HISTORIC UNITY IN THE CHRIST'S ASSEMBLY

THE BACKBONE OF VICTORY AGAINST THE BRITISH
(The Good News of the Kingdom)

Today let us go back in time to consider the least spoken of, but perhaps the most influential church that was located at the battlefield of Monmouth, New Jersey. Yes at the spot where the turning point in the revolutionary war for independence occurred and the local Citizen Militia beat down the British Regular Army. The non-Army Militiamen stood and fought, even when General Lee removed all the American Army from the battle before it started. George Washington saw this victory with his own eyes. As we know even the women, such as the famous "Molly Pitcher", who brought water helped hold the lines when men fell, and she fired the canons. After this victory and seeing as most of the army was removed from action by the retreating General Lee, General George Washington found and reprimanded Lee in the most grievous manner in front of all the troops, and Lee was even Court Marshaled right there; also being relieved of his command! Congressional investigation of his conduct on the battlefield records he was court marshaled for treasonous conduct, but that wasn't going to hold back the true unknown heros of this battle.

 What kind of spark? What kind of unity was going on that could cause such a community of locals and militiamen, the organized and unorganized New Jersey militia, which were not part of the army or national guard, to be so fierce and victorious? The most units of the New Jersey Militia also came out of Monmouth County, and then it was also called Shrewsbury, taking up a large part of the area. This great "Battle of Monmouth Courthouse", is not the purpose of this article, but rather the unity among the local denominations is the purpose. I only wanted to point out that unity among the denominations obviously had some effects on their township.

Let us analyze the small Seventh Day Baptist congregation in Monmouth New Jersey, who's Pastor was on the high council "Revolutionary War Committee" for directing the war in that corner of New Jersey, as well as the Presbyterian head Pastor was, and additional members of the Seventh Day Baptist church were also on the committee. In recent years ,this portion of Shrewsbury, Monmouth where the church resided was renamed to "Wall Township", and in their records it states: "In a northwestern location, a group of Seven Day Baptists settled on Hurley's Corner (near Highway 34 and West Hurley Pond Road) about 1728 under the guidance of Peter Knott."

In other records it has been confirmed:

"..the Seventh Day Baptists had erected a house of worship on a lot of land near Hurley's Corners, which was taken up by Peter Knott as early as 1720." (Source: History of Monmouth County, New Jersey 1664-1920, p. 485.)

This same Peter Knott was also listed as an Elder in the Presbyterian church, as well as his son David Knott, who kept the SDB church going on his land for the rest of his life and married his family in with both the Presbyterian and generations later the family still married Seventh Day Baptist, and again are confirmed being Seventh Day Baptist in Ohio in the late 1800's, and in each generation thereafter unto this present day holding the inter-denominational tradition of Sabbath and Presbyterianism. This Elder/Pastor David Knott was also chosen to be on the committee of observation by the continental congress, and appointed to the sub committee consisting of three members who prepared instructions that were taken to the Congress at Trenton. The continental congress minutes show he specifically participated in the watching of and blockading of enemy ships, as well as calling for the local men of the area to militia to duty, their provisions, etc. They passed acts to disarm the blacks, but providing them with receipts to claim them back after the war. They passed rulings to post notices against vaccinations during those years of the 1700's, etc.

You may find it hard to believe that you can be a leader of the Seventh Day Baptist Church and also registered as an elder in a Presbyterian church, but let me quote you directly from the actual foundational records and practices of this Presbyterian church. Peter Knott is given credit as a main founder of this Presbyterian church with a plaque of him up inside the present existing church today.

Before I go on to tell you the practices of this church let me inform you how well this church knew things should be ran. The ruling Elder or "Pastor" of the Shrewsbury Presbyterian church was also Presiding Judge for the county of Monmouth, Col. John Little, who was at one of the highest governmental positions there is for that portion of the state. He was of a high education, was royally appointed to his office as Judge, and even obtained the first Charter from the King to start the Presbyterian church. His sons after him also were appointed judges,  some went as far as to be Governors and congressmen, and they full well understood all the laws of their denomination as well as country.

This Presbyterian church holds the oldest seal and motto which was granted by the King, and it was a motto they practiced which reads "Proclaiming Religious Liberty", no that motto didn't start with the Seventh Day Adventist church like many would think, but with the Presbyterians! The fact that is the corporate motto of the Seventh Day Adventists as well may be more than just a coincidence.

