(Concluded)
Although the letter addressed to our pastor by this minority cast several harsh and unjust reflections upon us as a church, and upon certain individuals, yet as we did not then know their intention of circulating copies of it far and wide, to the injury of our pastor abroad, and as we entertained the hope that some if not all who signed it, would on reflection, be disposed to recall it, we thought it advisable not to notice it for a season. As to any reasons which they assigned for separating from us, we considered him perfectly nugatory; for they all center on the one charge of submitting to be blindly led by priestcraft; and this stands openly contradicted, by every transaction in the case, from the called meeting in February onto the regular meeting in June. Although at our called meeting in February
A proposition was made, by one of the members (not by Elder Gilmore) to unite with the two churches below in sending on a call to Elder Trott, it was dropped on objections being made to it. And the invitation afterward agreed upon, originated, has been shown, with doctor Grady, was in substance and form his own proposition, made us we then believed in candor, whoever or whatever, may have since induced him to pursue a different policy, as such it was unanimously adopted by the church, and became, of course, our transaction. And so far as there was any sincerity in the transaction, and in words, so far we stood pledged, if elder Trott came on and visited us, and we found him to be as he had been recommended to us, to settle a call with him in due form. There was therefore no room for priestcraft in the case unless Doctor Grady assumed the responsibility of having exercised it. We however cannot help believing rather, that priestcraft has been exercised towards him and others, by certain persons, to answer particular purposes. Hence we said in our letter to the association, that ten of our members had separated from us, without being able to give a reason for so doing.
After our Saturday meeting in July, several of the brethren being together and being informed concerning certain movements of some of the comma then minority, it was then concluded that it was time, their letter to our pastor was noticed, and those who continued to adhere to its contents, were taken under dealings. They therefore concluded to bring the subject before the church at our next regular meeting. We mentioned this to show that their letter to us in September was not the moving cause of the motion, then being made to cite them to attend our next meeting; Neither was the remarks of any attending brother, the cause.
Having no meeting in August, the meeting of our association interfering with our time, there was no opportunity to bring the case forward of the minority, until our meeting in September; at that time, as soon as the meeting was organized F. W. Luckett, Esquire. Although not a member, handed in a letter from eight of the minority, addressed to the church; In which they offered some explanation relative to their use of the term separate in their letter to our pastor, and denied using it, in the sense, that they considered themselves finally absolved and separated from the church; and requesting of our letters of dismission. But whilst they appeared disposed to give some satisfaction relative to having spoken of separating from us, they offered no recantation, nor explanation, of these base slanders which they had cast upon us, in their letters to our pastor, upon particular members, and upon brother Polkinghorn, our much esteemed former pastor, as well as upon elder Gilmore relative to his transactions in the case, and which day spread much abroad, by circulating copies of that letter, and especially by furnishing Broaddus with one to read at associations.
We should therefore have appeared regardless of all sense of propriety and of correct order, as well as our own characters, to have granted them letters upon this application. On the other hand by this letter they almost unequivocally acknowledged themselves still as members of this church; And consequently as subject to its discipline. Hence they were completely debarred from bleeding an exception from the authority of the church, and from her right of discipline, in consideration of their having previously separated from the church, and of standing as a separated minority.
The church on receiving this letter, entered the following resolves on her book.
1. “Received a letter from eight of our members, requesting letters of dismission. Resolved, that the church cannot grant them letters of dismission, because in their former letter to our pastor, they have made several accusations against the church.”
2. “Resolved, that brethren Peugh, Richards and Stringfellow, be a committee, to wait on said members to appear at our next meeting, to answer to charges against them growing out of their letter of June last, to our pastor, and for their conduct in other respects.”
It was also concluded, that the committee should be furnished with specifications of the charges, to present to the person cited, if they should demand them. Those specifications 8 in number, stand recorded in our church book.
Two of the 10, who had been induced to sign a letter of June to our pastor, had returned back to their places in the church and had recalled their names and assent from that letter.
Our meeting on the Saturday before the 3rd Lord's Day in October is opened. The moderator called upon the committee, appointed at the last meeting, to report. They reported that they had seen the persons severely on whom they had been directed to call, and they were mostly now present. Doctor Grady then came forward and presented a paper containing the following remarkable address.
