Andrew Broaddus, a Baptist statesman, delivered a farewell address in 1833 before a meeting of the Dover Baptist Association, which he repeatedly had served as moderator and for which he had preached the introductory sermon for some 46 years.
At the time he had reached what he called “advanced age.” He was 68, which, given the expected life span for the first half of the 19th century, may have been old age.
He called his message a “valedictory” and indeed it was composed and delivered as a swan song. But a kind Providence smiled and the old man just kept on growing older. In 1845, at age 75, he delivered the same message all over again at another meeting of the Dover. By then, a new association had been formed out of the Dover and called the Rappahannock. It was the association in whose territory Broaddus then lived. But his strong ties were with the venerable Dover and once more he mounted the platform to speak. By his own observation, he was “the oldest surviving minister” from the early years of the Dover.
Like some of today's celebrities, he was perpetuating his farewell tour! Broaddus was considered one of the greatest orators of his generation. In content and construction, the farewell address is a masterpiece. We only can imagine that the presentation was effective.
First, he remembered “the patriarchal times” of the association, recalling a long string of notables. He said: “In looking around on this assembled body, I see none of those who belonged to the old generation when I, then a youth, first united with the fraternal band. Ford, Webber, Courtney, Lunsford, Toler, Noel, Lewis, Greenwood have long since finished their course and are gone to ‘rest from their labors.' ” He was referring to the pioneering generation, the Baptist forefathers who had endured persecution in the struggle for religious liberty and who had planted a Baptist witness across Eastern Virginia.
He next observed that most of his own contemporaries had vanished from the living. “Where is Straughton? And where is Semple, that brother of my soul? And Claybrook and Rice, where are they? And what a list might be drawn out of brethren in the more private walks of the church.”
How many of those names are recognizable to today's Virginia Baptists? I dare say that no more than a dozen persons could identify most of them. If you are among the dozen, drop me a postal card and let me know how well you scored. Next week, I will give a thumbnail sketch on these forefathers in the faith.
Andrew Broaddus knew that to dwell upon the past and its dead could “throw a melancholy shade” over the meeting. After remembering the past, he quickly seized the minds of his hearers and led them into imagining the future. The old man observed: “But, blessed be God! A cheering light breaks through this gloom and just beyond we catch the glimpse of a more glorious dawn! The seats here left vacant by our departed brethren have been more than filled by a new generation of Christians.
“The field of labor, both at home and abroad, has been greatly enlarged; and now, with an extended vision, we see that ‘there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.' Let me hope that so far from having your spirits crushed by the increasing responsibility which attends the opening and enlarging of this field, you will rather feel animated by the prospect … that your courage will rise and keep pace with the growing view; and that, ‘strong in the strength which God supplies,' you will cheerfully say, with faithful Caleb, ‘Let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it.' ”
Andrew Broaddus' lifetime had reached from the time of a state church to a glorious religious liberty, from a small band of Baptists to a mighty army of baptized believers. The “greatly enlarged field of labor” referred to the advance of domestic and world missions. The pioneer missionary Luther Rice had stayed with Broaddus when passing through Caroline. The first state missionaries, Jeremiah Bell Jeter and Daniel Witt, the self-styled “Bedford Plowboys,” received their commissioning at Broaddus' home. Broaddus had been a key player in the formation and advancement of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
The remarkable dimension to the old man was that he helped the younger generation to imagine what yet could be accomplished for the advancement of mankind and the glory of God. Imagine the rousing endorsement the old patriarch could give today on behalf of the BGAV's program of “Kingdom Advance” as well as other worthy Baptist ministries. He would be on the front lines cheering today's generation, remembering the past yet imagining the future!
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies. He can be reached at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.