The Final Deliverance

2 Timothy 4:6-18

As Paul closes his epistle to Timothy, he charges him before God to preach the word and fulfill the ministry to which he is called. Paul then reflects on his own ministry that is soon coming to a close.

In his reflections, Paul declares a satisfied end and a sublime expectation. He sees his own activities as a good fight, a finished course, and a kept faith. He had “kept back nothing...taught…publickly, and from house to house…testifying…repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ…” and had “not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Cf. Acts 20:20-27.) He knew his labor was not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58) and had a hope founded on the resurrected Lord whom he preached (1 Corinthians 15:19-20). A crown of righteousness awaits him, and he has no regrets (v. 8). “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21.)

In his reflections, Paul interjects disheartening incidents and day-to-day activities. Though the apostle sees his expected end just over the horizon, he will continue to “finish the course” until its conclusion. He desires a visit from Timothy, with Mark, in his lonesome estate. Only Luke of his co-laborers is currently present, and even one of them, Demas, has left the faith to fulfill his love for the world. He asked Timothy to bring simple items, inquiring after a cloke and some reading materials. Paul cites Alexander the coppersmith as an opposer of the truth and warns against him.

In his reflections, Paul concludes the surety of God’s deliverance (who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 2 Corinthians 1:10). God had stood with him (against Alexander, for example), and he will continue to stand with him. Paul trusts God’s deliverance and preservation. The final deliverance may look like the defeat of death to the world – but the final deliverance will be the best!

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? … thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The open communion Baptist, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by 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.)

"And the open communion Baptist, who, in his own case, preserves the divine succession of first discipleship, and then baptism, when he joins or presides over a mixed communion church, destroys what he has thus built up, and makes himself a transgressor..." -- J. C. Philpot

"When a pastor preaches God’s word he has all the authority of heaven backing him. When he delves into his own opinions, be it in earthly or doctrinal matters, he has no authority whatsoever." -- Mark Osgatharp

"They are to shun evil in whatever form or appearance it may present itself." -- D. Edmond Hiebert

"We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it." -- Matthew Henry

"One truth that is seldom if ever heard preached by modern day mud daubers (see Ezekiel 13:8-12) is the fact that the LORD is pleased to, actively, hide the truth from some while, just as actively, revealing it to others." -- Mike McInnis

"There’s a time to pray and a time to obey." -- Harold Sala

"Let any religious sect among us receive the patronage of the government, then woe to the dissenters from their doctrines." -- Gilbert Beebe

"There’s just one insight I would dare to claim: I know that true and false are not the same." -- Molière (in the play Tartuffe, 1664)

"‘I will strengthen that which was sick.’ Ezekiel 34:16. Peculiar maladies require peculiar remedies; but here is a general remedy, a family medicine. The Lord not only has strong remedies for desperate diseases; but in the divine medicine chest he has his restoratives and cordials." -- J. C. Philpot (1802 - 1869)

"If you worry that you might not be a Christian -- you probably are." -- Heard

"He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sun rise."
Eternity by William Blake (1757 - 1827)

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand." -- Milton Friedman

True faith not destroyed

True faith is no more destroyed by sharp trials, than the oak is destroyed by cutting away the ivy, or by a storm blowing down some of its rotten branches. And thus, as the oak, the more the winds blow upon it, takes a firmer root in the soil; so the storms and tempests that blow upon the soul, only cause it to take a firmer hold of the truth, and to strike its fibres more deeply into the Person, love, work, and blood of Jesus. So that, "by these things men live" (Isaiah 38:16), for through them, the life of God is maintained and kept up in the soul, the Holy Ghost secretly strengthening it by the very things that seemed to threaten it with destruction.

J. C. Philpot (1802 – 1869)

A (Foot Washing) Song

A SONG.

1. Come now my Christian brethren, who are in Christ baptis’d,

And learn’d of him humility, and this vain world despis’d;

Let us join with heart and voice, his praise and honor sing;

Extol the name of Jesus, our Prophet, Priest and King.

2. Sing of his humble kindness; tell of his dying love;

Lord pour thy Holy Spirit, upon us from above.

He laid aside his garments, when He rose from his seat,

Pour’d water in a basin, and wash’d his servants feet.

3. Peter forbid his Master, e’en said it ne’er shall be

Jesus answer’d him and said, lo if I wash not thee;

With me thou hast no part in the heav’nly joys above.

