A Brief Historical Sketch of the Ketocton Association
Signs of the Times, Alexandria, Va., August 25, 1837.
KETOCTON ASSOCIATION. We have had the pleasure of attending the 71st Anniversary of this Association with Ebenezer Church, Loudoun County, Va. The meeting was very well attended -- the churches well represented, and two churches, (Alexandria and Upper Broad Run) were received into their union. Two churches called Thumb Run* and Goose Creek*, were dropped from their minutes, so that the number of churches stands as before; the difference being, the reception of churches which heartily agreed with them in the ancient faith and order of the Association, in place of those, a majority of which were disaffected, and inclined to favor the New School system of the day.
In their Circular, we have found a brief historical sketch of the organization, and 71 years' progress of this Association, together with her firm stand against the doctrines and new light measures of the popular Baptists of '37.
Throughout this whole meeting, the spirit and temper of the gospel seemed to pervade the whole assembly of God's people, and caused them to realize in heart, "How good, and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." The business was all accomplished with perfect unanimity, and the preaching was such as we commonly have at our Old School Meetings.
CIRCULAR LETTER.
The Elders and brethren of the Ketocton Association, assembled at Ebenezer, Loudoun County, Va., August 1837. To the Churches they represent, sendeth Christian Love:
VERY DEAR BRETHREN:--Having (as we hope) in a good degree, purged out of the Churches belonging to this Association, the leaven of the Pharisees, we feel the more free to address you by the affectionate appellation we have used, and although we are glad we are rid of many who have been an annoyance to us, we lament that of those who have gone off, we could not separate the precious from the vile; we have reason to believe that there are a number of worthy christian entangled with them. We do sincerely desire, if it is the will of God, that the love and fellowship which once subsisted between them and us may be speedily restored.
By the abounding mercy of our Heavenly Father, we are again permitted to meet as an Association. We rejoice in the belief, that hitherto, the Lord has helped us, and in the hope that He will continue to do us good. O that we may put our trust in him alone, and in all our tribulations, go to the throne of his grace, for grace to help us. We are very needy, but such is the pride of our hearts - we are prone to resort to our own devices, wisdom, and prudence, instead of going to God, and resting our confidence in him, to direct all that is needful for his declarative glory, the salvation of all his chosen in Christ, and their sure defense against the assaults of Satan, the world, and their own vile corruptions. What but almighty power and sovereign grace, can secure the poor pilgrim against the snares, traps, and gins, which are laid for his unwary feet.
We now invite your attention, principally, to some brief reflections relating to this Association and her constituent Churches. This Association was constituted August, 1766, of four Churches dismissed from the Philadelphia Association, (viz., Ketocton, Mill Creek, Smith's Creek, and Broad Run,) and was of the order then distinguished by the term Regular Baptists; there was also a denomination of Baptists called Separates. After the lapse of 21 years, (in 1787,) and with some difficulty, a union was effected between the two parties, the latter subscribing to the articles of faith of the former. Notwithstanding this measure brought into the Ketocton Association several precious brethren, yet a doubt remains whether evil has not resulted from it; had the parties remained distinct, it is probable those brethren who were sound in the faith, would have come out, and the Arminian portion of them would have presented a rallying point for those popular Baptists with whom we have been so much annoyed.
