I have often admired the gracious conduct of Divine Providence in bringing me acquainted with your family: I have found you faithful in gospel bonds, faithful in reproving, admonishing, instructing, and praying for me. You was well acquainted with the cause of my leaving Chapel-court Meeting, as I could not get it as my own. I prayed to have a place of my own, if it was an old barn; but, no doubt, this is another proof of my pride. I have seen the sorrows of real good men, who have been turned out of their situations, and reduced to abject poverty, merely to please some bashaw deacon, or conceited trustee; and as I did not like to wear a muzzle, I chose to get a humble place of my own. Your friendship in exerting yourself for my good, and the accommodation of the people, well succeeded, and our wishes were accomplished. A place was to let, near the obelisk, which would contain 800 people: but, alas! we had no seats, or pulpit. I opened it, just as it was, with a temporary stage, on which I stood. The place was crowded; I was enabled to preach in the afternoon on “He brought me to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love:” and in the evening, “I beseech thee shew me thy glory.” I continued at Chapel-court some parts of the week, and Sundays, till the Obelisk Chapel was quite ready; when I gave up the former entirely, and occupied the latter. Many a blessed season we experienced there, and the Lord confirmed the Word with signs following. With pleasure you saw this, and fondly hoped to have seen a regular church formed, upon the Baptist order; but, perhaps, I have been culpably negligent upon that subject. However, your desire was in a great measure fulfilled: the presence of the Lord filled the place, the Word ran, and Christ and free-grace was glorified. Many remember the spot with pleasure, and others have gone from thence to glory. I need not apologise for reminding you of your remarkable dream on Ezra, vii. 27, 28, “Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing into the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord, which is at Jerusalem.” And I was strengthened, as the hand of the Lord was upon me. The Lord be with you, while I remain,
Yours, in Him, J. C.
He never said to Jacob’s seed,
Seek ye my face in vain;
No; he delights our souls to feed,
That we with him may reign.
LETTER XV.
“Son of Man, shew the house to the house of Israel.”
To —
After I had been with the present congregation for some time, I thought it expedient to endeavour to bring the church into some form, and gospel order, upon the Baptist plan; but this I found a very difficult task. The majority of hearers, were averse to the ordinances of believer’s baptism, not one of the managers did see into the nature and design of the ordinance; yet I was enabled to preach frequently on the subject, and many were soon after convinced it was their duty and privilege to submit to baptism, as well as attend the Lord’s Supper. Some, who saw more clearly into it, waited till they were baptized, before they sat down to the Supper, knowing this was the most scriptural plan: others, who had been baptized previous to their hearing with us, desired to unite with us, but did not choose to do that till the church was more regularly formed. And now, having a convenient place for that purpose, many came forward to be baptized; the day was appointed, and eighteen came, who I had good reason to believe were called by grace. I preached my sermon at Horselydown, from this question of our dear Lord—“The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?” I found liberty and freedom in a scriptural statement of the nature and design of believers’ baptism. I had nothing new to advance, but what many men of God had observed on that subject, and endeavoured to back every argument with scripture proof. The evening arrived, and the candidates met; I conversed once more with them all, separately, in the vestry. A good man preached the sermon, and fully confirmed what I had previously advanced. At the close of the sermon, I gave a short address at the water. After prayer and singing, I descended into the baptistry, for the first time, with trembling steps, yet dependent on the faithfulness of the Great Head of the Church, to his own promise—“Lo! I am with you always.” I then led each into the water, myself, and spoke something suited to the case of every one, as we went into the water together. I considered it most scriptural to go down with the candidates, which had a very pleasing effect upon the spectators, gave great encouragement to the candidate, and diversified the solemn scene. This was the plan of the Rev. Mr. Burnham, which I always adopted. In two month’s time, about thirty-five more came forward; and for the first four or five succeeding years, I had the honour to baptise upwards of fifty persons. At one time I had forty-eight, which was very fatiguing to me. After I had left Horselydown, we went to baptise at Worship-street. This only occurred once, and there were near forty persons at that time. Soon after the Lord raised me up a place of my own, and we built an excellent baptistry there, in which many have been baptised, some of whom are now in glory, many are growing in grace, and continue amongst us, while others are gone to other places, that other ministers might fill up their cup of consolation. I have heard but of very few that have gone back into the world, and they are not out of the reach of mercy, unless any of them have sinned “the sin unto death.” But, notwithstanding so many were baptised, I had not power to form the church after the particular Baptist plan, but was obligated to admit those of God’s dear children, who could not yet see it right to be baptized. As these persons gave every evidence that they belonged to God, I saw no impropriety in sitting down with such at the Lord’s table. I am well aware that it was not so in the apostolic age; then, the church was of one heart, and one soul, but it is not so now, in external matters; and as the Saviour admits them to communion with himself, I see no reason why we should exclude them, because they do not see exactly with us into this ordinance: I wish all the church throughout the world did see it exactly as the scriptures have laid it down; but that they will not do, till the Holy Spirit is again poured out in the latter-day glory, of which happy time the apostolic age was a prelude. There was a period when I did not see the order of the church to be of that importance I now do. My whole attention, out of the pulpit, was to manage that business as well as I could, assisted by men of faith, prayer, and wisdom. We have since formed the church, the articles of which are printed in the first volume of the “Voice of Faith.” The Lord keeps us walking in his own appointed way, adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.
Yours, J. C.
Make me obsequious to thy will,
While journeying hence to Zion’s hill;
Within thine arms, O let me be,
For ever folded near to thee.