{"id":26644,"date":"2025-12-16T02:20:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=26644"},"modified":"2025-12-16T02:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:21:13","slug":"the-life-and-ministry-of-samuel-richardson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/12\/the-life-and-ministry-of-samuel-richardson\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life And Ministry Of Samuel Richardson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joseph Ivimey, \u201cA History Of The English Baptists”, Vol 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is probable from his name being signed with that of Mr. Spilsbury\u2019s to the \u201cConfession of Faith\u201d that he was his colleague. He published a Pamphlet in reply to Dr. Featly\u2019s virulent work against the Baptists. This consists of 18 quarto pages, and is entitled,<\/p>\n

\u201cSome brief considerations on Doctor Featly his Book, intituled, The Dipper Dipt, wherein, in some measure, is discovered his many great and false accusations of divers persons, commonly called Anabaptists, with an Answer to them, and some brief reasons for their practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a spirited reply to the Doctor\u2019s scandalous charges, which he challenges him to make good. We give the following extracts. Among other things the Doctor had charged the Baptists with being \u201can impure and carnal sect.\u201d To this Mr. R. answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you please to join issue with us, we will confine ourselves to this kingdom, whether your Sect of Priests, or us be most guilty of uncleanness, and upon that side it falls by the clearest proof, shall with my consent, be chronicled for the filthy and unclean Sect.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Doctor had said,<\/p>\n

\u201cThey dip one another after their manner with a kind of spell, containing the heads of their erroneous tenets, and their engaging themselves in their schismatical covenants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe answer (says Mr. R.) the manner of our baptizing is as the Apostles was, and there is no other words expressed in our baptizing than which is expressed in the 28th of Matthew part of the 19th verse, and no mention of any tenets much less erroneous ones; nor words of any covenants are mentioned at all, We confesse when any is to be baptized at the water side, the administrator goeth to prayer suitable to the occasion, and after goe both into the water, and use the words above-mentioned: and coming forth again they go to prayer again, and also return thanks to God, and how this can be a spell we cannot see.\u201d p. 4.<\/p>\n

Mr. Richardson published another work entitled, \u201cThe necessity of Toleration in matters of Religion. 1647.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Dictionary Of National Biography:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Samuel Richardson (fl. 1646), controversialist, of Northamptonshire birth, was probably a soldier and an army preacher in the early part of the civil wars. In \u2018The Life of Faith\u2019 he speaks of a Mistress Ann Wilson as having oft refreshed him in the days of his pilgrimage (The Life of Faith, p. 45). He became, apparently, a leading member of one of the seven baptist churches of London. In the three confessions of faith put forth by these churches in 1643, 1644, and 1646, Richardson’s signature stands beside that of John Spilsbury, minister of the baptist congregation at Wapping, and he may have been an elder or Spilsbury’s colleague there. He ardently supported the action of the army and the government of Cromwell, to whom he had open access. For a time he had scruples as to the title of \u2018Protector,\u2019 and told Cromwell of them to his face (Plain Dealing, p. 70); but, becoming convinced, he tried hard to reconcile Vavasor Powell [q. v.] and others to the protectorate. He was possibly the Samuel Richardson who on 21 July 1653 was appointed one of the committee for the hospitals of the Savoy and Ely House (Cal. State Papers, Dom. Interreg. Council Books, I. 70, p. 80; Hist. MSS. Comm. 8th Rep. i. 386b; see also Middlesex County Records, iii. 97). His works show a remarkable freedom and boldness of thought.<\/p>\n

He wrote:<\/p>\n

\u2018Newes from Heaven of a Treaty of Peace, or a Cordiall for a Fainting Heart,\u2019 1643, 16mo.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Life of Faith, in Justification, in Glorification, in Sanctification, in Infirmities, in Times Past, in all Ordinances,\u2019 &c., 1643, 16mo.<\/p>\n

\u2018Some brief Considerations on Dr. Featley his Book, intituled \u201cThe Dipper Dipt,\u201d\u2019 &c., London, February 1645\u20136.<\/p>\n