However, this union seemed to do very well for some years, the Association got on in peace and harmony, and her character stood high as far as she was known, (among Baptists,) for soundness of principles, and wisdom in council, without the aid of Right Reverends or D. D.'s. It is evident, however, that some of the Churches had in them the seeds of Arminianism, but they could not germinate there, until a few Fullerite doctors were imported and got in amongst us - then did those seeds put up and flourish like clover from a judicious application of plaster of Paris: at first they tried to conceal their real sentiments, (except to certain of their own sort,) but after a while they began to rely on their numbers and influence -- they began to propose improvements, to complain that the Baptists were not respectable, they must become more popular, must not be behind other religious denominations. Seeing that others had been successful in proselyting by the use of machinery, they too must resort to the use of it; they first borrowed and tried experiments, then improved on the invention, invented others, and improved on them, tried one plan and then another. How we have been beset with them, some of us know to our grief. They harrassed us for several years to induce us to forward their views, as to the General Association, the Columbian College, Bible Societies, Mission Societies, and Tract Societies; after we had rejected various propositions to encourage the latter, they requested us to recommend to the Churches of this Association to receive several hundred pages of their tracts gratuitiously, but we esteemed them worth less than nothing; therefore would not receive them as a gift. Thus we were harrassed, still bearing with them, until they had gone to such lengths as to destroy our fellowship, and render longer forbearance disgraceful, indeed criminal, on the part of real friends to truth. Consequently, we were induced to make a lumping disposition of their institutions. The first formidable attack made upon them was at Broad Run, in a called meeting of the Churches, in 1834, which meeting passed a resolution declaring non-fellowship with individuals and Churches who advocate them as religious institutions or means of grace: this resolution, after its passage, was referred to the Churches in order to obtain their views of it, to be expressed in their letters to the next Association. This resulted in the Association passing a resolution (in 1835) declaring non-fellowship with all Churches and individuals who connect themselves with any of those societies. At our last session, (1836,) several Churches were dropped from this Association on account of their opposition to our proceedings. We are really sorry that circumstances are such as to cause us to implicate persons with the want of candor, consistency, and honesty, some of whom we have had confidence in as gracious persons, but the defence of truth, and justification of our conscientious course compel us to be plain. In every instance where we, in the meeting before named, or in the Association, have agitated the subject of those institutions, the popular party have denied that they considered them of a religious character, and appeared to be sensitive, when charged with so considering them. Why then are they so tenacious of them? Not religious, and yet too sacred to be opposed! not religious, and yet saving thousands that without them would eternally perish; yea more, that many are now in the quenchless fires of hell, who might have been saved by a timely appropriation of the jewelry of the American females. If they are not religious, why do they cleave to them as to their dearest interests, and non-fellowship those whom they profess to love as brethren for opposing them. There is a grievous complaint made of our meddling with the purses of our brethren, in objecting to their doing as they please with their money. Surely we have as good a right to close our brethren's purses as our opponents have for opening them. If they pay their money to sacrifice to idols, we disown them. If they do not pay and give thus to sacrifice and to glut the avarice of the priests of the popular party, they disown them: the notion that we have no business to concern with our brethren's disposition of their money, is exceedingly preposterous - if we must not object to their making, what we deem an irreligious use of their money, we must not oppose their doing as they please with any other property, or any member of their body. So then we would be unjustifiable, in making any objection to persons furnishing gold to make a god in the form of a calf, or any thing else, and using their tongues and voices in crying out, great is the god our hands has made. As a further evidence of their insincerity and inconsistency, they pretend they are Baptists of the old stamp, they believe all that is expressed in the Philadelphia confession of faith, they preach and practice as the Old School Baptists did from fifty to sixty years back, when they know or ought to be informed, that as far back as fifty or sixty years, there were no anxious benches, camp-meetings, nor had any of the most plausible of their institutions, a being among any Regular Baptists, and that they never have taken, only among Fullerite or Arminian Baptists; and it is well established that they abhor the principle doctrine of the Philadelphia confession of faith, as they do that of God's word from which the former was taken; and on account of our contending for those principles, we are branded as Antinomians, Fatalists, Infidels, &c.; indeed they have given ample evidence of the advantages they derive from their boasted talents, and improvements, in the catalogue of low, vulgar, and malicious epithets, hurled at us by their filthy batteries from time to time. But this we confess, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship we the God of our fathers, "believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets." Acts 24:14. They charge us with persecuting them; brethren, let us examine ourselves carefully in this matter, and avoid the influence of that demoniac spirit, for surely so far as we manifest a spirit of persecution, we give evidence that we are not influenced by the principles of the gospel which we profess to be governed by and to love. The scriptures, and our experience