History of the Virginia Corresponding Meeting
Minutes of the first three sessions, 1836, 1837, and 1838, and later Circular Letters, were published in the Signs of the Times. We have copied them to our files, up to the year 1853. We will not transcribe the entire minutes here, but only the "Declaration of Withdrawal," adopted by the several churches which withdrew from the Columbia Association on account of its departure from the original Baptist faith.
DECLARATION OF WITHDRAWAL.
BROTHER MODERATOR:-- In behalf and by the authority of our several churches, we beg leave to declare their entire separation from all associational connection with the remaining churches of this association. In making this declaration, we wish it to be distinctly understood, that we act altogether from principle. When our Messengers voted in 1833, against the reception of Elder Broaddus as Corresponding Messenger from the Shiloh Association, we as churches approbated their vote, not from any personal opposition to the said Elder, but because we would not extend fellowship to his religious course, believing it a perversion both of the doctrine and order which we have received as taught in the word of God; and which course we consider as embracing those several plans called benevolent operations, as well as the machinery for producing revivals. And as the remaining churches composing this association, have by their letters manifested a disposition to retire from the stand of 1833, and do sanction the extending of fellowship to others, who practice the same schemes, we can but feel a want of confidence in you as Regular Baptists and of fellowship for your course, and therefore, to be honest, we must separate from you.
In addition to the above, we cannot approve of the decision you made as an association relative to the Fredericksburg affair, by which, that which we consider properly the Fredericksburg Baptist Church, was constrained last year, to separate from you; nor of sanctioning the arbitrary decision of your Moderator over the heads of three churches, relative to the Alexandria Church, at your present session.
We, in thus withdrawing our fellowship from you, do not believe that we leave no Christians behind; but we do believe it to be our duty to separate from such, so far as they depart from the word of God, leaving them in the hands of God to reclaim them from their errors in his own good time and way. At the same time, we would warn such of the chastising rod which awaits them, if they will, with the light of God's word before them, thus continue to sanction the placing of the devices of men on a footing with the institutions of the gospel.
Signed: For Elk-Run Church, William Bower; Hartwood, George Honey, James W. Stone; Frying-Pan, S. Trott, Charles Gallatt; Mount Pleasant, William Kidwell, Lloyd Kidwell; White Oak, John Clark, William Fulcher; Occoquan, James Davis, James T. Arrington. Note: Bethlehem Church has since addressed a letter to the Moderator, declaring her withdrawal from the Columbia Association.
ALEXANDRIA CHURCH, D. C.
The Alexandria Church originally joined the Ketocton Association. When the Columbia Association was organized, it joined that body. When the Columbia Association by a slim majority (using disorderly tactics) upheld the modern mission system, the Alexandria Church withdrew and united again with the Ketocton Association. Several years later, the Alexandria Church withdrew from the Ketocton Association and united with the Virginia Corresponding Meeting.
ALEXANDRIA CHURCH. -- We have received the report of the Council which were called by the majority of that church to investigate the matters of difficulty existing between them and the party which have attempted to sustain Elder Cornelius, and to prevent the investigation of the several charges which were laid before the church against that individual. The facts disclosed in the investigation, as reported by the Council, goes fully to sustain the majority as the Church at Alexandria, and to show great corruption in the course pursued by Elder Cornelius, the minority of the church, and those reverend gentlemen from the Columbian College, who urged their services upon the church, at their several meetings on that business, to plead the cause of Elder Cornelius. Hereafter we may publish the Report. - Signs of the Times, 1836, p. 62.
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FOR THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
Fairfax C. H., Va., July 9, 1836.
