Jefferson Baptist Association — 1848
Churches and Religion
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Jefferson Baptist Association — 1848
Proceedings of the Convention,
Held at Liberty Chapel,
Ashe County, N.C., October 27-28,
Also the Acts of the Association
as they were passed on Monday the 30th, 1848
This is a transcript of the minutes of the 1st session of the Jefferson Baptist Association
At the last session of the Brier Creek Association, the following brethern were appointed, namely, Elders J. Adams, S. P. Smith, Z. B. Adams, S. D. Swann, F. Adams, Wm. Chapel, and Brother Jas. M. Parks, as a committee to meet a delegation from the churches belonging to that Association, north of the Blue Ridge, at Liberty Chapel, on Friday before the fifth Sabbath in October, 1848, for the purpose of looking into the standing of those churches, and if they thought best, to constitute them into an Association.
The Convention met pursuant to appointment, and after
hearing a sermon preached, proceeded to business.
1st. On motion, Eld. R. Jacks was called to the chair, and S.
F. Anderson to act as secretary.
2nd. The object of the meeting was then explained by the
chairman.
3rd. Delegates then handed in letters from six churches,
which were read, and the names of the delegates enrolled as
follows:--
From Baptist Chapel | R. Jacks, Jas. Testerman, Jas. Blevins, Jacob Still, and Benjamin DeBoard. | |||
" Baptist Union | S. Ross, J. Rimer, Jesse N. Ross, J. Brown, and J. C. Parks. | |||
" Liberty Chapel | Caleb Campbell, D. Blevins, L. Watters, D. Burket, and Robert McGuire | " Sugar Grove Chapel | Aaron Blanckenbeckler | |
" White Top Church | E. Edmundson, A. Blevins, Jas. Blevins, Jas. B. Barlow, and David Tucker | |||
" Young's Chapel | Wm. Young, Wm. Perry, D. Sheets, Wm. Sells, and S. F. Anderson |
4th. Then Eld. S. P. Smith reported himself, together with
Elds. Z. B. Adams, S. D. Swaim, and Bro. James M. Parks,
present as a majority of the committee who had a right to
act.
5th. On motion, the Secretary was then ordered to furnish the
committee with a concise account of the number of ordained
ministers, exhorters, and communicants, belonging to the
churches represented, and that the committee have until
tommorrow morning 10 o'clock to prepare their report.
6th. Appointed Jas. Blevins, L. Watters, and Wm. Young a
committee to arrange the preaching during the meeting.
7th. On motion, adjourned until tomorrow morning 10 o'clock.
Prayer by S. D. Swaim.
The Convention met according to adjournment. Prayer by R.
Jacks.
1st. The names of the delegates were called.
2nd. The committee of Brier Creek Asso'n. handed in the
following report.
The following is the report of the Secretary to the
Committee.
In compliance with the order of the Convention, I have
proceeded to minute an account of the number of ordained
ministers, exhorters, and communicants belonging to the
churches represented, which is as follows:
Baptist Chapel has | 1 ordained 2 exhorters | and 101 communicants |
Baptist Union | 1 " 2 " | 52 " |
Liberty Chapel | - | 58 " |
Sugar Grove Chapel | - | 41 " |
White Top Church | 1 " 1 " | 21 " |
Young's Chapel | - | 40 " |
Total | 3 ordained 5 exhorters and | 313 communicants. |
Your Committee from the Brier Creek Assoc'n have examined
the above report, and see no just reason why the above named
churches should not be embodied into an Association, knowing
that it will be for your convenience, and we hope to the
advancement of the Redeemer's cause.
S. P. Smith Z. B. Adams
S. D. Swaim Jas. M. Parks
3rd. On motion, the report was received and the committee
discharged.
4th. Then on motion of S. P. Smith, the convention, together
with the committee, went into a committee of the whole.
5th. Appointed Eld. S. P. Smith, and Brethern Jas. M. Parks,
and Jas. Blevins, a committee to prepare a consititution, and
report this evening.
7th. Appointed Eld. S. P. Smith, and Breth'n. Jas. Blevins
and Wm. Young, to prepare rules of decorum, and report on
Monday.
8th. Appointed S. Ross, J. Blevins, and D. Sheets, together
with the chairman and secretary, to prepare a Circular,
showing the cause fo the separattion, between our churches
and the Mountain and Threeforks Associations, to be attached
to these Minutes, and to report on Monday.
9th. Appointed Wm. Young, J. Still, and B. DeBoard, a
committee of finance.
10th. On motion, adjourned until 4 o'clock this evening.
Prayer by the ch'n.
Saturday evening, met according to adjournment. Prayer by the
chairman.
1st. Called on the committee appointed to prepare the
Constitution, to report, who reported the following:
Art. 1st. The Association shall be composed of members
chosen by the different churches in our Union producing
letters certifying their appointment.
