Hardshells & Repentance (again)

I have recently written about the Hardshell view on repentance and its relation to salvation. I first wrote in this post (here) where I cited the words of Elder Lemuel Potter (1841-1897), a recognized champion of modern day "Primitive Baptist" soteriological beliefs, who said: "We deny that repentance is a condition of salvation." In a short follow up post (here), I cited Acts 3: 19 which said: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out," which refutes this belief of Potter and the Hardshells. Then I wrote another short post on II Peter 3: 9 in order to show how Potter's belief is against that text also, because it says that not only does God will that none of the elect perish (general Calvinist view), but that they all come to repentance. Potter denies that they all will come to repentance because God has willed it.

In this short post I will add a few additional thoughts. The first thing I want to mention is what the Fulton Convention of "Primitive Baptists" gave as their confession of faith for the time (1900). The elders who assembled in Fulton, Kentucky first endorsed the 1689 London Baptist Confession but added footnotes to those sections of the confession that they disagreed with or thought needed to be "clarified."

They particularly focused on two issues, one dealing with God's decrees respecting all things (or the "absolute predestination of all things") and one dealing with whether the word of God or Gospel is a means in the eternal salvation of sinners. We can safely assume that the sections of that Confession to which they gave no footnotes were accepted as written.

Two sections that had no footnotes were chapter XV, "Of Repentance Unto Life And Salvation," and chapter XVII, dealing with "The Perseverance of the Saints." Yet, today's "Primitive Baptists" would reject what those two sections say about repentance and perseverance. In fact, Potter in his debates with Dr. Throgmorton said that the "Primitive Baptists" were the rightful supporters and preservers of that old confession.

With all this said, let us now cite what the Confession says about repentance and its connection with salvation:

3. "This saving repentance is an (d) evangelical grace, whereby a person, being by the Holy Spirit made sensible of the manifold evils of his sin, doth by faith in Christ humble himself for it, with godly sorrow, detestation of it, and self-abhorrency, (e) praying for pardon and strength of grace, with a purpose and endeavor, by supplies of the Spirit, to (f) walk before God unto all well-pleasing in all things."

5. "Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the Covenant of Grace for the preservation of believers unto salvation, that although there is no sin so small but it deserves (h) damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on them that (i) repent; which makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary."

Several things need to be called attention to for the purpose of showing how Potter was not in league with that old Confession when he said that repentance was no condition for salvation. First, they show that repentance is indeed essential for salvation. The title of that article even says "repentance UNTO life and salvation." Second, they say that this repentance is an "evangelical grace," meaning that it is produced by hearing the Gospel, as they also said about "evangelical faith." Third, they say that this repentance was made certain for believers (or the elect) because it was a "provision" of the "Covenant of Grace for the preservation of believers UNTO SALVATION." Fourth, they clearly infer that without this repentance there would be "damnation" on them.

I encourage all to read my short series titled "Elder John Clark On Repentance." (See here, here, here, here) Elder John Clark (1804-1882) was also a recognized leader of the "Primitive Baptists" and a senior to Potter. In his paper "Zion's Advocate," another recognized paper of the "Primitive Baptists," there was carried on a little debate over whether repentance should be preached and sinners exhorted to repent in order to be saved. If you read those four posts you will see what Clark and others wrote on this issue in that periodical. For instance, here is what Clark wrote in Vol. 1, No. 14, for July 15th, 1854 in his periodical:

"The Arminian method admits that Christ and his apostles preached the gospel under the circumstances referred to, but that men were able to obey the gospel in repenting of their sins. The professed anti-Arminian scheme (of Beebe and his followers in the Signs of the Times, and also of today's PBs - SG) was national, and that it did not belong to the covenant of grace; that men can repent nationally but not evangelically--could repent under the old, but cannot under the new covenant. We do not believe in either of these schemes, as such. There is a little truth attached to each of them and about the same amount of error. We should interpret scripture, scripturally, no matter where it leads..."

"These scriptures prove conclusively that repentance towards God, or unto life, is a gift of grace, a blessing of the everlasting covenant. But this gift is not given in Christ alone, nor is it bestowed upon sinners alone. It is written that God "hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," (Eph. 1:3) and that we are saved and called, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Tim. 1:9) And in this bestowment of these spiritual blessings upon men, remission of sins, faith, &c., are always united with repentance. Hence we read from our glorious Redeemer himself that, Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, and in his ministry he also said, Repent ye, and believe the gospel. Also, Paul, Repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ." 

"Our watchword has been, THUS SAITH THE LORD--THUS IT IS WRITTEN: and thus we have it here upon the doctrine of repentance, and the apostolic mode of preaching it. And of the things which we have spoken this is the sum--The doctrine of repentance shows conclusively that it is the gift of God, and yet the primitive ministers addressed men upon the subject, seemingly, as though they could repent, or possessed the power to appropriate this gift to themselves, yet never told them that they possessed any such power--never."

"But it is enough for us to know that Christ gives both repentance and remission of sins, and yet these are to be preached in his name, and that men were called upon by the Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles, in their public ministrations of the word, to do this very thing." 

"This is the "Godly sorrow that worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of." (II Cor. 7:10) It is a repentance to salvation; that ends in salvation; a repentance unto life. It is from life, and leads to, and ends in eternal life. Salvation is begun--has come to the poor sinner that is found repenting in dust and ashes before God."

"Some suppose that the primitive ministers in saying, Repent, repent ye, and believe the gospel, &c., designed to be understood only as addressing those who had passed from death unto life, as it would have been inconsistent so to address the ungodly and unconverted, as such had no power to repent and believe. Now, while such brethren are so much afraid of Arminianism, they seem not to be aware that their view of the subject has in it that ism very distinctly developed!"

So, we say in closing that the view of Potter and of the vast majority of "Primitive Baptists" today is not the view of their forefathers and so they cannot legitimately claim to be "primitive." We also say that this failure to exhort sinners to repent and believe the Gospel is a large reason why they continue to wilt and die. It is also something that they can expect the Lord to rebuke and judge them for when they appear before him.

In another recent post I cited the following from Elder C.B. Hassell (1809-1880):

"The Report indirectly charges Kehukee Baptists with believing or teaching, that those who finally die in a state of impenitence, are taken to heaven by an absolute decree of God. The Report need lay claim to no originality here, for this same charge was full grown in the apostolic age and must be quite grey headed by this time...Paul denied the charge, treated it as a slander and so does the Kehukee Association." (see here)