of
course, no privilege to be idle and luxurious — to be let
off from difficult exertion, or even menial offices.
Happy is he who loves to minister. ... If ambition
will take the form of a servant, and humble itself, it
will be gratified perfectly. , . . Lahor to enter into
rest.
NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
" Tke true gentleman and the true lady, are they
whb are most ready to serve — ^who take the lowest
place, and are most arduous in their labors of love.'*
Thus the *' path of honor '* was marked out before
them, and they were taught that the road to prefer-
ment lay through a scene of humble services and inces-
sant labors. A very wholesome doctrine for the aristo-
cratic part of the Putney Community, but a " hard
saying '* for the humbler class !
N0YE8ISM UNVEILED. 383
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Origin of Evil — Human Depravity — Molinesi of
Adam — Judgment — Resurreotion — Sabbath — Tem-
perance— Amusements — Fellowship .
Mr. Noyes has undertaken to solve the mystery re-
specting the origin of evil. He assumes that Satan is
a self-existent and eternal being, and is the uncreated
source of evil, as God is the uncreated source of good.
The absurdity of this idea is so apparent that it needs
no argument to confute it. How there can be more
than one self-existent and eternal being in the universe,
is left for Mr. N. to show.
In relation to human depravity he has advanced
some peculiar notions. He assumes that there is an
original difference in the characters of men, for which
he accounts as follows : —
''As the source of all evil in this world is an uncrea-
ted evil being, it is evident that the ultimate principle
of corruption in mankind is spiritual. Men are wicked
because they are enveloped in the spirit of ' the wicked
one,' and so are ' led captive at his will.' This is true
of all, in their primary, unregenerate state.
" But there is a subdivision in the depravity of
human nature. Adam, who was originally the work-
manship of God, and a vessel of spiritual good, became
by his fall a subject of the Devil, and a vessel of spirit-
ual evil. The streams from the two eternal fountahis "
(i. e. God and Satan) " flowed together in him. His
spiritual nature was primarily good," (only negatively
384 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
good, we presume he means,) " as proceeding from
God ; but secondariiy evil, as pervaded by the Devih
With this compound character, he had the power of
propagating his own likeness ; and in giving direction
to that power the antagonistic elements of uncreated
good and evil were both concerned. In fact, this was
the point of their most radical conflict. As the off-
spring of Adam's body was two-fold, distinguished into
male and female, part following the nature of the pri-
mary, and part the nature of the secondary parent ; so
the offspring of his spiritual nature was two-fold, distin-
guished like that nature, into good and evil, part foUovv'-
ing the character of the primary and part the character
of the secondary spiritual element. In other words,
Adam had two sorts of spiritual children — one of them
like himself, primarily of God and secondarily of the
Devil, of whom Adam was a specimen ; the other, prima-
rily of the Devil and secondarily of God, of whom Cain
was a specimen. See 1 John 3 : 12. Thus mankind are
di\dded spiritually into two classes of different original
characters, proceeding respectively froiii uncreated good
and evil. . . . The depravity of mankind, then, is of two
sorts. The seed of the woman arc depraved, as Adam
was after the fall, — not in their original individual spi-
rits which are of God, but by their spiritual combina-
tion with and subjection to the Devil. In other words,
they are possessed of the Devil, and as to their volun-
tary or objective characters are totally depraved. Yet
they are not subjectively devils. The divinity of their
origin is evinced by the fact that they hear and receive
the word of God when it comes to them. — On the other
hand, the seed of the serpent are depraved as Cain
was, — ^not only by combination with and subjection to
the Devil, but by original spiritual identity with him.
They are not only possessed of the Devil, but are radi-
cally DEVILS THEMSELVES." — Berean, pp. 104, 105.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 885
The foregoing speculations have no scriptural basis
whatever. They are the mere creature of Mr. N.'s
imagination. The Scriptures speak a strong and uni-
form language relative to man's depravity. They place
all upon a common level ; and the testimony is abun-
dant in relation to this subject — it stands out promi-
nently upon almost every page of sacred writ.
The views of Perfectionists respecting the holiness
of Adam are expressed in short as follows : —
" The Bible no where ascribes eminent holiness, or
even any holiness, in the gospel sense of that term, to
Adam. . . . That Adam was created in a state of per-
fect innocence, we cannot doubt. , . . But with respect
to his holiness, (if it is proper to apply this word at all
to Adam in his original state,) it must have been
rather negative than positive ; i. e. though he knew no
e\41, though he was free from all evil propensity, and
from all guilt, yet he did not possess what we call tried
virtue; he had not met and resisted temptation." —
Perfectionist, Vol. v. No. 12.
Let us -glance at this position. What is holiness in
its essence but supreme love to God ? This love He
requires of all his intelHgent creatures ; and this re-
quirement is based upon the natural relation they sus-
tain to Him. Now if all moral beings are placed under
a law requiring supreme love to their Creator, would it
not be the height of absurdity to suppose that Adam,
coming pure from the hand of his Maker, would be
incapable of fulfilling the requirements of the law under
wliich he was placed ? If he fulfilled that law until he
fell — which no one doubts — then he must have possess-
25
386 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
ed the love required, and consequently been eminently
holy, even in a gospel sense — for the gospel requires
no more than perfect love, accompanied with its appro-
priate fruits.
But it is intimated that in order to possess holiness,
temptation must be " met and resisted." If this be
true, the Savior had no holiness until He " met and
resisted " the temptations of Satan 1 — The angels that
fell had no holiaesg before their fall; from what a
height, then, they must have fallen ! — And Adam had
httle or nothing to lose; he had no eminence from
which to fall ; he only descended from a common level
a few steps downward !
But it is sometimes said that Adam could not have
originally possessed true holiness, because it is argued,
" Habits of hoHness cannot be created without our
knowledge, or consent ; for holiness in its nature im-
plies the choice and consent of a moral agent, without
which it cannot be holiness."
The fallacy of this reasoning lies in confounding
Tidbits of hoHness with principles of holiness. Habit is
the result of acts, and acts of choice. A principle
always lies back of choice, by which it is governed.
There must be a right nature or holy principle before
there can be a right choice. The principle in Adam
from which right choice proceeded, prior to the fall,
was either implanted in him at his creation, or produ-
ced by his own volitions. If the latter, he must have
willed correctly without any correct principle ; if the
former, then he possessed holiness by nature — which is
NOTESISM UNVEILED. 387
self-evident, for y^e cannot suppose that God would cre-
ate him less thap holy. Moreover, the scriptures actu-
ally " ascribe eminent Jioliness " to Adam, inasmuch as
they assert that he was created in the image of God,
which comprised " true holiness J^
The Perfectionist view of this subject, although it
does not charge evil upon Adam, yet it deprives him of
all positive good. Having neither holiness nor sin, or
in other words, possessing no moral character, and
becoming immortal in this state, it would be difficult to
fix his final destiny. Having no holiness, he could not
enter heaven — and having no sin, he could not be justly
doomed to eternal death.
Mr. ISf. thus defines his theory of the judgment : —
" As God divided mankind into two great families —
the Jews and the Gentiles — so he has appointed a sep-
arate judgment for each. The harvest of the Jews
came first,- because they were ripened first. God sep-
arated them from the rest of the nations, and for two
thousand years poured upon them the sunshine and the
rain of religious discipline. When Christ came he said
the fields were white. By the preaching of Christ and
his apostles, the process, necessary to make way for the
judgment, was complete. At the destruction of Jeru-
salem, the Jews as a nation were judged. Then the
kingdom of heaven passed from the Jews to the Gen-
tiles. Matt. 21 : 43. God commenced a process of
preparation for a second judgment. The Gentiles
came under the sunshine and rain, which had before
been sent upon the Jews. For nearly two thousand
years the Gentile crop has been maturing, and we may
reasonably look for the Gentile harvest as near." —
Berean, p. 277.
dS8 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
Mr. N. asserts that the second, coming of Christ —
which he assumes took place at the des|(;ruction of Jeru-
salem— was " the day of judgment for the primitive
church and the Jetmh nation. ^^ He also assumes that
the judgment of mankind " is divided into two acts,
occupying tzvo periods of time^ separated from each
other by an interval of more than a thousand years."
One of these acts he calls the first judgment, and the
other the final judgment.
