Pleading His Gracious Name

John Newton wrote the hymn “The Effort.” It was published in Olney Hymns, in Three Books (London: W. Oliver, 1779), by Newton and William Cowper. It is found in six common meter stanzas as Hymn XII (Book III, pp. 324-325) in the section “Seeking, Pleading, and Hoping.”

Newton was born in 1725, and died in 1807. He was buried at St Mary Woolnoth Churchyard in London, where he ministered nearly 30 years. In 1893, the remains of he and his wife Mary were moved to the churchyard of St. Peter and Paul in Olney, the town where he and Cowper produced their famous hymn book.

In life Newton is well known as a converted former slave trader who helped influence the eventual abolishment of the slave trade in England. In hymnody, he is best known as the author of “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”

In some sources this hymn is titled “Pleading His Gracious Name,” based on the fourth line of the fifth stanza. I know the hymn paired with the fine old hymn tune Peterborough. Peterborough has often been attributed to Ralph Harrison. However, Chris Brown, a Sacred Harp singer in England, did some extensive research on this tune and believes that that attribution is in error. He pointed out that though the first four bars of Peterborough share things in common with Harrison’s tune Salisbury, the rest of it is very different. The tune does not either of Harrison’s books (Sacred Harmony: 1784 & Sacred Harmony: 1788), according to Brown.

Both Brown and Sacred Harp researcher Karen Willard believe that Peterborough, as it appears in editions of The Sacred Harp, is a version of the tune Lavington, which first appeared in The Musical Instructor by Lewis Seymour and Thaddeus Seymour (New York, NY: Printed by John C. Totten, 1803). It was retitled Peterborough by Samuel Webbe Jr, unattributed, in A Collection of Psalm Tunes intermixed with airs, adapted as such from Haydn, Purcell, Handel, Corelli (published in Britain in 1808). Brown believes it is extremely unlikely that Webbe would not have attributed the tune to Harrison had he in fact known he wrote it. 

The tune can be heard HERE, though it is from a different book, with different words that I am discussing here.

This hymn is a wonderful plea – and a wonderful song of comfort to “burdened souls” recognizing the Lord calls burdened souls to him.

The effort—in another measure.

1. Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat,
Where Jesus answers pray’r;
There humbly fall before his feet,
For none can perish there.

2. Thy promise is my only plea,
With this I venture nigh;
Thou callest burden’d souls to thee,
And such, O Lord, am I.

3. Bow’d down beneath a load of sin,
by Satan sorely pressed,
By war without, and fears within,
I come to thee for rest.

4. Be thou my shield and hiding-place!
That, shelter’d near thy side,
I may my fierce accuser face,
And tell him “Thou hast dy’d.”

5. Oh wond’rous love! to bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame;
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead thy gracious name.

6. “Poor tempest-tosséd soul, be still,
My promised grace receive;”
’Tis Jesus speaks—I must, I will,
I can, I do believe.

The title “The effort—in another measure” indicates there is another hymn of the same type, but written in a different measure of poetry (meter). In fact, the previous hymn is titled “The effort” and is written in 10s. meter. The two are very similar. Though I prefer the common meter version, in a few places the longer version provides clarity – such as the last line of stanza four.

The effort.

1. Cheer up, my soul, there is a mercy-seat
Sprinkled with blood, where Jesus answers pray’r;
There humbly cast thyself, beneath his feet,
For never needy sinner perish’d there.

2. Lord, I come! thy promise is my plea,
Without they word I durst not venture nigh;
But thou hast called the burden’d soul to thee,
A weary burden’d soul, O Lord, am I!

3. Bow’d down beneath a heavy load of sin,
By Satan’s fierce temptations sorely pressed,
Beset without, and full of fears within,
Trembling and faint I come to thee for rest.

4. Be thou my refuge, Lord, my hiding-place,
I know no force can tear me from thy side,
Unmov’d I then may all accusers face,
And answer ev’ry charge with “Jesus dy’d.”

5. Yes, thou didst weep, and bleed, and groan, and die,
Well hast thou known what fierce temptations mean;
Such was thy love, and now, enthron’d on high,
The same compassions in thy bosom reign.

