Minutes, Salem Association of Baptists, Ky.

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HELD Jl1' MILL-CREEK CHURCH1

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INTRODUCTORY SERMON WAS ^. DBL.!Y~,lt~

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SPENCER. PLACK,

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The lettters fmtP the following Churdws were read and me~sea~,

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Churches.--:vies,:enger~. I ~~ ~ R..j

r-c;J;rGreek.-Wm. Abel, J ... Rogersand

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Wortham.

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613

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2- Cox's Creek-J. 'I' AYLOR~ A;King, J. St6ne, .

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J. Brother Hubbard Ghosen Moder:ttor and S. Clad~,·· derk, COHRESPCNDl.JI\G ASSOCIATIONS.

Elkhor-n--No letter nor. Messenger. . . Lon~· Run-.... Geo. Waller, Z. Carpenter, Jcslma. McK.aw!y:.

Sou!ft District:-.-!. Wh.iteh~Jad.

G1·cC11 River--A. Nuckles.

R.•ssell's Creck--J OS!'! ph MarshalL.

'· Blue River-J. Case, tl. French, J. Keith, G.lY~arshali.

Goshen-J. Hicks, 1\i. Utt~i·back.. . ., ·

F'ranklin-J. Taylor, W. W. Ford. 1

Circular Letter read and committed

to

the Committee of Ax:-~

~wgemcnts. . :

; 1'he following bretheen Were OOilliDated aS a Comrn if fee, by th~•:

l\Ioderator to write to corresponding associatipns. l'iZ: Bland~

Engiish, King and S. ~IcKay, · ·

'I'he Committee of arrangements, to. consist of the Moderato~

.and clerk with brethren Pierson, Cash and Thurman: ·:·:

Agreed, that three bretht;en ue nomioll.ted by \1\.e committee' o(

arrar.gement to preach to-morrow. · · ~\ · .· .. ,. ·

· Agreed, that the time of holding th~ .. a.ssqc~ti()n~·:in future be pn the first friday in Oct · ~' · ": •· · .· ·. . .· .

Agreed that our next association~~ held

:d

Cedar Creek Ncft ,, .s!ln County Ky. · , . '

Adjourned till to-morrow

10 g'fJci'ck.' ' .

Saturday Sept. 24,, met atcor4:~g to adjournment.

The report of the committee)~adand adopted.

Brother S. McKay presented Q. re?eipt fr.onibrother McKoy f~

~0 dollars Com,mo~wealth pape~; q,;~Mted at cur last association

~r•the Carey statwn. ~~:: ·'

Corr~sponding letters read and Messenge,l!s appeinted to bear

fuem, '

. Tu Elkltorn-A CharnlJers, D. Tli:Ur~ari; S. Clack.

Lnrig &m-A. McDaniel, W. Ca~~'

D.

Waller; W. Stallard,

W. Mcl\'Tickin, S. Clack. .. :. ' 1

South District-C. Wortham,

J.

'taylor,T. Elliston T. Mar·

~hall, S. Clack. ·

Russells Creek--C. Lucas, R. Mc~ay,J. Taylor, D. Thurman,

~. Rush, C. Lewis. ,

. Blue River-C. Lovelace, D. Wall<er, D: Thurman, W. Abel, J. Hinton, S, Abel, B. Keith, J. J. She1ton,

A.-Lewis,

J, Shacklett,

~.· ftshcraft, W. Haw kips. ' · ·.: · . · ' · ·

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Goshen--S.BuchQ.nno!l, D. Walker,

J.

Veach,~. Taylor, W.·

Cash. . · .

Franklin--W. Cash, J. Bland, T. Hubbard~ D. Walker, D, . Thurman, A. McDaniel, N. English. · ·

Circular letter. read and adopted. . .

Answer to Hill's grove, Church why they were nQt supplie~

'With minutes, last, year, we believe from the best information .re~

~eived, that it is owing to an improper distripution of the minutes.

Brother Taylor and Walker,· appointed to inquire of the Salem Church why she has failed to represent herselfln the association

Brethren John Taylor, W. W. Ford and A. Nuckles, request

ed to preach to~morrow. ·

. Brother Lovelace to preach the introductory sermon next yea~

in case of frilure B. Keith. ·

. ) The Clerk is r~quested to ~ake out a c~~ndensed history of thi~

,_...' 'association and present it at oiir next annual meeting.

,. Agreed by the association to hold two Union meetings in thE~

year, one at l\iill Creek; N elssoncounty, to commence on the Fri-

,day

before the third Sunday in May next, the ot~er to be held at

Rudes Creek Hardin County, on the Friday before the 4th Satur~

,day in July. . .

·· · Agreed, that' all our 'ministering brethren be requested to at•

,tend these meetings. . · ;· . ·

The Churches are requested to authorise their delegates to

d'e•,

termine whether the Church !Deetings b~ governed by the Satur--

day or Sabbath. · . ·

The Clerk tO, Superintenq tile printing and distribution of th~

•Winutes. ·. · · . · ·

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.THOMAS HUBB1\RD, Moderato)' ''~]?EjNCER CLACK, Clerk. .. ·

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DtAR BRETHREN.-It is now just 40years since Severns

·valley: Cedar Creek, Beargrass and Coxe's Creek Churd1e•1 met at Coxe's Creel~ Meeting house and were cortstituterl into the Sa- lem Association~ The following extrac~ from ·the minutes will show what werethe peculiar anddistingui~hing tenets ofour ho- dy'in its original formation.-•'The report oft he several delegates lleing read and attended to;

Resolved, That the churches have adopted the Phihdelphia.

Confessi9,nof Faith, and Treatise of descipline thereto annexed, and hold' ourselves in full fellowship with the Philadelphi'-', K~toc·

ton and Monongahela Associations."

. At this time (1785) the whole number of Communi1

cants was 129 wi~h tbre~ Ministers, viz: Joseph Barnet, John Whitacre and

Wm.

Taylor, most of whom have fallen asleep, f'nd are now we hope sweetly singing the song of ll:fose;; and t~e tamb in the kingdom of God. Since that. time a gradual aoc~s- , sion ofthe faithful has been made, !Ill the Salem A~socmtion ilo longer appears as a s.mall band, scattered and remote from each other, but as a solid phalanx in the armi~<s oflsriel. Surely, brethren, our hearts should thrill with joy when we review the gra~

.. cious dispensation of(}od to this association...,_a great majority of 'the members of the churches composing-our union were 40 years ago aliens from;God and strangers :fiiOID, the Commmoowealth of Israel, without God and withoutA1bpe in this World. How ex.

ceedingly rich was that grace, and how it11JXpressible that lo\'C which have tran8lated us frorn.fh~Idngdom of darkness and mt!de

ps members ~nd citizens of the ldngd~m of Christ-c-evcn heirs of .Pod and joint heirs with our Lord :T~sus Chri&t! How feeble were

·1he instruments employed in bringing about such· glorious and lwp- py results. Truly the promise of God has}beeri, veriticd in our

enlargem~nt; "Lo I am with you,

a!V\'aY's,

~''en

to

the end of the world!" Judging from what the Lor;~ h~s donefor the church iu ages that are p11.st, may w~.,qotentertl\rin the plca~ing hope that the Millenia! day \vill soon da~il and shed its g~pia.li herrrns O\ICJ' a benighted world? Are not th:e 12:30. prcphetic days ell-awing 1;ear to a clo-se? Let him that bath ears to bear; attend. 'I"he ¹~ord is faithful-he is not slack concerping· rlis pro!Tlise as some nien

<;ount slackness. India, the Isle~; of the- Pncitic~ tbe deluded f:Jl- lowers of the false proph€t who:;e 1:!1oo:1ycrestha" so h:lg- wa·;ed

~ve1· the,, lund of pr·ornise_, t!1c ·degraded s_abii: sons,

:.ct

t:;e gre;.t .

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SOi1thern ptnipsula, the frozen regions o(Siberla with tn6 )enir,-hted an'd half civilized regiol'ls of the Western Con-

; tinea t-all', all are now receiving the glorious "and soul cheering·

intellig.en~eof salvation through faith in \1 crucified Redeemer,.

The Natura} descendant» of the bther oft he faithful, who once

·said of Messiah, "Let his blood b£ upon us and our children," are.

now frequently se~Jn perusing the volume'oflife, while the

pepi-

tenthll tear falls on tbe sacred 'Rage. May wenot.pray and hope.

that the ancient people of God will soon be gathered in with the fitlness of the Gentiles? The unhallowed coalition of idolatrouS< . nations and anti-christian powers, .to retard the progress of evan.:.

gelical tmth, is a strong indication of the merciful design of Je•

hovah to ta!r.e to bnselfhis great power and ·reign from th:eriv-

ers to ends of the earth. , .