Now the simple assertion that " God hath appointed
a day "-— i. e. a particular time, a definite period — " in
which he will judge the world " — not a part of it — " in
righteousness " — Acts 17 : 31 — is fatal to this theory,
and overthrows the whole superstructure.
But Mr. N. assumes that the final judgment has
commenced, and is being executed by Perfectionists,
but more particularly, if not exclusively, by himself!
On the evening of June 1, 1847, he said : —
'' We are finally brought to the question. Is not the
kingdom of God in us ; including all the elements of
the judgment 9 I think jbhere is abundant evidence in
the past, especially in the last year, that the judgment
has begun. . , . In the most important sense, we have
heen conscious of living in the day of judgment " !
But let us look at the nature and characteristics of
the judgment as set forth by Mr. N. He says : —
" The judgment of the world will be a gradual spirit-
ual operation efiected by truth and invisible power, with-
out any of the physical machinery which alarms the ima-
ginations of most expectants of the great day. . . All the
transactions of the last judgment, will be effected hj a
NOYESiSM un\t:iled. 389
spiritual infusion from them [the primitiYe diurch] gf
the light and energy of G-od."
'Mr. N. also asserts that he discards entirely the
impressions ivliich are common in the world, respecting
the judgment! But let us endeavor to ascertain as
definitely as possible the character of the judgment, and
the office-work of the judge, as presented by the Noyes-
ites. Mr. N. says; —
'• The ultimate causes of all good and evil, are the
spirit of love and the spirit of selfishness — God and the
devil. Human life is placed under the power of these
spirits, and in all stages of its experience is either sub-
ject wholly to one or to the other of them, or is in the
conflict between them.'' — Berean, p. 256.
Thus, by the principles of love and selfishyiess, Mr.
N. represents G-od and Satan. Perfectionists think
they are living under a new dispensation — that this is
the end of the world — and they talk about the judg-
ment of selfishness.' They think their Community is
an unselfish association. But in order to enter it, the
social ties must be cut asunder. Say they : —
" Those attachments and relations, whether domestic
or social, originating and existing only in the constitu-
tion of human life, are obstacles to be surmounted. . . .
However cutting and anti-selfish it may be, our prop-
erty, ourselves, and every thing that pertains to us and
ours, are to be sacrificed."
A member of the Putney Community remarked to a
citizen of the village, that her hody ivas going to the
judgment ! i. e, into the hands of John H. Noyes, to
be disposed of by him ! And in this way she was going
to make saci^ifice of self ! !
890 NOYBSISM UNVEILED.
•Mr. N. said to a citizen of Putney several years
since, that he should yet sit upon the throne and judge
the world ! And undoubtedly he now thinks he is doing
it. But it is presumed that the general sentiment is that
it is a very small matter to he judged hy John H. Noyes !
From all the light thrown upon the subject, we come
to the conclusion, that, in the estimation of Perfection-
ists, the process of the judgment consists in separating
between the seljish and the unselfish ! The Noyesites
profess to have an unselfish association, and all without
is selfish. It appears to be the province of Mr. N. to
distinguish between the two characters ; and those who
make a sacrifice of self, find favor in his sight, and are
welcomed within the " charmed circle " ; and those
who do not make a sacrifice of self are rejected ! Thus
he is judging the world ! !
In concluding this subject, we would remark that
Mr. Noyes professes to be the white horse mentioned in
the following passage : — " And I saw heaven opened,
and behold a white horse ; and he that sat upon him
was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he
doth judge and make war." — Rev. 19 : 11.
In the Spiritual Magazine of Nov. 1, 1847, we find
the following language : —
" Christ is now going forth on the white horse, to
judge and make war in righteousness ; and the armies
of heaven are following him on white horses J^
The allusions in the above language cannot be mista-
ken. Now the cream of the whole matter is that John
H. Noyes is the white horse, and that his followers
are all white horses ! I
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 391
Mr. Nojes occupies a position antagonistical to the
doctrine of the resurrection of the body. He says he
has long argued " against the notion of a resurrection
of that body which c?jes"-^and ^Hhat there is to he no
resurrection of the body which sees corruption. —
Berean, p. 355.
Speaking of a spiritual resurrection, Mr. N. makes
the following remark ; —
" ' If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature ;
old things are passed away ; behold all things are be-
come new.' [He has passed from a carnal state into
the resurrection — from this world into the heavenly
world ; his state and relations are as fully changed^ as
the idea of a translation from earth to heaven de-
jnands.y
The reader can draw his own inferences.
The Christian Sabbath is discarded by the Noyes-
ites. Nevertheless, on that day at Putney they usually
met — merely as a matter of convenience, however — at
their Chapel in the morning, and held a sort of service.
There were several speakers^ who usually, we believe,
served in rotation, and each, from time to time, held
forth upon -a topic of his own selection, and — ■
" The truth of God
Tamed to a lie, deceiving and deceived: —
Each, with the accursed sorcery of sin,
To his own wish and vile propensity
Transforming still the meaning of the t«xt."
In this manner Noyes and his little company of fol-
lowers generally occupied the time usually allotted to
the morning service in religious assemblies. In the
392 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
afternoon they had no such gathering, hut spent the
tune, after the manner of a holiday, in rambhng over
the fields, or riding about town — to the annoyance of
the sober citizens — in their pleasure carriages ; — the
nobility occupying the best vehicles, and the lower class,
those of a secondary order — for aristocracy was quite
prominent among them. In the evening, after a great
supper, they spent the time in conversing upon what
they called religious subjects — what consummate hypoc-
risy !—jzc?cZZm^, dancing^ card-playing^ &c., in short,
any gaming or amusements which the spirit that was
among them inclmed them to follow.
After desecrating the holy Sabbath in this most
revolting manner, it is more than probable that the
leader
— '• Then retired to drink the filthy cup
Of secret wickedness, and fabricate
All lying wonders, by the untaught received
For revelations new."
And
" These in their wisdom (?) left
The light revealed, and turned to fancies wild j
And visionary dreams,
More bodiless and hideously misshapen
Than ever fancy, at the noon of night
Playing at will, framed in the madman's brain."
The position of the Perfectionists in relation to the
use of alcoholic drinks, is found in the following extract
from the Spiritual Magazine of May 15, 1847 : —
'' "What, after all, does the famous physiological
argument of the Temperance Society amount to ? It
is nothing more than an inference drawn from the
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 393
observed effect of alcohol upon the stomachs of intem-
perate, ungodly men. Such men are necessarily dis-
eased. Unbelief, or sin, is itself an unnatural, diseased
state of the whole man, -which gives a more or less poi-
sonous effect to every thing that he eats or drinks, so
that the most scrupulous dieter falls a victim to his food
at last. The primary cause, however, we repeat, is not
in tis food ; but in the unsanctified, devilish nature of
his life, which converts to evil, things which are good.
. . . Persons who are unnaturally diseased by sin, and
who habitually eat and drink damnation to themselves,
are not to decide the character of meats and drinks for
persons in a wholly different state. It is as unreasonable
for Temperance men to pronounce alcohol an invariable
poison because of its effect on drunkards, as it would be
for us to call water poison because it produces terrible
convulsions in a person with the hydrophobia. The
cause of the evil is as independent of the offendmg sub-
stanccj in one case as the other."
We present the foregoing _ extract as a curious speci-
men of Perfectionist logic. The reader will readily
perceive that the Noyesites have hit upon an expedient
by which they evidently hope to appropriate the " good
creature " exclusively to their own special benefit and
behoof I
The position of Perfectionists in relation to amuse-
ments is as anti-scriptural and absurd as many other
things among them. Say they : —
" Tliere is a time to laugJi, a time to rejoice and leap for joy
— and in such demonstrations only can we truly worship God. . . ,
Let us not have amusements without religion, nor a religion thai
is hostile to amusements. But let us marry religion to amuse"
mentsJ*
394 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
According. to their own declarations, their practices
have been in accordance with these principles. The
Editor of the Spiritual Magazine of May 15, 1847,
writes thus: —
" The body of believers in holiness in this village
have this spring joined their households under one com-
mon roof. This change, as they expected, has proved
in every respect useful and agreeable. Our evenings
are generally occupied with conversation, reading, and
amusement J^
The nature of the amusements which they have
attempted to " marry " to religion, will be discovered
in the following extract : —
" A wanderer from the West, a representative of a
certain school of spirituahsts, presented himself with us
one evening while we were interested in the subject of
' Christ, our wisdom.' ... He came with a design of
mediation between us and those with whom he is con-
nected, or for some" purpose we know not what, profess-
ing to be dii-ected by the Spirit. We passed the eve-
ning as if he were not present, in conversation about
the Bible, our hearts burning within us, and joy in our
countenances. Then there was musio and dancing,
and the exhilaration of good fellowships^
Thus they can profess to be interested in the subject
of " Christ, our wisdom " — converse " about the Bible"
— and then trip to. the sound of the viol, on " light fan-
tastic toe" — and that too all in the same evening!