2nd. The members chosen and convened, shall have no power to
lord it over God's heritage; nor shall they have any
classical power over the churches, nor shall they infringe
any of the internal rights of any church in her union.
3rd. Every Gospel church is free according to the glorious
Gospel, to believe and act according to that divine rule of
faith and practice.
4th. The Association when convened, shall be governed by a
regular and proper decorum.
5th. The Association shall have a Moderator and Clerk, who
shall be annually chosen, by the sufferages of the members
present.
6th. New churches may be admitted into our Union, who shall
petition by letter and delegates; and upon examination, if
found orthodox and orderly, shall be received by the
Association and manifested by the Moderator giving the
delegates the right hand of fellowship.
7th. We will not receive any person as a member of this
association, whose conduct be notorious, believing it to be
our duty to withdraw from every brother that walketh
disorderly.
8th. The Assocation shall endeavor to furnish the churches
with the minutes of the association, as may seem best to the
association.
9th. The Clerk shall record the proceedings of the
association in a book kept for that purpose, and be allowed a
reasonable compensation for his trouble.
10th. This Constitution may be amended by any future
association, if they deem it necessary.
11th. The Association requests all the churches in her
bounds, having gifts for the ministry, to send them up to the
association for examination, and if found orthodox and
qualified, to be ordained in the presence of the whole
association. -- Ordinations only to be attended to in and at
our associations.
12th. The Association shall have power to withdraw from any
church in her union that may become heretical in principle,
or corrupt in practice; or that may violate this
constitution, and continue to do so.
13th. The Association shall have power to adjourn themselves
to any future time or place they may think most
convenient.
14th. The Association shall have power to enquire into the
cause why the churches do not at any time of its sitting,
represent themselves.
All of which is respectfully submitted.-- S. P. Smith,
Ch'n
The above was then re-committed to the committee, with the
instruction to add the following article:
Art. 15th. The mission question shall be no bar nor test of
fellowship with any; but all shall be free, and shall have
the privilege of actin and doing with his own, as he or they
may in their own judgement think proper, without interruption
or molestion.
2nd. The Constitution was then received and adopted, and the
committee discharged.
3rd. Called on the committee appointed to prepare Articles of
Faith to report, who presented the following:
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely
inspired; that it is a perfect rule of faith and practice;
and that among others, it teaches the following important
truths:
1st. That there is only one living and true God; infinite in
every natural and moral excellence.
2nd. That he has revealed himself as the Father, and the Son
(or the word), and the Holy Ghost, the same in essence, and
equal in divine qualities.
3rd. That man was created holy, but that by willfully
violating the law of his Maker he fell from that state, so
that by nature there is in us no holiness; but we are all
inclinded to evil, and in that all have sinned, all are
children of wrath, justly exposed to death, temporal,
spiritual and eternal.
4th. That the only way of salvation from this state of guilt
and condemnation, is through the righteousness and atonement
of Jesus Christ, the word, who miraculously assumed our
nature without sin, or became incarnate for the suffering of
death, and whom God hath set forth to be a propiration
through faith in his blood, having so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on
him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
5th. That nothing can separate true believers from the love
of God; but that they will be kept by the power of God,
through faith unto salvation; the sure and final proof of
their being true believers, consisting in their patient
continuance in well doing.
6th. That the proper subjects of the ordinance of baptism,
and the Lord's supper are professed believers; and that
baptism is properly administered only by immersion, and is by
scriptural example, a pre-requisite to communion at the
Lord's Table.
7th. That the Lord's supper is to be continued in the church
unto the end of time. That the first day of the week is to be
observed as the Lord's day or christian Sabbath.
8th. That there will be a resurrection of the just and
unjust; and that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to judge
both the living and the dead; and then the wicked shall go
away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life
eternal.
The above is respectfully submitted. Z. B. Adams, Ch'n.
4th. On motion, the Articles of Faith were received, &
the committee discharged.
5th. On motion, the following resolution was unanimously
adopted:
Resolved--That we recommend to all churches that may be
hereafter constituted, wishing to become members of this
body, to procure a copy of the Articles of Faith, as adopted
by this Association, so that there may be a uniformity in all
the Articles of Faith among the churches composing this
Association.
6th. Agreed to call this body by the name of the Jefferson
Association.
7th. Agreed to hold a session of the association on
Monday.
8th. Appointed S. Ross, Wm. Young, Jas. Blevins, together
with the chairman and secretary, a committee of Arrangement,
and to report on Monday.
9th. Adjourned until Monday morning, 9o'clock. Prayer by S.
P. Smith.
Monday morning, met according to adjournment. Prayer by R.
Jacks.
1st. Called the names of the delegates.
2nd. On motion the following article was added to the
Constitution:
Art. 16th. Each and every church belonging to this
Association, shall be entitled to four delegates or
representatives in the association, and no more.