It is pleasing to retlect that while so many of IJS are permitte'(l t·o see ea.ch others faces again in the flesh, that·~. new associlttion

•.o(Clli·isl.ians has been forrl)ed ir, Jndia, with ten times the nnmf

• ber of preac·hers that belongeci'Jo the Salem associa,ti(ln 10 year$' .ago, and with more than half the number ofcommunimnts which now sit arouud oul' board. All this was eiTPcted by the feeble but eilic:eot agency Qi a few lllissionaries, wbo. were sent out among the heathens to preach the Gospel. Difficqlties app~trently in~

suffer~ble have been overcome. Before they could mal>e known.

the mysteries qf the kingdom of God, an acquaintance with their ' )m,guage was necessa.ry-.,-translations of the scriptures were to be effected, printing typ~s to b,e .. formed, all whrch things have- been accomplished, nay even more than was an~ic\patc:l. The scriptures have b~Jen translated, printed and d~tributerl in more than 20 dillcrent languages oflndia. Though we pretend not to be influenced by prophetic inspiration, yet from the pa~t, we may safely conclude, that in less than 50 years to come, the Llesssed gospel wiil be preached throughout all nations, .;

That this happy event may be realized we should pray with,~

out ceasing, "Let thy kingdom come and thy will be done e>n earth

.ab it is done in heaven." Who is \there in all the household of God that does not earnestly desire arid pray that the kingdom of God may be established jn all the world, and that the will of h1s heavenly father should be done on earth as in heaven? Qan any one forbid the promulgation of the everlasting gospel and the dis- trilmtion of the Word ofGod in all the world?

Before the coming oft he Messiah, if at any time tb~. Israelites turned unto the Le~l, their offerings were presented at his holy 'temp.lc. So in the~e last times the liberal donations of"the ell'~·

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J.ren of God are so many proofs, that we Jcsire to make known

;:to all the world the way of salvation. Whence t:iiS .desire·!-·- Whence the unexampled, unanticipated success of a fewlnclividu- ' als to enlist our brethren in this gooo work? The answer is easy

;-.·tis ofGod. And will·not he who has begun this good woYk

· ;earryiton? \ViUthereever ani~·e a periorl, when christiam;

. shall cease to pray for the conversion of the wor!t~-cwhcu the . energies of the folfowers of Jesus shall be so paralyzed as to with-

hold their assidtance in spreading the gospel, and when this com- \

·, mand of our divine Lord, ;'Go ye into all the world and prear,h , the go8pel to every ct'eatui'e," ah<\11 not be reg-a:rcled and

; obeyed by the heralds of the Cross? ·.· Sure.ly when this takes JJllace we may look J!Or the extinctikm of christmnity-the complete and ultimate triilmph'ofthe wicked and an <;!ntire f<Lilure of the promise ofGod. . Shall true religion· eve1·. be banished fron1 tlie

~rth 1 Shall· the kio.,.dom ofJesus Chriat ever be <ri'Crthrown and demoiished? Sh:ll God be

~nfaithful

to his promises? God forbid Strong is the Almighty to perform and faithful in the · h.oly o~e of Israel who hath promised. Soon will the heathen smg.th1s song-"Lord thou will ordain peac~ for us; for thou a/stl hast wrought all our works "in us. 0 Lord! our God, othe'r lo,tda besides thee have had dominion over us: but by the only will •;;e make mention of thy name.'' Listeo, dear brethren, to the lang·uage of the 43d ch. oflsa. How precious the promise! how ~ure its fulfilment? The son of God says, Listen, 0 Isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people from far.'; Thus saith the Lord God behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and tl1y daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall l>e thy nursing fathers, aod their queens thy nursi'ng mothers, Tbey shallbow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet, and thou sha.lt know that I am the ~ORD, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me! And agam, "All the ends of the· earth shall see the salvation of God!"

For, "the Lord God who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith yet Willlgatherothers to him besides those that are gathered unto him!,

· :Brethren suffer the word of exhortation-Be kindly affection- . ate one to another-be not high minded, but be lowly, prcf~ring.

one another in honor-lay aside all malice, guile, hypocrisy, eril- speaking, evil surmising, praying with all manner of prayer and iUpplication in the spirit watching thereunto with all carefulness,

·admonishing one a!).other with lobg suffering and tenderness, he- ., pre of covetousness·. Jf any man lov.c the r.·odd, the love ofth!t

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thther Is no't in

him.

A eovetous nia.n cannot enter into the king~ · dom of God. Strive to enter in 'lt the strait gate, for_strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth'hnto life and few flere be thaU]na it. Remember it is only he that overcometh th1t shall rei:sn with Christ while the fearful, the unbelieving ari'd effernimte shall perish. Hold fast the precious" truth~ of'the Gospel, hitld them about you as a golden girdle, receive the trut~ .. in the love of it, rnaintain the u'lity of the spirit in the honas of peace. AI•

wat.: hear in remembrance the sufferings of your dying Lord, Co:1fesslng and ackdowledging your sins daily to your blessed sa~

vicur. who is faithful andjtiS't to forgive us our sins. And may the Go-'of peace, sanctify you. soul, body and spirit, and grant yon a~

abunJant entrance into his everiasting kingdom through our Lord . . Jesus Christ. Amen.

THOMAS HUBBARD, Moderator,

SPENCER

CLACK, Clerjil;

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