The Daily Dispatch: June 4, 1861., [Electronic resource]

General Baptist Association.
[reported for the Richmond Dispatch.]

The Committee on place and preacher for next meeting, selected Richmond, and Rev. W. D. Thomas, of Warrenton, to preach the opening sermon.

Rev. W. Slate reported in behalf of the Committee on Nomination of New Boards, and as this is an important report I send you a copy:

State Mission Board,Richmond.--Jas. B. Taylor, President; L. W. Seeley, 1st Vice-President; William Fisher, 2d Vice-President; H. K. Ellyson, Corresponding Secretary; J. E. Burress, Recording Secretary; J. B. Wood, Treasurer; A. M. Balley, Auditor. Other Managers--Joel B. Watkins, William M Young, William Sands, E. W. Roach, Miles Turkin, J. B. Jeter, A. Broaddus, H. W. Dodge, A. P. Fox, Napoleon Burke, Francis J. Barnes, J. C. Williams. J. L. Burrows, Charles S. Cocke, Jos. H. Fox, H. H. Wyer, T. W. Sydnor, W. P. Farish, J. F. Keesee, J. H. Cocke, John M. Murray. E. J. Willis, R. H. Bagby. David Shaver, William Forbes, Josiah Dabbs, T. G. Keen, F. M. Barker, M. W. Reed, J. B. Henderson.

Sunday School and Publication Board,Richmond--W. H. Gwathmey, President; B. Grimsley, 1st Vice-President; A. Fleet, 2d Vice-President; Alexander H. Sands, Corresponding Secretary; P. B. Law, Recording Secretary; George J. Sumner, Treasurer; J. H. Beck, Auditor. Other Managers.--Samuel Wortham, W. A. Armistead, Charles H. Winston, W. B. Davidson, Joseph C. Courtney, R. H. Bosher, John C. Williams, Jordan H. Martin. Wm.G. Dandridge, A. B. Clarke, W. E. Hatcher.

Education Board,Richmond.--J. L. Burrows, President; J. B. Jeter, 1st Vice President; B. J. Willis, 2d Vice President; Robert Ryland, Corresponding Secretary; Wm.P. Ragland, Recording Secretary; C. T. Wortham, Treasurer; C. P. Burruss, Auditor. Other Managers.--Colemen Wortham, J. B. Solomon, G. E. Dabney, J. W. Garlick, James Thomas, Jr; A. F. Harvey, Wm.T. Lindsay, L. W. Seeley, George Minor, T. Binford.

Bible Board.Norfolk and Portsmouth.--Thomas Hume, President; John C. Long, 1st Vice President; J. Hendren, 2d Vice President; T. G. Jones, Corresponding Secretary; M. R. Walkinson, Recording Secretary; Thomas D. Toy, Treasurer; J. J. Biggs, Auditor. Other Managers.--Ell Cutterell, B. Thomas, Richard Meads, Wm. H. Morris, Seth March, J. White, O. N. Fetcher, Miles Davis, C. Brinkerhoff, Wm.Wagner.

Foreign Mission BoardCharlottesville.--A. B. Brown, President; James Fife, 1st Vice President; Wm.P. Farish, 2d Vice President; B. W. Snead, Corresponding Secretary; James Alexander, Rec. Sec; John T. Randolph, Treasurer; John H. Bibb, Auditor Other Managers.--A. P. Abell. Lewis Sowell, J. E. Massey, Addison Manpin, W. A. Whitescarver, John Simpson, John Hart, Lewis M. Coleman, P. C. Hoge, G. W. Garrett.

Domestic Mission Board.Petersburg.--T. G. Keen, President; Thomas Wallace, 1st Vice President; D. Witt, 2d Vice President; D. G. Potts, Corresponding Secretary; E. B. Branch, Recording Secretary; C. F. Fisher, Treasurer; O. Ellyson, Auditor. Other Managers.--Geo. Bailey, F. H. Robertson, Bernard Todd, Wm. Drummond, Ira C. Schoolfield. Dr. J. N. Schoolfield, J. M. Butter, A. B. Garland, E. D. Merritt, David Steel.

On motion of Rev. A. M. Poindexter, it was Resolved, That it be earnestly recommended to all Baptist Churches throughout the State to meet every Lord's day, to pray for the Divine blessing on the Confederate States of American during the impending struggle for independence.

On motion of Rev. C. Tyree, it was

Resolved, That the limited supply of Testaments and tracts now in the Baptist Depository at Richmond makes it most important that our Churches and Sabbath Schools be requested to send up small copies of the New Testament and tracts to the various camps, for distribution among the soldiers.

Rev. Dr. Ryland, Corresponding Secretary of the Education Board, reported that during the past year the Board have aided twenty-nine young men in preparing for the ministry at the Richmond College, four of whom are candidates for graduation. The following is an extract from Dr. Ryland's report:

"The long-cherished hatred of the Northern States towards the institutions of the South, has at length developed itself in an aggressive and cruel war — a war which, in the inadequacy of its cause, in the earnest efforts of the assailed to avert it by peaceful adjustments, and in deliberate purpose to exterminate or subjugate brothers whose chief crime consists in asking to be let alone, has no parallel among civilized nations. Our reliance for ministers of the Gospel must henceforth be, under God, exclusively on ourselves. While we cherish, with undiminished confidence, those brethren among us who, though born and bred at the North, are yet royal and true to the South, we proclaim it on the house-top, that in future our churches will not, and should not, accept a single evangelist coming from that corrupted region. What was once a prejudice, that time and acquaintance often overcame, is now a stern and settled principle, that will admit of no discussion — no modification — no relaxation.