Nor in the glorious world of light, nor my redeeming love.

4. Such benefits to Peter, from this his Lord had shown.

Lord my hands and head wash thou, and not my feet alone,

Then Jesus unto him replied, the cleansed soul is meet,

Nor need he further washing, save this, to wash his feet.

5. For to Christ the Traitors heart and all his works were seen,

Therefore said Jesus to them lo ye are not all clean.

Let none of us my brethren against our Lord rebel,

Like Judas sell our Lord for pelf,[i] and sink ourselves to hell.

6. After he their feet had wash’d, and was again set down,

Know ye he said unto them what I to you have done,

If I your feet have wash’d now, as truly it was meet

Who am your Lord and Master: then wash each other’s feet.

7. For an example I have giv’n my followers to you,

As I have done so should ye to one another do;

Now here’s my hand in friendship let us each other greet,

Like Jesus in humility wash one another’s feet.

8. And now we thanks and praises. Dear Lord ascribe to thee,

Who bare the cross to save us, from endless misery,

In love to Jesus Christ and you, come brethren take your seat,

And let us now as Jesus did wash one another’s feet.

The above hymn is transcribed as printed on page 40 of An Attempt to Prove the Propriety and Utility of the Saints Washing One Another’s Feet: in Two Parts (John Lee, St. Louis, MO: Printed at the Gazette Office, 1841). The meter is mostly 7s.6s.D. I have not seen it in any other source, which may suggest that John Lee wrote it.[ii]

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[i] Money, riches, or wealth – especially when acquired by reprehensible means.

[ii] Based on Stanley Kimball’s reference on page 494 in “The Saints and St. Louis, 1831-1857: An Oasis of Tolerance and Security,” (Stanley B. Kimball, Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, Summer 1973, pp. 489-519), John Lee may have been a Mormon or ex-Mormon.

The Story of Coffee, 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.

• Are Catechisms a Baptist Thing? -- "It’s not as well known, but Baptists also have a rich tradition of writing and using catechisms."
• Bass Reeves, Lawman Extraordinaire -- "Could the West’s first African-American deputy marshal have inspired the Lone Ranger?"
• ‘Everything to Me’: A resilient couple finds home and hope in one of Alabama’s poorest communities -- "If you come and see the people, and talk with them, they don’t talk about how they’re living on less than $12,000 a year...Their focus is on their joy and the things they do have."
• Have Landmark Baptists made any helpful contributions to the Christian tradition? -- "While Landmark Baptists may have been the most vocal in championing Baptist perpetuity, this view was held by the majority of all Baptists from the 17th to the 19th century."
• In Defense of Church Membership -- "...Paul described a repentant individual as one once excluded by “the majority” (2 Cor 2:6)."
• Samuel Harriss -- "In Virginia Baptist Ministers, by James Barnett Taylor and George Braxton Taylor"
• Spurgeon Uncut and Unpasted -- "What we read today is not exactly what Spurgeon’s audience heard...Spurgeon spent most of Monday and Tuesday revising and editing the stenographers’ copies of his spoken sermons."
• The Origin, Theology, Transmission, and Recurrent Impact of Landmarkism in the Southern Baptist Convention (1850-2012) -- "The research concluded that Landmarkism is far from a forgotten piece of Southern Baptist history. Its influence, impact, and grip are very visible in some Southern Baptist beliefs and practices."
• The Story of Coffee -- "One of my summer reads is Coffee: The Epic of a Commodity by H. E. Jacobs. This book was written in the 1930s, but don’t let that stop you from reading it."

The Old Baptist Union links

On Wednesday and this morning I referenced the Old Baptist Union in Great Britain, which was founded in 1880. I found a number of writings, particularly by Thomas Henry Squire, have been made available online. For those who are interested in researching this seemingly unknown sub-group of Baptists, here are some of those links:

