An absolutely superb pair of items related to the Baptist Missionary Society.
The first is a complete MSs sermon, preached in 1792, by influential Baptist and founder of the Baptist Missionary Society, John Ryland [1753-1825]. The son of another early Baptist minister, he first preached in 1769, and was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1771. He succeeded his father at the important Northampton church in 1786, and then pastored perhaps the most influential Baptist church of the era, Broadmead Chapel. At the same time, he assumed the Presidency of Bristol Baptist College.
One of the most influential Evangelicals of his day, he counted among his friends John Newton, William Carey, and many others.
The present sermon, preached in 1792, was not chosen by accident, It was preached the year of his instrumentality in the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society. And it was this society whose first two missionaries were John Thomas and, yes, William Carey.
The sermon itself is on the critical agency of the Spirit for the fulfillment of the Great Commission of the Church. It is almost inconceivable that Ryland did not have on his mind the formation of the Missionary Society he was then a part of as he preached these words. And, if I have my timeline correct, Joshua Marshman would have been attending Broadmead Chapel at the time, and therefore present for the sermon. And it would be Ryland who taught Marshman the Hebrew and Greek he would use to such great effect at Serampore.
The second item is a letter from W. Y. Fullerton noting the provenance of the item and its use for the 1892 Centenary of the Baptist Missionary Society.
In very good condition.
