Never-failing God

A. J. Showalter found the hymn below, wrote a tune to go with it, copyrighted and published it in 1896 in Class, Choir and Congregation No. 2 (Dalton, GA: A. J. Showalter Co., 1896, Song No. 77). He credited the words to “Rev. Henry Burton, in ‘Evangelical Messenger.’” The words remind us that our God is an untiring unfailing God in whom we can fully trust.

1. There is an arm that never tires, 
So gentle, yet so strong;
The arm on which our grief expires, 
And sighing turns to song.
There is a well that never fails,
When earthly springs are low;
The weary heart in Bacca’s vales
Hears the soft overflow.

2. There is a light that never dies,
Clear shining through the years;
For changeless lover lights up our skies;
The rainbow gilds our tears.
There is a song our souls may sing—
When lying in the dust,
A stricken bird with broken wing;
It is the song of trust.

3. There is a joy does not depart—
Whatever seeming ill
May throw its shadow on the heart—
The joy of his sweet will.
There is a rest, a Sabbath rest,
Beyond all sin and care;
But he who leans on Jesus’ breast,
Finds heav’n is everywhere.

Henry Burton served as a Methodist Episcopal minister in Rock County, Wisconsin, then returned to England and labored in the Wesleyan Methodist Church ministry beginning from 1865. He had emigrated to America with his parents 1855-56. They settled in Roscoe, Illinois, and Henry studied at Beloit College in Wisconsin, just across the state line, beginning in 1857. He graduated in 1862. Beloit conferred a “D. D. Degree” on Burton in 1900.

Henry married Ellen Williams Pearse in 1871, and they had five children. At least one son, Howard N. Burton, also became a Wesleyan minister.

Henry Burton was born November 26, 1840, the oldest son of Henry and Frances Burton. He died April 27, 1930 and was buried at Anfield. A brief biography of Burton can be found in The Beloit Alumnus, (Vol. XXIII, No. 8, June 1930, page 21), and also on the UK Wesleyan Methodist Church website.

Some of his works include:

• Wayside Songs of the Outer and Inner Life (London: T. Woolmer, n.d., circa 1886)
• Gleanings in the Gospels (London: Charles H. Kelly, 1896)
• The Gospel According to St. Luke (New York, NY: A. C. Armstrong, 1897)

His hymn “Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on” was chosen as the motto of the International Sunshine Society, at one time the largest philanthropic newspaper club in the world.

Have you had a kindness shown?

Pass it on.

’Twas not given for thee alone,

Pass it on.

Let it travel down the years,

Let it wipe another’s tears,

’Till in heav’n the deed appears--

Pass it on.

Who should administer, and other links

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

• Who Should Administer the Ordinances? -- “Just as your church (hopefully) does not allow just anyone to preach the Word, so also should your church think carefully about who administers the ordinances.”
• What Is the Jezebel Spirit and What Are It’s Characteristics? -- “In my estimation, it is far better to view this “spirit of Jezebel” as a sketch of specific character traits which can be deadly to a local body.”
• Voltaire’s Prediction, Home, and the Bible Society: Truth or Myth? Further Evidence of Verification -- “For years there have been those who dispute this story as to its validity.”
• The Subtle Art of Sentence Structure: How to Write Like a Pro -- “While varied sentence structures can enhance your writing, clarity and conciseness should always be your primary goals.”
• The Septuagint (LXX): A Scurrilous Imposter Set Against the Hebrew Old Testament -- “The LXX continues to be treated with a mystical reverence wholly out of proportion to its origins.”
• Spice—And Everything Nice -- “After the final tastings, the pavilion overflows with competitors, their supporters and curious onlookers.”
• Should I Stay or Should I Go? T.T. Shields, Benjamin Beddome, and Pastoral Transitions -- “The glory of God, not the influence of gifted men, governs the priorities for calling and appointing pastors.”
• Roasted Pecan Bark Syrup -- “Focus on gathering the loose, thinner strips, spreading the harvest across multiple trees to minimize any risk of damage.”
• Op-Ed: Leftists Hailing Recent ‘Victories’ Are Delusional -- “...it is New York City that will serve as the center point on the East Coast for the continuing failure of leftism.”
• La Tamalada: A Christmas Tamale Tradition -- “The old part of our tradition is sitting around a big table, spreading masa on the corn husks with the back of a spoon.”
• Is Phone Addiction Really That Bad? -- “Our addiction to dopamine media is training us to love much what ought to be loved little.”
• Immutability and Identity, Part Two -- “...let me briefly state that the AV never translates tam as ‘blameless,’ whereas all of the modern translations which I checked do translate it as ‘blameless.’”
• Immutability and Identity, Part One -- “Families change. Your family could change. Churches change. Your church could change. Nations change. Your nation could change. ”
• How to Survive a Cultural Crisis -- “It’s ironic that Christians are told not to impose their views on others, even as the threat of job loss or other penalties loom over Christians for not toeing the new party line.”
• How to Maintain Your Language Skills When You’re Not Using Them Regularly -- “...there are numerous strategies you can employ to keep your language skills sharp, even in the absence of consistent use.”
• How to Defuse Hostile Members Meetings -- “Hopefully this isn’t controversial advice, but members meetings are for . . . church members. And church members should be men and women who have made a credible profession of faith...”
• Five Misrepresentations of the Confessional Text position by Mark Ward in ‘The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology’ in The Authority of the Septuagint -- “Mark Ward makes no serious reference to or any interaction with perhaps the key emphasis of the Confessional Bibliology movement.”
• Drawing the Line on Masculinity: Getting a Male Role Back -- “Men won’t get any role until they decide that there is a male role.”
• Doctoring Reality -- “Frontier physicians relied on confidence more than credentials.”
• Catechism by William Gadsby -- “Jesus Christ is the only refuge from the storm and the only foundation for a poor sinner to build his hopes upon.”
• A Tip of the Hat to Paris -- “France’s Eiffel Tower is taller and older, sure, but it’s rather bare.”
• Altered, Not Antique: The Latinized Greek Text of 1 Corinthians in GA 629 -- “...little has been written about the manuscript beyond scattered remarks that its text often conforms to Latin conventions.”
• An Historical Survey of Church Discipline -- “Decline in the practice of church discipline can also be directly tied to a lax attitude in the realm of regenerate church membership.”
• A Dandy Debut -- “Don Meredith, the first and perhaps most beloved Dallas Cowboy, found his second calling in the booth.”

