BAPTIST HISTORY Lesson 10

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BAPTIST HISTORYLesson 10

• Decline
• 1689-1770

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1689 Glorious Revolution
Deism The view that God created the universe but
has not been involved with it after finishing
creation
Act of Toleration
Challenges to Religion Overall
A. Deism

• Somewhat friendly as it helped men in a general,
  rational way

• Contains some good moral points

• Openly antagonistic because it offends reason

B. Latitudinarian Theology
Reason coupled with the Holy Spirit is sufficient
for all religious activity
C. Incomprehensible Apologetics
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Decline of General Baptists
A. Connectional Church Government
B. Introverted and petty concerns
C. Unpaid and untrained ministry
D. Lifetime pastorates
E. Geographical Distribution
F. Socinianism
Socinianism The view of Faustus Socinus
(1539-1604) that denied the divinity of Christ
and the penal-substitution view of the atonement
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Decline of Particular Baptists
NOTE Pastor Jeff Smiths two sermons
Had matters gone on but for a few more years,
the Baptists would have become a perfect dunghill
in society Andrew Fuller
220 churches in 1700-1710
150 churches in 1750!
The harvest is great, and faithful and painful
ministers are fewand what adds to the sorrow is
that there are so few rising to fill the places
of those that are removed few that come forth
with the same spirit, and are zealously attached
to the truths of the everlasting gospel John Gill
A. Influence of Hyper Calvinism
B. Undue inward focus
Churches excessively focused on the maintenance
of their congregational life M A G Haykin
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a garden enclosed Song of Solomon 412
A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a
spring locked, a fountain sealed
C. Controversies over more or less Minor Issues
1. Singing!
2. Closed verses open membership communion
Weare not in full accord among ourselves.
That I deny the ordinance of baptism, or that I
have placed one piece of an argument against it,
though they feign it, is quite without colour of
truth. All I say is, That the church of Christ
hath not warrant to keep out of their communion
the Christian that is discovered to be a visible
saint by the word, the Christian that walketh
according to his light with God.
John Bunyan, Differences in
Water Baptism No Bar to Communion
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D. Negative attitudes toward the Evangelical
Revival
E. Misplaced interpretation of the latter day
glory
F. Opposition to Enthusiasm