DEAR BROTHER BEEBE:-- I send you the following for publication as illustrative of the signs of the times and the spirit of New Schoolism. I would not, however, have it understood, from the latter expression, that I believe the great body of the New School Baptists would, in their cool moments, manifest any other sentiment than that of an entire disapprobation of the transactions related below. But this I say, the more any person's religious sentiments and practices are assimilated to the world, and he adopts worldly principles in religion, the more he will be under the control of a carnal spirit, and on every occasion of irritation, will manifest himself governed by that spirit - and show his resentment, either by the more daring course of personal attack, or by the meaner plan of backbiting and slander. Hence the false and slanderous reports, every where, and by every means, put in circulation against the Editor of the Signs, and other Old School Baptists, who, like Mordecai, are in the way of the New School gentry. As in Alexandria, New-Schoolism has been carried one degree further than in most other places, that is, in the case of Elder Cornelius, wherein certain charges had been preferred against him before the church, several of the clergy came forward to rescue him from the degradation of having his conduct investigated by the church, and after pursuing a course of disorder and confusion, for several successive meetings that would disgrace a political caucus, (the particulars of which have been noticed in the published Report of a Committee called to investigate the grievances of the majority of the white members of the church,) they succeeded, by what was a majority of the votes counted, though the votes of a small minority of the church, in establishing the principle and precedent that the clergy and lay members are two distinct grades; that the private members are not to be considered the peers of the preachers; and that he is not to account to them for his conduct. In accordance with this principle, and the approbation of the part of the church above specified, the charges which had been preferred against Elder Cornelius were not suffered to be investigated by the church, but that business was assigned over to, the attending Clergymen, as belonging to their proper province. I say as this principle had been thus established at the American Alexandria, it is not so much to be wondered at, that those members, who were thus induced to give up their church privileges and religious liberty, should attempt to assert their claims to the exclusive right of the Meeting-house by a resort to carnal warfare. It may be proper to add, that they are encouraged to set up this exclusive claim, by the New School preachers in this section of country going with their entire influence to give this party the name and standing of the Alexandria church. And having had the Pastor and Clerk with them, the books and keys of the Meeting-house in their hands, their claim is readily acknowledged by those who, like a certain neighbouring Baptist preacher, whose name is of very public notoriety on more accounts than one, think that, in a division of a church, however numerous, if there are but seven or eight members on one side and they have the pastor with them, they are to be considered the church.
And enquiry may arise as to the propriety of giving publicity to such statements as follow. My mind has been led to a conclusion in favor of sending these statements for publication from the following considerations: 1st, I view these transactions as above noticed as being but a fair specimen of the effects of introducing worldly conformity into the church, as the New School people are every where doing, and as well calculated to show those who are so slow to believe that persecutions can take place in this country, from whence those persecutions can arise, when they have got public sentiment a little more fully chained to the wheels of their car. And such illustrations I presume you will consider as coming directly within the designs of your paper. 2nd. In ference to the statement written by Bro. Davis, addressed to me and left in Alexandria for me, and to be sent to you if I thought proper, my candid conclusion is that it is doing the person implicated, who is a deacon of the Cornelius party, no injustice. He is the person noticed in the Report of the Committee on the Majority's case, on whom Bro. Selecman and myself called by direction of the Committee, to enquire of him whether he was willing to give a statement relative to the difficulties existing in that church, and by whom we were abruptly told that we should have no satisfaction from him, and that we had better go home about our business, &c. This was published in that report, in self-justification, showing that if we did not obtain full information on both sides it was not our fault. In that case his treatment of us could not have been the consequence of sudden irritation; not an expression was dropped on our part which could have offended any one. And I am more confirmed in the belief that it was in him a deliberate transaction, from his having publicly vaunted of it since, and having expressed a wish that he could have another such opportunity with me, and boasting what exploits he would do, &c. And from the facts in the case, it appears that his treatment of Bro. Davis was equally the result of predetermination. On the other hand all will see the importance to Bro. Davis of having a correct statement published to prevent misrepresentations.
It is equally important that a correct statement in the other case should be published to prevent false representations prejudicing the minds of brethren; and such publication cannot be considered as giving publicity to it, the subject having already been made a matter of legal examination, and committed over for further trial.
