DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OLD & NEW SCHOOL BAPTISTS 3/6

Beebe now describes the differences among Baptists, when it comes to Election - ed.

Many of the New School Baptists, as well as the Old School, professed to believe in the doctrine of Election, but there is great diversity among them in their manner of explaining their belief on this subject. None of them believe it, so far as we can understand them in any sense that will conflict with free will, free agency, means of grace, and obligations of the unregenerate to make themselves a subject of it. It would be a wearisome undertaking for us, and an unreasonable infliction upon the patience of our readers, for us to write or tax them, to read all the confused theories which have been avowed from pulpit and press, and in private conversation by them on election. Some specimens of their views must suffice to show the contrast between them and an Old School Baptist on this point. So. We'll give a few.

Specimen 1.

Those of the New School who are considered as the most sound, or as less violently opposed to the truth than others, profess to believe that God has chosen the people in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. And that this choice was made in the divine mind before the world began. That it is sovereign, discriminating, and effectual. But that this doctrine, being calculated to stir up the hearts of ungodly men to rage and blaspheme, is rather calculated to make them worse instead of better, and discouraged them from seeking religion, and therefore ought not to be publicly preached. While they hold that it may, and perhaps in some cases ought to be believed, the tendency of publishing it is to chill the zeal of Christians, make them stupid and sluggish in regard to their walk and deportment, careless and easy about the prosperity of Zion and the salvation of souls, and that it will paralyze the churches and caused them to decline and become extinct.

In opposition to this, the Old Order of Baptists believes what the God of Heaven has revealed of his eternal purpose in the salvation of this people should not be believed in the heart, but published with the tongue, pen, and press, that it ill becomes us who profess to hope for salvation, to find fault with the manner in which we believe God has saved us, or to set our wisdom above His wisdom, and determine of what He has revealed, what may and what may not be preached. We admit that a faithful testimony of the truth as it is in Jesus will raise and stir up the enmity of the carnal hearts of ungodly men. That it will make diviners mad and bring persecution on the people of God, and reproach upon His cause, not only from the openly profane, but more abundantly from unregenerated professors of Christianity. But we at the same time feel assured that while it on the one hand it makes enemies of God and of his cause belch up the rage and blasphemous of their wicked hearts against the truth. It will feed comfort, instruct, edify, and enliven the heirs of salvation, and therefore, affect the purpose of God in separating between the precious and the vile, and make manifest who are and who are not the children of God. The Apostles Have declared that they are of God and that they know God hears them and that they know not, God hears them not. And hereby know we the Spirit of truth, and the spirit of error, and in regard to the discouraging and ungodly from seeking after God and the salvation of their souls. They have no eyes to see, ears to hear, nor hearts to understand the things of the Kingdom of Christ or that belonged to the salvation of God until he is quickened by the Holy Spirit. And when this is affected, they are invariably discouraged, but completely slain to all hope of expectation of deliverance, from wrath and perdition, but by and in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, in perfect harmony with the Bible doctrine of eternal personal election.

Specimen 2.

Others of the new order professed to believe God has eternally elected to salvation all who shall in time repent and believe the gospel. These, however, denied that election is personal. They contend that characters and not persons are elected. To illustrate, we will give an example. What actually occurred in Indiana not many months since. Brother B. An Old School Baptist elder in writing, fell into company with a Baptist minister of the New Order and in conversation asked him, "Do you believe the doctrine of election?" "Certainly I do", was the reply. "Well, do you believe in eternal election?" "To be sure, I do and preach it constantly," said the new schoolman. "Well", said Brother B. " have but one question further on this point to ask. Do you believe in eternal, unconditional, personal election?" "No!" Was the unequivocal reply. "I do not. I believe that God has eternally and unconditionally elected all such characters as shall in the course of time be found repenting, believing, and serving Him. But that he had chosen any personally to make them believers, and to give them repentance and eternal life. I do not."

