The Hassells on The London Confession

Elder Sylvester Hassell 
(1842 - 1928)

Elder Cushing Biggs Hassell

(1808 - 1880)

In an article by the younger Hassell titled "THE OLD PATHS" (see here) there are some things that are said by both father and son about the London Confession of Faith that I would like to quote and then make some observations as it pertains to most of today's "Primitive Baptist" and how they have gone farther and farther away from "the old paths" since their origin in the 1830s.

Wrote Sylvester (emphasis mine):

"Next to the first century of the Christian era, I believe that the sixteenth century on the continent of Europe, but in England the seventeenth century was the most intellectual and the most spiritual period in human history. Certainly, in the firmament of the English-speaking world, never before or since has there shone such a galaxy of brilliant minds as those of Shakespeare, Milton, Cromwell, Bacon, Newton, Locke, Owen, and Bunyan, who lived in the seventeenth century; and I believe that never, since the death of the apostles, have there existed men more fully, thoroughly and truly acquainted with the Scriptures than the translators of the King James or Authorized version of the Bible of 1611, and the authors of the Westminster (Presbyterian) Confession of 1647, the Savoy (Independent) Declaration of 1658, and the old London (Baptist) Confession of Faith of 1689, all of which Confessions teach the same system of doctrine in reference to God, Man, Salvation, and the Last Things. Much of the seventeenth century was a time of great persecution of the believers of the truth; and, as always in such periods, it was therefore a time of the great outpouring of Divine grace upon the people of God. I have no sort of an idea, either from history or from Scripture, that the people of the nineteenth century have either more sense or more grace than the people of the seventeenth century."

Notice that last statement about the nineteenth century. It was the century that saw the formation of the Hardshell cult. Also, it condemns those 19th century Hardshells who toward the end of the century were coming up with all kinds of new doctrines and interpretations of scripture.

Wrote Sylvester:

"The old London Confession of Faith of 1689 (given in full, with all the Scripture proofs, in the Church History, pages 663 to 695), "the ancient landmark" set by the (Baptist) fathers, in accordance with the word of God, was the same in doctrine as the English Baptist Confessions of 1643, 1644, 1656, 1677 and 1688 (see pages 524, 525 and 664 of the Church History), and was reaffirmed in the eighteenth century by all the oldest Baptist Associations and churches in America, including the Philadelphia Association (which embraced the Old School Baptist churches of Welsh Tract, Hopewell, Kingwood, Southampton, Warwick, Cow Marsh, London Tract, Bryn Zion and Wilmington), and the Kehukee, the oldest Primitive Baptist Association (which, at its formation in 1765, embraced the churches of Kehukee, Toisnot--now called Wilson--Falls of Tar River, Fishing Creek, Sandy Creek, Sandy Run and a church in Camden county). The same substance of doctrine was in 1777 again re-affirmed by the Kehukee Association, but more briefly in seventeen Articles of Faith (given on the 699th and 700th pages of the Church History), which are to-day the Articles of Faith of most of the Primitive Baptist churches in North Carolina with which I am acquainted."

This proves that only those PBs who still adhere to the teachings of the Confession are truly "primitive" or "old school."

Wrote Sylvester:

"On the 837th page of the Church History, father remarks: "Primitive Baptists stand by their Articles; they read them, they believe them to be true, and they preach the doctrine contained in them; and hope that themselves and their successors will continue to do so, even to the end of the world. And this they do with great pleasure, though well aware that such a course is disapproved by nearly all other professed Christians in America. While some denominations have creeds more or less orthodox, yet it is lamentably true that they are almost universally disregarded by the ministers and members of nearly all the religious sects and societies in the land. In this awful day of degeneracy, Baptists should adhere more steadfastly to the apostles' doctrine, which induces to fellowship in Christ, to communion and prayers; in order that the distinction between the church and the world might appear greater than ever before, if possible." 

Father believed, and I believe, that the old London Confession taught the apostles' doctrine more accurately, comprehensively and thoroughly than any other uninspired production; and therefore it is that I deeply regret the increasing tendency in our midst to ignore and to deny its teachings." 

Hassell hoped that the "successors" of the "Primitive Baptists" would continue to stand upon the "doctrine" contained in the old Confession. How sad he would be were he alive today to see how this hope has not been realized.

Notice also that Hassell speaks of the "increasing tendency" among the PBs of Hassell's day (latter half of the 19th century) to "ignore and to deny its teachings." If so, how can today's PBs legitimately claim to be "original"?

Wrote Sylvester:

"The London Confession of Faith is, to be sure, not inspired nor infallible; but no other document that I have ever read, so fully and impartially summarizes, in my judgment, "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Those Scriptures are, of course, the only infallible and authoritative standard of faith and practice. I endorse the London Confession only because it seems to me to follow the Scriptures, and to follow them more fully, faithfully and wisely than does any other uninspired enunciation of religious truth. And I am satisfied that the highest benefit would redound to the believers of the present day if, in deep humility, and an earnest desire to know the pure and entire truth, and in sincere dependence upon the Spirit of God, they would study the old London Confession, and especially the Scriptures to which it refers, and compare these teachings with those of all the other Scriptures." 