This case grew out of the majority's claiming the right to open and use the Meeting-house, for preaching, when they had occasion for it, and the others were not occcupying, notwithstanding the others having the proper keys in possession. The Majority having in several instances applied for the privilege of having the house opened on the occasion of different preachers visiting them and been refused, they continued to hold their meetings in private houses for several months, until finding that course was excluding from them nearly all the congregation; persons not members being unwilling to attend meetings in private houses. They then made a formal application to the other party in writing, for a mutual understanding that each should be entitled to use the house an equal part of the time or as each had occasion, and this on the ground that they were a majority of the members, and constituted a majority in numbers and funds of those who had assisted in building the house, and that if there was any such thing as a church being designated by an adherence to the articles of faith and order specified in the church constitution or covenant, they had this claim, the matter of difficulty being the others having departed from the uniformly established order of discipline in that church and in the Baptist churches generally. But the other party refused to comply with this proposition also; and the laws of Virginia being such that no religious society or church can sue for, or establish a legal right to property, they had no alternative, but to abandon the house and leave the congregation to be scattered off, or to occupy the house when they wanted it independent of the leave of the others. In order to do this in as peaceable a manner as possible, they procured keys to suit the locks and opened for themselves. The first instance of their opening the house thus, was on a Lord's-day, for brethren Avery and Sawyer, when traveling through this part in May. As I had an appointment to preach in Alexandria the week following, and the Cornelius party probably apprehending that the brethren would open the house for me; Mr. Simpson who has been elected a deacon by that party, and who also attempts to preach occasionally, gave out notice publicly that he had provided a gun and grace of pistols and loaded them with the intention of shooting any person who should attempt to open the house. However, no attempt was made to open the house on that occasion. Since that the brethren, when they wished to occupy the house, have had the precaution not to publish the meeting until a short time before the hour of meeting, and not till they had opened the house, and some of the brethren had gone in to keep possession until the time of meeting; in this way they had had several meetings in peace, as in the case of Bro. Davis's visit. I having sent on an appointment to preach for the brethren on Wednesday night of this week, the brethren concluded on opening the Meeting-house for me, and to open it early in the day, to give them an opportunity of circulating the appointment more generally. The intention was for two brethren to have staid in the house, but after opening the house one of them was there alone for a while waiting for the coming of the other. In the meantime Simpson having in some way got wind of the thing, came round with another of his brethren, finding the house open he went in and finding this brother sitting in a pew with a book in his hand singing, he stepped up to him and collared him, apparently with the intention of drawing him over the back of the seat, not succeeding in that, he either hit him several times with his fist or shook him against the seat, and next grabbed him by the throat and choked him till he was nearly strangled, leaving the prints of his fingers and nails very visible through the remainder of the day. Simpson next made a move at the brother's eye, as he thought, with the intention of gouging him, and thinking that unless he made some exertion to relieve himself he must be killed there, crowded down as he was in the set; for he had told Simpson once or twice if he would let him go, he would go out of the house, and when Simpson made the attempt to gouge him, he seized his hand and drew it to his mouth so as to enable him to get a grip upon his thumb with his teeth. Keeping his grip, he got the advantage of Simpson so as to get up and to lead him towards the door, by his thumb, when Simpson called upon his companion who had staid out of doors, probably so as not to be a witness, to come to his relief. The brother not willing to fall into the hands of two such characters for blood, as they had been, let go his trip, and made for the door, but did not succeed in getting out, without Simpson giving him a blow in the eye which nearly knock it out; it bled considerably from the blow.
I had hitherto objected to any propositions to open the house for me since the other party had shut it against me, unless there could be a compromise relative to the house; but when I got in town that afternoon, and learned of this affair, and that Simpson and his companion had both been had before a magistrate and bound over, so that there would probably be no more disturbance, as Caywood would not be likely to come to the Meeting-house with his bitter anger; and feeling from the account received both of Caywood and Simpson's conduct, that I could not recognize any right in such men to claim the control of a house which had been built as a place of public worship for the Baptists, I determined on going into the house. We accordingly went at the appointed hour, met in peace, had a very large congregation for a week-day night, and apparently a great deal of attention, and to me quite a comfortable meeting.
I will now in conclusion give you Brother Davis's statement.
"Alexandria, July 2, 1836.