From this description of professed believers in Election. The lovers of Truth most decidedly differ, and against their artful deception, they most emphatically protest. If Election is not personal, it is not Election at all. Instead of God choosing his people because they were holy, he chose men in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world that they should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated them to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved. Hence the apostle says. "But we are bound to give thanks unto God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord. Because God has from the beginning chosen you for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth." "They are therefore elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Not according to what God for knew or foresaw of faith or obedience in us to induce him to elect us, but elected unto obedience and purification by the spirits work in applying the blood of Christ to us for the cleansing of us from sin."

Paul uses what is written of Jacob and Esau. To illustrate the election of grace. For the children, being not yet born, not there, having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to Election, might stand, not of works. But of him, that calls. It was said unto her [Rebecca] "The elder shall serve the younger as it is written. Jacob have I loved, but Esaw have. I hated." Will any pretend to say that God's love for Jacob and hatred of Esau was not personal? If so, why did God lead about Jacob and keep him as deep apple of his eye and laid a heritage of Esau waste for the Dragons of the wilderness and decreed that Edom should build? But he would "throw down." That they should call them the children of Esau. The border of wickedness. The people against whom the Lord has indignation forever. This account of Jacob and Esau, Paul says, is according to Election. Therefore, one is just as personal as the other and equally irrespective of the good or evil works of the parties concerned or embraced in the choice of God as in one case as in the other.

Specimen 3.

Some of the New School professed to believe that God's election is personal. But deny that it is eternal or from before the foundation of the world. These contend that if sinners wait for God to quicken and regenerate them, they will die in their sins and be lost forever. But if they will do what is in their power to commend themselves to the favor of God, by you using certain supposed means of grace, repent, believe, pray, attend, meeting, and contribute to what they profanely call the support of the gospel, they will be the cause of their own election. In short, if the Sinner will choose God, God in return will choose the sinner whose election is thus secured by himself! Of this sort of pretended believers in Election, there is the greatest number among the New School Baptists at this time. Hence they are preaching, and exhorting. And all their inventions to coax persuade, frighten, command, and compel the young quickened sinner to "get religion," and hence their various extravagant operations for evangelizing the world.

But the Apostolic Baptists, from Paul's day down to the present, have and do believe that God from the beginning chose his people for salvation. That he has saved him and called him with a holy calling, not according to their works, but according to his own purpose and grace gave them in Christ Jesus before the world began. The declaration of Paul to the Ephesians is conclusive. "According as he has chosen or elected us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be wholly and without blame before him in love."

Admit the testimony of an inspired apostle and the slimy caviling of Armenian Baptists and all other enemies of the truth falls like Dagon before the Ark of God. For if we were, as the apostle asserts, "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and predestinated to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, it follows, of course, that God did not choose us subsequently to our having chosen him or in consequence of our having first chosen him, or of our having done either good or evil. And if as we have caught it by Jesus Christ to himself. It is not by us and Jesus Christ to ourselves and according to his will. It is not according to our will. And if He has made us accepted in the beloved, we have not ourselves accepted either in or out of the Beloved.

Specimen 4.

There is still another class among the New Order who professed to believe that God has chosen a certain portion of mankind for salvation, such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and others. But that his election is not so definite as to include all that may be saved, or positively, to secure against all possible contingencies, the certain salvation of all who are chosen or elected. This description of cavaliers makes void election of grace in total and makes salvation depend exclusively upon the will and works of men. Although Paul has said that God's purpose according to Election should stand not of works but of him that calls. "By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. If it is of grace, it is no more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace."

The scriptures are inexhaustible in the testimony which they afford to meet all windings of wicked men and devils on this subject. And to demonstrate that election of grace is, as held by Old School Baptists, sovereign, eternal, unconditional, discriminating, personal, and effectual. That in it this eternal salvation and ultimate glory of all whom God has everlastingly chosen and ordained to eternal life is perfectly secured, so that none can be added to it, nor any be taken from it.

We might greatly enlarge and give an indefinite number of specimens of New School divinity on the subject of election. But we conclude that sufficient has been said to show that there is no more real harmony between the old school and any other of the numerous branches of antichrist.

In our next, we propose to consider the difference between the New School Baptists and the people of God on the glorious doctrine of the Atonement.

Gilbert Beebe 

New Vernon, New York 

February 15th, 1848.