CIRCULAR LETTER
"On Good Works"
By Elder Gilbert, 1800
The Elders and Messengers of the several Baptist churches belonging to the Kehukee Association, met at the meeting-house near the Falls of Tar River, Nash county, North Carolina, October, 1800 - To the churches in union with this Association send their Christian salutation : -
BELOVED BRETHREN, CALLED of God to the fellowship of his dear Son, and to an inheritance amongst those who are sanctified, and beloved by us, who hope we have obtained like precious grace with you. The great satisfaction which you have expressed in, and the willingness with which you have received our former epistles together with a desire for your good, and the glory of the great Redeemer, are motives which induce us to address you once more in an epistolary way, which we send this year on the subject of GOOD WORKS, which is highly recommended by our Lord and Saviour, together with his prophets and apostles, and ought to be carefully observed by all who profess to be followers of the blessed Jesus. Witness the following Scriptures.
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Ecclesiastes 3:17; 9:10., and 12:14. Isaiah 23:17. James 1:25. Galatians 6:4. 1 Thessalonians 1:3. Hebrews 6:10. Titus 1:10. James 2:11, 21. Jonah 3:10. Matthew 23:10. 2 Corinthians 11:15. Revelation 14:13, and 20:12 and 32. Acts 10:35. Romans 2:10. These and many others abundantly testify that we were created in Christ Jesus unto good works, of which the Lord before ordained that we should walk in them. And as the contracted limits of a circular letter will not admit of a full investigation of our subject, we shall in a few particulars show what we understand to be intended by the term good works. And, first, it might not he amiss to observe, that before works can he called, or really deemed good works, it is necessary that they he the product of a true and genuine faith in Christ; for as "Faith without works is dead," so works without faith is dead also. Hebrews 9:14. The source or fountain, then, whence good works flow is not from any expectation of merit, but purely from a principle of love to God.
By good works, we understand works of various kinds, as,
1. Our duty to God. 2. Our duty to the Church and people of God. 3. Our duty to our neighbors. 4. Our duty to magistrates, or earthly rulers. 5. Our duty to our family; and, lastly, to ourselves.
1. Our duty to God is, to consider him as the conic of our existence, our great benefactor, and solo author of all our happiness in time and eternity. To love him above any earthly enjoyment; you, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. W e should use our utmost endeavor to keep his commandment, and have respect to all his precepts. olds. But, as our duty to God is inseparably really connected with our duty in other particulars, we pass on,
2. To our duty to the Church and people of God. As our Lord and Saviour has loved us and given himself for us, that he might deliver us from the curse of the law and the flames of devouring fire, and hath taken us from the wild stock of nature, made us all to drink of the same fountain of his everlasting love, and so tempered our spirits as to unite us together, not by tyrannical chains, but by the sweetest bands of love and fellowship, and declared us to be a select body by him chosen, and set apart from the world, it becomes our duty then to walk as people who are not of the world, but chosen of God, and bound for the heavenly Canaan, having given our hands and hearts to each other, to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, to strengthen, comfort, uphold, encourage, watch over, and to pray with and for one another, to bear one another's burdens, and "so fulfill the royal law of Christ." Our Lord has compared his church to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariot -- hence it appears that all have something to do in the church of Christ, that none should be barren or unfruitful. The Lord has made it our duty often to assemble ourselves together, and we are exhorted by an apostle not to forsake it as the manner of some was. We hope you will,
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therefore, endeavor as oft as possible to attend your church meetings and places of public worship. We hear of coldness among some of you -- what else can be expected? When the church members so seldom see each other, they become in a manner strange and useless to one another, while some perhaps seldom, and others scarcely ever attend Conference at all. Dear brethren, pray consider the worthy name by which you are called, and the honor of that cause in which you are enlisted; you are called the light of the world, but how can your light be useful when many even of the people of the world are more careful to attend on worship, yea, even conferences too, than many who profess to be followers of the blessed Jesus. While thus backward or careless in attending your conferences and places of public worship, you wound and grieve your brethren, and weaken the hands of your ministers, who, after coming perhaps many miles to endeavor to comfort you, find themselves oft times under the disagreeable necessity of preaching almost to the naked wails, or not at all. The few hearers they may have being chiefly those who make no profession of religion, whilst the members of the church are busily engaged at home, and cannot take time to attend on the worship of God, and many times kept back for a small excuse even on the Lord's day.
3. Thirdly, our duty to love our neighbor is to him as ourself, to be kind and charitable to all whose needs may require it, be they strangers or acquaintances, without respect of persons; to visit the sick, the fatherless, and the widow in their afflictions, endeavoring to nourish and comfort them as far as in us lies; also to receive strangers, use them kindly, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and to he careful to consider the poor and needy, and grant them relief according to our ability. Beware of covetousness, remember the kingdom of God is not in meat and drink, but love, peace, and joy in the Holy, host; therefore glorify God, and comfort your fellow creatures with what you possess.
4. Fourthly, we should obey magistrates, and all those who are put in authority to rule over us in our temporal affairs. We should not speak evil, nor reproachfully of them, but acknowledge their authority, and honor them as ministers of God, by him appointed for the punishment of evil doers, and the protection of those who wish to do well; we should therefore show all good fidelity as patrons of good works and a light to the world, that we bring not reproach on the church of Christ, nor cause to be blamed that holy name by which we are called.
5. Fifthly, our duty to our family, which appears very extensive when we consider ourselves, in respect to them, not only as stewards, who have to give an account of our stewardship to God, but as it were, as prophets, priests, and kings. As a prophet, we should teach and instruct them; as a priest we should pray with and for them, and should be careful in the order of their government. Each one to whom God has committed the care of souls, or a family, which is the same thing, should consider himself as their teacher, to whom all the family look, and from whom they all expect to receive their
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instruction, as it is well known that children in their tender years are naturally led to think the judgment, counsel, ways, and behavior of their parents to be superior to all others, especially when parents or rulers exercise a proper authority. Every family should have one, and only one proper head, who should take the government thereof, and in all cases endeavor to rule with justice, having a particular regard for all about him, setting forth good examples, walking in the ways of godliness and true piety, praying with and for them oft: yea, we are exhorted to "pray without ceasing," and in everything to give thanks. If we neglect public prayer, praise, and thanksgiving in our families, do we not leave them all to walk in the dark, as it were, while we suffer our light to be hidden under the bushel of worldly cares, or under the bed of sloth, while we ourselves walk unworthy the Christian name. A family should not be governed by passion; justice should be tempered with judgment and mercy. In vain does the passionate, fractious, turbulent, and inconsiderate person, after being the cause of a whole days unhappiness and discontent in his family, at night, call on all, or any of them to join him in the worship of God, while every mind is filled with prejudice, every eye with evil, and every tongue ready to say, "physician, heal thyself," or otherwise, "thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye." Therefore every ruler of a family should always remember that example has the most powerful influence, without which all our admonition will, in all probability, prove ineffectual. Parents should be careful to preserve and cultivate the morals of their children, they should use their authority and not gratify them in their own wicked desires, such as frolicking, vain company keeping, gaming, idle visits on the Lord's day, &c., but should on that day carry them to places of public worship, and after they return endeavor to impress upon their minds the things they heard; for, after giving too great a loose to the reins of our children's lusts, we shall find our reproofs to be in vain. Witness the sons of Eli. 1 Samuel 2:23, 24, 25. And Solomon says, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." Proverbs 19:13. If we cannot command the hearts of our children and family to make them pray, and love God, we may teach and admonish them; and should all our endeavors fail, we may lastly have recourse to the example of Job. Job 1:5.
And, further, with respect to the observation of good works relative to family duty, it becomes every member of a family to practice the particular duties in the respective places our divine Lord and Master has placed us in, as husbands to love their wives, and be not bitter against them. Wives to submit themselves to their own husbands. Servants to he obedient to their masters, and please them well in all things. Masters to give unto their servants that which is just and equal. Parents not to provoke their children to anger lest they be discouraged; as well as for children to obey their parents. Colossians 3.
Lastly, we should look to our own souls, strive to walk humbly with God, and study to show ourselves approved of him in all things, patrons of good works,
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and endeavor to have a conscience void of offence, to check and keep under as much as possible all our unruly passions; to watch and pray, and avoid, as far as in us lies, giving cause whereby the enemies of the Lord may speak evil of us, or blaspheme that worthy name by which we are called. Ready at all times to reprove vice, striving to confirm all our reproofs, counsels, or admonitions by a regular life, pious walk, and godly conversation. We should be careful to read and study the Scriptures, and often to withdraw from the hurries of life to secret prayer and meditation; for where these duties are neglected, our case becomes very alarming, we then grow cold, back-slide, and in a particular manner may give the enemy of souls great advantage over us. And now may the kind and good Lord strengthen, uphold, and enable you to watch and pray, fill you with every good word and work, comfort you abundantly, and preserve you blameless until his second appearance to visit his sleeping saints, and to be admired by all who love him, and long for his glorious appearance. Amen.Signed by order, NATHAN MAYO, Moderator, LEMUEL BURKITT, Clerk. ================ [From Elders Lemuel Burkitt & Jesse Read, A Concise History of the Kehukee Baptist Association; Revised and Improved by Henry L. Burkitt, 1850, pp. 88-92. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall]
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