Northamptonshire Baptist Association, 1788
Reminding You of a Few Capital Truths
The Circular Letter From the
BAPTIST MINISTERS and MESSENGERS,
Affembled at KETTERING, May 27, 28, and 29, 1788.
Maintaining inviolably the important Doctrines of three equal Perfons
in the Godhead; eternal and perfonal Election; original Sin; particular
Redemption; free Juftification by the imputed Righteoufnefs of Chrift;
efficacious Grace in Regeneration; the final Perfeverance of the Saints;
the Refurrection of the Dead; the future Judgment; and the Life
everlafting; with the congregational Order of the Churches of Chrift.
To the feveral Churches they reprefent, or have received Letters
from, meeting at Codner, in Derbyshire; Sutton-Afhfield and
Nottingham, in Nottinghamshire; Sheepfhead, Leicefter, Sutton-
in-the-Elms, and Arnfby, in Leicefterfhire; Oakham, in Rutland;
Clipftone, Guilfborough, Gretton, Kettering, Walgrave, Moulton,
Northampton, and Road, in Northamptonfhire; Olney, in
Buckinghamfhire; Carlton and Thorn, in Bedforfhire; St. Alban's,
in Hertfordfhire; Spalding, in Lincolnfhire; and Soham, in
Cambridgefhire.
Grace be unto you, and Peace from God our Father, and from the Lord
Jefus Chrift.
Dear brethren,
THROUGH the goodnefs of the Lord we met together at the time
and place appointed, and would blefs his name for the direction
and affiftance that was afforded us. We enjoyed, on the whole, a pleafing
fatisfaction in reading your letters.
It is true there are two or three
churches in the affociation whofe circumftances are rather difcouraging,
and for thefe we hope it will be your and our concern to pray, that the
good Shepherd of Ifrael would heal them, and increafe them with men
like a flock.
For the rest of this essay the f (=s) will not appear in italics - jrd.
But bleffed be God, the churches in general appear to be
in a thriving condition. No lefs than eight in this affociate connection,
which were lately deftitute, have within thefe twelve months, been provided
with paftors. We have feen and heard of thefe fettlements with
pleafure, and now we have the additional fatisfaction to find that they
have all been followed by an increafe in the refpective churches, and
fome of them very conliderable.
We are glad to find by your letters, that the great doetrines of the
gofpel, which we agree in prefixing to our annual epiftles, are what you
continue to believe and live upon. We are firmly perfuaded of feveral of
them, that they are effential to the being of real chriftianity; and of all
that the belief of them is nece1Iary to our wel1-being in the chriftian
courfe. We hope, for our parts, it is our defire to know nothing among
you but CHRIST, and him crucified. The doctrines which reiate to the
dignity of his perfon, as God over all, bleffed for ever,
with the neceffity, reality, and efficacy of his atonement,
feem to us efpecially to conftitute
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the very effence of chriftianity. Take thefe away, and all that hangs
upon them, and there is nothing left for which it is worth contending.
Our prefent annual epiftle will be taken up reminding you of a few
of thefe capital truths, and confirmmg your faith in them. Permit us,
dear brethren, to recommend to your fenous attention the following
obtervations.
Firft. Man was originally created holy and happy. It is written, God
made man upright - after his own image - in the image of God created he
him. His understanding was light, his will rectitude, his paffions burned
with one pure and unremitting flame of devotednefs to God. Such a
foul muft needs be happy; a foul fo near to God, fo like him, muft
enjoy blifs uninterrupted and unfpeakable.
We wifh you, brethren,
never to entertain depreciating thoughts of man in his primitive ftate;
for this cannot be done but at the expence of his creator's character.
The perfection of man's primitive ftate, however, did not include
immutability. Immutability is effential only to God. Jehovah claims it
as peculiar to himfelf, I am Jehovah, I change not. He only is the
Father of lights, with whom is no variablenefs, neither fhadow of turning.
