Waddesdon Hill Strict Baptists Commemoration Introduction
Waddesdon Hill Chapel
A warm welcome to you all, you have been invited to commemoration meeting of the Waddesdon Hill Strict Baptists, please join us after the meeting at the Bell Hotel to renew acquaintances and ask questions. You don’t have to be a Strict Baptist to come here just be yourself. There is no toilet so we will make things quick and may be next year have a portable loo.
Inside The Chapel
This building has been looked after very well by its new owners The
Friend of Friendless Churches. It a flight to see it kept so well. Thank you all for those involved. It was built on a hill for all to see I am sure.
The original people who met for worship here were Calvinistic Dissenters. The chapel or church was formed in 1792 by Francis Cox.
To be a dissenter meant they came out of the Church of England. They were Particular Baptists which meant they baptised believers on confession of their faith and did not believe in the Anglican practise of infant baptism. And being Calvinist meant the believed the atonement mad by Jesus was definite and for those chosen in Christ before the world was.
I am the last surviving member of Bierton Strict and Particular Baptists and we to like Waddesdon Hill were Gospel Standard Baptists. Bierton is a small village near Aylesbury.
I remain the last member by default as our Church rules stipulate only the church can terminate one membership either by honourable transfer to another church of the same faith and order or by dishonourable dismissal.
In my case I seceded over mattes of conscience My membership was never terminated by the church.
We commemorate the Waddesdon Hill Church for being faithful in preserving the gospel truths of the Lord Jesus Christ especially the truths of Particular redemption.
My qualifications to express such gratitude is due to my own testimony of conversion from Crime to Christ and how the truths of particular redemption strengthened and encourages me in the way of following Christ.
So to do this I wish to tell you of my conversion from crime to Christ
Tell of my previous history. Tell how the Lord saved me and delivered me from a life of crime and certain further imprisonment.
Tell how I turned my life around and those truths relating to salvation gave me courage and strength and confidence all of which truths Waddesdon Hill Strict and Particular Baptists stood for.
The Story
I was born in oldham Lancashire in 1949 and I have a brother older than me born in 1946 who died of Tuberculosis in prison in the Philippines in 2005.
I recall going to church with my mother and drawing picture also
falling asleep during a soporific sermon.
We moved to Watford very young and got in to mischief.
My mother took me to a Sunday school or church at the age of 11 year old , a congregational church in North Watford and I remember the Easter story and wondered why Jesus did no get down from the cross and confound all his enemies.
Congregational Sunday School
I recall steeling 3 pounds from my mothers purse so I could go to the Fair.
Also stealing radio equipment for my hobby.
We moved to Wilstone in 1962 a move from Watford to a village. I stole a shot gun form a farmer.
Michael got sent to Detention Centre for hitting a boy with a knuckle duster he had made at school. On his release he assaulted a policeman in Tring and got sent back to Detention Centre.
We moved to Aylesbury in 1963 as mum found village life difficult particularly with Michael getting in trouble with the police. It was here I got into trouble stealing bicycles and motor bikes. I was put on probation for garage breaking.
In my last year at school I was give a Saturday job with Mr Knight of Central Bucks T.V. and I meet his wife and she was a Christian she was Mr Grace Knight.
The trouble was she expressed that my life style was wrong and all those things that I found fun and good according to her was sinful. I though she was mad.
You see was in a rock group wanted to explore promiscuity and so on. I had no fear of concern about God at all.
At that time Michael got sent to Borstal and got my first girl friend. I had inherited my brothers scooter and began to mix with the lad in Aylesbury. They all knew Michael and because I was his brother I was accepted by them all.
I met my first real girl friend at the age of 16 at the Aylesbury college dance. I fell in love but it did not last, she finish with me because I had not prospects. She was a High School girl I was a secondary modern graduate with no education.
I found it hard to face life without my girl friend and did not want any other girl. I began to use girls for sex only I did not want a relationship after that.
On Michael’s release from Borstal we teamed up together and was soon arrested. We had used an air gun to take pot shots a passers by as were travel to Margate one bank holiday.
We were arrested for malicious wounding and carrying fire arm without a license . I was sent to Dover borstal and Michael Maidstone Prison.
During my time in Borstal I mocked at all religion. I learned more abut crime I became a Borstal Graduate.