Thus they marry religion to amusements ! and are
ready to say, "m mich demonstrations only can we
truly worship Crod^^ ! Comment is unnecessary.
NOYESISM T7NVEILED. 395
But they place a high estimate upon fellowship. Let
us glance at their views touching this matter. In the
Spiritual Magazine of Dec. 15, 1846, they say : —
" There are three degrees of fellowship that believers
may have with God, and with each other. The first
may be called Jewish fellowship ; the second corres-
ponds to the transition state of the primitive church ;
and the third to the fullness of the New Covenant.
The first is simply friendship, mutual afiection ; the sec-
ond is a closer union, but not secure ; the third is an
organic union which is indissoluble. Perfectionists
have known considerable of the second degree of fellow-
ship. They have had love, without the security. . . .
Their union has not been an eternal marriage, where
divorce is impossible. . . . But the third kind of union
is coming to view ; union which has the security —
which is entered into like marriage, with irrevocable
bonds. Two shall say to each other — It is a gone case
with us ; we are one for eternity. ... A nucleus of
this union has been formed, and there are some who
have received of the Lord, a hope for each other which
is steadfast, and a love which casts out fear. Love
cannot be perfect while one fear remains that it will
not always last. In the relations of this world, mar-
riage comes the nearest to this union, in its community
of interests, and in the abandonment to each other
which the parties make, for better or for worse, and in
the contract being for life. But a life union for this
world is transitory, compared with a union for eternity ;
and the kind of companionship which exists in most
marriages is very deferent from being ' fitly framed
together.' ... It is an organic union, which comes by
growth and assimilation of substance, or it is like a
hyjMmg fitly framed together,^^
396 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
The reader will readily perceive that the Perfection-
ists tarnish every thing they touch, and turn every sen-
timent and subject -which they handle into a polluted
channel — which clearly indicates the prevaiHng senti-
ments and predominant feelings among them.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 397
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Concluding Observations,
The doctrines taught by Mr. Noyes and his coadju-
tors, together with their practical consequences, have
been so far exhibited as to give, we trust, a tolerably
correct idea of the nature and tendency of this new
ism. Undoubtedly the heart of the reader has sicken-
ed, while perusing the foregoing pages, at the recital of
scenes which have transpired among the Noyesites at
Putney and elsewhere, and in view of the deep corrup-
tion of this new class of people. But let no one for a
moment suppose that the gross impieties and strong
delusions which we have been contemplating are the
offspring of the Christian rehgion — far, far from this.
Christianity is utterly opfposed to ail such principles and
practices. For the leader of this sect to teach that the
Apostles and primitive Christians approved of such
infamous conduct, and practiced such gross immorah-
ties, as he and his followers are guilty of, is a most
blasphemous assumption — an utter outrage upon virtu-
ous principles — the deepest reproach that can be cast
upon the rehgion of the Bible, and the highest indignity
that can be offered to the Divine Author of our common
Christianity.
There are evidently those in the present age, as well
as in primitive times, to whom the searching language
of the inspired Apostles will very appropriately apply,
398 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
for their characters %ppear to be quite similar. We
quote a few paragraphs from the apostolic -writinge,
which appear to be peculiarly applicable in the present
instance : —
" Now the Spirit apeakath expressly t thai in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spiritSf and
doctrines of devils ; speaking lies in hypocrisy ; having their con"
science seared with a hot iron. . . . They profess that they knoio
God ; hut in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobe-
dient, and unto every good work reprobate. . . . Having the under-
standing darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart ; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto
lasciviousness, to V)ork all uncleanness with greediness. . . . And
have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication and lasciv-
iousness, which they have committed. . . . But became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was'darkened. Wherefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonor tlieir own bodies between themselves. . . . For it
is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in
secret. . . . For the mystery of iniquity doth already work ; . . . .
even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
pow«r, and signs, and lying wond^s, and loith all deceivableness
of unrighteousness in them that perish ; because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie : that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure m unrighteousness. . . . These be they who separate them-
selves ; sensual, having not the Spirit. . . . Scoffers, walking after
their own lusts, . . . But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in
the lust of uncleanness, and despise government: presumptuous
are ihe'y, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
. . . These, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroy-
ed, speak evil of the things that they understand not ; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption ; and shall receive the
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 399
reward of unrighteousness as they that count it pleasure to riot in
the day time. Spots are they and blemishes, sporting themselves
with their own deceivings ; having eyes full of adultery, and that
cannot cease from sin ; beguiling unstable souls. . . . For when
they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the
lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean
escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them
liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.^*
One writer very justly comments upon the prophetic
part of the foregoing quotations, as follows : —
" It is wonderful to observe with what precision these
prophecies have been fulfilled by the clouds of impos-
tors who have appeared — ' speaking great swelling
words of vanity,' and fallen — since the inspired senten-
ces were uttered. And it may be regarded as one of
the evidences of the truth of inspiration, that had the
long array of apostates and deceivers actually stood
before the sacred penmen at the time of their writing,
their characters all naked before them, the likenesses,
from the first Christian apostate to the sensual Mor-
mons " — and Perfectionists — " could not have been
drawn with greater fidehty."
This strange delusion undoubtedly originated in the
same fanatical spirit which has transformed many a
Christian community into a moral waste — a spiritual
desolation. The Noyesites proceeded step by step
from one degree to another, till at last the measure of
their iniquity became full and running over. One
writer says : —
" These Perfectionists believe that they have the
inward Christ — can do no wrong — that to the pure all
things are pure — that Christ is responsible for all they
do — and other such blasphemous absurdities. . . . Iq
400 KOYESISM UNVEILED.
most cases, from the primitive heresy of Gnosticism,
down to the Fifth Monarchy sect of the Puritan age,
and even to the days of Joanna Southcote in England,
and the Cochranites, the lascivious Mormons, and the
sensual Perfectionists of the present day in the United
States, the tendency, it cannot be denied, has been to
permit almost every license of impurity. ... In our
own country, the most surprising instance of imposture
and delusion, perhaps, that has occurred, was that of
the Cochranites, whose enormities in licentiousness
made so much stu- in Maine and New Hampshire a feT>'
years since. ... So atrocious was Cochran's conduct,
that he seduced great numbers of females, married and
unmarried, under the pretext of raising up a holy race
of men. The peace of many families was broken up,
and the villain kept an estabhshment like a seragho.
His career, however, was happily short."
The foregoing paragraph was penned soon after
Noyesism had made its appearance ; and at that early
date it had given decided indications of its nature and
tendency, but it has since so fully developed itself, and
advanced so far, that it now occupies the front rank in
that legion of impostures and delusions under which the
world has long groaned. The writer from which we
have made some extracts further says : —
" An examination of the history of heresies and im-
postures in all ages, will disclose the painful fact, that
whether arising from enthusiasm, or phrenzy, or from
deliberate imposture, a common character seems to
have run through and pervaded nearly all, — and the
tendency has, beyond doubt, most usually been to licen-
tiousness and criminal intercourse between the sexes.
This fact has not escaped the notice of the enemies of
Christianity, who have availed themselves of it in th^ir ^
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 401
attacks, for the purpose of increasing the "weight of
odium with which thej would cover it. Mr. Hume,
however, has the candor to assign the true cause for the
effect, viz. the strength of human passions, and the
facihties of criminal indulgence, between the sexe5,
afforded by the frequent and intimate associations pro-
duced bj congenial fanaticism."