6. Lord give me faith—he hears—what grace is this!
Dry up thy tears, my soul, and cease to grieve:
He shews me what he did, and who he is,
I must, I will, I can, I do believe.

A Southern Unionist, and other Baptist history links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A Southern Unionist: The Ministry of William T. Brantly and the State of Evangelical Unity in the Triennial Convention -- “The Baptists of the South, though agreeing in fundamental principles with those of the North, are now in many important respects a distinct and separate people.”
• Advancing Progressive Orthodoxy: William Owen Carver and the Reconciliation of Progress and Southern Baptist Tradition -- “William Owen Carver (1868-1954), longtime professor of Missions and Comparative Religion at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, lived his professional life between two worlds: the conservatism of southern denominationalism and the liberalism of mainstream Protestant thought and practice.”
• Amazing Grace: The Story of William “Singing Billy” Walker -- “‘Singing Billy’ Walker” was a South Carolinian, a Baptist church member, song-leader, music teacher, composer, and tunebook compiler.
• An Analysis of the Evangelistic Impact of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International -- “Research reflects that for the last half of the 20th Century, Baptist Bible Fellowship International was a formidable movement among Fundamentalists in its independent Baptist doctrinal position and its evangelistic zeal.”
• Association Records of the Particular Baptists of England, Wales and Ireland to 1660 -- “Each set of records in each part will include necessary introductory material, a full transcript and its own footnotes, but all three parts will be paged consecutively and it is hoped to provide an index to the whole.”
• BaptistBasics.org -- “Welcome to the new home of BaptistBasics.org! This website has been a personal ministry of Matthew Gage since 2007 and is dedicated to preserving and propagating Baptist Beliefs and Heritage.”
• Between a Rock and a Hard Place: H. Boyce Taylor, Faith Missions, and the Relationship between Landmarkism and Fundamentalism in Southern Baptist Life -- “H. Boyce Thylor (1870-1932), pastor of the Baptist church of Murray, Kentucky from 1897 until his death and one of E. Y. Mullins’s constant opponents in Kentucky Baptist life, presents an outstanding opportunity for such microhistorical study.”
• Doing Diversity Baptist Style: Major Variations -- “Baptist bodies…range in size from the Southern Baptist Convention with millions of members and tens of thousands of churches to the General Six Principle Baptists which today have only one remaining small church.”
• “Flocking By Themselves:” Fundamentalism, Fundraising, and the Bureaucratizatino of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1919-1925 -- “This dissertation will examine this question of the interaction between religion in the South and early Fundamentalism by focusing on the dominant form of southern Christianity, the Southern Baptist Convention.”
• From “Funnymentalist” to Friend: the Evolving Relationship of Ben M. Bogard and J. Frank Norris -- “What initially separated Bogard and Norris were their differing reasons for rejecting the Southern Baptist Convention as an unscriptural institution.”
• Gospel Missionism (1892-1910) and the Southern Baptist Convention (USA): prelude to a post-modern missiology -- “In 1892, a band of FMB missionaries posted with the North China Mission resigned and established their own operation.”
• Heroes of the Faith: Baptists from the past can be inspiration today -- “While that is an admonition to avoid repeating failures of the past, it’s also good to know history so we can learn from and be encouraged by the successes of the past.”
• Light in Darkness, or the Church in the World, by J. S. Crellin -- “Ecclesiastical Historians have grossly mistaken the nature of the Church of Christ by following a corrupted church away from the broad highway of the Gospel, and appear to imagine that God’s Church cannot be disrobed of the tinsel of national drapery...”
• Land of Promise: the First Fifty Years of Baptists in the Pacific Northwest -- “Baptist pioneers who settled in the Pacific Northwest during this period carried varioius local contentions with them, flavoring a land of promise with viewpoints that are still noticeable today.”
• The History Of Singing Hymns -- “The Goat Yard church now entered a period of strife which was to last well over a decade in which Keach argued that ‘singing in rhyme’ was the ‘public duty’ of all Christians and Marlow argued just as energetically that the New Testament recognized no such duty.”
• The Psalmist: a New Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Baptist Churches -- “American Baptist Publication Society, 1847; Baron Stow and Samuel Francis Smith, editors; with a supplement edited by Richard Fuller (1804-1876) and Jeremiah Bell Jeter (1802-1880).”
• Was John Canne a Baptist? A Study of Contemporary Evidence -- “It was my unexpected good fortune several months ago to come across five holograph documents by John Canne. Four of these were letters and the fifth was closely related to the other four.”

