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— 128 —
V.
The old By-laws of the Bishop Hill Colony.
At a meeting held by the adult male members of the
Bishop Hill Colony in Henry County the sixth day of May,
A. D. 1854 for the purpose of establishing By-laws for said
Colony, the same was organized by calling Nils Heden to
the Chair and appointing Eric N. Nordberg secretary.
Resolved: Whereas the Bishop Hill belong its origin and
foundation upon that understanding of the Scriptures, which we
have been tought to believe by those who have preached the
same to us in our native land, that we should believe the
promises of God as Abrahams did; that by the word of God our faith
should be the same as Abraham; and that the principles of this
faith were love of God and our neighbour; that by them we were
required to do good to our neighbours according to the word of
God; — and as the greater portion of the people in our native
land, who believed in this faith were poor and but few had earthly
riches, it was resolved in accordance with the Acts of the
Apostles 4th Chapter, to put all our property together and that all
should have an equal and common interest therein, and in
obediance to our faith and the love of Jesus Christ, which was within
us, we were led to give to others those things which we received
whether they were spiritual things or temporal; and we also
understood by the word of God, Rom. 10th Chapter that faith comes
by hearing and the preaching of the word of God; and the
excerese of a free consciense, and whereas the enjoyments of these
prevelages by the people was held to be contrary to the laws and
foundation of the established chburch of Sweden which we beleived
had become corrupt both in her faith and practice and had
departed from the true princepals of the word of God; and whereas
for this reason the whole preisthood of the established church
commended a violent and bitter persecution against us, because
of our faith and in their wroth and madness cast many of our
brethren into prison, whose fait and love was established upon the
true foundation and who stood firm under these persecutions we
resolwed to emigrate to the United States of America and settle
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