Kehukee Association Circular Letters

The following citations are taken from a few of the Kehukee Association’s Circular Letters written in the early 1800s. They can be found here.

First, from 1828.

"What is the doctrine of Election? It is simply this; that God has determined, to make some of the human race, willing to embrace the Gospel."

This is clear evidence that the early association felt the gospel necessary for salvation, and that election guaranteed its success.

"But a question might here arise; if God has an elect number, how can this be reconciled to the universal call, which you give in the gospel? As you are commanded to preach to every creature. We answer, that as man's disability, is of a moral, or intellectual, and not of a physical character; that our preaching or exhortations are directed to his mental, and not his natural powers, if man was physically, or corporeally, disqualified, from the service of God; then we admit, that it would be as reasonable, to preach to the dead, in their graves, as to preach to the living but as they possess all the powers, of both soul and body, requisite for the service of God* and as they were bestowed upon them for that end, we therefore direct our observations, to the rational powers of the soul, which governs the will. In a sinner's conversion to God, there is no new faculty, either of mind or body, bestowed upon him; it is only changing, and giving a proper direction, to those which he originally possesses. It is, "clothing of him in his right mind;" in the doing of this, therefore, we discharge the mandate directed to us as ministers, and look to God, to bless it, without which we know it to be in vain."

The things to note here are that our forefathers held to 

         1) A universal call of the gospel.
   2) A proper understanding of depravity.

          3) Conversion as regeneration, more or less.
   4)  Preaching to the spiritually dead.

"They are invited by the ministers, to come to Christ; but they will not have him to reign over them. Life and death are by the gospel presented to their choice;"

Second, from 1830.

"On these he maketh known the riches of his grace; these vessels of mercy, these foreknown, these beloved, these chosen, these predestinated, these appointed to obtain salvation, these ordained to eternal life believe; these foreknown sheep believe; these called, these justified, these shall be saved in the Lord, by his atonement; (the whole tenor of scripture shews;) with an everlasting salvation, they shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. Yet all this, does not supercede the necessity of God's means to accomplish his ends? For the means is as well ordained, and appointed of God, as the rest."

Our forefathers believed…

1)    The sheep DO believe.

2)    Means are employed in salvation.

3)    These means are ordained, as well as the end.

"And should not this method of preaching, and writing, by Christ and his apostles, teach us that we are to preach the gospel to every creature, to all sinners in general?  Should it not teach us, that it is a secret with God, for whom Christ died?  Should it not teach us, that we are to preach the gospel to sinners in the general, and leave it to God to make the application to the persons he has chosen, or when and where he pleases?"

Our forefathers believed in the indiscriminate preaching of the gospel, and that the results should be left up to God!

From 1831.

XII. "We believe, baptism and the Lord's Supper are gospel ordinances, both belonging to the converted, or true believer; and that persons who were sprinkled or dipped whilst in unbelief, were not regularly baptized according to God's word; and that such ought to be baptized after they are savingly converted into the faith of Christ."

Savingly converted?  What new language is this?  How dare they couple together salvation with conversion!  And converted into the faith of Christ, not to a heathen God, or simple belief in higher power of some sort?

Ah, but this is the doctrine of Old Baptists, decades before conversion would take on an entirely different, unnecessary, place in soteriology by their supposed descendants.

X. "We believe, that such as are converted, justified, and called by grace, shall persevere in holiness, and never fall finally away."

There’s that word again. Conversion!  Mentioned in place of regeneration.  Could it be that the real Old Baptists thought of conversion as essentially depicting the same experience as regeneration?

And there’s the expression persevere in holiness. Again.

Hmm.

"Again, 2 Thessalonians, ii chap. 13th verse: 'But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth.' If the word beginning, has the same meaning here, as it has where it is mentioned in the first of the gospel of St. John: and if sanctification of the spirit, and belief of the truth, mean the same, as holy and without blame before him in love, then there is a perfect agreement between this passage and that which is mentioned above. Holiness is not the cause of God's election, but God has decreed it to be the way of salvation. 'Without holiness none shall ever see the Lord.' See Hebrews xii chap. 14th verse."

2 Thes. 2:13 pertains to eternal salvation? 

Election is UNTO holiness, and not at the expense of it?

God elected his people to become holy in this life?  

Holiness is the way of salvation?

This is nothing more than the teaching of the Bible itself.

"It would be well for the brethren and churches generally, to bear in mind, that these are the principles, or articles of faith, that our Association was established on, and every church that has been since received in her, tacitly subscribed to on their reception; that if any of them since, 'have got wise above that which is written,' it is high time for them to retreat, or withdraw from the camps of Israel, and let it be seen, 'who is on the Lord's side,' and no longer intrude themselves upon Zion's soldiers — and let our ranks be clear of stories."

To depart from these articles is an attempt to become wise above that which is written?

Facts are stubborn things aren't they?