USA > Indiana > Indiana Baptist history, 1798-1908 > Part 10
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He was pastor, in turn, of several churches of the State, one at least being in the northern part. He was a man of great versatility and hopefulness, and nothing that was worth seeing escaped his eye. While laboring in the northern part of the State he assisted in forming the Huntington Association. He says that he did the first baptizing that was ever done in Wa- bash river between Fort Wayne and Logansport. For a while he was financial agent of Franklin college, and speaks in the highest terms of Presidents Chandler and Bailey. About 1856 he moved to Iowa, and while there published a most readable book of remi- niscence.
The Rev. Sidney Dyer, Ph. D., "was born in Wash- ington county, New York, in 1814. He enjoyed the advantages of the log school of pioneer days, which were withdrawn at the age of thirteen, leaving him to
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fight his way as best he could. He entered the regu- lar army at the age of seventeen; and early in 1831 he was sent to Illinois to engage in the Black-Hawk wars. While in the army the desire for a better life possessed him and he was fortunate in having the en- couragement and direction of his captain's wife. Soon the desire to preach began to grow upon him and at the age of twenty-two he began a course of study for the ministry under the direction of the Rev. Charles Sommers, D. D., a prominent Baptist minister in New York City. He was ordained in 1842, preached a while at Brownsville, N. Y., and afterwards took ser- vice as a missionary to the Choctaw and Creek In- dians. He was chosen secretary of the Indian mis- sion board, with headquarters at Louisville, Ky. He remained in this work till 1852, when he accepted the pastorate of the First church, Indianapolis, Ind. He served this church five years, coming to the troub- lous times when the shadow of national differences made it a difficult task to prevent outbreaks in the church family. In 1859 he was appointed district secretary of the American Baptist Publication society, with headquarters in Philadelphia, and he remained in that work till 1885. As was said he did not have the advantages of the higher schools, but by his own effort he became proficient in Latin and Greek; In- diana University conferred upon him the degree of A. M., and Lewisburg University, Pennsylvania, that of Ph. D. While in Louisville he published the "Southwestern Psalmist"-a hymn-book that proved acceptable; it was afterwards revised with the title
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"Dyer's Psalmist." He was the author of several vol- umes, most of which were in the interest of the sciences, and were written especially for the young. He wrote the Jubilee hymn for the Baptist Home Mis- sion society in 1882, also the hymn for the Seventy- fifth Anniversary of the First Baptist church, of In- dianapolis. He died in the harness December 22d, 1898, leaving a poem unfinished on his desk. His life from the age of seventeen to eighty-five was given continuously and without reserve to the service of the Master."
The Rev. Timothy R. Cressey was born in 1800; became a christian at twenty, was graduated from Amherst College in 1828, and from Newton Theo- logical Seminary in 1830. He was pastor in Massa- chusetts and Ohio and afterwards, in 1846, became pastor of the First church Indianapolis, Ind., and served the church six years. During this term of service he secured the erection of a new meet- ing house with a seating capacity of 400, besides Sun- day school rooms. In connection with the work of the pastorate his service of the denomination in fos- tering education, especially in connection with Frank- lin College, and his advocacy of the common school system were positive and gained recognition. A very distinct and valuable part of his service to the denomi- nation in Indiana was his work as secretary of the General Association. It may be truthfully said that he did more than any other to arouse interest in state mis- sions ; he was tireless in his effort to enlist the churches giving money for the purpose. (More will be said
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of him in connection with State work.) In 1853 he went to Minnesota and manifested the same mission- ary zeal that he had in Indiana. In 1861 he was chosen chaplain of the Second Minnesota Volunteers, and served in that capacity for two years. He died in Des Moines, Iowa, August 31st, 1870, his last words being "My work is done, I am going home." He left three sons in the Baptist ministry.
