Concord Baptist Association (KY)
CIRCULAR LETTER, 1846To the Churches Composing Concord Association:
DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS: The Lord has spared us, and permitted us again to meet in an associate capacity, and, according to custom, address you this circular.
The Lord has been pleased recently to visit some of the Churches composing this body in mercy; by the out-pouring of His Spirit upon His children, and filling their hearts with joy and consolation through Jesus Christ, their Saviour. Other Churches are in a cold and luke-warm condition, some to a distressing extent. In fact, up to a few weeks past there has, so far as our knowledge extends, been a great degree of carelessness and lack of the evidences of that brotherly love that should characterize the followers of the meek and lowly Saviour.
We believe without love to God and his children, it is impossible for a man to be a Christian. This is a characteristic given us in the book of God by which we may know whether we are the children of God or not. See 1st John 3, 14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death." Again, 4 c[hapter], 7 and 8, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
p. 6
every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is love."There was once a time, as many who read this will recollect, when the name of Baptist carried with it, at once, a passport to the affections of all Baptists. They were then a poor and despised people in this country, and it was not supposed that any man would be a Baptist, if he could help it; (that is, if his conscience could be easy without,) therefore but few entered the Church, but those who loved God above all things, and the children of God as dear brethren. But things have greatly changed; the Baptists have become a popular denomination of Christians, and, in fact, have the ascendancy, as to numbers. Man naturally seeks some preparation for death, and Church membership presents itself to them as necessary. Many have thus been deceived; and others, probably through design, have applied and been received into the Church. The love Christians have for sinners, (which is the result of regeneration,) has led them to open the door of the church too wide. There is another prominent cause operating also, which prevents us from at once receiving to our affection a man who bears the name of Baptist, viz: a want of proper discipline in the Church, It is often the case in some of the Churches, that it is difficult to exclude a member, guilty even of gross sin.
Some Baptists will take too much grog; some will go to barbecues; some will go to a dance, but not dance themselves; others will take pains to send their children well equipped, in order, as they say, to advance their worldly interest. All this is tolerated, more or less, by some churches within our knowledge. Now true Christians love the image of Jesus wherever they see it, and they cannot love the image of the evil one, even if it shews itself in the face and conduct of their brethren. We are all of the same family, and meet at different places for convenience, and our course of conduct in the reception of members and the discipline of the Church should be such, that when we meet a man that is called a Baptist, he should at once be received to our confidence and love. Let us, then, as Churches and members, act in such a way that love may abound, and that the love of God may rest upon us, and we be thereby prepared to engage in all the duties we owe to him, as his children, with alacrity and delight.
In conclusion we would say, let the Churches endeavor to elevate the standard of piety, so that the Church of Christ may indeed be as a city set upon a hill, to reflect light around her, is the prayer of your brethren.
============================ [From Concord Baptist Association Minutes (KY), 1846; via https://repository.sbts.edu/, Adam Winters, Archivist. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
More Concord Circular Letters
Baptist History Homepage