CHAPTER XXVI
The Muddy River Assoociation
[p. 87]
The state of Illinois below Springfield is a Baptist country. There are more Baptist churches than of any other denomination. But like the stars in the sky they are more numerous in some places than in others. One such constellation is in the three counties of Macoupin, Greene and Jersey, on the western side of the state. In those three countries of forty seven whole and fractional townships there are three Baptist churches to every two townships, and one Baptist to each twelve of the population. Towards the lower end of the state there is another group still more remarkable. Of the same extent in territory, there is an average of two and one half Baptist churches to each township, and one in nine of the population is a Baptist. If Chicago were Baptist in the same proportion there would be in the city 500 Baptist churches of 400 members each. If the same proportion prevailed throughout the state there would be in Illinois six thousand Baptist churches.
In accounting for this we may consider that this district has not changed as some are changing. It was settled with a Baptist population at the beginning. Baptists were on hand early and they stayed through. One link of connection between: the lower counties and New Design is furnished in the person of our friend William Jones, of Wood River. When he and his company came from North Carolina to Illinois in 1806 he stopped for a time in what is now Pope county, though then it was in the eastern part of St. Clair county. There he met Elder Stephen Stilley, and together they searched out the Baptists in the several little settlements and organized them, July 19, 1806, into the Big Creek Baptist church, Pope county. It was the first church of any denomination in that part of the state. Elder Stilley was one of the constituent members, and was pastor of the church for several years. He died in 1841. The church also has disappeared. It is harder for churches to hold on to their spiritual life than it is to receive it in the beginning. Big Creek church appears no more on the roll, but at the time it was organized one new church a year, on an average, was gathered, so that by 1820 there were some dozen Baptist churches scattered over what is now as many counties. In October of that year eleven of these churches came together and organized themselves into the Muddy River Association.
[p. 88]
The churches were Big Creek and Lusk's Creek, Pope county; Bankston's Fork and Island Ripple, Gallatin county; East Fork of Muddy River, and Middle Fork of Muddy River, Franklin county; Bethel Creek, Saline county; Hopewell, Wayne county; Ten Mile Creek, Hamilton county; Lidc Creek, White county; Mount Creek, Jefferson county. How these early settlers loved the creeks! The ministers most prominent in this early Association were Stephen Stilley; Wilson Henderson, called familiarly "Daddy" Henderson; and Chester Carpenter. Stephen Coonrod did not begin to preach for several years; then he removed to Bond county and was pastor of the same church for forty years.
Muddy River Association came under the shadow of the anti-effort excitement from its birth. It has always been an Old School body. Provision was made in its constitution for the disciplinary use of the Association, for it was foreseen that it would be needed. In Art. 3, after conceding the right of the churches to self government, this exception is made: "Nevertheless it becomes necessary in some cases where an offense is committed, either by a church or an individual member, . . . that the church or individual so offending be brought to trial."It was this fear of associational discipline that, more than anything else, brought the churches in line with the policy of the leaders, and kept them there. It was akin to the fear of the inquisition in Spain. Not all the churches obeyed, nor all in any church, and this kept up an unending dissatisfaction and frequent strife. In 1834 the offending article in the constitution was put to the practical test. A series of "advisory" councils was sent to "sit" with troubled churches, after the manner of the traveling council that saved the Illinois Association in 1810. It required two years in this case to finish the work. Three churches were brought into line, and two were excluded.
In 1825 Muddy River Association divided;. part going to form the little Wabash Association. In 1829 it again divided; part of the churches withdrawing to form the Bethel Association. The new bodies followed in the steps of the old, and in the latter body in 1839 the disciplinary power of the Association was again resorted to. The question of fellowshipping "the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions" was referred to the churches, whereupon three churches out of eleven declined to answer, and were excluded. The Association decided that a refusal to answer was "a breach of good order." Yet when queries
[p. 89]
were put to the Association by a church it claimed the right to answer or not as it saw fit. It was very common for queries from churches to be declined. Article five of the constitution of Central Association -- Crawford county and vicinity -- expressly stipulated that,"Any church may present any question to the Association; and she may answer or decline at her discretion."In this claim for superior privilege of the Association over the church we have the essence of priestly rule and immunity of the clergy. This alone ought to alarm any thinking antimission brother, whether there be not something fundamentally wrong in his system.
There is an Association of General Baptists in the state, in White county and vicinity, and when we note how far they are from strict Baptist principles it is not strange that they should have erected the Association into an appellate court. Article 11 of their consitution provides that, "The Association possesses appellate jurisdiction in all cases of difficulty that may arise in the churches."With the organization of Muddy River there were four Baptist Associations in the state. From that time on they increased very fast, but the churches were small. There was not one church in the state that numbered as much as sixty members. ====================== [Edward P. Brand, Illinois Baptists -- A History, 1930, pp. 87-89. -- jrd]
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