MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD WITH THE OCCOQUAN CHURCH, OCTOBER 29-30, 1836 (TROTT, CLARK)

[This is another sample of a never before published article of Trott (to our knowledge) since 1836 when it was published in the Signs of the Times.  It is part of our upcoming COMPLETE collection of Elder Samuel Trott's writings not only from the Signs but other Old School Baptist papers.  It is part of the upcoming Writings of Old School Baptist Preachers Volume 3 - ed]

1st brother John Clark preached from 2nd Thessalonians 3.6.

2nd brother Trott was called to the chair, and Brother Clark was chosen as clerk.

2nd communications were received from the following churches, Hartwood, verbal communication through Brother Clark; Fryingpan, by her messengers, S. Trott and Charles Gallatt; Mount Pleasant, by her messengers, Noah Martin, William Kidwell and William T. Allen; White Oak, by her messenger, john clark; Occoquan, by her messengers George Selecman and James Davis; Fredericksburg, by letter; Bethlehem, by her messengers, Francis M. Lewis and Benjamin Pridmore. From these communications, it appeared, that those churches were severally opposed to associations as at present organized and conducted, and were agreed in the declaration of principles, and a plan of correspondence, which had been previously presented to their consideration, by correspondence among the churches.

3rd the declaration of principles in which these churches agree is as follows:

That the scriptures of the old and new testaments contain the full and perfect revelation which God has been pleased to make of himself, of man, and of his will concerning man; and that nothing in relation either to the predictions, the doctrine, order of practice delivered therefrom, is to be taken therefrom, or added thereto. 

That God is one, is a spirit; Self-existent, eternal, without change, and perfect in all his divine attributes his being, and his purposes; is the independent creator and sovereign of the universe, in its whole, and in its most minute parts, governing the whole, and every part, with all the sins and corruptions therein, according to his eternal purpose, and so that he causes the wrath of man to praise him, and works all things after the counsel of his own will. 

That God exists as father, word, and Holy Ghost; Each being truly Jehovah God; God being truly free, and truly one. 

That man exists as the creature of God, who is accountable to him for all his actions and thoughts, is under natural and continued obligation to love and obey God, with all the faculties he possesses; 

That he was originally created in uprightness, but fell in Adam, into a state of condemnation and death in sin, so that the human family universally, while unregenerated, are in their minds and the key against God, will only what is ultimately evil, and by their acts, whether religion or otherwise, are only procuring to themselves wrath. 

That the gospel is a revelation of salvation, that salvation which is of god, the salvation, from their sins, of a people given to christ and chosen in him before the foundation of the world and which is a result of the purpose and grace of God, the father, given them in Christ Jesus before the world began, was accomplished by God the son, who was made under the law and brought in an everlasting righteousness in their behalf, made by his death, a full atonement for their sins, and was raised again for their justification, having accomplished their complete redemption in himself, as their head, and by virtue of their previous union to him, will raise them to live and reign as joint heirs with him in glory; And his witness too, and applied by god the holy ghost, who by his divine and sovereign energies, infallibly regenerates all who were elected by the father and redeemed by the son, reveals Christ in them, dwells in them as the comforter, and works in them to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

That the gospel ministry as an institution of Christ, given to the churches, true ministers of Christ received their gifts and qualifications for the ministry, from him; Our specially called to the work of the Holy Ghost, and have their gifts made manifest to their respective churches: hence, those only are to be received as such, who have been sent into the work by a Church of Christ, in its fellowship, and according to gospel order, and who minister as standing thus related to a gospel church. Their office is to preach the word, administer the ordinances, and feed the flock of Christ, that the invitations and promises of the gospel, being made to peculiar, specified characters, are to be addressed only to such. 

A visible Church of Christ is a body of baptized believers, who have given themselves to one another, walking together in fellowship, continuing steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, observing the ordinances and traditions as delivered by the apostles, maintaining a regular gospel discipline, and keeping themselves, and all their religious transactions separate, as a Kingdom not of this world; and to no other religious body or society, as connected with the Kingdom of Christ, is known or authorized in the scriptures. 

That the officers of our church to be set apart as such are elders or bishops, and deacons. 

That gospel baptism is an immersion of the subject in water in the name of the Father and of the Son of the holy ghost, the subject having given evidence of faith in Christ, and the administrator, having been regularly ordained as a minister of Christ, having an orderly standing in a Church of Christ, and officiating in gospel relation thereto. 

That the Lord's supper is an ordinance of Christ, to be observed when the church comes together on the first day of the week, that communicants being baptized believers in regular standing in a Church of Christ; The elephants being bread and wine, the juice of the grape, and administered according to the pattern set. 

