CIRCULAR ADDRESS. -
THE General Commitee of Georgia Baptists, held at Powelton the 1st of May, 1803, to the Baptist
Associations, and all Gospel Ministers, not of their order, within this State, wish THE UNITY
OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE" --
By Henry Holcombe
Respected Friends,
WE have the fatiffaction to inform you, that one of the diftinguifhing
traits of our prefent meeting has been unprecedented harmony.
An appearance of coolnefs, and mifunderftanding, which had palfied our
meafures, has vanifhed. before the light of candid inveftigation. The
fenfe of our churches, on the fubject of a general union among
themfelves, has been carefully collected from a number of their minifters, deacons
and
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other intelligent characters; and we have ferioufly confidered what general
line of conduct is proper to be purfued by us, towards good men who are not in our
connexion. The results, we have the honor to lay before you, in hope of your approbation
and concurrence.
In the firft place, therefore, we take the liberty to addrefs ourfelves to
the Affociations.
BELOVED IN THE LORD,
WE are happy to learn that the failure by two of your number, in choofing delegates to form
a General Committee, agreeably to the plan recommended by our fecond conferences muft
be afcribed to the want of that complete information, relative to the neceffity and
object of the meafure, which we haften to communicate.— In doing this, it is
neceffary to remind you, that a little more than three years ago our common interefts,
as chriftians, were languifhing, and feemed almoft ready to expire.
There were, indeed, individuals who bore an honeft teftimony to the truth, and a few
well difciplined churches; but, in a general view, you will readily recollect, our fituation
was difcouraging in the extreme. Several of our moft able,and active minifters
had juft been removed from time, others, as to any defigns of extenfive
ufefulnefs, were unnerved by the confequential fhock, learning drooped,
religion appeared in mourning, and was daily menaced by crefted infidelity. All this was
publifhed in Gath; and, to add to our humiliation, poffeffing no means
of co-operating in any defign, we were unnoticed, or viewed with contempt, by the common
enemy. — Many folitary individuals, unknown to each other, lamented this fituation
of affairs; but who could
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ftep forward, not only at the rifk of a mortifying difappointment, but of
censure, to propofe any meafure for the general good? All being equal, this was no one's duty, in
particular, and yet, it muft be acknowledged, it was the duty of every one who
poffeffed the requifite abilities. Under thefe circumftances a
meeting of minifters, and other active friends to religion, was propofed, and
happily effected at Powelton, on the 1ft of May, 1801, to confer on the beft means
of reviving the interefts of the churches. At this memorable conference, zeal rekindled,
and formed the pious determination of propagating the gofpel, by itinerant preaching, not
merely throughout the ftate, but, if poffible, among the neighboring favages.
— A twelve-month afterwards, agreeable to appointment, a fecond conference at the fame
place, by concerting a plan of GENERAL UNION, evinced the utility of the firft, and led to
the third, which, as you have feen, has terminated in this committee, as a bond of union,
centre of intelligence, and, advisory Council, to the Baptifts of this ftate. The
necessity that exifted for fuch an iffue of our deliberations, it is
humbly prefumed, will be obvious to every intelligent and impartial perfon; and the
leading odject of this Committee, is to advance your general interefts, by drawing your
lights to a focus, and giving unity, confiftency, and confequently energy
and effect to your exertions in the caufe of GOD. With a fteady view to an object
fo defirable and important, we truft that converted individuals, unconnected
with any religious fociety, and of our denominational fentiments, will join
themfelves to our churches; that the churches will punctually fupport their
reprefentation in the Affociations; and that thefe venerable bodies will
appear, by three delegates from each, at the time and place appointed for the meeting of this
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Committee. In that cafe, the feats which we have the honor to fill, as the
Committee of the late conference, we fhall moft cheerfully refign to your
delegates; but, fo efffential to the Baptift intereft, in this
ftate, do we deem the general committee, that fhould there be a deficiency in your
reprefentation, we are bound, as appears by our minutes, to fupply it by the method
which may appear moft eligible. But we have no doubt of your forming the committee by your
own delegates, except it should be prevented by an interposition of Divine Providence.
SUCH, at once, are the fimplicity and magnitude of the OBJECT in contemplation, that we
think it unneceffary to add a fyllable more; efpecially as the utility of
our late arrangements, tending to it, is fo honorably attefted by the
addition of thoufands to your enlightened bodies.
Rev. Brethren,
WE are affured by revelation, and have the happinefs to feel, that all who love our
LORD JESUS CHRIST in fincerity make but one family. If of this defcription, our
Father, our elder Brother, and the Spirit that is given to us, are the fame; and the
fame our hopes, our fears, our defires, our averfions, our forrows,
and our pleafures. Whenever we act like aliens towards each other, it is becaufe we
are difguifed by our imperfections, or mifreprefented by our adverfaries.
IMPRESSED with thefe fentiments, we fhall
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be happy to fee you all, or any of you, at our next meeting; that we may enjoy the
opportunity, in our public capacity, of evincing to you, and to the world, our fincere
difpofition, and earneft defire, to cultivate, and maintain
friendfhip and. fellowfhip, not only with you, but with all the true followers of
JESUS CHRIST, of your refpectiive denominations.
You have repeatedly done us the honor, publicly to invite us to your facramental tables;
and though, in our view, there were ferious objections* to our
acceptance of your liberal, and, to doubt not, affectionate invitations, we prayed that all the
difciples of our common LORD might be ONE, EVEN AS HE AND THE FATHER ARE ONE. To this
prayer, we are cordially willing to add, in conjunction with you, our beft endeavors, to
remove every obftacle to our communion at that board which, we truft, will be
fucceeded by an infinitely richer banquet in our father's houfe.
With the greateft refpect, and affection, we invite you, Rev. Brethren, to an
inscriptural adjustment, of the comparatively
fmall points in which we differ; and remain your, the Associations', and the
public’s, unworthy fervants in the Gofpel.
ABRAHAM MARSHALL, Chairman.
HENRY HOLCOMBE, Secretary.
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* For inftance: No general confultation, by our denominations refpectively, had been held, on the propriety, or impropriety, of a mixed communion; nor did any difcipline exift among us to prevent members excommunicated by one, from being received by another denomination, to meet, in a new connexion, their aggrieved brethren at the LORD’s table.
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[HENRY HOLCOMBE, A. M., editor, Georgia Analytical Repository, March-April 1803, pp. 284-288; via Internet Archive. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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