3rd. The committee appointed to prepare rules of decorum, was
then called on to report, who handed in the following:
1st. The Association shall be opened and closed by
prayer.
2nd. The letters from the churches shall then be read, and
the names of the delegates enrolled.
3rd. Only one member shall speak at the same time, who shall
rise from his seat, and address the Moderator, and while
speaking shall not be interruped by any member, except the
Moderator.
4th. The member speaking shall strictly adhere to the
subject, and use no words calculated to irritate.
5th. No member shall abruptly break off, or absent himself
without leave of the association.
6th. No member shall speak more than three times on one
subject, without leave of the association.
7th. No member shall have liberty of laughing, or whispering,
during the time the association is on business.
8th. No member of the association shall address another by
any other appelation but that of brother.
9th. The Moderator shall not interrupt any member, or
prohibit him from speaking, until he gives his light on the
subject, unless he breaks this decorum.
10th. The names of the delegates or member of the association
shall be called by the Clerk, as often as the association
requires.
11th. The Moderator shall be entitled to the same privilege
as another member, provided his seat be filled, but he shall
have no vote, unless the association be equally
divided.
12th. Every motion made and seconded shall come under the
consideration of the association, except it be withdrawn by
the member who made it.
13th. Any member who shall willingly and knowingly break any
of these rules, shall be reproved by the association, as they
may think proper.
4th. On motion, the Rules of Decorum were received, and the
committee discharged.
5th. The committee of Finance made the following report of
contributions received from the churches:
Received from Baptist Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $1.60 |
" " Baptist Union. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 2.00 |
" " Liberty Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 4.05 |
" " Sugar Grove Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1.82 |
" " White Top Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 2.16 |
" " Young's Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 4.52 |
........Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | $16.16 |
On motion S. F. Anderson was appointed Treasurer, and the
sum of $16.35 paid over to him.
6th. The committee appointed to write the Circular was called
on to hand in the Circular, which was done, and the committee
discharged.
The following are a part of the reasons that led to the
division between the churches that now compose the Jefferson
Association, and the Mountain and Threefork Associations.
Also, the reasons why we received members from their churches
without letters of dismission.
First. In 1836, the Mountain Association while in session,
assumed to itself the name and character of an
anti-missionary association; we, being possessed of liberal
principles, refused to fellowship the name and
character.
Secondly. In 1837, while in session, a motion was made to
invite transient ministers to a seat, which has ever been
their usual practice; but this motion was objected to; the
objecter was then called on to make his objections known,
which he did by saying "there were no transient ministers
present except Culpepper and Freeman, and that they were
missionaries, and that the missionaries were about to erect a
monument over the grave of the Rev. Luther Rice, which would
cost from $50 to 100,000 dollars." The above named brethern
then asked liberty to reply to his erroneous statements,
which was denied them, thus they were denied the liberty of
speech, and from having a seat; and most astonishing of all,
they kept this important movement off their minutes.
Thirdly. In 1838, while in session, a resolution was passed,
dropping correspondence with all associations, and advising
their churches to deal with, and put from among them, all
those who joined any of the institutions of the day, or
advocated them. This resolution we protested against at the
time, and plead with them for equal protection, which they
utterly refused to grant; in consequence of the same, the
Brier Creek and Lewis Fork associations, with us, refused to
submit to this resolution, and rejected the correspondence of
the Mountain association; the terms on which that association
proposed to continue correspondence being such that none of
the sister associations would accede to them. In 1839, there
were three requests from the chruches presented to the
association, requesting that the resolution of 1836 should be
recinded, and that the correspondence of the sister
associations should be regained; but instead of granting the
requests of the churches, to our astonishment they passed
another resolution denying the express meaning of the words
used in the resolution passed in 1838. Also at this session
there were two or three churches came forward from the Brier
Creek association without letters of dismission, and made
application for admittance into the association; the
reception of the churches was objected to, but a majority
received them over the heads of the minority. It was then
alleged that the constitution had been violated. The majority
then altered the constitution so as to make the reception of
those churches constitutional, and after having transacted
business of such vital importance to the cause of the
association, refused to let it appear upon their
minutes.
In 1840, the association violated her constitution by sending
a committee to a church that was fully represented in the
association. The church did not receive the committee for the
reason that she had not asked for it.
The last reason we shall insert is, that the Mountain
association retains in her fellowship a minister, against
whom charges of the most acrimonious nature have been
brought, and he has ever failed to aquit himself of those
charges.
We wish it to be directly understood, that the Threefork
associaiton remained in connexoin with, and composed a part
of the Mountain association, until all the foregoing acts
were passed, and consequently she was accessory to those
acts; and she still endeavors to justify them by keeping up a
correspondence with that body.
