Particular Pilgrims

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The question some of you may have been waiting to hear addressed is the relationship between John Gill and hyper-Calvinism. Does Gill qualify as such? For some historians and theological writers, to ask the question is to answer it: of course he was. For them, Gill is the arch hyper-Calvinist who espoused damaging errors and practices. Others claim that Gill was simply a Calvinist fully in line with the previous generations of Particular Baptists. And there are many others at various places along the continuum between these two poles." For more information, visit about CBTS, visit #CBTSeminary.org

Today, John Gill is predominantly known for his writings. These amounted to over 10,000 folio pages. A folio was the full sheet of paper, 19 by 24 inches, then used by printers. With this quantity of output, no wonder one man gave Gill the nickname, “Dr. Voluminous”. I'll describe many of his writings in the next few minutes, but what is not usually appreciated is that virtually all of his publications grew out of his pastoral ministry. John Gill was first and foremost a pastor, serving a specific London congregation and from there made connections with other Baptist churches and orthodox Christians. So Gill's primary work was feeding the Word of God to the flock of God where he had been placed. And he did this with tireless diligence.

John Gill Pt.3: Death of Elizabeth Gill | Particular Pilgrims "We learn the most about John and his daughter Elizabeth because when she died at age 12, he preached her funeral sermon. This was printed and he appended a short account of things she told her parents in the days leading up to her death. In the sermon John refers to her as “our dear child”. And at the service he suddenly had to break off his prepared remarks because “my affections will not permit me”. Later, he and his wife collected from memory as best they could what Elizabeth had said and this became “An Account of some Choice Experiences of Elizabeth Gill, who departed this life May 30, 1738.” For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"In the last episode, we learned of John Gill's early years up to the time of his baptism and membership in the Little Meeting at age 19. And as he suspected, his concerns about being asked to preach were immediately confirmed. For on the very day of his reception into membership, he was asked to expound Isaiah 53 in a private home. The next Sunday he was requested to preach, which he did, from 1 Cor. 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”. Other sermons followed. As Graham Harrison said, “His life's work as a preacher of the gospel had begun." For more information visit, CBTSeminary.org

"In our studies of 18 th century English Particular Baptists, we now come to one of the most important, namely, John Gill. Highly respected in his own day, he fell from favor in the 19th century. But within the last generation, there has been a resurgence of interest in him and his writings." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

The Spiritual Life of Anne Brine | Particular Pilgrims "Anne's early Christian experience was similar to many others in that immediately after conversion, spiritual joys flooded in. She quaintly says, 'I was for a considerable time, as it were, dandled on the knee of Love. At sometimes I was in such transports of joy as cannot be expressed'. The relief of conscience and clarity of faith overwhelmed her in thankfulness." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode on the life of Anne Brine we will hear in her own words of her teenage conversion and then I'll make a few observations. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this podcast, the particular pilgrims we most frequently study are pastors, ordinarily the leaders in Calvinistic Baptist life. Most of them were married, but we usually know little about their wives. Sometimes we don't even know their first names! For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" John Spilsbury

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Bunhill Fields

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Dorothy Hazzard

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Hanserd Knollys Pt.3

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Hanserd Knollys Pt.2

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Hanserd Knollys Pt.1

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Benjamin Keach Pt.2

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Benjamin Keach Pt.1

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Women in Particular Baptist Churches Pt.2

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" Women in Particular Baptist Churches Pt.1

"Best of Particular Pilgrims" What is a Particular Baptist?

"The second man we need to know when considering Hyper-Calvinism in 18th-century English Particular Baptist life is John Brine. He was born in 1703 in Kettering, the same city that produced John Gill and Andrew Fuller. His family was poor and he was soon put to work, not allowing him much opportunity for an education. But he taught himself to read and began a life- long habit of immersing himself in good books. As a young man, he came under the occasional preaching of John Gill, who was six years his senior. Gill later described him as among “the first fruits of my ministry.” For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"In this episode, we will consider the man who is usually credited with introducing Hyper-Calvinism into Particular Baptist Life." John Skepp | Particular Pilgrims For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Arriving at a definition of hyper-Calvinism is challenging for several reasons. First, it is a subject that can evoke a strong emotional response, which works against objective historical and biblical study. Second, there is a spectrum of groups given this name, who, in some things, differ widely from each other. Third, there exists a range of modern scholarly definitions that have significant differences between them."