• Articles of Faith and Duties of Membership -- "of the English Conference of the International Old Baptist Union"
• Synopsis of What We Believe, Teach and Practise -- "While in sympathy with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, we scripturaJly maintain that the Church of Christ is composed of baptized believers who, as of old time, continue steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship..."
• Who are the Successors of the Apostolic Churches? A Question which directly concerns all Christians, answered by the Word of God. -- "There can be no real unity in Christendom until the leaders of the different societies are willing to forego their own ideas and opinions, and come back to New Testament Primitive Christianity from which all, more or less, sad to say, have gone astray."
• Instructions for Ministers and Workers of the English Conference of the Old Baptist Union -- "The first and most important principle of our government is--GOD'S GUIDANCE."
• The Scriptural Ordinance of The Laying on of Hands after Baptism for the Gift of the Holy Spirit. -- "The simple truth is, that all these ordinances, including the Laying on of Hands, were once derived trom the teaching and example of the first Christian churches founded by Christ and the Aposties, as set forth in the Scriptures..."
• Are Children Born Sinful? -- "Sin is not, therefore, something which is handed down as a heritage; but it is the personal act, or omission, of a capable and responsible person."
• Salvation and How to Obtain It -- "Notwithstanding the assertions of many earnest Christians Salvation is not completed by the assent of faith only, even in so far as it concerns this life, and the forgiveness of sins."

These links and other information are hosted HERE, by the Old Baptist Union Mission in the Netherlands.

The Old Baptist Union in the UK

Over the last 40 years or so, I’ve made a hobby of ferreting out small Baptist sub-denominations. Most of them I’ve found are in the US, but I discovered this one – the Old Baptist Union – in the UK several years back. This history is a bit different and somewhat intriguing.

The Old Baptist Union was founded in 1880 by Henry Augustus Squire and others.[i] Despite this later date, they consider themselves “true representatives” of the General Baptist Confessions of 1611 and 1660.[ii] It seems the idea of “Old Baptist” in the name is because they believe they represent the first or oldest Baptists in the UK. Most of the General Baptists in the UK (I believe) either descended into Universalism and/or Quakerism, or else eventually merged with the Baptist Union of Great Britain.

After the death of Henry Squire in 1914, his son Thomas H. Squire seems to have become the primary leader until his death.[iii] He was probably the most prolific writer within the Old Baptist Union.

Statistics are hard to come by, but perhaps the following is fairly accurate numerically – “the Old Baptist Union has 17 member churches (16 in England and 1 in the Netherlands) with about 700 members.”[iv] The Union itself is a member of both the Free Churches Council and the Evangelical Alliance. Some of its churches participate in local associations of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.[v]

The churches of the Old Baptist Union are:

• Evangelical, holding “that the Gospel should be preached to all creation”
• General Atonement, holding “God has made a full provision for’ the salvation of all men, but that those only will be saved who repent of their sins and accept Christ, by faith”
• Six-Principle, holding “that those who are baptised should receive the ‘laying on of hands’”
• Lean charismatic, holding that the Holy Spirit’s “gifts may still be claimed and exercised, subject to His will”[vi]

Old Baptist Union website (very basic, but contains their articles of faith)
Old Baptist Union

Emmanuel Baptist Church Eastleigh website
Emmanuel Baptist Church » We Believe - Eastleigh

A mission in the Netherlands, Providence, has a website with information

OBU Today

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[i] One odd thing about the ministry of Henry Augustus Squire is that he joined the Mormon Church about 1847, and moved to Utah in 1856. He moved back to England circa 1866 and returned to his Baptist faith. His children who stayed in the U.S. use the spelling Squires and seem to have remained in the Mormon Church. His children who lived in England (and he & his wife) use the spelling Squire and seem to be Baptists. A bit of history from a Mormon descendant of Squire is HERE and HERE.

[ii] These would be the Thomas Helwys confession in 1611, and what is often called “The Standard Confession” from 1660.

[iii] Thomas Squire’s view of original sin approached Pelagianism (see HERE), but that doesn’t seem to be reflected – or at least clearly stated – in their current articles of faith.

[iv] From the Providence Old Baptist Mission website.

[v] For example, Emmanuel at Swanage, Dorset participates in the Southern Counties Baptist Association.

[vi] Emmanuel at Swanage, Dorset says on their website they are “an evangelical charismatic church.”

Patrick Henry's Speech

The Baptist Memorial and Monthly Record, Volume 4, Number 5, May 1845, pp. 131-132

PATRICK HENRY’S SPEECH.

