Inaugural Address: Metropolitan Association Of Strict Baptist Churches
Earthen Vessel 1889:
Delivered At The Annual Meeting Of The Metropolitan Association Of Strict Baptist Churches, On March 12, 1889
By Mr. Charles Wilson, President
Beloved Friends,—Most heartily do I thank you for the honour conferred upon me in electing me as president of the Metropolitan Association of Strict Baptist Churches.
Through the blessing of God upon the noble efforts of our forefathers, men of God who dared to die for their principles, and to suffer the loss of all things rather than belie their consciences, we are allowed to meet here, none daring lawfully to make us afraid, and shall we, or shall we not, be worthy successors of those brave men? Brethren, we have the same God to sustain us: King Jesus was their King, and is He not ours? They were moved by His Holy Spirit, and are not we, too, heirs of the same inheritance, born into the same spiritual family? Christ Jesus was their lawgiver, and He is ours. His revealed will was their mle of faith and practice, and it is ours. He said, “If ye love Me keep My commandments,” and then gave Himself for us. We therefore, do love Him, and as obedient children are anxious to prove it by doing His will and keeping His ordinances exactly as He commanded us, not daring to add to, or take from, alter or amend the same in jot or tittle. It is an indisputable fact that our Lord Himself was baptized, and that as recorded in the New Testament all the Apostolic Churches, too, were Baptists; and not until the third century was there any other order existing, and even our opponents admit that there is not a single text in the whole of the New Testament to support infant-sprinkling; which is man’s command. We fully believe that when religious bodies become disconnected with the State, and are led back by the Holy Spirit to search the pure Word of God prayerfully, which is the only guide in all things spiritual, they will return again to the fold, and there will be but “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.” May the Lord hasten it in His own time and way, and until then let us hold firmly to the faith and practice once delivered to the saints, even although men of “modern thought” may ridicule and revile us for so doing; for to our Master we stand or fall. We may by some, even good men, be accounted narrow-minded, yet we “love all them who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,” and only ask of them what they claim for themselves, the right of private judgment in all matters of conscience without fear or favour.
If I understand rightly, as an Association we are united in defence of these principles, and to the utmost of our ability to promulgate them. We all know in union there is strength, and we have proved it (as the report states) by assisting weak Churches, both by gifts and also loans without interest. As an old disciple of more than fifty years standing in the Church, I can bear my testimony to its usefulness in creating a spirit of love and sympathy among the Churches, through the meeting of the ministers and delegates to promote the interest of the various Churches, and encouraging each other in spreading the name and fame of our dear Redeemer in this, and as far as possible, in other lands. But, beloved brethren, seeing we have the best religious principles of any in the world, do we always take the best methods of putting them into practice? I say certainly not. Do we as Church members prove to our children the value of those principles by endeavouring prayerfully to instil into their young minds the why and wherefore we hold them so dear? It will be by God’s Word that we shall be judged in the last great day, and are we as Churches as careful as we ought to be as to what is taught in our Sabbath-schools? Can it be right to teach either by word or by song what we know to be contrary to the sacred Scriptures, either in doctrine or practice? Certainly not. Brethren, think on these things. I maintain that whether in the pulpit or in the class, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, should be preached and taught in the best possible manner. In fact, everything in connection with the worship of our blessed Lord should be of the best kind. If He calls a man from following the plough, or from catching fish to preach the Gospel, from that hour such a man ought to use every effort within his reach to fit himself for the work of the ministry, that he may prove “to be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We have had such men, and God has prospered them in their work. Look, for instance, at John Stevens, James Wells, John Foreman, and John Hazelton, men who worked hard, studied hard, and reaped their reward. Let also the leaders of our singing take it to heart, that they and we may in our singing do all to the glory of God.
And now, brethren, there is one more important subject, and that is, the many Churches without pastors. ls there not a cause, yea, I think there are several. Firstly, there are so few Churches able to sufficiently maintain a minister, for him to solely devote himself to the work of the ministry. The fact is, we must return to the Apostolic rule of giving as God has prospered us, be our income little or much. Brethren, we must be strict in this matter if we would have God’s blessing. To my mind this is a solemn matter, and as deacons and leaders we must set the example, and inculcate the principle in our young members, that our God demands it of them as His right, but it must be done willingly and not by constraint. If under the old dispensation God demanded a tenth, surely under the new dispensation we can do no less! Brethren, when this has become well understood and acted upon, we shall then be able to encourage young men of ability to give themselves wholly to the work of the Lord without fear of bringing their families into poverty and distress, and the deacons will no longer be tempted, as is now too often the case, to prefer the baneful system of having supplies because it is cheaper! The spirit of prayer is damped by the system, and indifference has crept into our Churches and homes. May there be constant prayer to Almighty God to raise up pastors after His own heart to go in and out among the Churches, feeding them with knowledge and understanding, building them up in the faith once delivered to the saints, thus constantly preaching Christ and Him crucified, to the salvation of precious souls redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. Brethren, let us take this to heart, and pray the Holy Spirit to endow us with more zeal, more holy fire, and more love to the Master, and a greater fervour of spirit to spread abroad His glorious name and fame far and near. Pardon me, brethren, but long and close observation convinces me that the system of giving the pastor as a salary, the surplus, if any, after all incidental expenses have been paid, is wrong. I say emphatically this is totally wrong in principle, and has caused much heart-sorrow between deacons and their pastor. I speak of facts that have come under my own eyes. Take, for instance, the case of a pastor with a large family, who has for two or three years running had the good fortune to receive ten or fifteen pounds surplus, walking into the chapel and seeing the carpenters and painters at work’. Instead of rejoicing at seeing the house looking more beautiful, his heart sinks within him as he thinks to himself, No surplus this year! I shall, with my family, have to go on short commons next year. Brethren, these things ought not to be. Surely business men can, if they try, keep their pastor’s salary and incidentals entirely separate, so that the pastor can plead for the deacons, and the deacons will be only too happy to advocate the just claims of their pastor! Our anxious desire is to see pastors well paid, and placed beyond care and its accompanying anxiety. And now, dear friends, by these practical remarks, I have tried to do my best to carry out the statement on the programme. I therefore, hope that you will receive them in the spirit I have uttered them, and show your appreciation of them by giving the Association a thorough good collection.
Charles Wilson (1817-1898) was a Strict and Particular Baptist deacon. His first appointment was with the church meeting at Hill Street, Dorset Square, under the pastoral ministry of John Foreman. He ran a business, making provisions not only for his family, but distributing his resources to the poor. He was an active worker in several societies, including the Aged Pilgrims' Friend Society. This earned for him the esteem of pastors and churches in and around London. Consequently, he was elected twice as president of the Metropolitan Association of Strict Baptist Churches, though not a preacher of the gospel.