DEAR BROTHER: Would to God I possessed more of the temper and humility of Moses and the Apostles. The former esteemed the reproaches of Christ of greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; the latter, rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. About two weeks since secular business brought me to this place and Washington. I had in former years been acquainted with the Baptist Church in Alexandria, two or three respectable brethren connected with the Majority, understanding that I was in town, and would be detained a while, invited me to preach for them; I gladly complied, and while here preached three times for them. Last evening I arrived in Alexandria again on business, and to my surprise was informed that a man by the name of Caywood, a leading member connected with the minority or Cornelius party, had said that those who opened the house should not have opened it for a man of no character. Hearing this, I took with me two brethren, Deacon Reuben Johnson and Bro. T. Monroe, and called on Caywood and asked an explanation of his slanderous insinuation. He in reply, said he had not slandered me, had only said "he had heard a report, that when a split had taken place in the church at Fredericksburg, I was arrested and carried before some authority." I asked him if he had not said to Captain Curtis that I was a man of no character; to which he answered, "I did not.' I remarked to him that I had been so informed. He then said, "Sir, I know nothing of you, I wish to know nothing of you, nor do I wish to have any conversation with you; I have heard, Sir, that you are a bully and I disregard you." Saying this, he drew down an auger from his wall, raised it towards me, and ordered me out of his store. I asked him if such conduct was not contrary to his religious profession, and walked out of his house. The report alluded to by Caywood, in relation to me, is no doubt familiar to you. The circumstances were these: When the party had been excluded from the church in Fredericksburg for maintaining Mr. Campbell's sentiments, the orthodox party invited me to preach for them one Lord's-day morning, but the other party considering the right of the house to be with them, on account of numbers, and considering me as conniving at a trespass on the part of the orthodox party, represented me to the Mayor of the town as a disturber of public worship and having obtained a warrant and an officer took me before the Mayor, who in a few minutes acquitted me of the charge of disorder, and released me. The presumption with me is, that Caywood was acquainted with these notorious facts notwithstanding the slanderous use he attempted to make of them.
May the Lord deliver me from such persecuting spirits, and may he give me a heart to pray for my enemies, and grace to keep me in the hour of temptation. Farewell. Yours, in the bonds of the gospel, DANIEL DAVIS."
I have thus given you this long detail of affairs in Alexandria, thinking it my be of special use in this section to have it published, and of general use as before remarked in illustrating the spirit and signs of the times. The statement which I have given of the affray in the meeting-house, is substantially what appeared in testimony before the magistrate. The affair as stated by Bro. Davis is substantiated by the brethren who accompanied him to Caywood's store. The affair which he notices as having taken place in Fredericksburg, a few years since, is generally known in this part of the country, and I have never heard any blame attached to Bro. Davis on account of it. I would inform the brethren and friends at the North, that I returned home through the indulgence of a kind Providence, in safety and in time, found my family had dwelt in safety and were in health, and that my visit among them had not only conduced to my bodily health, but my mind was much comforted, and that gloom which had for several months been hanging over it, was in a great measure dissipated. Yours, in gospel bonds, S. TROTT.
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Signs of the Times, Sept. 23, 1836.
After the adjournment of the Ketocton Association on Saturday the 20th ult., we left Winchester in company with our true yoke-fellow, Elder Eli Scott, of Black Rock, Md., and proceeded on our tour through Virginia, pitching our tent the same evening at Salem; visited and preached for the church in that place on Lord's day 21st. On Monday 22d, met our appointment at Front Royal, preached for the church at that place, took leave, and crossed the Ridge of Mountains, and arrived at Battle Run on Tuesday 23rd; preached also at this place, and proceeded on Wednesday 24th, passing within a few rods of one of the famous William F. Broaddus's Camp Meetings, to Jefferson, Culpeper Co; preached in the Baptist Meeting-house at that place, and arrived the same evening at the house of our beloved brother, William Bower, partook freely of his hospitalities, which were very ample, and next day reached the Grove, Fauquier Co., at the opening of the Columbia Association.
This Association as near as we could judge from what we heard and saw among them, were about equally divided into what we would call Old School and New School. The introductory sermon was delivered by Elder O. B. Brown, of Washington, D. C., which to us savored more of human ingenuity than of Gospel simplicity. The words used as a text were barbarously disjointed from an expression of James - "Do not err my beloved brethren." From this member of a passage of scripture, the learned speaker assayed to show that christians were liable to err in experience, in doctrine, and in practice. What appeared exceedingly novel to us, was his description of a people with whom wisdom is to die, who carry their doctrinal views so far as to supersede the necessity of practical religion! Nay more; he said that this class would be satisfied with a correct theory of doctrine, viz., the belief of certain points in relation to Divine Sovereignty, Election, Predestination, &c., and would even countenance vice and immorality, where the delinquents were sound in the doctrine!! Now our readers may rest assured that this was something entirely new to us, and as we had never met with any of this class, we concluded that the preacher was mistaken as to the existence of such a people, until in the course of the subsequent discussions before the Association, Mr. Brown silenced all doubts, and demonstrated the existence of the people described, as we will presently show. Elder Brown also stated that there were others who made every thing of practice, and were not in his opinion sufficiently tenacious for the doctrine. But these discordant materials he would by no means have separated, for wonderful to relate he could not make out a whole and complete gospel without retaining both these errors!
