)Yhole Xo. 034.
Tarbroush,(UdSeCombe Conniyc
ember 10, 1836
Vol XLlXo. 48.
KKMUKE1S ASSOCIATION.
This Association u.ssj(mu!Io, ,,l Grejut Swamp mcetinc
r0ijs lilt c.Miniy, on Saturday the Ui October Int, m?1
c'nniiiit'U'l ?IS us'ml ,!,r(!C (,a's in session. Elflnrs William
jjynian, Lukn Ward, Joshua Lawrence, Joseph BiTrSj
3liC;,j;ili Pt-rry, ;itid Humphrey Stalling, attended. Let-'
crs from 34 churches were read. During the past year
ihcro were baptised 12, received by letter 11, dismissed by
letter 17, excommunicated 18, deceased 57, restored 9
present total number 1513. The fallowing is the
CIRCULAR LETTER.
To the churches whom wc represent.
Pearly Beloved Brkthken: A Tier enjoying ihe high privilege
jrianteil io us by our heavenly Father, of lidding swiet counsel to
getlvrat another of our annual meeting's, we have thought proper
Madges you, according to our usual custom on such occasions, by
way of circular letier. And in casting aboil for a suhject to inlro
ducc to your consideration, none l,;.s presented itself to our minds
,vi h more lorce perhaps than the one growing out of that pre
teoietl to your notice in our last year's circul .r.
We therein endeavored to prove from llm Bible that the first
Chri-i ians were Baptists; the first churches 1$ iptist churches, just
sjcii as these composing the Kehokee Association; and tint no other
Church beside a Btpiist church, orgimzed upon the apostolical
plan, vv.is entitled lo the appellation of Christian church.
In order then to continue the meditation on this subject, (since the
churches in the Kehukee Association aie identified m principle and
practice with those in the apostolic age of the world,) we propose
briefly 10 inquire still further into the niture and character of a
Christian Baptist church: lo ascertain whether or not, we can yet
find on this hallowed ground any streams of consolation for weary
or heavy laden dinners or encouraging prospects to the child of
God. We propose noticing first, the character of a church, and
then the character of that opposition which she is to encounter.
Our nonce of a church will be Mich as is exhibited under a two
fold appearance, (viz:)
1. lna state of leanness, when the clouds of famine and sorrow
gather thick, and fast around and obscure the horizon from her
view, so a? to prevent the reconciled countenance, and beatific
smiles of the sun of righteousness, to be by her beheld lor a season.
2. In an ingathering or prosperous condition; when copious show
ers ot grace are distilled from heaven upon the elect, and they are
rushing into the fold of Christ, like lot and hungry sheep.
First, then we lake into consideration, the church in a cold, and
barren state; such a situalion, for instance as has been experienced,
by many belonging to the Kebukee Association, for several years
past; and appears likely lo endure, for some time to ocme, and while
meditating on this pai l of the subject our minds are very naturally
carried back, to a similarly period of time, when one of old was
ma te to exclaim, "O my leanness, my leanness, wo unto me," Isa
iah xxi v. 16. Likewise Jeremiah was bound to lament, because,
from the daughter of Zion, all her beauty is departed; her princes
are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone
witlvut strength before the pursuer." Lam. 1. 6. Such was a si
milar stale of things, brethren, when the church was heard again to
exclaim, For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye tuuneth
down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul
is far from me. Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to
help her; the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that adver
saries should be round about him." Lam. 1. 16. Thus brethren we
learn that not withstanding the truth, that the church at times is re
duced to ibis extremity, yet that it is nothing more or less, than
the purpose of God, for it to be so. The testimony of David is very
clear on the point wherein he says: "the Lord trieth the righteous."
