{"id":26497,"date":"2026-07-28T06:02:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T06:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=26497"},"modified":"2025-11-26T10:50:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T10:50:54","slug":"conservatism-and-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2026\/07\/conservatism-and-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatism And Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Address Delivered At The Annual Meeting Of The Metropolitan Association Of Strict Baptist Churches, March 9th<\/sup>, 1897<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having been called to this position by your suffrages, dear brethren, while shrinking from the prominence and responsibility of the post, I thank you for the honour conferred upon me, and trust that the year of office now entered upon may be fruitful in much blessing to our Associated Churches, consolidating our union, enlarging our borders that in the Lord’s work in our beloved Association we may all take the deepest and most active interest. Individual effort can do much when rightly directed and prayerfully sustained, but when numbers unite in any good work, labouring on such lines as ours, success is certain. It now behoves me to address you upon a subject left to my own selection, and yet I trust it has not been, but that it has been given by the Spirit of the Lord. I have entitled my subject, which I now bring before you, \u201cConservatism and Progress.”<\/p>\n

Do not be alarmed, dear brethren, I am not going to enter upon the debatable ground and into the noisy arena of party politics, though, as citizens, we have a perfect right to exercise our prerogative there, and we shall not be backward in making our voice heard and opinion known, on all vital questions affecting the well-being of the State, whether it be on the Education, or any other question which our legislators may seek to establish as law in this our country. But it is of the spiritual kingdom of our Lord and Master we now speak. The interests of that kingdom are dear to us, its welfare has our noblest aspirations, and its extension our most earnest united efforts.<\/p>\n

We would be Conservative concerning those truths on which that kingdom is built. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” We are set for the defence of the Gospel as well as its dissemination. It will be our endeavour always to say, “For I have delivered unto you first of all that which I also received; how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.” We do not merely claim an Apostolic succession, but we claim that we stand where the apostles stood\u2014holding the same truths, proclaiming them in the same way. We make no boast that we have received our message and credentials through the muddy stream of an historical episcopacy; but we stand at the fountain-head. and receive the truth as it flows from the lips of our Divine Lord. We are jealous to deliver it pure and unadulterated as we have received it. We are confident we cannot improve Divine revelation, therefore we take it as it stands in its native simplicity and primitive grandeur of thought and diction. We hold fast the faithful Word as well as hold it forth; others may be content with modern substitutes, but we must have the pure Word of God; our greatness, our strength, our success, depends upon this. As one writer has said, \u201cIndeed, down to the present day, it is clearly written on the face of our history, that the periods of our national splendour were our periods of faith, that apostasy from faith renders us weak and despised; return to it, strong and invincible. Such is a truth demonstrated by the undeniable facts of history. A nation’s greatness, morally and mentally, depends on a nation’s religious life.” Now, we claim to be a very essential part of the religious life of this nation, especially of this great Metropolis; and the great distinguishing feature of our faith is that it is based on no human creeds or men’s decrees, but the highest authority of all. We have received it from God Himself. This is why we hold it so tenaciously, and adhere to it so closely in all things; it is written on our hearts.<\/p>\n

We are Conservative in our methods of Divine worship. We find in Apostolic days there were three things very prominent\u2014prayer, preaching, praise; and these were characterised with\u2014simplicity, spirituality, fervour, power. These methods we are anxious to retain knowing that those things which divert the mind from the simplicity of worship rob the soul of communion with God, introducing that which is pleasing to the flesh, but the spiritual part suffers in consequence; religious service degenerates into a mere form, an outward display to catch the eye and please the fancy, rather than that which brings the soul into fellowship with God; the simpler the worship, the more elevating it is to the soul. When we draw near to God in prayer with our whole heart, the heart will then best frame its own language to couch the fervent petition and earnest supplications. Thoughtless irreverence will be banished when we feel we are in the presence of a Holy God. How great the privilege! how holy the exercise! how exalted the dignity, that we should be permitted to speak to God as a man speaketh with a friend! This was the way the early Church prayed. They needed no ornate ritual to aid their devotion. God was real to them, in their very midst; so He is with us. Following their methods, we shall have and retain their spiritual vigour and enjoyment. The preaching was very solemn, the truths they handled they fully believed, they possessed their souls, they spoke as men in earnest. They came to proclaim the Word, to expound and enforce the Scriptures, not to criticise and show their cleverness. They taught because they knew; they spoke because they believed. Their message needed not the embellishment of human oratory; it shone best in its native splendour, it carried conviction with it to the heart, for they were the sublime utterances of the Holy Ghost, though spoken by human lips. They spoke as the ambassadors of heaven, and not as the servants of men. Their praise was hearty, for it came from grateful souls; it was triumphant, for they were sure of victory; it was inspiring, for it nerved their hearts to conflict, and carried them above their fears; it was reverent, for they adored their great and glorious Lord; it was anticipatory, for they had caught the harmonies of heaven; it was united, for they all joined in the sacred song\u2014no special choir, and all the rest mute there, but with one heart and voice their praise ascended.<\/p>\n

