Particular Pilgrims

"There is another pastor connected with late 18 th century Plymouth that need to be highlighted. His name is William Steadman and he is an important figure in Particular Baptist history especially for his ministry in the north of England. Much of what we know about his life comes from a biography written by his son, Thomas, shortly after his father’s death in 1837. It is called “Memoir of the Reverend William Steadman, D. D., pastor of the First Baptist Church, Bradford, Yorkshire, and president of the Northern Baptist Education Society”. It can be found online through Google books."

"Having looked at the life of Isaiah Birt and his friends, let’s return to the Plymouth Baptist Church and Pastor Philip Gibbs. Now that Birt was pastoring the nearby Baptist church in Plymouth Dock, Gibbs needed an assistant. The church was alerted to William Winterbotham of London, and in January of 1790 he supplied the pulpit. His preaching was edifying and the people invited him to become assistant to their pastor which he readily accepted. Before we proceed with the story of his pastoral and political life, here is what we know about his background and conversion."

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"It strikes me as unlikely that a born-poor, persecuted Baptist boy like Isaiah Birt would one day grow up to be friends with a wealthy, high-society, evangelical Anglican named John Broadley Wilson. But that is in fact what happened. At the same time, the story of their friendship illustrates the complementary truth that members of Particular Baptist churches were often a tight knit and even inter-married community."

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"Isaiah Birt’s ministry in Plymouth lasted over 30 years. About 1815, he moved to Birmingham, where his son in the faith and dear friend, Samuel Pearce, had pastored until his death in 1799. For a dozen years, Birt ministered to this body of believers, preaching “only twice on the Lord’s Day” but also on many weekday evenings. Eventually, physical weakness made this impractical. Then he stepped down, moved to London, and preached for others as he was able."

"Last time I presented a study of the conversion and 51 year pastoral ministry of Philip Gibbs at the Particular Baptist Church in Plymouth. The man who baptized him was Crispin Curtis, the pastor of the church in Kingsbridge, who also served for about 50 years. One of the ways the Lord blessed both of these men’s long pastorates was in the raising up of other men. Gibbs and Curtis not only rightly handled the word of truth, but they also entrusted it to faithful men, as the apostle Paul prescribed. One of these faithful men of Pastor Gibbs, was named Isaiah Birt."

"At some point Philip was apprenticed to a tailor in the nearby market town of Kingsbridge. One day around his 15 th birthday, he was at work and a woman member of the Baptist church arrived on horseback. She urged Philip to join her in hearing a minister of the Establishment who had just come to town. His name was George Whitefield. Gibbs agreed and got up on the horse behind her. Now hear him tell the rest of the story..."

'In our last episode I described the non-conformist’s civil disadvantages under toleration that made them English second-class citizens. How did they respond? And specifically, how did the London Particular Baptist pastors attempt to display a proper patriotism and submission to their God-appointed leaders while still appealing for their full civil rights?"

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"Baptists considered the Anglican church not to be a true church and so worshiping there, even on an occasional basis was considered an act of disloyalty to Jesus Christ. But social pressures played on members and pastors alike. And so some conformed, that is, they renounced their nonconformity and rejoined the state church. Because these actions always led to some form of church discipline, they were written in the church books, and we know some of the names and actions involved."

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"In this final study of Shortwood Baptist Church, I want to introduce you to some of the deacons of the church and various aspects of their lives and ministry. Albion Urdank has researched a number of what he calls “branches” of Shortwood’s deacons. By branches, he means that many of the church’s deacons came from connected family groups. For example, the Flint family was prominent in the church. Thomas Flint was Benjamin Francis’ pastoral assistant and married his daughter Catherine. After Francis died, Thomas became pastor. His son Abraham along with Catherine’s brother, Samuel, both were chosen as deacons. Deacon Abraham’s father-in-law and brother-in-law, both named William Clissold, were also deacons. The younger William had two sons, both of whom were chosen as deacons."

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"One of more surprising facts about Shortwood is that it was for many years the largest Baptist congregation outside of London. Given the region’s rural, lower middle class character, it is natural to wonder how did this come about. In Albion Urdank’s socioeconomic study of Shortwood Baptist, he looks to explain this expansion by the forces at work in the politics, economics, and sectarian religion of that place and time. No divine cause and effect is taken into account. Now we know from Scripture that ultimately the reason Shortwood grew was through the blessing of the risen Christ, pouring out his Spirit in the preaching of the Word. People from a variety of backgrounds experienced the washing of regeneration, were baptized, and joined the church. Then by the on-going work of the Spirit they lived out their faith in love toward each other and outsiders."