Particular Pilgrims

"Christmas Evans was helped by a few books written by four Johns. There was John Owen, his favorite author. There were John Bunyan and Jonathan Edwards. Finally, there was John Gill, who Evans so appreciated that he translated his commentary into Welsh."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

It is time to shift our focus to Wales and to an extraordinary man who was, according to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, arguably “the greatest preacher that the Baptists have ever had in Great Britain." - Ron MillerFor more visit CBTSeminary.org

"My advice is to be careful what you read online. I have found that even resources claiming to represent Reformed Baptist views are often very selective in their sources. For example, if a work lays claim to a Baptistic historical view but doesn’t include Roger Williams or Isaac Backus in any meaningful way, it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Men like Murton and Williams are the historical core of the idea of soul liberty and cannot be ignored if one wants to reach credible conclusions." -Ron MillerFor more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Liberty of conscience was a significant doctrine of the Reformation. The reformers argued that the Roman church forced men to believe and practice things not taught in Scripture, often by implicit faith or by using forms of political, ecclesiastical, or economic coercion."For more information visit CBTSeminary.org

"Coxe’s death and the coming of toleration didn’t immediately end the Particular Baptist differences over the scope of religious liberty. A letter by William Kiffen from September 1688 and a document from the General Assembly of 1689 shows that there was divided opinion over the Repeal campaign for several years. And yet there was at bottom, a fundamental agreement about liberty of conscience as evidenced by the 1689 Confession." - Ron MillerFor more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"A study of the individual signer’s writings and personal histories shows that there were differences concerning how far freedom of conscience should extend. John Spilsbury confessed a simple, broad belief in soul liberty. Samuel Richardson argued for full religious liberty for everyone. The four events we examined last time from William Kiffen’s life shows that he believed that there were limits to freedom of religious expression. Now let’s look at more cases of conscience from the life of William Kiffen."-Ron MillerFor more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"That there was not a uniform position on the subject of religious liberty, can be demonstrated by an examination of the writings and lives of three of the signers: John Spilsbury, Samuel Richardson, and William Kiffen. These men illustrate the fact that although there was basic agreement about liberty of conscience, there were significant differences among them, especially as to liberty’s limits." - Ron MillerFor more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Roger Williams worked strenuously and at great personal expense to put his belief in freedom of conscience into practice. In his mind, liberty was not an Englishman’s right only, but belonged to everyone, including the Indians."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Roger Williams’ most important work on liberty of conscience caused a sensation when first published in London in 1644 and has had an enduring impact in the debate on that subject ever since. It was entitled “The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, Discussed."

"Williams deeply hated the idea of forced conversions or government-imposed religious rituals, like infant baptism, which placed the name Christian on people. He likened pressuring unconvinced men to worship God to a man forcing a woman into bed. He said in the true religion, Jesus Christ compels by the mighty persuasion of his preachers, but that he never used earthly weapons to compel a conscience."

"Williams had been convinced for some time from Scripture that the church was to consist of regenerate members only. He shared this view with many of the Puritan and Separatist ministers in England and New England. But he pushed this to its logical and Biblical conclusion and applied the principle without compromise. And this is where the Baptist teaching began to convince him. If the church was to be made up of believing saints, then they alone had a right to baptism. And if the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches were corrupt and not true churches, then their baptism was invalid. If their worship was false, so must their baptism be. And so he embraced believer’s baptism."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Roger Williams was one of the most important formative figures for the doctrine of religious liberty in the 1600s. Williams believed in the absolute authority of the Word of God and it was his source book for faith and life. He did not ground his views of soul liberty in Enlightenment ideals or a general liberalism, like Thomas Jefferson would do in the next century. He was not a rationalist or utilitarian but a man possessed by the Scriptural doctrine of a regenerate church, headed by Jesus Christ."For more information about CBTS, go to CBTSeminary.org