“May it please your worships: I think I heard read by the prosecutor as I entered this house the paper I now hold in my hand. If I have rightly understood, the king's attorney of this colony has framed an indictment for the purpose of arraigning and punishing by imprisonment, three inoffensive persons before the bar of this court, for a crime of great magnitude—as disturbers of the peace. May it please the court, what did I hear read? Did I hear it distinctly, or was it a mistake of my own? Did I hear an expression, as if a crime, that these men, whom your worships are about to try for a misdemeanor, are charged with, what!”—and continuing in a low, solemn, heavy tone, “for preaching the gospel of the Son of God!” Pausing, amidst the most profound silence and breathless astonishment, he slowly waved the paper three times around his head, when lifting his hands and eyes to heaven, with peculiar and impressive energy he exclaimed, “Great God!” The exclamation—the action—the burst of feeling from the audience, were all overpowering. Mr. Henry resumed:

“May it please your worships—In a day like this, when truth is about to burst her fetters—when mankind are about to be aroused to claim their natural and in alienable rights—when the yoke of oppression that has reached the wilderness of America, and the unnatural alliance of ecclesiastical and civil power, are about to be dissevered—at such a period, when liberty—liberty of conscience, is about to awake from her slumberings and inquire into the reason of such charges as I find exhibited here to-day in this indictment!” Another fearful pause, while the speaker alternately cast his sharp, piercing eyes on the court and the prisoners, and resumed: “If I am not deceived, according to the contents of the paper I now hold in my hand, these men are accused of ‘preaching the gospel of the Son of God,’—Great God!”—Another long pause, while he again waved the indictment around his head—while a deeper impression was made on the auditory. Resuming his speech—“May it please your worships: There are periods in the history of man, when corruption and depravity have so long debased the human character, that man sinks under the weight of the oppressor's hand and becomes his servile—his abject slave; he licks the hand that smites him; he bows in passive obedience to the mandates of the despot, and in this state of servility he receives his fetters of perpetual bondage. But, may it please your worships, such a day has passed away! From that period, when our fathers left the land of their nativity for settlement in these American wilds—for Liberty—for civil and religious liberty— for liberty of conscience—to worship his Creator according to his conceptions of heaven's revealed will; from the moment he placed his foot on the American continent, and in the deeply imbedded forests sought an asylum from persecution and tyranny—from that moment, despotism was crushed ; her fetters of darkness were broken, and heaven decreed that man should be free—free to worship God according to the bible. Were it not for this, in vain have been the efforts and sacrifices of the colonists; in vain were all their sufferings and bloodshed to subjugate this new world, if we, their offspring, must still be oppressed and persecuted. But may it please your worships, permit me to in quire once more, for what are these men about to be tried? This paper says, “For preaching the gospel of the Son of God.' Great God! For preaching the gospel of the Saviour to Adam's fallen race.” And in tones of thunder, he exclaimed, “What Law Have They Violated?” While the third time, in a slow, dignified manner, he lifted his eyes to heaven, and waved the indictment around his head. The court and audience were now wrought up to the most intense pitch of excitement. The face of the prosecuting attorney was pallid and ghastly, and he appeared unconscious that his whole frame was agitated with alarm; while the judge, in a tremulous voice, put an end to the scene, now becoming excessively painful, by the authoritative declaration, “Sheriff, discharge those men.”

The descendants of Patrick Henry are now members of Baptist churches; and, it is a fact worth recording, that in those counties in Virginia, where Baptists were once persecuted—treated as the offscouring of the earth, and their preachers were imprisoned and painfully suffered—and were maltreated by ruthless violence, which, in modern times, and in reference to other objects, has assumed the name of “Lynch-law,”—in those counties, Baptists are not only numerous and influential, but they constitute almost the entire religious population of that district. Verily, what hath God wrought?

J. M. P.

Philadelphia, March 25, 1845.

Tracing Baptist history views, 2

In addition to views of Baptist perpetuity in the Northern U.S., such views are/were found “across the pond” in the United Kingdom. One unlikely source in among the Old Baptist Union founded in 1880 by Henry Augustus Squire and others.[i] His son Thomas H. Squire wrote, The International Old Baptist Union - A Revival of the Old Baptists and in it advocated a perpetuity of Baptist churches from the Apostolic churches to the churches in the Old Baptist Union.[ii]

“...we contend that we are the true successors of the Apostolic churches, the first and oldest Baptists, in that we believe in and practise all the ordinances and doctrines of the New Testament, some of which other sections of the Baptist body have neglected or laid aside.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 3)