Shifting sand

Certain non-Christian Sacred Harp singers accuse certain Christian Sacred Harp singers of moving the goalposts, changing the way things have been – when it is in fact those non-Christian singers who have moved the goalposts and changed the way things have been. Consider the facts of history. The book was compiled by two Baptist Christians in Georgia, with an eye to serving a (generally Protestant) Christian community. The texts were religious and patriotic texts that fit within their Christian worldview. For most of its history the Sacred Harp community moved along and within those norms. Within the norms, as well, was the idea that the singings were events to which anyone was welcome. One interviewee for the article “Sacred Harp: the punk rock of choral music” said, “I’m not religious” – in a world known for singing Christian religious texts – and added, “It’s rare that you find a group that all you have to do is want to be a member and you are.” I think that comment fairly summed up the past state of things. People came and they participated in singing. However, that is in the past. The present is not the past – not because the Christians moved, but because others took advantage of our good will. We didn’t cross the line. You crossed the line. You came and became part of the group. Eventually you were not satisfied with the group you were part of and wanted to change it.

You went:

• From “we’re here and we want to sing” to “we can’t sing those words.”
• From “we can’t sing those words” to “you can’t sing those words.”

Eventually some singers got tired of the gradual shifts, but suddenly now we are the bad guys when we say we are tired of it!

I do not stand on shifting sand
And fear the storm that rages;
But calm and sure, I stand secure
Upon the Rock of Ages.

---

Note, in even more recent developments.

• From “we’re here and we want to sing” to “we’re here and we’re queer.”
• From “we’re here and we’re queer” to “we’re here, queer, and you cannot disapprove our lifestyle.”
• From “we’re here, queer, and you cannot disapprove our lifestyle” to “we’re here and we’re queering ‘The Sacred Harp’!”

Acts 28:1-6

Sticks and snakes in Melita, 1-6

Verse 1: Having escaped safely to land, they found “the island was called Melita.” Melita, mentioned only here in the Bible, is properly identified with the island currently called Malta (also sometimes referred to as Valletta). The island of Melita is about 50 or 60 miles south off the coast of Sicily. It is over 500 miles to the west (as the crow flies) from where the ship initially began (The fair havens) was headed (Phenice). The ship (which was ultimately headed to Italy) floundered helplessly out of control across the Adria in the clutches of a tempestuous storm. The Lord who has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm landed them all safely at a place on the way to Rome.

Verse 2: The barbarous people are the native people of Melita/Malta. Barbarians were non-Greek people who spoke a different language.[1] Compare Romans 1:14 and I Corinthians 14:11. Cold and raining at the time – coupled with the mention of a three-month winter stay (v. 11) – indicates they arrived in late fall or early winter. 

Verse 3: Paul was industrious. He did not merely enjoy the fire, but added fuel to it. In the process, a viper warmed by the heat fastened on his hand.[2]

Matthew Henry reminds us:

See how many perils human life is exposed to, and what danger we are in from the inferior creatures, which have many of them become enemies to men, since men became rebels to God; and what a mercy it is that we are preserved from them as we are. We often meet with that which is mischievous where we expect that which is beneficial; and many come by hurt when they are honestly employed, and in the way of their duty.[3]

Verse 4: The immediate reaction of the locals – “he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live” – certifies that the viper was a venomous creature.[4] Compare Amos 5:19 on the certainty of not escaping justice. See also Ecclesiastes 10:8. The religious, philosophical, or superstitious beliefs of the people of Melita included the idea of a divine law of retribution, that bad things happen to people because they have done bad things – “No doubt this man is a murderer.” What happened to Paul was proof enough to them. He could not escape justice. They thought like Job’s friends. Cf. Job 4:7-8; 8:6; 11:20; This is truth mixed with error. Some suffering is specific discipline or judgment because of sin (e.g., Numbers 12:1-10; II Samuel 12:14-18; Acts 5:1-11). Some suffering is for the glory of God, as well as our good (cf. Job 1:9-12; John 9:3; 11:4; 16:33; Acts 5:41; Romans 8:17-18; II Corinthians 4:17-18; Peter 4:12-14).

