209 – July 27 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 

The Welsh revival spreads to America

The Philadelphia Association of Regular Baptists began meeting as early as 1688, in what they called general, and some-times yearly meetings. The business of these meetings was confined to the ministry of the Word and the administration of the gospel ordinances. But at their meeting July 27, 1707 they seem to have taken more the form of an association, therefore this is the date that historians use for the founding of the Philadelphia Association. The members and ministers that made up these churches came from the great Welsh migration in the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries. Such leaders as Jenkins Jones, Abel Morgan, and Samuel Jones brought with them their tradition of great preaching, love of singing, and warm and fervent evangelism. They were a feeble, though faithful, band of believers at that time, consisting of but five churches: Lower Dublin, Piscataqua, Middletown, Cohansie, and Welsh Tract. There were only 14 Baptist churches in all of the colonies at that time. Some things that were discussed in their meeting were things wanting in the churches especially pertaining to who was not to preach in their associational meetings. “…a person that is a stranger, that has neither letter of recommendation, nor is known to be a person gifted, and of good conversation, shall not be admitted to preach, nor be entertained as a member in any of the baptized congregations in communion with each other.”  They were careful to emphasize that they desired no creed and that a “Gospel church is the highest earthly ecclesiastical tribunal and is in no wise subject to any other church, or the decrees of associations or councils. They believed strongly in the sovereignty of God, but kept a fiery spirit of evangelism.

Dr. Greg J. Dixon: From: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I: Cummins/Thompson, pp. 307-09.

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153 – June 02 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

 

Elijah_Craig

From the Plow to the Prison

Elijah Craig was one of the well-known “Craig Brothers.” He came under the preaching of David Thomas, a Regular Baptist, in the year of 1764 and professed his faith in Jesus Christ. The next year he, along with others, was encouraged by Samuel Harriss, the Separate Baptist, to hold meetings in his neighborhood for the encouragement of the young converts and their mutual edification. Craig continued to preach the Word of God from house to house during the week, and on Sunday he used his tobacco barn for their place of assembly. He like his brothers, had a limited education, but he applied himself to personal study and became a fruitful evangelist. He was considered by many to be the most effective preacher of the three brothers.

In the year of 1766, sometime after he had begun his ministry, Craig traveled into North Carolina, where he persuaded James Read to come and baptize the young converts, himself, being one of them. He now devoted himself to preaching with great zeal, was ordained June 2, 1770, and became the first pastor of Blue run and Rapidan churches, which were both constituted December 4, 1769.

Craig was imprisoned four times: twice in Culpeper, and twice in Orange County for preaching the gospel of the grace of God. He was very useful in Virginia and served there until he migrated to Kentucky in 1786 to join his brothers. He bought one thousand acres of land and laid out town on it which was first called Lebanon but after-wards Georgetown.

Dr. Dale R. Hart, from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I. (E. Wayne Thompson and David L. Cummins) p. 226.

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85 – March – 26 – THIS DAY IN BAPTIST HISTORY PAST

The Word of God prevailed
1771 – The Potomack Baptist Church was founded on this date having been planted by the Chappwamsic Baptist Church and their pastor David Thomas.  Thomas was a Regular Baptist from Pennsylvania and was probably the most learned of the early Baptist preachers of Virginia.  He settled in the Northern part of the colony and was continually threatened by ruffians with clubs and guns as were many of our early preachers.  The Chappwamsic church produced some of the greatest of our early church planters like Jeremiah Moore, Daniel Fristoe, and his brother William.  William wrote an early history of the Ketocton Baptist Association and planted the Potomack Baptist Church.  William Fristoe experienced the same treatment, and became the object of those same despisers of the gospel.  The planting of these churches was resisted by large gangs of men with clubs and rocks as they attempted to break up the meetings and beat the preacher.  One example involved a gang of around forty men led by Robert Ashby, who entered the meetinghouse with the purpose of disrupting the meeting.  Some stout fellows at the door threw Ashby out.  This involved the whole multitude in a huge fight.  Soon after, Ashby cut his knee, and it became infected and literally hung by the hamstrings.  On his sickbed he desired preaching, but when the preacher would begin preaching he would stop his ears.  He died a horrible death of great suffering.  So strongly did it impress the people that God had intervened that it put a damper on those that were trying to hamper the meetings.  We can say with certainty what they said of the early church in the book of Acts,  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
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146 — May 26 – This Day in Baptist History Past

 

 Lewis Craig grave site

 

The Bold Preacher Who Fled Fast

 

 

Toliver Craig and his wife, of Orange County, Virginia, were the parents of three sons who became Baptist preachers. They had very effective ministries in the area surrounding their home. David Thomas, the Regular Baptist, and Samuel Harriss and James Read, the Separate Baptists, had introduced the gospel of the grace of God into their community. It was not long until the Craig family became flaming evangels, preaching the Word of God everywhere and anytime they had opportunity. As a result of this zeal, the sons Elijah and Lewis Craig found themselves in the county jail. Elijah was incarcerated four times, twice each in Culpeper and Orange County jails. Lewis was imprisoned only twice, once in Caroline County and once in Spotsylvania County, although he was arrested four times. These imprisonments were for preaching the gospel of the Son of God without state-church ordination or state licensure, although they were charged with being vagrants, strollers, or disturbers of the peace.

 

These brothers probably appeared eccentric in their day, but their younger brother, Joseph, was a very unusual man. He was a man of small stature, stooping shoulders, and hardy complexion. He was very active in business and persevered as a traveling preacher. There is a court record in Orange County Court House dated May 26, 1768, charging him and several others with absenting themselves from the parish church. This may have been due to his conversion experience prior to that date and his presence at Baptist meetings. In spite of several charges against him, to our knowledge he never saw the inside of a jail, doubtless due to the fact that he was a fast runner.

 

Dr. Dale R. Hart: Adapted from: This Day in Baptist History Vol. I. Thompson/ Cummins pp. 215 -216.