Thus we have briefly stated some of the reasons that led to
the division between the two parties; we shall next proceed
to give the reasons why we receive members from their
churches without letters of dismission.
In the first place it inevitably appears that there is no
fellowship between the two parties, it having long since
ceased.
And secondly--we allege that it would be inconsistent for us
to receive members dismissed in full fellowship from their
churches, when there is no fellowship between our churches
and theirs.
Thirdly. It is a general practice throught the denomination
whenever similar divisions have taken place to receive them
without letters of dismission.
Therefore, for the future, our church doors will be open as
ever, for the reception of members from their churches; and
all applicants from those churches, will be required to
sustain a good moral and christian character.
7th. The Committee of arrangement was then called on to
report, who reported and was dischargecd.
The report was then taken up and acted on as follows:
1st. Agreed to take up correspondence with the following
associations, namely--with the Liberty, The Yadkin, the Brier
Creek, in N.C. and the Lebanon in Va.
2nd. Appointed the following brether to write letters of
correspondence to these associations as follows: Wm. Young
and D. Sheets to the Liberty. Elder S. Ross and Jas.
Testerman, to the Yadkin; Jas. Blevins and E. Edmundson to
the Brier Creek; Caleb Campbell and A. Blevins to the
Lebanon.
3rd. Appointed the following brether, corresponding
messengers as follows: Elder R. Jacks to the Liberty; Elders
S. Ross, E. Edmundson and Bro. A. Blevins to the Yadkin; R.
Jacks, S. Ross, E. Edmundson, Jas. Blevins and Jas. Testerman
to the Brier Creek; S. Ross, Wm. Young and Aaron
Blackenbeckler to the Lebanon.
4th. Agreed to hold our next association at Baptist Chapel M.
H., Ashe Co., N.C., 11 miles North of Jefferson, to commence
on the second Saturday in October, 1849.
5th. Appointed R. Jacks to preach the introductory sermon; S.
Ross his alternate.
6th. Appointed the Secretary to have 400 copies of the
minutes printed, and to distribute the same; and that he be
allowed two dollars for his trouble.
7th. On motion, adjourned until two o'clock this evening.
Prayer by Z. B. Adams.
Met according to adjournmen. Prayer by R. Jacks.
1st. The brethern appointed to write corresponding letters,
handed in the letters which were assigned to the Chairman and
Secretary on behalf of the association, and the brethern were
discharged.
2nd. Appointed Wm. Young, Jas. Blevins, and C. Campbell to
prepare a written report to be read at the next association
on the propriety of Sabbath Schools, and the best means of
getting them into operation.
3rd. Appointed Elder S. Ross, and brethern A. Blevins, and
Jas. Testerman, to prepare a report on the state of religion,
to be read at the next association.
4th. Appointed to D. Sheets, J. B. Young, and S. F. Anderson
to write a report on the distribution of religious
periodicals, to be read at the next association.
5th. The Association then attended to the following
miscellaneous matters:
The following resolution was offered by S. Ross, which was
unanimously adopted:--Resolved that we believe that Sabbath
Schools are a religious institution of vital importance as a
means in the hands of God, for the advancement of the
Redeemer's kingdom. We therefore recommend to all our
churches, to establish Sabbath Schools whereever they
can.
On motion of S. F. Anderson, the following resolution was
adopted.
Resolved that the minutes of this association, be distributed
among the churches, according to the amount of contributions
received from each church.
On motion of S. F. Anderson, the following preamble and
resolution was unanimously adopted: -- whereas the Rev. S. P.
Smith, has been appointed the Baptist State Convention of
N.C., to ride and preach in the bounds of the Brier Creek and
Jefferson associations, the Convention having pledged itself
for one half of his wages at $25.00 per month: Therefore,
Resolved-- that this Association, now in session, select a
delegate from each church, who shall constitute a board, who
duty it shall be to raise funds to pay him her portion of the
other half, and for one month besides. The board also shall
designate the field of his labors, and the board shall meet
from time to time as often as necessary, and consult as to
the best practicable means to be used in procuring the sum
necessary; and when procured, the churches shall appoint
delegates to bear the same on to the Convention of N.C., who
shall be considered as the delegates of this
Association.
The following brethern were selected to constitute the Board:
From Baptist Chapel, Jas. Blevins; From Baptist Union, S.
Ross; From Liberty Chapel, L. Watters; from Sugar Grove
Chapel, A. Blanckenbeckler; from White Top Church, E.
Edmundson; from Young's Chapel, S. F. Anderson.
Resolved--that the thanks for this association be tendered to
the tent holders and citizens of this neighborhood, for the
kind entertainment of this meeting.
On motion, adjourned to the time and place of holding our
next association.
Prayer by S. D. Swain. Benediction by the Chairman.
R. Jacks, Ch'm.
S. F. Anderson, Sec.