…According to his own testimony, sad tokens
of a decline in vital piety began to appear in his parish soon after the
beginning of 1749. Whispering and backbiting prevailed to a fearful extent,
especially among the young people; and warnings from the servant of Christ did
not avail to arrest the evil. Gospel
discipline was also greatly neglected, and a melancholy change in the state of
religion was but too evident. This was a
severe affliction to the young and zealous pastor.
But this was not all. The Separates had
embraced substantially Baptist views of the Christian church. They affirmed with great unanimity that only
those who give satisfactory evidence of piety are entitled to the privilege of
membership in the church, and that only those who are regenerated by the Spirit
of God are "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Some of them, it cannot be doubted, saw more
or less clearly the inconsistency of these declarations with the practice of
infant baptism. In the Articles of the
Mansfield church there is one which reads: "Though most of us agree in the
Article of infant baptism, yet a difference in that particular doth not break
the spiritual communion of saints; therefore it is no just bar to our
covenanting and partaking of the ordinances together wherein we are
agreed." Others perceived more
distinctly than the New-Lights themselves whither their doctrine of a
"spiritual church" was likely to conduct them. As early as May 17, 1743, Rev. A. Croswell, of
Groton, Conn., thus writes to Rev. Mr. Prince, of Boston: "I may hereafter
print something about the times, showing wherein I have seen reason to alter my
judgment, particularly with reference to exhorters. For though I was the first in New England that
set them up, I now see, too late, that the tendency of their ways is to drive
learning out of the world, and to sow it thick with the dreadful errors of
Anabaptism, Quakerism, and Antinomianism!" And in 1741, the Consociation of Windham
County, Conn., objected to the article cited above, because it tends "to
let in Anabaptists, and seems more agreeable to the inclination of parties than
the Word of God." We will now
proceed to give, from the papers of Mr. Backus, and nearly in his own words,
written from time to time as the events took place, an account of his change of
views in respect to the ordinance and subjects of baptism.
At a church meeting, August 7, 1749,
Ebenezer Hinds and Dea[con] Jonathan
Woods declared that they had embraced the Baptist principle. This led to much discourse on the subject, and
sundry of the brethren were ready to follow their example. They advocated the opinion that plunging is
the right way of baptizing, and that infants are not qualified for this
ordinance. The question thus introduced
became a very prominent topic of thought and of debate. Those who had adopted Baptist sentiments were
persuaded that they could convince the rest of the church, and therefore
improved every opportunity to discuss the matter. Bitter clashing and contention followed, by
which the remaining life of religion was destroyed. All the evil was traced by one party to the
Baptist principle, and by the other, to fear and resistance of the truth. In reality, however, it sprang chiefly from
the unchristian temper which these brethren displayed toward one another.
For a time Mr. Backus strove not to
meddle with the new doctrine. From the
ill behavior charged upon Baptists of former and later times, he was led to
fear that some mischief lurked in their principles, and that these were now
sent as a delusion in judgment upon them. But he could not exclude the topic utterly
from his thoughts. About the 20th of
August, he began to give it close attention; but he was dreadfully perplexed,
and his mind was tossed this way and that. When he carefully searched the Scriptures,
light seemed to be clearest for the Baptist doctrines; but when he looked at
his own guilt and that of his people, the fear returned that these things were
sent in judgment upon them. On Saturday
night, August 26th, while crying to God for help and direction, he found there
were many things very dear to him which yet he could freely give up into the
hands of God, but that in this case he felt a sensible pulling back. At length this conclusion suddenly came into
his mind: namely, the Baptist principles are certainly right, because nature
fights so against them. The next day he
felt a secret hurrying on to preach upon this subject; which he did in the
afternoon, taking for his text, Romans 6:4, and maintaining that none have any
right to baptism except believers, and that immersion seems to be the only
correct mode.