I agree! I have often thought the same about this, how today's PBs would do well to walk their churches through the confession, studying the doctrines it contains and the scriptures given as supporting those doctrinal points.

Wrote Sylvester:

"Let God be true, but every man a liar."-Rom. iii. 4. The difficulty with some of our brethren, and that which tends to confusion and division among us, seems to me to be their habitual tendency to dwell upon one class of Scriptures to the exclusion of others, and either to unduly exaggerate or to untruly explain away (they call it spiritualizing) their meaning, so as to make them plainly conflict with other Scriptures. One class of Scriptures must not be continually dwelt upon to the exclusion and contradiction of others; {1Sa 3:9; 2Ti 3:16-17} and while the true spiritual meaning of Scripture is more important than the literal meaning, a so-called spiritualizing that denies the literal truth of Scripture, or that makes one Scripture deny another, is false spiritualizing, and proceeds from a false spirit--1Jo 4:1; 2Ti 2:13."

Again, this is good historical evidence of the drift of the Hardshells into further errors as they developed in the end of the 19th century.

Wrote Sylvester:

"By this "ancient landmark," I would wish to abide; in these "good old paths" of eternal truth I would desire to walk, and find rest to my soul, along with the poor, old, ignorant and despised saints of by-gone centuries, who lived and died in the faith of God's elect, and with the bulk of the Primitive Baptists of the present century, even though a few a my wiser, and abler, and better brethren have left me far behind them, and swept on to what they think grander, deeper and fuller revelations. My head and heart find a sweet repose in the old fashioned religion of our fathers; as for new things in religion, the inventions and the theories of men, I have no use for them whatsoever. Those who like them are perfectly welcome, so far as I am concerned, to all these religious novelties."

Notice the sarcasm that Hassell spews on those PBs who were styled as "ultraist" and "modern innovators" by Elder John Watson in his "Old Baptist Test." Yes, "religious novelties" are characteristic of the Hardshell cult

Wrote Sylvester in "THE OLD PATHS AGAIN" (The Gospel Messenger--June 1890):

"Some of my brethren, whom I love and esteem as much abler and better than myself, seem to infer that I have in my article on ``The Old Paths'' set the old London Baptist Confession of Faith above the Scriptures. If I used in that article expressions at all justifying such an inference, I certainly did not mean so to do; and I take this occasion to beg my fair-minded and intelligent brethren and sister to read carefully the 5th, 7th, 13th, 14th and 15th pages of ``The Old Paths,'' and pages iii, iv., vii., viii., 659, 660, 663, and 664 of the Church history, and then to decide whether, with such sentiments as I have there expressed. I could never prefer any human document to the only inspired and infallible standard of Divine truth, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Incomparably do I prefer the Scriptures, not only to all human Confessions of Faith, but even to all the original and brilliant speculations and theories of my own brethren of the present century. My only reason why I prefer the London Confession to these modern speculations and to other uninspired enunciations of religious views, is because the London Confession seems to me to follow the Scriptures more fully, faithfully, and wisely than any other uninspired production; and, in ``The Old Paths,'' I have urged my brethren ``especially to study the Scriptures cited in the London Confession and to compare their teachings with those of all the other Scriptures,'' and I have added, ``Let God be true, but every man a liar.'' {Ro 3:4} In the preface of the Church History, pp. vii. and viii., I have said: ``The best of the interpretations of the Bible are but the interpretations of fallible men."

However unsound or heretical these brethren may think me to be, I repeat with emphasis, what I said in ``The Old Paths,'' that I think more scriptural, and therefore I prefer, the Old London Baptist Confession of Faith-the Confession adopted by all the oldest Baptist Associations in the world, including my own Association, the Kehukee, and the same in substance of doctrine as the Articles of Faith, today, of my own Church, Skewarkey, and of the most of other Primitive Baptist Churches-that I prefer, as more scriptural, this old Baptist Confession to all the fine-spun speculations of my brethren of the nineteenth century upon the Trinity, Predestination, the Law, Regeneration, the Resurrection, and the General Judgment."

Notice Hassell's further use of sarcasm against his brethren who were coming up with new doctrinal novelties in interpretation!

Wrote Sylvester:

"We want no change whatever in our old Articles of Faith; if changes are ever begun to be made, there will be no end to them, and we shall be imitating the religious societies of the world, and like them may plunge into infidelity."

Such a statement certainly condemns the Hardshell change in those articles via the "Fulton Convention" and Confessional revision. (Hassell was against the Fulton Convention and Confession)