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The Temple Repaired
Originally published in 1702
Hercules Collins (died 1702), was a Baptist minister.
Hercules Collins was a relatively prolific author for the day in which he lived, authoring at least twelve distinct works. His published material begins with An Orthodox Catechism (1680) which is an edited version of the 16th century Heidelberg Catechism. As a Baptist, Collins obviously revised the section on baptism, as well as making a number of stylistic changes which I think can best be understood as being tailored to the congregation to which he ministered. Interestingly, Collins also added the text of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds to his catechism. Perhaps this was done to emphasize the continuity of the fledgling Particular Baptist movement with the orthodoxy of the past. The appendix of this document is also interesting from a historical perspective. In it Collins argues for the biblical duty of congregational singing. This was an important development in the late 17th century.
Over the next twenty-two years Collins produced eleven more works, mainly focused on issues of separation with the Church of England and believer’s baptism vs. infant baptism. This is to be expected if we understand the historical context of his ministry and his desire to provide teaching materials to his own congregation and beyond. A couple of other interesting works emerge from his time in the Newgate Prison during 1684. One of these was titled Counsel for the Living Occasioned from the Dead and was written upon the death of two of his fellow prisoners and contains pastoral instruction to those who were likewise experiencing persecution. The other prison work was titled A Voice from Prison which was alternatively Meditations on Revelation 3:11 Tending to the Establishment of God’s Little Flock, in An Hour of Temptation. From this title one can clearly see the pastoral heart of Hercules Collins who was still concerned about the welfare of his congregation while in prison himself!
A final work by Hercules Collins bears mentioning. It was his final work published in the year of his death, 1702. It was descriptively The Temple Repair’ or, An Essay to revive the long-neglected ordinances, of exercising the spiritual Gift of Prophecy for the Edification of the Churches; and of ordaining Ministers duly qualified. This work includes instruction on both preparing and preaching sermons for those who are called by God into the ministry. It provides an excellent glimpse into exactly what a 17th century British Particular Baptist view of ministry was.
Hercules Collins (died 1702), was a Baptist minister.
Hercules Collins was a relatively prolific author for the day in which he lived, authoring at least twelve distinct works. His published material begins with An Orthodox Catechism (1680) which is an edited version of the 16th century Heidelberg Catechism. As a Baptist, Collins obviously revised the section on baptism, as well as making a number of stylistic changes which I think can best be understood as being tailored to the congregation to which he ministered. Interestingly, Collins also added the text of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds to his catechism. Perhaps this was done to emphasize the continuity of the fledgling Particular Baptist movement with the orthodoxy of the past. The appendix of this document is also interesting from a historical perspective. In it Collins argues for the biblical duty of congregational singing. This was an important development in the late 17th century.
Over the next twenty-two years Collins produced eleven more works, mainly focused on issues of separation with the Church of England and believer’s baptism vs. infant baptism. This is to be expected if we understand the historical context of his ministry and his desire to provide teaching materials to his own congregation and beyond. A couple of other interesting works emerge from his time in the Newgate Prison during 1684. One of these was titled Counsel for the Living Occasioned from the Dead and was written upon the death of two of his fellow prisoners and contains pastoral instruction to those who were likewise experiencing persecution. The other prison work was titled A Voice from Prison which was alternatively Meditations on Revelation 3:11 Tending to the Establishment of God’s Little Flock, in An Hour of Temptation. From this title one can clearly see the pastoral heart of Hercules Collins who was still concerned about the welfare of his congregation while in prison himself!
A final work by Hercules Collins bears mentioning. It was his final work published in the year of his death, 1702. It was descriptively The Temple Repair’ or, An Essay to revive the long-neglected ordinances, of exercising the spiritual Gift of Prophecy for the Edification of the Churches; and of ordaining Ministers duly qualified. This work includes instruction on both preparing and preaching sermons for those who are called by God into the ministry. It provides an excellent glimpse into exactly what a 17th century British Particular Baptist view of ministry was.
56 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 14, 2024
Immensely practical guide for preachers. Amazing how relevant his advice is 300+ years later.
August 25, 2024
I read the chapel library kindle version. This is a useful concise study about both gifted brothers (Second London Baptist Confession 26.11) and elders within a Congregational ecclesiology of calling those gifted to preach and teach the word of God. This is a useful historical work for particular baptists to better understand our ecclesiology and Chapter 26 of the Second London Baptist Confession from primary historical resources. Collins gives three basic reasons for the book in his introduction:
"The first thing is this: that the churches which are the schools of Christ may be stirred up to see what spiritual gifts God has given them and put them into their proper exercise. Secondly, that all pastors and teachers would look upon it as their duty to instruct those members who are most capable into the knowledge of gospel mysteries, and (as Paul said to Timothy) commit the same to faithful men, who may be able to teach others also (2Ti 2:2). My third end in making this public is that the members of churches, especially those to whom God has given a good degree of spiritual knowledge, would not always content themselves to be only hearers, but to stir up those gifts in an humble manner, and put them in use for the churches’ edification" (pg. 5)
The end if the book provides some helpful advice to local churches to care for their pastors and mentions some arguments in favor of laying on hands for ordination of officers.