Verse 5: When the serpent fastened on Paul’s hand, he simply shook it off into the fire – a very nonchalant reaction to a snakebite! “he…felt no harm” suggests the bite did not hurt, but certainly attests that the normal effect of the poison did not affect Paul. Compare Mark 16:18 “they shall take up serpents…it shall not hurt them,” of which promise this is a fulfillment. The promise of Mark 16:18 is not an incitement for the apostles (or Christians) to go about handling snakes and drinking poison in worship services.[5] However, God’s miraculous protection of those in the apostolic age who do was a sign that followed them, affirming the belief they had and the gospel they preached.

Verse 6: Though Paul simply shook off the beast into the fire, the Melitans watched for Paul’s hand to swell and for him to drop dead. Nothing happened! Based on the fact of the serpent bite, the people took Paul for an evildoer; then based on the fact of no harm coming to Paul, “they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.” Oh, how fickle, how unstable, how double-minded, how tossed to and fro are the men who are not grounded in God’s word.

---

[1] In modern usage, people most often mean an uncivilized savage by the word “barbarian.” This is not what it means in Acts 28:2. It is those that the Greeks and Romans could not understand, who in their native tongues seemed to be saying, “bar-bar bar-bar.”
[2] Viper, εχιδνα, a poisonous snake.
[3] Henry, Commentary, Vol. VI, p. 350.
[4] Some have sought to create a difficulty because there are now no vipers on the island of Malta. For example, Ramsay claims “that the snake was a constrictor, and not (as Luke calls it) a viper, which does not occur in Malta.” See Ramsay, Pictures of the Apostolic Church, p. 355. Simpler than denying Luke’s accuracy is to realize that this variety of snake was there when Paul visited, but is now extinct on the island. As an urban geographical area of 95 square miles holding over 450,000 people (2019, Eurostat), it is not surprising that certain wildlife has disappeared from the island.
[5] For example, the Church of God with Signs Following is a “Pentecostal Holiness Church” that not only believes that tongues, healing, and miracles are for today, but they also practice handling snakes and drinking poison during their church worship services. Most other Pentecostals who believe that miracles and signs are for today nevertheless interpret taking up serpents and drinking deadly things as symbolic rather than literal.

The republic is no more

“Many a head was bowed, many a broad chest heaved, and many a manly cheek was wet with tears when that broad field of blue in the center of which, like a signal light, glowed the lone star, emblem of the sovereignty of Texas, was furled and laid away among the relics of the dead republic.”

Written by Noah Smithwick, a blacksmith in attendance at a ceremony lowering the Republic of Texas flag at the republic/state capitol, February 19, 1846. (The Evolution of a State, or, Recollections of Old Texas Days, p. 283)

After the Texas flag was lowered from its place and folded, Anson Jones, last president of the republic, stated, “The Republic of Texas is no more.”

Anapestic Meter

What? What is that?

Awhile back, I ran across on Archive.Org the hymn book Sacred Poetry and Music Reconciled, Or, A Collection of Hymns Original and Compiled, by Samuel Willard. (Boston, MA: Leonard C. Bowles, 1830). In it I noticed several hymns labeled with the meters “C.M.A.,” “L.M.A.,” “S.M.A.” I had never noticed that kind of labeling before...

And I am always up for learning more about the meter designations. The hymn meter is the pattern of syllables and stresses in the hymn text. I have posted a number of times on the subject. Here are most, if not all:

1. Common Meter Extended hymns
2. Explanation of Meter, from The Baptist Standard Hymnal
3. Hymn meter
4. Hymn Meter Again
5. Hymn Meter Explanations and Information
6. Metrical Index of Tunes
7. Online metrical indices
8. 50th hymn meter

Willard’s explanation of his designations are as follows:

• L. M. A. - Long Meter Anapestic. 10.10.11.11. (usually, but not always; this also includes hymn with 4 lines of 11s. and one 8-line hymn that is 10.11.11.11.12.11.11.11.)
• C. M. A. - Common Meter Anapestic. 11.8.11.8.
• S. M. A. - Short Meter Anapestic. 8.8.11.8.

Some relevant excerpts from Willard’s book Sacred Poems:

A considerable number of hymns in this collection are in the anapestic measure, like the first, fourth, and eighteenth, containing in general three syllables for a measure or bar; while most of the tunes, which are named for them, have usually been sung in iambic verse, dividing each measure into two parts, the first a semibreve, or other notes equivalent to it, and the second a minim. If these hymns should be adopted in any society, where these tunes are not actually divided in the collections of music in use, the following rule will remove every difficulty in performing these or any other tunes of the kind, in the manner required; viz.

Let every measure, intended for three syllables, be divided into three equal parts, by splitting semibreves, or removing slurs, and let every part be sounded on the same tone, it would otherwise be. Thus, for instance, in the tune of Froome, named for the first hymn, let the slur be removed from the crotchets in the first full measure of the first line, and let the minim in the first measure of the second line be performed like two crotchets. The only exceptions to this rule are those, which are signified by numbers or points in several hymns, and which may be observed, or not, as may be found convenient. When the first syllable in a measure has the number 1 over it, it is to fill two thirds of the bar, and for the two following syllables, marked with the number 4, the last third of the bar. is to be divided, as in hymn 4. (pages 11-12)

Some of the metres are distinguished in this book into seven varieties, and are marked by the figures 1, 2, 3, &c. prefixed to the tunes, which are named. The first variety is pure iambic from the beginning to the end of every line. The second is precisely the same with the first, excepting a trochee in the beginning of the first line. With a little attention, the chorister will understand the other diversities, which, in the adaptation of tunes, are almost as important to be observed, as the difference of metre. (page 18)

Willard says that most of the named tunes in his book can be found in the Bridgewater, Handel and Haydn, and American Psalmody collections.

