[JFR]
We now want to consider John Clarke and the
Baptists of Newport. We commonly believe that the
First Baptist Church in Rhode Island was in
Newport, but to prove that beyond the shadow of a
doubt is rather difficult. I will let historians make the
decision of what really is the truth about Roger
Williams and the church at Providence.
Unless otherwise noted, I am again utilizing A
History of the Baptists of the United States by Albert
Henry Newman who was a Professor of Church
History in McMaster University in Toronto, Canada.
Follow-up on the church at Providence
[Ray]
D. B. Ray in his book, Baptist Succession, writes:
While the Baptists are peculiar in every leading
feature in their church organization, they are equally
so in regard to their history. The church succession
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of all other denominations is interrupted by a human
origin of recent date or merged into the succession of
the Romish apostacy; but the Baptists claim a
succession independent of Rome, or any other
worldly establishment, directly up to the time of
Christ on earth. The false representation, that the
"Missionary" Baptists originated with the "Old
School" or Anti-Mission Baptists, has been fully met
in the last chapter. And our succession, as Regular or
Missionary Baptists, carries us beyond the " Hard-
Shell" separation. And our succession, reaching back
to the time of the settlement of the American
colonies, is undisputed.
In following up our history, during this period of two
hundred and forty years, many have been the trials
and persecutions to which our brethren have been
subjected. We find them in Virginia and
Massachusetts,
suffering
reproaches,
fines,
banishments, imprisonments, and whipping, for their
unwavering attachment to Baptist principles.
Baptists have, in every age, been the firm supporters
of civil as well as religious liberty. Therefore, in the
Revolutionary War, they stood with Washington, in
defense of American liberty, against the British yoke.
And, as will be seen in the sequel, American liberty
owes its existence to Baptist influence. But in
following up the Baptist succession, we are again
met by the stereotyped charge, that the American
Baptists all sprang from Roger Williams, and their
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baptisms
from
his
informal
baptism;
and
consequently, their chain of succession is broken.
And this charge, that Roger Williams is the father
and founder of the Baptist denomination in America,
is attempted to be sustained by the statement of Mr.
Benedict, as follows: "In 1639, he [Roger Williams]
was baptized by Ezekiel Holliman, a layman who
was appointed by the little company for the purpose;
then he baptized the rest of the company, and thus
laid the foundation for the first Baptist church in
Providence, and on the American continent."
Now, if there was no uncertainty concerning the
correctness of the above statement, it would prove
nothing in regard to the origin of the Baptist churches
of America. It would be entirely gratuitous to infer
that all the churches on the continent sprang from
this, even if it had been the first church organized in
America. Many churches have been organized from
which no other churches have originated. But Mr.
Benedict himself was confused and unsettled in
regard to the Roger Williams affair. And after
writing the above, he makes the following remarks:
"The more I study on this subject, the more I am
unsettled and confused. As to his retiring soon from
the pastoral once, there can be no dispute; but
whether this was on account of the burden of public
duties, or from embarrassments in his feelings, is a
point by no means clear. * * * It has been said that
he joined with the Seekers—because dissatisfied
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with all church organizations, with his lay baptism,
etc.—and waited for the revival of a new and
apostolical order of things."
The fact that Benedict was, in mind, "unsettled and
confused" in regard to the Roger Williams affair,
renders his testimony on this subject of but little
value. No man can speak or write clearly and
definitely upon a subject about which he is "unsettled
and confused." I would not impeach the veracity of
Mr. Benedict as a historian; but I only propose to
introduce, from other historians, the facts necessary
to settle the points upon which he was unsettled.
And, by way of settling these points, we will now
proceed to show that Roger Williams was never a
member, much less the founder, of a true, legitimate
Baptist Church. On this subject, Mr. Backus, the
historian, says: "Mr. Williams had been accused
before of embracing principles which tended to
Anabaptism; and in March, 1639, he was baptized by
one of his brethren, and then he baptized about ten
more. But in July following, such scruples were
raised in his mind about it, that he refrained from
such administrations among them. Mr. Williams
discovers in his writing, that as sacrifices and other
acts of worship were omitted by the people of God,
while his temple lay in ruins; and that they were
restored again by immediate direction from Heaven,
so that some such direction was necessary to restore
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the ordinances of baptism and the supper, since the
desolation of the church in mystical Babylon."