Psulms, 11.5; and a confirmation of this trial, accompanied by a word
of encouragement is also given by St. Peter who says, Beloved,
think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is lo try you,
as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, in
asmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." 1 Pe
ter, 4. 12, 13. David ag.in says, "thou feedesl them with the
bread of tears; and givelh them tears to drink in great measure;
thou makesi us a -trife unto our neighbors: and our enemies
laugh among themselves. Turn us again, 0 God of hosts, and cause
thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." Psalms, SO. 5, 6, 7 is not
such the state of the church now, brethren? but this uncomfortable
situation is unalterable until the set time lo favor Zion arrives, for
God until such time is represented to cover himself with a cloud; j
therefore satth Jeremiah, "thou hath covered ttiyseit witn a ciouu,
thai our prayer should not pass through." Lam. 3. 44. And how
applicable to some is the following in such a time of famine, des-r-tion,and
error: "My people hath been lost sheep; their shepherds
have caused them lo sro astrav. thev have turned them away on the
mountains, they have gone from mountain td hill, they have for-1
gotten their restinir nlace." Jeremiah. 50. 6. Nevertheless there is'
some consolation in the thought, that such of God's people as are;
thus circumstanced, yet sooner or later will return to the true toiu,
and feed as in times pasl, upon the sincere milk of the word of God;
continue stedfastly in the apostles doctrine, and the fellowship ol
'he saints. Descending lo particulars, during such a general state,of
leanness seen in the church, we find the brethren cold toward each
other, and dull of apprehension generally in divine things. It is
apparently with the ulmost difficulty, that they can so far discharge
their christian duties as to sing a hymn of praise to God, commence,
r continue the practice of family worship, or audibly pray in pub
lic or private. A great manv difficulties have to be surmounted, il
they are enabled lo break "loose from their farms, or their mer
chandize, or secular avocations of what ever kind they may be, and
pair to the meeting house, or place appointed for the worship ol
God; and when there, almost every other subject, arrest their at
tention in preference to that of Christianity, and the object of their
meeting; and their consultation is frequently held upon the various
opics of the day, however unedifying they may be, until the min
ister by rising in the pulpit for the purpose of commencing divine
service, drives them into sil,nr.. i.,t .das be at best generally
peaking is as little q ialihd to feed the -beep, as they are disposed
to receive food, and the whole scene pas-es off without much inte
rest, instead of producing that thrilling sensation in the minds of his
audience so evidently manifested when the Holy Ghost displays his
and more stren-th of faith ii S- ! . noW
s,v instead f tu I ld,,,,.to le advanced christian. W .
nd the conVr.io J? ev winced on either side.
and worldly CCwhh10 V re,u Iheir fond
has ivZe d PU'MV 11 T'ya serious though., about wh,.
.tin S ' 'y ',aS nK"1 c"rere'' ' ho.lv; .li-ease
lias taken deep root 1.1 the system; (amine stares the viciim in he
faand hope the las. link in the life ,f , , Jh, S Va
Such is. laint description of a church in a sUte of loa ,n"s ami
such may be about the situation of ,hs,; compoX he ill ,'uk I
AssocaUon .t this ,ime; brethren we leave it wf.h y"ou " X ot
the comparison. J Juurc Ui
And now if ,hc success of the cause depended uonn .he wwlnm.
u.e i, or .he ability ol man in Ihe smallest degree whatever; or
?!X""C'P,' r mm! 5hnr' 'he power a"d eoerrv of him.!
then
who siltpih lin.r in,,,T.. :.. .u.i
- 'i iuikci in me ueavprw
I ! . ' . . . . ' "'f siiouiu evniei
1 despair o it, when viewed m such unpropitious light; and be i
duced already to account it as amount th ihi.
so unlike the nature ol any humaji enterprize is this cause, that it
can never be defeated: and when we generally suppose it to be on '
the very brink ol destruction, then Suddenly, is i, likely to appear
in the prosperous condi lion of its pristine, and God-like maiesty,
and beauty; causing the wonder and astonishment nf .J...; !
and high admiration of its Inends. i
And this brings us to the consideration of that mat of ib ,t k!
represented in our second division ol the su-oert. wh.n r;,i
out his spirit so profusely upon her, that all is joy and gladness wilh-
...,-uu aunow anu signing ior a tme tlee away . When ihe church
annul to experience Ibis happy chansre of rnnditinn. alb.sion
Ireq ienlly n.ade to her former state of leanness as in Psnlms
33. IS, 19: "Uehold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear
him, upon them that hope in his mercv: lo deliver ihpir ,,! IY
death, and to keep them alive in laminei" Allusion is made to h. r
former condition, with the promise of better thin. to mm aitar!..
ed, when God says through bis prophet Isaiah, 54. 7S: "For a small
moment have 1 lorsaken ihte; but with great mercies will I ratbei
thee. In a little wrath 1 hid mv faee Imm ikuu i,,.. . i....
with everlasting; kindness will 1 have meicy on thee, saith the
Lord thy Redeemer." Also in Psalms 30. 5. it i said, foi
his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeninr mav
endure for a night, but joy Cometh i the mornintr-" There wV
see the prospects ol ihe cnurch gradually brightening, and the prom
e ii wie ioiu veriueo, wnerein again he says, "for I will
restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds,
saith the Lord; because thty called thee an outcast, saying ibis i
Zion whom no man -eeketh alier." Jer 17 An.i J,;., 4ii
will build Ihee, and thou shall be built, n virin .f Ic. .i. ,V,...
