17/10/2025

Bernard Foskett Obituary


From the Baptist Register
The Rev. Mr. Bernard Foskett, son of Mr. William Foskett, of North Crawley, in Bucks, a gentleman of good repute, easy fortune, and blessed with a numerous offspring, was born March 10, 1684-5, near Wooburn, in Bedfordshire, where he had an estate. And as he early discovered a taste for learning, he was put under the care of a very able master, with whom he soon made progress. He became experimentally acquainted with religion, in the early part of his life, and at seventeen years of age joined the Baptist church, then under the pastoral care of Mr. Pigott, in Little Wild-street, London, over which our excellent friend, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Stennett, I hope yet presides. About this time an intimacy had commenced between Mr. Foskett, and Mr. John Beddome, (the father of our venerable friend, the Rev. Benjamin Beddome, of Bourton on the water) some years after a respectable minister of the church in the Pithay. The friendship of Mr. John Beddome and Mr. Foskett was like that of Jonathan and David, and lasted through life. Mr. John Beddome was called to the work of the ministry by Mr. Keach's church, of which Dr. Gill was afterwards pastor, and was sent to Henley Arden, near Alcestor, in 1697, to assist the aged Mr. John Willis, pastor of that church, who died about 1705. A few years after the death of Mr. Willis, viz. in 1711, Mr. Foskett, who had been regularly called to the work of the ministry, and exercised his preaching talents several years, quitted the the flattering prospects of his profession in London, preferring the character of an able minister to that of a skillful physician, and removed to Henley Arden, a place to which his peculiar friendship for Mr. Beddome led him to give the preference. At Henley, at Bengeworth, and at Aulcester, these two worthies continued their joint labours, till the year 1719, when Mr. Foskett received a pressing invitation from Broadmead, to assist Mr. Kitterell, their pastor, and to become the tutor of the academy in the room of Mr. Jope, just removed into the west. This invitation he thought it his duty to accept, and in 1720, entered on his double charge with great seriousness and firmness. One who for upwards of twenty-four years served with him in the gospel of Christ, has favoured us with a biographical sketch of him, which demands a place in this essay.

His natural abilities were sound and good; and his acquired furniture, of which he never affected making a great shew, was very considerable. He had a clear understanding, a penetrating judgment, and a retentive memory. His application to study was constant and severe: but though he was of a retiring and contemplative disposition, yet he was not so far detached from the world, as to be wholly unpractised in the duties of social life. In the management of his temporal concerns he was inflexibly just and honest; in his counsels, prudent and faithful; in his friendships, sincere and steady; and though he was not a man of strong passions, yet in the relations of a brother and a son, he was tender and affectionate, dutiful and obedient. His conduct as a Christian, through a course of near sixty years, was most exemplary and ornamental. She that it may be truly said of him, he had few equals, hardly any superiors. Religion he considered not as a matter of mere speculation, but as an affair most sacred and important. How serious and regular he was in his private devotions, in his attendance on family and public worship, and every other religious exercise, they who best knew him will be readist to declare. Nor was his religion confined to the closet, the family, or the house of God, but happily diffused its sacred influence through his whole life. Few they were, if any, of the Christian virtues, that did not shine with a bright and distinguishing lustre in his temper and behaviour; to delineate them all would carry me too far: I must not, however, omit to mention what he was always careful to conceal, his disinterested and extensive benevolence; for in this, as in many other respects, in imitation of his divine master, he went about doing good. The necessitous and deserving without distinction partook of his bounty; but the pious poor he ever considered as the special objects of his regard. And while he often judiciously prescribed to the indigent sick, he generously supplied them with the means of obtaining what was necessary to their relief. And as the Gospel ever held the highest place in his esteem, his charities were chiefly directed in such a manner as tended most effectively to promote its interestes; so that the poor ministers of Christ shared very largely in his compassionate regards, and were multitudes of them refreshed by his liberality. Not did he confine his benevolence to those of his own sentiments only, but cheerfully extended it to many who differed from him. In a word, as his charities were thus generous and extensive, so the prudence, humanity, and privacy, with which they were conducted, secured to him the most cordial respect from those who shared of them, as well as merited the imitation of those who could not avoid knowing them. And as he was thus charitable whilst living, so in this respect as well as many others, being dead he still speaketh.

