CE-00.3-Introduction

Introduction THE first and the last course of the spiritual banquet of Old-School or New-School Baptists—whether Gillite, Fullerite, or Sandemanian, English, Scotch, German, or American—is the New Birth, technically called Regeneration. What the Reformer Luther affirmed of justification by faith, they affirm of some indefinable idea called by them "Regeneration." It is their criterion of a standing or a falling church. Yet this word, occurring only twice in Holy Writ, in neither case refers to their conception or definition of regeneration. The Messiah in all his teachings alludes to it only once, and then in reference to the literal resurrection of the dead in Christ,—Matthew 19:28. Paul once, in allusion to baptism, calls it the "washing of the New Birth," and not that New Birth itself of which he speaks. But it is not the fact of the New Birth, but the theory of it, that has become the apple of discord and contention, even among the orthodox themselves. There have been sundry ecclesiastic patents issued in theological schools for diverse modern theories of the spiritual modus operandi in all cases of genuine regeneration. One theory glories in pure spiritual contact or impact of spirit upon spirit, in some indescribable way—as a potter’s hand upon clay—new-molding it, antecedent to faith and independent of it. Another assumes that regeneration is effected by the mere word of God, through its own inherent power upon the understanding, the conscience, and the heart. Another class contends for both the word and the Spirit co-operating; and even here there are two schools of theological metaphysicians,—one assuming that the word is first in order, the other, that the Spirit is first in order,

—the word working by the Spirit, the Spirit working by the word. Such may not be precisely their terminology, but such is virtually our conception of their theory. In this, as in all other cases, we prefer the inspired nomenclature to the uninspired. The Messiah prays for his disciples in these words:—"Sanctify them through thy Truth: thy word is truth." There is then no abstract sanctification, else there are two forms or characters of it:—one through the Truth, and one by the Spirit without the Truth. So of being born again. Hence James oracularly says, (James 1:18,) "Of his own will begat he us with the word of Truth;” and that, too, "that we should be first-fruits of his creatures." To the same effect Peter speaks, (1 Ephesians 1:23 :)—"Being born (or begotten) again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever." While then the Spirit is the agent, the word of God is the instrument, in all cases, unless there be two distinct forms of generation and regeneration.

Next to the empty and deceitful philosophy on the subject of regeneration, wholly inoperative and ineffectual of good to saint or sinner, comes, from the same metaphysical cloisters, the absorbing theme of something called "Christian experience."

We never doubted nor denied Christian experience. But in this case as in the former, in our benevolent endeavors to correct the diction and the palpable errors everywhere canonized on this subject, we were obliged to take exception to the misappropriation of the term "Christian experience" to the states of mind occurring or existing antecedent to faith, repentance, and baptism. This was formerly almost universal in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee,—indeed, in all the fields of my early labors among the Baptist brotherhood. On my first visit to the Dover Association, Virginia, A. D. 1828, I witnessed scenes of the wildest enthusiasm ever witnessed by me in any camp-meeting. There were "the mourners," "the seekers for religion," "the screaming penitents," "coming up to be prayed for," "relating their Christian experience." Elder Carr, of Richmond, and Elder Jeremiah B. Jeter were contributing their smiles and exhortations. And there too were Bishop Semple and Bishop Broaddus, &c. &c., all concurring in the scenes transpiring, so far as I could judge. The candidates for baptism in those days, when presenting themselves for baptism, occasionally related strange sights, marvelous scenes, irrepressible emotions, but they generally ended in "getting religion;" and such was the relation of their "Christian experience." The head and front of my offending consisted in remonstrating against this wild enthusiasm. "It had this extent, no more." It was, indeed, not peculiar to the Dover Association, nor to any other association in Virginia, Kentucky, or over the great West or South, to have from every candidate for baptism a relation of his feelings and emotions, on which a vote of approbation was taken to entitle Mm to Christian baptism. I have no recollection of ever hearing a single confession of Christian faith or of a belief of the gospel from any candidate among the Virginia Baptists in order to baptism. The candidate was baptized into his own experience, rather than into the Christian faith, as I understand it. In calling these customs into question, we, in their view, denied Christian experience! All the appreciable difference indeed between the Virginia, Kentucky, Southwestern Baptists, and the adult Methodists or Congregationalists of those days, was, the former were immersed, the latter sprinkled, "in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

True, they differed in ecclesiastic politics, tactics, and economics. But in no one grand, distinctive, characteristic doctrine, or Christian practice, did they differ; and in no special reverence or regard for the apostolic institutions. In these respects the Virginia and Kentucky Baptists in those days were greatly excelled by the Scotch and some of the English and Welsh Baptists, especially in their zeal for primitive Christianity, and in their more profound piety and consecration to the Redeemer’s cause and glory.

While, then, we cannot approve the equivocal and temporizing course adopted by Mr. Jeter on the subject of Christian experience before conversion, which he himself and his brethren formerly demanded or inquired for as a passport to baptism, we cannot but congratulate the denomination on the felicitous change which has already come over it in this and some other respects,—so that considerable numbers (as the report has reached us) are now being substantially baptized into the faith of the person, office, and character of the Lord Jesus Christ. Alarmed at the prospects in his horizon, and eager to become a heroic "defender of the faith," Mr. Jeter, with characteristic zeal, has unsheathed his polemic sword, and, with clarion sounds, has in two consecutive volumes twice killed an appalling hydra of his own creation nicknamed "Campbellism." Not being an impartial judge in my own case, and being absorbed in matters of transcendent moment, we found a brother, comparatively young,—one of the graduates of Bethany College,—into whose hands we have fearlessly confided this gigantic hero of world-wide fame, without one lingering doubt that he will render to him all due honor and fully satisfy Mr. Jeter that he has as much mistaken himself as he has his subject.

If Mr. Jeter be not yet satisfied with the honors done him by our brother Lard, but is still covetous of a larger fame, we have other brethren on hand—even youths in progress—that will, on the appearance of his third, or at most his seventh, exposition and interment of "Campbellism," confer upon him the highest degree in the Roman calendar, BETHANY, VA., 1857.