Particular Pilgrims

"In this episode, we return to London in the 1680s, where the inextricably linked politics and religion of the day resulted in the burning alive of a Baptist woman for treason." -Ron Miller For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"God’s grace can overcome every obstacle, not only for salvation but for usefulness in his church. Lack of education, loss of an eye, and poverty are no impediments for God." -Ron Miller For more information about CBTS, visit CBTSeminary.org

"One result of Christmas Evans’ renewed spiritual vitality was a desire to recommit himself to God. The common way to do this in the 17th and 18th century reformed churches was to covenant with God. These were usually written and signed after occasions of mercy or felt need." -Ron Miller For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Sandemanian conversion didn’t result in remaking the whole man - mind, emotions and will. It was the bare belief of the bare truth as one man said. It was not dissimilar in this respect to the modern Free Grace movement and various other forms of easy-believism." - Ron Miller For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Christmas Evans was helped by a few books written by four Johns. There was John Owen, his favorite author. There were John Bunyan and Jonathan Edwards. Finally, there was John Gill, who Evans so appreciated that he translated his commentary into Welsh." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

It is time to shift our focus to Wales and to an extraordinary man who was, according to Martyn Lloyd-Jones, arguably “the greatest preacher that the Baptists have ever had in Great Britain." - Ron Miller For more visit CBTSeminary.org

"My advice is to be careful what you read online. I have found that even resources claiming to represent Reformed Baptist views are often very selective in their sources. For example, if a work lays claim to a Baptistic historical view but doesn’t include Roger Williams or Isaac Backus in any meaningful way, it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Men like Murton and Williams are the historical core...

"Liberty of conscience was a significant doctrine of the Reformation. The reformers argued that the Roman church forced men to believe and practice things not taught in Scripture, often by implicit faith or by using forms of political, ecclesiastical, or economic coercion."For more information visit CBTSeminary.org

"Coxe’s death and the coming of toleration didn’t immediately end the Particular Baptist differences over the scope of religious liberty. A letter by William Kiffen from September 1688 and a document from the General Assembly of 1689 shows that there was divided opinion over the Repeal campaign for several years. And yet there was at bottom, a fundamental agreement about liberty of conscience...

"A study of the individual signer’s writings and personal histories shows that there were differences concerning how far freedom of conscience should extend. John Spilsbury confessed a simple, broad belief in soul liberty. Samuel Richardson argued for full religious liberty for everyone. The four events we examined last time from William Kiffen’s life shows that he believed that there were li...

"That there was not a uniform position on the subject of religious liberty, can be demonstrated by an examination of the writings and lives of three of the signers: John Spilsbury, Samuel Richardson, and William Kiffen. These men illustrate the fact that although there was basic agreement about liberty of conscience, there were significant differences among them, especially as to liberty’s li...

"Roger Williams worked strenuously and at great personal expense to put his belief in freedom of conscience into practice. In his mind, liberty was not an Englishman’s right only, but belonged to everyone, including the Indians." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"Roger Williams’ most important work on liberty of conscience caused a sensation when first published in London in 1644 and has had an enduring impact in the debate on that subject ever since. It was entitled “The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience, Discussed."

"Williams deeply hated the idea of forced conversions or government-imposed religious rituals, like infant baptism, which placed the name Christian on people. He likened pressuring unconvinced men to worship God to a man forcing a woman into bed. He said in the true religion, Jesus Christ compels by the mighty persuasion of his preachers, but that he never used earthly weapons to compel a con...

"Williams had been convinced for some time from Scripture that the church was to consist of regenerate members only. He shared this view with many of the Puritan and Separatist ministers in England and New England. But he pushed this to its logical and Biblical conclusion and applied the principle without compromise. And this is where the Baptist teaching began to convince him. If the church...

"Roger Williams was one of the most important formative figures for the doctrine of religious liberty in the 1600s. Williams believed in the absolute authority of the Word of God and it was his source book for faith and life. He did not ground his views of soul liberty in Enlightenment ideals or a general liberalism, like Thomas Jefferson would do in the next century. He was not a rationalist...

"We don’t follow Murton in his Arminianized theology. But all who believe in a regenerate church, including Particular Baptists, have been rightly influenced by his arguments for freedom of conscience and liberty of religious belief and practice."-Ron MillerFor more information about CBTS visit: https://cbtseminary.org

"Baptist churches arose in a 17th century England where church was joined to state. The governmental and religious institutions were not separate but existed as one establishment. The king acted as the supreme governor of both spheres. He headed the government and the Church of England, the officially established religion of the nation, and so he held both political and religious authority. T...

"The Particular Baptists were orthodox, Protestant, Reformed, and Puritan Christians. But they were also more than that. They were distinguished from other churches by a set of distinctives, a number of interconnected doctrines and practices that set them apart." For more information about CBTS visit CBTSeminary.org

"Hann’s pastorate in Loughwood ran from 1730 to 1758, during which time he had several helpers. Fifteen people are recorded as being baptized by him. His helpers sometimes did the baptisms, perhaps because of his absence or old age. At the end of his time there, the membership was 34, a few more than when he came." For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"This study of the Loughwood Baptist church has brought to our attention a number of interesting early members. But the Hugenots, Fifth Monarchy men, and woman author weren’t the entire congregation. There were in fact several hundred believers making up the church even in its earliest years."   For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

William Allen and John Vernon appear in history as two believing men “of one heart and soul”. They were the closest of friends in religion, family, the Army, and politics.   For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org

John Vernon and his wife Anne had five known children. There names are uncertain but probably were John, Deborah, Caleb, Anne (or as she was called, Nancy), and Mary. Caleb has special interest to us because his father wrote a spiritual biography of him that is the only book I am aware from the 1600s that gives an account of the conversion, baptism, and partaking in the Lord’s Supper by someone un...

"Vernon frequently preached against Cromwell’s Protectorate. William Kiffen and others wrote him urging to support it, but his understanding of the relationship between Christ and the English government wouldn’t allow it."

As Samuel Richardson wrote, “there is no form of civil government in Christ’s testament”. We are reminded that it’s often easy to give ourselves to a human kingdom than Christ’s without even noticing. For more information about CBTSeminary, visit CBTSeminary.org