In the character of a minister, he approved himself judicious, prudent, faithful and laborious. His religious principles, which were those commonly called Calvinistical, he ever maintained with a steady Christian zeal. But though he was strenuous for what he apprenhended to be the truth, yet he was fond of no extreme. While he strongly asserted the honours of free grace, he earnestly contended for the necessity of good works; preaching duty as well as privilege, and recommending holiness as the only way to happiness. And with what judgment, seriousness, and affection he insisted on these important and interesting subjects, some yet alive remember; as also the extraordinary weight which these his intructions received from his own very regular and pious example. he was inded a pattern to the flock, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spiit, in faith, in purity. Not was he without the pleasure of seeing his labours crowned with great and happy success; of which the very flourishing state of his community, at the time of his deth, will be considered a sufficient evidence.

To all which I must add, that in the office of a tutor he failed not to persue the same ends, which animated his profession as a Christian, and his public albours as a Minister. He was always studious to promoite the real advantages of those under his care, endeavouring to lead their minds into a general knowledge of the most beneficial and important branches of literature. And though he judged a superficial education best suited to the years and capacities of some; yet he encouraged and assisted others in the persuit of a more finished one, conforming himself in the whole to the professed design of the founder of this institution.

In the regular adunwearied disharge of all these several duties of his profession he spent near forty years; during which time he suffered little or no interruption of his work from the disorders incident to human nature. But at length, by a paralytic seizure, he received the notice of his approaching dissolution. In these circulstances he continued near a fortnight, still enjoying the perfect and undisturbed use of his reasoning powers, and still discovering the same serene, pious, and heavenly spirit which ran through his whole life. Within a day or two of his decease, he addressed himself to his dear friend and colleague, the Rev. Hugh Evans, with a preculiar solemnity, and an uncommon pathos, in these words: "I have done with man and the inhabitants of the world, and I have nothing now to rely on, but the merits of my dear Redeemer, who of God is made, I trust, unto me, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption: this is all my salvation and all my desire!" Sustained with these blessed hopes of the everlasting Gospel, he cheerfully submitted to the stroke of death, and quiety fell asleep in Jesus, September 17, 1758, in the 74th year of his age.

His funeral sermon was preached, but not printed, by the Rev. Hugh Evans, from 1 Cor, 27. I keep under my body, and bring it unto subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away. Thus the course of one holy apostolic man was finished.

If the list of Mr. Foskett's students now before me is complete, they were in number sixty-four, not including a pupil of the independent denomination, who afterwards lived and died a useful minister at Maidstone in Kent. Concerning the first of these sixty-four, this memorandum is preserved. "November the 5th, 1720, Mr. Thomas Rogers was proposed as a student to Mr. Foskett, recommended by the church in Pithay, and the ten pounds left by Mr. Terrill was granted to him." Mr. Rogers was from Pontypool, in Monmouthshire,and soon came to the close of his life. And as the first of Mr. Foskett's students, so the last of them was from Wales, namely Mr. Samuel George, who was pastor of the church at Wantage, Berks, and left an excellent character behind him. It is somewhat remarkable that the number of the English and of the Welsh students should have been exactly the same. For there were thrity-two of them Englishmen, and thirty-two belonging to the Principality. But I hope it will appear much more interesting to report, in the words of our ever dear High Evans; "that most of those who were under Mr. Foskett's care approved themselves truly serious, and with great reputation filled many of our churches." Here let us pause - and most heartily praise the great Head of the church, for his mercy and grace. I am sure they are willing to do it, who still survive of that respectable catalogue.

Blessed be God, there are a few of these good men yet in the wilderness. I know not whether there are more than six or seven; but as you will conceive a favourable opinion of the rest from them as a specimen, I withe pleasure recite their names.