Dover Borstal
On my release I had a three year career of undetected crime. I meet
up with Mrs Knight and her religious views were totally against what I wanted. I wanted the life of sex, drugs, crime you name it- all those things that she told me were wrong in life. I came to the conclusion religion was of cissy people who could not stand on their own two feet.
Michael was due for release from Maidstone prison and wa was coming home on hime leave but he had decided he was not going back as he hated prison. We had planned to go to Cyprus and smuggel gold through all arranged through a concat we had in the prison. It never relalize so Michael went on the run. He changed his name ran a busness got a girl friend and kept clear of the law for a whole year untill he ws arresed on a building site in Pitstone.
On one occassion Paddy Dunn a CD officer forom the Aylesbury police thugh he had caught Michael i the crown pub on Saturday evening and he called out Hay Mike. Michael realised it was a set up and when Paddy Dun came to talk to him he simply siad no I am David I dont know wehre Mick is.
On the 16th January 1970 I had a bad trip on LSD and that night I cried out to God for help. During a my bad trip on LSD I went to the knights home seeking some form of refuge. I asked if I could lay down in the sun chalet that was in the garden at the knight home in Mount Street.
In my agony whilst alone in that chalet, I called out to the Lord to help me I said Jesus Please help Me.
I felt the guilt of the sin of adultery and asked Mrs knight did she know how bad I was and what could I do.
She said for God so locked the world he gave his only begotten son that whoso ever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus spoke to me and said what I had been going through was nothing
compared to what hell was like.
My immediate thought were toward my friends and I asked what about the others ?
He said all I could do was tell them.
I wanted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I wanted to know about everything. I found I did not wish live the life I had lived. I did not have to give up anything I just did not wish to live the life I had once lived.
The next day was Saturday and I told all my friends, Pat Jones. Paddy the knights Mick West and they all wondered.
On Sunday I was taken to church at South Court Baptists and Martin White was preaching and he gave me a copy of the new testament Good News for modern man.
I could hardly read, I was virtually illiterate. The most I had read at the age of 21 was The Dandy and The Beano comics and an Ian Fleming book, in prison, Dr No. So struggling I read the new testament in two weeks and I thought I understood all of it. I did not know what Acts meant but read there who Jesus was and that he died for my sins. I learned this through my own reading not in any church. I say that because I had been to Rickford’s Hill, a 4 Square Gospel church, and never heard that before but I do know that when I attended this church after my conversion it was clearly told that Jesus came in the world to save sinners and his death was the means of removing sin. You see I had attended church but I never heard with the hearing of the ear what was said until I was born again. Then I had ears to hear.
I now knew and was given the answer to my question that I had once asked why didn’t Jesus get down from the cross what they crucified him as he could have done and confound all his enemies.
You see he died for my sins according to the scriptures
I had lots to learn for as I met different Christian people I began to learn the differences of opinion which divided believers. Some were concerned with dress, some talked of the Baptism in the spirit some denied the experience. But I was received well at the Assembles of God church even though I dressed some times in my overalls when I attended the meetings.
On one occasion at a weeknight meeting I was asked to share a testimony of what the lord had done for me that week and I told them how I had handled a temptation.
I had a problem with my car battery and needed a new one. And the natural thing to me would have been to go a steal one form another car. So on this occasion it came to me stop off at Adam’s Garage, in Aylesbury, climb the wall and take one out of a new car there and you are sorted. So I objected to this and felt it a temptation of the Devil so I turned as said firmly Bugger Off Satan and so he left me and I did not yield to that sin.
Can you imagine there I was standing in my overalls explaining how I had resisted a temptation tell how the Lord had help me to rest evil and using language which was inappropriate.
After the meeting a very kind senior man came up to me, or so I am told and gently said that kind of language was in really suitable to use in church of anywhere come to that matter. But I did not realised I had said anything inappropriate at the time but friend can tell you about this to this day.
It was about that time that the same man, his name was Cyril Bryan, that gently told me off for using bad language, informed me of the value of the Authorised or King James bible and how modern translations were unreliable and omitted certain things that related to the Deity of Christ. I realised this was true and so I adopted and learned to read the King James Bible.
Now this was a good move because learning the English in the Authorised Vision not only Improved my English but equipped me to read books by John Bunyan, Calvin Dr Gill, and all the reformers for all then good writings were written in the language of the Authorised Version.
