C.B. Hassell

1809-1880

Over the years I have written several posts on Elder C.B. Hassell of North Carolina, the father of Elder Sylvester Hassell, both authors of "The History of the Church of God..." The latter also was for several years the editor of the periodical "The Gospel Messenger." Issues of this paper are available in the Internet. The father wrote frequently to the NC periodical "The Primitive Baptist" which began in the mid 1830s and published out of N.C. (Many old issues are available on the Internet) C.B. was a leader of the Hardshells shortly after the formal division came to the Kehukee Association of which he was a member and pastor after 1827, the time when that association issued the "Kehukee Declaration" and yet before the Black Rock Address also formally declared non-fellowship with Baptists who supported mission organizations, seminaries, etc. in 1832.

I have shown how the elder Hassell believed in gospel means in the eternal salvation of the elect and in the absolute predestination of all things, beliefs that the younger son later would deny, or severely rework. In this posting I want to say some more about C.B. (Cushing Biggs) Hassell and will begin by citing from his autobiography (here), Chapter the Third, where we have this said (emphasis mine): 

"This chapter is devoted principally to Religious Experience. The winter of 1827 and ’28 formed a very important period in the life of C. B. Hassell. He felt himself arrested by some Supernatural power, and exceedingly distressed on account of the original depravity of his heart and the consequent impure streams that were constantly issuing from this corrupt fountain. He had at first read the Scriptures with a sceptic's (sic) eye, and actually noticed some passages which he supposed contradicted each other; intending at some future time to expose the whole and prove to a demonstration that Bible was only a cunningly devised fable, arranged entirely by the ingenuity of man. But the word of Divine Truth proved barbed arrows to his heart. He had hitherto boasted to himself especially of his good moral character, was exceedingly self-righteous, and professed Christians, who all looked filthy in his sight, and he thought abounding in immortality (immorality?)." 

In this condition, was he "regenerated"? Did the Holy Spirit convince him of his lost condition when he was not really lost? Would that not make the Holy Spirit a liar? (See my posting "Hardshells Make The Spirit A Liar" here, and another posting here) Further, it seems Hassell knew he was lost while an unbeliever. Also, notice how it was by means of "the word of Divine Truth" that altered his course.

The writing continues:

"But the reading of the Scriptures, various spiritual letters from his mother, and an occasional discourse from the pulpit, served to awaken him to an awful and true knowledge of his state and standing in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God. He became much concerned and indeed alarmed for his safety, and that without the paraphernalia of a mechanical excitement of the passions. The passions had little to do with it; it was a spiritual impression and a burden on the heart known only to him and to his God. He was much more desirous to hide these struggles from the world than to proclaim them from the house top or in the great congregation." 

Lots of means involved to "awaken" him! Also, the awakening of the Spirit and the word made him see "an awful and true knowledge of his state and standing in the sight of a Holy and Righteous God." And, what state was that? Was it not an awareness that he was lost? But, if as our modern Hardshells say, he was already "regenerated" when he was under such conviction and realization of guilt, then the Holy Spirit would have been awakening him not to his lost condition but to his saved condition. But, the Holy Spirit bore witness to him that he was not regenerated. If he was already regenerated, then the Holy Spirit lied to him when he awakened him to his unregenerate state.

The writing continues:

"He very naturally but ignorantly fled to the law for refuge and safety from the storms and tempests which that same Law was heaving against his bosom. He resolved and re-resolved to amend his life—to perform certain duties—to omit certain sins, etc., but found to his great mortification that all his resolutions, fine deeds, religious performances etc., were filthy rags—an abomination in the sight of a Holy God. Not one resolution could he keep or one deed perform that did not produce a sickening and disgusting sensation in his heart. But despairing of salvation by the deeds of the law—seeing no way of escape and deliverance from sin and its awful consequences, Christ Jesus was presented to the eye of his understanding as being the end of the Law for righteousness to the believer—that the believer in Jesus was freely justified from all things which the Law of Moses could not exempt from him—and that it was not required of the believer to keep the Ceremonial Law, inasmuch as Christ has kept that Law for him to a punctilio, and the Father hath accepted of that obedience in full from that due from his elect children. It was presented to his mind that faith in Christ was the only medium through which peace and pardon could flow—and that when the convicted soul abandons all dependence in the strength of his own arm, and, in despair, is made to throw himself entirely on the mercy of Omnipotence, then it is that he is not found clothed in his own righteousness of Jesus Christ—faith being imputed to him for righteousness."