After the sermon, Elder A. H. Bennett (once enrolled among the Old School Baptists, but now not quite so ancient in the faith) organized the Association for business, and called for the reading of the letters from the churches. During the progress of which two letters came to hand purporting to be from the church at Alexandria, D. C. Here a new rule of order, and such as one as we presume the history of the Baptists from the Apostolic age, will not furnish a parallel, was introduced. The chairman without the voice of the Association, by virtue of his dignified station, decided peremptorily that the one borne by the hands of man then under bonds to keep the peace, and for his appearance at court to answer the charge of assault and battery, and the threat of killing a fellow being, should be received and read, and the party represented by him and his associate messenger, although a minority of the whole who formerly composed the Alexandria Church, should be recognized as the Church; which was accordingly done, and the two messengers took their seats, notwithstanding the remonstrance of many of the messengers present. Thus were the New School provided with two voters whose kindred spirits best in unison with their own. A motion was afterwards made that the letter from the majority of Alexandria Church should also be read, but by the aid of the two illegal voters above named, this motion was overruled.
Another motion was then made that a committee be appointed to investigate the case of Alexandria Church, and after much discussion Elder O. B. Brown moved that the consideration of the question be indefinitely postponed. The question for postponement being tryed, and the messengers from the party of the minority being allowed to vote, resulted in a tie; upon which the chair gave the casting vote in favor of the indefinite postponement.
The party thus rejected enrolled about two thirds of the whole number of white members which belonged to the church at the time of the last session of this Association. This party had documents in hand to prove that they had never departed from the faith or order in which they stood when they united with Columbia Association, which documents they were not suffered to present. This party had also called a Council from seven respectable churches within the bounds of Columbia Association, Messengers from four out of the seven had attended the Council, had collected all the information possible from both parties, and had reported the same to their respective churches. Three of the above named churches had, in their letters to the Association, recognized this party as the Church of Alexandria.
This party begged the privilege of presenting the most unquestionable testimony that the other party had departed from the order of the gospel, and were not according to the Constitution of Columbia Association, entitled to the name of distinction of a church. This party constantly sued for impartial investigation -- and were rejected; while the other party, presenting no documents whatever except their own letter, and that by the hands of one of their messengers whose moral character was, to say the least, very questionable, and peremptorily refusing to submit to investigation - were received.
Now for the people of whom Elder O. B. Brown informed us in his introductory sermon, the existence of whom we doubted.
To every motion made to bring the Association, as a body to decide which party in Alexandria were in reality the Church, Elder O. B. Brown and his New School brethren urged the impracticability of arriving at any conclusion, without infringing upon the independence of the churches, diverting the attention of the brethren from the real question before the Association, and leading them to apprehend that an honest enquiry as to which party was the church, would be to use an unwarrantable authority over the private discipline of the church. In the course of his management on this subject, which beggars all description, Mr. Brown stated that so long as a church professed to hold the articles of our faith, we had no right to enquire after their practice, even though they should become immoral! And in this sentiment he was joined by several others: thus proving to us the actual existence of a sort of professors of christianity to us previously unknown. This theory may do for Elder O. B. Brown, but we are happy to assure the Columbia Association, and all others concerned, that the Old School Baptists from the days of John have required fruits, meet for repentance; and we do unanimously hold, that except a man deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow our Lord Jesus Christ, he cannot be his disciple.
On Saturday morning six of the Churches declared their Associational connection with that body dissolved, for reasons expressed in the document handed in to the Chairman, and immediately withdrew; whereupon the Messengers from Ketocton and Baltimore Associations, also withdrew.
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COLUMBIA ASSOCIATION. The Minutes of this body are at length before us, and we would pass them by in silence, were it not for a sense of the imperious duty devolving on us to disabuse the public mind, and especially the mind of the brethren abroad, of the misrepresentations palmed upon them by this Association, in the Minutes referred to. The first of which, that we shall notice is, the summary of faith published on their title page. We can but view it as a base misrepresentation of the doctrinal sentiments maintained by the churches which now remain in that body. We challenge them to show one church among them, who support from their pulpits the preaching of the doctrine which they in that summary profess to maintain.