Redemption through his blood

Extol the Lamb of God,
The all-atoning Lamb;
Redemption through his blood
Throughout the world proclaim: 
The Year of jubilee is come;
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
(Charles Wesley, No. 3, Hymns for New-Year’s-Day, 1750)

Poor Charles Wesley and his “ignorant” hymn writing. [i] Colossians 1:14 has a major variation between the King James Bible and modern translations based on the critical texts. “redemption through his blood” is in the King James translation, but not in the CSB, ESV, LEB, NASB, NET, NIV, RSV, et al.

• Colossians 1:14 KJV in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
• Colossians 1:14 NET in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

I found the note in the NET Bible intriguing.

26 tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou haimatos autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule MSS (614 630 1505 2464) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 𝕸 latt co as well as several other versions and fathers. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

• Ephesians 1:7 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

“If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7?” Um… because they made a scribal error? Miscopied it? I realize the issue is more complicated than this, but it is mind-boggling to me that textual critics make and put weight in such an argument! Otherwise they are constantly and consistently arguing for scribal errors, and yet suddenly scribes could not have made an error here unless they also made an error in Ephesians 1:7? To quote President Biden, “Come on, man.” Who can believe this stuff?

Conversely, we might wonder, if a scribe were deliberately paralleling the statement in Ephesians, why didn’t he also add “according to the riches of his grace”?

This is not a critical answer to the critical text guys. Nevertheless, I am often bumfuzzled by the sorts of arguments that might satisfy them.

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[i] Colossians 1:14 in the John Wesley New Testament translation: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins: John Wesley was the brother of Charles Wesley.

Acts, Apollos and “re”baptism

Apollos, a lesson on “re”baptism (Acts 18).

Aquila and Priscilla did not baptize Apollos. Apollos was taught; he was not “rebaptized” – though some imagine it. For example, George Eldon Ladd writes:

 

Quite likely, Apollos was now baptized by Aquila in the name of Christ.[i]

 

However, “His preaching was not inaccurate, merely incomplete.”[ii] Apollos did not require baptism, but rather being instructed more completely, especially concerning recent developments and events.[iii]

 

The stories of Apollos (18:24-28) and of the twelve Ephesians (19:1-7) are cut from the same piece of cloth. The first is an introduction to the second, and the second is a conclusion of the first. These cannot be interpreted correctly in isolation. By properly interpreting the matter, we understand that “the baptism of John” itself was not defective. Longenecker sees the problem of reading baptism into the account of Apollos, and resolves it this way (though seeming to deduce the Ephesians were baptized by John himself):

 

“When baptism by John the Baptist was seen as pointing beyond itself to Jesus (as with Apollos), it was apparently taken as Christian baptism and was not repeated on learning and experiencing more of the faith. But when John’s baptism was understood as rivaling commitment to Jesus, then on profession of faith in him, Christian baptism ‘into the name of the Lord Jesus’ was administered.”[iv]

 

Verse 27: From Ephesus Apollos traveled to Achaia (including Corinth, 19:1). “the brethren in Ephesus wrote” a letter recommending – exhorting even – that the brethren in Achaia receive Apollos. They did so, and Apollos was a great help to the believers there, “for he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.”

 

New Testament churches practice regenerate church membership. That is, a biblical congregation is made up of born-again believers who have received scriptural baptism. Membership is voluntary on the part of both the individual and the church, as well a fellowship matter on both their parts. Members are received in three ways:

 

(1) new Christians by profession of faith and baptism, Acts 2:41; Matthew 28:19-20

 

(2) previously born-again baptized believers by “recommendation” (by letter or in person) Acts 9:26-27, 18:27; Romans 16:1-2; II Corinthians 3:1

 

(3) disciplined members by restoration or reinstatement, Galatians 6:1; II Corinthians 2:6-8.

 

Verse 28: Apollos’s help came in convincing the Jews by their scriptures, not only privately but also publicly, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ (their Messiah) prophesied in the scriptures. His theology agreed with the testimony of Paul (18:5). “I [Paul] have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (I Corinthians 3:6).