That Christ has committed the administration of his government in Zion, alone, to his churches as distinct organized bodies, but as standing in relation 1 to the other, as members of the one body of Christ and bound to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, and to seek the good of the whole. 

That an opposite religious interest, as foretold in the scriptures has arisen out of the visible Church of Christ, and from a falling away of the members thereof, which the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming; that the coming of this man of sin he's after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders; that Christ has given his word as a standard by which to test his ministers and people, and to mark their distinction from others; that a falling away from his word is an evident manifestation of the man of sin; and that from those who thus fall away, it is our duty, as disciples of Christ, to withdraw ourselves. 

Finally, there will be a resurrection, of the bodies both of the righteous and wicked, of the former, to honor and life eternal, of the latter, to a final judgment and everlasting punishment.

4th a meeting for correspondence with old school or particular Baptists will be held (God willing) with the church at Bethlehem, (Prince William County, Virginia) commencing on Friday before the 2nd Lord's day in August 1837, (11:00, am to be continued until Monday;) agreeable to the plan of correspondence approved by our churches, which follows:

That a meeting for correspondence be held annually, the time and place of each succeeding meeting is to be agreed on by the messengers at the previous meeting. That each several meeting be composed of the messengers present from each church, only, as at the time, profess and maintain adherence to the above declaration of principles, and give evidence thereof, in the ministry they support, and in withholding church fellowship from those churches and persons that encourage any of the religious systems and plans not known in the New Testament as belonging to the Kingdom of Christ, and has maintained a correct gospel discipline; Also of the messengers present from associations, that hold the same principles, in substance with us, and maintain a stand of separation from the devices of men in religion, and carried the same out in the correspondence; Together with such a visiting, orderly brethren as hold and maintain the same gospel principles and stand with us. That churches and associations, wherever situated coming within the above-specified limits, B, and may hereby R, invited to correspond with us, through these meetings, by letters or messengers, or both, as may suit their convenience.

That any difficulties in or between the churches that may interfere in the correspondence, be referred immediately to the churches, or to certain named churches to be by them settled, or in some way disposed of. That no business whatever shall be acted on, or introduced into these meetings, accepting what he immediately relates to an orderly conducting of the correspondence.

That in conducting the correspondence, on the part of the meeting, a moderator and clerk shall be appointed, the correspondence addressed to the meeting shall be read and the verbal communications by brethren coming without letters, and who according to the above limitations and provisions, are entitled to seats with us, be heard providing such communications be a simple statement of facts relative to the state, standing, or difficulties of their churches; A circular or address shall be prepared, embodying such important information as may have been received, and other relative matters; Also special letters addressed to the several associations heard from, and to particular churches, when circumstances require it, to be sent in writing, shall be prepared, and messengers appointed to bear them, or other means of conveyance be designated. Minutes shall be made by the clerk, simply of the names of the churches and associations heard from, whether by letters or messengers, the names of the messengers and other brethren composing the meeting, the order of the business and preaching; Which minutes, together with the address or circular shall be printed. The business is to be conducted in a familiar but orderly manner so as to produce unanimity as far as practicable, and so arranged just to give as much time for preaching without interfering therewith, as prudence shall dictate.

5th that our brethren generally, and the public, may be informed of the reasons for our several churches withdrawing from the Columbia association, it is unanimously agreed by the messenger's present, that a copy of the paper which was formally presented to that body, be published with these minutes, in the signs of the times.

S. Trott, Moderator John Clark, Clerk

Declaration of withdrawal.
Brother moderator: On behalf and by the authority of our several churches, we beg leave to declare their entire separation from all associational connection with the remaining churches of this association. In making this declaration, we wish it to be distinctly understood that we act altogether from principle. When our messengers voted in 1833, against the reception of elder Broaddus as corresponding messenger from the Shiloh association, we as churches appropriated their vote, not from any personal opposition to the said elder, but because we could not extend fellowship to his religious course, believing it had perversion both of the doctrine and order which we have received as taught in the word of God; and which force we consider as embracing those several plans called benevolent operations, as well as the machinery for producing revivals. And as the remaining churches comprising this association, have by their letter of manifested a disposition to retire from the stand of 1833, and do sanction the extending of fellowship to others, who practiced the same schemes, we can but feel a want of confidence in you as regular Baptists and a fellowship for your course, and therefore, to be honest, we must separate from you.

In addition to the above, we cannot approve of the decision you made as an association to the Fredericksburg affair, by which, that which we consider properly the Fredericksburg Baptist Church was constrained last year, to separate from you; nor of sanctioning the arbitrary decision of your moderator over the heads of three churches, relative to the Alexandria church, at your present session.

