William Calmes Buck: A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

While in Columbus, Mississippi, William Calmes Buck wrote "A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists" which was then published by McDowell & Kimbrough, Columbus, Mississippi in 1854.  This book was actually two sermons.  Each sermon was said to be three hours long!  It appears that Wm. C. Buck delivered these sermons in response to a sermon delivered by a local pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  He then edited his sermons for a wider audience.

The book begins with a quote from Psalms 23.23:  “Buy the Truth and Sell it not”.  Wm. C. Buck then wrote “This is a divine aphorism; teaching the superior value of TRUTH above all other human attainments of possessions.  I adopt it as an inspired maxim, and lay it down as the foundation of the discourses which I am to deliver before you this day.  I have not quoted the text for exegesis, but as an exemplar to be followed and imitated in all that I may say.” 

Wm. C. Buck was adamantly against pedobaptism and pedobaptists (which he always wrote as Pedo baptists and Pedo baptism) and much of his sermon and book argue against pedobaptism.   

Pedobaptism is the practice of baptizing infants whereas Wm. C. Buck believed only in credobaptism; that is, a believer’s baptism.  This belief put him strongly opposed to Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists and many other religions. 

Wm. C. Buck goes into some detail to point out that the first Christians were baptized believers and therefore essentially the first Baptists.  Pedobaptism developed centuries later (amazing that he could even find some of his references and sources). 

"A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists" is an extremely difficult book to read and must have been virtually impossible to follow as a sermon.

Wm. C. Buck ends his book with “I say in all earnestness, to all who truly love our Lord Jesus Chris; do you not know that infant baptism – infant sprinkling, is an invention of ‘the man of sin’, a tradition of the papacy and the mark of the Apocalyptic Beast?  Why not abandon this pernicious heresy, and take the Word of God, alone, for the rule of your faith and practice; upon which we may all meet ‘in the unity of the Spirit and the bonds of peace’.”

William Calmes Buck: Extracts from The Philosophy of Religion

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

William Calmes Buck wrote his "The Philosophy of Religion" in 1856 while he was pastor at the Baptist Church in Columbus, Mississippi.  It was published in 1857 by South-Western Publishing House, Graves, Marks & Company, Nashville, Tennessee.

"The Philosophy of Religion" begins with a chapter entitled “Introductory Essay”.

“That department of Philosophy which is designated by the technical term, Theology, seems to have received but little attention, as a subject of pure science, on the part of those who have modernly professed to write and speak upon the subject. Few readers, on opening a modern work on Theology, would understand them­selves as opening a scientific work—a work professing to treat upon the most sublime and important depart­ment of the science of Philosophy. The word, theology, as modernly used and understood by the many, conveys no idea of science; it is understood, merely, as import­ing a system of didactics in religion, and too often a merely controversial treatise. Some twelve or eighteen months since, I was in company with two learned doc­tors and two learned members of the bar; when, in answer to an inquiry made by one of the gentlemen, I was explaining some point in Theology, the senior phy­sician turned to the others and remarked with surprise: “Why, Theology is a profoundly philosophic science!  I never thought of it in that light before, and I am re­solved to study it."  His surprise was not diminished, however, when I told him that, if he would look into his dictionary, he would find that the term theology, technically indicated that department of philosophy which treats of the existence, the attributes and govern­ment of God.”

A modern (2018) definition of theology from Merriam-Webster dictionary is “the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially: the study of God and of God's relation to the world”.

After the introduction, "The Philosophy of Religion" contains seventeen chapters:

1. Justification                      
2. The Mediatorial Reign                                                                                                             
3. Man’s Relation to the Mediatorial Government    
4. The Person of Christ – The Son of Man                                                                
5. The Holy Spirit                                                                                                            
6. The New Birth                  
7. Belief – Faith                    
8. Confession:  A Doctrine                
9. Hope                   
10. Justify – Pardon – Forgive             
11. Good Works      
12. Chosen – Elected – Ordained – Predestinated       
13. The Resurrection and Final Judgment       
14. The Kingdom of Heaven – The Kingdom of God;  or, the Church and its Economy
15. Baptism                             
16. The Lord’s Supper
17. Supplementary Essay.

The “Supplementary Essay” begins

“As the topics which it is proposed to discuss in this Essay, do not, in a strict sense, pertain to the Philosophy of Religion, I have deemed it most appropriate to treat of them under a separate head; but as they are so intimately, not to say inseparably, connected with Didactic Theology, it seemed to me and to others, that the work on the Philosophy of Religion would be essentially defective, were these important topics not treated of in connection with it; hence the Essay is added, by way of supplement.”