We would be Conservative of their spirit. And first we mark their union and concord. There was perfect agreement in the primitive Church on points of doctrine and ritual. They had received their commands from their Lord, and His word was law. I grant that soon factious spirits came in, wishing to introduce teaching contrary to the Gospel and its ordinances; but our rule is not what men deem expedient, but what Christ has instituted. This is the ground the apostles stood upon, and we stand there with them. This was an union of hearts, in brotherly love, and so is ours. We are not held in cohesion merely by a doctrinal basis, but because we love our Lord and one another for His sake.<\/p>\n

Their zeal also was conspicuous. They were eager to spread those truths which were dear to them, and which had brought such blessings to their own souls. In this we would emulate their zeal, conscious that the Gospel alone can meet man’s dire need. Willingly would we carry the glad tidings of salvation far and near. We would also copy their liberality. They held their property as a sacred trust, to be used for God’s glory, to spread His truth, to help their brethren in need. They felt and acknowledged that they themselves, with all that they might possess, belonged unto Him who had bought them with His precious blood. Their courage was undaunted; opposition only made them more determined to press forward in holy service. They feared not the face of man,”for they endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” It was not necessary that they should live, but it was necessary that they should be faithful even unto death. May we be followers of them who, through faith and patience, now inherit the promises. We would seek to emulate their courage. This was born in that upper room, where they waited in prayer. It was fed by the same means. In all their straits and difficulties they resorted to the mercy-seat. Sustained by communion with God nothing could quell their ardour. They spoke the Word of God with boldness. They made no apologies for their message, nor for addressing men on the solemn matter in connection with their salvation, their ruin, and the remedy. We would copy them in this: “May utterance be given unto us, that we may open our mouths boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, that therein we may speak boldly, as we ought to speak.”<\/p>\n

And now let us turn to the Progress in our Lord’s kingdom. What progress has been made since the apostles’ days?<\/p>\n

We have liberty to worship God. This the apostles and the early Church had not, as we now enjoy it. They went forth to establish a new religion, a spiritual kingdom, which claimed the liberty of conscience to worship God, untrammelled by earthly king or sacerdotal priest. They met with persecution and martyrdom, but they laid the foundation for our liberty of conscience. Men have been slow to learn that the religion of Jesus Christ is not antagonistic to the well-being of the State. The apostles were charged with turning the world upside down, as those who imperiled the peace and safety of the nation by the doctrines which they taught, and the rites of religion which they practised. They sought to exterminate this new heresy, as they termed it, by fire and sword; but it grew the more and spread into many lands, bringing blessings in its train; not one of the least of these is liberty of conscience, gained after many centuries of priestcraft and tyranny from the State. How long this privilege may be continued to us I know not, with the Papacy making such strides in our land. It has been dearly bought, it should be highly prized, and firmly held; but I fear that coming generations will have to fight the battle over again for freedom of conscience unless our nation wakes from her apathy ere it be too late. We enjoy it now through the emancipating principles of the Gospel from superstitious bondage enslaving the mind, and through the strenuous efforts, the noble lives, the self-sacrificing deaths of those who have gone before us. Her Majesty has no more loyal subjects in all her vast dominions than we are, or who pray more fervently for her present and eternal welfare, but we will not be bound by State control in the worship of God. We ask for no endowments for religion; the kingdom of our Lord and King does not need them. All we ask, and this we claim as our right, freedom and protection to serve our God, according to the teaching of His Word, and the dictates of our conscience. Thank God for this liberty enjoyed by us now. The early Church had it not; the powers of earth were all against them.<\/p>\n