The second misrepresentation we notice, is in the table of churches, &c., in which they claim no less than three churches, which have withdrawn from them, on account of their departure from the faith and order of the Gospel, viz: Chappawamsic, Alexandria, and Elk Run. The Chappawamsic Church, have not only published their withdrawal from that body, but have shut their pulpit against Elder Bennett, their former pastor, and all other preachers who identify themselves with the New School order of things, or any who hold fellowship with those who do so identify themselves; and all these facts were very well known to the Association, yet she claims and represents the said church, as still standing in her connection. The Alexandria Church were denied their right of being represented among them, at their session, the preceding year, when a disorderly faction of our church, with Mr. Samuel Cornelius as their head, were, by the management of O. B. Brown, Esq. (late of the Post Office Department,) with the help of the vote of the unauthorized messengers, professing to be from the Alexandria Church, together with the casting vote of Elder A. H. Bennett, allowed to assume our name, and take our place in that Association, when our authorized messengers were present and suing for the privilege of proving by the most unquestionable testimony that we were, in point of numbers, faith, and order, decidedly the church, and the only legitimate Baptist church at Alexandria: several churches of that body also at the time did testify that, that having investigated the relative merits of the claims set up by the two parties claiming to be the church, had, as churches, decided officially, that we, and not the other party, were the true church. And at their late session our church sent them a letter protesting against their disorderly and unconstitutional course and disclaiming any farther connection with them; and although this letter was sent to them when in session at Fredericksburg in August last, yet their minutes give no acknowledgement of the receipt of it; we are led therefore to conclude that the reading of our letter was suppressed by the management of the same distinguished individuals who suppressed our communications the year preceding. We may hereafter, for the information of honest brethren still remaining in that corrupted body, publish a copy of the aforesaid letter.
The Elk Run Church, which is also retained on their Minutes, protested against the proceedings of the Association both in regard to their conduct in relation to Alexandria Church, and in their apostasy from the stand which they had taken a few years previously against the heresy of William F. Broaddus and his brotherhood of the new school and this church with Chappawamsic, and several others that withdrew from them at the same time, have subsequently formed a corresponding meeting, and disclaim all farther fellowship with the Columbia Association, under present circumstances.
Mr. Cornelius, loaded as he is with a catalogue of charges, to the investigation of which by the church to which he belonged at the date of these charges, has refused to submit, and finally being excluded from the church, is still held in good standing in that body; the recent developments in this city of his claim to the sacred office of a regular minister of the gospel notwithstanding.
Query: Will not the man of Post Office notoriety with his usual tact of manoeuvering, plead his cause with the Temperance and Seventh Commandment Societies, as well as in the Association.
The next misrepresentation on the face of their minutes, which we notice, is the assertion, that they had received correspondence from the Baltimore Association. The Messenger of Baltimore Association, the preceding year, protested against the course they were pursuing, and in the name of that body, withdrew all further correspondence, and at the last session of the Baltimore Association, a resolution was by them passed unanimously approving of what their messengers had done.
The 17th Item of their minutes, we have concluded to preserve as a novelty; it reads as follows: "Brother Cornelius submitted the following Resolution, which was adopted unanimously. "The person appointed at the last meeting to prepare a Circular Letter, having failed to do so, Resolved, That the Moderator, (O. B. Brown) be respectfully requested to prepare and publish with the Minutes a Circular, on the causes of the low estate of religion in our churches and the BEST scriptural means, under the divine blessing, of healing divisions, restoring fellowship and promoting a general revival of pure religion AMONG US."
We say nothing at this time of the admirable grace, with which this resolution comes from the former of these two gentlemen, nor of the competency of the latter to ascertain which Scriptural MEANS, if any such things there be, which God has revealed, are the best, and which scriptural means God has revealed, are to be thrown away, as being not so good, and thus make a judicious selection of means for securing the ends desired by the mower for the healing of divisions, restoring of fellowship and reviving pure religion generally among the churches claimed as their own. Should Obediah's plan fail to suit the views of the mover, we would suggest to his consideration whether his own course in relation to the church in this city where he once held his membership is not calculated to heal divisions, and whether his moral conduct of late, is not calculated to restore lost fellowship?
