Personal Reflections on Watson's Test

Many years ago a church member of the “Primitive” Baptist order gave me a book called ‘The Old Baptist Test’ by Elder John Watson. It was given to me at a time when the desire to read and study was an unquenchable fire which burned in my bones. I found myself purchasing so many books that they accumulated upon me faster than I could devour their content. So when I received Watson’s work I just placed it on the bookshelf along with the others and resigned, ‘Oh well, I’ll get to it when I can’. Big mistake! If I had known what a jewel it was I would have taken it up readily. If I had known that it was at direct odds with what I felt was the truth at the time, being contrary to the paradigm advocated by my contemporaries in this particular order, then I would have immediately ventured into its pages. Unfortunately, I did not. So for many years Watson’s grand work gathered dust as it sat there completely undisturbed upon the bookshelf. It wasn’t until approximately 3 years ago when I took it down for the first time and gave it a gander.

The occasion on which I chose to read it was not without significance. It was at this same time that the Lord was opening my eyes to a fuller understanding of His Word. I began to see certain texts in the Bible which were either being ignored or construed in such a way to support a particular paradigm prevalent among the “Primitive” Baptist order. Yet, when the texts were confronted honestly using sound hermeneutics, and not erroneous preconceptions, they taught no such thing. To be specific, it was those verses in the Bible which unite the gospel with salvation, sanctification, and justification (e.g. John 17:17-20; Acts 13:46-48; 26:15-18; Rom. 1:16; 6:17; 10:14-17; 11:14; Eph. 1:13; 5:25; 1 Cor. 4:15; 2 Thes. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:10; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:22-25).

Here it was that Watson’s work became such a thrill to read. I found another who was openly advocating what I myself was beginning to see taught in the Word of God, and who would not kindly ‘sweep under the rug’ those above verses mentioned. At the same time I found him rebuking others who were of the contrary opinion. Yet I was astounded most of all at the title of his work: The Old Baptist Test! Here was an Old Baptist elder who set forth truths totally incompatible with today’s ‘time salvation’ paradigm, and he was doing it all under the name ‘Old Baptist’! He boldly sets forth the gospel as the means of salvation and many other related issues, and rebuked those who were beginning to assert otherwise as ‘modern innovators’! On this point, Watson seemed to be onto something (I speak as I was feeling at the time) for the Philadelphia Confession did in fact state that God called His people by His ‘Word and Spirit’; and it was out of the Philadelphia Baptists that the Primitives came! So why could it not be argued that “means salvation” was OLD doctrine, when it had historical warrant for being so?!!

These are important observations to say the least. First, when the assertion is made that the gospel is the ordinary means of salvation-- this is, IN FACT, an implicit denial in the doctrine of ‘time salvation’. For this doctrine teaches that the only purpose for the preaching of the gospel is to rescue the elect from temporal dangers. But Watson does no such thing. He was, therefore, not a doctrinal ancestor of the modernists today, but rather “in line” with men like myself, those who contribute to this blog, and other friends of mine whose eyes have been opened to the truth.

There is a second reason why these observations are important. One of the bold assertions made by many of today’s “Primitive” Baptists is the Landmarker claim that they may trace their lineage ‘back to Jerusalem’. Yet upon making an attempt to justify this by historical research, they will run into a brick wall erected by Watson, and learn that they’re not teaching old doctrine, but something 'new under the sun'! His work is an utter repudiation of the mixed bag of anti-means, anti-evangelism, antinomianism, hollow-log regeneration, Pelagianism, Arminianism, free-willism, and hyper-calvinism which goes to make up the ‘time salvation’ superstructure. It is a wonderful work which sets forth that true “Old Baptist” teaching that God’s decrees and responsibility are not foes, but friends. The publishing of the gospel is compatible with election, and not contrary to it (2 Thes. 2:13-14; 2 Tim. 2:10) as our moderns feel. God has chosen His people to salvation, yet it is through the gospel that they come unto that very thing (2 Thes. 2:13-14). Yes, faith is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8; John 6:29), but hearing is the manner by which this gift comes (Rom. 10:17; Eph. 1:13; Gal. 3:5)!


There is one great bit of sadness in relating all of this though. This sort of historical information, along with many other historical sources which we shall examine in the future, is being kept from the church members. They leisurely sit back and grovel at the claims that ‘time salvation’ and the way it compromises other important bible doctrines is Old Baptist teaching, when there is a serious begging of this question. Several have come forward in the last decade who KNOW there has been a departure among the Primitives from crucial Bible doctrines, and who, more or less, agree with what Watson asserts in his work. Sadly, this information is being suppressed by way of ostracizing those who are now bringing this truth to light. This is only to be expected however. Today’s generation have become so ingrained in their paradigm that they could not possibly tolerate the idea that what they have been taught is not old doctrine, but new. After all, it’s hard to put new wine into old bottles.

We pray that the Berean spirit would once again come upon the church members! O that they would examine their history and analyze the scriptures mentioned in this article. Then, with the Lord’s increase, they could come to pass ‘The OLD Baptist Test’.