Actions of the Greenfield-Philesic Association of Tennessee
WHAT WE DID, AND WHY.
Whereas it has become the painful duty of the churches composing the Greenfield-Philesic Association to take some action concerning things which are being advocated and strenuously contended for by some of the ministers of our Association to the confusion and destruction of the peace of the brotherhood at large, we deem it proper to inform our brethren everywhere as to the steps we have made and the actions we have taken. We therefore here give a statement of our proceedings as had in our Union with the church at Martin, Tenn., on Friday before the fifth Sunday in July, 1905.
The church at Martin, after the introductory sermon had been preached by Elder S. F. Cayce, was called into conference. Then a letter was read from them to the sister churches composing a Union who were represented. The letter was as follows:
The Primitive Baptist Church of Christ at Martin, Weakley Co., Tenn., to her Sister Churches composing the Union of the Greenfield-Philesic Association, when convened with us on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 28, 29, 30, 1905:
Greeting:
Dear Brethren and Sisters:- We write this short epistle to bid you welcome in our midst, and to say we are glad to have our sister churches meet with us in worshiping the Lord. We trust there are no leaders among us, and that we all will come together for the sole purpose of worshiping the Lord, and trying to glorify his name.
We also wish to say that we do not endorse some measures that have been lately advocated among us, namely, that the Baptist church should have a federal form of government; that the commission was given to the church; and that the Baptist church should have a publication house controlled by the churches. Neither do we endorse the action of some brethren in uniting and affiliating with secret institutions. We wrote a letter to Fulton church some time ago asking them to cease advocating and practicing these things, to which letter we have received no reply, and we have been told that their moderator refused to read the letter in conference.
We would be glad if our brethren would cease advocating these things to the hurt and destruction of the cause and peace of the brotherhood, and would be content to be Old Baptists.
Now, brethren, we bid you welcome among us, and assure you that we desire to stay in the good old paths, as marked out by the blessed Saviour and his apostles; and we are sure that there is a blessed rest to be found in walking there, and only distress and confusion elsewhere.
With love and esteem for all who are contending for the primitive grounds and ancient landmarks, we are your sister church at Martin.
ELDER S. F. CAYCE, Moderator
J. A. JENKINS, Clerk.
Then the letters from the sister churches were called for, and the following named churches were represented and handed in their letters: Blooming Grove, Greenfield, Rock Spring, Ralston, Shiloh, Brush Creek, Sandy Branch, Little Zion, and Concord. A letter from Elder W. E. Brush, the pastor of Little Zion Church, was also handed in and read. Every letter, except that of Little Zion, stated that they were in favor of dropping Fulton church from our Union and Association, and in Brother Brush's letter the Union was informed that this would not at all be contrary to the feelings of Little Zion Church, all giving as their reasons for this action that the ministers of said church were contending for and advocating the ideas that the Primitive Baptists should have a federal form of government; that the commission was given to the church; that the Baptists should have a publication house to be controlled and supported by the denomination; and because some of their members unite with, affiliate with and officiate in secret institutions, Elder R. S. Kirkland being a leader in this affiliation and officiation.
Then a motion and second was made to drop Fulton church from the Union. Elder J. V. Kirkland, being present, asked the privilege of defending himself and Fulton church. Then the motion made in behalf of the Union to drop Fulton church from the Union was withdrawn, with the consent of the party who seconded the same. After this, a motion was made in behalf of Martin Church, which was seconded and unanimously carried that "Eld. Kirkland be refused the privilege of speaking in our church uintil he makes amends for publicly railing against our pastor and the church." Then the motion first made in behalf of the Union to drop Fulton church from the Union was renewed and unanimously carried, there not being a dissenting vote.
That we have not acted hastily or rashly, is evident from the fact that many have labored privately by correspondence and in person with these brethren, trying to persuade them to cease the advocating of these things to the hurt of the cause and to the destruction of the churches, which they have all the while stoutly refused to do; and instead of this have said they were not afraid to risk their cause being plead before intelligence, but that their positions would be rejected by ignorance and superstition. Not only have they been labored with privately, but the church at Martin, as well as Greenfield, Rock Spring and Little Zion, wrote to Fulton church and begged them, as a church, to labor with her members to try to get them to cease these things. We have been informed by Baptists that not one of these letters were read to the church at Fulton in conference; that the moderator refused to have them read. The following is a true copy of the letter from the church at Martin:
The Primitive Baptist Church in Martin, Tenn., to her sister, the Primitive Baptist Church in Fulton, Ky.
Greeting:
Dear Brethren and Sisters in the Lord: - Knowing that some dissatisfaction exists among brethren of different churches in our Association toward the church at Fulton, on account of your minister, Eld. R. S. Kirkland, having joined a secret order; and having been reliably informed that some of our sister churches are not willing to sit with us in our coming Union meeting in case messengers are received from the church at Fulton while these things continue to exist; we therefore write you this epistle of love, hoping that you will receive it in love, and that the brethren will be willing to lay these things down for the sake of peace; and that you, the church at Fulton as a body, will labor with them to that end.
Done in conference on the fourth Sunday in June, 1905, and signed by order of the church.
ELD. C. H. CAYCE, Mod. Pro-tem.
J. A. JENKINS, Clerk.
All of this plainly shows that due labor was had, and that labor was of no avail; and the only course left for us to pursue was to drop them from our Union. It is also just to say that the letters from the churches said, "We are in favor of dropping Fulton church from the Union and Association unless she puts herself in order," or "unless she will retract," and like expressions, showing that we would gladly retain them if they will only cease advocating these things.
With reference to the motion made in behalf of Martin church that Eld. Kirkland be refused the privilege of speech until he makes amends: this step was taken because Eld. Kirkland wounded us by saying publicly in the pulpit that Eld. S. F. Cayce, the pastor at Martin, was trying to lead a small gang to kill him, and because of expressions like that quoted above, implying that those who differed from him were ignorant and superstitious, thus charging the great body of Primitive Baptists who are now living, as well as our honored fathers who are now sleeping in the dust, with ignorance and superstition. We, as Baptists, with love to our cause and the brotherhood, feel it to be our indispensable duty to close our doors against those who thus rail against the brotherhood. We also state that we do not endorse the idea that gospel repentance and faith should be preached as a duty to be performed by the alien sinner. We maintain that there is a difference between legal repentance and gospel repentance and between historical faith or evangelical faith, which distinction should always be made.
We request that Eld. S. F. Cayce give space in the Primitive Baptist for the foregoing, and that other papers of the same faith and order be requested to copy.
Passed by the Union of the Greenfield-Philesic Association on Sat. before the fifth Sun. in July, 1905.
ELD. S. F. CAYCE, Moderator.
J. A. JENKINS, Clerk.
Copyright c. 2002. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