"We don’t follow Murton in his Arminianized theology. But all who believe in a regenerate church, including Particular Baptists, have been rightly influenced by his arguments for freedom of conscience and liberty of religious belief and practice."-Ron MillerFor more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"Baptist churches arose in a 17th century England where church was joined to state. The governmental and religious institutions were not separate but existed as one establishment. The king acted as the supreme governor of both spheres. He headed the government and the Church of England, the officially established religion of the nation, and so he held both political and religious authority. The result was a fusion which declared religious dissent to be treasonous, enforced uniformity in religion, and penalized non-conformists."For more information visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"The Particular Baptists were orthodox, Protestant, Reformed, and Puritan Christians. But they were also more than that. They were distinguished from other churches by a set of distinctives, a number of interconnected doctrines and practices that set them apart."For more information about CBTS visit CBTSeminary.org

"Hann’s pastorate in Loughwood ran from 1730 to 1758, during which time he had several helpers. Fifteen people are recorded as being baptized by him. His helpers sometimes did the baptisms, perhaps because of his absence or old age. At the end of his time there, the membership was 34, a few more than when he came."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"This study of the Loughwood Baptist church has brought to our attention a number of interesting early members. But the Hugenots, Fifth Monarchy men, and woman author weren’t the entire congregation. There were in fact several hundred believers making up the church even in its earliest years." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

William Allen and John Vernon appear in history as two believing men “of one heart and soul”.They were the closest of friends in religion, family, the Army, and politics. For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

John Vernon and his wife Anne had five known children. There names are uncertain but probably were John, Deborah, Caleb, Anne (or as she was called, Nancy), and Mary. Caleb has special interest to us because his father wrote a spiritual biography of him that is the only book I am aware from the 1600s that gives an account of the conversion, baptism, and partaking in the Lord’s Supper by someone under the age of 16. This account was entitled, “The Compleat Scholler or a relation of the life, and the latter-end especially, of Caleb Vernon who died in the Lord on the 29 th of the 9 th month, 1665, aged 12 years and 6 months”.

"Vernon frequently preached against Cromwell’s Protectorate. William Kiffen and others wrote him urging to support it, but his understanding of the relationship between Christ and the English government wouldn’t allow it."

As Samuel Richardson wrote, “there is no form of civil government in Christ’s testament”. We are reminded that it’s often easy to give ourselves to a human kingdom than Christ’s without even noticing.For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Some of the earliest members of the Loughwood Baptist church were colorful characters, a few of which we’ll look at next episode. Others were quite unexpected. Who would guess that several prominent families in the early years of the church were Huguenots, French protestants escaping persecution?For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In some ways, John Ash is reminiscent of Thomas Llewelyn, our previous pilgrim. Both men lived during the same years, were educated at Bristol, became moderately well off, and exercised academic gifts and pastoral heart. But the differences brought into their lives by providence, help us understand the variety of life in the Particular Baptist churches of mid-18th century England.For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Today’s story of another little-known Particular Pilgrim concerns Thomas Llewelyn and the use of his academic-oriented gifts. Thomas’ last name “Llewelyn” begins with two “Ls” and gives away his Welsh origins. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

The 50th Anniversary celebration of the Baptist Missionary Service was held on May 31st and June 1st, and 2nd, 1842, in Kettering. So large were the expected crowds that two meetinghouses were used – one the Baptist and the other the Congregational. On the first day in the evening, Andrew Leslie was asked to preach. His text was Acts 14:27, “and when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles”. Leslie imitated Paul’s actions from the text, and gave a sermon “replete with interesting and important details respecting the East India mission, and the absurd, impure superstitions of the people among whom it is planted”.For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Andrew Leslie’s grief over the death of the one he called “his dear Eliza” hindered him for some years. In the months following his “great affliction” he stopped writing letters and doing most work. But after an initial period of grieving, he began to reengage in his various missionary pursuits. And in a letter written to R. B. Sherring six months after Eliza’s death, he includes some news of a spiritual nature. He tells of 7 baptisms in the previous months."For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Any missionary heading to India had to wrestle with the reality that they could die shortly after arrival. Surely, none of them expected to return to England. Moving to a hot, wet climate without immunities or medical remedies against exotic diseases, was part of the cost of reaching the lost. And Eliza Leslie had considered this."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org 