In the evening, after this premature
discourse, occasioned by a hasty decision, darkness began to fill his mind, and
on the forenoon of Monday this darkness became well nigh total. A little light, however, seemed to dawn upon
him in the afternoon, and the next morning he was enabled to cast his burdens
on the Lord. He now saw in the dreadful
gloom we have noticed, an indication that the doctrine maintained in his sermon
must be wrong; he remembered also how the Bible everywhere represents the Lord
as granting many favors and blessings to the children of saints for their
fathers' sakes; he thought of God's covenant with Abraham and the tenor of his
promise: "I will be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee," and
found this to be the covenant with Christians still; and he concluded in the light
of these considerations that the children of believers have a right to baptism.
These reflections appeared to satisfy
his mind, and he set out cheerfully on his way to Norwich.
Making a flying call upon his friends in
Rehoboth, he went into Providence on Thursday, August 31st, and there met with
three of his flock at the house of Rev. Joseph Snow. They had started from home with the purpose of
being plunged; but Mr. Snow spoke so clearly upon Infant Baptism that one of
them without further delay turned his steps homeward. Mr. Backus proceeded to Norwich, and after
spending some weeks in preaching, visiting, and attending to secular affairs,
returned to his parish on the 23d of September.
Meanwhile, he had become, as he thought,
fully settled in his former opinion, that only believers and their infant Seed
are entitled to baptism, and that as to the mode, every one must be fully
persuaded in his own mind and act accordingly. His intercourse with ministers of the Separate
order during this journey may have aided in bringing him to such a conclusion. Yet he was sometimes sorely puzzled to fix the
line beyond which one had no right to baptism; for he knew that Abraham
circumcised not only children under age, but also his three hundred servants. From this difficulty, however, he took refuge
in the plea of ignorance, confessing, as Paul does, that "now we see
through a glass darkly."
Arriving in Titicut, he soon learned that in
his absence Elder E. Moulton, of South Brimfield, now Wales, had come to
Bridgewater by invitation, and had plunged, Sept. 17th and 18th, nine members
of his church, with one other person. Here then, was a new trial; but it does not
seem to have modified his own course. At
a meeting of the church, Tuesday, September 26th, he made a full confession,
and retracted the sentiments expressed in his sermon upon baptism. Those who had been immersed were disappointed
and offended at this recantation; and on the next Lord's day they met by
themselves for religious worship. But
Mr. Backus was ready to make his relapse into the common belief still more
public and practical. In the afternoon
of the following Sabbath, Oct. 8th, he discoursed upon the submission of David: "Here am I, let Him do with me as seemeth good unto
Him," and then spoke of his sorrow for preaching against infant baptism,
going so far even as to declare that he was willing to venture into eternity on
that practice; and proceeding thereafter "to baptize a child of sister
Richmond."
But in the present case also he was guilty
of rashness; and he afterwards, (in 1752) made this record: "Though I
really thought that way to be right, yet those expressions which I delivered
publicly, concerning venturing into eternity on that practice, did carry in
them a much greater certainty than I really had at the time in my own soul,
which has often since caused me to mourn before the Lord."
Soon after the events which we have
recited took place, Mr. Backus resolved to dismiss all anxiety and inquiry on
the subject, and to treat infant baptism as an ordinance of the gospel. But it had been determined otherwise; and
before many weeks were passed he was brought to a stand in his course by the
question: Where, and in what relation to the church of God do those stand who
have been baptized and yet are not believers? The question was proposed to him by no one, —
unless by the Spirit of God, — and he could not exclude it from his mind. But he now moved slowly, and only after two
years of painful suspense and study did he reach a satisfactory conclusion. It will be profitable to know some of his
feelings during this period.
Lord's day, Dec. 31,
1749. "My unsettled state about baptism wounds and weakens my soul; but
this day I was favored with considerable tenderness and clearness in
preaching."
Feb. 4, 1750.
"For some time in the evening I felt such guilt and distress that I was
ready to cry: 'A wounded spirit who can bear?' The promised joys of sin were
turned into pain, and my soul was in agony. Lord, when thou hidest thy face,
who can behold thee?"
Feb. 17th. "This
day I feel much as I have done for a long time. There is a constant load upon
my mind. Yet at times I am intensely engaged in study; though I have scarce any
strength or heart to act for God."
