The Baptists in Scotland (Part 4)

An Heritage to Follow

Having stated our conviction that there is a great gulf fixed between what the founding fathers of the Scottish baptist witness believed and practiced, and what are the general trends today, we now go on to look at something of the kind of “bridges” that would have to be built in our day if ever we would span that gulf and take on to follow in the heritage of those who have gone before. We remember of course, that the early baptists in Scotland were fallible men, and to their natural eccentricities we need feel in no way bound. But if we are to look upon ourselves as baptists at all in following their historic line, we are completely under obligation to join ourselves with them at those points of belief and practice which rest solely and squarely on the word of God's revealed truth in the scriptures. If ever anything marked out those early baptist pioneers it was their desire to be governed only by this principle, “What saith the scriptures?” It was said of Christopher Anderson, in relation to his searching the scriptures, “to be convinced of the right, was with him to do the right.” That spirit very much pervaded in those early days, especially with regards to those matters pertaining to the salvation of the Church of Christ, and its establishment and purpose – both towards God and towards men. And if ever we are to be truly baptist, in the historic and biblical understanding of that term, then we must also learn to “walk by the same rule” and “mind the same things.”

As far as the question of salvation goes, to a man the early baptists were believers in and upholders of the truth that, “Salvation is of the Lord;” that “it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.” In a word they were all “Calvinistic” in their understanding of the gospel of God's free redeeming grace to sinners. When Robert Carmichael asked Archibald McLean in 1763, “What do you think of baptism?” he didn't have to ask him, “what do you think of salvation?” That particular truth of the word of God had long-since been settled in both men's hearts and minds. In fact, three years earlier, McLean had just re-issued from his publishing works in Glasgow one of the writings of the great Puritan divine, John Owen, and a glance at any of the Articles of Faith, of the early churches will clearly show that those baptists were of a different ilk to that which is current today. For example, from “The Particular Baptist Church,” founded in Glasgow in 1801:- “God, from all eternity,” says their 6th article, “to glorify his own free grace and mercy, holiness and truth, elected part of mankind in his own Son, to be partakers of grace here, and glory hereafter.” The very title, “Particular” baptists, meant that they were upholders of the doctrine of Particular Redemption – Limited Atonement, and whereas, they saw themselves clearly “closed-up” to the acceptance of this most humbling truth, they also rejoiced in the certainty of the success of it, that Jesus would “see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.” So, the 8th article: “All that in the councils of peace were given to Jesus, and redeemed by him, are in due time, by the ministry of the Word and Spirit, convinced of their sinfulness and obnoxiousness to God's wrath, and are enlightened in the knowledge of Jesus as the only Saviour.” Needless to say, such articles would be difficult to find today, except as museum pieces in some churches whose buildings and properties are “tied” by them.

The same convictions with regard to the doctrine of salvation, are what lie behind the works and labours of the Haldanes which helped to shed light on a very much benighted Scotland and Europe of that day. Dr. Reuben Saillens outlines the three “main characteristics” of what became known as “Haldane's Revival” in the city of Geneva: - (1) it gave a prominent emphasis to the necessity of a personal knowledge and experience of grace; (2) it maintained the absolute authority and Divine inspiration of the Bible; (3) it was a return to Calvinistic doctrine against Pelagianism and Arminianism ...” Robert Haldane himself assures us that such were his intentions; in writing to the irate Professor of Divinity at Geneva, concerning those students who had come under his teaching, the Calvinistic baptist makes his position clear: “As far as I was enabled, I endeavoured to lay open to them the rich stores of religious instruction contained in the Epistle to the Romans … In studying this Epistle, I turned their attention to the great doctrines of the gospel, so successfully revived at the Reformation by Luther and his associates, as well as by Calvin, with whose writings, though the founder of their church, they had no acquaintance, and whose theological sentiments they had been taught to regard as altogether antiquated. In discarding the instructions of these Reformers they had been led to understand that they were following the superior illumination of the present age. I did not attempt, however, to make them disciples of Calvin or of any other man … but to bring them to be followers of Christ, to sit at the foot of His cross, and to learn of Him, 'who spake as never man spake.'”

It was the description of the kind of instruction that Haldane outlines there that fired the enthusiasm of the zealous Thomas Chalmers. 1845 was only the second General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland which had come into being with the Disruption of 1843; two of the speakers at that Assembly were Frederic Monod and Merl d'Aubigne, and as they spoke of the pattern of things in Geneva, Chalmers declared that “thus to sit round a table, with the Bible, was his beau ideal of the study of theology.” Indeed, there can be no theology outwith that Bible, and if ever the Lord grants His Spirit again to the baptists of Scotland in general on this matter, they will learn what their fathers in the faith were assured of, “by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