The Rev. Henry Day, D. D., was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, in 1818. His father was an earnest christian, and spent his life mainly on the farm in caring for his large family. The son Henry at length found his way to Brown University; at the close of the second year he was chosen assistant in the Wor- cester County high school, and continued the work for one year. Returning to the university he was graduated with honor in 1843. The First Baptist church of Providence gave him a license to preach ; he accepted the professorship of mathematics in Georgetown, Ky., then under the presidency of the Rev. Howard Malcom, D. D. After the lapse of some years he accepted the professorship of natural phil- osophy, astronomy and civil engineering in his alma mater. Two and a half years later he accepted the pastorate of the Broad Street Baptist church, Phila- delphia, Pa. The pastorate of the First church, In- dianapolis, was strongly urged upon him, and, for the accomplishment, as he thought, of one specific work, he cordially accepted. This was in 1863. He was allowed to give fifteen years to the service of the church, and retired at length with many tokens
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of both the Divine and human favor. No minister has had a deeper and more permanent influence in the Indianapolis Association than Dr. Day. He was soon known as an efficient expounder of the divine word; and his counsels were so wise that both old and young gladly sought his advice. It is doubtful whether any other pastor ever took greater pains and delight in building up the members of his flock into intelligent rounded christian manhood and womanhood. He was most highly regarded in his city as a man of genuine dignity and culture. It seemed to many of his brethren in the ministry that his influence would have been still greater if he had not confined his interest and labor so closely to his own church. He could have done much to advance the Baptist cause in vari- ous parts of Indianapolis, and in various parts of the State. But the power of his fifteen years' pastorate was marked, and will be felt for many years to come. When he became pastor the church was without a house of worship; and largely through his leadership a beautiful and commodious building was dedicated May 4th, 1864, at a cost of $35,000.
The Rev. G. H. Elgin, D. D., was born in Clays- ville, Washington county, Indiana, in 1848, was reared on a farm, and became a member of the Lost River church in 1865. He entered Franklin College in 1870 and was graduated from the classical course in 1875, . being the only member of his class he often remarked that "he stood at the head." Having been called to the pastorate of the Columbus church, he was ordained there in August, 1875. After a pastorate of a year he
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resigned to enter Rochester Theological Seminary. While in the seminary he was a supply at both Buffalo and Newark. At the close of his seminary course he received a call to become pastor of North Church, now College Avenue, Indianapolis. He accepted, and during this pastorate he conceived the idea of a Baptist paper for Indiana; some of his brethren en- couraged him in the enterprise, while others were doubtful of the outcome. At last in 1881 the first number was issued ; for a while he tried to do the work of both pastor and editor, but in the following year he resigned the pastorate to give his whole time to the paper. He continued to pour thought, spirituality and enthusiasm into this work till his death in 1890. His powers rapidly developed in both writing and preach- ing and his social qualities were of a high order, and so in a very short time he became an acknowledged leader in the Baptist enterprises of the State; he took a deep interest in the work of the Indiana Baptist con- vention, helping to shape its policy and increase its ef- ficiency, and while secretary introduced many welcome reforms into the Indiana Baptist Annual. Finally to supplement the income from the paper he engaged as supply for various churches as Adams, Second Mount Pleasant, Clayton, Lewis Creek and Southport, the last of which he was serving at the time of his death. He and Miss Myra Lambertson were married in June, 1875, and together they wrought earnestly and joyfully for the building up of the Master's kingdom. To them were born a daughter, Maude, in 1878, and a son, William, in 1883. Dr. Elgin's death caused genuine
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sorrow to many a friend and many a church; and not a few churches and associations put upon record their appreciation of his worth, and a deep sense of their loss. It seemed a pity that one so capable of leader- ship in the state, and so ready to begin and cultivate christian fellowships should have been called away in his prime-he was but forty-two. He had allowed neither so-called science nor philosophy to draw him away from the doctrine of salvation by sovereign grace; and the fundamental and distinguishing beliefs of his denomination had no more intelligent and earn- est advocate in Indiana. We devoutly thank our Heavenly Father that He had loaned us for a while so able a -minister, and one so full of sympathy for all that is good.
