Missionary or New School Baptists.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 9, September 1901, Part 2.
There was much opposition to the new order of things from the time that Fuller and Carey "began the business" in 1792, so that the progress of this unscriptural movement was slow for a number of years. In America A Board of Baptist Foreign Missions was organized at Philadelphia in 1814. In 1815 Elder Martin Ross presented to the Kehukee Association some copies of the Report of this Board, which had been received through their agent, Luther Rice. Thus the "business" begun by Fuller and Carey in England was started in the United States. That it was an innovation cannot be questioned. It was a worldly appendage to the church of Christ, purely human in its origin, without scriptural authority and without any precedent. Its design being to accomplish the salvation of "heathens," it was an insult to the omnipotent King of Zion and an evidence of a lack of faith in him as the only Saviour of sinners.The new movement in America was brought about by Adoniram Judson and Luther Rice. While these two missionaries were on their way to India under the patronage of Pedobaptists, they pretended to become converted to the sentiments of the Baptists, and were baptized at Calcutta. Rice soon after returned to America where he labored with great zeal in soliciting aid in establishing a Mission Board. From this arose societies of various kinds in all directions. Under the direction of this Board all Foreign Mission affairs of the Baptists were managed until 1845, when the American Baptist Missionary Union was established in New York City.
The Baptist church, in 1814, was denounced by the leaders of this new institution as an old-fashioned, fogy, worn-out concern, in great need of advancement and improvement. It was then just what it had been since founded by Christ. If it lacked anything, Christ himself was responsible for the lack. To say that this Missionary machinery was needed is to say that Christ did not know what the church would need. "Up to this time," says Mr. Benedict, a New School Baptist author, "this large and increasing body (the American Baptists) seemed to ahve no idea that they had either the call or the ability to send out missionaries to foreign lands." The idea they then received was not obtained from the Bible, for it authorizes no such schemes as Fuller, Carey, Judson, and Rice invented.
Opposition to these new innovations was very bitter from their first introduction, but did not assume the form of public protest on the part of those who contended for the old order and practice till in the year 1827. [Note: This is incorrect. Opposition was manifested publickly in Illinois as early as 1818, and a division occurred in the Wabash District Association in 1823 over this issue.) That year the Kehukee Association convened with Kehukee Church, Halifax Co., N. C. A paper had been presented to this Association in 1826 which purported to be a Declaration of the Reformed Baptists in North Carolina, and had been referred to the churches with a request that they express their views concerning it in their letters to the Association. Most of the churches expressed their opinion, and the Association, acting upon the decisions of the churches, agreed to "discard all Missionary Societies, Tract Societies, Theological Seminaries, and the practices heretofore resorted to for their support in begging money from the public." In the resolution passed it was agreed to discountenance any agents of these societies in their practices of money begging, and not to invite them into the pulpits if they came under the character of ministers. These societies and institutions were denounced as the inventions of men unwarranted by the word of God. This resolution was discussed at some length, but passed unanimously. The scene at this session of the Association is described in Hassell's Church History as a melting occasion. The brethren present embraced each other with overwhelming joy, while the opposing element acquiesced in the decision and joined to make it unanimous. Love flowed from heart to heart, while praises were uplifted to God for delivering them from the snares and delusions of designing men, who had arisen among them speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. This old Association then had thirty-five churches with an aggregate membership of 1,951.
The stand taken by this Association was very decisive, and the example was followed by other Associations and churches all over the land. "In September 1832, a number of churches belonging to the Baltimore Association convened with the church called Black Rock, in the state of Maryland, and took the position that had been taken by Kehukee." - Hassell's History. The Country Line Association, of North Carolina, in August 1832, withdrew her fellowship from the new departures, and so many Associations and churches in the different states threw off the fetters of priestcraft and idolatry, and declared a nonfellowship for all the institutions of the world called religious. The brethren who contended for the ancient land-marks were stigmatized as an ignorant, old-fashioned set, who would soon die out and leave the field open for the younger and more fashionable men. But God has not forsake the dear old cause, and his church stands today without any Sunday Schools to furnish recruits or money schemes to help carry on the work of spreading the gospel. As the old veterans of the cross are discharged from the service and called home to rest from their labors, God calls young soldiers to proclaim his word and qualifies them by his Spirit to preach the old-time doctrine and practice our fathers loved so well. God be praised for the prosperity of his precious cause at the present time, for upon him alone we depend for support, and to his name we give all the praise for the blessings of his grace and the salvation of his people.
