Archive for August, 2008

In response to my mention in the previous post of 8,000 Dissenters dying in prisons during the reign of Charles II and James II, a dear friend, Ron Miller, made this extremely helpful comment:

“The 8000 number is found in De Foe’s preface to De Laune’s A Plea for the Non-Conformists, p 4 in the 1720 edition I have, the seventh paragraph from the start. De Foe says this, ‘I am sorry to say, he is one of near eight thousand Protestant Dissenters that perish’d in prison in the days of that merciful [sarcasm?!] prince, King Charles the Second’.”

In a recent book, Tom Paulin—The Secret Life of Poems: A Poetry Primer (London: Faber and Faber, 2008)—discusses John Bunyan’s “He who would valiant be” (pages 31-35) in terms of its poetic merit, its thought and its historical context.

Paulin judges it to be “one of the finest English hymns” (p.31-32), a “simple and austere puritan lyric,” that is deeply indebted to Shakespeare in spots (p.32). The phrase “come hither,” for example, Paulin reckons to be taken from the Stratford bard’s As You Like It (p.32-33).

Paulin relates portions of the hymn to Bunyan’s own writings, especially The Pilgrim’s Progress and the vicious historical context of the persecution by the Stuart regime. He notes that 8,000 Dissenters died as a result of goal fever in this time. I do not recall having seen such a figure. Nor does Paulin give his source for it. But it drives home the difficulties of that day.

In sum, Paulin writes that “this short, beautiful lyric is packed with great historical and personal suffering—and with unyielding courage and conviction” (p.35)—high praise indeed.

P.S. Incidentally, at the 2nd annual Andrew Fuller Center conference, held this past week at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a number of papers dealt with this theme of persecution: the plenary session by Austin Walker on Benjamin Keach, and two parallel sessions on Abraham Cheare and Thomas Hardcastle by Jeff Robinson and Peter Beck respectively.

For the audio of these, see The English Baptists of the 17th Century, August 25-26, 2008.

It is noteworthy that when Andrew Fuller was deeply moved, he would recite out loud lines of poetry that expressed the deep emotions he was feeling.

Poetry, though, has largely fallen out of favour with many Christian thinkers and theologians since then. This is a real shame. There are some things that poetry can better express than theological discourse.

Like so much of life, there is a giftedness to poetry. To be sure, there is toil involved—the testing of word and rhythm—but, in the final analysis, a poem is a gift. What is there, that we have not received.

The audio for this week’s conference on the 17th Century English Particular Baptists has now been posted online.  All the lectures (including the parallel sessions) are now available for free MP3 download on the conference page.  By all accounts, the conference was a great blessing to those who attended and it is hoped that this blessing can now be extended to those who would have liked to have attended, but were unable to do so.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

Today the 2nd annual conference of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies begins.  The theme this year is the English Calvinistic Baptists of the Seventeenth Century.  A complete schedule is available here.  It is hoped that the audio will be available soon in MP3 format online for the benefit of those unable to attend.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.

Epiphanies happen.
Where roads cross and
Speech, passing through frail,
Though coal-fired, lip
Compresses an open heart,
Once iron, but now wrought
With textures elastic and fine.

There:
The Visible is seen,
A Voice is heeded,
And Joy is given.

Michael A.G. Haykin©2008.

What kind of historical memory is needed today? Well, we need to know the Fathers, to remind ourselves of the catholicity of our Faith. We cannot forget the great gains made by the Reformers–no, I dare opine, the Reformation is not over. The children of the Reformers, the Puritans, need to be read for their sturdy piety and confessionalism. The eighteenth century–my favourite century, if I were to name one–must be remembered for the Spirit’s great works. And then overlaying these last two our Baptist heritage (we cannot know who we are if we not know whence we came–whence our persons indeed if we forget our spiritual kin?).

Now, in all of this, it would be easy to overlook the Victorians. But there is much to be learned from them. This one thing, for example: the way in which much of late nineteenth-century Evangelicalism traded in its heritage for a mess of liberal stew! The rot, so evident in the twentieth century, has far deeper roots than we imagine.

These words of the Victorian politician Augustine Birrell (1850-1933), an unbeliever though the son of the Evangelical Baptist minister Charles Mitchell Birrell (d.1880), about the impact of the writings of Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)–born in Ecclefechan, what a name that!–and the Roman Catholic John Henry Newman (1801-1890) could have been written today: “these great writers found their most enthusiastic readers among the ranks of youthful Nonconformity” [Things Past Redress (London: Faber and Faber, 1937), 273]. “Youthful Nonconformity”–the heirs of the Puritans and the Evangelicals of the eighteenth century–Birrell continues, found “great solace” in these two authors, one an arch-opponent of all things Evangelical and the other a Roman Catholic author (ibid.).

Little wonder the succeeding weakness of Nonconformity when faced with the behemoth of Liberalism. The abandonment of a rich heritage and for what? And what the end result? Spiritual desolation. 1 Cor 10:6.

Our faces—by pixel spread,
For a globe to gaze—
This, standard fare for
A techno-crafty day:
Yet, a tornado strike
Or turbulent snow
Would render such
Fading and illusory.

And whence our persons then?
And what glory in all of this?
It’s all so docetic!

Michael A.G. Haykin©2008.

The latest issue of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of the Andrew Fuller Center is headed to the printer and should be ready to be shipped by the end of this month.  This issue focuses on the namesake of the Center, Andrew Fuller himself.  The theme is “Reading Andrew Fuller.”  The journal features nine scholarly articles by the likes of Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin, Dr. Carl R. Trueman, and Dr. Thomas J. Nettles.  Most of the articles were originally papers presented at last year’s conference. For a complete Table of Contents with free access to the editorial and an article by Dr. Haykin click here.

Subscription information, as well as limited access to past issues, is available here.  It is our desire to eventually provide a Table of Contents for all issues along with each issue’s editorial by Dr. Haykin, a select article from each issue, and book reviews, all available for free PDF download. Some of the Table of Contents and articles from past issues have always been posted.  Others will be posted soon.  Be sure to visit this site regularly as new content is added often.

Posted by Steve Weaver, Research and Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin.