Pickles Book 2 Review

Stephen Pickles Cotswolds Pastor and Hymn Writer: The Divinity of Benjamin Beddome (Upham, Southampton, England: The James Bourne Society, 2025, hardback), 718 pages

Beddome studies are enjoying a welcome renaissance and Gospel Standard pastor Stephen Pickles has now produced the promised second follow up volume, following his initial largely biographical tome of 2023. Again a handsome presentation, this lightly illustrated volume is even longer than the first and is enhanced by an index at the end and a 51 person dramatis personae with pen pictures of each at the beginning. There is also an appendix and an addendum.

Like the first volume, this one is also divided into parts, this time eight unequal parts. The first four parts are fairly uncontroversial as Mr Pickles seeks to systematically take us through Beddome's theology as revealed in his sermons, hymns and his catechism. First, in three parts, there is his doctrine of God, then second his soteriology, covered in nine sections, from original sin via new birth to salvation being wholly of God. The third part is on a Christian's walk and conversation in another nine sections, including sanctification via Christian conversation to the observance of the Lord's Day. The fourth part is on the means of grace, that is preaching and the sacraments. So, nothing on ecclesiology or eschatology but a good sweep otherwise. As in the previous volume, there is a tendency to quote Beddome at length and there is little attempt to integrate what has been found, which is probably a fault.

It is when we come to the other four sections of the book that things become more controversial. Under the heading “Religious controversies” we have something first on Socinianism, a real threat in Beddome's lifetime. Joseph Priestley, whose portrait adorns page 372, was the leading opponent of orthodoxy and was opposed by Benjamin Francis, Caleb Evans, John Fawcett, Samuel Rowles and others with whom Beddome would have been in agreement.

Mr Pickles then goes on to the law. This material extends over several parts. Given his pedigree, it is no surprise to see that Mr Pickles spends a long time on this question. He looks at Beddome himself, an attack on the Midland Association by a man called John Bradford and William Huntington's dispute with Caleb Evans. This is all very interesting and helpful and ends with a final attempt to reconcile the antinomian view and the more orthodox one.

Finally, in this section, there is something on self-examination and the marks of grace and on ministerial education.

Part 6 is headed “Dr Gill, John Brine, Andrew Fuller & the Bristol Divines”. Gospel Standard Baptists have long been unhappy with Andrew Fuller and his work Gospel worthy of all acceptation which caused something of a revolution among Particular Baptists at the time. There were two editions of the latter book and it is suggested that there is a marked difference between the two. Mr Pickles posits a sharp difference between Fuller and the Bristol Divines, including Beddome. The section also includes material on Caleb Evans. With the necessarily selective quotations from Fuller and others, it is difficult to be sure whether Mr Pickles has been fair and therefore whether he is right in his contentions. He is eager to keep Beddome on his side and so to say he was at variance with Fuller. Not all will agree.

He seems to be on surer ground in the seventh section when he chooses to disagree with Dr Michael Haykin on the matter of whether Baptists experienced revival in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Once again, he shows himself more than familiar with the content of the Bourton-on-the-Water church book and quotes it several times. He adds a sermon by Beddome on Revelation 2:5,6 which does nothing to resolve the question but is good to read.

The final eighth section uncontroversially sums up the enduring legacy of the great Benjamin Beddome.

An appendix suggests that Andrew Fuller and George Whitefield differed in their theology with regard to the atonement but, as with the contrasting of Fuller and the Bristol divines, it is not entirely certain that Mr Pickles has made his case.

The addendum responds to the recently published book on Robert Hall Junior by Austin Walker (The theology of Robert Hall jr. The undermining of Calvinism among the English Particular Baptists). Strictly speaking, this has nothing to do with Beddome but one understands the desire to make some comment on such an important and otherwise germane book.

Mr Pickles has given us the fruits his labour of love and anyone who has an interest in Beddome will not fail to benefit from what has been published. Whether Beddome has been rightly understood or not will be hotly debated for some time to come.