Addressed to the several Churches, belonging to this Association.

     Dear Brethren, -- Being once more assembled as Delegates, and having gone through the business which came before us, as our minutes will shew, we proceed to address you, agreeable to a former resolve, on the divine authority of the sacred scriptures; and it is needless to observe, that the limits of a circular letter are infinitely too narrow for the illustration of a subject so vastly important and interesting: -- A few, therefore, of the leading and most cardinal points, will be attended to at present.

     And first, the subject-matter of the sacred oracles merits our attention. Redemption, through the Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the main pillars on which all the rest depend, in a greater or lesser degree, is the principal subject of the sacred book -- and this, when revealed, cannot be fully comprehended by any, or even all created existencies; and, until manifested, must remain locked up in the secrets of the eternal mind, hid from the scrutiny of either angels or men. The authors, therefore, of the inspired writing, could have no knowledge of this subject but by divine revelation -- and had they been possessed of such a degree of invention, as to form this plan of imposition (if such it is) the manifest impossibility of success in the enterprise, would forever have discouraged them from attempting to impose on mankind a system, in all its parts so repugnant to the temper and disposition of all men, whilst in a carnal state. The religion recommended in the Bible, especially when reduced to its gospel form, has nothing in it to recommend it to the esteem of carnal men -- its morals are too pure, its doctrines too spiritual, and its duties require a degree of self-denial that nothing but grace can inspire. Neither is it probable to see how divine revelation made its way, either In the hands of Moses or the prophets, and the apostles of Jesus Christ, from time to time, without the interposition of some supernatural cause -- Men destitute of all the accomplishments essential to imposture and intrigue, without learning, wealth or popularity; poor, despised and persecuted both by Jews and pagans, with all the wealth, wisdom and power of the world on their side. And still the veil has never been rent, and the delusion made manifest -- a few fishermen, and shepherds have invented, and supported a system that baffles and triumphs over the wisdom of all the learned world -- a strong presumption that a wisdom the world never knew guided the authors of this divine mystery.

     A second thing that merits our attention is, the time that passed from the beginning of the holy scriptures until their completion; the return from Egypt, we are told, was 1491 years before the manifestation of Christ in the flesh -- and John wrote his revelation in the 96th year of the Christian era -- a space of nearly sixteen hundred years elapsed while the sacred volume was incomplete -- yet still those who went before, and they that follow after, embrace the same promises, point out the same object as the hope of poor sinners, and manifest the same meekness, humility and patience in suffering in the same interesting cause: so that we discover the utmost harmony amongst them in every respect -- which never could have been, if the inspired writers had not been governed by some supreme supernatural cause -- it is certain there could be no combination amongst the parties, neither could anything of a worldly nature inspire the later writers to pursue the path that their predecessors had taken -- a path where nothing but sorrow, pain and death perpetually dwell, and why persevere in hope forlorn, and fail in seas so rough, and split on rocks hitherto fatal to all embarked in the same cause.

     And thirdly the preservation of those sacred oracles, through the revolutions of time, till the present moment, is a strong proof of their divine inspiration -- since it is a fact that cannot be denied, that every other religious system, however revered, has always shared the same fate of the nation or nations that embraced it, and with them have been lost and swallowed up in the awful vortex of national revolutions; but the Bible has stood the test of time, and survived the general wreck, and its advocates have never forsaken it in the midst of all their sorrows and sufferings; of this the Jews are still a standing evidence.

     And, fourthly, the Bible, and that only amongst the various religious systems proposed to the world of mankind, reveal the supreme Deity. Cloathed with that majesty, glory and transcendent excellency, worthy of the Creator of all things. Here His justice, mercy and every other attribute shine with a splendor that dazzles men and angels -- and while they declare Him to be the author of the world, they teach us to believe that it is governed by His supreme agency; and that the final state of all rational intelligencies are at His divine disposal: and a final distribution of eternal rewards and punishments rests with His mercy or justice to determine. And once more, the doctrines of the Bible apply with propriety to the state of the human mind in every generation, which could not without divine inspiration -- for although time, habit, and custom, have produced great and important changes in manners, and external practices of mankind, still that radical depravity, expressed in the Bible, cleaves to them through every age, and is as visible amongst the learned and polite nations, as it is amongst the savage and barbarous -- all equally opposed to the knowledge, love and service of God. And how could but divine inspiration determine that the human mind would always retain its opposition to the divine law, and men, in every generation, possess the same internal enmity to virtue and religion, and still the Bible asserts this as most certainly true; and the experience of every generation has hitherto, and forever will, demonstrate the awful truth in this respect.

     And further, the Bible alone proposes a remedy equal to the evils it reveals, the experience of every judicious observer proves sin to have been, some way, introduced into the world -- the depravity of the human heart has, in every age, and still does demonstrate the necessity of something to repel its influence, and relieve the world from the pressing sorrows that have deluged the earth, from generation to generation. And can anything but the doctrines of the Bible act as an antidote against the prevailing malady? We never expect the physician to heal by increasing the disorder. Is the whole human family sick of sin? does vice pervade the universe? the Bible proposeth the best, and only remedy; there sin is forbidden in all its forms; justice, mercy and love, and peace towards all men, is enjoined -- their persons, their property and reputations made sacred -- do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, are the injunctions that echo from this sacred, this heavenly book; which does not only propose a remedy for sin in general, but provides, especially, for those who feel it in their own hearts, and groan under its awful influence. It points to the celestial world that grace has made -- where nothing that works an abomination, or loves or makes a lie, can enter; where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at eternal rest.

     Thus, dear brethren, we have stated a few of the excellencies of this precious book -- and have only to add, that to you they are not only the word but the power of God, to your present and eternal salvation -- so that with unshaken confidence, you may sing -- no weapon that is formed against Zion, shalt prosper; and every tongue that shall rise up against her shall be utterly condemned: And when all the objects contemplated in the eternal mind, and revealed in the sacred scriptures, are accomplished, then shall Zion reign, far above the reach of all her present sufferings and sorrows, in the peaceful bosom of her incarnate Saviour, to whom with the Father, and eternal Spirit of all grace, be honor, power, and dominion, now and forever. - Amen.

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[From William Fristoe, The History of the Ketocton Baptist Association, 1766-1808, 1808; republished in 1978, pp. 52-54. The grammar and spelling are unchanged. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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