We in thus withdrawing our fellowship from you, do not believe that we leave no Christians behind; but we do believe it to be our duty to separate from such, so far as stayed apart from the word of God, leaving them in the hands of God to reclaim them from their errors in his own good time and way. At the same time, we would warn such of the chastising rod that awaits them, if they will, with the light of God's word before them, thus continuing to sanction the placing of the devices of men on a footing with the institutions of the gospel.

Signed, 

For Elkrun Church, William Bower; Hartwood, George Honey, James W. Stone; Fryingpan, S. Trott, Charles Gallat; Mount Pleasant, William Kidwell, Lloyd Kidwell; White Oak, John Clark, William Fulcher, Occoquan, James Davis, David T. Arrington

Brother Beebe: as the opportunity would not well admit of an address being prepared and adopted by the meeting with the Occoquan church, I will trouble you with a few remarks, relative to what was adopted, as a plan of future correspondence. My first remark is designed for those associations, and churches, which have manifested in determination to be separated, from the corrupting schemes of men, in religion; and which do not like the Colombia associations expressed in their late corresponding letter, vainly thinking of promoting the redeemer's cause, in forwarding the benevolent institutions of the day. 

To such, I would say, that by a reference to our plan of correspondence, it will be seen, that although we are not disposed to be any longer connected with associations, as parts of such constituted bodies, if our old school brethren, choose to continue under an associational constitution, we by no means wish to make that circumstance a bar to correspondence with them. We have, therefore, invited associations as well as churches, such as have inscribed on their acts holiness to the Lord, in departing from what is not of God's appointing in religion, to correspond with us. Having done this, we must leave it to their determination whether they will thus sanction our principles and plan, by opening correspondence with us.

2nd Another class to which I wish to offer a few remarks is composed of such brethren, as may object to our plan of correspondence, on the ground of its being a departure from the beaten path of churches associating together in organized bodies, as well as an account of its being something new. As such I would observe, that, although associations have been so long in use as to be considered, by many an indispensable appendage to the order of gospel churches, yet, they are entirely of two recent dates, to stand as a precedent for old-school Baptists. I have not the data before me, by which to find the period, at which constitutional associations were first formed. According to Benedict, the particular Baptists in England first associated together in 1689 in something like a yearly meeting to consult for the protection and welfare of the churches; it was a time of legal oppression and persecution. It was not for several years after this that the churches formed themselves into sectional associations hence the Baptist confession of faith was first put forth, not by associations, but by congregations (or churches.) Still, however, if ours, is a greater departure from the New Testament order, dynasty associational, or constitutional plan, our brethren may well blame us, and use schoolists glory over us. If, on the other hand, we have assimilated our plan of correspondence more to New Testament order, then are we but carrying out our old-school principles. 

According to general admission upon the point, it is evident, that we have not departed from the scriptures, in laying aside associations. It is equally certain that the churches in the apostles' days, held intercourse and correspondence with each other; There were also meetings of the brethren and preaching. In promoting these things then we are not departing from the New Testament. As to the particular form of conducting the meetings of their brethren in their church relations, or the correspondence among the churches, I find no direct pattern given; the form in either case appears to have been left as a thing indifferent, with these exceptions, that in the case of the correspondence, messengers and letters were sent from certain churches to others, and on one occasion at least, the apostles, elders, and brethren came together to consider of the matter which was the subject of correspondence; Acts 15.6 compared with verse 23. And in the meetings, the worship of God, preaching the word, and the affairs of the church, were attended to. 

Also that the apostle has left direction, that all things be done decently and in order; and has assured us that God is not the author of confusion but of peace, 1st Corinthians 14.33, 40. Hence, if conducting our meetings as churches either those held on Lord's days, or others, and also the correspondence among the churches we should adopt an orderly and regular form and should seek to exclude from their confusion and contentions, and the occasions of them, we shall, I think, not be chargeable with a departure from the word of God as our rule.

3rd I wish also to see a few things to those brethren, who think it necessary in churches uniting in associations, or in general intercourse with each other, that their coming together should be guarded by constitutional provisions, and governed by the rules of decorum, list one church should have the advantage of another, in debates, in votes, also fewer brethren coming from other local combinations, although invited to seats as brethren and fellowship, should be allowed to intermeddle too far with the local concerns of the neighboring churches by voting on subjects. Guards, and prescribed regulations, are necessary in all worldly combinations, and in associations where persons of different religious views come together, each seeking for mastery. 

But does the New Testament sanction any such contentious combinations or associations in religion? Certainly not. And associations composed of churches and persons of contradictory sentiments and views, have been too long continued among the Baptists, for the peace of Zion, or the honor of religion. No person who conscientiously derives his religious principles from the scriptures of truth, and who is honest to his principles, can sanction what he believes contradictory thereto. But in these mixed associations, he will often find himself required either to sanction or oppose, what he believes is wrong.

