Philip Doddridge on the Trinity and other Related Doctrines

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Edmund Harmon
5 years ago
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1 Philip Doddridge on the Trinity and other Related Doctrines As I continue my historical quest to find and present Particular Baptist writers in the 1700s who expounded on the Doctrine of the Trinity and other related issues, I continue to be frustrated by the lack of Particular Baptist participation from the era of the First London Confessions, 1644, 46 to the era of Robert Robinson, in the late 1700s. During that era I have found Robinson, Gill and Brine as the only major writers on this subject. Robinson was anti-nicenist and Gill and Brine were pro-nicenist. It is strange to me that among Particular Baptists there would be such an absence of writers on this most fundamental of all subjects either antinicenist or pro-nicenist. When Samuel Richardson of the Wapping Particular Baptist Church, and William Kiffen spoke against Dr. Featly and his Nicenism in The Dipper s Dipt, this caused the publication and changes of the Second edition of the First London Confession in In this second edition the article on the Trinity was changed to reflect the historic Anabaptist-Dissenter position and deny the Nicenist position contained in the first edition of It is remarkable that the ensuing Confessions of Faith of the various outlying associations of Particular Baptist Churches followed this definition and from 1646 to the edition of the Second London in 1677 and later in 1689, no Particular Baptist Confession of faith issued any statement following Nicenism. The Somerset Confession of Faith stated: A CONFESSION of the FAITH of several congregations of Christ in the county of Somerset, and some churches in the counties near adjacent, Printed at London, Anno THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY To the Sons and Daughters of Zion, grace, peace, ect., be multiplied. Dearly Beloved, it may with some seem altogether needless and useless to bring to public view, a narrative of faith in such a day as This is, especially there having been the like brought forth by several baptized congregations formerly. Unto which we reply, that our publishing this Narrative of our faith and practice, is not from any dislike we found with the former Confession of our beloved Brethren. (We mean the Narrative published by the seven Churches in London), whom we own, and with whom we are one both in faith and practice. Neither is there any thing in ours contradictory to our brethren, that we know of, that have gone before us.

2 We can say when the Lord set us first upon This work, we did not think of bringing it to public view, but did it rather for a trial of our unity in the faith, and for our more clear fellowship one with another, from our harmony in faith and practice. I. WE believe that there is but one God (I Cor. 8:6.), who is immortal, eternal, invisible, only wise (I Tim. 1:17.), holy (Lev. 11:44.), almighty (Gen. 17:1.) infinite (I Kings 8:27; Isa. 40:28; Ps. 147:5); a Spirit (John 4:24.), glorious in holiness (Ex. 15:11), just, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in mercy and truth (Ex. 34:6, 7.), faithful in all things (Deut. 7:9.). II. THAT this God, who is so in himself, did according to his own will in time, create all things, by, and for Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:2; Col. 1:16; John 2:3); who is the word of God (John 1:1) and upholds all things by the word of his power (Heb. 1:3.). The Midlands Baptist Association issued its own confession, an abridged from the First London Confession of Faith: THE MIDLAND RECORDS (The Original Midlands Baptist Confession-REP) The first General Meeting, 2 May 1655 Articles unanimously agreed unto by all the messengers of the churches met at Warwick on the 2nd day of the 3rd month We believe that there is one only true God which is one God who is eternal, almighty, unchangeable and incomprehensible, infinite; who is a spirit having (3) his being of himself and giveth being, to all creatures and doth what he will in heaven and in earth moving all things according to the counsel of His own will. 2. That this infinite being is set forth to be Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit and these three are one. I. J'n.5.7. (This Confession is from my work, The Midlands Particular Baptist Outreach, wherein I cite B. W. White s Particular Baptist Records. This section is from my larger work, Particular Baptist Origins and Outreaches, both are posted up on our site.

3 JOHN SPILSBURY'S PERSONAL CONFESSION OF FAITH 1. I do believe that there is only one God, who is distinguished in 3 persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; yet but one in nature, or essence, without divisions, and incommunicable, who made the world, and all things therein, by the word of his power, & governs them by his wise providence. (Taken from his Treatise of Baptism, our edition, on our www site. This is one of the simplest and best I have read-rep) The other associations, including the Welsh, followed in union with the First London Confession, second edition of 1646, and did not seem to issue any further separate Confessions. Nicenism was again inserted among the Particular Baptists in the Second London Confessions, editions of 1677 and Brother James McDowell has an excellent Treatise on these and why the adoption of the Second London in the place of the First London. It was a dark day when the Particular Baptists in the United Kingdom and America adopted the reworked Westminster Confession and did not reissue their original Confession as amended in A younger generation, with strong General Baptist influence, did this. Most of our efforts have come from our Particular Baptist forefathers, but we have copies in detail a large section from Phillip Doddridge, a Presbyterian writer who was anti-nicenist. We do not like using Pedobaptists and try to stay away from them, but his work contains a very good historical overview of the entire question that we feel justified in including it as a part of our historical treatment of the antinicenist teachings. In our historical investigations on this point we have found that the Nicenists will always try and distort and slander the anti-nicenists whenever they have the opportunity. See for example: 1. John Clark and his slanders against Elders Trott and Beebe and the others concerned in the Black Rock Address, calling them Arians and such terms; 2. The way the Philadelphia Association and Joseph Ivimey, the English Baptist Historian, and his helpers tried to slander Robert Robinson, even claiming he went insane before he died. 3. The way many of the Pedobaptists of the 1600s tried to slander the First London Confession brethren claiming them to be Sabellians when most were not. 4. The way the papists and Protestants tried to slander the Anti-Nicenist Trinitarian Anabaptists of the 1500s when they were not Socinians or Arians. In our opinion Doddridge gave a far better overview of this issue than John Gill did.

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For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. The Textus Receptus, The Mennonite Trinity, and the First London Confession Please see our previous study, The Singing Controversy and Nicenism. I John 5;7 King James Version: For there are three that