Robert Sandeman

Robert Sandeman (1718-1771), was a student at the University of Edinburgh where he met John Glas (1695-1773). John Glas believed in the restoration of the New Testament church and he began in repudiating human creeds, human names and human doctrines. Robert not only had a brilliant mind but an outgoing personality. About 1755 he joined John Glas and together they set out to "restore primitive New Testament practices." Both believed in church autonomy, observing the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week, that faith comes as a result of evidence or testimony, and the possibility of restoring the New Testament church. Robert Sandeman came to America in 1763 where he established the Lord's church in Boston, Massachusetts, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Danbury, Connecticut. He settled in Danbury and remained there until he died on April 2, 1771 at the age of 53 years.

Robert Sandeman in Danbury, Connecticut. Photographs and posters by Paul and Mary Ann Garrett. HTML by Hans Rollmann. 2000.

Elias Smith

Elias Smith (1769-1846), as a child, was sprinkled according to the practice of his mother's church. In 1789, he was immersed and received as a member of the Baptist church in Woodstock, Vermont. He had strong religious convictions and started preaching in 1790. His first sermon was titled, "Search the Scriptures." This title well describes his mental activity at this time as he had (in eighteen months) committed most of Romans through Revelation to memory. In 1792, the question of baptism had been settled in his mind, he wrote, "Baptism is by burying the believer under water, and raising him out of it again. This, is the only Scriptural mode of baptism. I searched the Scriptures carefully and found infant baptism not there." A search of the Scriptures brought about a break with the Baptist church. In 1802, he was the first to advance the all sufficiency of the name "Christian."