‘"We have convincing and painful evidence that a large majority of the so called ministers of the Prince of Peace are active instigators of the crusade against our soil, our homes, our wives, our daughters. The inference is that our educational labors, instead of being lessened, must hereafter be greatly augmented. Especially must we train our own preachers. During the progress of the war, we consent and advise that every dollar, if needed, shall be given to the holy cause of maintaining our independence. But as soon as victory shall perch on our banners, as it surely will in the end, and we shall be recognized, as we shall inevitably be, by European Powers and the United States as a distinct confederacy, a scene of prosperity, unexampled in our past career, will open upon us, and then we shall call on every lover of his country to give holy to the cause of emancipation from ignorance, as he does now to the cause of deliverance from social and political oppression."’

Rev. A. B. Brown read a report from the Foreign Mission Board, from which it appears that Baptist missionaries in heathen lands are laboring with hopefulness and success. This report gave rise to an interesting discussion, in which Revs. L. W. Allen, J. B. Taylor, A. M. Poindexter, G. W. Sampson, and A. Broaddus, participated.

Rev. Geo. B. Taylor reported the following important preamble and resolutions:

The Committee to whom was referred so much of the Report of the S. S. and Colportage Board as refers to colportage among the soldiers of the Confederate Army, beg leave to report, for the adoption of the General Association, the following resolutions:

1.Resolved, That we recommend to the Board to restrict their appointment of Colporteurs, for the present, to the army, unless in particular cases there may be some special reasons for a different course.

2. Resolved, That we recommend the Board to appoint at once a sufficient number of Colporteurs to occupy all the important points of rendezvous and promptly to reach all the soldiers in service in the State.

3. Resolved, That we recommend that during the war, as many Colporteurs as can profitably be employed, and as the means of the Board admit, be kept in service.

4. Resolved, That we recommend that special contributions to colportage among the soldiers be solicited from our churches, from the community, and even from such persons in other of the Confederate States as may feet interested in the welfare of the soldiers who are gathered from various Southern States to fight their common battles on the soil of Virginia.

5. Resolved, That we recommend to the Board to take steps to secure the issue of a tract of tracts especially adapted to general circulation among the soldiers.

‘ "In the Sabbath School cause we have made some steps in advance. The number of conversions reported, and attendance on the schools, will appear in the annexed tabular statement. Too great care cannot be taken to ensure proper selections of Sunday School libraries. This is peculiarly important in the present attitude of our national affairs. We have one good Southern book — the Bible--we can confidently recommend, wherever printed; but we have not otherwise a good Southern Sunday School literature. It must, necessarily, be of slow growth; and until we have such a literature, produced by Southern writers, and published by Southern publishers, every volume that passes into the hands of our children and youth should undergo the rigid supervision of some competent Southern man."

’ Mr. Geo.J. Summer, Treasurer of the Sunday School, and Publication Board, made a report, from which it appears that during the year the donations to this enterprise have amounted to $9,527,85, which has been expended in the circulation of good books and the establishment of Sunday Schools.

H. K. Ellyson, Esq., Corresponding Secretary of the State Mission Board, read an able report, from which I furnish you the following digest:

‘ "The Divine blessing which has attended the labors of your State Board for many years past, has been continued in a large degree during the current year. Our hearts have been made to rejoice at the triumphs of the Gospel, even amidst the extraordinary events that have occurred during this period, and which, it was feared, would direct the public from spiritual things. The sixty-six missionaries, during the past year, preached 6,308 sermons, baptized 1,077 converts, made 5,587 visits, organized 11 churches and 26 new Sunday schools."

Interesting addresses were made on this report by Revs, A. M. Poindexter, G. W. Sampson, J. B. Hardwick, T. G. Keen, Burrows and Fisher.

H. K. Ellyson, Esq., has for years labored with great success as Corresponding Secretary of this enterprise, and has endeared himself to all the missionaries in the employ of his Board. It is determined to entrench largely in this work, owing to the state of the country.

On motion of Rev. Dr. Seeley, the following was adopted:

Resolved, That all our churches be recommended to urge on their members the method of the Apostolic churches in contributing, by laying aside for the Missionary Fund on every Lord's Day according to their ability; and that our brethren endeavor to take their weekly collection at the special meetings for prayer, which this Association has already advised the Church to hold.

Dr. Seeley sustained this resolution in an able speech. He urged that weekly collections would immensely augment the aggregate amount of donations to our religious enterprises.

Rev. J. C. Long, of Norfolk, read the Bible Board report, which was discussed by Revs. L. W. Allen, A. B. Brown, J. C. Long, A. E. Dickinson, and others. The report urges the importance of taking active steps for distributing Bibles and Testaments among the soldiers.

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