BENJAMIN BEDDOME, A.M. at Bourton.
JOHN OULTON, A.M. at Rawden, York.
EDMUND WATKINS, at Usk.
JOHN EVANS, now at Northampton.
BENJAMIN FRANCIS, A.M. at Horsely.
MORGAN JONES, L.L.D. at Hammersmith, and
JOHN EVANS, of Pentre.

May the latter days of these reverend ministers abundantly increase.

By such disciples we may, in some measure, form a judgement of the matter. And if it be conceded that his method of education was limited rather than liberal; severe rather than enchanting; employing the memory rather than the genius, the reasoning rather than the softer powers of the mind; in a word, if it be granted that Mr. Foskett was not the first of tutors, it is a piece of justice to his memory, and a debt of honour to the divine grace, most cheerfully to acknowledge, that some good scholars, and several of the greatest ministers who have adorned our denomination since the Reformation, were educated by him. Here I pass the names which have just been recorded. But were I to single out from his students a scholar, it would be proper to repeat what the late Dr. Gibbons said to me some years since, when several eminent linguists had been mentioned; "I think, my young friend, that Dr. Llewelyn is the first scholar we have among the Protestant dissenters." Were I to distinguish those who were eminent as scholars and preachers too, I should select not only from the short list which adorns a preceding paragraph, but produce several others, and among them I might mention,

ROBERT DAY, A.M. at Wellington.
JOHN ASH, L.L.D. at Pershore.
JOHN RYLAND, A.M. at Northampton.

Bot there is one name I cannot omit - the name of the third student in the roll of the sixty-four; I mean that of the immortal

HUGH EVANS, A.M.

Mr Foskett finished his labours and entered on his rest; but instead of the father came up this son, who had in general the esteem and influence of a prince, wherever he was known, in all the earth.

Ministers mentioned in the will of Bernard Foskett



Beside Beddome himself, the following men are mentioned by Foskett in his 1751 will. He died in 1758.

Philip Jones Upton upon Severn c 1700-1771
James Kettilby Bewdley 1697-1767
Isaac Hann Loughwood d 1778
William Plummer Grittleton, Wiltshire
John Needham? d c 1786
John Poynting Worcester 1719-1791
Thomas Davies Fairford c 1730-1784
Evan Tomkin of Wroxham?
William Christian Shepshed d 1765
Isaac Woodman Sutton in the Elms, later Harvey Lane, Leicester d 1777
Robert Day Wellington, Somerset 1721-1791
Richard Tipping Wotton Under Edge
Miles Harry Pontypool 1700-1776
Jacob Mower Evesham d 1764
George Wilkinson?
Abraham Larwill c 1730-1760
John Ash Pershore c 1724-1779
Kirk??
John Reynolds? 1730-1792
Richard Strange Stretton d 1768
Clarkson?
Edmund Jones son of Philip Jones? 1722-1765
Crispin Curtis Kingsbridge d c 1768
Philip Gibbs Plymouth 1749-1800
John Ryland Warwick 1723-1792
John Beddome Bristol 1674-1757
Hugh Evans Bristol 1712-1781

16/10/2025

The Will of Bernard Foskett


I Bernard Foskett of the city of Bristol, Minister being of sound and memory do make this my last Will as followeth, committing my soul to the mercies of God through the merits of a dear redeemer and my body to the earth to be devoutly interned.

I dispose of the worldly goods which God has graciously bestowed upon me thus in primis I give and bequeath to my cousin William Foskett of North Crawley, Bucks and his heirs one hundred pounds sterling to be paid six months after my decease.

Item: I give and bequeath cousin Elizabeth widow of Hugh Smyth late of Woolston, Bucks one hundred pounds sterling or if she be deceased to her children of her body begotten by the said Hugh Smyth to which children I give moreover the sum of sixty pounds or to the survivor or survivors of them at such time and in such proportions as she and her brother William Foskett shall think fit to whom therefore I would have it paid for them within six months after my decease.

