Below is an excerpt from Hassell's History of the Church of God.  It is concerning a query, which was introduced in the Kehukee association, in the year of 1803 by Elder Martin Ross. This was only eleven years since the ideal of Missions was introduced among the Baptist family by Andrew Fuller and William Carey in England. There are some very striking similarities between that turn from God and what is rapidly developing among the old Baptists at the present time.

 The modern missionary movement among the Baptists in America started in large part because of the zeal of certain men to spread the Gospel. It is my opinion that at the infancy of this movement the Gospel was still being preached by those that later came to support the mission movement and its false doctrine. There developed different views on the use of the Gospel. Some followed the lead of Andrew Fuller and taught falsely that the 'Gospel ' and 'the Minister' were the means by which God saved sinners. Thus the terms 'means' and 'anti-means' were used to label each side of the issue. It was only natural that benevolent societies were started in order to support and maintain the spread of this erroneous Gospel.

 Many that shared the common desire of God's ministers to see growth and acceptance of the truth, were deceived into complacency. They were taken by the sleight and cunning craftiness of men and supported the early stages of the movement. Finally after about 27 years of struggling and scattering of God's sheep, some of God's people took a stand against the unscriptural formation of mission and benevolent societies to spread the Gospel.

  We can now, by hindsight, see the result of that split in 1827/32. To see the places each faction now occupies should be a sobering lesson to every Primitive Baptist. The primitive Baptists have in most part stayed in the old paths. Those that split off have grown to a multitude of people, which worship the creature more than the creator. Their doctrine and practice is such as the Scribes and Pharisees to whom Christ said.  "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in VAIN do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

 I have heard it said several times in recent years that after the 1830 split, the Primitive Baptists went to far to one side of the road into the ditch and the other party went to far on the other side of the road into the ditch. A more accurate description of where each faction now stands is that; the primitive Baptists have in most part stayed in the old paths, the Absoluters are in the ditch on one side of the road, the progressives are in the ditch on the other side of the road and the large host of Baptists which split off in 1830 are not anywhere near the road. To believe, that the Primitive Baptists are in the ditch and we need to come back to the center would in effect make us more Progressive than old line Primitive Baptist.

 

Excerpt from Hassell's History
(pages 721/722)

 Query

"Is not the Kehukee Association, with all her numerous and respectable friends, called on in Providence, in some way, to step forward in support of that missionary spirit which the great God is so wonderfully reviving amongst the different denominations of good men in various parts of the world?" 

Simply to state this query is sufficient to show a settled purpose to depart from original ground, previously occupied by Baptists, and to exhibit the state and standing of the Association or church in a different light from that previously discovered in her history.

When was it known before that the Association had "numerous and respectable friends?" When had she before discovered "different denominations of good men in various parts of the world?"  When had she found it necessary before this time " to step forward in support of  any work which the God of Heaven was already carrying on ? If God almighty was reviving a missionary spirit among different denominations of good men in various parts of the world, without the aid of men-made missionary societies, then wherefore the necessity for their creation to enable Him to carry it on? We see none. A very few quotations will show the antagonism of their "query" to the true condition of God's church and people.

   "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God" (Matt. 29. 17)

"There is none that doeth good, no not one" (Romans 3.12)"

 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John 25. 18.19)

 "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God" (James 4.4)

 "He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33.9)

 "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isaiah 46.9,10)

 The idea of  "respectability" and to "be like other people" and to "help the Almighty carry on His own work" has always been damaging to the people of God, whenever entertained by them in any age of the world. It was so under the Old dispensation, and has been so under the new. It was so in Andrew Fuller's day, and was so in Martin Ross's day. The Lord's people have always been a poor and afflicted people. They have always been few in number-- the persecuted among men in all ages--everywhere spoken against and cordially hated for their Master's and His truth's sake. A woe has befallen them whenever they have wrangled among themselves to see who should be the greatest, or to see how near they could be conformed to the religions of the world and still retain their identity as the peculiar people of God.

 End of Excerpt.

   The brother further states on page 722: "The scheme was plausible to many; it was new and beautiful to some; it was well dressed up; it was urged by good words and fair speeches, calculated to mislead the minds of the inexperienced. Those who supported it were represented by the orators of the occasion to be warm-hearted, noble Christians; while those who opposed it were denominated cold-hearted or lukewarm Christians, who cared but little for the salvation of their fellow-creatures.

And thus the new project for a season prevailed, against the warnings and opposition of a few faithful soldiers of Christ, who were ready to mark them who caused divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which they had learned, and avoid them (Romans Xvi 17); but who were unable at the time to make a sufficient stand against this new thing."

 We don't need to know history to see that the modern missionary movement was a departure from the scriptures. The scriptures themselves are sufficient to help us reject any movement we face that is a departure from them. But Baptist history is interesting and can be beneficial .If you read the History of the Kehukee Assoc (1765-1803). ,by Elder's Burkett and Read, you will see the seeds of the modern missionary movement being planted 

Elder Claude Mckee
1497 Bailee Way S. W.
Jacksonville, Alabama 36265