halt asain be adorned with tbv laurel's and hali rn in.ih ;., iu
dances of them that make merry." Jt r. 31. 4. For thus saith u
Lord, b. hold, 1 will extend peaec to her like a river, and the Horv '
01 the Gentiles like a flowing stream; then shall ye suck, ve s'.H be !
borne upon h r sides, and be dandled upon her knees" Laiah 66
12. And now is about to be fulfilled indeed in the altered condition ol I
the church, Ihe wutds ol the sweet singer in Israel, "thou shall arise
and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set
time, is come." Psalms, 102.13. Which induced him further to
make the following comparison of htr: saith he, "there shall be a
handful of corn in the earlh upon the top of the mountains; the
Iruit Ihereol shall shake like Lebanon, and ihev of the ritv shall
flourish like grass of the earth." Psalms, 72. 16; which per
fectly harmonizes with the increase of the church exhibited under
another figure. Saith the prophet Isaiah. 27. 6: He shall pause
them thai come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom, and
bud, and fill the face ol the world with fiuit." While riding
thus prosperously, with the curtains of her habitation stretched
forlh, her cords lengthened, and her stakes strengthened the church
with gratitude exclaimsu nlo God, Mhou hast turned for me my
mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded
me with gladness; to the end that my glory may sing praise unto
Ihee, and not be silent." Psalms, 30. 11, 12. And Gd replies to
her on ihis wise: Fear not, lor ihou shalt not be ashamed; neither
be thou confounded, lor thou shall not be pui to shame For thou shalt
forget the shame of thy youth, & shall not remember the reproach ol
thy widowhood any more. Fortius is as the waters of Noah unto me:
for as I have sworn lhat the waters ol Noah shall no more go over ihe
earth; so have 1 sworn, lhat 1 would not be wroth with thee, nor
rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re
moved; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall
the'eovenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath
mercy on thee Behwld 1 will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay
thy foundations with sappnues; and 1 will make thy windows with
agates, and thy gales ot carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant
stones." Isaiah, 54 chapter.
"Under such great and precious promises as these now that the
church can realize them, she feels revived; God has indeed visited
her wilh the visitations of his love; the stalely footsteppings of Je
hovah are seen in his earthly sanctuary, and the elevated spir
its of the bride, the Lamb's wile enables her lo sing such songs ;is
the following: "For lo, the winter is pst, the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth; the time ol the singing of birds is
com , and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." Cant. 2.
11, 12. When the holy city is thus set on such a conspicuous hill,
of glory, and delight, shedding the divine rays of celestial brightness
all around, with exceeding admiration, one is heard to exclaim:
"Beautiful for situalion, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion,
on the sides of the north, the city of the great king. God is known
in her palaces for a refuge." Psalms, 48. 2, 3. And again: 'The
Lord loreth the gates of Zion more than all ihe dwellings ol Jacob
Glorious things is spoken of thee, O city of God." Psalms, 87. 2, 3
The church is now lair under way, sailing triumphantly over the
seas of sorrow, and making rapid progress towaids the haven of
eternal felicity. She is revived, reanimated,' clothed with life and
light, and heavenly grace; her days of mourning, of sackcloth and ash
es are forgotten. The pride and vanities of this world are withered
away, under the scorching rays of God's eternal love. The snares,
S's and devices 0I salan, no longer appear to enfai.gle, entrap, or
impede her progress heavenward, bul arentnelv ov.Vome, and she
1. nred with the pure and fervent z. al i.f spiritual devotion; then it
- that the members of the church, appear to lose sight of their
worldly interest, in a great measute, and dedicate their time and
be.r talents to the service of the living God. It is not such a cross
r them now to leave their farms, or their merchandize, and re
pair to their places of public worship; but il is done with as much
alacrity ami delight as David manifested when he observed, I was
glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord."