“A fuller statement of our teaching is contained in the booklets, ‘Who are the Successors of the Apostolic Churches?’ and ‘The Old Baptist Union Confession of Faith, reprinted from the edition of 1660,’ and our other works.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 4)

“Those old Baptists—the Waldenses—who for centuries endured persecution and reproach unmoved, also practised the laying on of hands in ordination. The historian Muston says of their Ministers, that after a necessary training they were ‘Consecrated to the Ministry by the laying on of hands.’ They were then sent out two and two to preach over a large portion of Southern Europe.” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 6)

“That the first Baptists—those in the Apostolic churches—believed in this principle, is proved by—Acts viii. 14, 19; Heb. vi. 1, 2; Acts xix. 6; II Tim. i, 6;* and that many of our Baptist forefathers in the 17th Century "continued stedfastly in the Apostles' doctrine" in this particular, will be seen from the following:—” (A Revival of the Old Baptists, p. 7)

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[i] It is very unlikely that the Old Baptist Union movement was influenced by Landmark Baptists in the Southern U.S.

[ii] He does, nevertheless, distinguish his position from “apostolic succession” or a demonstrable church succession in the work referenced above – Who are the Successors of the Apostolic Churches? A Question which directly concerns all Christians, answered by the Word of God. (Sixth Edition, London: International Old Baptist Union Book & Tract Society, 1890)

Tracing Baptist history views, 1

Many unfamiliar with Baptist history and Baptist theology assume that the idea of Baptist church succession arose in the Southern United States in the mid-1800s. But read here a Baptist in the Northern United States in 1838 who presents the same view:

In tracing [Baptist] history through preceding ages, we are obliged to learn their existence and condition mostly from the concessions of Roman Catholics, and other opposers; for, during the Pagan and Papal persecutions, which continued from A.D. 66, to A.D. 1700, it was the constant aim of the Catholics and their allies to destroy the writings, as well as the persons of the true church...We have thus hastily traced the church down to the apostolic age, and find that although we are now surrounded by many denominations, yet they are of so recent origin, that previous to the rise of Lutheranism, A.D. 1517, it was vastly different; and as we approach the apostolic age, their number appears still less, until we arrive at A.D. 325, when the first general division took place at Alexandria, respecting the doctrine of Arius. From that time, down to the organization of the first church at Jerusalem, A.D. 33, there was but one denomination, which has since been called by various names: First, Disciples, then Christians, and in after ages several nicknames, as we have seen; and at present it is known by the name of the Baptized Church, to distinguish it from those churches which merely sprinkle. Thus evident it is, that the Bible and impartial history sustain our claim to apostolic church origin; and that not only John Huss, Jerome of Prague and John Wickliff, were martyrs of our church, but equally demonstrates that Ignatius, Irenaeus, Polycarp, and the multitudes who have sealed their fuith with their blood since them, were Baptists.

The Convert's Guide to First Principles; or Evangelical Truth, Israel Robords, New Haven, CT: William Storer, Jr., 1838 (At the time this was written, Robords was Pastor of the First Baptist Church, New Haven, Connecticut)

Why Should Baptist Churches Keep the “Baptist” Label in Their Names?

By Ben Stratton

Back in April I posted a comment by Ben about using the Baptist name label. He has recently expressed it in more detail. Ben is Southern Baptist (pastor of the Farmington Baptist Church, Farmington, Kentucky), so he approaches it directly  from that perspective. Nevertheless, it applies to the broader Baptist family as well.

Why Should Baptist Churches Keep the “Baptist” Label in Their Names?

1. It is ethically honest. Most of the Southern Baptist churches dropping the Baptist label have the attitude “We’re Baptist, just don’t tell anybody.” How is this being truthful?

2. It encourages interest in doctrine and history. I don’t know of any churches that have dropped the “Baptist” name that are strong on Baptist / Bible doctrine or Baptist distinctives. Most are weaker than dishwater on the topic!

3. The Baptist name is NOT a deterrent to evangelism or church growth. This is a strawman argument. In every region of the United States you can find churches with “Baptist” in their name that are growing and doing well in reaching people for Christ. The reason our Southern Baptist churches are not growing is not their name, but the lack of prayer, evangelism, biblical preaching, etc. in our churches.

4. It is less confusing. What are the popular names that Southern Baptist churches are using today? Cross Point, Hope Church, Cross Roads, Eagles Church, etc. Now you have Assemblies of God, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutherans, etc. using those same names. How are you supposed to know what that church believes?