It also trained my mind and prepared me for higher education for I was then able to go on and become a lecturer and taught over 20 years as a lecturer.
I was not impressed by the idea you dress up to go to church as I knew God see’s you as you are. It was man who was concerned with the outward appearance- and still is - but I was not. One on Sunday morning I was Mrs Knights home and there were several of my friends doing nothing, Mick Clarke Clifford Atley Paul Mitchell and a couple more so I decided I should take them to church to hear the gospel.. I persuaded them to come and were went to Granville Street
The communion cup passed us by. I felt exceeded and that they had judge me by an outward appearance.
I expected some one to baptise me but no on did. And so in my wish to follow Christ as best I could I went to the Fleet Street Pentecostal Church and learned they were to baptise some new converts. So I asked too be baptised. I felt disappointed because the scripture state they believer should command new converted to be baptised - no one told me to get baptised so I had to ask for myself. This was done at 7.30 am at Limes Avenue Baptist Church and my friends came along to witness.
I learned the gospel through reading the bible and a range of Christian literature and listening to Christians talk.
I had loads of stolen goods in my possession and felt it wrong to use or dispose of the goods. Cars, speedboat engines, television, builders
Shed, test equipment, spray guns compressors and so on.
I had swapped a Colour T.V. set which I had stolen from Red field’s Old Peoples Home in Winslow for a Citroen DS car and that was in my garage, the one we had stolen from a building site in Berkhampstead.
Remember after I was converted I told Mick West about my conversion and he then was terrified that I might confess to the Police. As I could not use the goods I had a gave the car back to him however nine months later one of his enemies told the police he had this stolen Colour T.V. and when then police came to see me about it I used the occasion to tell them about all my stolen gear. And that is why I went to courts and the new paper reported Why he confessed to 24 crimes.
There was a range of Christian beliefs all contrary to one another. I Study the scripture and Christian Literature.
I soon realised the truths I began to believe were at odds with many professing Christians. I was told by Tommy Thompson that I was a Calvinist and soon realised the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism.
I learned that I stood before God and was viewed by him as a righteous man because of the righteousness of Christ.
I learned that God was sovereign over all his works of creation and salvation that nothing comes to pass in our lives without good reason and that all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purposes.
I was the time of the hippies and there was a moment of young believers going around with stickers saying smile God loves you. I felt this inappropriate for I knew the scripture clearly taught God did not love every one all the same. For example it was written Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated. It would have been more accurate to put on a
sticker God is angry with the wicked all Day. And so I needed to educate my self in all these things.
I spent three years reading and learning what the bible actually taught and gradually the began to see the greatness and wonder of God’s grace and all those attributes that glorifies God in the work of saving sinners from them selves throughout the work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Of God, His word, names and perfections and persons. This Included the omnipotents, omniscience and omnipresence and realizing the deity of Christ and his eternal sonship. Jesus was the word of God become man. Before his incarnation he was always one with the Father, before the creation of the world and at the incarnation he took to himself our humanity born of the virgin mother was of the tribe if Judah and fulfilled all that was foretold in the scriptures concerning himself as the messiah, he was the Christ the Son of the living God.
I learned of Gods love, grace mercy, wisdom and long suffering. How these perfections shine brightly when th gospel is understood.
I saw and learned of the grace of Christ in his humiliation and exaltation in the offices and exercise of them.
I learned about the spiritual blessings of grace and the doctrines of grace. Which included predestination and election of some men to salvation.
The distinctions between the Law as in Moses and the Gospel as in Christ. I learned that the Jewish people were chosen by God and under Moses to be a type of the true Israel of God consisting of Jews and Gentile making no distinction between men and race.
I learned of the end of the jewish age and the realization of the New
Jerusalem, the City of the God, as spoken of in the book of Hebrews and Revelation which is all about the destruction of old Jerusalem her Temple and the Jewish age.
Great light
It was these truths that brought great light to me and I began to see the greatness and Goodness of God as displayed in the whole council of God . That is the Doctrines of Grace.
I realised that we were encouraged to join together with other believers and by this time I had learned that Bierton Particular Baptists believed the truth about God and his ways and so I felt it the right thing to do to join them as a members in 1976.
The Bierton Church were Friends with Waddesdon Hill Strict and Particular Gospel Standard Baptists.
I was called by the Lord and sent by the Church to preach.