We here learn from Mr. Backus that, within four
months after his baptism, Mr. Williams retired from
his position as pastor of his society, and renounced
his own baptism as invalid, and waited for the
ordinances of baptism and the supper to be restored
by immediate direction from Heaven. And as he
rejected the church ordinances, which are essential to
church existence, he therefore rejected all claims for
his society to be a Church of Christ. And, as he thus
repudiated the claims of his society to be a church at
all, he thereby rejected all claims to have been a
church member. The question may be asked, " What
is the cause of the confusion concerning the history
of the Providence church? "
The answer is found in the history of the first Baptist
church in America, by S. Adlam, from which I make
several quotations. Mr. Adlam says: "The church at
Providence never has had any creed or any covenant;
till the year 1700 it had no meeting-house, but, in fine
weather, worshiped in a grove, and, when inclement,
in private houses. Not till the year 1775, had it any
regular records. Can we be surprised that, in tracing
the history of such a body, a hundred years after its
origin, unless ancient writers are carefully studied,
that material errors will be made? " It thus appears
that the first church in Providence had no written
records for more than a hundred years after its
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
organization. And it will also appear that the
compiler of these records was incompetent to the
task, from the fact that he made several gross errors
in regard to known facts. (pp. 42-46)
[JFR]
I believe Ray has laid the matter to rest to the extent
that when we see the statement made by Newman
below, we at least know what the truth is.
[Newman]
John Clarke and the Baptists of Newport
Though second to the Providence church in point of
date, the Newport church deserves the first place as
regards the consistent and persistent devotion of its
leaders to Baptist principles, the thoroughness and
vigor of its organization, and its evangelistic zeal.
The exact date of its organization cannot be
determined. The latest admissible date is 1644, but
there is some probability in favor of an earlier date.
The founder and for many years the pastor of this
church was John Clarke, who deserves a high place
on the roll of Baptist worthies. Born in England
(probably in Suffolk, possibly in Bedfordshire),
October 8, 1609, highly educated in arts and in
medicine (we know not where or how), a pronounced
separatist before he left England (whether a
pedobaptist or an antipedobaptist we are not
informed), he arrived at Boston, November, 1637,
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
hoping to find among those who had sought in the
New World immunity from persecution a spirit of
toleration. (p. 118)
Clarke wrote that upon his arrival in Boston, it did
not take him very long to realize that were many
differences between what he believed and what the
majority believed. What seemed to surprise him the
most was that they all were not living peaceable
together. There was a great controversy afoot.
The controversy referred to was that over the so-
called antinomian1 teachings of Mrs. Anne
Hutchinson. In assuming the leader- ship of a new
colony, the majority of whose members were in
sympathy with Mrs. Hutchinson's views, and in
which the Hutchinson family was embraced, Clarke
in no way committed himself to the errors of the
antinomians. He agreed with them in insisting on
liberty of conscience; he believed that they ought to
seek a place where they could hold their views in
freedom; he was himself conscious of such a degree
of incompatibility with the doctrines and the spirit of
the Massachusetts theocracy that he could not hope
peaceably to abide in the colony; and for the purpose
of founding a new colony in which liberty of
conscience should prevail he was willing to cast in
his lot with these errorists. (p. 120)
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
1 The Antinomian Controversy, also known as the Free Grace
Controversy, was a religious and political conflict in the Massachusetts
Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. It pitted most of the colony's ministers
and magistrates against some adherents of the Free Grace theology of
Puritan minister John Cotton. Wikipedia
******************************************
******Clarke writes that because of the suffocating heat of
the summer before, he went north to New Hampshire
in order to be somewhat cooler. Of course, the
summer passed quickly and winter set in. The winter
was so bad that in the spring, he, and his party [we
are given no hint who all was with him] were forced
to go back south. On their journey back south, they
stopped at Providence where they were welcomed
heartly by Roger Williams and the community. With
Williams and others of Providence help, Clarke and
his party were able to procure the title to some land
where they would be able to establish their own
colony. So, on March 7, 1638, the colony was
solemnly organized.
"We whose names are underwritten do here
solemnly, in the presence of Jehovah, incorporate
ourselves into a body politic, and, as he shall help,
will submit our persons, lives, and estates unto cur
Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, and to all those perfect and most absolute laws
of his given us in his holy word of truth, to be guided
and judged thereby." Nineteen names of the male
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
members of the party follow, the list being headed by
those of William Coddington and John Clarke.
Coddington, who had had much experience in
governmental matters in Massachusetts, was
appointed judge or chief magistrate. He covenanted
" to do justice and judgment impartially according to
the laws of God, and to maintain the fundamental
rights and privileges of this body politic."