William Calmes Buck: Publications

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

William Calmes Buck was the author or editor of

• “The Baptist Banner and Pioneer”, Louisville, Kentucky, 1839 – 1850.
• "The Baptist Hymn Book", J. Eliot & Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1842.
• "The Baptist Hymn Book", revised and enlarged, 42nd edition, G. H. Monsarrat & Co., Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
• "The Slavery Question", Harney, Hughes & Hughes, Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
• "A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists", McDowell & Kimbrough, Columbus, Mississippi, 1854.
• "The Philosophy of Religion", South-Western Publishing House, Graves, Marks & Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1857.
• “The Science of Life”, 1858.
• “Are You a Backslider?”, A Tract for the Army, 1861.
• “Confession, A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy”, ca 1861 – 1865.

William Calmes Buck: Newspaper Clippings

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

A few newspaper clippings about William Calmes Buck:

William Calmes Buck: Texas

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

After the Civil War, William Calmes Buck moved to Waco, Texas along with several of his children and extended family.  Some of his family arrived in Waco as early as 1865   but Wm. C. Buck did not get to Waco until 1866.  To get to Waco, the Bucks traveled by boat down the Mississippi through New Orleans to Galveston.  From Galveston, they traveled by rail to the railhead at Millican near Bryan, Texas and then by wagon to Waco.  

During the Civil War, friends of Wm. C. Buck had protected his ownership of property in Louisville by paying the taxes. Wm. C. Buck sold this property and bought a house and 200 acre farm near Waco.  His daughter, Emma, said she was thrilled to find that the four room house had glass windows.  However, the house did not have beds or a stove and furnishings as well as supplies and foods were difficult to obtain for a long time.

Wm. C. Buck was said to be about 5’ 7” tall, weigh about 175 pounds and to be very strong.  For most of his life, he did not have a beard but allowed his beard to grow in his old age.

The 1870 census shows him as the head of household and gives his occupation as "Minister of the Gospel". 

William Calmes Buck died on May 18, 1872 at the age of 81 in Waco, Texas of a cancer on his face.  He was buried in Old First Street Cemetery, Waco, Texas.  His tombstone is in the shape of a pulpit!

William Calmes Buck: The Civil War

(Continuing posts about William Calmes Buck)

Although in his 70s during the Civil War, Wm. C. Buck served as a travelling chaplain, at his own expense,  to various Confederate Army sites and hospitals.  At first, his son, Silas, traveled with him but Silas soon joined the 12^th Mississippi Cavalry. 

During the Civil War, Wm. C. Buck wrote, published and distributed two pamphlets:

• “Are You a Backslider?”
• “Confession, A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy”.

“Are You a Backslider” was a tract published for the army.  It begins with a question:  “Did you once profess allegiance to Christ, assume to be a Christian and unite yourself to the people of God in church relation?”  and closes with “… let me entreat you to read it prayerfully and carefully.”

“Confession, A Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel Economy” was printed about the same time as “Backslider” and begins with a statement:  “All agree that faith is an essential doctrine of the gospel; but few seem to regard confession as holding so prominent a position in the great economy of grace.”  In his typical approach, Wm. C. Buck defines terms, refers to original Greek words and invokes various scriptures.  In closing, he asks “Have you honored the law of God by an ingenuous and prayerful confession of your sins to him who only can forgive?”

After the war ended, the Mississippi Baptist State Convention established the Confederate Orphans’ Home of Mississippi to care for the orphans of Confederate soldiers.  On November 10, 1864, Wm. C. Buck wrote to his sons from Lauderdale Springs:

I shall likely be stationed here for some time as the missionary to the Hospital or a Chaplain to Genl Superintendent of the Mis. Orphans Home.  The Bap. State Convention, which met at Crawfordsville lately resolved to raise $6000000 for the establishment of an Orphans Home for the children of the soldiers of this State.  They are about to purchase the Lauderdale Springs property for that purpose, and they have elected me to be Chaplain and Gen. Superintendent.  If they succeed in making the purchase, I shall immediately bring your sister over and settle there.  All however is as yet uncertain as to the purchase.

The Rev. T. C. Teasdale was appointed to raise funds for the Orphans Home.  He was able to secure enough money to purchase Lauderdale Springs which had been a hotel prior to the war.  Wm. C. Buck was temporarily placed in charge of the Home and children began to arrive.  Later, Professor Simeon Sebastian Cranberry of Mississippi College became permanent superintendent.