Though God made man to refemble himfelf, yet not in his natural
perfeCtions, as an omnipotent, omnifcient, independant and immutable
being; but as a rational, voluntary, confcious agent, poffeffing the moral
qualities of righteoufnefs and true holinefs. Thus far man was made in
the image of God; but in other refpects there is nothing in the whole
creation which is any fit refemblance of Him, nothing to which He may
be compared. Ifa. xi. 18-25· xlvi. 5-9. Pfalm lxxxix. 6. Exod. viii. 10.
Deut. xxxiii. 26. Jer. x. 6, 7. What God alone is, creatures are not --
creatures of the higheft order are mutable; it was not therefore furprizing
that they fhould become what they originally were not, as the cafe now is
with both angels and men.
Secondly, Men are now born to mifery and death. Univerfal experience
confirms what the fcriptures affert, that man is born to trouble as the
fparks fly upward - that he is of few days and full of trouble. (Job v. 7,
xiv. 1.) - that the fentence of death is paffed upon all men, and is daily
executing upon people of all nations, ages, and conditions.
Thirdly. Mifery and death are the fruits of fin. To fuppofe natural
evil inflicted without the confideration of moral evil committed, is to
deny either the reality or equity of the divine government. Yet it is
evident from fcripture and obfervation, that difeafes and death extend to
thofe who (not being voluntary agents) are not the fubjects of perfonal
guilt. It cannot be faid that infants have finned after the fimilitude of
Adam's tranfgreffion; neverthelefs dearh reigned from Adam - over fuch.
Rom. v. 14· Every thing tending to prove the perfonal blameleffnefs of
infants, muft tend to eftablifh the idea of relative guilt: for either in a
perfonal or relative fenfe, the charge or fin muft be extended as far as
death, its confequent, is inflicted. Hence the apoftle fays, By one man
fin entered into the world, and DEATH BY SIN, AND SO DEATH PASSED
UPON ALL MEN, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED, Rom. V, l2.*
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* Some feem to fuppofe that the threatning denounced againft Adam in cafe of his
difobedience, was the immediate lofs of exiftence; and the reafon of his not being directly
annihilated, was the interpofition of grace and mercy in Chrift Jefus. - lf the defign of
this ftrange hypothefis is to get rid of the fin of Adam as a public head, and its imputation.
tation to his defcendants, it muft be allowed very well to anfwer its end: for it mnft
follow, according to this, that none of the human race were in the leaft affected by
Adam's tranfgreffion. And thus, according to the original conftitution of things, he
muft have been neither a natural, nor a covenant head to any one: not a natural head,
becaufe in cafe of difobedience he was to have had no defcendants - not a covenant head,
becaufe non-exiftences could not poffibly be affected by his mifconduct. According to
this reprefentation, it was therefore impoffible, unlefs the divine Being should deviate
from his own covenant, that any man befides Adam himfelf, fhould feel in any fenfe,
or in any degree whatever, the ban effects of his revolt from God. Thus the doctrine of
original fin is confequetuially annihilated by modern Arminians.
But the above hypothefis will not readily be received by unprejudiced minds, who
reverence the facred writings, and are not flaves to a fyftem. If this fentiment be true,
it muft follow that it was not Adam's fall, but Adam's recovery that ruined the world.
The exiftence of all Adam's offspring, and confequently the introduction of fin amongft
mankind, was, according to this fentiment, entirely owing to the grace of God; and
human miferies originate in divine mercy, and are its native productions. So oppofite
is fuch a fentiment to divine revelation, that fcripture language, and its obvious meaning, mutt be invertcci, ere lt can receive any countenance from thence. The account
given by the infpired apoftle, for influence, muft be altered, and read thus, 'It was not
by one man's offence that death reigned; nor by the offence of one that judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; nor by one man's difobedience that many were made
finners. - No, all thefe are the effects of general grace, and Arminian mercy. So that
refpecting forrow and fin, fo much at leaft as is derived to us, every child of Adam may
truly fay, By the grace of God I am what I am.'