We have houses of prayer in which we can meet. These the apostles had not. They wended their way first to the Jewish synagogue, and opened their commission, but they were soon ejected thence, through the rage of the people against their teaching. Then they would enter into the private house of a convert, and carry on their ministry; or down by the riverside they taught the few who assembled there; but soon their pitiless foes would follow them, break up their little community, and hurry off the preachers to prison. Not only in Apostolic times, but in times less remote, have little bands had to meet where they best could hide, hear God’s Word, and observe His ordinnces. But we have our sanctuaries\u2014some large, some small\u2014yet they are sacred places, for there we have often met with God; they are hallowed by precious memories. Yet in this thing there is room for more progress. We need more places and Letter places for worship in some cases. Why should others have the most prominent sites and the best buildings? while we are often hid in some back street. Our Loan Fund has helped to release from debt, build and beautify many of our Chapels. Let me commend this fund to you; try and increase it by donations and bequests. This fund may be compared to a beneficent river flowing through the land, watering and enriching the plains on every side, then emptying itself into the sea, to be taken up again by the processes of evaporation, condensed into rain, poured down from the clouds upon the earth again to feed the river, as it continues its unremitting course of fruitfulness and blessing. So the Loan Fund flows out in one direction to help to erect a house of prayer, then flows back into the exchequer to go out again in another direction on the same God-glorifying mission. May our Association continue to increase its Chapels with the ever-widening increase of this great city; and in every one may there be a God-given pastor, and every Church a centre of holy activities to spread the Gospel, and seek the salvation of souls.<\/p>\n

We have progress in literature. The apostles, with the early Church, had their manuscripts of the Scriptures, but the copies were rare. We have the Bible in every house; also we have the vast stores of learning which have accumulated through the years which are past. The thoughts of men, who searched diligently, studied reverently, meditated profoundly. They have left the results of their labours a rich legacy to us. We have the printing press. We have our own Magazine: a record of the Lord’s work in our Churches. Thus we are kept in touch with one another. We are stimulated by our union; we are not isolated units labouring alone. The intelligence soon reaches us how the kingdom of our Lord is progressing, both far and near. We rejoice in its success; we mourn over its decline; we unitedly pray for its increase and prosperity. Thus a holy bond of brotherhood is cemented, not only in our beloved Association, but with all the Churches of His grace in every land.<\/p>\n

Another sign of progress is in the number of young and promising men, who are springing up in our Churches, whom God is calling out to preach the Gospel. In the apostles’ days there were Apollos, Timothy, and others; so we see now. The Holy Spirit is saying, “Separate this and that man for the work of the ministry.” May God bless our younger brethren; make them to endure hardness, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. They will be tested and tried. The blasts of error are on every hand. May they stand firm as the storm rages round them, taking root more deeply in the eternal truths of God’s Word. They will not meet with popular applause, or get large emoluments in our Churches, but they will have the consciousness of their Master’s approbation. This is of more value than a fashionable congregation, and a large stipend, purchased at the cost of trimming the Bible to please the tastes of men. Holding the views of our faith and order, lovingly, faithfully, firmly, my dear young brethren, you may defy the whole world to prove your creed or practice erroneous.<\/p>\n

I should like to close with saying we see progress in the noble band of Sunday-school teachers and scholars we have in connection with our Churches. The children were not neglected in the early Church, but our schools are of comparatively modern date. May this institution flourish more abundantly, and many more pass from the school into the Church. May every Church encourage their teachers. Their labours are arduous and self-denying. They sow the seed which ofttimes others reap; but ultimately the sower and the reaper shall rejoice together. May all the institutions in connection with our Churches be healthy, vigorous, and progressive. May pastors, deacons, members, all be encouraged to go forward in every good word and work. Heaven is our haven; “The flowing tide is with us;” Christ is our Captain; the Book of God our chart; “Progress” is our watchword; the harbour is sure. Oh! Holy Spirit, send us this day, and right onward, a prosperous gale!<\/p>\n

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Having been called to this position by your suffrages, dear brethren, while shrinking from the prominence and responsibility of the post, I thank you for the honour conferred upon me, and trust that the year of office now entered upon may be fruitful in much blessing to our Associated Churches, consolidating our union, enlarging our borders that in the Lord’s work in our beloved Association we may all take the deepest and most active interest. Individual effort can do much when rightly directed and prayerfully sustained, but when numbers unite in any good work, labouring on such lines as ours, success is certain. It now behoves me to address you upon a subject left to my own selection, and yet I trust it has not been, but that it has been given by the Spirit of the Lord. I have entitled my subject, which I now bring before you, \u201cConservatism and Progress.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":18681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1417],"tags":[1232],"class_list":["post-26497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-edwin-white","tag-baptist-history"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26497"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26498,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26497\/revisions\/26498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}