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[i] Ladd, Wycliffe Commentary, p. 1159.
[ii] Bock, Acts, p. 592, Easton’s Dictionary, p. 81.
[iii] “…Aquila and Priscilla…were ‘on the cutting edge’ of NT revelation and theology, far more so that Apollos. They only knew one baptism, but they also had Paul to teach them, and they may have even had copies of some of his early epistles…” Grassi, p. 580.
[iv] Longenecker, Acts, p. 290.

The Triquetra and the NKJV

Triquetra, noun. A triangular geometrical figure used as an ornamental design, especially one having three interlaced arcs.

The Thomas Nelson hardback New King James Version (NKJV) that I own does not have the symbol on the cover (as shown above), but rather it is moved inside to the cover page. It is my understanding that new NKJV Bibles no longer have the symbol.

“Title page logo: The triquetra (from a Latin word meaning ‘three-cornered’) is an ancient symbol for the Trinity. It comprises three interwoven arcs, distinct yet equal and inseparable, symbolizing that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct yet equal Persons and indivisibly One God.” (NKJV, 1982, p. ii)

Pastor Scott Ingram stirred up a lot of folks with a recent YouTube video, Why is there a Symbol on the NKJV Bible?

(starts about 2:34) “The source is a lady named Gail Riplinger…who many years ago wrote a book called New Age Bible Versions and many people found her book enlightening and have used it as a source for their studies on the differences in Bible translations. The image and the information about this that is frequently copied and pasted and repeated is from one of her tracts on the NKJV. At the beginning of this tract (called ‘The Death Certificate for the NKJV’) she gives us this information about the symbol that’s on the NKJV. She asserts the NKJV logo is the ancient symbol for the Pagan Trinity not the Christian Trinity…”

This symbol on the New King James Version (NKJV) has kindled much smoke and fire in the Bible versions debates, plenty of heat that generates little light. The tract of Gail Riplinger (mentioned by Ingram and illustrated above) is just one of many examples of the charge against the NKJV using a pagan symbol.

Truly Gail Riplinger has had oversized influence among some King James Bible supporters. However, some others claim that they have studied the issue for themselves and independently came to the same general conclusion as Riplinger, without having ever read her statement on the triquetra. I have no reason to doubt their honesty. NKJV supporters have pushed back against the charge. NKJV translator James D. Price has been particularly active, writing against the Death Sentence by Riplinger and even on The Triquetra itself.

Symbols created from figures such as loops, circles, squares, and triangles are inherently neutral. Therefore, a symbol represents what the user means for it to represent.[i] This, however, does not exclude its meaning different things to different people. The use and meaning according to more than one source can create confusion in the mind of persons seeing the symbol. Nevertheless, it is best to assume the editor/publishers of the NKJV used the triquetra symbol for the reason they claim, even if it has other associations. When this debate heats up, it clouds the real issue – what is the worth of the NKJV as a translation – and leads to more charges and countercharges.[ii]

If this were a ploy of Satan, for what reason would he and his minions place a pagan satanic symbol on a product he intends to market to conservative Christians? None I can think of. He is a more skilled deceiver than that (Revelation 12:9).

From www.theirishroadtrip.com

Do not take any thing I have written as a defense of the New King James Version. It is a poor substitute intended to supplant the King James Bible. There are reasons to object to it replacing the old King James Version. However, what is on its cover really is not one of them. This argument tends to appeal to emotion and superstition rather than biblical theology and sound reasoning. It obscures the real issues that should be dealt with concerning the NKJV.

The things that should be inspected and considered most, rather than some ternion ornamental design, are the meat of the translation itself:

• Some of the translators worked simultaneously on the New International Version, and
• The translators of the NKJV did not prefer the Greek text they were using, and
• There are some Critical Text preferences that creep into the readings, via either text or translation.

I can sum up my personal objections to the NKJV in three categories, “text issues,” “translation issues,” and “trust issues.”

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[i] The Irish Road Trip and The Book of Kells provide some interesting thoughts on the triquetra.