Passing, however, the balance of their minutes of Wherefore's and Resolve's, we will close with a few remarks on the Circular, brought forth by Elder Brown, and adopted by the Association. We might reasonably suppose from the proposed object of this letter, that if there was any such thing in the heart of the writer, as truth or candor, it would show itself in this production, but alas, for depraved human nature! In the very commencement of his letter he states that "six churches have withdrawn from that body on account of their determined hostility to the efforts which are made by most christians at the present day for the diffusion of the word of life, through the whole world, and in which many of the members of our churches claim the privilege of bearing a part." We do most positively deny this assertion, and in evidence that such was not the case, we refer to the letters from those churches, in which the true cause is given. We were personally present at the time those churches withdrew their fellowship from that body, and we are very positive that one word was not uttered by them upon the subject of diffusing the word of life through the whole world; the reasons given for their withdrawal from that Association were, first, on account of the majority virtually rescinding a former decision, in relation to rejecting the heresy of William F. Broaddus, and a second reason named was the conduct of that party which recognized the faction above mentioned, as the church of Alexandria. These churches are as friendly to the diffusion of the word of life as any churches on earth; but as far as our knowledge of them extends, they are in sentiment opposed to union of church and world, for the purpose of promulgating a spurious gospel, under the pretension of diffusing the word of life; this, however, was not stated as the cause, or among the causes which led them to withdraw, for at the time they withdrew the Association had not entered upon these measures except in the bearing of the above recantation. In detecting the causes of the low estate of religion, the first thing named is in the following words: "Experience confirms the sentiment, that no subject which christians may lawfully enter upon, is so hostile to vital godliness, as that of POLITICS."
Hem! Wonder if Obediah though of this fox when he stuck the national flag through the roof of his house, at the election of a favorite President? Wonder if he would have fallen out with politics, if he had not been removed from a snug birth in the General Post Office, for - he knows the cause. He tells us under this head of his letter that we cannot serve God and Mammon. Wonder if any man could begin poor, and at a salary of from $1,500 to $2,000 per annum, and living at the rate of say $1,500, become in the course of a few years possessed of an estate of from 50 to 150,000, without serving Mammon? But the writer goes on to tell us of better times than the present among the Baptists in years which have gone by. Ah, we remember them well, when there was peace and fellowship throughout our denominational boundaries, and Obediah might add, that these halcyon days continued until the new, religious inventions of the day, commenced their fatal rage among us, and to the introduction of these new fangled systems we are now indebted, for the divisions which exist among the Baptist churches at this day.
But the writer thinks differently, he attributes the divisions to the political commotion of our national affairs, and the best Scriptural cure he has hit upon, turns out at last, to be totally destitute of Scriptural precept or example. Instead of Scriptural means, he has hit upon the very doctrine of means which are, at this moment very popular among all the advocates of the popular religious inventions of the day. He recommends nearly every popular human invention, and extols them in the most extravagant language, "Little Messengers of salvation in the form of Tracts, he says, have been scattered in the way of every passenger." Sunday Schools have been established. The progress of intemperance has been arrested. Query. Does the writer mean to say that all who have joined the Temperance Society in this District have ceased to get intoxicated?
Finally to avoid the cause of declension, and to promote revivals, union, and fellowship, he recommends, first, Prayer Meetings, &c. Second, to avoid entering warmly into political discussions. Thirdly, to immediately cease from contentions among themselves. Fourth, the very popular effort system, which has produced the mischief among the Baptists. And, finally, he concludes with a choice cluster of good things, by way of exhortation, and among them he says, "Guard against the earliest temptations to the prevailing sin of intemperance." O, that, the writer, and the man by whom he was nominated, and all whom they address had observed this seasonable, reasonable, Scriptural, and important part of the exhortation. - Signs of the Times, December 1, 1837, pages 198, 199.
