I mention the terms Christian-refreshing and truth-intensifying because in Andrew Fuller’s life, there is a reciprocal relationship between spiritual life and biblical truth, on the one hand, and missions, on the other hand. In one direction, spiritual life and biblical truth give rise to missions. And in the other direction, engagement in the missionary enterprise awakens and sustains new levels of spiritual life and sharpens and deepens and intensifies our grasp of biblical truth. We will focus on the first in this message, but here are some glimpses into the effect missions had on Fuller’s life. On July 18, 1794, he wrote the following in his diary:
Within the last year or two, we have formed a missionary society; and have been enabled to send out two of our brethren to the East Indies. My heart has been greatly interested in this work. Surely I never felt more genuine love to God and to his cause in my life. I bless God that this work has been a means of reviving my soul. If nothing else comes of it, I and many others have obtained a spiritual advantage. (Peter Morden, Offering Christ to the World [Waynesboro, Georgia: Paternoster, 2003], p. 167)
Six months earlier he had written to John Ryland, “I have found the more I do for Christ, the better it is with me. I never enjoyed so much the pleasures of religion, as I have within the last two years, since we have engaged in the Mission business. Mr. Whitfield used to say, ‘the more men does for God, the more he may’.” (Ibid.)
In one direction, when your love for Christ is inflamed and your grasp of the gospel is clear, a passion for world missions follows. In the other direction, when you are involved in missions—when you are laying down your life to rescue people from perishing—it tends to authenticate your faith, and deepen your assurance, and sweeten your fellowship with Jesus, and heighten your love for people, and sharpen your doctrines of Christ and heaven and hell. In other words, spiritual life and right doctrine are good for missions, and missions is good for spiritual life and right doctrine.
“Mr. Gadsby always considered, and often stated publicly, that Andrew Fuller was the greatest enemy the church of God ever had, as his sentiments were so much cloaked with the sheep’s clothing… Mr. Gadsby was no great friend to missionary societies, as he believed that the bulk of missionaries went out to publish erroneous doctrine. He also considered that there was great fraud practiced by some of the missionaries, even in temporal things…”
ReplyDelete(Life of William Gadsby)
On the account of his preaching a limited atonement, particular redemption and that all Christ died for would be saved, he was accused of being an Antinomian and a Hyper-Calvinist. He was not unfaithful to the trust committed to him. As to faithfulness, he paid no more regard to offending Arminians and Fullerites than he would to Satan and his agents; for the sentiments of these classes he abhorred, and always set his face as an iron pillar and brazen wall against them. His “Everlasting Task for Arminians” will, we believe, live while the world stands, as an unanswerable testimony against the doctrines of man’s free will. “He loved me and gave Himself for me,” says Paul. But Gadsby would sometimes remark, “If Christ died for the whole human race, the damned in hell might get up and say the same, ‘He gave Himself for me, and yet I am damned. So what’s the use of Paul making so much fuss about that? He gave Himself for me, but that has not kept me out of hell. So something else must have saved Paul and he does not know it.’ But no. Christ died for all whom He loved, and all for whom He died will be saved.”
Andrew Fuller and those allied with him did not believe the death of Christ was sufficient to save all He died for; “He died for the human race; while He made an atonement for the elect only, the atonement was sufficient to save the non-elect if they would only believe. The atonement was sufficient to save and would save the elect,” says Mr. Fuller, “regardless of whether they ever heard the gospel or believed in Jesus or the atonement; but the non-elect must believe in the atonement in order for it to be able to save them.” If one of the non-elect has believed and was saved by the atonement, there is one person in heaven that God did not choose to be there. This was the Fullerite position, briefly stated. “Mr. Gadsby was called to the work of the ministry about the time Baptist associations and academies were springing up. He invariably kept aloof from them all; and certainly the labours of none of these associating and academy-taught ministers have been blessed like his.. Mr. Gadsby always objected to the term ‘Reverend’ being applied to any human being.”
(Life of William Gadsby)
William Gadsby believed in personal election; he believed that the atonement was limited; he believed that all Christ died for will be saved; he believed that the salvation of all the Lord’s people was made sure by the work of the Son of God. He was opposed to Fuller’s doctrine and practice.