A little about Samuel Willard:

Samuel Willard, the son of William Willard and Catherine Wilder, was born April 18, 1775 (his daughter wrote 1776). His grandfather was a Congregational minister and his father a deacon. He graduated from Harvard College and became a Congregational minister. The initial council declined to ordain him due to his Unitarian tendencies, but a more liberal-thinking group was convened and ordained him. Willard became a long-time influential Unitarian in Massachusetts. He compiled two hymn books – Sacred Poems (1830), Regular Hymns: on a Great Variety of Evangelical Subjects and Important Occasions: with Musical Directions, for all the Varieties of Appropriate Expression (1824), and The Family Psalter (circa 1857). The latter may have never been published, and his other books probably found only limited use outside his region (and probably not much outside the Unitarian fold). His daughter writes:

…he gave much thought and time to the subject of sacred music. He composed many hymns; on his favorite plan of adapting the poetical to the musical emphasis. He left a manuscript collection of four hundred or more of these hymns;, about one hundred of which were composed in his eighty-second year. After his birthday of eighty-two he prepared an elaborate preface to this collection, in which he emphasized the idea, that sacred music and poetry, fitly adapted to each other, are to be among the great factors in harmonizing the discordant elements of the world. This collection he named ‘The Family Psalter’.” (Life of Samuel Willard, D.D. A.A.S. of Deerfield, Mass, Mary Willard, editor. Boston, MA: George H. Ellis, 1892, pp. 22-23)

As far as I have discovered, the C.M.A., L.M.A., and S.M.A. metrical designations seem to be limited in use to Willard’s work. They may have been created by him for his work, and not used elsewhere. In Regular Hymns, Willard does not use metrical designations, but simply gave tunes for the hymn. He wrote, “In general, I have named two tunes for each hymn, taken either from the third edition of Deerfield Collection, or the tenth of the Bridgewater Collection. Those from the former are marked with a star, and those from the latter with a cross; to prevent any mistake” (pp. x-xi).

Samuel Willard died October 8, 1859, and is buried at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Deerfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts.

Baptists who were U.S. Presidents

Four men affiliated with Baptist churches have become President of the United States. Three were Democrats and one was a Republican. Two were northerners* and two were southerners.

1.     Warren G. Harding (Republican from Ohio, 1921–23), 29th president. He was a member and trustee of the Trinity Baptist Church, Marion, Ohio. He joined the church on May 6, 1883, when he was 17 years old and it was still called the Free Baptist Church. Historians have generally ranked Harding as one of the worst Presidents. This is based on the idea that he accomplished little while in office, and for corruption during his administration – several of his appointees went to prison for various scandals. I don’t think Harding himself was accused of improprieties beyond allowing it to go on.

2.     Harry S. Truman (Democrat from Missouri, 1945-1953), 33rd president. Truman is probably best known for following Roosevelt, being plain-spoken, and authorizing dropping the bombs on Japan. I know little about his presidency otherwise, or of his Baptist beliefs. At the age of 18, Truman was baptized at the Benton Boulevard Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri, where he was living at the time. He later became a member of the First Baptist Church of Grandview, Missouri, (then called the Grandview Baptist Church) in 1916. In 1945 Truman wrote, “I am a Baptist because I think that sect gives the common man the shortest and most direct approach to God.” (Source: Michael Devine, director of Harry S. Truman Library and Museum)

3.     James Earl “Jimmy” Carter (Democrat from Georgia, 1977-1981). Carter is often remembered for speaking of being born-again (and by some for giving away the Panama Canal). His presidency by many is thought of as ineffective, and after one term the American people replaced him with Ronald Reagan. At the time of his presidency he was a Southern Baptist, but later his church are affiliated with the more liberal Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. He was a popular Sunday School teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church, Plains, Georgia. As a Baptist he would be considered on the liberal end of the spectrum. No questionable moral dealings or improprieties are associated with his presidency.

4.     William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton (Democrat from Arkansas, 1993-2001). He was baptized by Park Place Baptist Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. One of the most remembered acts of this Southern Baptist president is the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. Though a Baptist, the president and his family attended the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. while he was president.

Related:

Abraham Lincoln was raised by Baptist parents, but he was never a member of any church. George Washington was purportedly baptized by John Gano during the Revolutionary War. Regardless of the truth of it – two of Gano’s grandchildren claimed in an affidavit that their aunt, John Gano’s oldest daughter, told them that her father had baptized Washington – it seems that George Washington remained outwardly affiliated with the Episcopal Church.

* Missouri may best be considered a “border state” rather than “Northern.”

Obey God

You can choose to run from God, but God can capture you on the ship you’ve chosen to flee on, and throw you in the belly of a whale. His arsenal is bigger and badder than yours. It’s best to just do as God says.

Our Master

1. Immortal Love for ever full,
For ever flowing free,
For ever shared, for ever whole,
A never-ebbing sea.

2. Our outward lips confess the name
All other names above;
Love only knoweth whence it came
And comprehendeth love.

3. We may not climb the heavenly steeps
To bring the Lord Christ down;
In vain we search the lowest deeps,
For him no depths can drown:

4. But warm, sweet, tender, even yet
A present help is he;
And faith has still its Olivet,
And love its Galilee.

5. The healing of his seamless dress
Is by our beds of pain;
We touch him in life’s throng and press,
And we are whole again.