\u2018Fifty Questions propounded to the Assembly, to answer by the Scriptures whether Corporal Punishment may be inflicted upon such as hold different Opinions on Religion,\u2019 London, May 1647.<\/p>\n

\u2018Justification by Christ alone a Fountaine of Life and Comfort,\u2019 London, June 1647; reprinted in W. Cudworth’s \u2018Christ alone exalted,\u2019 London, 1745, 12mo; in this work Richardson refers to an earlier publication by him entitled \u2018The Saint’s Desire,\u2019 and concluded with separate answers to objections of Huet and Dr. Homes to that work; Richardson’s tone is strongly Arminian, and contradicts the opinion that Richardson was a Calvinist (Tracts on Liberty of Conscience, p. 238, Hanserd Knollys Soc.).<\/p>\n

\u2018The Necessity of Toleration in Matters of Religion,\u2019 London, September 1647; reprinted by the Hanserd Knollys Society in 1846.<\/p>\n

\u2018An Answer to the London Ministers’ Letter from them to His Excellency and his Counsell of War; as also an Answer to John Geree’s Book, intituled \u201cMight overcoming Right,\u201d with an Answer to the Book intituled \u201cThe Armies’ Remembrancer\u201d \u2026 also a Discovery of that Learning and Ordination these Ministers have, and the Vanity and Insufficiency thereof \u2026,\u2019 London, January 1649.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Cause of the Poor pleaded,\u2019 London, 1653; a plea for providing the poor with work.<\/p>\n

\u2018An Apology for the present Government and Governour, with an Answer to severall Objections against them, and 20 Queries propounded for those who are unsatisfied to consider. \u2026,\u2019 London, September, 1654.<\/p>\n

\u2018Plain Dealing, or the unvailing of the Opposers of the Present Government and Governors, in answer of several Things affirmed by Mr. Vavasor Powell, &c. \u2026,\u2019 London, 1656.<\/p>\n

\u2018A Discourse of the Torments of Hell \u2026 with many infallible Proofs that there is not to be a Punishment after this Life for any to endure that shall not end,\u2019 1658 and 1660, 12mo; reprinted in \u2018The Ph\u0153nix,\u2019 ii. 427; 4th edit. London, 1754. To this last two answers appeared respectively by John Brandon [q. v.] in T\u1f78 \u03c0\u1fe6\u03c1 \u03c4\u1f78 \u03b1\u1f30\u03ce\u03bd\u03b9\u03bf\u03bd, London, 1678, and by Thomas Lewis [q. v.], in \u2018The Nature of Hell,\u2019 London, 1720. To Richardson are also conjecturally ascribed \u2018An exact and full Relation of all the Proceedings between the Cavaliers and the Northamptonshire Forces at Banbury,\u2019 January 1643\u20134, signed \u2018R. S.;\u2019 \u2018The King’s March with the Scots, and a List of the 3 Lords, &c. \u2026 that submit to the Parliament upon the surrender of Newark,\u2019 London, May 1646; and \u2018Oxford agreed to be surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax,\u2019 London, June 1646.<\/p>\n

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It is probable from his name being signed with that of Mr. Spilsbury\u2019s to the \u201cConfession of Faith\u201d that he was his colleague. He published a Pamphlet in reply to Dr. Featly\u2019s virulent work against the Baptists. This consists of 18 quarto pages, and is entitled,<\/p>\n

\u201cSome brief considerations on Doctor Featly his Book, intituled, The Dipper Dipt, wherein, in some measure, is discovered his many great and false accusations of divers persons, commonly called Anabaptists, with an Answer to them, and some brief reasons for their practices.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":645,"featured_media":26643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1900],"tags":[1232,1226],"class_list":["post-26644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-samuel-richardson","tag-baptist-history","tag-gospel-preachers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26644","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\/645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26644"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26645,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26644\/revisions\/26645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}