“Landmarkism” Before Landmarkism

In his article Landmarkism: Doctrinaire Ecclesiology among Baptists,[i] Hugh Wamble concludes that the essence of Landmarkism is belief in the “sole validity of Baptist churches.” Others state it this way – “Baptist churches are the only true churches.”[ii] It has been (and still is) popular to date the rise of this ecclesiological belief among Baptists with J. R. Graves, J. M. Pendleton, and A. C. Dayton. Yet the following excerpts from The Autobiography of Elder Wilson Thompson will show the concept well established before Graves was born and while Dayton & Pendleton were “still in diapers.”

This incident following, according to Wilson Thompson, took place at “‘Caldwell’s Settlement’, on the river St. Francis, not far from a village called St. Michael, about sixty miles from the Bethel Church” (of which he was a member). The time frame was “during the war of 1812,” and “There never had been a Baptist preacher in all that part of the country.” He was invited to preach there by a couple living there who were members of the Bethel Church. “A considerable congregation had gathered, and I delivered as plain and pointed a discourse, and as definite as I could. I then explained the circumstances which had led to that appointment, and that I was authorized by the Bethel Church, of which I was a member, and which was located in the district of Cape Girardeau, to give an invitation to any persons wishing to be baptized and become members of the Bethel Regular Baptist Church. I added that if they could give full and satisfactory evidence of the hope that was in them, I was ready and willing to baptize. But I would wish all to understand, that the Baptists alone were by us considered a gospel church, and therefore they received none into their fellowship or communion, except on public profession of their faith in Christ, according to the doctrine of His grace. No probationers of six months, no infants who were sprinkled on the profession of their parents, nor any others but believers in Jesus Christ were received. Therefore, all who joined this church must renounce alliance with all other denominations. They should treat all men friendly as men, but have no communion or fellowship with any but the Baptist Church of Christ; for they should look upon all others as the daughters of mystic Babylon. ‘I have been thus particular, as I wish to deceive no one,’ said I. ‘We wish to be understood to say, as did the Lord in reference to this ‘Mystery, Babylon’ (if any of God's people be ensnared by her), Come out of her my people, and be ye separated from her.’”[iii]

The next account relates Thompson’s comments to a young Lutheran. The young man related his experience and desired to join the church, but had been told by his mother “‘Cursed is he that is baptized over again.’…‘Sprinkling is not baptism,’ said I, ‘and even the immersion of an unconscious infant is no gospel baptism; nor can any man administer gospel baptism without the legal authority of Christ. This authority He has vested in the true church, as the executive authority of His kingdom, to see to the proper execution of all His laws and ordinances. The proper authority, therefore, is indispensable to gospel baptism, and this no Lutheran has. So you need have no more trouble on that account.’”[iv]

The date of this second incident is not as clear, but probably occurred circa 1816. It happened before Thompson first met missionary to the Indians, Isaac McCoy (cf. p. 196). Both incidents referenced above took place 35 years and more before many historians date the inauguration of the Landmark movement (ca. 1851). Both incidents demonstrate that at least some of the Regular Baptists in the Midwest believed only the Baptists were valid churches.[v]

1788, Philadelphia Baptist Association, Pennsylvania, et al.[vi]

Prior to Thompson’s record of “Landmarkism,” a query to the Philadelphia Association in 1788 reveals a similar concern and position.

“15. In answer to the query from the first church in New York, of last year, held over to this time, respecting the validity of baptism, administered by a person who had never been baptized himself, nor yet ordained, that we deem such baptism was null and void:

“Fourth. Because such administrator has no commission to baptize, for the words of the commission were addressed to the apostles, and their successors in the ministry, to the end of the world, and these are such, whom the church of Christ appoint to the whole work of the ministry.”

The fourth part of their answer is consistent with the Landmark position of the validity of only Baptist or scriptural churches. The answer also referenced previous queries to “our Association in times past; who put a negative on such baptisms in 1729, 1732, 1744, 1749 and 1768.”[vii]

1802, Elkhorn Baptist Association, Kentucky[viii]

A query to the Elkhorn Association in 1802 reflects the matter was a continuing concern.

