Ecclesiastical History, a sect that originated in Scotland about the year 1728, and was afterwards distinguished by the name of Glassites, from its founder Mr John Glass, who was a minister of the established church of that kingdom. Being charged with a design of subverting the national covenant, and sapping the foundation of all national establishments by the kirk judicatory, he was expelled by the synod from the Church of Scotland. But 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 considered to be the plan of the first churches, as 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 commonly called Calvinistic, to establish their own righteousness upon their inward feelings and various acts of faith. In these letters Mr Sandeman attempts to prove that faith is neither more nor less than a simple assent to the divine testimony concerning Jesus Christ, recorded in the New Testament; and he maintains, that the word faith, or belief, is constantly used by the apostles to signify what is denoted by it in common discourse, namely, a persuasion of the truth of any proposition, and that there is no difference between believing any common testimony and believing the apostolic testimony, except that which results from the nature of the testimony itself. This led the way to a controversy among those who were called Calvinists, concerning the nature of justifying faith; and those who adopted Mr Sandeman's notion of it, and who took the denomination of Sandemanians, formed themselves into a church order, in strict fellowship with the churches in Scotland, but holding no kind of communion with other churches. 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 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 to be necessary or 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 from things strangled; washing each other's feet, the precept concerning which, as well as other precepts, they understand literally; community of goods, in so far as that every one is to consider all that he has in his possession and power as liable to the calls of the poor and church; and the unlawfulness of laying up treasures on earth, by setting them apart for any distant, future, and uncertain use. They allow of public and private diversions, so far as they are not connected with circumstances really sinful; but apprehending a lot to be sacred, they disapprove of playing at cards, dice, and the like. 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 engagements in trade are not a sufficient objection; 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 follow strictly what they consider to be the rules of Scripture, 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.