6. Through him the first fond prayers are said
Our lips of childhood frame;
The last low whispers of our dead
Are burdened with his name.

7. Alone, O Love ineffable,
Thy saving name is given;
To turn aside from thee is hell,
To walk with thee is heaven.

The American Quaker poet and abolitionist, John Greenleaf Whittier, wrote the above poem.  This poem, entitled “Our Master” and originally written in 1856, appears in Whittier’s work, The Tent on the Beach, and other Poems (1867) on page 143-152. There it has 38 stanzas of 4 lines. Some portions of it have been adapted to Christian hymnals. The above seven stanzas are verses 1, 2, 5, 13, 14, 15, and 31 in the 1867 printing.

Whittier was born at Haverhill, Massachusetts, December 17, 1807, the son of John Whittier and Abigail Hussey. He grew up on a farm and also learned the trade of shoemaking. Whittier died September 7, 1892, and is buried at Union Cemetery in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.

The poetry of “Our Master” is often set to the tune Bishopthorpe by Jeremiah Clarke, an English chorister and composer born 1674 and died in 1707. Clarke composed both sacred and secular music. He is buried at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London, England.

The “M’s” have it

Morphing off of a Facebook post by Pastor Jason Skipper, October 2025.

“M’s” you can mention in order to get in a big fuss with someone:

• Men only as preachers
• Music in church
• Modesty in apparel
• Manuscripts of the Bible

Traits of a good hymn

“A hymn ought to be as regular in its structure as any other poem; it should have a distinct subject, and that subject should be simple, not complicated, so that whatever skill or labour might be required in the author to develope his plan, there should be little or none required on the part of the reader to understand it. Consequently, a hymn should have a beginning, middle, and end.”

...

“A line is no more metre because it contains a certain concatenation of syllables, than so many crotchets and quavers, pricked at random, would constitute a bar of music.”

James Montgomery in his “Introductory Essay” to The Christian Psalmist; or, Hymns, Selected and Original, pp. xiv, xvi.

Immersion of the eunuch by Philip

Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

l. They both went down to the water.] Considering how frequently bathing was used in those hot countries, it is not to be wondered that baptism was generally administered by immersion, though I see no proof that it was essential to the institution. It would be very unnatural to suppose that they went down to the water, merely that Philip might take up a little water in his hand to pour on the eunuch. A person of his dignity had, no doubt, many vessels with him in his baggage on such a journey through so desert a country, a precaution absolutely necessary for travellers in those parts, and never omitted by them. See Dr. Shaw’s Travels, Pref. p. 4.

Philip Doddridge (1702–1751), “Philip Baptizes the Ethiopian Eunuch,” The Family Expositor; Or, a Paraphrase and Version of the New Testament, With Critical Notes, London: Frederick Westley and A. H. Davis, 1831, p. 403.

Today Philip Doddridge is perhaps best remembered as a hymnwriter. However, he was an important Non-conformist (Congregationalist) pastor, author, and educator in his day. The above quote from his comments on the baptism of the eunuch supply an oft-needed corrective to modern pedobaptists who would deny the early practice of immersion. Doddridge himself did not see immersion as inherent or essential to the ordinance, but nevertheless was able to read the immersion of the eunuch performed by Philip – without wearing pedobaptist glasses that saw it as a sprinkling or pouring.

His reference to “Dr. Shaw’s Travels” is as follows:

“We took Care in the first Place, to provide ourselves with a sufficient Quantity of Goat’s Skins, which we filled with Water, every four or five Days, or as often as we found it.” Travels; or Observations, Relating to Several Parts of Barbary and the Levant, Thomas Shaw, Oxford: At the Theatre, 1738, p. iv.

Yes, Doug, I am a genealogist

“A half truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” -- J. I. Packer

Last week, in contrast to Jonathan Burris, I mentioned that I have found non- and anti- KJV controversialists who are open, honest, and sincere.[i] I find others who are stuck playing one string on their banjoes and can pluck no other! In some cases, they may be willingly ignorant, determined to debate (regardless), and even deceivers & being deceived.

The Gary Hudson-Doug Kutilek-Rick Norton team of contenders seem to fit that description. They have lit on their “true truth,” found the one string they can pluck, and will not be dislodged from it regardless of the evidence. In “The TRUE Genealogy & Genesis of ‘KJV–Onlyism,’” Doug Kutilek writes:

In the realm of King-James-Version-Onlyism, just such a genealogy of error can be easily traced. All writers who embrace the KJV-only position have derived their views ultimately from Seventh-day Adventist missionary, theology professor and college president, Benjamin G. Wilkinson (died 1968), through one of two or three of his spiritual descendants.

They have determined to dismiss “King James Only” theology and history out of hand by foisting on it a genealogy error. Doug Kutilek and others have made a cottage industry out of it.