“In 1802, the question as to what constitutes valid Baptism, which had been evaded in 1793, was brought before the Association in a different form, and answered as follows:

“‘Query from South Elkhorn.–What constitutes Baptism? Answer.–The administrator ought to have [been] baptized himself by immersion, legally called to preach gospel, [and] ordained as the Scriptures dictate; and the candidate for baptism should make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and be baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, by dipping the whole body in water.’”[ix]

1811, Georgia Baptist Association, Georgia

The 16th article (item of business) in the minutes of the 1810 session of the Georgia Baptist Association stated, “Resolved, that the subject of the next circular letter, be our reasons for rejecting Methodist, or Pædobaptist baptism by immersion, as invalid; and that brother Mercer write the same.” In the year 1811 Jesse Mercer wrote this circular letter, which was adopted by the Georgia Association. In summary, the circular says:

“Our reasons, therefore for rejecting baptism by immersion when administered by Pedobaptist ministers, are,

     “I. That they are connected with churches clearly out of the apostolic succession, and therefore clearly out of the apostolic commission.

     “II. That they have derived their authority, by ordination, from the bishops of Rome, or from individuals, who have taken it on themselves to give it.

     “III. That they hold a higher rank in the churches than the apostles did, are not accountable to, and of consequence not triable by the church; but are amenable only to, or among themselves.

     “IV. That they all, as we think, administer contrary to the pattern of the Gospel, and some, when occasion requires, will act contrary to their own professed faith. Now as we know of none implicated in this case, but are in some or all of the above defects, either of which we deem sufficient to disqualify for meet gospel administrations invalid.”[x]

1824, Portsmouth Baptist Association, Virginia

In his autobiography, Jeremiah Jeter mentions an incident that took place at the 1824 session of the Portsmouth Association in Virginia. Jeremiah Jeter (at least at the time)[xi] was a proponent of receiving Pædobaptist immersion, but his testimony stands as evidence of landmark principles displayed prominently in the Portsmouth Virginia Association. 1824 was well before the rise of any movement now dubbed Landmarkism.

“In May, 1824, the Portsmouth Baptist Association held its anniversary in the town of Portsmouth, where it was organized in 1791…Of the proceedings of the [1824] Association I recollect nothing, except a discussion on the validity of Pedobaptist immersions. In this conflict I fleshed my youthful sword, and was ingloriously defeated. I had associated with Semple, A. Broaddus, and others among the fathers who maintained the validity of such baptisms, and had adopted their views. As this side of the subject seemed to be feebly supported, I ventured, with probably more courage than discretion, for the first time in my life, to engage in religious controversy. My rashness evoked the chastening rod of Richard Poindexter. He was about fifty years old, of medium size, of swarthy complexion, possessed of a mind remarkable for astuteness and great self-possession and readiness for extempore debate. Dr. [A. M.] Poindexter, with greater culture and breadth of mind, bore a strong intellectual resemblance to his sire. It may be reasonably supposed that I was overmatched in the debate. I remember but a single illustration in the speech of Elder Poindexter. ‘Roundness,’ he said, ‘is essential to a bullet; beat it flat, and it will cease to be a bullet. So certain things—an authorized administrator being among them—are essential to baptism, and without these things it cannot be baptism.’ I made, so far as I can recollect, no attempt to reply. The association decided by an overwhelming vote that Pedobaptist immersions are not valid baptisms. I was defeated, but not convinced.”[xii]

1839, Sandy Creek Baptist Association, North Carolina[xiii]

“Query from the church at Pleasant Grove: ‘Is it consistent with the spirit of the gospel and according to the Scriptures for any regular Baptist church to receive into her fellowship any member or members of another denomination, who have been baptized by immersion, without baptizing them again?’

“Answer: ‘We think it is not.’

“The vote on this query, was unanimous. The Baptist is the only denomination that is not guilty of schism, of making a division when it came into existence. They existed prior to any Pedobaptist denomination now in existence...We cannot admit the validity of their baptism without admitting that they are tare and scriptural, gospel churches…”[xiv]

1839, Mississippi Baptist Association, Mississippi

The Mississippi Baptist Association is the oldest Baptist association in the state of Mississippi, which began in 1806 at Salem Baptist Church in Natchez. In 1839, the Mississippi association gave its opinion on valid baptism (especially in relation to the Campbellites): “That a regularly authorized administrator, a believer in Christ, and an immersion in the name of the Trinity, are the three things necessary. Therefore, immersion administered by Campbellite preachers, or ‘reforming teachers,’ as they styled themselves, was not valid baptism.”[xv]