Item: I give and bequeath to my cousin Elizabeth wife of Thomas Harris Salesman in Monmouth Street, St. Giles in the Fields, near London one hundred pounds sterling or if she be deceased to the children of her body lawfully begotten to which children I also give the further sum of £60 sterling or to the survivor or survivors of them at such times and proportions as their parents shall think fit and to whom therefore I would have it paid for them.

Item: I give and bequeath to my cousin Joseph Cooke of Oundle in Northamptonshire, Baker and to his heirs £50 sterling and to the said Joseph Cooke and to Ian Goodrich of the same place Gent £200 sterling in trust for the said Joseph Cooke’s children Joseph and Sarah which he had with his late wife Elizabeth daughter of my sister Mary deceased to be paid to each of them when they severally arrive at the age of 21 and to Sarah, sooner if she marry with her parents’ consent and if either die before the said sum has been received then I Will that the whole £200 be paid to the survivor of them and my Will is that any  - I may have under the said Joseph Cooke's world be freely given up to him.

Item: I give to my brother in law John Price of London, coal merchant fifty pounds sterling and if he be deceased I give the said sum to the children of my cousin Elizabeth Harris aforesaid share and share alike.

Item: I give to the treasurer of the Bristol Infirmary in Magdeline Lane fifty pounds sterling for the sole use of the said infirmary.

Item: I give to each of my good friends: Edmund of ——– Warwickshire, Philip Jones of Upton upon Severn, James Kettilby (sic) of Bewdley both in Worcestershire, Isaac Hann (sic) of Dorsetshire, William Plummer of Grittleton in Wiltshire £20 sterling and if any of them die before they have received it, to their widows or children or both at the discretion of my executor undernamed.

Item: I give to my good friends John Needham???, John Poynting of Worcester, Thomas Davies of Fairford, Evan Tomkin of Wroxham, William Christian, Isaac Woodman both of Worcestershire, Robert Day of Wellington, Richard Tipping, Miles Harry (sic), Jacob Mower (sic) of Evesham to each £5 sterling and if either of them be dead I Will that his share be given to his widow or his children or some other poor minister of the same denomination and I Will that all above legatees be paid within 6 months after my decease if it may be.

Item: I give to my friend John Beddome of the City of Bristol gentleman Ten pounds sterling and all my books and shelves containing them and my biggest desk to his son Benjamin and I give to his wife Rachel £40 sterling separately for her sole use to be paid to her on her receipt only and to be disposed of by herself to whom and how she pleases and I give to his son Benjamin £10 sterling and ⅓rd of my residuary estate and to his son John £20 to be paid to him when and how he pleases and I give to the said Benjamin £20 in trust for Mary the daughter of his sister Mary Brain to be paid to her where and how he thinks fit, letting her have the use in the meantime to be laid out as he directs.

I also give to Joseph Beddome £10 sterling and to his daughter Rachel £20 to be paid to her when and how he please.

I also give to Sarah & Martha Beddome £30 each to be paid to them when their mother thinks fit, to whom therefore I would have it paid by my executor for their use and I also give to Mary Brain —– £10 sterling and if the said John Beddome or any of his family die before their legacy is received, I Will the same to be distributed among all the children survivors share and share alike.

I also give to the above named Rachel wife of the said John Beddome my silver tankard looking glass and all other household goods I may die possessed of and to every other child besides John, above named, of her son Benjamin which shall be born before my decease £10 sterling.

Item: I give and bequeath to each of my good friends Geo Wilkinson —– (Abraham) Larwill in _____ (John?) Ashe Kirk —- in ______(John?) Reynolds, (Richard?) Strange in (Stretton)_Clarkson ———, Edmund Jones, Crispin Curtis, Phil Gibbs in Plymouth? £5 and if either of them die before he receives it his widow or children or some other Minister of the same denomination and principles whom my executor shall choose.