This little volume has been prepared for the purpose
of warning the public, by the presentation of simple
facts, against cherishing a fanatical spirit. The writer
has diligently sought for tuuth, and it is behered has
succeeded in collecting a chain of facts, of a painful
and somewhat extraordinary character — 'facts which it
is very important should be known, that others, looking
at their origin, and tracing their progress, may be
deterred from entering upon a course in religious mat-
ters, which may lead to the same dangerous extremes
and melancholy results, and ultimately end in the same
or similar delusions, dark and deep, and equally fatal
as those disclosed in this volume.
It cannot but be perceived that it is extremely haz-
ardous for a person to set up a standard of faith and
practice of his own, irrespective of the simple requisi-
tions of the Scriptures, taken in their most obvious
sense, and in their own native simplicity and beauty.
It has been well remarked by Robert Philip, that " the
men who would say to others, ' Stand aside, for I am
holier than thou,' are Pharisees, who have httle or no
dependence on grace. In like manner, all who plume
themselves on being special favorites of Heaven, and
26
402 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
despise others as non-elect, pay, of all men, the least
respect to the grace they pretend to have received."
Unquestionably one of the leading features, as well
as one of the greatest errors of the age in which we
live, and especially in our own country, is a strong ten-
dency to ultraisms — ultraisms not only in religion and
pontics, but in almost every department of moral and
philanthropic enterprise. TVe are running into ex-
tremes upon almost every thing we undertake. While
there are some who are always on the back ground,
extremely tardy in all their moves, and very reluctantly
render even the most inefficient aid for the promotion
of any moral or benevolent enterprise, there are, at the
same time, others, who, instead of adopting those con-
servative principles and judicious measures which would
secure the most lasting and beneficial results, become
over-heated zealots, and by injudicious efforts actually
injure any cause, however good, in which they may be
engaged — their every movement tends to retard the
onward march of truth, and put far away the day of
final triumph. In relation to the ultraisms of the age,
one distinguished orator has shrewdly remarked, that
''often, when a good cause has been begun, if ike Devil
■finds there is no other ivay to ruin it, he will turn
charioteer" himself P^
The facts detailed in the present volume should
stand as a solemn warning against "this ultra, self-
righteous and fanatical spirit — this seeking out of human
inventions in matters of such high concernment as
those of the salvation of men. How much wiser, safer,
NOTESISM I^VEILED. 403
and better, than the running after every new thing, and
the following of sq many blind guides, would it be for
Christian professors to obey the injunction of God him-
self: — ' Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the way^,
and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the
GOOD WAY, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls,^ "
Moreover, we learn from this subject that delusions
are not confined to the low, the ignorant, and the vul-
gar ; but may be found among the intelligent — ladies,
educated and accomplished, and gentlemen of talent,
information and wealth. How important, then, in view
of our weakness and dependence, the caution, " Let
Mm that thinheth he standeth, take heed lest he fallJ^
The rule of section under all circumstances is very ex-
plicit : " Fear Gjod, and keep his commandments ; for
fMs is the whole duty of manP
We conclude this little volume in the language of
another, the truthfulness of Vhich must be apparent to
all ; and ite application in the present instance is pecul-
iarly appropriate and forcible :— •
'* What is denominated fanaticism is often sheer^
downright hypocrisy, both in the deceiver and in those
who pretend to be deluded. By far the greater por-
tion of those who profess to be deluded, only assume
the character of believers in these impostures, for the
purpose of thus freeing themselves from the restraint of
those rules and decorums and obligations of society,
which they cannot otherwise contravene without calling
down on their own heads disgrace and punishment. It
mil, in almost every case of these fanatical eruptions,
404 NOYESISM UNVEILED.
be seen that the imposture begins by railing against all
the domestic duties, and relations of the social state :
filial and parental ties, the marriage vow, the sanctity
of chastity, most especially, form the subjects of their
attacks ; and the basis of every false rehgion is almost
uniformly laid in the ruins of feminine purity, matrimo-
nial faith, and domestic obHgations.
" That those who have become impatient of these
ties and duties, or who wish to free themselves from the
necessity of conforming to the restraints of the social
state, and travel out into the boundless ocean of licen-
tious indulgence, should shelter themselves under the
convenient mask of fanaticism, from the imputation of
criminal excesses, and affect to becojiie conscientiously
letvd, or luicJced from principle^ is surely not a subject
of wonder, however it may be of regret. Hence we
almost always see the development and exposure of
these impostures exhibiting to the eyes of the world a
scene of lewdness and hcentious intercourse equally
degrading to the character of that sex, among whom
we almost always find the first disciples of every new-
fangled religious imposition, and to the character of
rational and moral beings. From all I have seen and
read of these victims, or accomplices of successful im-
posture, I am imalterahly convinced, that ivhat is called
fanaticism, is oftener the cool, calculating offspring of
a corrujDt and sensual heart, than of a deluded, over-
heated brain. Wine times in ten, I believe it is only
the veil behind which corrupt men and women seek a
shelter from the ignominy of a licentioiis life, and
cloak the indulgence of indiscriminate lewdness.
"In conclusion, it may be remarked that Erroe can
only be overcome by Truth, and that they who have
the ' Truth of God ' distinctly set forth in the book of
Revelation, have an infallible criterion by which to test
the true character of any religious opinion or practice.
NOYESISM UNVEILED. 405
And in the Gospel dispensation introduced by our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the inspired volumes of
the Old and New Testaments constitute the true and
only infallible rule of faith and conduct ; nor can any-
radical or fundamental error long escape detection when
subjected to this plain and unerring standard."
APPENDIX.
Case of 3fi8S Lucinda J. Lamb — Various Items,
The case of Miss Lucinda J. Lamb, a respectable
young lady residing in Putney Village, is "worthy of
notice. The circumstances connected with this case
transpired in the spring and summer of 1847, about the
time of the going forth of the famous proclamation that
the kingdom of God had come to the town of Putney
and the Perfectionist Community located there ! !
Miss Lamb, at the time alluded to, was about fifteen
years of age. She w^as brought within the reach of
influences which surrounded the " charmed circle,''^ by
circumstances which it is unnecessary now to give in
detail. Suffice it to say, that she and her parents were
deceived ; and not suspecting that there was any dark
design at the bottom, were unaware of the danger to
which she was exposed. Meanwhile, the Noyesites
resorted to various expedients and stratagems for the
purpose of drawing her into the vortex of ruin ; but
happily their nefarious schemes were frustrated just in
time to rescue her from the clutches of those rapacious
408 Al>i>ENDlX.
monsters, tlie leading Perfectionists :— for, like vora*
aious vultures, they were doubtless looking upon Miss
Lamb as lawful prey, and they were evidently not a
likle disappointed that she escaped.
Mr. Noyes not only exerted his own influence, but
his female helpers closed around Miss Lamb, bent on
her ruin ; and each, in turn, like " a serpent with
an angel's voice," strove to indoctruiate and lead her
along in the path to infamy and death : — and so intent
Were they upon their prey, that Miss Lamb was watch-
ed with a vigilant eye ; and when she stepped out to
call upon her parents or friends, some of the female
niembers of the Community would accompany her, lest
some counteracting influences might be exerted upon
h-er, and the spell thus be broken. And this course
was in perfect keeping with Perfectionist policy; for
wh«n they get hold they generally hang on, till the
victim is fast bound and the ruin rendered complete.
It may be proper here to remark, that the circum-
stances which we are narrating transpired before the
disclosures were made which exhibited the abominable
lewdness of Noyes and his fuithful followers ; and
when even some of tlie sober citizens of Putney were
slow to beheve that they would plunge into such gross
iniquity. The parents of Miss Lamb were not over
much suspicious, and were mduced to let their daugh-
ter board in the dwelling where the Noyesites resided,
in consequence of fair promises, and the deep interest.
which some of the members of the Community, with
^hom she had formerly been acquainted and even quite
APPENDIX. 409
intimate, professed to feel for her. Bnt the worst
deception was practiced upon her and her parents, and
the dark and infernal designs of the Noyesites were
kept concealed from view. But the parents of the
joung lady ere long began to fear that all was not
right, and at length became dissatisfied, and made some
efforts to get her away; but to their surprise they
found that an influence had been obtained over her
which well-nigh proved fatal. And although Mr.
