A Seventeenth-Century Baptist View of Ministry

This summer I took a course with Dr. Michael Haykin on “Baptist Theologians in Historical Perspective.” In order to fulfill the requirements for this course I have written 76 pages (typed, doublespaced). To see what I have written see here, here and here. The final requirement was this paper on a seventeenth-century Baptist understanding of pastoral ministry.

In the course of three months in the year 1702, there died three of the most prominent Particular Baptist pastors in London. These men were William Collins, Thomas Harrison and Hercules Collins. Their deaths signaled the end of a most eventful seventeenth century in Baptist life in England marked by both persecution and progress. All three of their funeral sermons were preached by the same man, a young Baptist minister by the name of John Piggott. In these funeral sermons preached to the deceased ministers’ respective churches, a specific view of ministry can be detected. While all three of these sermons were preached between August and November of the year 1702, they actually provide a glimpse of the prevalent view of ministry among Particular Baptists in London during the mid to late seventeenth century.

To read the entire paper click here (pdf).