I also give the same sum to John Ryland of Warwick, Minister and Whitmore Carpenter.

Item: I give to Elizabeth Heritage and the said John Beddome’s maid servant at the time of my death £3 each.

Item: I give and bequeath to my good friend Hugh Evans of the City of Bristol, Minister £30, to each of his 6 children he had by his late wife Sarah £10 to be paid severally attain the age of 21 years or sooner if they marry with their father’s consent and if either of them die before they have received it, to the survivors share and share alike and to the said Hugh Evans whom I make sole executor of this my last Will, I give all the rest of my estate of what kindsoever, real or personal not before or otherwise disposed of in trust ⅓rd to him and his sons, another ⅓rd to Benjamin Beddome as above mentioned and the other ⅓rd to poor Ministers of the same denomination and principles with those above mentioned £5 or £10 apiece more to any of the most good above mentioned and the like or more to others as my executor and Benjamin Beddome shall think most proper by witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this 19th day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty one.

Bernard Foskett

Signed, sealed and declared by the Testator to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his desire and in his presence set our own hands as witness

Jos Browne, Saz Browne and Henry Romsey

This Will was proved at London 23rd October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty eight before the Right Honourable Sir George Loo Knight, Doctor of Laws, Master ——- or Commissary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the Oath of the Reverend Hugh Evans the sole executor mentioned in the said Will to whom administration was granted of all and singular the Goods, Chattels, and Credits of the said deceased having been first sworn by commission duly to administer the same.

14/10/2025

Pickles Book 1 Review




Stephen Pickles Cotswolds Pastor and Hymn Writer: The Life and Times of Benjamin Beddome (Upham, Southampton, England: The James Bourne Society, 2023, hardback), 471 pages

After long neglect, Beddome studies seem to be enjoying a welcome renaissance. This current offering from the world of High Calvinism is a large, handsome and appreciative biographical treatment enhanced by numerous illustrations, a full bibliography, the confession and covenant of the church where Beddome's father pastored in an appendix and a list of hymns quoted. The book grows in part out of a lecture given in 2017 but is really the fruit of a life time's interest. It is the first of a proposed two volumes. The second will concentrate on Beddome's writings, although this present volume extensively quotes 75 hymns, several sermons and other writings.

The volume is divided into six unequal parts dealing with Beddome's early life; long pastorate; the vicissitudes of life he knew; two educationalists he baptised; the Bible, missionary work and the slave trade and his last years.

Part 1 takes us from Beddome's birth in the Midlands through to pastoral studies in London. Pickles quotes a hymn by Beddome's father and outlines at length doctrinal declension in nonconformist churches and the revival under Whitefield and others that followed and had such an effect on Baptists. The section ends with a chapter on Samuel Wilson, who baptised Beddome.

The book's longest part on Beddome's pastorate is 16 chapters long. It begins with his ordination and marriage, invitations to go elsewhere (dealing only with the call to London), his new home and the new chapel. The 1765 letter to the Midland Association is reproduced in a further chapter followed by a chapter on his catechism. That is appropriately followed by a digest of an extant sermon on nurturing the spiritual welfare of the young. Nothing is said of Bourton before Beddome's arrival.

The book's longest chapter examines Beddome's religious experience by means of a catena of extended quotations mostly from hymns but also from sermons. Pickles concludes that Beddome wanted to keep Christ central and live for his praise but, very much aware of human depravity, knew that salvation has to be by means of Christ's satisfaction alone. Full of thankfulness for his conversion, he was aware of a tendency to regress at times and greatly desired Christ's presence. Pickles posits fluctuations in Beddome's assurance and underlines that he taught that Christ is always the answer. Beddome longed to grow in grace and loved to meet with God's people. At the end of this chapter some Beddome letters from 1759 and 1760 that were published in The Evangelical Magazine in 1800 are reproduced.