"The historical roots of Baptist itinerancy are found in the Interregnum, especially the period when Cromwell ruled. There was enough freedom for Baptists such as William Kiffen and Thomas Collier to travel widely, preach, baptize, and form churches."

Last time I introduced you to William Crabtree, the first pastor of the Baptist Church in Bradford, who was followed in the ministry by William Steadman. Crabtree's life is worthy of being told and contains several noteworthy lessons.

"Steadman's second great labor in Bradford was raising up a Baptist ministerial academy. Some at the time still opposed ministerial training and even those who saw its value were often unable to agree upon a shared vision or raise the resources to implement it. The local Baptist Association had formed the Northern Education Society to do this. And Steadman was their man for the next 30 years, almost single handedly giving it life." For more information, visit cbtseminary.org

"William Steadman arrived in Plymouth on June 6, 1798 as a pastoral partner to Isaiah Birt. This left the Broughton church without a pastor, a situation that was to continue for eleven years. But in God's strange providence, the church finally began to grow during this time. The surrounding Baptist pastors cared for the church until 1809 when a graduate of the Bristol Academy, Hugh Russell, was called as pastor. This is a good reminder that God's church is built, not by men, not even by good, qualified, zealous, and called men, but by Christ and that he uses whatever means and timing he thinks best." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"During this time, William constantly studied his Bible and read a wide range of evangelical authors. These included Calvinistic Anglicans like William Romaine and James Hervey and many volumes of John Gill and John Brine, the high Calvinistic Baptists. This appreciation for and experience of the value of other genuine Christians, even of a different mind in some things, was always a part of Steadman's life. While a convinced Particular Baptist with strong evangelistic impulses, he appreciated and cultivated friendships across the evangelical spectrum. In this he was representative of many Particular Baptists."

"There is another pastor connected with late 18 th century Plymouth that need to be highlighted. His name is William Steadman and he is an important figure in Particular Baptist history especially for his ministry in the north of England. Much of what we know about his life comes from a biography written by his son, Thomas, shortly after his father's death in 1837. It is called “Memoir of the Reverend William Steadman, D. D., pastor of the First Baptist Church, Bradford, Yorkshire, and president of the Northern Baptist Education Society”. It can be found online through Google books."

"Having looked at the life of Isaiah Birt and his friends, let's return to the Plymouth Baptist Church and Pastor Philip Gibbs. Now that Birt was pastoring the nearby Baptist church in Plymouth Dock, Gibbs needed an assistant. The church was alerted to William Winterbotham of London, and in January of 1790 he supplied the pulpit. His preaching was edifying and the people invited him to become assistant to their pastor which he readily accepted. Before we proceed with the story of his pastoral and political life, here is what we know about his background and conversion." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"It strikes me as unlikely that a born-poor, persecuted Baptist boy like Isaiah Birt would one day grow up to be friends with a wealthy, high-society, evangelical Anglican named John Broadley Wilson. But that is in fact what happened. At the same time, the story of their friendship illustrates the complementary truth that members of Particular Baptist churches were often a tight knit and even inter-married community." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Isaiah Birt's ministry in Plymouth lasted over 30 years. About 1815, he moved to Birmingham, where his son in the faith and dear friend, Samuel Pearce, had pastored until his death in 1799. For a dozen years, Birt ministered to this body of believers, preaching “only twice on the Lord's Day” but also on many weekday evenings. Eventually, physical weakness made this impractical. Then he stepped down, moved to London, and preached for others as he was able."