Concluding thought

In his doctoral thesis James H. Maples writes:

“Landmarkism…arose in the mid-eighteenth century and was a dominant force in the first half-century of the life of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination. J. R. Graves was its chief architect, promoter, and apologist.”[xvi]

Maples’s statement, written in 2014, represents the ongoing failure of Baptist academia to recognize the validity of so-called “Landmark” ecclesiology before the rise of J. R. Graves. History is clear that Graves (as well as Dayton and Pendleton) offered substantial contributions to the promotion and growth of the Baptist ecclesiological idea that “Baptist churches are the only true churches.” This cannot and should not be denied or discredited. Nevertheless, a candid and careful examination of the historical facts must recognize that “Landmarkism” among Baptists existed long before the Landmarkism of Graves, Dayton, and Pendleton![xvii]

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[i] “Landmarkism: Doctrinaire Ecclesiology among Baptists,” by Hugh Wamble, Church History, Vol. 33, No. 4, 1964, pp. 429–447. JSTOR: www.jstor.org/stable/3162835.

[ii] For example, Encyclopedia of Religious Controversies in the United States: A-L (Second Edition), Bill J. Leonard, Jill Y. Crainshaw, editors, Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013, p. 438; The Baptist Heritage: Four Centuries of Baptist Witness, H. Leon McBeth, Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 1987; The 1851in Cotton Grove, Tennessee, Resolutions clearly assert only Baptist churches are true churches.

[iii] The Autobiography of Elder Wilson Thompson, His Life, Travels, and Ministerial Labors, Wilson Thompson, Greenfield, IN: D. H. Goble, 1867 [reprint, Old School Hymnal Co. Conley GA 1978], pp. 152-154 (pp. 213-215 in Archive.org edition)

[iv] Ibid, p. 194 (pp. 213-215 in Archive.org edition)

[v] Perhaps the fact that Thompson identified with the Primitive Baptists after the missions controversy (circa 1830) has caused missionary Baptist historians to miss this source.

[vi] The Philadelphia Association was organized in 1707, and is the oldest Baptist association in America.

[vii] Minutes of the Philadelphia Baptist Association, from A.D. 1707 to A.D. 1807, A. D. Gillette, Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1851, p. 238; in fairness, the 1765 answer to the query of Smith’s Creek appears to contradict this and the other answers cited.

[viii] The Elkhorn Association was organized October 1, 1785, at Clear Creek in Woodford County, Kentucky.

[ix] A History of Kentucky Baptists: From 1769 to 1885, Volume II, John Henderson Spencer, Mrs. Burilla B. Spencer, Cincinnati, OH: J. R. Baumes, 1886, p. 16

[x] A History of the Georgia Baptist Association, Jesse Mercer, Washington, GA: 1838, pp. 49, 199-200

[xi] I have read that Jeter changed his views on alien immersion. This certainly was not the case when he answered a question on the subject tin 1849 (Life of J.B. Jeter, D. D., William Eldridge Hatcher, Baltimore, MD: H. M. Wharton & Co., 1887, pp. 337-338).

[xii] The Recollections of a Long Life, Jeremiah Bell Jeter, Richmond, VA: The Religious Herald Company, 1891, pp. 123-124

[xiii] Sandy Creek Association was constituted in 1758, and is one of the older in associations in the United States.

[xiv] The latter paragraph included above appears to be Purefoy’s comments on the answer of the association, which was direct and succinct. A History of the Sandy Creek Baptist Association: From Its Organization in A.D. 1758, to A.D. 1858, George W. Purefoy, New York, NY: Sheldon & Co., 1859, p. 179

[xv] Abstract History of the Mississippi Baptist Association, T. C Schilling, New Orleans, LA: J. G. Hauser, 1908, p. 56

[xvi] The Origin, Theology, Transmission, and Recurrent Impact of Landmarkism in the Southern Baptist Convention (1850-2012), James Hoyle Maples, Doctor of Theology in Church History thesis, University of South Africa, 2014, p. ii

[xvii] J. M. Pendleton was born in 1811, A. C. Dayton in 1813, and J. R. Graves in 1820. The Philadelphia Association suggested “sole validity of Baptist churches” (Landmarkism) in 1788, if not earlier.