Noyes was peremptorily forbidden by Mr. Lamb to
have any more conversation with his daughter, yet,
regardless of this, he persisted in the same course he
had been pursuing : and to show the deep mterest
which Mr. N. feit in this case, and the active part he
performed, we give the following extracts from a letter
which he wrote to Mr. Lamh while things were pro-
gressing : —
^' Putney, June 4, 1847.
■^^ Mr. Xaw5— Sir :— ... I find it my duty at th«
present juncture to apprize you distinctly of the posi-
tion which I hold, and of the course which I shall take
in relation to Lucinda.
" You are the father of her body, Ood is fne father
of her spirit. You have the legal right and the physi-
cal power to dispose of her body — to send her where
you will. God has the absolute right and the irresisti-
ble power to direct the movements of her spirit and fix
her heart on the kingdom and followers of his Son. —
•Christ himself has distinctly forevfarned us that colhs-
iens between his claims and the claims 'of earthly rela-
tions must occur in the going forth of his kingdom. —
* Think not,' he says, ' I am come to send peace on
410 APPENDIX.
earthy I am not coiDie to send peace on earth, but a
sword.' ... It is at least supposable that these words
are being fulfilled in your family — that your daughter
has accepted the call of Christ and you have rejected
it, and of course that a collision between Christ's claim
and yours is approaching. You will naturally reject
such a supposition, and yet it may be time.
" I believe that it is true, and believing thus, I am
bound, in the first place, to do my best to make jo^sl
aware of what you are doing. I count it an act, not
of enmity, but of love toward you, to say to you, ' Be-
ware of the attempt to take your daughter out of God's
hands. Let the potsherds of the earth strive with the
potsherds of the earth, but wo to him who striveth with
his Maker.' ... I think the present project of sending
Lucinda away from her religious friends is as unnatural
and as cruel to her soul, as it would be to take a new-
born infant away from its mother. I do not beSeve
that you will succeed in ahenating her from her present
faith or from us. Nor do I believe that she will make
the improvement in w^orldly studies which you have in
view. ... I advise you to let her remain where she is.
" Your friend, John H. No yes."
Notwithstanding Mr. N.'s advice and implied threats^
Mr. Lamb removed his daughter to an adjoining State,
and has ever since kept her away from Perfectionist
influence. But to show the pertinacity with wMch
they adhered to their purposes, we would remark, that
before the letter was written from which the foregoing
extracts were taken, Mr. Lamb removed his daughter
to Fayetteville, a distance of ten miles, and committed
her to the care of his son and some friends — hoping by
this course to keep her away from the subtle influences
APPENDIX. 411
exerted by Koyee and his confederates. But on th©
next morning after her removal, at an early hour, John
R. Miller and George W. Noyes, both staunch Perfec-
tionists and pliant tools of the Putney Pontiff, made
their appearance at Fayetteville — though before they
left Putney they stated that they were going to other
places — and desired an interview with Miss Lamb.
Those to whose care she had been committed, at first
refused admittance ; but young Mr. Noyes — ^who is a
brother of the Putney magician, a Perfectionist dyed
in the wool, and a no less personage than the Editor of
the Spiritual Magazine* — was intent upon an interview,
and urged it upon the ground that he intended mar-
riage with her ; and falsely asserted, as we learn, that
he already had engagements with her. He affirmed'
t^at his motives were pure ; and as he was a young
man who had previously sustained a fair character,
aside from his many heretical notions, though now act-
ing a feigned part behind the curtain, the friends of
Mss Lamb at length consented, though quite reluc-
tantly, to an interview. During that interview, young
Mr. Noyes told Miss Lamb that he believed it was the
Lord's will that he should marry her ! and that in this
he had the approbation of his elder brother. Now this
must have been either a piece of sheer deception on the
part of the young man, and designed as an inducement
for Miss Lamb to return to Putney ; or he afterward
had an opposite revelation ; or the " acknowledged
head" otherwise ordered; for in a few weeks after
young Mr. Noyes averred that he believed it was the
41^ AI^PENBIX.
Lord's will that he should marry Miss Lamb, he was
married to another lady ! Before this took place he
mentioned three young ladies — one of whom was MisS
Lamb— ^and said he had iio choice between them, and
was willing to marry any one if it was God's will ; hut
that will was of course to he ascertained through his
brother, John IT, Noyes ! Thus he made frequent refer-
ences and great professions of submission to the will of
God, when his sole object in entering into the marriage
relation was that he might have " a dish of his own
procuring " to add to the great supper which was fast
being prepared. Notwithstanding his professions, his
motives were probably about as pure a:s those of the
butcher who leads the lamb to the slaughter !
When Mr. Lamb took his daughter away to remove
her to I^ayetteville, the Perfectionists exhorted her to
steadfastness. Says one, " Stick to it, Lucinda " /
Yes, echoes another, " Stick to it, do nH give it wp " /
When at Fayetteville, several letters were writteti to
her for the purpose of encouraging and strengthening
her ; and those letters were mailed at Brattleboro', ten
miles from Putney, and at a greater distance than Put-
ney fr®m Fayetteville ; and all this when there was a
post-office at their door in Putney. Were they afraid
that the friends of Miss Lamb would learn that they
wore holding correspondence with her ? Undoubtedly.
La a letter written during this time to Miss Lamb,
John K. Miller holds the following very beautiful Ian--
guage :—
" We shall all be delighted to see you once more at our hoiisef
. APPENDIX. 418
and we expect to have the privilege next Saturday evening. . . .
We have very happy times at our house, more so than ever, all
that is wanting is your presence to mahe it completely so. Though
you are absent you have been the subject of conversation several
evenings. . . . Mr. Noyes said he wished to express his entire
approbation of your conduct, and that he was very much pleased
with you."
In another letter written about the same time, Mr.
Miller continues the strain thus : —
" Our friendship for you and our connexion with you is nearer
and dearer than any thing this world knows any thing about, and
we shall prove to you in every possible way our love for you."
Mr. Miller also undertook to portray in glowing colors
the beauty of making a sacrifice of self. He says : —
" It would seem that this world might be a ' para-
dise ' were it not for the selfishness of man. How
happy this world might be, if our hearts were filled
with love — that love which seeketh not her own, but
tries to make others happy.''''
To make a sacrifice of self, is to give up " every
thing " to John H. Noyes. Thus Mr. Miller began to
preach up the peculiar doctrine in characteristic style !
But he says again for the encouragement of Miss
Lamb : —
" God is carrying on his work here gloriously and no
power on earth can stop it. Let those oppose it and
tell stories about us who choose, they are only making
work for repentance. The Devil has been busy, but
his time is short."
Arrant hypocrisy ! Talking about the work of God
going on gloriously among them, when the cup of their
iniquity was being filled to overflowing !
414 APPENDIX.
Mr. Miller unwittingly spoke an important truth.
He thinks the Devil was busy and his time short. That
he was very busy among the ISToyesites about this time,
is abundantly evident ; and the event proved his time
quite short in Putney, under the administration of
Noyes and his coadjutors !
Mr. Miller, speaking of two young ladies who had
recently joined the Community, says they were " get-
ting along nicely " / One of those ladies wrote a let-
ter to Miss Lamb, accompanied by the following note :
" Put this letter of mine ivhere it ivill not he found —
in the fire " /
Great professions of love and friendship were made
toward Miss Lamb, and presents were given her to the
value of about fifteen dollars^ ten of which was in
money ; the object of these presents no one can doubt.
After remaining a short time at Fayetteville, Miss
Lamb returned to Putney, and her parents, as a last
resort, resolved to send her out of the State. They
accordingly went for the purpose of getting her away
from the Noyesite Community ; but Mr. Noyes was
highly incensed, and refused to let her go. He talked
very insulting to Mrs. Lamb, the mother of the young
lady — told her she was not her daughter, that she Imd
no business with her, and that she should not have her.