The Rev. W. N. Wyeth, D. D., was born in Massa- chusetts in 1833 ; was pastor for a while in Portsmouth, Ohio, and came to Indiana as a missionary of the American Baptist Home Mission society, his location being Wabash; he came in 1870. It was not long till he was known to "wield the pen of a ready writer" and the Journal and Messenger, recognizing the fact, en- gaged him as the Indiana representative of that paper, with headquarters at Indianapolis. He continued in that work to the full satisfaction of his employers till the board of Franklin College asked him to accept the office of corresponding secretary of that institution. He undertook the work and continued it till 1882 when, feeling more strongly than ever the inclination to use his pen, he went to Philadelphia, Pa., and began the most important work of his life-the publication of
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his eight volumes of Missionary Memorials. These are a happy and helpful contribution to missionary literature, and Dr. Wyeth has multitudes of friends who are thankful to God that he was spared to com- plete this task, before going home. These volumes will prove a more enduring monument than any shaft of marble, or tablet of bronze; they are kept on sale by the American Baptist Publication Society. Dr. Wyeth's two daughters, Mrs. May Moore, of Indian- apolis, and Mrs. Fannie Gard, of Washington, D. C., are both most estimable christian women.
The Rev. H. C. Mabie, D. D., for five years the pas- tor of the First Indianapolis church, and the prime mover in the organization of the Baptist young men of the state was born in Illinois in 1847. He was a stu- dent of the old University of Chicago, and also of Union Theological Seminary at Morgan Park, Illinois. In his student life he gave large promise of leadership among men, especially in the line of religious life and work. After pastorates in Illinois and Massachusetts he was called to the First church in 1879. In tempera- ment and spirit he is evangelistic, and it was not long till this special power began to be recognized both in his own and in other churches of the state. He had excellent oratorical powers, and many not of his own congregation were drawn to his public services. His interest in foreign missions was so pronounced that he was asked by the Missionary Union to accept a secre- taryship ; he consented and now for years he has been one of the chief leaders in organizing and developing the work of the Union. He has twice visited the mis-
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sionary stations in India, China and Europe and is the author of a volume entitled In Brightest Asia. When the Union is called on by interdenominational and in- · ternational conferences for a representative of the American Baptists Dr. Mabie is very often the one chosen.
COFFEE CREEK ASSOCIATION-( COUNTIES OF JEFFER- SON, JENNINGS AND SCOTT).
This Association was organized in 1827. The Sil- ver Creek Association was covering so wide a terri- `tory that it seemed wise to the fathers to make a division, however much the churches that went into the new might regret to part from the old. At the session of the Silver Creek association in 1826 a com- mittee was appointed to report as to the desirability of a division, and also as to the geographical line of division. The report follows :
"Your committee after a careful investigation of the subject deems it desirable to divide the Association and would respectfully recommend the following line : Beginning at Elizabeth church, thence to Saluda, thence to Scaffold Lick and thence to Brownstown; the churches on the line to continue in the old or go into the new as they may choose."
The meeting to organize the new Association was held with the Coffee Creek church; Elder James Alexander preached the introductory sermon, and six- teen churches presented letters and joined in forming the Association; these churches represented a mem- bership of 692. Elder Jesse Vawter was elected mod-
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erator and Elder John Vawter clerk. The ordained ministers in the Association were Elders Jesse Vawter, John Vawter, W. T. Stott, James Alexander, Thomas Hill, Sr., A. Chambers, W. Blankenship, J. B. New, John Bush, Thomas Hill, Jr., and James Glover. As was usual in those days the Association met on Sat- urday; after the introductory exercises the day was given to the business of the body; Sunday was given to religious worship entirely, and on Monday business was resumed.
As might be anticipated it was always a matter of moment as to who should preach on Sunday; the choice was made by election, and we may easily infer who were the favorite speakers by noticing the names of those "who were to preach tomorrow." We wonder that an audience could sit through three long sermons, for they were usually long, and yet we must remem- ber that most of those who listened heard preaching, at the oftenest but once a month, and even then they did not all have the opportunity to hear the "big preachers."
The Articles of Faith and Rules of Decorum were essentially those of Silver Creek; that the Association was to be missionary in spirit we may judge from two resolutions passed in 1849 :- "We advise the churches composing this Association to raise funds for the Bible cause and report the amount at our next session ;" and "This association advises the churches of which it is composed to send by their messengers an annual contri- bution, for the purpose of having the gospel preached to the destitute of this Association.