“To the members, the majority of the church at Ebenezer, greeting:”
“Whereas we the undersigned minority did ask for letters of dismission on the 3rd Saturday of September last (by letter) and our application being rejected, we do now recall it, for the following reasons: since that time we have learned from Brother Stringfellow that it was stated in a letter from the church to the association that ten of the members had withdrawn from the church without being able to give a reason for so doing. Under the impression that in that letter the church stands committed to immorality, we cannot receive letters from her as a Church of Christ until that impression shall be removed.
Neither can we consent to answer to the charges preferred against us, growing out of and addressing from the minority to Elder Trott, whilst the majority stand thus committed. When those difficulties are removed we stand ready as we have ever been to meet investigation before a proper tribunal.
We therefore intend to constitute ourselves into a separate church, and now claim our right to the meeting house at Ebenezer for worship. And that inasmuch as the majority occupied the house on the 3rd Saturday and Lord's day, and on the 4th Lord's day, we the minority will occupy on the 1st and 2nd, not wishing to interfere with the arrangements of the majority.”
Signed,
Jane Bronaugh, Harriet Luckett, Martha Clayton, Abigail M. Furr, Edward B. Grady, Sarah Crady, Satah S. Luckett, Ury Grady. October, 1833
We have in this paper, one of those instances which occasionally occur, of persons who wish to shun the appearance of dreading an investigation, but who will yet resort to the most trifling subterfuges to evade it. And surely a much less hole to creep out at, could not be found, then these persons resorted to. We will not say that even a smaller than this has not been found within our knowledge. These persons did assign something as an excuse for separating as they said from us. But was there any recent in it?
Did it not stand contradicted on the very face of it, as we have already shown? If it would bear the test, why not come to the investigation? We charged them with willfully slandering their church in those things, which they assigned as excuses, and they could have shown that they were rational or correct, then we should have been convicted of stating in our letter to the association, that which was not correct; And had we refused to recall our assertions which was then convicted, they might with propriety have charged us as with immorality, in the thing.
After the above paper was read, and a few remarks upon the charge of immorality therein brought, the question was put to the church, whether we were conscious of anything immoral or false being contained in our letter to the association, and decided in a negative by a unanimous vote.
And on the ground of those persons refusing to answer before the church or charges preferred against them, a motion was made, that they'd be at once excluded from the connection and fellowship of this church; and by unanimous vote decided that they be thus excluded. They, therefore, stand excluded by us, not for having previously separated from the church, but as disorderly persons, in refusing to answer to charges which had been preferred against them, and which still stand unanswered.
We now appeal to the candor of every person acquainted with church discipline, whether, in the light of this statement of facts, upon any principle of gospel discipline, and order, those persons can be considered as a self-separated minority; or whether they must not be considered as persons correctly excluded from the fellowship of this church, of which they were members, and therefore from the fellowship as church members, or Baptist, of all orderly Baptists. And we appeal to our brethren preachers and others, to sustain us in maintaining the regular discipline of Christ's house. We appeal to the individuals who have been subjects of this discipline to say whether anything harsh or violent has appeared in our conduct towards them; anything contrary to that tenderness and moderation which ought to characterize the conduct of a church, in maintaining correct discipline towards erring members.
We disclaim any ill will towards the excluded, any wish to injure them, in this exposure which we have been constrained to make; We wish to manifest our respect for, and to and to see respected by those whom we would regard as preachers of the gospel, that discipline which our lord has in wisdom and love instituted through the ministry of his apostles; and we desire to see his discipline have its legitimate effect on those who have thus been by their own management, the subjects of it, in bringing them to a sense of their improprieties, in leading them to retrace their steps and to come back to the church in a proper spirit, disposed to adhere to that doctrine and order, on which this church was constituted, and which hitherto she has ever maintained in her ministry and her government; And to resist the propensity for going after popularity and new things in religion.
We know that persons in the higher circles in life, from the deference generally paid to them, are not apt to conclude, that their opinions and notions ought to have peculiar sway even in the church, and that it is peculiarly mortifying to them to be arraigned by their conduct, before a church composed, as most the churches of Christ, are, of the poor of this world; but we equally well know, however much certain persons are disposed to conform to this pride of man, then no such distinctions ought to be regarded in the House of God, where the poor disciple is exalted to the honor of being a son of God, and the rich and noble ought to feel themselves to be but worms before him with whom we have to do. And we hope that no such distinction ever be made, in administering the discipline of this church.
In our conclusion, permit us to offer some remarks on two or three circumstances connected with this affair.