April 8th. "I
find considerable strugglings in my heart against declaring the whole truth,
because I practise no more of it myself. O Lord, deliver me from the power of this
temptation!"
July 15th. "I
have worried along now for some months, sometimes feeling so guilty and ashamed
in viewing my past conduct and present case that I hardly wanted to see
anybody. * * * But in the midst of all this various turning of things within
and without, I find my soul is held, as a ship by the anchor is held in the
boisterous waves, either from dashing on the rocks or driving off into the wild
ocean."
July 23d. "Felt
as if I were laid aside by God and man; could find scarce anything to do; yet
the Lord gave me instruction out of all this. At night a few of us had a meeting at brother
Alden's, and near the close of it I had by such glimpses of the heavenly glory
and such drawings of divine love as I haven't felt before these many weeks. Oh, one taste of love is infinitely sweeter
than all that earth can afford."
Sept. 5th.
"Labored with my hands most of the day; dull and stupid; but in the
evening the Lord gave me sweet enlargement in secret prayer. I was enabled to come as a child to a father,
tell him all my wants, and lay open my very heart to him."
Sept. 9th.
"Enjoyed considerable freedom in preaching, and some of the hearers were
refreshed. We then partook of the ford's supper. Two offered themselves for communion with us,
and told their experiences. One was the
wife of Isaac Pierce, of Beech Woods, who was received; the other was my dear
wife, who had blessed clearness in describing the dealings of God with her
soul, and the whole church seemed to be affected thereby. We then attended to the ordinance itself,
which by reason of the difficulties among us had not been observed for more
than a twelvemonth. Sundry of the saints
were divinely refreshed while partaking of the supper."
Nov. 11th. "This
forenoon I had no remarkable assistance, but in the afternoon I was led to
treat of the hope and comfort of the saints, and to lay open the horrid
falseness of the notion entertained by carnal hearts, that a life of holiness
is an uncomfortable life. There is no
true happiness here or hereafter but in being conformed to God in heart and
conduct."
Dec. 19th. "Was
much depressed in the morning by a sense of my vileness and by a view of the
miserable case of this people. The waters came into my soul."
Dec. 31st. "Spent
much of the day in reading. In the evening I preached to a little number at
brother Alden's. Alas, I had but a poor
ending of the year. Almost the whole of
this year, 1750, has been a season of heavy trial to my soul. If any one had told me a twelvemonth ago that
I should meet with all which I have gone through since, I should have thought
it insupportable. Hence the
reasonableness of Christ's word: "Take no thought for the morrow, for
sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Feb. 13, 1751.
"Was called in the afternoon to visit a sick woman, and found some
assistance in praying and conversing with her. But in the evening I felt horrid
temptations even to Atheism and Infidelity, which taught me the danger we are
still in, if left of God."
April 5th, (Harwich.)
"My soul was brought to such a view of the discipline of God's house and
the want of it among our people, that I could not but solemnly engage before
God to be faithful in that work, and I called all the saints to witness against
me if I was not; and I felt such a salvation as I had not for a year or two
before."
Aug. 13th. "Had a
short conference with some of our brethren concerning our church affairs; our
case appears exceedingly difficult still." 1
It is easy to understand, for anyone who has
been a Christian for some time, to feel for Backus in his struggle for clarity
regarding this biblical doctrine. Perhaps
every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has wrestled with understanding this or
that particular doctrine. What made his situation
much more difficult was the turmoil that very question was generating not only
within his church but also within the larger New England community. As the pastor of a particular flock of
believers, it was Backus’ duty to lay before them the whole counsel of God and
yet even he was having some difficulty in perceiving which way to turn. But it is exactly this means of “wrestling
with the Lord” in prayer and Bible study which the Lord often uses to bless His
children with dispensations of grace, wisdom, and knowledge.
And, long after, Mr. Backus thus refers to
his reluctant and protracted inquiries at this time in respect to baptism:
"No man, who has not experienced the like, can form a proper idea of the
distress I endured for two years." We
are now in some measure prepared to trace the mental and moral process by which
his views on this subject were changed, to draw near and sympathize with this
servant of God, while, by "agonizing prayer" and "intense
study," he slowly emerges from darkness into light, from painful suspense
into assured belief.