It should be observed that at the time of the formation
of this colony Roger Williams's Providence was still
in a rudimentary state, with a population small in
comparison with that of the Aquidneck colony, and
with scarcely the beginnings of organized political
life. The colony under Clarke and Coddington was
not only numerically far stronger than that under
Williams, but it embraced far more of culture and of
political experience and wisdom. Portsmouth was the
first part of the island to be settled. (p. 122)
[NOTE: It is unclear as to the name of the new
colony. Newman does not give the name of the new
colony, but later the statement is made that
Portsmouth and Newport were united. Newport
being started in April 1639. JFR]
In April, 1639, Coddington, Clarke, and others
organized a new community at Newport. Portsmouth
and Newport were reunited in 1640. In 1643, as
already stated, Roger Williams was sent to England
by the Rhode Island and Providence people
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
conjointly to secure a charter. The charter was
secured, but—partly, it may be, on account of the
designation "Providence Plantations," which may
have seemed to give a certain ascendency to
Providence—the union of the three settlements under
the charter did not take place till 1647.
It is interesting to note the stress that was laid—as
seen in the first act of incorporation and in
subsequent legislation—on the sole headship of
Christ and on the principle of civil and religious
liberty. While accepting the word of God as the
embodiment of perfect and absolute laws by which
they agreed to be guided and judged, they were
careful to limit punishment for breaches of the laws
of God to such as " tend to civil disturbance." In 1641
it was "ordered, and unanimously agreed upon, that
the government which this body politic doth attend
unto in this Island, and the jurisdiction thereof in
favor of our prince, is a DEMOCRACY, or popular
government." It was further ordered " that none be
accounted a delinquent for DOCTRINE provided it
be not directly repugnant to the government or laws
established." In September, 1641, it was ordered
"that the law of the last court, made concerning
liberty of conscience in point of doctrine, is
perpetuated." (p. 122)
Clarke Sent to England
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
In the late summer/early fall, Clarke, along with
Roger Williams, was sent to England to represent the
colonies in relation to their charters.
From the beginning Clarke was the trusted counselor
of the Rhode Island colonists. While he seems to
have shrunk from occupying the highest position at
home, his influence is manifest in every important
measure, and whenever it became necessary to send
a representative to England in the interests of
colonial rights, he was the chosen representative of
the people. When William Coddington had without
the approval of a majority of the citizens of the island
secured in England a grant of the territory in his own
right, Clarke was sent to England by Newport and
Portsmouth to procure the annulling of the charter. In
this undertaking he had the cooperation of Roger
Williams, who acted on behalf of Providence and
Warwick. Williams returned soon after the business
had been accomplished, but for twelve years Clarke
remained in England as the representative of the
colonists and the guardian of their rights. (p. 122)
Baptists in Rhode Island and Other Locations
A man by the name of John Comer, a former pastor
at the Baptist Church founded by John Clarke, kept
very meticulous notes concerning many of the
churches in Rhode Island.
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
Comer gives us an account of a meeting at Newport
(June 21, 1729) of the "Yearly Association" of the
General (Six Principle) Baptists. He speaks of it as "
the largest Convention that ever hath been," thus
intimating that this was far from being its first
meeting. Besides the New- port and Providence
churches, the churches of New York, Groton, Conn.,
Dartmouth, R. I., New London, Conn., and South
Kingston, R. I., were represented. There were thirty-
two delegates present—eight ministers, three
deacons, and twenty-one brethren. " There are of
churches in communion thirteen distinct bodies. In
Providence, besides those mentioned, there are two
under the care of Mr. Peter Place [and] Mr. Samuel
Fisk. In the town of Swanzey one under the care of
Mr. Joseph Maxson, In the town of Warwick one
under the care of Mr. Manasseh Martin. In North
Kingston one under the care of Mr. Richard Sweet.
'Tis supposed there were 250 communicants and
1000 auditors. Each of these held the Doctrine of
General Redemption. There are three other churches
that hold the Doctrine of Free Grace. One at
Newport, . . . formerly my flock. One at Swanzey
under the care of Mr. Ephraim Wheaton. One at
Boston under the care of Mr. Elisha Callender. There
are two churches in the observation of the Seventh
Day. One at Westerly under the care of Mr. Joseph
Maxson. One at Newport under the care of Mr.
Joseph Crandal." John Callender, a nephew of Elisha
Callender, and like him a graduate of Harvard, was
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
called to the pastorate of the First Church, Newport,
in 1730, a youth of twenty- one. He continued in this
relation till his death in 1748. On the occasion of the
centennial of the settlement of the island (March,
1738) Callender preached an historical sermon,
which is said to have been the first attempt to collect
and arrange the materials relating to the early history
of the colony. It is still regarded as a masterpiece. (p.
139)
Conclusion to Chapter Three
[JFR]
By now, there were many Baptist churches in New
England. Many of them were scripturally sound
while others probably were not. In the next part, we
will consider the other parts of New England where
Baptist churches were found.
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