He " shook his fist in her face^"* after the manner of an
enraged rowdy, and told her that she had done enough
that day to sink her to the lowest depths of hell ! All
this Mr. N. would call holy indignation I But what
was Mrs. Lamb's ofibnce ? Simply this — she had
, APPENDIX. 41i
demanded her daughter, which she had a perfect right
to do ; and was resolved that she should leave, and
leave tJien. This in the eye of Hojes was an unpar-
donable offence ! Mr. Lamb soon coming in, took his
daughter away, and on the evening of the same day,
accompanied by her mother, she left the State, and was
taken about seventy-five miles into an adjoining State to
reside, that she might be kept away from the Noyes-
ites. Late in the evening on which Miss Lamb left,
several persons were seen about the dwelling, supposed
to be Noyesites watching for an ojDportunity to se« her
—not knowing that she had already left. For several
days the stages coming into town were closely watched,
evidently to see if she did not return — for they had
instructed her to get away from her mother and return
as soon as she could. Inquiries were also often made
hj the Noyesites for her place of residence, hopihg to
ascertain where it was, that they might still exert an
influence over her by some communication with her.
But in this they did not succeed. While she remained
among them, the parents of Miss Lamb were satisfied
that she was under mesmeric influences. -
Mr, Lamb brought an action against John H. Noyes,
John R. Miller, and Geo. W. Noyes, for enticing his
daughter away and subjecting him to much trouble and
expense, and the case is now pending in court. But
the worst feature of the affair is that they evidently
intended her utter ruin, and had well-nigh accomplished
their object, but she was rescued just in time to ^ve
her.
416 AFPENPIX. 9
In the case of Miss Lamb we can clearly see tlie
course pursued by the Noyesites for the purpose of
drawing young and virtuous females into the vortex of
ruin. They do not at first, by bold and daring efforts,
attempt this, but by secret and subtle influences lead
the victim along, step by step, till the nefarious scheme
is accomplished — ^and so impious are they, that they do
it all under the name of rehgion ! !
' In the summer of 1847 special efforts were made to
draw young females in Putney into the Perfectionist
Community, the object of which no one at this late day
can doubt. By reason of exercise it seems that they
have become quite expert in " flourishing their spiritual
weapons " ; and if a person once comes under their
influence, so familiar are they with the process by
which to subdue and ruin the victim, that they think
they can " calculate results with precision " ! In the
instance which we have noticed, they were disappointed
of their prey ; but they have too often been successful,
for —
" Constant practice, day and night,
In cunning, guile, and all hypocrisy,
Gave them experience vast
In sin's dark tactics, such as boyish men,
Unarmed by strength divine, could ill withstand/''
APPENDIX, 41^
Various Items.
Neyesism is treasonable fti its designs. Of this
there is not a shadow of doubt. Mr. Noyes, in the
Witness of Sept. 25, 1839, gives his views of civil gov-
ernments, in short, as follows : —
" Pefectionists believe that civil governments are
ord:ained of God for good and important purposes in the
jyresent state of mankind ; and while they exist, should
be respected and submitted to as such; hut they re-
ijard them a% made ^ not for a. righteous man, hut for
the lawless and disobedient^'' as fences are not made for
ifien but for cattle, or as straight-jackets are not made
for men of sound minds, but for the insane. In respect
to co-operatuig with them, their maxim generally is, *Let
the dead bury their dead.' They also beheve that all
human governments, though they are ordained of God,
have charters of limited duration. They see in the
Bible that the same God who ordained them, has pre-
dicted their destruction ; and they stand ready to co-
operate with him, whenever he shall manifest that the
time has come for the establishment of that kingdom
which he has said shall finally 'dash them in pieces.' "
That the Noyesites profess to believe that the king^
dom alluded to in the foregoing extract has come and is
established on earth, there can be no doubt. This they
nnanimousl|» declared on the evening of June 1, 1847 ;
and of course they now occupy a position antagonistic
to all human governments ! In the winter of 1847-8,
Mr. N. drew up a long article, which was considered
by him and liis followers 'Hoo treasonable to human in-
stitutions to admit of its being published mth. safety' '
at that time. That article embodies the faith of the
27
418 AJ>PEND1S:.
Noyesltes In regard to tMs subject ; and its principles
they mil carry out so far as circumstances will admit.
Moreover, a correspondent of the Spritual Magazine,
writing under date of Nov. 14, 1847, says :
" Those wlw have the. kingdom of God within them^
may now assert their independence of the unrighteous
governments of the ivorldP
The Noyesites claim to have the " kingdom of God
■within them ;" hence they not only now declare their
independence of all human governments — which they
do not hesitate to term '^ unrighteous "—but they are
deadly opposed to them, and are laboring in every pos-
sible way for their overthrow ! And they are so
strangely infatuated that they believe they shall ^^ carry
the day'''' and ultimately succeed in all their movements.
Silas Morgan, of Leverett, Ms., who styles himself "(z
Perfectionist of 1834 stamp, received of God, through
John IT. Noycs,^^ (!) in a letter wTitten to John R,
Miller of Putney, mider date of Nov. 7, 1847, says : —
"Tell brather J. H. N. the day of redemption draw-
eth nigh, and will come in spite of all hell or hells in,
this world I '^
There is some affinity or resemblance between Noyes-
ism and Eourierism, especially in reference lo organiza-
tion. Touching this matter, Mr. N. in 1840 said : —
" I regard an external organization as bearing the
same relation to a spiritual church, as the body bears to
the soul. A body without a soul is a loathsome carcass.
A soul without a body may live, but one half of its le-
gitimate functions are cut off.'*
In-1846, Mr. N. said:—
APPENDIX. 419
"We have been Associatlonists theoretically for more
than ten years, and practically in a small experimental
way, for six years. So far as the external mechanism
of society proposed by Fourier, is concerned, we have
expressed no general opinion against it, but on the con-
trary are free to avow that in many points his philosophy
well agrees with our principles. We will take this oc-
casion to say a word about our experience, prospects and
intentions in regard to Association. The history of the
band of behevers in this place [Putney] is briefly this :
About six years ago we began the experiment of exter-
nal union of interests. We have been deeply interest-
ed in problems which our new social arrangements have
presented us, and have solved many of them in Si prac-
tical way, with much satisfaction. With patience, and
yet with enthusiasm, we look forward to the time when
we shall be able to embody the union we have formed
in appropriate externals — when we shall have but ONE
HOME as we have but one heart."
In the Spring of 1847 they found the home they de-
sired, for the "body of believers" in Putney "joined
their households under one common roof." But the
state of things there was destined to be of short dura-
tion. A rupture soon took place — " They burst the
t>ands of their nature and leaked corruption at every
stave " ! And the Noyesite kingdom, not being able to
stand in Putney, was transported to Oneida Reserve, in
Central New York ! One writer, speaking in reference
to the Associative principles of Perfectionists and Fou-
rierists, says :
" It may not be out of place to notice the affinity of
Perfectionism and Fourierism. We regard the former
as practical Fourierism — as the condition in which it
420 ' APPENDIX.
must inevitably terminate. The theory of Fourierism
IS association — associated and equal labor, profits, prop-
erty, pleasure, relaxation and consumption. It is based
upon the assumption that all are equally industrious,
equally honest, aud equally capable — else the labor of
one would support the idleness of another. This con-
dition of things would require in the members of the
association absolute perfection. Then, under the sys-
tem of domestic relations now existing — that is, sep-
arate families — it would happen that the families would
be unequal. One family would have a large number of
children growing up, and to be educated and maintain-
ed ; another might have none.. It is not to be suppos-
ed that the latter would willingly see their earnings
appropriated to the support of others, with whom thej
had no interest or connexion ; and this would involve
the neces^ty of common and promiscuous association,
where all would have equal rights and equal privileges.
This is Perfectionism. That it is to be the final condi-
tion of Fourierism, in its perfect state, is not denied by
its advocates, but they insist that society is not yet so
advanced as to justify this step. In other words. Per-
fectionism, and that only, is required to carry out fully
the theory of Fourierism."
That this country is not a congenial soil for Associa
tive principles, whether they take the form of Fourier-
ism or Perfectionism, is very evident. Not long skice
the following nolfice appeared in the public journals in
relation to Fourierism : —
" The Fourier Association which was established on
Lick Creek, in Ilhnois, and which for a time was sup-
}X>sed to be doing well, is now dissolved, and a partition
of the property is being made. Thus has terminated
the last of these establishments in the United States."
APPENDIX. 421
But scarcely have the expiring groans of Fourierism
died away before we see Perfectionism busily engaged
in opening its own grave !
