Elder Lemuel Potter Defends the Primitive Baptists in a Public Debate with Elder Pence, leading Advocate of the Means Doctrine, at Luray, Virginia, 1890
Ebenezer Association of Virginia, and the Potter and Pence Debate.
The Ebenezer Association convened with Alma Church, Page Co., Va., Friday, August 23, 1890. The introductory sermon was preached by Elder Lemuel Potter, of Indiana, from II. Cor. 4:5. After the introductory, a moderator and clerk were elected, and the meeting adjourned for one hour for refeshments. Some of the "means party" were present, but as they were ignored by the Association, the most of them absented themselves after the first day, and we had no trouble or confusion, but a good, enjoyable season. The preaching was able, sound, and comforting to all lovers of truth. The ministers in attendance were Potter, of Indiana; Taylor, of N. C.; Hess, of Ohio; Frank, of Pa.; Alderton, of W. Va.; and Athey, Menefee, Strickler, and P. W. Yates, of Virginia. The attendance, especially on Saturday and Sunday, was very large, and all were amply provided for by the good people of Page.
During intermission on Friday, Elder Pence, of Kansas, one of the leading men among those who have departed from the doctrine and practice of the Primitive Baptist Church and teachings of the scriptures, challenged Elder Potter for a debate, and although Elder Potter had fully expected and arranged to return to his home early Monday morning, Elder Pence and his party seemed so persistent that Elder Potter agreed to meet Pence in Luray on Monday, August 25, to discuss the following propositions:
First - Do the Scriptures teach God's use of the gospel as a means of the regeneration of sinners? Pence affirms, Potter denies.
Second - Do the Scriptures teach that in the regeneration of the sinner, in all cases, the Holy Spirit operates without the use of the gospel as a means? Potter affirms, Pence denies.
Though Elder Pence claims to be a Primitive, or Regular Old School Baptist, it was clearly demonstrated in this discussion that he did not stand on the Baptist platform, but that he was a full-fledged Arminian both in doctrine and practice, and utterly failed to meet Bro. Potter's arguments. He contended that the gospel is a means in regeneration, and hooted at the idea of the gospel being preached only for a witness, and for the edifying of the body and for the perfecting of the saints, &c., as the Scriptures declare, and which Bro. Potter proved. Such assertions as "a sinner saved without the gospel was saved without Christ," and that the "gospel was the means by which the Spirit was conveyed to the sinner's heart," were made by him, which Bro. Potter showed was a perversion of the Scriptures. Brother Potter challenged him to find a quotation or an intimation in the word of God where the gospel was the power of God to unbelievers, or the unregenerate, or where the righteousness of God was revealed from faith to unbelief, which of course he failed to produce.
Brother Potter quoted John 3:8, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit," and argued that, if every one was thus born of the Spirit, then all who are born of the Spirit must be born in like manner, and consequently could not tell from whence it cometh or whither it goeth, and if it came in the preached gospel, they could tell from whence it came. Numerous passages of Scriptures were quoted by Bro. Potter to prove that the sinner was regenerated by the direct contact or influence of the Spirit, independent of means and instrumentalities, which Elder Pence failed to disprove. Elder Pence tried to make it appear that the anti-means, as he termed them, had departed from the old landmarks, and still they claim that they are trying to get us out of the old ruts, and that our churches are all dying out because we do not believe in means in regeneration, and do not have Sunday-schools, mission boards, female missionaries, &c., &c., to build up our churches. What inconsistency! Do they not know that anyone can see the absurdity and falsity of such a position?
Elder Potter showed that the churches, where the innovations advocated by Elder Pence and his party had not been introduced, were stronger and in a much more prosperous condition than those where those unscrupulous things had been taught and advocated.
The debate was conducted in an orderly, gentlemanly manner, and we feel that the truth was clearly and ably set forth and defended by Bro. Potter, and we trust that the eyes of some may be opened, and that all who profess to be Old Baptists may be of one mind on these important matters, and all strife and division among churches and families, caused by the innovations persisted in by those claiming to be of us, may be healed, and love, peace, and unity prevail throughout our sorrowing Zion.
May the Lord bring peace and concord out of confusion, and cause those who have departed from us, and from the truths they once advocated and defended, to return if they be of us, and of the truth; but if they be not of the truth, and are seeking for popularity and applause of the world, may we be delivered from them. O Lord, manifest thyself to thy people, and enable them to follow thee through evil as well as good report, being steadfast, immovable - always abounding in the work of the Lord, "always giving thanks to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
J. G. Wiltshire.
Elder Lemuel Potter's Introduction to his Account of the Debate on Means
Elder W. T. Pence Affirms that the Scriptures teach that God uses the gospel as a means in the regeneration of sinners
Elder Lemuel Potter Affirms that the Scriptures teach that in the regeneration of sinners the Holy Spirit operates without the use of the gospel as means
Copied from Zion's Advocate for 1890.