Troubles and Difficulties a normal thing
Despite the troubles trials an difficulties that we met. My failings and falls the Lord delivered me from out of all those hurtful and the harm I experience and caused others.
I met opposition from those who opposed the Gospel Standard articles of religion and had to deal with that as best I could.
Michael Goes his Own Way
I had graduated with a Certificate in Education awarded by Birmingham University in 1978 and taught electronics of many years and in 1996 I heard on a news broadcast the I.T.N. new that Michael had been arrested in the Philippines and later sentenced to a 16 year ten in New Bilibid Prison. I was shocked and horrified and felt he was stupid and served him right for his actions. I felt no mercy towards him and did not know the nature of his crime but knew it was not good. I knew he had been involved in promoting the sex trade in the Philippines and had warned him of his wayward ways but he had ignored me. He had got what was coming to him.
Books Sign In
It was then I felt compelled to write my book using the headline news as published in the Bucks Herald Converted on LSD Trip with a subtitle Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated. This was because I have seen how the Lord had deliver me from my wayward life and left my brother to himself.
He wrote to me telling his story and always protested his innocence but I had no ears to hear.
He told me how ill he was, losing his teeth, getting thinner and had no hope for the future. He wanted to be dead but fear death and hell. He felt he could never be loved or love again and was at the end of himself. He was in a bad way and of course I felt for him.
The good news was In 1999 he wrote again telling me of a great change that had taken place. He had read C.S. Lewis book mere Christianity and was convinced Jesus was the Christ the son of the living God. I was delighted and wrote back immediately to get a believer to baptise him and he did in an old US Army Oil drum.
Michael Is Baptised
Michael too like me in my early day began to read the scripture him self, various Christian groups and be to learned the doctrines of grace and realise the reality of Particular Redemption.
In 2001 Gordon Smith went on a mission to bring assistance to Michael and share our story with prisoners in New Bilibid Prison. We were impressed at the good work of reformation that was being done among prisoners teaching them selves the gospel.
I took 8 copies of my book to the Philippines giving copies to the Director of the prison the Undersecretary of Justice and a reserved copy for the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Michael and Lucas Dangatan’s Men NBP
On that mission Michael and requested 100 men to write their testimonies of their conversion from crime to Christ and it was then we decided to form the first ever Teacher Training College within a Maximum Security prison.
For the next year Michael and I along with Lucas Dangatan, a former inmate, worked on our project and we published our book, Trojan Warriors, outlining the whole of our vision along with 66 testimonies some of Asia’s most notorious criminals who had turned from crime to follow Christ.
In August 2002 we sent our first Trojan warrior back to his own city to evangelise Baguio and Benguet Provincial jails. And his work continues to this day.
The point I want to make is that the teaching of God ways as told
though the doctrines of the grace of God were those truths that steered me and my brother Michael though all those difficulties we meet in life. The teaching of particular redemption meant that my sins were actually paid for when Jesus died, all of them past, present and future. When Jesus cried in his death ‘It is finished’ the price was paid the debts were dealt with and so it was for all those chosen in him from before the world. I knew that I had been chosen to obtain salvation and that the Lord Jesus had done all that was necessary for my mine and our salvation.
It was free, a free gift that I did not deserve. And so it is for all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. These were the truth that had help Michael and I. Were we both criminals but had been converted from crime to Christ and now wished to share this good news with all we could. We knew with a right understanding of who the lord Jesus Christ is, and a knowledge of the gospel, any person having seen with the eye of faith the perfections of God and His ways in Christ, that person ; it does not matter how bad their past, In Christ they are new creatures and
sons and daughter of the living God. And if God be for them who can be against them and prosper.
My Conclusions and Recollections
My first recollection of Jesus was when I was 9 or 10 years old when he was being crucified. I did not know why he died and why he did not get down from the cross and wondered why he let them crucify him.
I learned the answer to why this was when I read the scriptures my self at the age of 21 after my conversion.
I also recall the dying words of Jesus
Again through my own reading of the scriptures at that time I read of the dying words of Jesus. How ever I had no one to tell me what this meant at that time . I haste since had to learn my self since. It was Jesus telling the future of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, just 40 years after his death.
Luke 23 verse 28. But Jesus turning unto them said , Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, behold , the days are coming , in the which they shall say , Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare , and the paps which never gave suck . 30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
I have realised very few people, scholars have seen these things and
many have misunderstood the book of Revelation, that is why I have republish James Stuart Russell’s book The Parousia and recommend Don K. Preston’s Book Who is they Babylon.
Now these be the truths taught here in this chapel since 1792 and for this reason we can be thankful for the church who once meet here and preserved the truth of particular redemption for this is where the gospel was preached from 1792 to 1976 and now declared again this day 16th August 2014.
Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.
Now to sum up Waddesdon Hill Particular Baptists taught the doctrines of grace in terms of particular redemption, these are very truths that gave me direction and support throughout my conversion from crime to Christ.
These be the truths that gave my brother Michael the help and direction he needed when he believed the gospel in New Bilibid Prison and it was and is our desire and to help train converted criminals to teach those truths, on their release from prison, when they return to their own cites , towns and villages.
This also is the motivation in telling this whole story as a punk opera to be performed in prisons of the UK and encourage converted prisoners in UK prison the same truths, as these truths with keep them on the straight and narrow and also any who believe and follow Jesus Christ.
End.
At the end of this talk the hears will be able to ; 1 State the purpose of the meeting
2 Recall the history of who David Clarke and state who he is. 3 Tell the story of his conversion.
4 Tell why he joined the Bierton Chapel and their relationship with
Waddesdon Hill Baptists.
4 State the value of the doctrines of grace in David’s life 5 Recall that these truths are classic Calvinism
State how these truths empowered both David and Michael in their work in the Jails of the Philippines.
Summarise what Particular Baptists believe
Explain the meaning of terms used by Strict and Particular Baptist and thier terms ie.
Bible the preservation the belief in the Bible Sovereignty of God in creation and salvation The person of Jesus Christ
Predestination
Election, Justification, Imputed Righteousness Growth in grace
Heaven and Hell
———————
Recall Billy Graham 1982 event and Waddesdon Hill Chapel Association of Strict Baptists London and the sale of the chapel My visit to London
I offer to buy the chapel
I can’t use and they won’t sell me the chapel What happened ?
Bierton lapses in to general redemption Sticks to old traditions
I withdraw from the church over the lapse in teaching Particular
Contents
Waddesdon Hill Strict Baptists Commemoration 1
Introduction 1
Why We Are Here 1
Ancient Beautiful Building and landmark in history. 1
Who were Waddesdon Hill Strict and Particular Baptists ?
2
Who am I ? My credentials 2
Why Commemorate Waddesdon Hill Strict Baptists 2
What is my Personal Indebtedness 2
What is the Method of telling the Story 2
The Story 3
My Birth in Oldham 3
Early Years In Oldham 3
Our move to Watford 3
Stealing items 4
Our move to Wilstone 4
Our Move to Aylesbury 4
I meet Mrs Knight and Christians 4
Michael Sent to Borstal 5
First Girl Friend 6
Michael Released for Borstal 6
Our arrest 6
My release 6
Michael Escapes From Prison 7
Bad Trip on LSD 7
I Called On The Name Of The Lord 7
Mrs Knight Came to Help 7
What About The Others 8
The First thing I did 8
I Tell them All 8
Why Jesus Had to Die 8
I Learned the way 9
Bugger Off Satan 9
Authorised Version of the Bible 9
I ask to be Baptised 10
I Learn to Read 10
A Confession To The Police 10
Range of Beliefs 11
Justification 11
Predestination 11
Smile God Loves You 11
I Educate My Self 12
I Join the Bierton Particular Baptists 13
Waddesdon Hill Strict Baptists 13
Bierton Becomes a Gospel Standard Cause. 14
Michael Goes his Own Way 14
Jump Forward to 1996 Michael’s Arrest 14
Jacob Have I loved 15
C.S. Lewis 15
Doctrines of Grace 16
Mission to the Philippines 16
Teacher Training College 17
Sending William Poloc 17
Important Point 18
My Conclusions and Recollections 19
Jesus’s words 19
Summery and Conclusion 20
Specific objectives 20
Basic Tenets 21
Bible the preservation the belief in the Bible 21
Sovereignty of God in creation and salvation 21
The person of Jesus Christ 21
Predestination 21
Election, Justification, Imputed Righteousness 21
Growth in grace 21
Heaven and Hell 21
Further Notes 21
I leave the Bierton Church 21