The name Old School became the appelation of those who stood in the old pathway, while those who went off in the new departure became known as New School. The New School party continued to invent institutions of their own, and to adopt those invented by others, until today they stand as a leading denomination in popular religion, as far away from Bible Baptists as the other Arminian churches are. Their preachers, as a rule, avoid those points of doctrine that are so unpopular with the world, such as Election and Predestination, and advocate the theory that the salvation of the sinner depends upon his acceptance of Christ, and that a chance is offered to all to accept him. They not only require enormous salaries for their own preaching,b ut they extort vast sums of money from their members for the maintenance of their numerous societies and Missionary enterprises, all of which are the inventions of men. They profess to believe that their money will aid in the salvation of souls if contributed for Missionary purposes, while they contract this theory in practice by requiring big pay themselves. They thus lay a burden upon their membership which they will not touch with their own fingers.
The Texas Baptist and Herald, for June 14, 1898, a New School paper, is quoted by Elder Webb as saying, "Out of the $8,985 contributed by the Texas brethren to Foreign Missions, the 'state officials' reserved the nice little sum of $2,187 for the privilege of receiving this money from the hands of pastors and churches and forwarding it to the Board." The officers who manage the Missionary machinery must have their pay out of the funds contributed for the salvation of the heathen. Hear what J. M. Carroll, in Baptist Standard, Nov. 1, 1894, said: "Remember, dear brethren, that in our state mission work alone 100 men will look to us for their salaries, and will certainly expect it each quarter. We don't want to ahve to borrow a cent this year, and if you will cooperate with, and help us as you ought, we will not." - Elder Webb's Scrap Book. In the same paper, A. J. Wharton, of Smithville, Texas, under the date of October 4, 1864, said: "This is to certify that I am a Missionary of the State Board, and that Bro. Carroll has paid every cent due. I further certifiy that I have not had to live on bread and water. Neither do I believe that any Missionary in the employ of the State Board has had to do so. Bro. Carroll's salary is not too high. He is worth every cent of it, and ought to have it. A 'cheap John' can be had for less money, but is it for the best to have a weak man head our mission cause in Texas? I say no."
These statements are from the pens of leaders among the New School Baptists, and show the tendency of the new system invented by them. We are sure that a denomination that practices such customs, so foreign to anything found in the word of God, cannot be the church of Christ. What do you think, reader? But they not only require big pay for their pretended work of saving souls, but expect great reward hereafter. Judson Taylor says, "I am a missionary in view of its great rewards. The pay for such labor is immense; and he that takes stock in souls and invests missionary funds will be God's billion heir." This harmonizes with what Bostick, the Missionary for whom Burnam and his colleagues are soliciting money, said in the "Old Paths": "But sure it is, according to the plan teachings of the word, that the richness or poorness of God's children up yonder will be in proportion as we have obeyed or disobeyed our adorable Redeemer's commands." The giving of funds for the salvation of heathens is the obedience to which he refers. Evidently they are all sailing in the same boat. There is not the least authority for such teaching in God's word, and those who teach such a doctrine have departed so far from the faith once delivered to the saints that they have not the least right to the name Baptist.
The history of the Baptist church can be traced back to the Waldenses of the twelfth century. In a confession of faith published by them they set forth the doctrine of the Old School Baptists of today. The 11th Article of their confession says, "We hold in abhorrence all human inventions, as proceeding from Anti-christ, which produce distress and are prejudicial to the liberty of the mind." - Owen's History. The Old School Baptist church today holds in abhorrence all human inventions in religion, believing such to proceed from Anti-christ. It is, therefore, identical with the Waldensian Baptists.
There is not a precept or example in all the New Testament for taking up collections, or raising money in any way, to send the gospel to the heathens. Such a thing was not practiced by the church in the first centuries of her existence. The Saviour's instructions forbid the practices of modern Missionaries. He told his disciples, when he sent them forth, to provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in their purpose, nor scrip for their journey. He told them to enquire who is worthy, when they entered a city or twon, and abide there. He instructed them to depart from any house or city that would not receive them. Modern Missionaries ignore this.
J. R. D.
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