Two Seed Baptist Ideology (XVIII)

In this chapter we will continue to examine the debate over some of the leading tenets of Two Seedism that occurred in the Two Seed Primitive Baptist periodical "Signs of the Times" for the year 1849. We will begin with what Elder Wilson Thompson wrote in the January 1st, 1849 issue of the "Signs of the Times." (See here for that year's periodical) We have already identified the first leading defenders of Two Seedism among the "Primitive" or "Old School" Baptists, such as Daniel Parker, Gilbert Beebe, Samuel Trott, and T.P. Dudley. We can also add to this list, Elder Wilson Thompson, who was described by Elder Sylvester Hassell, in the late 19th century, in his "history" of the "Primitive Baptist Church," as "regarded as the ablest Primitive Baptist minister that ever lived in the United States." (See my posting on this here). Yet, the same historian also said that Two Seed beliefs "have corrupted Primitive Baptist doctrine more, and rent off more members and churches from our fellowship, than any and all other causes combined." (See my posting here) That citation was taken from Hassell's periodical "The Gospel Messenger" for March, 1894. How could Hassell say that Wilson Thompson was so great since he believed in several of the leading tenets of Two Seedism and since he denied the Trinity? 

Interesting also is the fact that his father, Elder C. B. Hassell, who was a fellow author of "Hassell's History," often wrote to the "Signs of the Times" in the years leading up to 1849, expressing his support for it and for Elder Beebe. He did not write anything in that paper in 1849 that suggested that he disagreed with Beebe's Two Seedism. It also seems that Sylvester Hassell sought to sweep under the rug as much as possible about how extensive Two Seedism was among the founding fathers of his denomination.

It was in the January, 1849 issue that Wilson Thompson wrote the following, wherein he expressed belief in several of the tenets of Two Seedism. Wrote Thompson (emphasis mine):

"The Mediator surely did pre.exist the visible creation, as one brought up with the divine Father. His goings forth were of old, from everlasting, &c. The union of Father and Son, or God and the Mediator, the Man, Christ Jesus; although beyond our weak capacity to dissect or analyze; yet we are plainly taught that there is, and was always two whole and distinct natures essentially belonging to the one lmmanuel, God with us. The whole fulness of the Godhead dwelt in him. He and his Father are one. Such was and is the union existing between the manhood and Godhead in the person of Christ." 

Notice the Two Seed ideas stated by Thompson. He believes in the preexistence of the humanity of Christ, a basic idea of some early 18th century Hyper Calvinists, and which led to the idea that the elect (or church) were also created in him when Christ was created or begotten as a Mediator, which was a third nature of the divine Word, in addition to his human and divine natures. In writings on Thompson I have shown how he was a Sabellian or Modalist, denying the Orthodox ontological Trinity, a fact even "Primitive Baptist" historian and apologist Sylvester Hassell acknowledges, and yet calls him the ablest Hardshell preacher that ever existed up to that time (late 19th century). In his acceptance of Two Seedism he mixes together Modalism with Arianism, which is indeed a strange concoction. He affirms that "the manhood" of Christ is as eternal as his "Godhead," which is similar to what Mormonism also teaches.

Continued Thompson:

"The church or elect seed were of God, a spiritual seed, chosen and set up in Christ before the foundation of the visible material world; and being of God, and in Christ, who of God is made unto them, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, they have, as a seed of God, in Christ, an indissoluble union with both natures of the Mediator, and so, as the seed in Christ, their sonship or filial relationship to God is identified with the sonship of Christ, and they are joint heirs with him; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: and so in their Father's will, which Christ the Elder Brother was appointed to do, or execute, they as the sons of God, which this Mediator or executor was bound to bring to glory, were blessed with all spiritual blessings, in heavenly places, or things, in Christ Jesus, according as they were chosen in him. Being then, of God and in Christ, they were perfectly related to both natures, with their Father, a spiritual relation as his one spiritual seed; and with the Man Christ Jesus, a legal relation by God's appointment and choice. So we see that all the spiritual blessings of the will of God, come directly to them, as gracious bestowments of his will, and all legal blessings come to them by the legal, official acts of Christ, as Mediator or executor of that will. In this sense Christ was legally bound to do, suffer, and fulfill every demand of the law that was against them, and so redeem them from the legal curse, and justify them to a legal life."

Thompson affirms that the "church or elect seed" has from eternity been united to "both natures of the Mediator." He also says that these "eternal children" are begotten "sons" of God from the time when Christ was begotten of the Father and became his Son.

Next he teaches another idea that we have previously called attention to in regard to why God chose people to salvation and why Christ came to redeem them. Two Seeders say that Christ, as the Mediator created by God, was obligated to come and save those he came to save because they were already the wife of Christ, and his kinsman, and so he was obligated to save them because of that. This destroys, as the anti Two Seeders would argue (such as Elder Lemuel Potter, as we will see), that election to salvation is by grace and mercy, and how God was not obligated to save anyone. It denies "unconditional election," for God chooses to save only those who meet the condition of already being the wife of Christ or children of God.