But the Mormons are another class of the " same
sort " ! There is not only an affinity between Perfec-
tionism and Fourierism on the one hand, but there is also
an agreement in many respects between Perfectionism
and Mormonism on the other hand. The Editor of the
G-Gspel Banner, a httle Mormon paper pubhshed at
Voree, Wisconsin Territory, speaking of the Perfection-
ists, in his paper of Dec. 30, 1847, says they are " a
people who have got a long way ahead of the other
sects, and with whom toe wish a better acquaintance " !
If by "other sects" the astute Editor of the Banner
means evangelical denominations, he has missed a figure
in his calculations ! Christian denominations are not
travelling in the same way, but in an opposite direction
from the Noyesitcs. They are perfect antipodes — as
far apart as opposite points of the compass ! This
Noyes acknowledges and asserts himself. He claims to
have been the first who inculcated his peculiar views in
this country or elsewhere. He also says — " I declare
that I know not an individual out of the Bible, whose
name is or ever has been before the pubHc, who can in
any right sense be called an endorser of my views."
Mr. N. acknowledges that no person out of the Bi-
ble is or has been an endorser of his views, and we are
quite sure that no one in the Bible can be found en-
dorsing those views ; hence he is entitled to the exclu-
sive honor of publishing them, and it is presumed no
422 APPENDIX.
one -will contest the claim. We doubt not there will be
one united voice as by acclamation, saying — let him
ALONE IN HIS GLORY ! !
But the Mormons desire a better acquaintance with
the Perfectionists. Now^ whoever wishes to ''scrape
acquaintance,^^ or be on terms of intimacy with the
Noyseites can have the privilege ! Undoubtedly the
Mormons and Perfectionists might be seated quite co-
zily together, seeing they are all of a piece. The edit-
tor of a public journal a few years since thus briefly and
happily referred to Mormonism :—
" Of this modern effusion of a few distempered brains,
we suppose fnost of our readers have either heard or
read something. As for ourselves we had thought that
its manifest absurdities were sufficient of themselves to
expose its odious character, and to very soon annihilate
its existence. Our attention has been just now attract-
ed toward this offspring of inteflectual delusion and
wild fanaticism, by a communication from a worthy cor-
respondent, detailing some of the movements of one of
the leaders of this strange sect, who had succeeded in
seducing a young lady from her paternal abode, and
wholly alienating her affections from father, mother,
brother and sister ; these facts are sufficiently appalling,
and worthy of reprobation by all honest and intelligent
minds."
Thus it appears they are both pursuing the same
course, but whether the Noyesites are " a long way
ahead" of the Mormons is a question about which we
feel httle or no concern.
In the estimation of Perfectionists Mr Noyes holds
about the same rank that Joe Smith did among the
AI^PENDIX. 428
Mormons. We take the following precious morceau
from a catechetical Mormon creed, published just be-
fore the death of Joe Smith : —
"Who is Joseph Smith ?
Hi is Jesus Christ'' s brother.
From whence is his authority ?
From Heaven.
What kind of success will he meet with?
Universal ; over the ivhole toorld.
Suppose the people try to hinder him ?
The^ cannot do it. ; but ivill perish.
Why ?
Because God has sent hira^
The death of Joe Smith soon .after the publication of
the foregoing language^ is a forcible comment upon Mor-
mon folly.
Now, one of the followers of JohnH. Noyes testified
at his ex^nation before the Grand Jury of Windham
County in the Spring of 1848, that Perfectionists believe
he is God's beloved Son 1 1 Thus the Mormons believe
Joe Smith was Christ' s brother^' I And Perfectionists,
beheve John H. Noyes to be the Son of Gfod!
Mr N. sets himself up as heing'- infallible ! " Most-
'alien hy such pretence.''' He
"Tried to stand
Alone unpropped — to be obliged to none ^
And in the madueess of his pride be bade
His God farewell and turned away to be
A God himself!
O desperate frenzy! madness of the ■vrill,
And drunkenness of the heart ! * —
His prophecies,
424 APPENfDIX.
He swore were from the Lord ;
Bat with his life he wrote as plain, RevengC;
Pride, tyranny, and lust of wealth and power-
Inordinate, and lewdness unashamed.
And that he was anointed, fools believed,
But knew that day, he was the devil's priest,
Anointed by the hands of Sin and Death,
And set peculiarly apart to ill.
Noyesisra stands in our midst " dedicated to the god-
dess of infamy. Her ivorship is open and undisguised
as the worship of I>iana at Ephesiis, Bold men in
broad sunshine, without shame on^their faces, are Jcnozvn
as patrons and ivor shippers of this idol. Snares and
temptations are laid for the innocent, and when a vic-
tim is secured, she is offered at once in sacrifice. A
regular system is observed, and concert of action secur-
ed, that the cry of distress may not he heard.''"'
Notwithstanding Mr. N.'s professions of holiness and
infallibility, there ,
"Were rents
That in his garments opened in spit€ of him,
Through which the well-accustomed eye could see
The rottenness of his heart."
For he
"Grossly drank
The cup of spiritual pollution up.
His feelings were his guide,
He ate, and drank, and slept, and took all joys,
Porbid and unforbid, as impulse urged,
Or appetite, nor asked his reason why."
He might have been seen standing —
"Amidst a group of gaping fools,
And whispering in their ears, with his foul lips :
And like a moral pestilence,
APPENDIX. 425
Before his breath, the healthy shoots and blooms
Of soeial joy and happiness decayed.
Pools only in his company were seen. "'
And those forsaken of God, and to themselves
Given up."
His followers —
"For Tfisdom, grossly swallowed all he said
Unsifted."
And —
•••Thought that they alone served God,
And served him most, when most they disobeyed.
So on they walked, and stumbled in the light
Of noon, because they would not open their eyes.
Effect hoAV sad of sloth ! that made them risk
Their piloting to the eternal shore,
To one who could mistake the Inrid flash
Of hell for heaven's true star."
But after the day of final decision, the following for-
cible language of the poet from which we have just
quoted, will doubtless be pecuharly applicable : —
— " His votaries, who left the earth,
Secure of bliss, around him, undeceived,
Stood, undeceivable till then ; and knew,
Too late, him fallible, themselves accursed,
And all their passports and certificates,
A lie " !
A person, who for some time was a zealous Perfection-
ist and well acquainted with Nojes, afterward said — >
" John H. Nojes mill come down as sure as there is a
a-od''!
Dr. Josiah A. Gridley, of Southampton, Mass., in
Sept. 1845, thus addressed Mr Noyes : —
" I know full well that the gallows is going up, made
bj your order ; and I know just as well that Mordecai
426 APPENDIX,
will never hang on it. But poor Haman may in an ex-
tremity of which he little dreams. I know that you
are smitten with blindness ; and have already wearied
yourself to find the door which the angel of God has
shut against you. And the judgment of Sodom will
overtake you unless you forsake its devilish atmosphere
and ascend again the mountain of the Lord's house
above the fog of the bottomless pit.
" I am thus plain that if you must perish in such
corruption y©u shall not have it to say with your dying
breath that I did not warn you in faithfulness. A head
or hand cannot touch you without defilement 1 Shame
on such professions ! Thev are not of heaven but of
men"!
Dr. Gridley, in Feb. 1846, also addressed the fol-
lowing language to George Cragin, an intimate and ac-
complice of Noyes : — -
" John H. Noyes has raised the hatchet and severed
the head of every one that would not bow to him. You
have become a mei'e tool to execute his will. It is time
his tyranny was resisted. His Christian test is, 'Hovj
much do you Jionor and reve)'e John H. Noyes f . . . .
His motto has ever been, ' If miy man Hdes with me,
he must ride behind ' .^ . . . The tenor of his spirit runs
thus, 'I will have you hioto- that the Spirit of God
shall not had his own subjects, unless he leads them in
suhjection to me'' ^'' !
A correspondent of Noyes writes thus : —
" When I was at Putney your sisters told me that it
was common for you and them to go to the office and
set type on the Sabbath ; and that you not unfrequently
met the people as you went back and forth, as they
went to and from church.
APPENDIX. 42T
" Give ME the leading influence^'' has long been the
language of your ambitious heart !
" Had you carried out your acknowledged intentions
as declared by the brethren at the time, when you
started for the ^ ^ive Points^ you had never denied
insanity ; as that only could have covered your sin " !
The foregoing extracts speak for themselves. Com-
ment is imnecessary.
The writer has recently received several communica-
tions from different correspondents in the State of New
York ; a few extracts from which will now be given.