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But still there were strong prejudices against pay- ing salaries to ministers, and so they must labor with their hands for the support of their families. Many brethren, however, slipped money into the hands of their pastors-literally obeying the injunction "not to let their left hand know what their right was doing." By degrees the conviction grew that if a man be called of God to preach, his brethren are called to give him a financial support.
Nothing of a radical nature transpired in the Asso- ciation till 1832, when the Madison Association was formed .from the Coffee Creek. Up to this time the whole number of baptisms in the Association was 405, being an average of sixty-seven per year. After the organization of the Madison, the Coffee Creek Associa- tion did not appreciably decline; the average number of additions by baptism for the next fifty years was seventy ; and the total membership increased from 592 in 1833 to 1,354 in 1882. It is recorded in the minutes of 1849 that "the first Sunday collection was taken." At the session in 1852 a resolution was passed recom- mending the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Franklin College, religious literature, the Bible cause and Indian missions.
There were many ministers and others in the Coffee Creek Association worthy of special mention-some of these will be noticed in connection with Madison Association, and some must be omitted. High praise is due J. C. Tibbetts, the historian of the Association, for his full and satisfactory sketch; much that follows is taken from his book. The first place in the list of
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leaders in the body, without question, belongs to Elder Thomas Hill, Sr., who was known in later years as "Father Hill"; he was born in New Jersey in 1763, and went with his parents to Virginia while he was yet a child. At the age of nineteen he entered the army and served three months in the war of the American revolution; he and Mary Stone were mar- ried in 1786; in two years from that time he was led to Christ, and almost immediately began to exhort men to turn to the Lord. Having resided in Tennessee for some time he moved to Kentucky and settled near Somerset. He came to Indiana in 1817 and after a short pastorate of Graham church he went into the constitution of the Coffee Creek church, of which he was pastor more than sixteen years. He was an able, faithful and successful minister and preached as long as he had the physical strength necessary. He died in 1848.
The Rev. Thomas Hill, Jr., son of the minister just mentioned, held, if possible, a still larger place in the esteem of the churches of southern Indiana. He was born in Tennessee in 1797, came to Indiana in 1816 and settled on Coffee Creek, southwest of Vernon. In 1822 the Coffee Creek church was constituted and the Rev. Thomas Hill was elected to membership; he was licensed to preach in 1823, and ordained in 1825. Those were days of anti-mission sentiment among many of the Baptists of the State, but Mr. Hill stood firm in his advocacy of missions; in 1826 he was made a missionary of the American Baptist Home Mission society for several counties adjoining his own. He
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was also chosen as financial agent of the Indiana Bap- tist Convention ; and when in 1838 his father resigned the pastorate of Coffee Creek church he was chosen, and served nearly thirty years. He labored as a min- ister in his own community for fifty-three years and his influence grew as time went on. He was a man of strong native powers. was severely logical in his rea- soning, and knew the Bible as only those do who study it intently and prayerfully. He was a man of fine presence also; and, as one has said, he never "threw clubs," but he was amply able to maintain the doctrines as he understood them. He was not a tedious preacher, but left much for the hearer to think out for himself. A man of influence belonging to another de- nomination paid this high tribute to Mr. Hill: "I have been intimately acquainted with him for more than forty years, and can truly say that I never heard him make a remark in the pulpit or out that I could wish he had not said." He died in 1876.
Elders James Alexander, Alexander Chambers, John Chambers, W. A. Chambers, John Bush, James Glover, J. S. Ryker, J. M. Cox, J. W. Robinson, Charles Snow- den, T. B. Lewis and J. R. Tinder all deserve separate mention as faithful and effective ministers in the early years of the Coffee Creek Association.
DANVILLE ASSOCIATION-(COUNTIES OF HENDRICKS AND MORGAN). J
This Association was organized in 1827. But few facts relative to this body are accessible. It was never in organic relation with the Indiana Baptist Conven- tion. From the Baptist Almanac and other sources it
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·
appears that in 1833 there were twenty-one churches and 725 members; in 1839, twenty-four churches and 790 members; in 1851, eighteen churches and 761 members ; and in 1857, eleven churches and 1,108 mem- bers. This was an anti-mission Association.