When the question, "where, and in what
relation to the church of God, do those persons stand, who have been baptized
and yet are not believers?" presented itself to the mind of Mr. Backus, he
was unable to find a satisfactory answer. He perceived that during the former dispensation,
all who had been circumcised were in the church, which was national. He also saw, and had clearly seen for many
years, that under the new dispensation, none are in the church, but saints who
are built up as lively stones, etc. He
found no gospel standing-place for half-way members. In spite of all he could do, he felt
constrained to omit the practice of infant baptism, and for upwards of a year
his mind continued in nearly the same posture of indecision, "suffering
trials which no tongue can express." On the fifth of April, 1751, he made a solemn
promise to the Lord to attempt the restoration of faithful discipline in the
church. He succeeded at first in leading
his brethren to engage in this work; but after a time some of them said they could go no further in
disciplinary labor, till they knew how the case would turn with him as to
baptism. Discouraged by this obstacle,
he felt himself compelled to let the work drop.
Having thus borne for almost two years the
tortures of doubt respecting the subjects and mode of baptism, he set apart
Saturday, July 20, 1751, as a day of secret fasting and prayer, to seek once
more the direction of God. After
confessing his sins, and earnestly imploring divine help, he took Wilson's
Scripture Manual, and seriously examined every particular passage of God's Word
which relates to baptism, and was forced to "give in" that the
sentiments of Mr. Wilson appeared to be according to the mind of Christ. Then, still looking to the Most High for
direction, he went on to examine several portions of the Sacred Record, which
speak of God's blessing his people and their seed with them. He carefully reviewed the account of Noah's
preservation with his family, the promises made to Abraham and his seed, to
David and his posterity, and the descriptions given in the Old Testament of the
Messiah's reign; and he concluded in view of all these, that God had promised
to manifest himself to his people in the latter days, and to pour out his
Spirit upon them in a very extraordinary and glorious manner; also, that he had
given to believers great encouragement to bring their offspring to him, praying
and hoping for large blessings upon them; for they shall all know him, from the
least to the greatest. But he was led at
the same time by this comprehensive and prayerful survey to conclude that none
ought to be baptized, and thus have the outward mark of Christ's disciples put
upon them, except those who give evidence of having believed in him. This settlement of the question gave him some
degree of peace. "But yet,
alas!" he says, "I feel like a weak creature still, having but little
strength and boldness to come forth in the truth in this evil day. Lord, I commit my all to thee."
At a meeting of the church, July 25th, he
made known to his brethren the character and result of his inquiries, declaring
his full conviction that there is no scripture warrant for infant baptism. Much discourse followed. On the 29th he writes: "I have had some
distressing views of my case, and of the danger of being left as a stumbling
block to others, or as a barren useless creature. I went to pour out my soul to God, and I was enabled to confess my sins, and with
earnestness to plead, that he would either bring my soul forth to act for him,
or take me out of the world. For I had
rather be hid in the grave, than to live a burden to his creation." He also spent the 30th of this month in
fasting, humiliation and prayer, and closes his record of it with these words:
"O Lord, bow down thine ear and hear; for I am poor and needy. We are made a strife to our neighbors, and our
enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us
again, O Lord of hosts, and cause thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be
saved."
Mr. Backus was now fully satisfied in
respect to his duty. He therefore sent
for Elder Benjamin Pierce of Warwick, Rode Island, to administer the ordinance
of baptism; and on the 22d of August, 1751, he was baptized with six members of
his church, on profession of faith in Christ.2
By God’s grace
Backus had been brought from the obscurity in which he had been dwelling to the
clarity of what he had found to be Scripture truth. In siding with the Baptists he was sure to
bring upon himself much discredit. Lord
willing we shall see how the Lord was pleased to work through the ministry of
Backus in my next post.
Christ, not man, is King!
Dale
1) Alvah Hovey, A Memoir of the Life and Times of the Rev. Isaac Backus, A.M. (Boston, MA: Gould and Lincoln, 1859), p. 82-90.
2) Ibid., p.90-3.