I appreciated how he emphasized the need for spiritually knowledgeable pastors in his days, which is still greatly needed today as he gives this warning to local churches:
"Let the churches be cautioned for the honor of God, the glory of the cause in their hands, and the good of their own souls, against calling to office an ignorant, unlearned, unexperienced person. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth” (Mal 2:7). Pastors are to feed the people “with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). Paul tells the Ephesians when they come to read his writings they should understand his “knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph 3:4). When the blind lead the blind, they both fall into a ditch (Mat 15:14). It was Jeroboam’s sin to make some “of the lowest of the people” priests (1Ki 12:31). But when I say beware of calling unlearned men, I mean such unlearned as Peter speaks of, who wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction (2Pe 3:16). Peter did not mean, by unlearned men, men who lacked human learning; for then, as one says, he must of necessity condemn himself. For he was a man, in the sense of the great council, that lacked this learning (Act 4:13), so that he must lie under that blame which he lays upon others. But to be learned in Peter’s sense was to be taught of God as the truth is in Jesus, and by the Spirit to understand the deep things of God (Eph 4:20-21; 1Co 2:10), and through a saving knowledge of Christ to be well established, in opposition to those unstable ones he speaks of" (pg. 55-56).
He balances this emphasis on spiritual and doctrinal knowledge with the necessary experiential knowledge of pastors to properly shepherd the local church:
"They must be men zealous for the glory of God, sensible of the interest of souls, exemplary to the flock, able to speak experimentallyof the ways of God, of the devices of Satan, and the deceit of lust, and the consequences and results of temptations, and to understand the consolations of the Holy Spirit. [A pastor must be] a person of such able gifts as that he may be apt to teach and speak a word in season, to show a man his uprightness, to convince gainsayers, and to use sound speech which cannot be condemned (1Ti 3:2; Isa 50:4; Job 33:23; Ti 1:11; 2:8). Thus his teaching is to be divine teaching"(pg. 56).
"The first thing is this: that the churches which are the schools of Christ may be stirred up to see what spiritual gifts God has given them and put them into their proper exercise. Secondly, that all pastors and teachers would look upon it as their duty to instruct those members who are most capable into the knowledge of gospel mysteries, and (as Paul said to Timothy) commit the same to faithful men, who may be able to teach others also (2Ti 2:2). My third end in making this public is that the members of churches, especially those to whom God has given a good degree of spiritual knowledge, would not always content themselves to be only hearers, but to stir up those gifts in an humble manner, and put them in use for the churches’ edification" (pg. 5)
The end if the book provides some helpful advice to local churches to care for their pastors and mentions some arguments in favor of laying on hands for ordination of officers.
I appreciated how he emphasized the need for spiritually knowledgeable pastors in his days, which is still greatly needed today as he gives this warning to local churches:
"Let the churches be cautioned for the honor of God, the glory of the cause in their hands, and the good of their own souls, against calling to office an ignorant, unlearned, unexperienced person. “The priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth” (Mal 2:7). Pastors are to feed the people “with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). Paul tells the Ephesians when they come to read his writings they should understand his “knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Eph 3:4). When the blind lead the blind, they both fall into a ditch (Mat 15:14). It was Jeroboam’s sin to make some “of the lowest of the people” priests (1Ki 12:31). But when I say beware of calling unlearned men, I mean such unlearned as Peter speaks of, who wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction (2Pe 3:16). Peter did not mean, by unlearned men, men who lacked human learning; for then, as one says, he must of necessity condemn himself. For he was a man, in the sense of the great council, that lacked this learning (Act 4:13), so that he must lie under that blame which he lays upon others. But to be learned in Peter’s sense was to be taught of God as the truth is in Jesus, and by the Spirit to understand the deep things of God (Eph 4:20-21; 1Co 2:10), and through a saving knowledge of Christ to be well established, in opposition to those unstable ones he speaks of" (pg. 55-56).
He balances this emphasis on spiritual and doctrinal knowledge with the necessary experiential knowledge of pastors to properly shepherd the local church:
"They must be men zealous for the glory of God, sensible of the interest of souls, exemplary to the flock, able to speak experimentallyof the ways of God, of the devices of Satan, and the deceit of lust, and the consequences and results of temptations, and to understand the consolations of the Holy Spirit. [A pastor must be] a person of such able gifts as that he may be apt to teach and speak a word in season, to show a man his uprightness, to convince gainsayers, and to use sound speech which cannot be condemned (1Ti 3:2; Isa 50:4; Job 33:23; Ti 1:11; 2:8). Thus his teaching is to be divine teaching"(pg. 56).
February 17, 2024
Fantastic pastoral theology. Collins encourages churches to bring up and equip men to preach, exhorts minister to study well (through an exposition and application of 2 Tim 2:15), and concludes with a smattering of thoughts for the minister and churches. Well worth the read for anyone in ministry, especially those who preach and teach regularly.
September 26, 2020
Old but gold. Laid out solid grounds for the gospel ministry, gave good counsel on preaching, and ends with exhortation to the churches to honour gospel ministry and ministers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews