[ This is the kind of unChristian behavior that was going on for Meeting Houses in America during this time! This article has never been republished since 1833.- ed]
Communication from the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Loudoun County Virginia
Brother Beebe: We are fully aware of the uninteresting nature of local, church difficulties to most brethren, at a distance from the scene of difficulty; and so we would, on this account, have willingly avoided intruding upon your readers the detail we are about to make, we are not from circumstances imperiously called upon to state our case, for the information of many who are readers of the Signs. And we feel justified in requesting a place in your paper, (the only periodical we would employ) from the fact that our difficulties have been noticed in the communications of others, without receiving a full explanation; and that false colorings therefore have been published in other periodicals, interspersed with which the “Signs”” circulated.
Indeed we think it will be found that most of the difficulties, that those churches that are on the old foundation, have to encounter, arise from attempts to lead or drive them off from their standing And to introduce new school preachers, and new school notions among them. A faithful explanation of such difficulties, therefore when not too tedious we think comport with the plan of your paper, as it is but an illustration of the arts intrigues, and spite of the man of sin in his varied guises. And whilst the little bands of suffering disciples, that are scattered around among the mass of opposers of the truth, esteem it a privilege, to have a medium through which, they can communicate a statement of their several difficulties to those, who they think will sympathize with them; Let us not be unwilling to listen to their tales of woe, nor to weep with those that weep. In fact, a faithful delineation of the signs of the times at this day must portray many dark scenes, many little scattered groups of oppressed and tried disciples. Hence although we approve of much in our brother “Louthan’s Letter In the 11th number volume two of the signs, yet we think he carried us remarks too far, perhaps unintentionally made too great a sweep.
We therefore venture the following statements for your insertion in the Signs,
To the brethren of the Ketocton and Corresponding Associations.
Beloved brethren: although much has been said, written, and published among you, calculated to mislead your minds concerning our difficulties, we had intended not to publish anything ourselves on the subject, and should still have persisted in that intention, but for certain circumstances more recently transpired.
1st. It appears that those persons, who, as we trust, we shall clearly show, have been properly, and in the strictest sense, excluded from our fellowship; are flattering themselves that they are to be considered as a minority separated from the church; they appear to be so respected by several preachers, and many others accordingly appointments have been made for preaching for them. We are thus pained with seeing the discipline of the church in a measure trampled underfoot, by those whom we have respected as brethren, and seeing that exclusion which we were under the necessity of exercising, and which we would rejoice to see have its designed solitary effect in bringing those individuals to a proper sense of their improper conduct, counteracted by the intermeddling of those, who according to their profession, ought to be jealous for the Lord God of hosts, and for the honor of his cause.
2nd. The lot on which our meeting house stands, together with the burying ground was bequeathed to the Baptists for these purposes, 50-odd years ago, and has since that time been so occupied. The old house built on the lot, was for several years occupied by the Baptists then residing in the neighborhood, as a place of worship, they be considered a branch or arm of the old Ketocton church. In the year 1804, ( 30 years since closed parentheses these brethren were constituted into an independent church, under the pastoral care of elder William Fristoe, and received into the Ketocton Association. From that period to this has been recognized by this association as a regular Baptist Church. A new meeting House of stone was built on this lot in the year 1802, and enlarged in the year 1822. Since the exclusion of these persons or rather since their first dismissal from the church, they have denied the validity of the right by which this slot is held, and since their exclusion, doctor E. B. Grady, one of the excluded and a descendant of the testator, and Mr. John butcher, another descendant have applied to a Mr. butcher who lives in the western part of this state, a surviving son of the testator, and by such representations as they have made induced him to execute unto them a deed in trust, for the Baptist, to our house and lot, granting to those two persons the exclusive right deciding who may, and who may not as Baptist, occupy the house. Since obtaining this deed they have demanded the keys of the house and have talked of allowing us to occupy the house one part of the time, and those who have been excluded from us the other part. Many persons have been induced from misrepresentation of the proper state of things, and from representations given of this accommodating offer, to consider us as obstinate in not giving up our right to the house, and not consenting to occupy it as tenants at will, conjointly with those excluded persons, as fellow baptists; that is, so long as those two gentlemen may allow us to privilege. Whether we ought thus to consider these persons as Baptists and thus treat with contempt our own act of discipline, or exercise, we believe, in obedience to the word of God, our brethren may judge after hearing our statement of facts.
After the death of our beloved pastor, elder Francis Moore, we at our meeting in April 1831, went into the election of a pastor and decided on calling Elder J. H. Jones, doctor Grady only objected, and his objection was to restrain on finding himself alone. Elder Jones owing to other engagements did not accept the call but introduced to the brother waiting on him elder Charles Polkinghorn. On an invitation given, Brother Polkinghorn visited us in June and received the unanimous call of the church to become our pastor, which call he in July declared his acceptance of.
In the year, Brother Polkinghorn had occasionally to disappoint us; owing to the great distance of his residence from us, sickness in his family, his own ill health etcetera. Knowing these disappointments to be purely providential, most of the church was disposed cheerfully to acquiesce in them.
In the spring of 1832 doctor E. B. Grady complaining of a want of preaching, owing to the disappointments we had occasionally been subjected to, proposed to several of the brethren individually to have a special meeting got up to call Elders George and Baker one or both of them, to preach for us; Observing to some of them that he thought elder George could be obtained to preach for us once a month, on a weekday, an elder Baker 1 Lord's day in the month, and that if as the people said elder Baker was not strictly sound, elder George was; And a preaching of the one would counteract the errors of the other.
But the brethren being well pleased with Brother Polkinghorn, could not consent to other preachers being called over his head. And indeed they objected to the brethren named on other accounts. Doctor Grady therefore desisted for that time, from further pressing the subject, several of the brethren however thought they discovered in this affair a disposition and a design to introduce among us, the advocates of the new order of things among the Baptists. We will not say that there was a wish to get through going new school preachers among us; But such as would save appearances, and take away the reproach from among men, by appearing to lean to the popular side; And this the preachers named, showed a disposition to do by their attempt to sustain the course of Broaddus, and which constituted in the minds of our brethren, a material objection to them. We have therefore put on our guard against similar attempts; And when Brother Polkinghorn afterward spoke to some of the brethren of his thoughts of resigning his pastoral care, owing to the difficulties in the way of his attending as regularly as he could wish, they entreated him to continue on until such time as there was an opportunity for obtaining another preacher with whom the church would be suited. To this, he consented.
When up at our meeting in January 1833, Brother Polkinghorn again mentioned to the brethren his wish to decline to serve us and recommended it to us elder Samuel Trott, of Delaware, as a preacher with whom he thought we would be suited; and spoke of its being in contemplation by some of the churches in Fairfax, to invite him to remove into Virginia to take the pastoral care of them. He was requested to write to elder Trott and invite him to come on and visit us. Brother Polkinghorn did so, but owing as we have since learned, to his letter being missent, Elder Trott did not receive it until after he had received a letter from Elder Gilmore, advising him not to come on beforehand, as the churches and Fairfax would send him on a call forthwith; And his coming on a visit first, would delay his removal longer than was desirable.
