Preaching Deliverance to the Captives: Particular Baptist Sermons on the Abolition of the Slave Trade

by Matthew E. Roe (Editor )

In 1807, the slave trade was abolished throughout the British Empire, the result of a 20-year-long campaign in which both Parliament and the public played an active role. The Particular Baptists significantly contributed to the success of this campaign, advocating for abolition in sermons, petitions and newspapers. Their biggest contribution to the debate was in sermons, five of which were preached and published between 1788 and 1792, and are reproduced, some for the first time since the 18th century, in this book. The role of religion in abolition, and Non-conformist Christians in particular, has been long understated, yet these texts are an indispensable resource for discovering the sentiments not only of Particular Baptists, but of all the abolitionists. In the preface, the wider work of Particular Baptists in opposing the slave trade, through the denominational structure, petitions and publications, is explored. In addition to the five sermons, a hymn of thanksgiving for the slave trade’s abolition, composed by John Rippon in 1807, is reproduced. A biographical sketch of each author is provided, as well as a selection of contemporary reviews of the sermons.

219 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2021

Reviews

[Isaac Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of sermons on the abolition of the English slave trade. Insightful to the original context and many parallels to today’s discussions surrounding race and abortion.

[James Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew E. Roe compiled and edited a great set of sermons here to show what the Particular Baptists (that is Calvinists in England) thought about the slave trade. There are five sermons in total:

1) Slavery Inconsistent with the Spirit of Christianity by Robert Robinson in 1788
2) A Sermon on the African Slave Trade by James Dore in 1788
3) Compassion the Duty and Dignity of Man by John Beatson in 1798
4) Commerce in the Human Species by Abraham Booth in 1792
5) Slavery Inconsistent with True Christianity by John Liddon in 1792

Each sermon is preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the preacher which is super hand to help you understand where it's coming from. Each sermon is also followed by contemporaneous reviews of those sermons so you get a feel for what the whole Particular Baptist movement and British Christians thought of these sermons.

A longer review is in the works and will be posted on my personal blog This Sporadic Life. And added to this review when I have time to do so.

[Stephanie Ridiculous]

I have a lot of thoughts about this collection that I am unfortunately not able to compile in a timely fashion. Maybe I'll come back for a more comprehensive review later.

What I will say is that yes, there are some strong arguments here against slavery, and it's important to recognize the role they played in the abolition that followed. However, these men are still largely rife with racism and white supremacy, and it so it's equally important to not herald them as bastions of progression and justice. Also, the plight of women is totally missing in these arguments for the inherent human rights that are being withheld from enslaved people.

So, this is an interesting read in terms of having a more comprehensive understanding of opinions of the time and the role Particular Baptist played in the end of slavery, but it's not going to be the end all be all of abolition arguments. To be clear, I don't think Roe edited this with that goal - but I just want to be clear that I was largely disappointed by most of these sermons.