A chapter headed Spiritual Darkness follows. It alerts us to apparent problems Beddome knew in 1762 but, in the absence of any discussion, most of the chapter is taken up with Daniel Turner's long letter to Beddome about it. A more interesting chapter comes next. It begins with statistics from Brooks' history of the church and is enhanced by its use not only of hymns and sermons dealing with church membership and discipline but also content from the Bourton-on-the-Water church book. Pickles is very familiar with this material and makes excellent use of it also in the next chapter where he outlines the generosity of the Bourton church to various people.

A number of chapters deal with people Beddome knew. There is an expected chapter on seven men Beddome sent into the ministry and a less expected one on his deacons. As for friends of Beddome, Sarah Evans, Benjamin Seward, Henry Keene and Benjamin Francis are singled out. For some reason Pickles makes little reference to Snooke and Hall who married Seward's daughters and were members of Beddome's congregation.

There is also a chapter on family bereavements and two substantial chapters at the end of the second section looking at The Midland Association to which Bourton belonged and relations with Anglican ministers. This final chapter attempts to connect Beddome and Whitefield but there is probably not enough evidence to establish this attractive proposition beyond a doubt.

Part 3 on the vicissitudes of life looks at weather and harvesting, general sickness and war and peace. Once again intimacy with the church book makes it possible to round out the picture of Beddome and his congregation in a most interesting way. Part 4 is mostly on John Ryland with some material on William Fox, both baptised by Beddome and both leading educationalists.

In Part 5 four chapters cover the preciousness of the Bible, its distribution to the nations, the Baptist Society for the propagation of the gospel and the slave trade. Here the and his times comes into its own with a great deal of material about others other than Beddome. The helpful chapter on slavery hardly mentions him. The book closes with Part 6, a relatively short section on Beddome's closing years. This is very well done.

There are a very tiny number of typos and one or two possible minor errors in the book but overall it is a solid contribution to studies in this area. Many editors would have been much more brutal and may have cut the contents by as much as a half. Readers will be divided as to whether including so much extraneous material is a merit or demerit.

13/10/2025

Beddome and his milieu


I have been reading some 18th century biographies recently of major figures of the time. It is worth bearing in mind that these are some of Beddome's contemporaries. Whether he interacted with any of them we do not know.
  1. Composer, Georg Friedrich Handel 1685-1759
  2. Artist, William Hogarth 1697-1784
  3. Politician, William Pitt 1708-1788
  4. Gardner and landscape architect, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown 1716-1783
  5. Engineer, James Brindley 1716-1772
  6. Furniture maker, Thomas Chippendale 1718-1779
  7. Artist, Thomas Gainsborough 1727-1788
  8. Architect, Robert Adam 1728-1792
  9. Potter adn entrepreneur, Josiah Wedgwood 1730-1795
  10. Engineer, Thomas Telford 1757-1834
So even if Beddome never heard any Handel or saw any Hogarth or Gainsborough or sat in a Chippendale chair or drank from a Wedgewood cup hemay well have been aware of some of these men. (Beddome trained in the same placeas Humphrey Gainsbrough, brother of the artist).

15/07/2025

More on Richard Haines

Mr Pickles points out that Beddome's protégé Richard Haines (d 1767) who became the minister at Bradford on Avon, unlike Beddome and other protégés did not do any formal study in preparation for the ministry as far as we know. He points out that this is probably true also of Haines' own protégés, Charles Cole (1733-1814) pastor at Whitchurch, Hampshire, for over fifty years; Robert Marshman (1735-1806) pastor at Westbury Leigh for over forty years and John Matthew. Further, Robert Parsons (1717-1790), the stone mason and pastor at Bath, though from Broadmead, was decidedly against formal ministerial training. Haines was present at meeting in 1752 and 1755 at the beginning of the history of the church in Bath. He also draws attention to something found here. There it says of Cole that

