Circular Letter
The Georgia Association of Baptist Churches
By Abraham Marshall, 1804The Georgia Association, at Newford, to the Churches they represent, send Christian salutation.
Beloved Brethren: -- Through the tender mercies of our God, we have once more had the privilege of sitting together in Heavenly places: And truly we may say, How amiable are thy tabernacles O Lord! The zeal and engagements of our Ministers, the awful solemnity of the thousands who attended, the pleasing and encouraging accounts from abroad, and our increase at home, authorise us to believe, that the glorious prediction of the sublime and evangelical prophet, will shortly be accomplished: when "the mountain, of the house of the Lord, shall be established above the top of the mountains, and all the people shall flow unto it; saying, come let us go up unto the house of the Lord; and to the mountain of the house of our God, for he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in them." Blessed be God! He has made bare his wonder working arm, and his right hand hath taught him terrible things. He has brought the man of sin, like Dagon, with the loss of both his arms, in the dust before the Ark. Ignorance and superstition are in expiring agonies by his side. Civil and religious liberty have spread with astonishing rapidity, and the gospel, with its benign influence, is making glorious conquests in almost every quarter of the world. Beloved Brethren, we hail you as highly favored of the Lord! Surely, the lines have fallen to you in pleasant places, you have a goodly heritage. Yea, blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear those good, great and glorious things which kings and righteous men have waited for. What grand events have taken place in half a century past? And we believe hill more great, more good, more glorious things are just at the door. We therefore address you in the language of St. Peter, seeing we look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless in all holy conversation and Godliness. Take the whole armour of God; quit yourselves like men. Be faithful to your own souls; be faithful to your families; be faithful to your Church; be faithful to your Ministers; be faithful to your GOD; and the God of peace shall be with, and bless you always. - Amen.
ABRAHAM MARSHALL, Moderator.
JESSE MERCER, Clerk.
=================== [From Jesse Mercer, A History of the Georgia Baptist Association, Washington, GA., 1838, pp. 103-104. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
More Georgia Circular Letters
Baptist History Homepage