An individual residing in the neighborhood of Oneida
Reserve, writing under date of May 1, 1849, says : —
'- Our Battle-Axe, anti-marriage people are rather
twistical about exactness in relating circumstances.
One advocating the abolition of marriage — for the
substitution, unbridled license — visited me last fall.
I asked him his sentiments upon this subject. He ex-
plained that he too was for free and mixed intercourse.
— ' But^^ said he, ' donH you let this out; if you tell
of it, I shall deny it and so leave you in the lie.''
" Now, sir, what do you need to substantiate the
fact, that, as a people, the Noyes Perfectionists are
licentious and satyrical ? The Battle Axe Letter, writ-
ten by their Pontiff, distinctly avows — though he used
to veil the fact — that a time must come in the earth
when promiscuous should supersede connubial sexual
intercourse. He told Dr. Josiah A. Gridley, of South-
ampton, Mass., in 1838, that he expected to see the
time when God would suffer men to be turned loose
^apon their neighbors' wives in order to break down the
present institution of marriage. In his ' Corporation '
at Putney he constantly opposed the formation of all
those atachments between young people which should
428 APPENDIX.
always precede marriage, commanding the parties to
love himself more than they did each other. All who
broke over that mandate were compelled to endure all
that implacable mahce which his fiendish temper found
means to pour out upon them. ... I cannot possibly,
from the preceding evidence, preclude myself from be-
lieving that the ' Community ' is a horde of remorseless
profligates. Many of their professed friends have
admitted as much to me in private conversation. One
female member was implored by a friend to deny the
imputation that she had been thus guilty, and decidedly
refiised. Noyes admitted to John B. Foote that for
two years preceding 1847, he and his ' Corporation '
had reduced the ' cross-fellowship ' principle to prac-
tice, such appearing to them to be the express will of
the Lord ! ! Mrs. Si. E. Cragin insisted upon the the-
ory as correct, to my brother's wife ! And, sir, I see
no just reason, upon these very accounts, for shunning
my conclusions as to their shameless profligacy. It is
not necessary to demonstrate that they are practically
lewd at this present time. They believe in the prac-
tice^ and they loill carry it out when they deem it expe-
dient. That is enough."
Another correspondent residing in the immediate
yicinity of Oneida Reserve, under date of May T,
1849, writes as follows : —
" They [the Noyesites] appear k) believe in promis-
cuous intercourse of the sexes, and advocate that doc-
trine. . . . They have printed some books which are
considered as obscene and licentious. . . . There has
been but little addition to their numbers from this sec-
tion. I have a son, son-in-law^ and daughter there.
They joined them about four or five months since. My
son, after he had been there about four or five weeks,
came home and said Noyes had had criminal connec-
APPENDIX. 429
tion with my daughter, and my son-in-law with Mrs. M,
E. Cragin, and that they were all guilty of lewdness
and other obscenity ; and said he would stay there no
longer, and was a good deal excited. He is a young
man about 26 years of age and was single. He said
he would go back, get his clothes and leave them for-
ever ; and went as he said for that purpose, and I
have not seen him since. The next I heard from him
was that he had married a Miss D. . . . My son also
said that they believed in promiscuous intercourse of the
sexes and practiced accordingly. I think he was over
persuaded to stay there. At the time my son was at
home he said he would testify to w^hat he said, and I
intended to prosecute them, but nothing has been done.
Their doctrine does not meet with much favor here.
There have been some threats made against them, but
what will be done I do not know."
The course pursued with the young man mentioned in
the foregoing extract is in perfect keeping with Perfec-
tionist policy, and probably has some correspondence
with a case which occurred in Putney just before the
Community was broken up. A person broke away and
stated some facts about the management in the Com-
munity ; and Noyes immediately " tooh him hy the
horns" and he was compelled to " knock under."
Mr. Noyes, before he was arrested at Putney in the
fall of 1847, was making inroads into families there,
very much after the manner of the case of the injured
and afflicted man which we have just given. With
these facts before them we can hardly see how the peo-
ple in the vicinity of Oneida Reserve can avoid coming
to the conclusion — to which we understand some have
430 APPENDIX.
already arrived — that the Noyesites there are a " lib-
ertine herd " /
We are informed by a person residing in New York,
that " a man by the name of Abram C. Smith at
Kingston, N. Y., a few years ago took Mrs. M. E.
Cragin to be his wife and lived with her " as such !
This same Mrs. Cragin was one of the most forward
females in the Putney Community !
Let us here concentrate a few facts in relation to
Noyes's conduct at Putney. In the case of Mrs. Har-
riet A. Hall, on whom Noyes pretended to work a great
miracle, there is not a shadow of doubt as to his guilt !
Mrs. Hall acknowledged this herself ! In the cases of
Mrs. Leonard and Mrs. Campbell, set up in the indict-
ment against Noyes, there is no doubt — for he abscond-
ed and forfeited his bonds, which no innocent person
would have done — and the evidence was clear in these
cases. Moreover, there were two young ladies, belong-
ing to the same family, drawn in and ruined by Noyes.*
An action was brought against him for damages by the
father of those young ladies, and several hundred dol-
lars wei?e paid to settle the matter — this never would
have been the case, if he had been innocent of the
charges alleged against him. A sister of the young
ladies alluded to, was so deeply afflicted in view of the
disgrace which the conduct of Noyes had brought upon
the family, that it produced, as she said she believed
upon her dying bed, the disease that terminated her
*Out of respect to the feelings of the friends of these yoting ladies
we withhold their names.
APPENMX. 431
life ; and her attending physici^ gave it as his opinion
that her disease was so produced !
The cases which we have cited have come to lighto
If the truth was known, probably many more might be
a-dded to the hst ; but to exhibit the heinousness of his
crimes we need but to
" Take one example, one of female wo.
Loved by a father and a mother's love,
In rural peace she lived, so fair, so light
Of heart, so good, and young, that reason, scarce
The eye could credit, but would doubt, as she
Did stoop to pull the lily or the rose
Prom morning's dew, if it reality
Of flesh and blood, or holy vision, saw.
In imagery of perfect womanhood.
But short her bloom, her happiness was short.
One saw her loveliness, and with desire
Unhallowed, burning, to her ear addressed
Dishonest words.
With turbid phrase, well wove in flattery's loom,
He on her womanish nature won, aad age
Suspicionless, and ruined,
Tor he a chosen villain was at heart,
And capable of deeds that durst not seek
Eepentance."
The crimes of Mr. N. are State prison offences, but
he fled ; and although his bonds were forfeited, yet the
demands of the law have not been answered ; and he
can now be viewed in no other light than a fugitive
from justice.
But Mr. Noyes, not content with spreading his hcen-
tions doctrines with all their revolting consequences,
upon earth, would carry them within the precincts of
432 APPENDIX.
the holy city ! A colTespondent whose veracity is un-
doubted, says : — ■
" John H. Noyes once said to me tJiat he believed
heaven to be a place of greater sensuality than was
fjenerally believed " / / /
The ruinous consequences of such heaven-daring and
utterly outrageous doctrines can hardly be conceived !
The hearts of the young, especially, ^-e grossly cor-
rupted by contact with such revolting sentiments. And
Mr. Noyes is laboring to palm them off under the name
of reUgion ! ! What impious blasphemy I
We close this volume in the forcible language of !■
modem writer :
" Vice, unknown, and therefore unappreciated, deals
its deadly blows under Mie deceptive influence of ' a
fitrony delimon.'' An enemy fighting under appropri-
ate banners is not so dangerous as the pirate that roams
the high seas for blood and plunder, under false colors.
The rattle-snake that gives warning of its approach is
not so much to be dreaded as the deadly reptile that
steals u}>on you unobserved, and fasten its fangs of
death when least suspected. ....
''• New revelations have been oozing up from beneath.
A religion of unrestricted liberty — a licentiousness
without law — must now be enjoyed, that the passions
m.^ appetites, propensities and lusts, of this degenerate
age may be developed in the many practical bumps of
society. A wild and furious passion for blood-thirsting
is fostered ; and it is mournful to contemplate the
amount of immoi'tal mind that by this depraved sensi-
'biUty is drifting down the infernal ' gulf streamj' t© re-
turn no more !"
THE END,
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