Find someone who believed only the King James Bible was the word of God before Benjamin Wilkinson? “Dismissed! They can’t be KJVO because that does not fit our pre-determined genealogical scheme.” If my Baptist ancestors never heard of Benjamin Wilkinson, J. J. Ray, Fuller, or Ruckman, but believed their King James Bibles represented the inspired word of God? “Dismissed! This can’t be so, because we have already set the parameters and drawn the lines.” There is no reasoning with these guys. They will not be budged by any kind of evidence. How do we know? We’ve tried, and they still won’t move.[ii] 

The H-K-N team excels in hypocrisy. When olden King James Bible supporters say they could accept some changes in the KJV, this team then erases them from the line of “KJV Only” supporters. However, when contemporary King James Bible supporters say they could accept some changes in the KJV, this team charges that these are lying and are still to be considered “KJV Only.”

These are:

• Deceivers, Deceiving, Being Deceived?
• Woefully Willfully Ignorant?
• Dogmatically Dead-Set to Debate?
• Quibblers Qualified in Quibbling?

“A half truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” -- J. I. Packer

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[i] When I first became acquainted with him, I thought Mark Ward fit in that category. Continued interactions with him make me doubt it.
[ii] 1. One of Rick Norton’s perennial lines is that Archbishop Richard Bancroft (or another prelate or somebody) altered “robbers of temples” in Acts 19:37 to make it say “robbers of churches.” He can find one old 1671 quote to that effect; inflate the claim with dozens of others with no evidence other than the first claim; ignore the fact that that translation previously appeared in the translations of Tyndale, Coverdale, Matthew, Taverner, the Great Bible, and the Bishop’s Bible; ignore the fact that the King James translators used “churchrobber” in 2 Maccabees 4:42, clearly in reference to the temple; and then just keep repeating the claim ad infinitum. 2. Plenty of Pre-Wilkinsonian historical evidence has been provided of the existence of supporters of the exclusive use of the King James Bible as the word of God. It seems to be dismissed out of hand because they simply cannot be KJVO. For a few samples, see HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Congregational psalm-singing

I do not advocate exclusive psalmody (that all our worship songs must be based on the Psalms), and I am unsure of whether the author of these words, Alistair Roberts, does or does not. However, I think much of what Roberts says about psalm-singing in the excerpt below is a great corrective to what American church singing has devolved into, a performance-based consumer-oriented mess that steals the songs from the congregation. (And unfortunately, many congregations “love to have it so.”)

“Too often, modern worshipers treat worship as if it were something chiefly to be consumed by them as individuals (leading to a great concern that church music styles cater to their more general tastes in music consumption). Yet worship is not chiefly to be consumed quasi-passively, but to be an act. In the purposeful and practiced act of singing psalms together, we joyfully and lovingly present our hearts and our assemblies to God and we take his word into us. Because it is an act of worship, we should want to take time to learn how to do it well. Typically greater delight will follow.

“A huge obstacle to good psalm-singing is the ingrained passivity that comes with a lifetime of being consumers of music. Great psalm-singing is entirely achievable, but we must approach worship more as an act of making music before the Lord, demanding practice and effort.

“Indeed, the more the church’s music is driven by the musical tastes of religious consumers, the more divided it will be. The corporate act of making music has a power to unite that exceeds the unity produced by the convergence of private tastes in its consumption. Congregational psalm-singing is a form of expression of God’s Word by which, within the body of Christ, we address each other and by which Christ’s word and his Spirit indwell us (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18-21). As we do it, the body can become self-aware in a new way. As we don’t merely sing along with performers at the front, but sing in unison or in harmony as a congregation, we take fuller ownership of the words that God has given us as our own joyful and purposeful expression and also receive those words from the lips of our neighbours.”

[Note: I do advocate that we need to sing more of the Psalms. Our singing is sadly lacking if we do not do so.]

Eternal honour be to him

HYMN CCCCXV.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. 1 John. iii. 16.

1. Eternal honour be to him,
Who saved us by his blood!
His love shall be our joyful theme,
The boundless love of God.

2. But few would die to save a friend,
He died to save his foes;
His love no measure has, nor end,
’Tis such as no man knows.

3. No words can tell its depth or height,
No love can equal his;
The love of God is infinite,
Like God himself it is.

4. No sacrifice appeared too great,
The love of God to prove;
And thence we learn to estimate
The greatness of his love.

5. Yet all we know is, that his love
Exceeds all others far;
How far, not all the hosts above
Are able to declare.

6. But what we know makes wealth and fame,
And pleasure seem but loss;
And renders dear the glorious name
Of him who bore the cross.

Hymnwriter Thomas Kelly (1769–1855) was a Church of Ireland clergyman from his ordination in 1792 to 1803. Relations between Kelly and the church had been strained, and in 1803 he formally broke with this church. He did not seek to form a new denomination, but the people who followed him were often dubbed “Kellyites.” His evangelical views were influenced by Rowland Hill, William Romaine, John Walker, and the Haldane brothers. Kelly was a prolific hymn writer, producing over 700 hymns. Kelly’s hymns were published in A Collection of Psalms and Hymns (1802), Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (1804), and Hymns of Thomas Kelly, Never Before Published (1815). “Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious” is possibly his best-known and most printed hymn. “Blessed fountain, full of grace” appears on pages 366-367 of Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (Fifth Edition, Thomas Kelly, Dublin: Martin Keene, 1820). This hymn is written in Common Meter, and might be paired with most any good Common Meter tune. Primrose would make a good selection, in my opinion.

Some folk want enough, and other quotes

The posting of quotes of human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify if possible.)