Elder Gilmore had an appointment; By invitation at Ebenezer on Friday before the 1st lord's Day in February on his way to Upperville. After the meeting, the conversation took place in the yard relative Elder Trott, as Elder Gilmore has related it, in his letter addressed to Elder Trott, published in the Signs (volume one, #22 ), and the called meeting was agreed on for the next Wednesday, and he invited to attend. As are called meeting on the Wednesday after their first Lord's Day of February, has been noticed, and the proceedings correctly given by Elder Gilmore in his published letter above referred to, it will not be necessary to give a general detail. We will just say now, that Doctor Grady having objected to a proposition, made by one of the brethren, to unite with the Fryingpan and Mount Pleasant churches in sending on a call to elder trot, upon the recommendations received, and also objected to his being acted upon at that meeting, as it was not our regular meeting. The proposition to unite in calling was dropped, and the proposition was made to conclude the meeting. Doctor Grady then observed, “I will tell you, brethren, what we can do, we can invite him to commence preaching for us when he commences preaching for the churches below; As the invitation has been once and again published in the Signs.” At the doctor's motion, elder Gilmore was requested to write this invitation and send it on to Elder Trott on behalf of this church. Although we consider Doctor Grady to be inclining to the popular side in religion, we had ever considered him to be a man of candor, and in his entire voluntary proposition to send on this formal and specific invitation to elder trot, we had not the most distant idea that it was that species of intrigue, which the then minority in their letter to elder trot representative to be. Neither can we now persuade ourselves that the proposition, at the time, was not made in sincerity. Everything indicated this to be the case; It was so received by the brethren, and acted on in good faith; the church generally preferring the plan of this proposition, to that of calling elder trot without having heard him for ourselves.
Our brethren may judge of our surprise, when after Elder George had visited Ebenezer and preached early in March, doctor Grady came round to us, from house to house, trying to persuade us to unite, forthwith, and calling Elder George to the pastoral care of the church. When some of the brethren suggested to the doctor, that it would not be using elder trot well to call another preacher without waiting to hear him, after having sent on to him the special invitation, we had; He replied then it had better do it immediately, as he thought it would not hurt Elder Trott's feelings so much to call elder George before he came on, as afterward. He was however informed by some, that they would consent to call no man until they had heard elder Trott if he came on as was expected.
Elder George as we understand has denied having given his consent to accept the call from this church if it should be given a period of this we do not know or pretend to judge. We know that doctor Grady told several of the brethren, that elder George could be now had, or that he would come if he were called and referred to a conversation he had with him on the subject. The difficulty is between the two, not with us. Neither do we know how Doctor Grady after proposing the invitation in the very words in which it was given, was induced so to turn against his own proposition, and contrary to principles of common honesty. At our regular meeting in March, Brother Polkinghorn being present, doctor Grady, leaving Elder George out of the question, required of him a definite answer as to whether he would continue to serve the church or not. After considerable conversation and the doctor's saying he wished something to enter on the book relative to the subject, Brother Polkinghorn told him that he might make an entry that “he is willing to serve the church until they get in get a preacher to suit them.” It stands the bus entered in Doctor Grey's handwriting. We noticed this subject because it has been represented, that Brother Polkinghorn was here and induced to commit himself, and to give a pledge that he would continue the pastoral care of the church. Whereas what was entered on the book by his consent, was no more than he had before told the brethren: that he would continue to serve us until we could be suited in another preacher. This pledge we say he redeemed.
At our regular meeting in April 1833, elder trot agreeable to notice which he had sent on of his acceptance of our invitation, was with us, and preached several times to the general satisfaction of the brethren; Even those who had wished himself superseded acknowledged themselves pleased with his preaching.
He made, at our request, another appointment, to be with us on the 1st Saturday, and Lord's Day in May. He again attended, and a general satisfaction was expressed as to his preaching, And no objection made to him personally considered. In the meantime it was ascertained, that certain members were industriously engaged in making a party against him, to prevent his being called, without being able to bring any well-grounded objection to it; not being willing to mention what we think was the true one, that he was an old school Baptist. Having failed to substitute Elder George, and not being able to make any objection stand from the manner the invitation and answer were published in the Signs, (of April 10th, 1833 ) though they had said that according to that publication, Elder Trott was upon the church as a pastor; a simple reference however to elder trots answer showed that he considered it in no such light, but that the church was still left, fully to the direction of Providence, and to the conclusions of their own minds, whether he should become their pastor or not; and this confirmed by word, at the meeting on the 1st Sunday in May, when that thing was brought up.
