The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-12-13

Grand Total 1924, 389. 40
There were 1,467 baptisms reported
| by the 103 state missions, and $3.50 by
the pastors.
The representatives present from
the Baptist institutions from out of
the state were unusually strong men
| and made captivating addresses. DR..
Sampay of the seminary at Louisville,
captured the crowd every time he
spoke. DR.. Frost, of the Sunday school
board of Nashville, made by odds
the most masterful address, and the eff
feet was heightened because of his
having recently published the life
of Matthew F. Yates, North
Cardinals greatest missionary to
China. DR.. Willingham, of the foreign
board, did fine work. DR.. Hippo, of the
Publication Society, at Philadelphia,
had added interest in his speech be-
cause of his relation to Chapel car
work and the new fields in Cuba and
Porto Rico. The Baptists have been
the pioneers in Cuba, having now in
Havana a $4,000 church with a mem
bership of 1000, of which General
| Gomez is one
The convention will go next year to
Asheyille, to the heart of the new added
territory, and hold it's session.
This convention this year at Green
vile was full of early Baptist history.
It brought sketches of their heroic
| struggles for their wv existence and
their heroic participation in the strug-
giles for civil liberty. Drs. Huffman
and Albritton, the patriachs of the
body, we're stirring in their words, on
these topics. AS these struggles were
vital parts of the states history, a few
paragraphs will be of general interest.
CAUSES OF BAPTIST GROWTH.
Among the heroic names of the
states builders, were the builders of
the Baptist convention and it's insti-
buttons. The Baptists kept pace with
the growth of the state.
Among the several cause bringing
about these results were, % the bond
of sympathy between our ministry and
the Masses or the common people,"
(2) reliance upon. the word as preached
by God-calied men guided by the Holy
Spirit; and 60 the self-sacrifcing la
bors of men of wealth like Paul Pal
mer, Francis oliver, and VIM. P. Bid
die, who made extensive preaching
tours at their own charges. Indeed,
the pastors generally were missionar-
les as we'll, preaching and building up
churches in the regions round about
their pastoral charges. They belonged
to what We now call the volunteer
mission CORPS" and esteemed it a priv
ilege to furnish their own conveyances,
pay their W expenses, and give their
time, means and labor for the spread
Of the gospel and the salvation of
souls.
With equal zeal and conservation our
Baptist fathers gave themselves to the
struggle for civil and religious liberty.
Their love of liberty was intensified %
by the persistent efforts of those in
power OF the establishment of the
Episcopal church as the state religion
and for the compulsory support of this
ministry by taxation; CD by the re-
ports of the prosecutions of their
brethren in Virginia and New England;
n go by the prosecutions endured
by the Baptists of Craven county. The
county records show that Baptists were
fined, imprisoned and publicly whipped
in Craven county about the middle of
the eighteenth century.
The story of the whipped Baptistz
having been denied some years ago.
I wrote TO the editor of the New Bern
Journal, requesting him to examine
the records for me. He did as request
ed and published IN the Journal of
September 6, 1888, the following:
I'm looking over the old dusty rec
ords in the registers Office, we find
an entry in the minute docket Of the
county court in 1741, noting the a2pli-
cation by Baptists to be allowed to
build a church in New Bern. Instead
Of granting the application, these ap- ;
plicants were all publicly whipped. |
bound over to keep the peace, and rel
quired to give bond for their good be-
havior, and also to take the test oath" J
These records have been mutilated