John Spilsbury's Belief About Regeneration

John Spilsbury

1593 -1668

In 1643, Spilsbury published 1) A Treatise Concerning the Lawfull Subject of Baptisme, which he reissued in a second edition in 1652, "Corrected and enlarged by the Author, 2) Peculiar Interest of the Elect in Christ," 3) "God's Ordinance, The Saints Privilege," (1646). He was a signatory of the first Particular Baptist Confession of Faith in 1644 by several London Churches. His views are reflected in both the 1644 and the 1689 London Baptist Confessions of Faith. Though "Primitive" or "Old School" or "Hardshell" Baptists claim that these old confessions taught their views on salvation and that the signatories of those confessions held to their views, this is a falsehood. 

In this blog I have numerous articles from the authors of these old Baptist confessions which show that they believed that sinners are saved by faith, which faith is the result of hearing the word of God, truths denied by those who falsely claim to be "original" or "primitive" Baptists. Here is what John Spilsbury wrote as article number five in his "Personal Confession of Faith" (you can read here; emphasis mine):

"I believe that God of his grace, in his own time, effectually calls such as shall be saved to the knowledge of the truth, who is said, of his own will to beget us by the word of truth: in which work of grace, nature is as passive, as a child in the parents begetting of it; and so God by His Spirit works faith in the hearts of all such to believe in Christ, and his righteousness, only for justification. And thus they are made righteous before God in Christ, and so conformable to the will of God the Father through the Son; and also made holy through the work of regeneration, and the holy Spirit of grace dwelling in them; yet all such have still, as long as they live here in the flesh, remaining in them, an old man, that original corruption, the flesh that wars against the spirit, which hinders them in their obedience both to God and to man, and many times draws them to that which is evil, and contrary to their intentions; yet all of them shall through Christ overcome, and safely be brought to glory at last."

Observations

First, we see that Spilsbury equates being "effectually called" with "regeneration," a point denied by Hardshell leader Sylvester Hassell. In chapter thirteen of my series "Elder Sylvester Hassell on Means" (See here) I cited where Hassell said "Regeneration precedes Effectual Calling." 

Hassell also said: "Regeneration goes before and causes faith." But, again, this is not what Spilsbury and the signatories to the two old confessions (mentioned above) believed and expressed in those confessions. Spilsbury said God first "works faith in the hearts" to make people "believe in Christ" and that as a result "are made righteous" and "made holy through the work of regeneration." The word "thus" shows that he believed, as John Calvin, that both justification and regeneration follow union with Christ by faith. He also taught the sure and certain perseverance of all those who are regenerated, another doctrine denied by the overwhelming majority of those who falsely call themselves "Primitive Baptists."