So, "when" was he found clothed in the righteousness of Christ? It was "when" he, as a convicted soul, abandoned all dependence on himself and threw himself solely on God's mercy. That is not hardshellism as it evolved in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

The writing continues:

"It was on the 13th day of January 1828 that C. B. H. had reason to believe that his sins were pardoned, while bowed in secret at a throne of grace, whereunto he was brought by the sovereign power of God Almighty's Spirit; and on which occasion he felt the burden of sin removed and experienced a feeling of happiness and joy unspeakable, and full of Glory. Tongues are but feeble instruments in this matter, and one borrowed from the brightest Seraph that flits around the throne of God, would prove insufficient to describe the feelings and views of a saint, when the rays of pardoning mercy first break in upon his enraptured soul." 

Again, it is clear from this description that Hassell's regeneration or new birth occurred when he was converted and came to put his faith in Christ and in the gospel. He was not forgiven of sin and justified until he believed and turned to the Lord. 

The writing continues:

"C. B. H. immediately felt that it was his duty to be baptized and connected with the Church of Christ. There was no Baptist Church in Halifax, and his desires were for a connection with the Church at Skewarkey near Williamston. He endeavored to make a visit as early as possible to his mother and old acquaintances when an opportunity would perhaps be afforded him to join that Church. This did not occur until the March following. The Ordinance of Baptism rested with much weight on his mind, and he sometimes feared that he should not live to comply with his duty in that respect. He perhaps dreamed oftener than once that he was dead and in the act of being taken in his coffin to the grave—and all without having been Baptized—which would produce great remorse of conscience. He however, paid the contemplated visit to Williamston and on the 11th day of March, 1828, offered and was received by the Church at Skewarkey as a candidate to Baptism, which Ordinance he received at the hands of Elder Joseph Biggs, minister of said Church, on the 13th of the same month, C. B. H. being then in his nineteenth year."

Hassell's middle name was "Biggs" and the preacher who baptized C.B. was probably a kin.  

The following was posted by me about Hassell's belief in means in eternal salvation (here) .

Elder C. B. Hassell was the father of Elder Sylvester Hassell. The older Hassell believed in Gospel means, but the younger Hassell departed from the faith of his father, which was the faith of the Old Baptists. C.B. Hassell often wrote for the North Carolina periodical "The Primitive Baptist," and we have already seen how this paper was strong in its belief that regeneration was accomplished by the preaching of the Gospel and in the final perseverance of the saints. Let me now give a citation from C. B. Hassell.

He wrote:

"On the contrary we believe, the gospel is God's system of salvation for ruined man, and that He saves them by grace of His and not by works of theirs. Kehukeeites believe, that the Saviour took the law place and stead of his people, and for them and in their behalf fulfilled it to a punctilio...This they are made to believe by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and this belief is counted to them for righteousness without the deeds of the law. They are then no longer under the law but under grace--no longer dead in trespasses and sins but alive to holiness,-- having their fruit unto the same and the end thereof everlasting life. This belief in Christ, caused by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, is their creation anew in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that they should walk in; and henceforward they abound in good works to God, begotten by the active principle of grace within them, not from a principle of slavish fear, by which they expect to escape eternal punishment." (March 8, 1845)

The fact is, the further you go back in the history of the Hardshells, towards their beginning in the 1830s, you will find them more sound than they are today. This is why I have been striving to get the Hardshells of today to go back to the place where they deviated from the historic Old Baptist faith and practice.