1905 Corresponding Letter of the Salem Association of Indiana
The Salem Association of Regular Baptists, now in session with the Big Creek Church, in Posey Co., Ind., on Friday and Saturday, September 22 and 23, 1905, to her sister associations with whom we correspond: Dear Brethren in the Lord:-- We have been blessed with the happy privilege of meeting together in the eighty-third annual meeting of our body and have heard from all our churches. They report peace and ingathering and appear to be firmly fixed in the truth that has distinguished our people from all others all the eighty-three years of our existence. We as a people are opposed to the idea that the commission was given to the church. We have contended all along that the commission was given to the ministry.
The Saviour said to the apostles "Go." He did not say to the church "send." Our fathers lived in defence of this doctrine and died believing it. We are opposed to a federal form of government for the churches. Our people have contended that each church is the mistress of her own affairs, and has a right to do as she pleases in managing all of her internal rights. We think no church has a right to advocate that the commission was given to the church, or for a federal form of government, or that the church should go into the printing business and have a paper published under her immediate supervision. To exhort the dead in sin to repent and obey the gospel spiritually is as unreasonable as to exhort the dead in the grave to get up and walk naturally. We think the church or preacher has as much right from God's word to do the one as the other. We do believe it right to pray for mourners: but we do not believe in calling for mourners to manifest themselves for our prayers, and we are opposed to Bible classes and organs in the church of God, or any shade of doctrine or practice that would make us different from what we have been in former years. We are as much opposed to Antinomianism with no practice at all as we are to Arminianism with all the practices of the world. If we have any among us anywhere who want all or any of the things that we oppose in this letter we beg them to go to where they have them and let us alone in peace. We do not want any of those things, and we do not want the men among us who advocate them.
As the urging of the above measures are causing trouble in other places, we thought it right to speak out. Your correspondence is highly appreciated, and we hope it may continue. Your messengers came to us with truth, and therefore we had peace and union. We do believe our Association had an influence for good. Our minutes will tell you where our next Association will be held, and who of your brethren came to us and who of ours agreed to go to you. Farewell.
Done and signed by order of the Association and in her behalf.
Elder A. A. Shoultz, Moderator. Richard Brumfield, Clerk.
Copyright c. 2001. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
