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Sandemanians

Sandemanians

SANDEMANIANS

A sect that originated in Scotland about the year 1728; where it is, at this time, distinguished by the name of Glassites, after its founder, Mr. John Glass, who was a minister of the established church in that kingdom; but being charged with a design of subverting the national covenant, and sapping the foundation of all national establishments, by maintaining that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, was expelled from the synod by the church of Scotland. His sentiments are fully explained in a tract, published at that time, entitled, “The Testimony of the King of Martyrs, ” and preserved in the first volume of his works. In consequence of Mr. Glass’s expulsion, his adherents formed themselves into churches, conformable, in their institution and discipline, to what they apprehended to be the plan of the first churches recorded in the New Testament. Soon after the year 1755, Mr. Robert Sandeman, an elder in one of these churches in Scotland, published a series of letters addressed to Mr. Hervey, occasioned by his Theron and Aspasio, in which he endeavours to show that his notion of faith is contradictory to the Scripture account of it, and could only serve to lead men, professedly holding the doctrines called Calvinistic, to establish their own righteousness upon their frames, feelings, and acts of faith. In these letters Mr. Sandeman attempts to prove that justifying faith is no more than a simple belief of the truth, or the divine testimony passively received by the understanding; and that this divine testimony carries in itself sufficient ground of hope to every one who believes it, without any thing wrought in us, or done by us, to give it a particular direction to ourselves.

Some of the popular preachers, as they were called, had taught that it was of the essence of faith to believe that Christ is ours; but Mr. Sandeman contended, that that which is believed in true faith is the truth, and what would have been the truth though we had never believed it. They dealt largely in calls and invitations to repent and believe in Christ, in order to forgiveness; but he rejects the whole of them, maintaining that the Gospel contained no offer but that of evidence, and that it was merely a record or testimony to be credited. They had taught that though acceptance with God, which included the forgiveness of sins, was merely on account of the imputed righteousness of Christ, yet that none was accepted of God, nor forgiven, till he repented of his sin, and received Christ as the only Saviour; but he insists that there is acceptance with God through Christ for sinners, while such, or before “any act, exercise, or exertion of their minds whatsoever:” consequently before repentance; and that “a passive belief of this quiets the guilty conscience, begets hope, and so lays the foundation for love.” It is by this passive belief of the truth that we, according to Mr. Sandeman are justified, and that boasting is excluded. If any act, exercise, or exertion of the mind, were necessary to our being accepted of God, he conceives there would be whereof to glory; and justification by faith could not be opposed, as it is in Rom 4:4; Rom 4:6, to justification by works. The authors to whom Mr. Sandeman refers, under the title of “popular preachers, ” are Flavel, Boston, Guthrie, the Erskines, &c. whom he has treated with acrimony and contempt. “I would be far, ” says he, “from refusing even to the popular preachers themselves what they so much grudge to others.

the benefit of the one instance of a hardened sinner finding mercy at last; for I know of no sinners more hardened, none greater destroyers of mankind, than they.” There have not been wanting writers, however, who have vindicated these ministers from his invectives, and have endeavoured to show that Mr. Sandeman’s notion of faith, by excluding all exercise or concurrence of the will with the Gospel way of salvation, confounds the faith of devils with that of Christians, and so is calculated to deceive the souls of men. It has also been observed, that though Mr. Sandeman admits of the acts of faith and love as fruits of believing the truth, yet, “all his godliness consisting (as he acknowledges to Mr. Pike) in love to that which first relieved him, ” it amounts to nothing but self-love. And as self-love is a stranger to all those strong affections expressed in the cxixth Psalm towards the law of God, he cannot admit of them as the language of a good man, but applies the whole psalm to Christ, though the person speaking acknowledges, that “before he was afflicted, he went astray.”

Others have thought, that from the same principle it were easy to account for the bitterness, pride, and contempt, which distinguish the system; for self-love, say they, is consistent with the greatest aversion to all beings, divine or human, excepting so far as they become subservient to us. The chief opinion and practices in which this sect differs from other Christians, are, their weekly administration of the Lord’s supper; their love-feasts, of which every member is not only allowed but required to partake, and which consist of their dining together at each other’s houses in the interval between the morning and afternoon service. Their kiss of charity used on this occasion at the admission of a new member, and at other times when they deem it necessary and proper; their weekly collection before the Lord’s supper, for the support of the poor, and defraying other expenses; mutual exhortation; abstinence from blood and things strangled; washing each other’s feet, when, as a deed of mercy, it might be an expression of love, the precept concerning which, as well as other precepts, they understand literally: community of goods, so far as that every one is to consider all that he has in his possession and power, liable to the calls of the poor and the church; and the unlawfulness of laying up treasures upon earth, by setting them apart for any distant, future, and uncertain use. They allow of public and private diversions, so far as they are unconnected with circumstances really sinful; but apprehending a lot to be sacred, disapprove of lotteries, playing at cards, dice, &c.

They maintain a plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops, in each church; and the necessity of the presence of two elders in every act of discipline, and at the administration of the Lord’s supper. In the choice of these elders, want of learning and engagement in trade are no sufficient objection, if qualified according to the instructions given to Timothy and Titus; but second marriages disqualify for the office; and they are ordained by prayer and fasting, imposition of hands, and giving the right hand of fellowship. In their discipline they are strict and severe, and think themselves obliged to separate from the communion and worship of all such religious societies as appear to them not to profess the simple truth for their only ground of hope, and who do not walk in obedience to it. We shall only add, that in every transaction they esteem unanimity to be absolutely necessary.