And indeed there was no additional strength given to the wording of the invitation in the printed copy, there was the part relative to pay left out. Their last resort was, to cling to Brother Polkinghorn, and to hold him as to pastor, and represented delete tempt was making a take away our pastor, although they had made two attempts as has been shown to call Elder George over his head without ever consulting him; and although it was known to be brother Polkinghorn’s wish to resign, whenever he could see the church supplied with a pastor, or such as a church would approve of. The brethren we say seeing things going on thus, and concluding that at this rate we should become split all to pieces, and ultimately left without any preacher; Unless it should be, that by some undo advantage; And advocate for the new order of things should be brought in; It was concluded to be the most prudent to act decisively; And as no objection had been made to elder trot, as an individual, to go into an election of him as our pastor, if a majority should be found still in favor of it. Accordingly, a meeting of the church was appointed to be held at our regular time, the third Saturday in May, though we at that time expected no preaching, it being the time of the Baltimore association.
Understanding that Brother Polkinghorn was to be in Leesburg, on his way to the Baltimore association, on the Wednesday before our appointed meeting, and Brother Stringfellow having to be there, to attend court Brother Peugh concluded to accompany with Brother Polkinghorn, to know whether it was still his mind to resign and if so, to obtain from him a letter of resignation; That those who wish to throw confusion among us, and prevent the choice of elder trot, might not have as a handle, elder polkinghorn’s still being our pastor. Our meeting was organized on the 3rd Saturday in May, the letter of resignation from Brother Polkinghorn was handed in and read after many conversations on the subject of going into the choice of Elder Trottas our pastor, doctor Grady observed, that the only way to decide it, was to take the vote and submit it to the majority or words to that effect. The vote was therefore proposed and taken; When it was found that there were 16 votes for Elder Trott as pastor and four against him.
Doctor Grady, who acted as moderator, so far from thinking that there was anything, like a tie as F. W. Luckett Squire has represented it in his publication, evidently gave up the point at once, for immediately taking his hat without waiting for the meeting to be dismissed, said, “I am in fellowship with all the brethren present, but I see I can be of no further use to you, nor you to me. Farewell.” Starting out, he got about halfway to the door and stopped, made some remarks relative to the house, intimating that the right of the church to it would be disputed, and then went off. However, to his starting, he threw down some papers on the table, which after he was gone, were examined, and found that contained the written expressions of the minds of four other female members, against choosing Elder Trott as our pastor, or in favor of continuing Elder Polkinghorn. From which it appears, that had these been present, the vote would have stood 16 to 8. A number were present who did not vote on the question.
At our regular meeting in June, Brother Trott again attended having been particularly requested to do so. Previous to the meetings commencing on Saturday, the son of Doctor Grady handed him a letter. After preaching and the meeting being organized for business, one of the brethren, on behalf of the church, informed Brother Trott, that he had chosen him as our pastor. He then stated that he had received a letter signed by ten of our members, in which they declared their dissent from the vote of the church, and their separating from it, and wished to read it, to us, which he did. He then requested us to reconsider the vote by which he had been thus chosen; And if, under present circumstances, we thought it advisable to take further time for consideration, or to recall the choice altogether, he wished us to do so. And that we might consult freely on the subject, he withdrew from the house.
After conversing on the subject, we by a unanimous vote, decided to persist in presenting to him the call, which had been previously voted. Brother Trott was then called in and informed of this decision. He observed to us, that as it was thus our wish, and as from the present state of things, and from the very face of that letter he could not see, that his declining to accept, could make our situation any better, or reconcile those disaffected members, to the church, he would accept the call; but with this understanding, that if at any time hereafter, there should be a prospect of the whole church being able to unite in the call of any preacher, he should not be considered as standing in the way, but as being ready to resign, on an intimation thereof of being given to him.
(To be continued in our next period)
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