MADISON ASSOCIATION-(COUNTIES OF JEFFERSON, RIPLEY AND JENNINGS).
This Association was constituted in 1833, the pre- liminary meeting having been held in 1832. As was stated elsewhere it was formed from the Coffee Creek Association, the understanding being that the churches located on the west side of the Madison and Indian- apolis railroad should remain in the Coffee Creek, and those on the east side should join the Madison. Aurora, Madison and New Albany being the principal towns on the Ohio river, in Indiana, Evansville being much farther away, we should expect to find the Bap- tist cause prosperous in the districts of which these towns were the centers; and so it was.
Madison was for many years one of the largest and best organized churches in Indiana, and this church gave complexion to the Association. From a mem- bership of 567 at the time of its organization the Association grew to 1,911 members in ten years time. The churches of this Association, in common with those of others, was obliged to meet the heresies of Predestinarianism on the one hand, and those of Camp- bellism on the other; but there was no general depar- ture from established Baptist doctrines. From the first the missionary spirit was present and operative.
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In the Circular Letter for 1843 Elder William Wal- lace writes :
"While some Baptists spend their time and talents in disputing on decrees, creeds, etc., there are others with feeling's none of the best, consuming their strength in talking about the mission and anti-mission race, thus paralyzing each other's efforts in the common cause . . O, brethren, how devotedly thankful we ought to be that none of these things have been permitted to mar our peace or stop our work of faith and labor of love."
The Association was prompt to advocate Sunday- schools, missions, civil freedom for all, and temperance in those days when many of the churches were opposed to all such measures. The minority did not have the courage to come out in the open, in its opposition. The close proximity of the territory of this Association to Kentucky made the discussion of the matter of slavery a delicate one, and yet there was no hesitancy nor evasion.
In 1818 the Vernon church sent this query to the Association: "Is it consistent with the principles and practice of this Association to correspond with Ken- tucky slave-holding Baptists?"
A direct answer was declined; but convictions did not lose their strength; and many years afterwards this resolution was passed :- "While we do not allow mere differences of opinion on questions of ways and means to be a bar to fellowship among us-we are opposed to intemperance, and oppression of every form." And still later this resolution was passed :-.
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"That we request those Associations corresponding with us, and also others who advocate slavery as a right, to seriously consider whether they ought not to drop such correspondence in order to the keeping up of a harmonious christian correspondence with us."
In 1871 one of the churches was considerably de- moralized by the heresy of "Soul sleeping." But a wise committee was sent to the church to talk the mat- ter over, with the result that it came back into full co- operation with the Association.
This was found in a quarterly paper of the Home Mission Society in 1838 :
"Madison is a flourishing town on the banks of the beautiful Ohio, and is destined to become a place of no inferior commercial importance. One year ago in November last, by our advice, Brother Reuben Morey went there, found a small Baptist church divided into three fragments-the mission, the anti-mission and the Campbellite Baptists. With our promise of help he preached for them three months, when on account of their dissensions he announced his intention of leaving them. Contrary to expectation all parties were anxious for his continuance, and so far laid aside the differ- ences as to join in his support. This was the state of the church, and of course to all foreign operations, it was no better than dead and plucked up by the roots. They applied to the Home Mission society for $150.00, which was granted, they raising $250.00.
During the year now past they have raised by a society among themselves $70.00 for their State Convention, $81.00 for the Burman Bible, and $7.00 at a monthly
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concert; by collections during a sermon of the State Convention they raised $40.00 for the cause in Indiana, and $40.00 for foreign missions of which we will sup- pose that one-quarter was contributed by the church- that is, $20.00; by collection of Brother Bennett for foreign missions $20.00-in all, $198.00 for objects without themselves. Seventeen had been baptized and nineteen added by letter. 'There has been,' Mr. Morey adds, 'we hope, a gradual and constant increase of union and brotherly love among the members and an increasing disposition to come up to every good work." Brother Morey must have been a good missionary."
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