Now, we may be assured of this one fact, that a man's theology with regards to how men are saved and added to the church of Christ, will very much determine what goes on within the context of the church's life. The apostle Paul very much wants us to learn how we “ought to behave ourselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth.” And so, he envelopes us in “the mystery of godliness.” (1 Timothy 3 verses 15 forward) It is a small wonder, then, that on the back of Arminian, man-centred views of the works of salvation among the new generation of Scottish baptists, there should come a form of church worship more akin to the theatre or concert hall than to that place which Paul there calls “the pillar and ground of truth.” Dear old Peter Grant used to play the fiddle for the entertainment of his fellow-parishioners at the Church of Scotland at Abernethy. But one day he hid among the bushes alongside the gravel pit at Grantown-on-Spey, where the baptists of that area had to meet at that time, and as he lay there, his heart rose to the rugged strains of their singing:

“Ah, yes,” he said in his heart, as he moved away at the end of the worship, “This is my rest, here still I'll stay.” Oh, he did not give up his fiddle, and could still find pleasure in it; but as an instrument of entertainment, it stayed at home when he “joyed” to “go up to the house of the Lord.” We wonder how the old Grantown pastor would feel today with twangs and bangs and screeching zings, and booms and bhams and bumps!

There is an interesting account of the ordination services of the pastor of the Particular baptist church in Glasgow mentioned earlier, it is contained in the form of a letter, sent by the newly inducted pastor, James Lister, to a friend. “Dear Sir, According to promise, I now write you an account of the settlement of our little church, and a copy of the articles in which we are agreed. Last Sabbath, one of our Ministers came from Paisley, and preached all day. On Monday morning, by half-past eight, the church met for the purpose of being set in order; strangers and several brethren from Paisley being present, James Taylor presided on the occasion, and observed the following order: he began by singing, then prayer; then he declared the occasion of the meeting. Singing. Prayer by a brother. He then read the scripture qualifications of a pastor and a deacon and signified, that as the church had agreed in the choice of James Lister as pastor, and James Deakin as deacon, they should now confirm that election by uplifted hands; which was done. Being thus chosen, he set them apart to their offices by an appropriate prayer, during which, he laid his hands on both, to commit them to the divine care and blessing. Sung an hymn. He then gave three distinct and full charges to the pastor, the deacon, and the people, to perform, as in the sight of God, their respective duties. The addresses were truly solemn and impressive. Sung an hymn and prayed; recommending all to the Word of God's grace. The whole service was closed by a hymn of praise. On this form I shall add no reflections: I hope it will commend itself to every enlightened mind.”

Now, is that not an interesting remark? “On this form I shall add no reflections: I hope it will commend itself to every enlightened mind.” Not a choir, solo, trio or group in sight. The day of “novelty” had not yet dawned. The old baptists knew that “the chief end of man” was to “glorify God.” And they knew also that nowhere is God meant to be glorified more than in the gathering together of the blood-bought in the united worship and praise of His name.

Our baptist fore-bears new what they ought to desire to take place with any “heathen” that come into the gathering of the church of God – namely what Paul spoke about, that the unbeliever should “fall down on his face and worship God.” Nowadays, however, the unbeliever has become the “centre-piece” in the house of the Lord and in order to retain his presence there the churches indulge in an endless round of so called evangelistic specials with the Word “slipped in” where there is an available space. “I hope it will commend itself to every enlightened mind,” said James Lister in that letter. We sincerely and sadly wonder how the present “form” of baptist worship can commend itself to any enlightened mind that God's word has enlightened. As Mr. Spurgeon put it, “put away your baby garments, and quit yourselves like men.”

But, to come back to the original “cause and effect.” It is undoubtedly the removal of the doctrines of God's free grace to men that has resulted in the shift of emphasis in the churches' worship from God to men. It is clear that as the churches moved away in their belief in a sovereign God who redeemed men for the praise of His name, then that purpose of redemption was also blurred. The final aim of a sinner's salvation is to be where Christ is in glory, to “behold” His glory. during the church's time on earth, she is “serving out,” as it were, her apprenticeship. And what she will be engaged in, in heaven, is what she should be engaged in now – no matter how imperfectly she is able to follow that pattern. Without any irreverence whatsoever, we refuse to believe that the church in glory will be treated to a solo from Elijah, or a trio from Peter, James and John, or the massed choirs of the Berean and Thessalonian churches! We are open for any to show us that the churches in the new Testament conducted their worship in any way related to the type of popular evangelistic services that are with us today. That might seem irrelevant, but we would humbly remind all that it is the revelation of God's truth that we are dealing with in the Bible. But, again, therein lies the whole issue: let us depart from the Word of God in our doctrine, and it will only be a few short steps that will carry us away from the practice, as well.

Of course, there might well be the response that the baptist churches in general have not moved away – either from the doctrines of an earlier day, or the practices, as far as the church's worship is concerned. Indeed, there is a great tendency for many baptists to claim that they are, in fact, “Calvinistic” when it comes to their views of the gospel of salvation. But we have no hesitation in saying that such “Calvinism” as results in our modern type of evangelistic service is, at best, highly defective, and really void of the terms and conditions involved in the phrase.

There is usually a fear expressed that the holding of strong views on God's sovereignty hinders the desire to spread the gospel of Christ. This we will deal with next time: not only did the early baptists spread the gospel, they knew it was the gospel they were desiring to spread.

(Next edition – a Heritage to Follow Yet.)