Missionary or New School Baptists.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 10, October 1901, Part 2.
"The Philadelphia Baptist Association is the oldest, most honored and authoritative 'Missionary' Baptist Association in America. The Minutes of that Association from 1707 to 1807 have been published in one volume. In the Circular Letter adopted by that Association in 1806 (p. 429 of the Minutes), it is frankly admitted that "in modern missions Papal Rome has led the way, the Society of Jesuits, formed in 1540 (1534), being the first missionary society.' Thus it is certain that Protestants copied their 'modern missions,' not from the inspired Apostles of the first century, but from the Roman Catholic Jesuits of the sixteenth century. Now Protestants are universally agreed in denouncing the idolatrous corruptions and heathenish abominations of Roman Catholic 'Missions;' but volumes of evidence have been published in demonstration of similar, if not altogether so horrible, corruptions and abominations practiced by Protestant 'Missionaries' among the heathens of the nineteenth century." - Hassell's History, page 839.The following extract is from the "Boston Investigator" as quoted by Mr. Griffin in his History: "We never had any doubt but what there were some who supported religion from the best motives; but we believe that many support it with about the same object in view that the multitude had when they followed Jesus, namely, 'for the loaves and fishes.' This making a trade of religion is a shocking evil. We find tract societies established, charitable institutions set on foot, new plans devised to ameliorate our condition, new buildings erected, new laws devised, new improvements suggested, and when we follow them up and see them organized, we shall find the pious, humane and totally disinterested projectors filling the lucrative places of presidents, scribes, agents, clerks, printers, etc. - a son here, a brother there, a religion is made to answer the purpose of private gain, under the specious pretext of public good. As an instance in point, the 'Missionary House' in this city pays four secretaries a salary of six thousand dollars yearly; and out of more than ten thousand dollars raised the last year by the Foreign Evangelical Society, not less than six thousand were expended in agencies, etc. This is the principle upon which religious teachers, as a class, conduct their performances."
It was impossible for those who loved the order of God's house as established by Christ and his apostles to fellowship such unscriptural practices. Missionary Baptists sometimes say to the unsuspecting that there is no difference between them and us, except that they are very zealous in the philanthropic (?) work of spreading the "gospel," while we are inactive in this respect. It is no credit to us for them to say that we are like them, and if it is any credit to them they get the benefit of it at our expense.
Theological schools are preparing men for the trade of preaching, many of whom wait for a field of labor after they are prepared for the work. The Baptist Standard for November 11, 1894, contains this statement as quoted by Elder J. G. Webb: "A number have applied to our board to be sent to foreign fields. God has called them to go, and the work needs them, but how can they go except they be sent? Brethren, it is here that this matter rests largely with you. Cannot each pastor in this state so arouse his church that they will get to work to help pay off the debt, and raise funds to send out new missionaries on the home field?" The Baptist Messenger for April, 1894, says, "The doors have been flung wide open and still we do not enter. Why is this? Are there no men and women who are ready to enter and take possession? No, this is not the reason, for there are numbers who are not only willing but begging to be sent. What then? It is the lack of money." Thus it is beg, beg, beg! The pastors certainly deserve sympathy. In addition to the preparation and delivery of their sermons, and the task of collecting their salaries, they are required to beg money for the numerous institutions of the denomination and to keep their people educated to believe that the money they give to Foreign Missions will save the poor heathens. The last named task is no easy one, we presume, judging by the very small amount contributed to that end, which in the southern states is only about ten cents per member.
A. E. Dickinson, President of "The Religious Herald Co.," of Richmond, and Editor of the "Religious Herald," a New School Baptist paper, gives an account, in the issue of that paper for July 25th, of "A talk with a Hardshell" that is quite interesting. He was on a train going to an Association at Alderson, in West Virginia, and fell in company with a large man, weighing some 250 pounds, who was smoking a cob pipe, whom he found out to be an Old School Baptist. From a brief conversation he also found him to be a thoughtful, intelligent, and thoroughly wide-awake old man. He entered into a discussion with him at once, presenting, as a first argument in favor of his church, the "changes on the immense growth of the Missionary Baptists since drawing out from the Hardshells." These are his own words - a noble confession surely. He argued that the Anti-Mission Baptists had dwindled away to not more than 100,000, while the Missionaries boasted 4,000,000. Continuing he says, "Having made the most of this point, I paused a moment for breath, and, looking to my Anti-mission brother, asked what he had to say to that, and if what I had told him was not proof enough that God was with the Missionary Baptists, and that they were right. Taking out my note book, I remarked that I was going to take down his reply for publication in my paper. Whereupon the old brother answered that he would begin by asking a few questions. "How many members do you Missionary Baptists claim in the South?" I was pleased to answer this, and made the numbers as large as the facts would justify, feeling that it would reinforce my side of the question. I told him that in the States covered by the Southern Baptist Convention we had about 1,500,000, not counting the colored Baptists, who were quite as numerous. "Well," said he, "let us leave out the negro Baptists, although they claim to be Missionary Baptists, too. Take the million and a half of white Baptists in the South - what did they give last year to Foreign and Home Missions?" That question did not please me quite so well, and I replied that I could not give him the exact figures; that I was not very good at figuring, &c., &c. He aroused himself and insisted that he did not care for the exact figures, but that he knew I could give him an answer if I would, and that, as I had begun this discussion, he hoped I wouild not back out before we finished. Then I had to tell him that during the previous year the Southern Baptist Convention reported about $150,000 all told for Home and Foreign Missions.