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It is a mournful fact, that all men, without exception, are impure
being conceived in fin, and fhapen in iniquity. Pfalm li. 5. For who can
bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. How can man be juftified
with God; or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Job xi v. 4. xxv. 4.
From the laft quoted paffage it fhould feem that our native
impurity is a bar to our being juitified by the lawgiver of the world; but
if guilt did not accompany pollution, that pollution could be no bar to
juftification; for furely the guiltlefs ought to be acquitted. Far be it
from God that he fhould do wickednefs; and from the Almighty that he fhould
commit iniquity. - Yea furely God will not do wickedly, neither wil1 the
Almighty pervert judgment. Job xxxiv. 10, 12.
The whole world are become guilty before God; and are in his hand
as clay in the hand of a potter. And hath not the potter power over the
clay of the fame lump, to make one veffel unto honour, and another unto
difhonour? Romans ix. 21. He was under no obligation to fhew mercy to
any; therefore he faith, I will have mercy upon whom I will harve mercy
and I will have compaffion upon whom I will have compaffion. He is a
debtor to none; his grace is fovereign and free. Surely it is unbecoming
and arrogant for creatures to arraign the Almighty at their bar, and
difpute the propriety of his proceedings. We wifh you, brethren, to
compare the prefent general objections made to the doctrines of human
depravity and divine fovereignty, with thofe which were made by the
adverfaries of truth in the apoftolic age. You will by fuch a comparative
view be confirmed in the doctrines of grace, by obferving that your
opponents draw the fame inferences from your fentiments, which were
then inferred from thofe of the apoftle Paul. They then, as now, urged
and argued, that if things were fo as he afferted, men were not the fubjects
of blame. It is, fay they, as God would have it - why doth he yet find
fault; for who hath refifteth his will? Which queftions the objector feems
to have gloried in as unanfwerable. May you, brethren, enter into the
fpirit and pertinency of the apoftole's reply, Nay, but O man, who art
thou that replieft againft God? &c. See Romans ix. 19, to the end.
Fourthly. The introduction of moral evil was not unforfeen of God;
neither did it take place without his permission. - God was neither diappointed
The document has a section left out here - jrd
ppointed nor difconcerted, by the breaking out of rebellion in his empire.
tation to his defcendants, it muft be allowed very well to anfwer its end: for it muft
follow, according to this, that none of the human race were in the leaft affected by
Adam's tranfgreffion. And thus, according to the original conftitution of things, he
muft have been neither a natural, nor a covenant head to any one: not a natural head,
becaufe in cafe of difobedience he was to have had no defcendants - not a covenant head,
becaufe non-exiftences could not poffibly be affected by his mifconduct. According to
this reprefentation, it was therefore impoffible, unlefs the divine Being should deviate
from his own covenant, that any man befides Adam himfelf, fhould feel in any fenfe,
or in any degree whatever, the ban effects of his revolt from God. Thus the doctrine of
original fin is confequetuially annihilated by modern Arminians.
But the above hypothefis will not readily be received by unprejudiced minds, who
reverence the facred writings, and are not flaves to a fyftem. If this fentiment be true,
it muft follow that it was not Adam's fall, but Adam's recovery that ruined the world.
The exiftence of all Adam's offspring, and confequently the introduction of fin amongft
mankind, was, according to this fentiment, entirely owing to the grace of God; and
human miferies originate in divine mercy, and are its native productions. So oppofite
is fuch a fentiment to divine revelation, that fcripture language, and its obvious meaning, mutt be invertcci, ere lt can receive any countenance from thence. The account
given by the infpired apoftle, for influence, muft be altered, and read thus, 'It was not
by one man's offence that death reigned; nor by the offence of one that judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; nor by one man's difobedience that many were made
finners. - No, all thefe are the effects of general grace, and Arminian mercy. So that
refpecting forrow and fin, fo much at leaft as is derived to us, every child of Adam may
truly fay, By the grace of God I am what I am.'
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