[ii] This is not just a made-up possibility. For example, I have heard folks who dislike the old King James Bible claim that the 1611 printing of this translation has Rosicrucian & Masonic symbols in the art work. See also How many occult symbols can you find in the 1611 first edition of the King James Bible? There is an apparently new “conspiracy theory” that Scofield Reference Bibles use the circumpunct (ʘ) as a marker for some desperate clandestine purpose! (The Scofield notes are often deficient and unsound; we don’t have to look for something wrong in a neutral geometrical figure used to mark verses.)

Arthur Farstad on Geneva and NKJV Bibles

Arthur Leonard Farstad (1935-1998) was executive of the New King James Version, and co-editor (with Zane Hodges) of a Greek Majority Text New Testament. He was a theologian who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Additionally, he was a co-founder of the Majority Text Society, as well as editor of the Grace Evangelical Society journal.

“God has used many Bibles...And the Geneva, the people who founded America did not use the King James, they used the Geneva. They thought the King James was too ‘high church.’ It said, ‘Church’ instead of ‘congregation’ and ‘bishop’ instead of ‘overseers.’ The Pilgrims and Puritans of Plymouth Colony didn’t use the King James. The foundation of our country was on the Geneva Bible.”

Arthur Farstad, about the Geneva and King James Bibles on the John Ankerberg Show “The King James Only Controversy Revisited – Program 2.”

This statement by Art Farstad demonstrates how some of the Christian urban myths get spread. Leaving the case of what the Pilgrims used (for which, see my “Bibles at the Pilgrim Hall Museum at Plymouth”), let’s consider the reasons given for the “people who founded America” using the Geneva Bible instead of the King James Bible – the words “church” and “bishop.” This is easily falsified by actually looking at a Geneva Bible instead of just taking the word of an authority. These “people who founded America” would have had ready access to the 1599 Geneva Bible (but the same facts are true concerning the 1560 Geneva). An easy check is available at BibleGateway, though scans of the original are available online also. The word “church” and “churches” are used in 113 verses in the Geneva Bible New Testament (1 less than the KJV). “Congregation” only appears 3 times in the Geneva New Testament, two of which have nothing to do with the New Testament church. Bishop appears 5 times in the Geneva Bible, four in reference to a church office, and once in reference to Jesus (Philippians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 2:25). This compares to six times in the KJV. The Geneva Bible did not shy away from the words “church” and “bishop”!

No doubt Art Farstad believed this to be true. Most all of us – yes, even scholars – more readily tend to accept without proof that which we already believe. His believing it to be true does not make it so. Apparently he never checked! Sadly, such myths get spread around. “This must be true – some scholar said it!”

“Originally it was planned to use the Majority Text for the NKJV, not the TR used in the KJV. This was changed near the end of the project. Strangely enough, the one who talked Thomas Nelson into not using the Majority Text was Zane Hodges himself. (He was not, however, on the translation team.) Zane argued that a version should not be based on a Greek text that had not been on the market for a few years to allow time for scholarly appraisal. Also, many felt that this updating of the classic KJV should not introduce another Greek text, like the English Revised had done in 1881 before the Westcott-Hort text (also 1881) had a chance to be evaluated.”

Arthur Farstad. The above statement is found in “Why I Became a Majority Text Advocate,” which is an “Unpublished paper by Arthur L. Farstad when he was at Dallas Seminary.” It is posted on the Dean Bible Ministries website of Robert L. Dean, Jr.  Dean earned a ThM and PhD at Dallas Theological Seminary (where Hodges & Farstad taught).

This statement by Arthur Farstad about the New King James translation suggests that the work on it began with the Majority Text as its textual basis, and then was changed to the Textus Receptus. It would be good to know more about this, and if Farstad discussed or wrote more about it elsewhere. That “start and change” could help explain some of the inconsistencies in the New King James translation.

The Plain Song of Scripture

To come with the inticing words of mans wisedome, and to preach only themselves is the note of false Teachers: the charge of Christs Minister is in demonstration of the spirit and of power to divide the word of truth aright unto his people...Gods oracles are to be faithfully expounded, not curiously minced, not loosly dallied with, and surely the plaine song of Scripture is the best musicke without these quavering descants of mans wit. 

Christopher Potter, editor, Lectures on the Whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians, 1618