As an historian of the "Primitive" or "Old School" Baptists, I am constantly looking for old records, books, and other writings that help tell the history (or historiography) of this denomination. Several years ago I mentioned two important works that I had seen referenced and looked for those works in libraries. The first was the debate that was carried on in the pages of "The Baptist" (edited at the time, 1873, by Dr. J.R. Graves) between Elder R.W. Fain of the Hardshells and R.S. Duncan (see my posting Where Is This Info? and It Is Now Available!). The second concerned two debates that were held between Elder Mark Bennett (former editor of "The Primitive Baptist" who left the Hardshells and became a spokesman against them) and Elder Grigg Thompson in 1852.
Over the past couple years I was finally able to read these debates, two before the Civil War and one after. What did I learn from reading them? Let me tell you.
In none of these debates was the issue of means in salvation denied by the Hardshells! The entire debate during this time period was still over methods of fulfilling the Great Commission! What does that tell us? It tells us that the PBs did not for many years deny that the preached gospel was the means God had ordained for saving sinners. It was not until, as Elder Burnam testified in the Mt. Carmel Church trial, the latter half of the nineteenth century that the deniers of means became significant.
Concerning Bennett, see my posting Elder Mark Bennett. In the "History of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention" By Livingston Johnson (see here) we have this testimony:
"Elder Mark Bennett labored as a missionary in the Kehukee Association. This was an anti-Missionary Association. His report shows that the field was a hard one and he was somewhat discouraged. Hear him: "The professing community of all denominations exhibits generally a mournful state of declension. Many of the preachers possess scarcely a single qualification of a bishop, especially of the anti order, and many churches tolerate dram-drinking to that excess that half the number of white male members are given daily to intoxication." The opposition of the anti-missionaries is so great that he hardly knows what to recommend, but is convinced that it is unnecessary for him to labor among them any more."
Now let me give you the important notes that I took reading the Bennett/Thompson debate.
Notes from the 1853 debate (here) (highlighting mine)
Bennett's first speech
"While the good, and pious, of all denominations of Christians, are laboring to send the gospel to all nations, and to afford the means of grace, to every nation, tongue, and kindred, Mr. Thompson and his denomination are doing all they can to oppose the spread of the gospel, and to obstruct the benevolent operations of the day, and to prevent if possible the carrying out of the benevolent designs of the Saviour, when he gave the Commission, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."
Bennett's second speech
"They are laboring to send the gospel into all the world, and Mr. Thompson and his friends are doing all they can to oppose this benevolent and scriptural enterprise. I have traveled and preached among his brethren,--I love them,--and have enjoyed many pleasant seasons among them,--I now see some in this congregation that I used to take by the hand as brethren--I still love them, and believe with them in the doctrine of grace, and that God will save his Elect, but it is through the instrumentality of a preached word, that they are to be saved. I know the liberality of the Old Baptists of this country, but they are doing nothing to send the gospel to the poor benighted heathens! Oh! if they would but help us, what a vast amount of good might be done through their instrumentality!"
"It is by means of preaching that souls are to be saved, and the preacher cannot go, unless means are provided for his support; to supply these means Missionary societies are formed, and good men of all denominations, are contributing to the support of the gospel, and for the evangelizing of the world. Their efforts have already been blessed in the salvation of thousands of immortal sols, and all the christian world is praying for their success. The heathens are turning from their idols, to the religion of the gospel, and while thousands of them are rejoicing in hope of immortality, they bless God for the message of peace and salvation sent them, through the labours of our pious Missionaries. And while these Missionaries, like the messengers of peace, are carrying the glad tidings of salvation to poor blind sinners of all nations, and are instrumental in opening the eyes of thousands, and of saving them from the wrath to come, Mr. Thompson and his friends are opposing them and calling them hirelings."
Bennett's Third Speech
"The Missionaries are the servants of Christ, and are sent forth to do his work, and have been instrumental in converting thousands. God works by means, and the gospel is the means of saving souls, for,--"how can they believe on him whom they have not heard?" Men have to preach the gospel, and "how shall they preach unless they are sent? and how shall they go unless we make provisions for them?"
Second debate in Goldsboro
Bennett's First Rebuttal Speech
"I do not care what the plan is, so it will answer the end designed, and the gospel can be sent into all the world; I go for it: it is the good I am after, and I care but little what the plan is, so that the end is accomplished. We might quarrel about plans all our lifetime, and no good would be done. I am for doing the good, let the plan be whatever it may, and if Mr. Thompson will give us a good one we will do all we can upon it; but so long as he gives us none, we must operate upon our own plan, and do all the good we can."
Bennett's Last Speech
"Mr. Thompson has boasted much because I once opposed the Missionary Enterprise. It is true, that I, for a long time tried to believe with the old Baptists and, like Mr. Thompson, was trying to war against the benevolent operations of the day, but I knew that the commission said "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." And I saw that the old Baptists were doing all that they could to oppose the spread of the gospel. I therefore began to think they must be wrong, and after mature deliberation and investigation, I became convinced that the "Modern Missionary Enterprise" was all the plan that was doing any good, and I ceased to war against it and have ever since been doing all I can for it. I doubt not, but that brother Meredith used to pity me, when I was warring against him, and saying hard things of him, as much as I now pity Mr. Thompson, and all those laboring under the same delusion that he is."
"The gospel is the means of salvation, for it has pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. God works by means, to accomplish all of his great and good promises. He used the clay and the spittle in opening the eyes of the blind man. How can we believe on him of whom we have not heard? and how can we hear without a preacher? and how can they preach except they be sent? It is therefore important that the gospel should be preached, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Paul says that it came not in word only, but in the Holy Ghost and in power. It is evident therefore that it is the means by which God saves sinners. Paul says, that the word of reconciliation has been committed to us, as the ambassadors of Christ. It is, therefore, through the earthen vessels that the gospel is to be preached, and it is through their instrumentality that sinners are to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Mr. Thompson (interrupting) asked "Is Mr. Bennett to be allowed to introduce a host of new arguments in his closing speech when I have no chance to reply?"
Mr. Bennett proceeded.
"Mr. Thompson seems disposed to not let me close my speech: he must be alarmed for the tottering fabric he has been laboring to set up."
"Shall we oppose giving to all men the means of salvation? My conscience often reproved my while I opposing the spread of the gospel. But I now feel that I am doing God's service, and I hope to live and die an advocate for the spread of the gospel, so that at the end I may be able to give a good account of my stewardship. It is a happy thought for the pious man to believe that he has been instrumental in doing his fellow creatures good, and imparting to them the word of Eternal Life. To do good, and to communicate for the spread of the gospel, is the great and important duties, which belong to christians, and how any christian can spend a whole lifetime without doing anything for the spread of the gospel and the salvation of his fellow-man, is to me a mystery. Our Lord loved sinners and gave his life for them, and it is through his name that remission of sin is to be preached to all the world, and it cannot be preached to all the world unless we send out preachers, for the Bible will not be translated and sent to the heathens in any other way than through the instrumentality of men, and those men must be paid for their labour or they cannot do it, for they cannot live upon the wind."
What think ye?
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