If passing resolutions of non-fellowship for those who persevere in upholding those schemes of men, the introduction of which has been the source of so much strife, bitter feelings, and disorder among the Baptists, and in carrying out those resolutions in separations, the old school Baptist had only in view to get rid of those scenes of contests and confusion with which they have been so long burdened, the course they have adopted would be well worthy of their steadfast adherence. 

And strange, that when, both for conscience, and for peace's sake, we are seeking to be separated from those who prefer practicing the devices of men, in religion, to honoring Christ as king of Zion, and preserving the peace of the churches, we should be charged with being persecutors! Just as much as Abraham a persecutor of Lot, when said to him, “Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself I pray you from me” Genesis 13.9. It is true, that we and our brethren have not, in all cases, pursued this justifiable course, with the same spirit of mildness as did Abraham. But it is equally true that Abraham, as we ought to have done, acted promptly, so soon as he discovered the occasion for strife between him and lot arising, he, without giving time for bitter feelings to be engendered, proposed a separation.

But to return to the point in hand, if we have correctly separated from contention, shall we meet our brethren with whom we agree in faith and practice armed, as if to provoke contention, and guarded as if to show we have no confidence in their religion? If I understand the gospel, both the spirit and letter of it enjoying upon us, to exercise towards our brethren, love, fellowship, and confidence to love as brethren; that is so far as they walk according to their profession; And we're in a walk disorderly, the New Testament provides a remedy in its discipline. Hence the directions the master gives his disciples concerning oaths; “let your communications be yay and yay and nay and nay for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil” Matthew 6.27. 

As I understand this passage, comparing it with Hebrews 6.13, 16, and Titus 3.1; the evil our Lord here speaks of, is the corruption and falsehood which are in the world by reason of which men have not full confidence in each other's assertions. Hence magistrates have to require an oath for confirmation; and requiring it of one, they must of all. But the Church of Christ is designed to be composed of men who have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust men, whom their heavenly birth has made honest and true; Whatever confidence, therefore or want of confidence, the world may have in the influence of their religion, they knowing the purity of the religion they possess, ought for the honor of that religion, in their simplest assertions, to pay a strict regard for truth and also to exercise full confidence in the assertions of those they fellowship as brethren; and more especially, in all their religious intercourse this confidence in each other's assertions to be fully maintained, without requiring oaths for confirmation. 

If in coming together as brethren, or as churches, we cannot do it in the exercise of brotherly love and confidence, we had better keep apart. It is true we are not to expect, never to be deceived in persons in whom we repose confidence as brethren, otherwise there would be no occasion for the discipline prescribed in the New Testament. But still, to manifest a general distrust of those whom we esteem as Christians, and in whom we discover no falling away from the rectitude of the gospel, would be to betray a want of confidence in the Christian religion itself. 

Herein we discover the wisdom of the great head of the church, and constituting no other bond by which churches are to be bound together in their visible standing, than their fellowship for each other, as being of one body, having manifestly one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; knowing, as he did, that the tears would grow with the wheat, that false churches would arise, assuming to the churches of Christ, and for a while maintained the appearance of true churches; 

And that from other places where true churches have been planted, the Candlestick would be removed leaving only a name to live. Had it been appointed that all visible churches should be bound together in one general, or several smaller bodies, upon similar principles to that of members being constituted into a church; Or upon any other general basis, even upon that which the Columbia association decided that they were constituted, simply a professing of their articles of faith, regardless of the morality or immorality of the churches, that is, that they should thus be bound together not to be separated, but by mutual consent or by exclusion, nothing else could reasonably be expected, but differences, hard feelings, and strife; So many difficulties would be in the way of using the same caution, which ought to be used in receiving members into the church, and no fewer obstacles would intervene to prevent a prompt and impartial discipline. But upon gospel principles, where fellowship does not exist to unite churches in mutual intercourse, or it has been broken, each is at liberty to go its own way, unclogged by any alliances with others, who wish to pursue different courses.

Strange that such a frenzy should have possessed the churches of Christ to become integral parts of other bodies, whether single-headed or many-headed, and thus, to a certain extent, to give up their independence, and become bound to exercise fellowship according to the will of others.

Where, according to the plan of our meetings for correspondence, the fellowship, and the meetings from time are composed only of those thus drawn together, fellowship and harmony must prevail in the meetings. And so far as fellowship and love cease to influence them to meet, they have but to remain apart. Here is no galling yoke, like the associational one we have escaped, nor any occasion for guards and armor. In this liberty may all our Old School churches participate and stand fast.

S. Trott 

Fairfax CH Va., November 11, 1836

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