He was baptized in February 1756 and became a member of the church at Bradford. Soon after this it was apparent he possessed ministerial talents and having opportunity to exercise them in two or three villages in the neighbourhood with acceptance he was called to the work of the ministry in 1758.
Providence now opened the way for his removal from Bradford in the following manner: his Pastor having occasion to go to Devizes accidentally met with two worthy individuals who were on their way to Bristol with a view to procure a student from the academy for the church at Whitchurch. In conversation with Mr Hains the object of their journey was mentioned when Mr H suggested that Mr Cole might possibly suit the people at Whitchurch. The small pox prevailing greatly at that time at Bristol and Mr Hain's account of Mr Cole induced them to relinquish their journey on the promise of Mr H to influence Mr Cole to pay the church at Whitchurch a visit. With this engagement Mr Cole's diffidence and modesty made it difficult to comply; at length he assented and in May 1758 preached his first sermon among them and tarried six weeks which issued in an invitation to supply them a twelve month with a view to the pastoral office which he accepted; at the close of the period he was unanimously invited to take the oversight of them in the Lord and notwithstanding the low state of the church which was reduced to 13 members he undertook the charge and was ordained by Messrs Hains of Bradford, Phillips of Salisbury and Kent of Broughton June 6 1759.

26/06/2025

Two new books on Beddome




Readers of this blog will be pleased to know that two new books on Beddome have recently appeared or are about to appear. Firsty, a second volume and final volume by Stephen Pickles completes the record of his extensive research into Beddome's life and testimony. The first part of the book I have read and it uncontroversially ransacks Beddome's works to piece together a theology, something I have longed to do myself. The second part of the book gets into Huntington, Fuller, etc, and the more controversial matters among Particular Baptists. I have not yet read that part but hope to do so in the near future.
Meanwhile, Yuta Seki has put his PhD on Beddome into popular form. “Long May Thy Servant Feed Thy Sheep” looks at Beddome's pastoral theology, making use of letters, sermons and other materials. I am not sure when this volume will appear but I have seen it and it looks excellent. “Long May Thy Servant Feed Thy Sheep” is a quote from a Beddome hymn.

New Festschrift including essays on Beddome


“A deep spiritual well”: eighteenth-century Evangelicals & their legacy
has just appeared. It is a collection of essays celebrating the academic achievements of historian Grant Gordon, whose research on key eighteenth-century Evangelicals such as John Newton, John Ryland Jr, David George, George Whitefield and John Wesley has opened up fresh avenues for understanding these men and their times. The essays especially focus on Ryland and his family and the English Particular Baptist community to which he belonged. A number of essays deal with slavery, the impact of the American Revolution on British North America, pastoral vision and race and touch on key issues of concern to the Rylands and to Newton. I noted in oparticular two essays on Beddome, one by Dr Haykin and one by Dr Yuta Seki. Both appear elsewhere in different forms but it is good to see our friend's name out there.

07/06/2025

10 works by Particular Baptists against Priestley's unitarianism



  1. John Butterworth (1727-1803) A serious address to the Rev Dr Priestley 1790
  2. Lawrence Butterworth Thoughts on mora government and agency 1792
  3. Caleb Evans (1737-1791) An Address to the Serious and Candid Professors of Christianity 1772, 1773
  4. Caleb Evans (1737-1791) Christ Crucified: Or the Scripture Doctrine of the Atonement 1789
  5. John Fawcett (1740-1817) The Christian's humble plea for his God and Saviour, a poem in answer to several pamphlets latey published by Dr Priestley 1772
  6. Benjamin Francis (1734-1799) The Socinian Champion or Priestleyan divinity 1788
  7. Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) The Calvinistic and Socinian Systems examined and compared, as to their Moral Tendency 1793
  8. John MacGowan (1726-1780) Socinianism brought to the test 1773
  9. Samuel Rowles (1743-1820) Remaks on Dr Priestley's Letters 1784
  10. Samuel Rowles (1743-1820) Revealed religion asserted 1786

06/06/2025

Medical References in Sermons 24


In a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:8 he says

It is implied however in our text that the divine law, though good in itself, is liable to abuse by being improperly applied, as the same medicine may either be efficacious or pernicious by being skilfully or unskilfully administered.