[This is another article that has, to our knowledge been republished since 1835 by Trott. It is part of the upcoming Volume 3 (Volume 1 was the Writings of JF Johnson; Volume 2. The Complete Wilson Thompson) Writings of Old School
Baptist Elders hopefully coming out in two weeks. - ed]
Brother Beebe: there fell into my hands, about a year since, a pamphlet then recently published in the city of New York, entitled “A summary of Faith and Articles of a Covenant” with an appendix by the author. In appendix #2, in which the author labors to prove that Hebrew 6.2, does not refer to laying on of hands under the gospel but under the law, which, by the by, I should suppose no judicious advocate for laying on of hands disputes, he makes a digression of two or three pages, to bring in by a course of reasoning from inferences, the following conclusion:
“that no nation or people can be required, or even authorized, to receive the gospel without access directly or indirectly, to the inspired books of the old and new testaments; The former being the record of promises and predictions respecting the Messiah; And the latter, the record of their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.”
From this conclusion, he infers to following:
“that if we love the souls of the heathen and long for their salvation, we shall be willing to spend and be spent in furnishing them with the gospel and its inspired authorities in language or languages which they shall be able to read and understand. Until this, they can have no authorized hope.”
He refers to Ephesians 2.12, for proof, as though the Ephesians being aliens and having no hope and without God in this world was the result of men's not furnishing them with the gospel and its inspired authority; Or in other words, their being made nigh by the blood of Christ was the result merely of the gospel, together with the scriptures, being furnished to them.
But there is an entire failure of proof to make good his position. There is no proof that they had no access to the Greek copy of the scriptures, which as we shall shortly show had been in circulation for 200 years.
And 2nd, there is no proof that Paul when he went among them, or any other disciple furnished them with a copy of the scriptures to read, to her being brought to receive the gospel. Besides, in the whole connection, Paul ascribes dare to receive the gospel to a higher source. When I consider the respectable standing this author has sustained as an able, sound gospel preacher, and the general tenor of the pamphlet as containing a consistent summary of gospel truth and the slipping in thus edgewise, a platform as broad as the whole extension of the foreign mission plea, I could but view it as an ingenious strategy for filling off to the ranks of the new school.
I commenced some remarks on this pamphlet for the signs just before my tour to the West, last winter, but being too much occupied then to finish them, I laid them aside and decided to let the thing pass unnoticed.
But at the late Ketocton association, I heard, without an opportunity to reply, an argument advanced in favor of the mission scheme of this amount; That if we contend for the order of publishing the gospel, observe the Apostolic age, we, to the be consistent, mostly outside our printed bibles, and resort to written copies.
Thus making them multiplying the copies of the scriptures, and the preaching of the gospel, alike ordinances of divine appointment; Or alike, left subject to the device of men. That writer thus proves, as he appears to suppose, the obligation devolving upon Christians to furnish to heathen with the scriptures, and the importance of attending to it, as being quite equal to that of preaching the gospel to them; and the speaker referred to above, assuming the position as granted that the circulating of the scriptures and the preaching of the gospel, stood upon the similar ground as to being of divine appointment; And therefore as we admitted that it was a thing indifferent whether one Bible was printed or written, or how printed by whom, so we ought to consider it alike in different how, or by whom, the gospel is published.
I have been led to think that this notion of blending the circulation of the scriptures with preaching the gospel, was pretty general; and that this is the reason why so many persons who admitted the abuses connected with the Bible society, still think that nothing must be said against it, and that it must at all events be supported.
Hence I've considered it a matter of some importance to inquire what we are taught by the revelation and by the Providence of God upon this subject, I have concluded to trouble your readers with some of the results of my inquiries.
1st what the scriptures teach us upon this subject.
If we look into the New Testament we find the importance of having access to the scriptures as the only correct standard in religious concerns abundantly manifest. We of course shall not find fault with any for insisting strongly that all who have any desire to know the truth should search the scriptures diligently, and that they should be made the only test in everything pertaining to that religion which is from heaven. But of how we are to procure copies of the scriptures, or, about providing them for others, the New Testament says nothing.
And even if we examine the Old Testament, we shall find no law among all the writings of Moses prescribing in what way copies of the law are to be procured or making it a duty of any individuals, or any tribe, to furnish others or the nation at large with copies. There is a law requiring him, who should be set as king over Israel, to write out a copy of the law in a book that it should be with him, Deuteronomy 17.18, 19. There is another law requiring Israel generally, to lay up the words which Moses had spoken to them in their hearts, and in their souls, and to bind them for a sign upon their hands, and to teach them to their children, speaking of them when they set in their houses and when they walked by the way, and to write them upon them the posts of their doors, Deuteronomy 6 6, 9, and 11.18, 20, thus requiring them to be familiar with the law. And thus teaching typically, spiritual Israel to be alike familiar with the words of Zion's lawgiver; the church to talk of them, by the ministry, to let her children also among themselves, to bind them as signs upon her hands, and as frontlets between her eyes that in all her acts she may reflect Jesus, and show that she has a thus said the Lord for what she does; And also to write them upon the posts of her doors, that none may obtain admission to her communion, but upon a professed subjection to the laws of the Lord.
The scriptures being thus silent as to any requisition upon the churches or upon Christians, to provide for the circulation of the scriptures abroad; we will notice what the Providence of God indicates on this subject.
If we look at the Jews we find no deficiency of copies of the law or of the prophets complained of. Those who wish to possess copies could either write them out for themselves or procure them written out. The persons turned scribes in the New Testament, became distinguished, as a religious class, under that name, from having at first, made it their employment to write out copies of the scriptures, for the emolument of it; and from the acquaintance they thus obtained with the letter of the scriptures, their opinions on religious matters were much respected. Hence their lucrative employment came to be, in the days of our savior, a very religious calling; As the circulation of the Bible has become to this day. But the illustration of their religion, as we have it in the gospels, shows clearly its character.
When the long-promised arrived for Shiloh coming, and for the gathering of the people to him, what provision was made that those to be gathered from among the Gentiles should have the scriptures to examine for themselves? Were messengers sent, as was John for another object, to translate the scriptures into the various languages, and to multiply the copies of them? Or did Jesus send his 12 or 70 disciples to perform this work in connection with preaching the gospel? Or did he, will command his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, give any directions to attend to furnishing the people among them whom they came with copies of the scriptures? Or give any intimation that their successors, in the ministry of the word, must attend to this business?
The answer to these inquiries is plain to those acquainted with the scriptures. And that answer shows that once a deficiency in the provision which Christ made for his gospels being received, or the utter futility of the conclusions which I have quoted from the pamphlet. Is it a scriptural fact that the blessed master considered access to the scriptures of no account to those who should be discipled to his religion? No, by no means. But he well knew that nothing but human learning, and human art and exertion were necessary for furnishing copies of the scriptures, they haven't been given by inspiration, in any language in which they might be required; and that persons would be found ready, at any period, to furnish copies to any extent that might be called for, merely for the profits thereof, and in his divine wisdom he thought it not good to connect the circulating of the scriptures, it requiring mere human exertion, with the preaching of the gospel or the other ordinances of the church as an institution of his Kingdom; these all requiring spiritual action, to being attended to acceptably to God, or with profit to the child of grace, and the first more properly under control of his Providence, as a mere human art, then under his government as king of Zion. And his over-ruling Providence as will be seen, has by the instrumentality of the natural disposition of the human mind, provided a supply of the scriptures to suit every emergency, so far as his wisdom saw needful.
Thus, the same over ruling Providence which made the ambition of Alexander instrumental in introducing by his conquest the Greek language into general use among most of the countries of Asia and parts of Africa and Europe; And which made the ambition and valor of Rome instrumental in bringing the Jews and most of the then known nations into subjection under one empire, thus giving facilities to the disciples of Jesus in preaching the gospel among different nations which they could not otherwise have enjoyed; that same Providence unseen and unknown in its operations, though manifesting its goodness, power and wisdom by its effects, made the ambition of Ptolemy Philadelphus, to have a library that should excel all others in a number of value of its volumes, instrumental in opening the way for a general circulation of the scriptures, he having at a vast expense, had the sacred scriptures translated by learned Jews, into the Greek language and deposited in his library; and that 272 years before the coming of Christ.