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CASE OF SAMUEL CORNELIUS. -- Our friends in the country having heard of the legal investigation of the case of the above individual and the various discordant statements of the result of his trial; have made many enquiries of us for the facts in the case. Among other statements abroad, at a distance it is industriously reported that the charges against him were proven to be false, and that his accusers were instigated to persecute him by the members of our church, and that through bribery. In order to meet and refute these base slanders, and to show that the church, having expelled Mr. Cornelius from their fellowship last summer, do not consider themselves responsible for his licentious conduct since that period, they have appointed a committee of seven Brethren, with instructions to collect, as far as practicable all the facts of the case, with duplicates of the affidavits of the witnesses, (if these can be obtained) together with all other information bearing on the case, and the result of their investigation to be embodied in a suitable form, for record, or publication, and to submit the same to the church at our next regular meeting for business.
The report of this committee will probably be ready for publication in our first January number, and, will in all probability present some "Awful Disclosures," hardly to be surpassed by those of Maria Monk.
In the meantime we say that the charges were brought against Mr. Cornelius by a respectable sister (of his own party, in the late division of the church of this place), Mrs. Garrel stated, on oath, that Mr. Cornelius had visited her house several times recently, and that on the last visit, he, after sending away from her house a young girl, (the only person present except herself and the accused), and after refreshing himself with a glass of wine, did in a most licentious and gross manner insult her, and took hold of her, but being firmly repulsed in his wicked design, with some struggle, she made out to extricate herself from his grasp. Some person at the moment coming into the store, and there being no further danger apprehended of being again left alone with him she suffered him to remain in her house until her husband came home, but, before the arrival of Capt. Garrel, Mr. Cornelius had helped himself so freely to the liquors, that Captain Garrel found him in a state of intoxication, so much so, that in attempting to walk as soon as he let go of the casks by which he had helped himself upon his feed, he sallied against the door.
We do not pretend to give the above as the precise words of Mrs. Garrel's statement on oath, but as embraced with other things in substance in her affidavit, and corroborated by the testimony of Captain Garrel, and the young woman whom he had sent away, as far as they were witnesses of the shameful scene. Our readers may expect a more full and minute statement of these matters in our next.
Mr. Cornelius, we understand, did not personally appear to defend his cause when tried; but employed two able attorneys. Owing to a fault in the warrant on which Mr. Cornelius was arrested, the two presiding magistrates, did not (as we are informed) feel authorized to bind him over to appear before the Grand Jury. He has as we learn from the Alexandria Gazette, left our city and is reported to have received, and accepted, a call to the pastoral charge of the Baptist Church at Mount Holly, New Jersey. - Signs of the Times, December 15, 1837, pp. 206-207.
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CASE OF SAMUEL CORNELIUS, AGAIN.
Having, in our last number, given our readers reason to expect in this, a copy of the report of the committee of the Church of this place, on that subject, we think it proper to explain to them the reason why it does not appear. The first meeting, for business, held by the church subsequently to the appointment of the committee, and the only one, at which it was proper they should report, was held at our house of worship last night; at which time and place the report was made, accepted, and ordered to be entered on the records of the church, and the committee were discharged. A question, on the expediency of publishing the said report was taken up and discussed at large, when it was found, that the expose of facts, made by us, in the last number of of our paper, was not only fully sustained by the report of the committee, but in the judgment of the church, was amply sufficient for the present; and unless a farther call should be made, for the report, as the following preamble and resolution will show, they deem the publication of the report unnecessary.
The following is a copy of the Preamble and Resolution passed by the Baptist Church of Alexandria, on Thursday evening, January 11th.
"Whereas, Brother Beebe has sufficiently disabused the public mind, in his expose of the truth in the case of Mr. Samuel Cornelius, and Mrs. Garrell, and consequently an impartial enquiry, (from abroad) will be satisfied on this unpleasant subject. Therefore, Be it Resolved, That the church do not think it necessary, or called for, to publish the report of our committee on this case: unless farther called for: and that Brother Beebe be requested to give this preamble and resolution an insertion in his paper."
The above preamble and resolution, upon mature deliberation was passed unanimously by the church. [Should Mr. Cornelius, or any of his friends be able to show that in our expose of what we have denominated the facts of his case, we had in any manner, or to any degree, misrepresented his case, or done him the least injustice, our columns are open and at their service for the publication of any such correction. And as performance of no duty is more painful to our feelings than that of exposing the depravity of those who profess to be disciples of the Son of God; so nothing will be more cheerfully admitted into our paper than the correction of any unfounded, or unjustifiable censure we may unwittingly attach to any individual, to the prejudice of his moral character.] - Signs of the Times, 1838, p. 7.
