"Baptist churches arose in a 17th century England where church was joined to state. The governmental and religious institutions were not separate but existed as one establishment. The king acted as the supreme governor of both spheres. He headed the government and the Church of England, the officially established religion of the nation, and so he held both political and religious authority. The result was a fusion which declared religious dissent to be treasonous, enforced uniformity in religion, and penalized non-conformists."

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"The Particular Baptists were orthodox, Protestant, Reformed, and Puritan Christians. But they were also more than that. They were distinguished from other churches by a set of distinctives, a number of interconnected doctrines and practices that set them apart."

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"Hann’s pastorate in Loughwood ran from 1730 to 1758, during which time he had several helpers. Fifteen people are recorded as being baptized by him. His helpers sometimes did the baptisms, perhaps because of his absence or old age. At the end of his time there, the membership was 34, a few more than when he came."
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"This study of the Loughwood Baptist church has brought to our attention a number of interesting early members. But the Hugenots, Fifth Monarchy men, and woman author weren’t the entire congregation. There were in fact several hundred believers making up the church even in its earliest years."

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William Allen and John Vernon appear in history as two believing men “of one heart and soul”.
They were the closest of friends in religion, family, the Army, and politics.

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John Vernon and his wife Anne had five known children. There names are uncertain but probably were John, Deborah, Caleb, Anne (or as she was called, Nancy), and Mary. Caleb has special interest to us because his father wrote a spiritual biography of him that is the only book I am aware from the 1600s that gives an account of the conversion, baptism, and partaking in the Lord’s Supper by someone under the age of 16. This account was entitled, “The Compleat Scholler or a relation of the life, and the latter-end especially, of Caleb Vernon who died in the Lord on the 29 th of the 9 th month, 1665, aged 12 years and 6 months”.

"Vernon frequently preached against Cromwell’s Protectorate. William Kiffen and others wrote him urging to support it, but his understanding of the relationship between Christ and the English government wouldn’t allow it."

As Samuel Richardson wrote, “there is no form of civil government in Christ’s testament”. We are reminded that it’s often easy to give ourselves to a human kingdom than Christ’s without even noticing.

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Some of the earliest members of the Loughwood Baptist church were colorful characters, a few of which we’ll look at next episode. Others were quite unexpected. Who would guess that several prominent families in the early years of the church were Huguenots, French protestants escaping persecution?

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In some ways, John Ash is reminiscent of Thomas Llewelyn, our previous pilgrim. Both men lived during the same years, were educated at Bristol, became moderately well off, and exercised academic gifts and pastoral heart. But the differences brought into their lives by providence, help us understand the variety of life in the Particular Baptist churches of mid-18th century England.
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Today’s story of another little-known Particular Pilgrim concerns Thomas Llewelyn and the use of his academic-oriented gifts. Thomas’ last name “Llewelyn” begins with two “Ls” and gives away his Welsh origins.

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The 50th Anniversary celebration of the Baptist Missionary Service was held on May 31st and June 1st, and 2nd, 1842, in Kettering. So large were the expected crowds that two meetinghouses were used – one the Baptist and the other the Congregational. On the first day in the evening, Andrew Leslie was asked to preach. His text was Acts 14:27, “and when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles”. Leslie imitated Paul’s actions from the text, and gave a sermon “replete with interesting and important details respecting the East India mission, and the absurd, impure superstitions of the people among whom it is planted”.
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"Andrew Leslie’s grief over the death of the one he called “his dear Eliza” hindered him for some years. In the months following his “great affliction” he stopped writing letters and doing most work. But after an initial period of grieving, he began to reengage in his various missionary pursuits. And in a letter written to R. B. Sherring six months after Eliza’s death, he includes some news of a spiritual nature. He tells of 7 baptisms in the previous months."
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"Any missionary heading to India had to wrestle with the reality that they could die shortly after arrival. Surely, none of them expected to return to England. Moving to a hot, wet climate without immunities or medical remedies against exotic diseases, was part of the cost of reaching the lost. And Eliza Leslie had considered this."
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"The Leslies grew in love for one another and appear to have sincerely rejoiced at the opportunity to serve God in India, despite the sacrifices this involved. Their first year passed relatively quietly with no children, but with much learning and usefulness."

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"We know little else about Eliza’s early childhood, but I have a careful portrait of her drawn about age 18 by William Thomas Fry, an important English engraver. It shows a small, attractive young lady with elaborately curled hair sitting in a chair holding a letter. She bears a pleasant resemblance to her father."

Francis Franklin, father of Eliza, was born on December 9, 1772 in Mursley, Buckinghamshire. He was the youngest of seven children; his parents being William and Mary Franklin. Just before he turned 15 he moved to Oxford to apprentice as a cabinet and chair maker to his cousin, John Payne. He regularly attended the parish church, as he had been raised, but found the Baptist ministry of James Hinton to be more useful. He also took up the habit of reading, especially George Whitefield’s sermons.
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"It is clear from his letters that Andrew Leslie was marked for India as a missionary after graduation from Bristol Academy. But before he could go there were several things he needed to do."
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The next person I want to present to you is Andrew Leslie. I’m fairly certain none of you know that name. But I hope that after several episodes, his “hidden life” and “unvisited tomb”, to use George Eliot’s phrases from the last line of her novel “Middlemarch”, will be honored.

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"One of the few original letters I possess from our Particular Baptist forebears is from Robert Hall Jr. to John Ryland. Robert was the youngest son of Robert Hall Sr. whose life we explored. Robert Jr. was blessed with unusual gifts and was one of the greatest preachers of the first half of the 1800s. Like his father, Robert was a Particular Baptist, but with peculiar views on a number of subjects. I expect we will examine his life at a later date. But know that he was constantly in demand to preach."

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