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Gold, Silver, Precious Stones
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A Concise History of the Ketocton Baptist Association (1808)
The Constitution and Order of Churches belonging to this Association.
FOR the convenience of public worship and direction of discipline of the Lord's house, it is thought necessary that independent congregational churches should be constituted, being consistent with, and founded upon apostolic custom in primitive times. When a number of persons having been baptized according to the institution of Christ, upon profession of their faith in Christ, who lie remote from, and inconveniences preventing their assembling with or forming in with a church of Christ, it makes it necessary that they should form into a distinct and separate society, for the purposes aforesaid.
It has been customary where individual baptized persons have labored under inconveniences as before stated, to propose a constitution, if their number be sufficient. Should they have joined any church, a regular dismission is necessary; when that is obtained, a day is then appointed, which is observed as a day of fasting and prayer, ministers being called upon to attend. On meeting together for this very solemn and important purpose, on the day and place appointed, enquiry is generally made by the preachers present respecting their religious sentiments -whether an agreement in sentiment, (as it appears necessary they should be agreed in order to walk together;) whether each of them do purpose in his heart to live in obedience to the word of God, and aim to fill his place in the church of Christ. -Sometimes there is a short written covenant, expressive of the principles on which they unite, which they severally subscribe.
This being done, they are publicly acknowledged and declared by the minister or ministers present, to be a church of Christ, and the right hand of fellowship given to each of them, accompanied with prayer to God for the prosperity and growth of his Zion, and that his dwelling may be in this temple, raised up for his name.
A church being thus formed, has certain rights granted her by the great Law-giver and Head of the church, which no power civil of ecclesiastic has a right to deprive her of, without a gross insult offered to the bride, the Lamb's wife; she hath a right to search and peruse the holy scriptures, as the unerring rule of faith and practice, and sufficient in every instance to furnish Zion's citizens with every good work.
The several members have a right to assemble and meet together for the purpose of divine worship, and go up to the Lord's house to be taught of His ways, and that they may walk in His paths, seeing the law goeth forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem:
That she hath a right to the choice of her own officers, as was the case of the first officers chosen in the church by the direction of the apostles:
That she hath a right to judge of the qualification of such as sue for admission into her communion; if qualified according to scripture, she receives such -if not so qualified, she rejects them:
That she has a right to look into and make diligent search among the members of her body, lest any thing erroneous in doctrine or immoral in practice should be imbibed by any of them, and to reprove such, and endeavor to reclaim them if possible; but if such offending members cannot be reclaimed, then to exclude them from the church, that in so doing she may purge out the old leaven of wickedness, and so be a new lump.
Her privileges are many, her dignity is great; she is the ground and pillar of truth, the object of Christ's complacency, and all ministers of the Gospel and other officers in the church, are nothing more than her servants.
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