Baptists Were Influenced By The C.o.E.

Most of us have heard about George Whitefield lamenting that his chicks had become ducks . Of course he was referring to many of his converts becoming Baptists . In America ( because old George got around to other places as well ) , most of those coming to a saving knowlege of Jesus Christ were , or became Baptists . Daniel Marshall (1768-1837) and Shubal Sterns (1706-1771) wwere among the more notable ones .

In the UK some Anglicans such as John Newton and Henry Venn extended the hand of fellowship to Baptists . In my bio of Newton , (written by Richard Cecil and updated by Marylynn Rousse) , it says the following on page 262 : Cowper and Newton attended the Baptist Association meetings in Olney in 1768 , hearing Booth preach from Acts 11:26 . Abraham Booth (1734-1806) ,was a prominent Baptist preacher at that time . He was quite learned -- kind of like his generation's John Gill without any of the negative luggage Gill's critics bestowed upon him . Henry Venn wrote the preface to Booth's sermons .

On page 287 it speaks of John Fawcett (1740-1817) . He was converted under Whitefield's preaching and " shaped as a young Christian by William Grimshaw ( he walked the nine miles to Haworth on Communion Sundays ) ... "

On page 294 Fawcett's biographer is quoted : " The erection of a [ Baptist ] place of worship at Wainsgate must be imputed to the Rev. Mr. Grimshaw of Haworth ... Mr. Richard Smith , who was its first pastor , attended Mr. Grimshaw's ministry , and and derived great advantage from it . "

On page 317 it refers to John Oulton (1738-1780) . He was a Particular Baptist minister in Liverpool . Newton attended his services at Byrom Street and took part in his mid-week meetings .

Both John Ryland Sr. (1723-1792) and his son John Ryland Jr. (1753-1825) were friends of Newton's .

I find it comforting that some Church of England ministers at that time had fellowship with some Baptists . There were glaring differences between the two sects but the common bond between the truly regenerate of both parties joined them together as it is biblical to do .

Today with the ever increasing liberalism of the Anglician Church it makes it even more difficult . Come out from among them is my plea . But still there are very godly men in that group who preach and teach in a very biblical manner despite everything else .

 

I have a good bio of James Hervey (1714-1758) by George M. Ella . It is called Preacher of Righteousness .Ella says that Hervey and John Ryland Sr. (1723-1792) were very close friends . The following is from page 242 .

The Anglican was especially open to evangelical Baptists and could not tolerate bigotry on baptismal matters on either side . Usually he had a Baptist to dinner one day and an Anglican the next . Sometimes when he invited both parties at once , difficulties , not of hismaking , would arise . Once when he had invited ministers of various denominations to share dinner with him together , he was shocked to hear a ministerial friend , a Mr. H. launch into a sharp attack against a Baptist Mr. S. present . The offender , probably Hartley , who was staying with Hervey at the time , had not reckoned with his host . Hervey told John Ryland how he reated , ' I thought it a breach of delicacy and propriety of conduct , especially to do this with my guest , and at my table ; therefore I took up the cudgels , and personated a Baptist .' Hervey was very critical of the prayer Book concernig baptism and the visitation of the sick and campaigned for a reform in the language and theology . Of this effort he wrote , ' In an affair of the highest consequence , how negligent is the community , I mean in the long expected reformation of the liturgy , in which , excellent as it is upon the whole , there are some passages so justly exceptionable , that every bishop in the kingdom will tell you he wishes to have them expunged ; and yet , I know not for what political or timid reasons , it continues just as it did . Had our first reformers been thus indolent , we still had been Papists .' Hervey's defence of the Baptist position did not go unheeded by his congregation ... When John Newton visited Weston-Favell a few years later to preach , he found no evangelicals [ he must mean Anglicans -- Rip ] in Hervey's church -- they had all left and become Baptists !