Continued Thompson:

"Such are the legal blessings which result to the elect, from the ancient relationship in which they stood to him as man; and all spiritual blessings, which were not in Adam before he sinned, to be forfeited by his offence, are freely given to them in Christ, by the will of God---his, and their Father. These being God's children, and being related to the manhood of the Mediator, became partakers of flesh and blood, and in that state fell under the legal curse of the law, the reign of sin, and the power and sentence of death. The Mediator in whom they were originally, by choice, and in whose nature, as Mediator they were identified, was, in that nature, and in the office of it, legally involved with them: and as the executor or Mediator of his, and his Father's will was legally bound to render legal satisfaction for them all. Their partaking of flesh and blood was no crime, but a legal transaction, resulting from the creative power and express command of God; and was therefore an essential and divinely authorized union of the human nature, or essence of man, with the flesh and blood, or material body of man and now the body, and soul and spirit of this human, visible, corporeal being was but one accountable mass, or frame, or body in all its parts, or many members. Christ was the Head, Life, Firstborn, Elder Brother and King of them all; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. So when they had legally partaken of flesh and blood, and in that state had sinned, he, as their proper and legal Mediator, legally took part of the same, that through death he might legally destroy death, and him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and so legally deliver all the heirs from the fear of death, in which they were held in perpetual bondage."

Again, Thompson argues that since the church was in Christ from past eternity, Christ as the church's husband and near kinsman was obligated to elect her and redeem her when she became involved in sin by being placed in Adam by God. It seems strange that the Two Seeders don't see how ugly is this idea. In this ideology the elect were in Christ, were spiritual holy beings, without sin, and would have remained so had not God chosen to place them within Adam. Why did God do that? 

This view also denies that election and salvation is by grace and mercy, and that God had no necessity or obligation to save anyone.

Also, it seems that it is incongruous to say that the elect were created first in Christ the second Adam and then later created again in the first Adam. As we have before stated, this makes Christ the first Adam and the first Adam to be the second Adam. Also, how can one be created twice? Not only that, but in Two Seed ideology the "new creation" or "new creature" was created in eternity past and the "old creature" or "old man" was created later, which is another incongruous thing, making the new creature to be the older creature, and the old creature to be the new creature.

Continued Thompson:

"Now, man was not spiritual but natural..."

We have before seen how the Two Seeders are vehemently opposed to the idea that Adam was a spiritual being, yet they say that spiritual beings (eternal children of God) were implanted within Adam. Obviously they believe that spiritual beings can sin and become carnal (no longer spiritual) for that is what happened to those spiritual children of God when implanted in Adam and sinned when he sinned. Also, as we have previously stated, if Adam was not a spiritual being then he did not die spiritually, and thus no one is spiritually dead.

Continued Thompson:

"Either of these would be attended with greater confusion than he supposes brother Beebe to be in when he rejects the notion of new modelling the carnal mind in regeneration, and yet admitting the spiritualizing of the body in the resurrection."

This reflects the views of T. P. Dudley who was so opposed to the idea that salvation (regeneration or rebirth) remodeled or restored what had become defective in man because of sin. He accepts the idea that nothing of the sinner or old man is changed by being saved, regenerated, or born again.

Thompson also wrote the following in 1821, long before Beebe began the periodical "Signs of the Times" and which shows that he was a Two Seeder even then, and before Daniel Parker wrote his books on Two Seedism. Wrote Thompson, a close friend of Daniel Parker: 

"...we are lost when we go to hunt the antiquity of this union. We can only say it is as old as God, for God is love; but love must have an object or it ceases to be, for I cannot love and love nothing; love is that endearing or uniting perfection of God, which could only exist, so long as the object beloved existed; nor could God be love before the object was beloved, neither can love be controlled, for it brings forth, produces, or sets up its own object, that is, must necessarily have an object, in order to have its own existence; and as God is self-existent and independent, His existence as love, brought forth its object, which was the soul of Christ with all His people in it, and the very existence of God as king could only be because He had subjects: for a king without a kingdom, is no king at all; so love without an object is no love at all. So we see that in order to our speaking of God as being love, or His existing as love, there must be an object beloved, and in order to His being a king there must be subjects, and thus the pre-existent soul of Christ, was the object of the love of God and His people in it were the subjects of His kingdom, and Christ was the medium of operation through whom God exercises His authority in the government of His kingdom; for in the pre-existing soul of Christ, the subjects of this kingdom were chosen, before the world, when we speak or read of a choice being made in Christ before the world, we are not to understand, that God was looking through Adams posterity, and picking out one here, and another there, and writing their names in the book of life, and refusing the rest, for they were chosen in Christ before the world and not in Adam; for He did not exist before creation; and the choice was not an act that took place, or was planned some time after the existence of God, either before the world or since, but was a consequence of and inseparable from the existence of God as king, and this kingdom was organized in the pre-existent soul of Christ..."  (DISCOURSE #5 On the Atonement, and Man's Justification by it. in "Simple Truth")

In all these citations we see how Thompson promoted several of the foundational ideas in Two Seedism. He believed 1) in the preexistence of the humanity of Christ, and 2) in the preexistence of the souls of the elect or church, and 3) that being "born again" or "regenerated" was not the beginning of new life in Christ but simply the time when the eternal child of God entered into a human body, and 4) that being "created in Christ" is what took place in past eternity, and 5) that nothing in the human or old man is changed by being regenerated or born again. Additionally, like Beebe and Trott, he incorporated Arian views into this scheme, denying that Christ being begotten of the Father before creation was an affirmation of his underived deity. 

In the next chapter we will return to the discussion that was occurring in the "Signs of the Times" in 1849, involving Beebe, Trott, Williams, Dudley, etc. This chapter shows clearly that Wilson Thompson was a Two Seeder. I have not been able to find where he wrote on the origin of Satan or agreed with Parker on that point.