Thus giving an opportunity, for those persons who, from mere love of literature, wished it to perfect cure for themselves copies of this translation of the scriptures, which is still known as the Septuagint version, as well as to those Grecian Jews who had in a great measure lost the knowledge of the Hebrew language, the furnished themselves with copies of their scriptures in a language which was familiar to them. And by these means the scriptures became generally known and circulated at the time the Lord had need of them for the use of his disciples among the gentiles. Each of the above-named events was like preparatory to the spread of the gospel, And this extensive circulation of the scriptures was no less an effect merely of the providential government of God than was either of the others.
The early disciples, relying on the Providence of God to prepare the way for the scriptures to be acceptable to all who should have need of them, went everywhere preaching the gospel; not diverting their attention from the peculiar work to which they had been called, to copy out the scriptures beforehand for those who should be disciples, or to form Bible societies; and not even delivering any directions to the churches planted, to attend to the business, of supplying the destitute with the scriptures.
But according to the position taken in the pamphlet to which I have referred, that the inspired record of miracles, is to the ordinary gospel minister, what the gift of miracles were to the apostles; and as the apostles did work miracles and not to station of the truth of their testimony, it may be supposed that there was not the same necessity for the people to whom they came, being furnished beforehand with the scriptures, as since the cessation of miracles; Especially, according to another position contained in the pamphlet, that the unbelieving world have a need of the testimony afforded by the divine record, which believers have not.
But do matters of fact agree with this theory, however plausible it may appear? I think not. In the first place, I think it very evident both from scripture and experience, that it is to the quickened soul not the unregenerate, that the scriptures chiefly recommend themselves as the light that shines in a dark place. And when quickened, and not till then, persons come to the scriptures, searching them with a sincere desire to know the truth therein revealed. And thus the master has told us that he that does truth comes to the light, but everyone that does evil hates the light neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved, John 3.20, 21. In the second place God has said, Speaking of his saved ones, “You are my witnesses said the Lord,” Isaiah 43.10, 11, and 44.8. And in reference to the unbelieving world, I think in accordance with this divine declaration from Isaiah, that the change which takes place in a person when brought from darkness to light, and his afterwalk, then consistent with the gospel has much more effect in shaking the consciousness of the unbelievers and in giving them a rational conviction of the truth of the religion of Jesus Christ, then seeing the miracles performed by the apostles had, over reading of the inspired record of miracles has.
Thirdly, was it, child of grace, the miraculous testimony given to the gospel report, or was it the gospel itself, coming to you, in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, that constrained you to receive its joyful report, and made you feel that it was the revelation of God? If these things are sold, and if they only whose hearts have been opened, by the power of God, to attend to the word spoken, are the ones who truly feel their need of the scriptures, and who profit by them, then we may insist that the example of the primitive disciples in going everywhere preaching the word, without forming Bible societies, or sending persons beforehand to translate the scriptures, may be safely followed by the ministers of Christ, at this, or any future day, when, or were ever, the Holy Ghost moves upon their hearts to go; and that they may go, resting assured that, that providential government, which has ever harmonized with the purposes of grace and prepared the way beforehand for his gospels going to and being received in any place, still slumbers not, and is unrestrained in its operations. They may go, therefore, when, and where, the scent of God, not doubting but that all things are ready, even to providing access to the scriptures for those who shall have need of them.