isalms, 122. 1. And when there assembled, instead of that cold
ness maMhsted in their time of leanness, the great subject of re
demption appears to absorb their attention, their spirits aie on the
a:ert, their apprHi nsions quick, and I hey are prepared lo penetrate
further, and still further, into the mysteries 'of God's abounding
grace, as the minister whose lips now appear, as touched with a
live eoal from off the altar, preaches Christ and him crucified,
the Holy Ghost overshadows them, and gives their souls a feast of Tat
things; he changes ihe stubborn will of ,is people, who have here
tofore been growing p Jn forests Gf natllrej creates w i,,jn tlro
clean hearts, and right understandincs and brines them bv sr ores and
hundreds, into the fold of Christ as lost sheep ready lo perish with
hunger and thirst. The heavenly flame of God's converting grace,
appears at times to extend Irom state to slate, from churrh to church,
from house to house, from heart lo heart, from saint to sinner, un
til the whole land, appeal 10 be blessed with the dUine presence;
nearly every heart melted with tender sensibilities of God's eternal
love, every proud and lofty spirit completely humbled at the foot
stool of hrist, their mountain-like prejudices levelled to the dust;
when the church is thus elevated, enlarged, thus overdoue with joy
and gladness, sends up a strong hallelujah of praise to God, reali
zes the happiness of a foretaste of glory above, and sees, by an eye
of f dth, like Stephen, and Paul of old, "the heavens opened, and
the Sou ol man standing on the right hand of God," holding forth
the crown of righteousness wrought out, or procured by his own
great meritorious humiliation, which he intends giving them at that
day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be made known, and the con
gregated millions of Adam's posterity are assembled before the judg
ment seat of Christ.
Brethren did any of you ever experience a similar state of things
to that just described? Perhaps the most of you are ready to say, no;
but we are persuaded lhat the souls of some of you, who are yet
lingering upon the stage of action, some w ho are upon the watch
towers of Zion are ready to leap for joy at the recollection of
those bright scenes, exhibited some thirty odd years ago, in the gos
pel church, when the outpourings of God's spirit was displayed in
such a wonderful manner in 1S02, and rS03, upon the churches
in the bounds of ibis Association, and elsewhere, when the ministers
and members were in tears upou the bosom of each other at the
amazing goodness of God; when eye met eye, heart met heart, soul
met soul, in divine thanks, and rapturous streams of holy love over
whelmed the congregations of the just, and kept them in the unity
of the spirit, and bond of peace. Aged brethren, would you not
like to witness such a joyful time once more, before you die, and go
hence to the place appointed for all living? No doubt you would,
but the prospect is gloomy. And ye, young soldiers of the cross,
lis doubtful whether you will ever witness such a time of gene
ral joy, for the day is so dark and cloudy we may not expect the
sun soon to shine. Bui sooner or later, the time will again roll
round, when as heretofore, God will visit his church with the visit
ations of his love; with a revival of pure and undefiled religion, wa
ter her with refreshing showers from heaven, cause her to flourish
like the willows by the water courses, and ultimately bring forth
much fruit, to the honor and glory of his great name. May ihe w ill
of the Lord be done.
We are sometimes in the habit of viewing residences of men on
earth, the situation and style of which strike our minds with admiration;
and men frequently indulge in delightful reverie upon the beauty
and magnificence of such dwellings, gardens, and delectable land
scapes, as they would like lo enjoy the possession of in this life.
Bul brethren how rapidly all these considerations fall into insignifi
cance, when we for a moment contemplate the sublime excellen
cies of our "building of God, a house not made with hands, eter
nal in the heavens." 2 Cor. (and how encouraging the recollection
that this glorious building with the magnificence, and grandeur there
of, is ihe sure and lawful inheritance of the poorest saint now on
earth.) Moreover, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepa
red for them that love him." 1 Cor. 2. 9. In short the members
of the church triumphant "neither marry, nor are given in marriage,
but are as the angels of God in heaven;' Mall. 23. 30: where in
the fresh bloom of undy ing youth they shall forever flourish; and
carrying in their souls the rapturous fires of the celestial throne, in
ceaseless streams from their angelic tongues the thrilling notes of
loud hosannahs will flow; yea, there they are completely, and spi
ritually perfect; yea, happified, purified, and eternally glorified.
"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat: for the Lamb w hich is in
the midst of thethrone shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes." Kev. 7. 16, 17. The prophet Isaiah, CO. 19, 20, would
make the following address to the church while in this glorified
slate: "the sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for bright
ness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be
unto thee an everlasting light, and ihy God thy glory. Thy sun shall
no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourn
ing shall be ended."
And to conclude the description of this state of ineffable glory
and delight, the saints are represented by Saint John the divine,
when selected from all nations, Etc. as "standing before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their
hands, and crying with a loud voice, salvation to our God which
silteth upon the throne, and unto the Lanb: and the angels joining in
the song of celestial praise, likewise singing, Blessing, and glory,
wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor and power, and might, be un
to our God, forever and ever." Amen.
WILLIAM HYMAN, Moderator.
JOSEPH BIGGS, Clerk.
It
5