"The Leslies grew in love for one another and appear to have sincerely rejoiced at the opportunity to serve God in India, despite the sacrifices this involved. Their first year passed relatively quietly with no children, but with much learning and usefulness."For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"We know little else about Eliza’s early childhood, but I have a careful portrait of her drawn about age 18 by William Thomas Fry, an important English engraver. It shows a small, attractive young lady with elaborately curled hair sitting in a chair holding a letter. She bears a pleasant resemblance to her father."

Francis Franklin, father of Eliza, was born on December 9, 1772 in Mursley, Buckinghamshire. He was the youngest of seven children; his parents being William and Mary Franklin. Just before he turned 15 he moved to Oxford to apprentice as a cabinet and chair maker to his cousin, John Payne. He regularly attended the parish church, as he had been raised, but found the Baptist ministry of James Hinton to be more useful. He also took up the habit of reading, especially George Whitefield’s sermons.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"It is clear from his letters that Andrew Leslie was marked for India as a missionary after graduation from Bristol Academy. But before he could go there were several things he needed to do."For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

The next person I want to present to you is Andrew Leslie. I’m fairly certain none of you know that name. But I hope that after several episodes, his “hidden life” and “unvisited tomb”, to use George Eliot’s phrases from the last line of her novel “Middlemarch”, will be honored.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"One of the few original letters I possess from our Particular Baptist forebears is from Robert Hall Jr. to John Ryland. Robert was the youngest son of Robert Hall Sr. whose life we explored. Robert Jr. was blessed with unusual gifts and was one of the greatest preachers of the first half of the 1800s. Like his father, Robert was a Particular Baptist, but with peculiar views on a number of subjects. I expect we will examine his life at a later date. But know that he was constantly in demand to preach."For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

Now that we have begun to see the gifts of John Ryland and his growth in the grace of humility, it is time to tell more of his story. He spent 10 years helping his father in the school and church before his ordination to the pastoral office. During this time, he was frustrated in his inability to find a wife. And so he wrote to John Newton about it, who regularly responded with good counsel.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

As a young believer, John Ryland struggled with the ups and downs of doubts and assurance. At times, he despaired of being truly converted. He also knew times of considerable confidence that Christ had saved him. His parents both ministered to his spiritual needs and a few months before age 15, his father baptized him, crying out, “Thanks be to God for this boy”. John said he never forgot that sound and was much affected at the time by it. That same month, September, he joined the church. Their records say, “September 11, 1767, aged 14 ¾” which probably shows the unusually young age of his membership.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"John Ryland was born on January 29, 1753, as the oldest child of John Collett Ryland and his wife Elizabeth. His birthplace was Warwick, where his father first pastored and established his boarding school. As mentioned in previous episodes, John Ryland was often called John Ryland Jr. to distinguish him from his father, though technically, he wasn’t a junior. The son often signed his name this way. Later when awarded an honorary theological doctorate, he was called Dr. Ryland, again to differentiate him from his illustrious parent, who, after receiving his honorary degree, went by John Ryland, M.A." For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

John Collett Ryland played an important role in English nonconformist education for forty years. Dissenting academies, as they were called, were necessitated by the reestablishment of the monarchy and state church in 1660. Subsequent legislation made it impossible for conscientious dissenters to gain entrance to English universities. Pre-university education was also difficult because any school had to be licensed by the local bishop. But after the 1720s, non-conformist education began to be recognized and even monetarily subsidized by the government. And so by the time Ryland began to teach, he was generally able to freely run his schools.For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