1. As the then minority and their address to our pastor, have made several references to elder Joseph Jones, of the Baltimore association, apparently with a design to enlist his feelings on their side; we will remark in relation to the conversation in which they say doctor Grady had with him in August 1832, relative to becoming our pastor, in case brother polkinghorn should leave us, that, conversation was not communicated to us, neither did we know that he was in any more favorable circumstance for taking a pastoral care of this church, then when he rejected our call in 1831. And further, that there was no proposition made to us by the doctor or any other person, to call him until after had our invitation elder Trott had visited us, and we had made-up our minds in favor of him. Again they say in that letter, that “brother Jones could now be got to serve the church, and in him the wishes of the whole church would have been centered, and this brethren Gilmore and polkinghorn either knew or had reason to believe.” We answer that we did not know this, neither do we know how elders Gilmore and polkinghorn knew it, or what reason they had to believe it. Elder Jones may thus judge whether in our choosing elder Trott to serve us, there was any disrespect shown to him or any undermining of him.
2. Those persons in their paper handed in to the church in October, saying that they are ready to meet investigation before a proper tribunal. We ask, who is to decide what is a proper tribunal? If the decision of the king of Zion upon this question, be admitted as proper authority, then the particular church of which the persons are members, whose cases are to be investigated, that church retaining its character as a church of Christ, is the only proper tribunal. For no other except the final judgment seat of Christ, is referred to, in the New Testament; Whilst abundant references are herein made of cases of discipline to the particular churches; C, for instances first Corinthians chapter 5, especially verses 12 and 13, and chapter 6, verses 1 and 5. We readily admit that there is an intimate connection between the different branches of Zion; they are but one body. There are therefore a cases in which for preserving the harmony of the hole, it is advisable for one branch to seek the assistance and advice of others. As for instance in ordaining elders so in cases of difficulty, were in a church may become divided and drawn into much confusion upon some disputed points, as the church at Antioch, it is proper for such, following the example, that, not only to appeal to the decision of the apostles, (in their writings of course at this day) but also to ask advice concerning that decision, as of the elders and brethren of the church at Jerusalem, and of Judas and Silas sent to signify this decision, in the case of the church at Antioch. And if there is such a connection, revealed in the scriptures between the visible churches of Christ, it is manifest that when one church having had such standing, has lost the characteristics of a Church of Christ, whether through corruption or neglect of gospel discipline, or through the introduction of another gospel, or a forms and schemes not known in a New Testament, it becomes the duty of other churches, for the honor of the word of God, and for their own characters, to make their appeal to the Apostolic decisions, and to disown fellowship with such departures from the word, and such church persisting in that departure, as well as to sustain the standing of individual brethren who may have separated from such church on account of her falling away. Now if our brethren, or sister churches, by an honest appeal to Apostolic decision, can show our departure from the word so as to prove that the golden Candlestick of a gospel church is removed from us and that for their regard to the gospel of Christ those persons have separated from us, let them disown us, if we are not reclaimed by such scriptural proof, and sustain them. Or if the dissenting of 1 male member, and of seven females, through family connection and the influence which of physician may exert over then be evidence of general confusion in the church, then may it be proper that some barabbas and silences be sent to us, to signify the Apostolic decision unto us in the case.
3. As certain remarks have been published relative to our meeting in October, and the attendance of certain persons on that occasion, by a gentleman whose general department as a man, we have therefore respected, although we cannot approve of his interference so much with the affairs of that Kingdom which is not of this world, however much it might be proper for him to feel for the honor of his wife, nor of his reflections on persons which had nothing to do with this affair, as on the editor of the Signs. We will say in reference to brother polkinghorn, that having been talking of visiting us, our pastor seeing him, invited him to attend at this time, under the impression that such statements as he could make relative to the case, would be calculated to remove much of the prejudice to those disaffected persons towards the church and towards him. The other persons named, were not invited, neither was it known to us or to our pastor the day intended being here, until they came. And without intending reflection on any, we say that seeing so many present who would probably have taken part in the debate had the charges been investigated, and by which most likely, feelings would have been irritated rather than softened, we did esteem it a kind interpretation of Providence, that the person cited before the church should be left to throw in the proper occasion for cutting them off, without going into an investigation of the charges. Although we would have been glad of a calm and dispassionate investigation, if such could have been had in hopes that some at least, of those excluded would have been convinced of their error.
4. We here leave our statement before our brethren, and to the disposal of him who works all things after the council of his own will. Read and approved that our meeting of business, at Ebenezer, Loudon county, Virginia, june 14th, 1834; And signed by order of the church.
Barton Richards clerk.
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