"Filling up his old cob pipe again, for he was smoking all the while, he asked me to put down on my book 150,000 and divide it by 1,500,000 white members, and let us see how much each one of your Missionary Baptists had given the previous year. It dawned upon me then where the old brother was leading me, and how hopeless my case was. I urged ignorance of mathematics; but the old man insisted that I could make so simple a division, and he would have his answer, and I had to give it to him. Puffing away at his pipe and looking around on the company he laughingly exclaimed, "Well, if it is a matter of only a few cents a head, I do not think it is imkportant enough for us to waste any more time discussing it." The few passengers that by that time had gathered around us laughed; but I did not. My spirit changed, and in meekness I begged him to believe that we were on the right track, even if we had made but little progress, and that we were improving every year, as he could find out for himself, if he would stop over in Alderson and hear the missionary reports made by the brethren there. His manner changed, also, and he seemed sorry for me. He then said: "Well, brother, I want to say that you Missionary Baptists ought to make a change about these associations of yours, and other big meetings. I have often attended them, and they seem more like a Fourth of July Celebration or a picnic than religious gatherings. There's too much Baptist brag and too little crying to God for better things. You do not get the spiritual good out of them that you might. Little is said about family worship or living a more spiritual life. Too much time is taken up with mere bragging about dollars and cents, with what this one gave and that one; and as to numbers, are you not filling up your churches too rapidly with unconverted material; taking in persons who do nothing and give nothing? If we (the Hardshells) err in being too slow in taking in people, it seems to me that you are on the opposite extreme and take them in too fast. These great annual revivals that your Baptist papers report, and the great meetings of the associations you hold, may indicate great growth; but, in my judgment, it does you much less good than you think. The Old Baptists, who laid the foundations for God's cause in the days that tried men's souls, did not rely upon such means for gaining public favor as are now used with such effect by the so-called Missionary Baptists of this day. The work they did, the converts they made, stood the test of imprisonment and strifes, while now you have a craze for numbers and worldly display, if you will pardon me for saying as much."
"About this time I asked the conductor how far we were from Alderson, and was delighted to be told that it was the next station; so I had to say good-by to my Hardshell friend, giving him many thanks for having succeeded so well in keeping me awake. My first speech in the association at Alderson was a reproduction of the scene in the car, and the brethren seemed to enjoy it; but never since that day have I deemed it best to keep myself awake by a debate with a Hardshell Baptist."
Mr. Dickinson's object in publishing this was to try to induce his people to give more, and thus weaken the advantage of "Hardshells" in an argument. The former was, of course, his chief object. As to the latter, the "Hardshells" will always have the advantage, for the laity of that church will never be led to give of their earthly stores in proportion to the importance of the cause they have pretended to espouse. If they could be educated to believe that their money would actually result in the salvation of sinners from an eternal hell, they would deny themselves of every luxury, study and practice economy, eat the simplest diet and wear the plainest clothes, hire cheap preachers and build cheap churches, sell their high priced organs and buy cheaper ones (if they use any), and give every dollar they could possibly spare toward the salvation of souls. Jesus drove the changers of money and speculators out of the temple with a scourge, charging them with having made his Father's house a house of merchandise and a den of thieves.
If God has made it the duty of modern missionaries to convert the world to Christianity, as they claim, why did not Christ set the example by converting at least one town? Also, if this work is theirs to dom, why do they not begin each one at home, and work from that point, converting all as they proceed? They cannot escape by saying that some will not be converted, for if they cannot convert the unwilling from their unwillingness they cannot convert at all. If they fail to convert sinners at home, is it likely that they will do it in foreign fields?
Going back to the state of the church before the rise of modern missionism and the invention of the machinery that runs itm, who can fail to see that the Old Baptist church of today is identical with the church of that period? Oh that all God's children could see the confusion there is in Babylon and come out of her! The dear old church, that has stood amid the storms of ages, prospers today under the blessings of God in whom alone she has always trusted.
J. R. D.
Copyright c. 2005. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