“Some folk want enough Jesus to bless their plans, but not change their plans.” -- Kevin Lake

“A selfish person is all about self and not about the Saviour.” -- Johnnie Johnson

“You grow when the word of God means more to you than the words of people.” -- Unknown

“Children have a much better chance of growing up if their parents have done so first.” -- Susan Peters

Referring to Matthew 16:18, Charles Spurgeon stated, “The wine of Romanism is not to be pressed out of this cluster.”

“Until sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” -- Thomas Watson

“Among the first steps toward happiness and success are the church steps.” -- Unknown

“We bring so little glory to Christ, because we seek so much of our own” -- Octavius Winslow

“Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them.” -- E. Paul Hovey

“Bitterness borrowed from yesterday always bankrupts tomorrow.” -- Ian Simkins

“Gay marriage isn’t marriage.” -- Charles E. Hamilton Jr.

“Fallen man is totally depraved, utterly corrupt, spiritually dead, and without desire or ability to even acknowledge, let alone change, what he is.” -- Don Fortner

“Preach the word whether it fills up a room or clears it out.” -- Charles E. Hamilton Jr.

“A few more nights, then everlasting day! A little more pain, then endless pleasure! Just a few more sleepless nights, then eternal rest! Just a little more trouble, then everlasting ease! Just a little more dying, then eternal life!” -- Don Fortner

“False doctrine set to music has always been one of the Devil’s favorite ways of inculcating untruths in the ears and hearts of people who sing them.” -- Chad Bird

“Affliction is often the forerunner of blessing.” -- Daniel Goodman

Old bluster and bluff

Reading Greek.

I ran across these comments that I had saved from a Facebook group. Several years ago, a preacher named Jonathan Burris – who had “disembarked” from the use of only the King James Bible and had been “dislodged” from his church – joined the Facebook group and hit the ground running. He “knew all” and “told all.” Burris usually wrote in superlatives. He claimed to meet all comers and answer all questions, but I found “a few” he would not answer. Here is one. After touting his Greek skills, he would not answer whether he could actually read Greek with comprehension. He snuggled back in a safe position of “if someone will debate me I will prove that I can.” A simple answer was not simple enough, because the answer was probably simply, “no.” Here was our conversation.

Robert Lee Vaughn: “Btw, Jonathan Burris, you may have missed my earlier question. When you were suggesting doing live videos, I asked if would you do a live video in which you read and then giving the meaning of a reading from the Greek, that you would not know what it is until handed to you live. What do you think? Thanks.”

Jonathan Burris: “Robert Lee Vaughn, if you are curious if I can truly read Biblical Greek or not, I would love to have a KJVO debate me and during cross-examination, my opponent could ask me to read and parse a random portion of text from either the Greek NT or the Septuagint. Someone should debate me if they think I am bluffing.”

Robert Lee Vaughn: “Jonathan Burris, so that is a ‘no’ to my question? I am curious whether you read Greek or ‘read’ Greek. Thanks. https://danielstreett.com/2011/09/08/what-does-it-mean-to-read-greek/”

Jonathan Burris: “Robert Lee Vaughn, would you like to do a live, in-person, moderated debate with me and find out? During cross-examination, you can ask me to read and parse a random portion of the Greek NT or the Septuagint. If you don’t think I can read and understand Koine Greek, call my bluff.

“Else, let’s put this to bed and present a coherent argument for us to discuss. Or, just move on and have a good weekend.”

Robert Lee Vaughn: “I do my ‘debating’ on paper and electronic media. I am old and a slow plodder, and never was a quick thinker anyway. Plus I don’t have the face for visual media! Additionally, I don’t really see why you can’t answer the question without having a debate. Do you read it with comprehension like you do your native language, or you ‘slosh through it’ like Bart Ehrman said in an address he made at Loyola Marymount University in 2013? ‘Today when somebody is highly skilled in Greek, like Jeff Siker and me, we’re considered highly skilled – that means we can kind of slosh our way through a Greek text if we have a good dictionary sitting next to us.’

“By the way, I have ‘called your bluff.’ I have asked for a straight answer and so far you won’t give it, for some reason.

Since I saved these remarks for some reason, I decided to go ahead and post them here and get them out of the queue. I found many interlocutors on the non-KJV side to be open, honest, and sincere. Jonathan B. was not one of them. If you run across him, keep one eye and both ears open.

Safe at last

Safe at last, Acts 27:41-44

Verse 41: The mariners ran the ship aground at a place where two seas met. The suggests land such as a sandbar where the creek dumped into the sea, with deeper water on either side, i.e., “where two seas met.” The front of the ship stuck aground and would not move. The back of the ship was battered by the waves and broken apart.

Verse 42: A new problem arises, as the soldiers think it is wisdom to just kill the prisoners. That way they will not have to worry about any of them escaping, while they are trying to save their own lives. For discussion of the responsibility of guards for prisoners, see comments at Acts 12:19 and Acts 16:17. God spared all the occupants of the ship for Paul’s sake. The centurion desired to save all the prisoners for Paul’s sake.

Verses 43-44: The centurion in charge, intending to save Paul, would not allow it. He kept his soldiers from killing the prisoners. He commanded those who could swim to jump into the sea and get to land that way. Those who could not swim clung to the wreckage, boards and broken pieces of the ship and thus made their way to land as well. “And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land,” just as Paul had prophesied. “all safe” as God promised Paul, there would be no loss of life. Of all 276 people, God who promised none would be lost, lost none. 276 were alive in the ship. 276 made it to land alive. What God had promised, he was able also to perform, Romans 4:21.