We see that this all-wise and ever-vigilant Providence has in every age, down to the present, provided a supply of scriptures at hand, to meet any of the wants of his church. When the Reformation by Luther, was about to rise, seeing that the copies of the scriptures then extent were confined principally to the monasteries and that the suddenness with which the Reformation was spread, would call for a rapid and greatly enlarged circulation of the scriptures, how was it to be accomplished? Was the poor afflicted Church of Christ, as she lay hidden in the valleys of Piedmont to provide for this emergency? No; The Providence of God was all sufficient to make the necessary provision. This Providence led to the invention of the art of printing about 60 or 70 years before the Reformation and additions of both the Hebrew scriptures and the Vulgate Bible were printed ready at hand. And from that. Translations of the scriptures, into different languages, were undertaken by individuals upon their own responsibility, until the translations into English became so numerous with their various readings, as to render it highly important, if not necessary, that there should be a standard translation in English.
This again was not a work to which the poor oppressed followers of Christ were well adequate. They have never been many learned, or many wealthy among the true followers of the lamb. And the Church of Christ has not generally had that public influence that would enable them to give precedence to a translation which they might adopt. But King James by his royal authority and an act of parliament would have it accomplished; And on his bishops and learned ones, was the task imposed. And there has since been no deficiency of Bibles. Individual printing establishments, in the regular course of their business, have been ready to strike off, and to bring into market any quantity of bibles, and in any language that should be called for. And the competition in business was sufficient to secure them at moderate prices. What use could there be then for such an institution as the American Bible Society in our country?
But it may be said that the time is approaching for the eastern nations to be brought to the knowledge of salvation, and that therefore they should have the scriptures as preparatory to this event in their own languages. This I admit is the case. And I further believe that God is making use of the foreign mission and Bible societies of this, and other countries, to accomplish this object.
I also think it will be found that the establishment of the British power in the east, notwithstanding the cold-blooded and gold-speculating cruelty by which they extended their conquest in that country, especially under the administration of Lord Hastings, is as much a preparatory step towards the spread of the gospel there as is the present exertions to give them the scriptures. And although there may be many more religious persons engaged in the one enterprise than any other, yet to me, the spirit and power by which the one enterprise is undertaken, appears as far and from the gospel of Christ as was the other. At any rate, I cannot see how the undertaking to translate and print the Bible in Hindu or Burmese, should of itself entitle those engaged in it to Christian fellowship, any more than the king of Egypt’s having the scriptures translated into Greek entitled him to religious fellowship. Both Ptolemy and the mission and Bible societies, are of God made instrumental in accomplishing his gracious purposes concerning his church, whilst Ptolemy was left to fill up the measure of his iniquity, and those combinations are maturing into the image of the beast, and a Rainer forces preparatory to oppressing and persecuting the Church of Christ. In the meanwhile, about the great event of the nations of the east being given to the church as children, she has but to await God's appointed time, his Providence in rolling on his glorious purpose, and by and by when the 6th Angel shall pour out his vial of the wrath of God upon the great river of Euphrates, and the waters thereof shall be dried up (Revelation 16.12) then shall the gospel preachers, truly be sent of God, among those nations, who showed their clear unto them that salvation which alone is in Christ, and those nations shall be seen flocking into the standard of Jesus as doves to their windows Isaiah 6.8. Then also shall it be known that the council of God has accomplished this, whilst the wisdom of bin has been brought to naught.
It is thus I think manifest that neither the scriptures nor the Providence of God make it the duty of the church to attend to giving the Bible to the heathen. And though god is making use of these moneyed combinations called bible and mission societies, it is by that over-ruling Providence by which he causes the wrath of men to praise him; knocked by their subjection to the institutions of the gospel.
About the argument used by the speaker in the Ketocton association referred to, I would just ask can it be that any person who has ever read with any attention to the New Testament and noticed the divine authority by which the preaching of the gospel is instituted, and the precision, both by precept and example, with which the whole order respecting the gospel ministry is delivered, could place the gospel institution on a level with the mere human art of printing bibles? Or if they could do it in argument, what kind of candor must they possess?
Please do pardon the length of this communication, for I have tried to be as brief as I could, and for the sake of brevity have left out many important ideas that might have been properly taken in connection with this subject.
Fairfax CH, Va, October 13, 1835
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