Editor's note: The following typed letter accompanied the records of Dry Creek Baptist Church. The late Mrs. Jean Houston, who transcribed the minutes and members' lists onto a legal pad, said a man in Erlanger let her use the churchbooks for transcribing. She could not remember whether it was Mr. Graves of not.
This essay was written shortly after the church disbanded and is not always coherent.
The spelling is unchanged except where bracketed [ ]. - Jim Duvall
Erlanger, Ky. August 17th 1913 This is to certify that I have carefully examined these two old books of the Records of Dry Creek Baptist Church. Also new book No. 3 in possession of Mr. ___ B'Hymer - these constituting a continuous record of said church from its "Constitution" July 19th 1800 - until its practical disolution shortly after 1900.
Thus we may say that i[t]s life was for just a century.
Looking at it as a whole, holding it in one unbroken perspective: you see its spiritual life, slowly and gradually, but surely, fade and fade away - growing less and less - untill it is lost.
I know of nothing more beautifull and breathing a purer spirit of real Christianity - nothing tha[t] expresses a finer conception of the Religion of Christ than their "Covenant with God and each other."
As I concieve it: the sesnce of Religion is to love God and your fellow man. Their sentiment and covenant is this
"Knowing each other, as to a work of
"grace in the heart, we mutualy agree
"and Covenant with God and each other,
"that we will watch, guard and keep each
"other, bear one anothers burden, etc. in
"the bonds of peace, etc."This is pure religion and undefiled. It animated this church for 50 years - but gradualy with insideous footsteps, institutionalism userped its place. All this time they were dieing, spiritualy the love of God and Neighbor slipping out of their lives.
As a dieing organization, it survived for 50 years more; when it became a corpse - This corpse still is in
****existance.This emphasizes the face, that in t[h]is age at the termination of each embodyment, the upward going spirit is involved into the inner spirit men - The downward going spirit enters another cycle of Evolution. Thus accounting for the universal decadence in human life. The standard of morality now being to conceal the hand that stays and robs.
Signed * * * C. A. Graves. ========
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