See Glass’s Testimony of the King of Martyrs; Sandeman’s Letters on Theron ant. Aspasio, letter 11; Backus’s Discourses on Faith and its Influence, p. 7-30; Adam’s View of Religions; Bellamy’s Nature and Glory of the Gospel, Lon. ed. notes, p. 65-125; History of Dis. Church, p. 265, 5: 1:; Fuller’s Letters on Sandemanianism.

Fuente: Theological Dictionary

Sandemanians

An English form of the Scottish sect of Glassites, followers of John Glas (b. 1695; d. 1773) who was deposed from the Presbyterian ministry in 1728, for teaching that the Church should not be subject to any league or covenant, but should be governed only by Apostolic doctrine. Glas’s son-in-law, Robert Sandeman (b. 1718; d. 1771), having been for many years an elder in the Glassite sect, removed to London in 1760, where he gathered a congregation at Glovers’ Hall, Barbican. Though for the most part he followed the teaching of Glas, he went beyond that doctrine in maintaining that faith is only a simple assent to Divine testimony which differs in no way from belief in ordinary human evidence. In 1764 Sandeman went to America to propagate his views, and founded some congregations there, for which reason the Glassites in America, like those in England, are known as Sandemanians. In England the sect has never been numerous, possessing less than a dozen meeting-places in the whole country, including two in London. It is chiefly known owing to the great chemist Sir Michael Faraday (b. 1791; d. 1867) having officiated as a Sandemanian elder in London in the middle of the nineteenth century. Membership is granted on confession of sin and public profession of faith in the Death and Resurrection of Christ. The new member receives a blessing and the kiss of peace from all present. Each congregation is presided over by several elders, all unpaid, who are elected for their earnestness of conviction and sincerity, and who hold office for life. On the death of an elder the survivors propose for election the name of a suitable member of the congregation, who is then elected by the whole body. The Sandemanians practice a weekly celebration of the Lord’s supper, and the agape or love-feast, which takes the form of dining together between the morning and afternoon services. The elders alone preach, but the ordinary members take turns in offering prayers. The ceremonial washing of feet is also performed on certain occasions. They abstain from things strangled and from blood. As they consider that casting lots is a sacred process, they regard all games of chance as unlawful. They practice community of goods to a modified extent, considering all their property as liable to calls on behalf of the Church and the poor. It is also considered wrong to accumulate wealth. If any member differs obstinately from the rest he is expelled and by this system perfect unanimity is secured. They refuse to join in prayer with members of other denominations and to eat and drink with an excommunicated person is held to be a grievous sin. The Sandemanians as a religious body are very obscure and it is difficult to obtain reliable information with regard to them, but the total membership in Great Britain is believed not to exceed two thousand.

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BLUNT, Dict. of Sects, Heresies, and Schools of Thought (London, 1874); Dict. Nat. Biog., s. vv. Glas and Sandeman; JONES, Life and Letters of Faraday (London, 1870).

EDWIN BURTON Transcribed by Joseph E. O’Connor

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIIICopyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia

Sandemanians

The followers of Robert Sandeman (q.v.). The leading doctrine of this sect is thus expressed in the epitaph on Mr. Sandeman’s tomb in Danbury: Here lies until the resurrection the body of Robert Sandeman, who, in the face of continual opposition from all sorts of men, long and boldly contended for the ancient faith that the bare death of Jesus Christ, without a deed or thought on the part of man, is sufficient to present the chief of sinners spotless before God. He describes justifying faith as nothing more nor less than the bare belief of the bare truth witnessed concerning the person and work of Christ. This, however, could only be entertained through divine teaching or illumination (see 1Co 2:14). The chief opinions and practices in which this sect differs from other Christians are their weekly administration of the Lord’s supper; their love feasts, of which every member is not only allowed, but required, to partake, and which consists in their dining together at each other’s houses in the interval between the morning and afternoon services; their kiss of charity, used on the occasion of the admission of a new member, and at other times when they deem it necessary and proper; their weekly collection before the Lord’s supper for the support of the poor, and paying their expenses; mutual exhortations; abstinence from blood and things strangled; washing each other’s feet, when, as a deed of mercy, it might be an expression of love (the precept concerning which, as well as other precepts, they understand literally); community of goods, so far that every one is to consider all that he has in his possession and power liable to the calls of the poor and the Church; and the unlawfulness of laying up treasures upon earth, by setting them apart for any distant, future, and uncertain use. They allow of public and private diversions, so far as they are unconnected with circumstances really sinful; but, apprehending a lot to be sacred, disapprove of lotteries, playing at cards, dice, etc.

They maintain a plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops in each church, and the necessity of the presence of two elders in every act of discipline and at the administration of the Lord’s supper. In the choice of these elders, want of learning and engagement in trade are no sufficient objection, if qualified according to the instructions given to Timothy and Titus; but second marriages disqualify for the office, and they are ordained by prayer and fasting, imposition of hands, and giving the right hand of fellowship. In their discipline they are strict and severe, and think themselves obliged to separate from the communion and worship of all such religious societies as appear to them not to profess the simple truth for their only ground of hope, and who do not walk in obedience to it. We shall only add that in every transaction they esteem unanimity to be absolutely necessary. This sect in England has considerably diminished, so that in 1851 only six congregations were reported as belonging to the body, each having a very small attendance. They probably number less than 2000 throughout the world. See Glas, Testimony of the King of Mertyrs; Sandeman, Letters on Theron and Aspasio (letter 11); Backus, Discourse on Faith and its Influence, p. 7-30; Adams, View of Religions; Bellamy, Nature and Glory of the Gospel (Lond. ed. notes), 1, 65-125; Fuller, Letters on Sandemanianism; Hagenbach, Hist. of Doctrines, 2, 430, 431.

Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature