CHAPTER XIV
The Association Broken Up
The fourth meeting of the Association was held with the Wood River church September 30 to October 2, 1808. A second Missouri or Upper Louisiana church -- Feefee's Creek -- was received. The Illinois churches reported four baptisms and a total membership of 109. A query was sent up to the Association concerning "brother going to law with brother." It was postponed to the next semi-annual meeting, and then was passed without an answer. It was probably too late to do any good in the local case, and there was a reluctance to take sides in a personal controversy. Professing christians were as reluctant then as now to believe God's word and trust all in his hands. If the parties to this litigation of 1808 had read 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, and laid it up for use when the time came, they would not have been tempted to break a statute law of the New Testament, and their church would have had no need to ask wisdom of the Association.
In 1809 Illinois and Wisconsin were separated from, Indiana, and became the Territory of Illinois, capital at Kaskaskia. Ninian Edwards was appointed governor by President Madison. The population of the Territory was 9,000, of which 160 were slaves, besides, about 30,000 Indians. The settled portion was a tract along the Mississippi river from Alton to Chester, twenty-five by seventy-five miles, including the present counties of Randolph, St. Clair, Monroe and Madison. There were yet however but two counties in the Territory, and they were supposed to extend north to lake Superior. There were also along the Ohio river on the eastern side of the state a few cabins opposite Vincennes, at old Fort Massac, and at the salt wells near Shawneetown. A wagon trail was opened this year from the Wood River and Ridge Prairie settlements to the salt springs, crossing Kaskaskia river where Carlyle now is.
June 17, 1809, the Illinois Association met with the Silver Creek church. The Looking Glass Prairie church, Randolph county, was received. Also the Coldwater church of Missouri. The seven Illinois churches reported 17 baptisms, eight received by letter, and a total membership of 153. Two deaths were reported from Silver Creek, the first on the Association records. It was the last meeting of the united body. The shadow of the slave fell across its path and it was blighted forever.
[p. 48]
James Lemen carne to the front. His abhorrence of slavery was not lessening, and he was apprehensive that in spite of all opposition it might yet be fastened on Illinois. The constitutional law against it was in practice a dead letter, and the forces of covetousness and of professional politics were pressing to have the law removed. It was a time for every friend of humanity to cry aloud and spare not, and this James Lemen did. And the powers of evil were watchful!
At the Richland Creek church monthly meeting, Saturday, July 8, 1809, Larkin Rutherford, an old friend, brought a "distress." He was one of the constituent members at New Design, and when James Lemen removed his membership to Richland Creek he went with him. But their friendship was suddenly broken. Rutherford brought before the church a "distress' against his old friend for saying in a sermon. "I have no fellowship for slaveholders, nor for those who fellowship them." Yet this essentially was the position of Richland Creek church, for it was written in the constitution of the church that slaveholders were not eligible to membership unless legally unable to free their slaves. Such an agreement had been entered into by a number of Kentucky Baptist churches, and was called adopting Tarrant's Rules. When a cburch adopted Tarrant's Rules it was known just what their position was on slavery. Larkin Rutherford therefore had no case. But he had sympathizers. The adoption of the Rules had probably been through the influence of James Lemen, over the proslavery sympathies of other of the members. These had now become bolder and entertained Rutherford's complaint. The summary by the church clerk tells the story "The question was put to the church to know whether brother Rutherford had a right to be distressed with brother Lemen for so saying. The church was divided in judgment, which threw them into confusion. The church called two meetings to endeavor for a union or fellowship, but all to no purpose." Of course the only way there could be fellowship was for the church to hold to its agreement of non-fellowship with wilful slaveholders. Why did not Rutherford get Tarrant's Rules repealed before he proceeded? On Saturday, September 9, there being no prospect of agreement, the two parties met separately, the Lemen party at James Whiteside's, and the Rutherford party at Jacob Ogle's, and each party elected delegates to the Association which was to convene the following month. The latter party, regarding themselves as the church though outside of
[p. 49]
their constitution, proceeded also to exclude "James Lemen Sr:, for rending himself from the church and drawing a party with him, and to lay under censure all who justify his conduct." This precipitate exclusion was evidently a shrewd move to take brother Lemen out of the fight and thus weaken his side.
The Association convened Friday, October 9, 1809, with the Bottom church "at the schoolhouse near James Garretson's." Both sides had prepared for the conflict. It was in substance a return to the burning question of church politics: "Shall we hold on to the name of United Baptists, and fellowship slaveholding churches?" Two papers had been drawn up for signatures. One was headed, "United Baptists," appealing to the name. The other bore that now famous title, "BAPTISTS, FRIENDS TO HUMANITY." In this we see a straightforward determination to bring the issue up to every man's conscience. The title was not invented by James Lemen, but seems to have originated in Kentucky; he, however, gave it its place in history.
In the Association both sets of delegates from Richland Creek church were refused enrolment, which might have pregerved the peace of the body if it had rested there. But it was decided after warm debate to open associational correspondence with Kentucky, viz, to fellowship slavery. This was contrary to the previous understanding, and it broke the Association into three fragments. The anti~slavery party withdrew. Those who remained found they were divided on the matter of taking the name of United Baptists. The larger part favored this, but the New Design and Richlahd churches clung to the old name of "Illinois Union."
When the Association finally met for business only three churches answered the roll call, -- Bottom, Wood River and Looking Glass Prairie. The clerk, William Whiteside, was also absent, and another clerk was chosen. The preachers present were about equally divided. Elders Chance, Ogle and Baugh went with the Lemens; Badgley, Jones, Brazil and Musick stayed by the old ship, and immediately proceeded to lade her with a fresh cargo of the old traditions. They voted to sustain "the General Union of the United Baptists at large." They buttressed this declaration by adding to Art. 12 of the constitution of the Association:
"No churches have any right to make any rule to cross the Union of the United Baptists at large."
[p. 50]
They proceded farther to refuse church fellowship to those who were not agreed with them: "We believe it not right to commune with those who have left the General Union at large." This simply shows the heat of the explosion, for there is nothing in a mere title, the result of local circumstance, to be made a test of fellowship for a denomination.
So our first Illinois Baptist Association, after continuing two years, was rent asunder over a moral principle and a name. Some would have endured the principle if they could have had the name; others would have accepted the name if it did not involved the yielding of the principle. But as they who held the one must yield the other they lived in outward harmony only until the tension became too great to be longer borne. And James Lemen was accused of making all the trouble! ================ [Edward P. Brand, Illinois Baptists -- A History, 1930, pp. 47-50. -- jrd]
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