as christians, teach us that man cannot, only by the power of grace, do a good act, or think a good thought; therefore, while we would pity and pray for those in error, the Arminian believes man can do meritorious works, and according to the old adage, thinks, a bird that can sing, and won't sing, should be made to sing -- so that while the doctrines of grace stand opposed to it, persecution is a fit and constant companion of Arminianism. It is offensive to the popular Baptists to have their institutions put on a level with papal superstitions, but really in some respects the latter appears more rational, or in other words less presumptuous, than the former, as to the effects they attach to them; the papists profess to use their cross, images, &c., as helps to their devotions only, while the popular Baptists rely upon their devices to convert sinners and evangelize the world. Again, how can a New School Baptist contend against infant sprinkling? It will avail him nothing to prove that immersion is the only scripture baptism, the other may admit his arguments, but plead expediency, and place infant sprinkling on the same footing with the benevolent institutions, (so-called,) which Baptists and Pedobaptists contend for and practice. Brethren, if we are to receive every thing that is presented under the name of the religion of Jesus, accompanied with great zeal, then we may as well unite with Catholics as any other unscriptural denomination. What but dreadful delusion and disregard to the divine word, can induce any person who reads the word of God, to suppose that the church of Christ is presented to view in the union of nearly all denominations of professing christianity, and many who make no profession of religion; they assuredly must (unless brought out by God's matchless grace) fall under that awful sentence, "depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:23. The popular Baptists boast of their respectability -- Paul says of the saints, "we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things." I. Cor. 4:13. They are popular, of the children of God it is said, "ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." Matthew 10: 22, Mark 16:17. They rely much on their worldly wisdom. "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise," &c., I. Cor. 1:27,28; and Paul asks, "Where is the wise? where is the Scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" I. Cor. 1:20. Again, they say much of their numbers; Christ calls his Church a little flock. Luke 12:32, and says, "Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14. The 13th verse shows that the many go to destruction. It appears quite plain to us, that the great Shepherd never intended his flock to be gathered into his fold by such means as are resorted to by the popular religionists of the day. When He sent out his twelve disciples to preach the gospel, he said to them, "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your purses," &c., Matthew 10:9. He promises to be with them alway, even to the end of the world. Matthew 28:20. And further directs them when they are persecuted in one city, flee to another. Matthew 10:23.
It appears, then, according to the divine arrangement, neither gold, silver, nor brass, in the form of coin or jewelry, is required to be thrown into the Lord's treasury, or hung upon the cross (as Mr. Judson has it,) as a prerequisite to the servants of the most high, engaging in their ministry, nor is a missionary society needed, for Christ directs the whole by his divine influence, not only when he delivered the injunction to the twelve [eleven], but to the end of the world. It appears, too, that they were to expect persecution as a thing of course, as appears from the scripture last quoted. He does not say, if you should happen to be persecuted, but when they persecute you, &c. From the scriptures, and confirmed by the history of the Church since the days of the Apostles, it appears manifest, that persecution more than any other human instrumentality has caused the extension of the Redeemer's Kingdom -- yes, by it the dear saints were driven from city to city, from country to country, under circumstances well calculated to produce irresistible impressions of their sincerity; yes, brethren, very different from the boasted missionaries of the present day. It is true, indeed, God's thoughts are not man's thoughts, neither are man's ways, God's ways. Vital godliness has always manifested itself under persecution, and a declension has invariably succeeded a popular state of the Church.
The foundation of Popery was laid by the popularity of christianity in the reign of Constantine the Great. (Some remarks relating to that subject, in Benedict's History of the Baptists, Vol. 1, page 13, deserves particular attention.) Notwithstanding those facts are so fully established, both by scripture and history, such is the pride of the heart, that it cannot be reconciled to the simplicity of the gospel.
Brethren, we think it will not be amiss to remind you of the necessity of faithfulness, and strict attention in the Churches. The errors which have so much annoyed us for several years past, have been more or less promoted by our neglect in not setting our faces against them at an early period of their appearance among us. "The Church of God is the pillar and ground of the truth." - I. Tim. 3:15. Brethren, is it enough that we profess to believe the truth, without manifesting that we love it? Do we give evidence that we love it, while we wink at error in our Churches? O brethren, let us attend to the divine injunction, "earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." Jude 3rd verse. We exhort you to be engaged for the interests of Zion, be careful in receiving members whether by experience or letter. If any important error in principle or practice be found in any of your members, notice it promptly; and if you lack wisdom in the management of the case, ask of God who giveth liberally and upbraideth not.
For information relative to our proceedings, we refer you to our Minutes. And now, brethren, we recommend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
WILLIAM MARVIN, Moderator
SAMUEL BUCK, Clerk.
* [Note: these two churches were later restored to full fellowship in the Association, having rid themselves of the unsound element of arminianism in their bodies.]
