THE BEGINNINGS OF REACTION

The delegates convened at Philadelphia in May, 1g1~,

sought to organize a plan "for eliciting, combining, and directing the Ener~ies of the whole [underscore no~ in

original] Denoaintti on in one sacred effort • • • " But it was soon discovered that their intended unity of effort had created division within the denoaination. Those •beneTolent

2 .

Ins~itutions• which made possible the formation of the

Triennial Convention were not shared by a sizeable ainority ~

of th,se who called theaselves Baptists. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that the means aaployed to achieTe these intentions were seriously·questioned.

Some leaders in this reaction are considered in the first section of this chapter. A particular pattern ot

reaction is then obsened. Finally, c9nsideration is given.

to tbe causes

ot

reaction, ultiaately leading to achiaa within the denomination.

I. URLY LBADDS II RDC'l'IOR

Luther Rice ude his first tour

ot

the ch~chee in 1Proceedincs,

1g14, P• ).

)

2zb14.

65 the West in the winter of 1815-1816. From his report to the Board it is apparent that he was well received •.. Collections·

for the mission totaled over $1400 in Kentucky alone.3 _Of the thirty-seTen associations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, twenty-eight acted fayorably towards the Board in 1815.4

',..--....___ __

~--1'-'>

'--!he first hint ,of reacti'n came in the "Address" of

the Board to the Convention in 1817. This paragraph is included in that address:

The Board cannot, they wish not to· conceal fro. you, that in the discharge of their internal duties they haTe

experienced auch •barras•ent and obstruction. Con- Tinced of the integrity of their aias, and of the pro- priety and iaportance of the measures they have pursued and accomplished, they respectfully ask of the Convention aQ attentive investiga~ion or their conduct, and an

avowal of the sent~ents of your body whether it deserTe ceasure or support.

The ConTention aade its investigation or the conduct of the Board and ~s of the unanimous opinion •that the Board de- serves the explicit approbation and thanks of this Convention for their zealous and unr . . itting labours.•6

3Annual Repert, 1816, p. 7i.

~Ibid., pp.

67-89.

Rice reported ao untaTorable action by the associations which he had attended.

~Proceedings, 1817, p. 1)0.

'xbid., p. 133. These internal ditficultiea to which the Board referred dealt with strife betweea certaia . . . bera of the Board. Henry Helcoabe, Pirat Vice-P~esideat of the Board, and Willi• Staugbton, Corresponding Secretary, were

66

After

1619

the activities of the Baptist Board mat

iij

with increasing"opp~sition among the associations, especially those on the frontier. In order to see this reaction in its proper setting it is necessary to look' at the work of three leaders in

.

reaction-~John Taylor, Daniel Parker, and

Alexander Campbell.?

[

John Taylor. John Taylor

(1752-1835)

was born in Fauquier. County, Virginia. He joined a Baptist church in

1772 ·•

After a period of itinerant preaching, he moTed on to Kentucky in

1763,

settling first at Gilbert's Creek. He was aaaber or pastor of eight different churches in Kentucky, the chief actors. The action could only be construed aa

anti~isaionary with regard to Holcombe's c~iticisa of Rice and his objection to the appointment of Mrs. Charlotte. White to accompany the Roughs to Bur.ma.

This whoTe affair is difficult to disentangle from the personal conflict between Holcombe and Staughton, and the conduct of First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, leading to its dismissal from the Philadelphia Association in

1318. r•r

accounts of the controTersy, cf. Henry Holcombe (coap.), !he Whole Truth Relati Te to the Con trover•; Betwixt the Aaericaa Baptista (Philadelphii: PiDlished by t e Coapi1er;-182b), PP•. lil

tt.;

Lewis Baldwin! A Candid DeTelo•eat of Facts, 'rend

inc

to Exhibit the Rea ~ro1111da

of

Ditler~ce

-.r.triic

Between tie First B~ist

Church or

Pniiadei~~a

aad

^the

Philadeljffa lsaocia Ion; liao,_ Bitve . . theapti~oard

!l

tore1ji iasiona and their Lite Vice-Preirlenta:

1i

Letters to

leery

Holcoabe;-l.b., William logersi

D.D.

of P&iiadel-

B'i•• _{• awa:f:(~}

^and

m lililphia:

leT. lfaiiel

Pr rasa, nte for the

^Former

~utAor

^~-ct?·~

^byeraoa

and

Ia

n,

1Sl9),

pp. iii-92.

-- \&:•"

7Tayl~r Parker, end Campbell are considered here .----<':- ..__

because of thelr t.mediate personal, influence in the reaction

in the western associations. · ·

was present at the organization of Elkhorn Association in 1765, and made it his custoa to attend from six to eight , associational meetings yearly.6

-...

Taylor first came into personal contact with Luther 67

Rice at the meeting or the Elkhorn Association in 1615. But, according to his Thougpts ~Missions, published in 1820, this was not the first knowled;: he had gained of Rice and Judson. In the winter of 1812-161) Samuel

J.

Mills and

J.

F.

Schermerhorn had made a tour of the "Southwest" under the patronage of the Connecticut and Massachusetts Missionary Societies. During the course of their journey they spent a day and night as guests in Taylor's home. In regard to

~these two Taylor wrote:

/

They gaTe me a full history of the ordination and

missio~ of Messrs. Judson and Rice, and the mighty effect it had upon the people

or

lew IDgland; and par- ticularly this good effect, that many poor ministers could scarcely get their bread before, but by stirring up the people in the mission cause, and getting thea in the habit

or

giTing their money, it was now cheerfully communicated by thousands, so that ainistera who staid at home, were now richly supplied.9

Because of the interest Mills and Scheraerhorn took in the "amount

or

supplies• he had receiTed fro• the Baptista,

aAutobiographical material ^OD Taylor is found 1a his History ~ Ten Churchea

ot

Which the Author Baa Been Alter- nateli ~llai&ir, prlnted:fn

1823.--- ---

9John

Taylor, !houghta ga Misaiona

([n.p.]:

[n.n.],

1620), P•

5. )

68