"In 1785, Thomas succeed his father as Elder in the Presbyterian churches in Shrewsbury and Shark River, New Jersey. Because their church had been badly damaged in the War, as previously noted, the Presbyters were invited to hold services in the Christ's Episcopal Church at Shrewsbury" (G. H. Nevus, History, 1st Presbyterian Church, Shrewsbury, New Jersey, p. 5).
"One of the consequences of the Revolution was a kindlier feeling which was engendered between the patriots of Christ's Church and their neighbors of the Presbyterian meeting house. The Holmes, the Denis, and the Russels of the one found in the Littles, the Drummonds, the Breese and others of the Presbyterian Church, men like themselves, imbued with the spirit of liberty. Thomas Little, a ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church, was for several years a member of the vestry of Christ's Church, Shrewsbury." (James Steen, History of Christ's Church, Shrewsbury, p. 75; History-- Old Tennant Church, Symmes, 1904 Edition. Note:Old-Tennant Church is the original Presbyterian Church in Shrewsbury)
What a major evidence of unity, that the head Pastor Thomas Little, was a member of the vestry of a different denomination! What humbling practice of unity!
Not only did General Baptists of Shrewsbury have a spirit of Unity in the area, but as we see very clearly, even the Episcopalians were on this great unity bandwagon! Not only do countless records show the Seventh Day Baptist Congregation called Christ's Assembly, but also the neighboring Episcopal and Presbyterian churches used that name as well! We also have records they all shared their communion cups whether they believed Sabbath was Saturday or Sunday.

After all the major damage of the war, David Knott is listed as donating money to help rebuild the Christ Church at Shark's river, and also on record as helping rebuild the Presbyterian church. Though his father Peter Knott was founder of the Seventh Day Baptist church in the 1720's, it is recorded in 1758 in the Shrewsbury Presbyterian church:

that
"Know all men by these presents that I, David Knott, of Shrewsbury in the County of Monmouth and the Province of New Jersey, Yeoman, am holder and firmly bound unto the trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Monmouth County and their successors and assigns or certain attorney: to the which payment well and truly to be made I do bind myself and my heirs. Executors and administrators and everyone of them firmly by these presents. Sealed with my seal dated the sixth day of July in the thirty-second year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Briton, France and Ireland. King . . . Anno Domini One Thousand and Seven Hundred and Fifty Eight. 1758." (source: "Silent Men" by Fannie Johnson Landes, and New Aberdeen, Or, The Scotch Settlement of Monmouth County, New Jersey" By James Steen.)

In the Pew Plans of the Tennent Presbyterian church dated 1754, pew number 43 is assigned to Ruling Elders John Little and Peter Knott to share. Inside the Presbyterian Church is a special rubbing of the gravestone of Peter Knott, born 1682. Yes the same Peter Knott accredited with founding the Seventh Day Baptist church there in the 1720's, has his own plaque inside this church, and is recorded as a supporter of all the surrounding churches. His firstborn son David Knott had state Legislator Dr. Henderson , who was an elder in the Old Scottish Trenton Episcopal church, he and his firstborn son Peter Knott be the administrators of his estate at his death.

As now today you can see probably see more clearly than at any other time the founding fathers of our great nation followed a deep unity in Christ. As you can see many of these dates go well before the war, and the unity after was just a continuation. The churches which resided almost on the very spot of the battlefield which marked the turning point in the American Revolutionary war for independence was deeply entrenched in the bond of unity in Christ and I believe this was the most important strength we have in Jesus if we will all come together.

I hope all of our readers were able to pull from this something new, and are able to reflect on our forefather's wisdom, and gain further insights of how to conduct our lives as Christians. There's no better example and pattern to follow then the group of churches in Revolutionary Monmouth County New Jersey.

This congregation of Shrewsbury that our Assembly Descends from, is itself a descendant from the early 1500's General Baptists of England, who were Sabbath keepers as we know the 1660 confession also outlines the entire Hebrew calendar in their beliefs. Even with these beliefs they had always kept a unity with each other, and created the whole Baptist movement which changed and made much of the world we live in today.

In those days these several types of Denominations in the area, Episcopal, Seventh Day Baptist, and Presbyterian all used the same prayer book for the most part, the book of common prayer. This prayerbook has services for all seven days of the week so I'm sure there was plenty of worshipping together on each day. The hebrew calendar is in all the older prayerbooks even used by George Washington, so it may be safe to say they were predominately feast keepers just as European countries still today have most of the Hebrew holy days as national holidays and paid vacation.

"In Monmouth County the Presbyterians formed the hard cord of rebellion against the British. The British officials in America constantly complained that the uprising against the English was "a Presbyterian plot"." (Twin Rivers by Wildes, p.59)

 

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