If you ever heard the name of John Collett Ryland before these podcasts, it was probably in regard to an infamous interchange he was reported to have had with William Carey. There are several accounts of it in print, but I especially like the details and perspectives that Dr. Michael Haykin provides in his biography of John Sutcliff, entitled “One Heart and One Soul”.For more information about Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

Having seen how John Collett Ryland’s wide friendships likely influenced his change of views regarding church communion, let us now examine his only writing on the subject. This came in a 3 page broadsheet-style publication in very small type dated June 15, 1772 and signed Pacificus. It was entitled “A Modest Plea for Free Communion at the Lord’s Table; between true believers of all denominations: In a letter to a friend.”This defended free communion in the form of a letter beginning, “Dear Sir”. It gave eight reasons for Pacificus’ church practice and four answers to objections before a half-page conclusion. Given its small size and presumably small printing, it’s a marvel any of these pieces of ephemera survive. Two copies are known to exist. The first one was discovered by Robert Oliver about 1981.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

We now turn to John Collett Ryland’s espousal of what he called free communion, also known as open or mixed communion. His position was familiar to his fellow Baptists. For example, John Rippon states, “it is well known that he was what is commonly called, a mixed communion Baptist; that is, a Baptist admitting other good men to the Lord’s table, though in his opinion they are unbaptized."For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate. In 1816, the year following Robert Hall Jr.’s “Terms of communion” came out, Joseph Kinghorn answered Hall with “Baptism, A Term of Communion at the Lord’s Supper”. Kinghorn was the pastor of Norwich Baptist Church and a former pupil of Hall’s at the Bristol Baptist Academy.For more information, visitCBTSeminary.org

An open communion answer to Booth finally came in the formidable writing of Robert Hall Jr. In the early 1800s he was perhaps the greatest orator in England, possessed a genius mind, and liked to practice radical politics. In 1815 he produced “Terms of Communion”, a direct challenge to Booth’s Apology. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate in preparation for a later review of John Collett Ryland’s principles and practices related to it. Next I’ll review the interactions of John Bunyan and William Kiffen. For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

Before I finish the study of John Collett Ryland’s interesting life, I want to explore three topics in which he played a significant or exemplary role. One of these is his view of who was qualified to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Another is his version of High Calvinism and his interactions with William Carey. And finally, there is his important place in 18th-century English education.   For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Ryland was a friend to everyone he thought to be a true believer. So he was personal friends with like-minded men such as John Gill and John Brine. But he was also friends with those of a different kind of Calvinism such as Andrew Gifford, Robert Hall Sr., and John Rippon." For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

The life and ministry of John Collett Ryland will transition our studies away from hyper-Calvinism among Particular Baptists. He is an appropriate figure for this move because he wasclose friends with a number of orthodox men with varied views on Calvinism.For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

Hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist circles in the 19th century grew and changed in significant ways. But rather than continue on into the 19th century too far, I want to take another approach to complete, for now, our look at hyper-Calvinism in Baptist circles. Let me point you to a 5 volume study entitled “The Strict Baptist Chapels of England.” For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

William Gadsby was much more than a preacher to his Manchester congregation. He also wrote for them, which is surprising, given his poor education. He produced hymns for their worship, tracts for the controversies of the day, a magazine to edify them during the month, a catechism for their children, and sermons to read.

Gadsby's errors in teaching are not unimportant, but they do remind us that the sovereign God is not bound to only work salvation through men with perfect doctrine. As the medieval saying goes, “God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines.” For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Just over a year after John Gill’s death, another man was born who called himself a Strict and Particular Baptist. He stood in the line of those often called hyper-Calvinists. His name was William Gadsby and while he shared the strong Calvinism of Gill, his life circumstances and ministry were considerably different in some ways. If you have heard his name before, it is probably in relation to his well-known hymnal, usually referred to simply as “Gadsby’s Hymns”. He was a man of conviction and generosity; a writer and editor; but foremost a fervent and frequent preacher." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org