Green line suggesting possibilities concerning the voyage

Baptists and Baptism Lite

“Baptism has been secularized; God, for all intents and purposes, is shuffled to the sidelines. The entire focus is on what those being baptized are doing. They are taking a step of obedience to God, and they are publicly professing their faith. But what, if anything, was God, who we know best in Jesus Christ, doing? Was God involved at all? Was God even present? If so, how, and what was he doing? Did baptism do anything? Or is baptism a matter that is entirely human, without any significant divine involvement?” Mark G. McKim, The Secularization of Baptism: How Baptists Took God out of Baptism, and How to Fix the Problem, Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2025

“The ordinances are a crucial part of what makes a church a church. When rightly understood, they present to the eye and the mouth a sensible gospel—a gospel that can be felt, seen, and tasted.” Josh Manley in “Who Should Administer the Ordinances?”

How singularly strange that many of the churches identified as “Baptist” possess an anemic and ambiguous view (and practice) of their most defining characteristic, baptism of believers by immersion!

It is theologically important. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice, and therefore the source of instruction on the meaning and practice of baptism. Baptism should follow the Bible, not modern secular philosophy. Baptism of the believer is important, but the God of the baptism of believers is the most important focus of biblical truth. Cf. Romans 11:36; 1 Peter 5:11; Revelation 4:11.

It is practically important. If the God of all the universe, who commanded baptism, is not involved in each baptism, then we become weak and sickly in the importance we place on it. Many modern Baptists try to “de-stress” baptism as much as possible – it doesn’t matter, it is not that important, it is okay for a believer to go through life unbaptized, and such like. This is ridiculous! Many professing Baptists live by a secular and deistic pattern, as if God has little involvement in the day-to-day matters of their lives. Acts 8:37-39; 1 Peter 3:21; Hebrews 8:5.

It is relationally important. The right heart, the right response, the right sincerity that moves the believers to identify initially, objectively, and publicly with their redeeming Lord. The heart of the matter should dwell in unity, with the Lord of the baptism and in the mode of baptism. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Cf. John 4:24; Ephesians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

In The Secularization of Baptism, McKim theorizes and demonstrates that “four factors led to the symbolic-only position becoming dominant. These were suspicion, in reaction to Roman Catholicism, of the idea of God revealing himself through the physical; the influence of the Enlightenment (and ‘embarrassment’ with claims that God could be acting in the world today); reaction against the Oxford Movement; and reaction against the understanding of baptism advocated by the Disciples of Christ (‘Campbellites’).”

Let me be clear. We Baptists believe that baptism is symbolic rather than salvific. I believe there is a bad tendency among some to go into a kind of sacramentalism on this issue. However, the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much is not the true Baptist position. Consider historically that the early American Baptist language on baptism was so strong that many of them initially mistook Alexander Campbell to be saying the same things they were. (Boy, were we fooled!) I fear that often modern Baptists just find it easier to adopt the it-is-only-a-symbol-and-does-not-matter-much attitude rather than do the hard work of carving out the middle position where the Bible stands. It is easy, and it fits the spirit of the age. And it is or can be hard work to explain it correctly. If you veer too far one way, it sounds like salvific sacramentalism. If you veer too far the other way, it sounds like anything, everything, and (mostly) nothing! It leads to many of the errors of modern day Baptists, from careless (e.g., not carefully requiring a sound profession of faith) to indiscreet (e.g., fire engine baptisteries and water slide baptisms). May God help us seek the old paths and walk therein.

Romans 6:3-6 ;Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

The chiasm of human life

The chiasm of human life: 

“We are first children to our parents, then parents to our children, then parents to our parents, and finally children to our children.” -- Unknown

Hymn of Joy

1. Joyful, joyful, we adore thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before thee,
Praising thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

2. All thy works with joy surround thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
 Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in thee.

3. Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our brother,—
All who live in love are thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

4. Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o’er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

This hymn was first published in 1911 in The Poems of Henry Van Dyke (Henry Van Dyke, New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1911, pp. 332-333). It is titled “Hymn of Joy,” with the note “To the Music of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.” It is situated in the section “Songs of Hearth and Altar.” Later that year (1911) it was published in The (Presbyterian) Hymnal (No. 115).[i] There it is titled His Fatherhood and Love. The arrangement of the music by Beethoven is by the English organist and composer Edward Hodges (1796-1867).

There is a slight discrepancy as to when the hymn was written. In The Poems of Henry Van Dyke it is dated 1908, while The Hymnal dates it to 1907.

Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Jr. was born November 10, 1852 in Pennsylvania, the son of Henry Jackson Van Dyke, Sr. and Henrietta Ashmead. His father was a notable Presbyterian minister, and Henry Jr. also became a Presbyterian minister. He graduated from Princeton University and Princeton Seminary, and taught at Princeton University. He married Ellen Reid in 1881. In 1879 he was ordained, and pastored at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City from 1883-1900. Prior to World War I, he served as an ambassador to Holland and Luxembourg, appointed by President Woodrow Wilson.

Henry Van Dyke died April 10, 1933 at age 80. He and his wife are buried at the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey.

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[i] The Hymnal, Published in 1895 and Revised in 1911 by Authority of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Philadelphia, PA: The Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, 1911.