Benjamin Keach (1640–1704) was one of the most influential theologians and pastors in Particular Baptist history. His life and ministry in England were marked by a resolve to proclaim the Word of God, for the people of God, unto the glory of God. His burning heart for the gospel was inextinguishable. From early in his ministry, Keach obeyed Paul’s words to Timothy: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tm. 4:2). Keach experienced tumultuous times during the Restoration of the 1660s. Yet his ministry proved to be as expansive as it was multifaceted. He not only preached the Word with his voice, he also published its truths with his pen. He has been deemed both an effective preacher and a productive penman. Keach interpreted the advent of the printing press and the advancements that followed as a means to pastor his flock and the broader church. Consequently, he became one of the most prolific publishing pastors in the seventeenth century. It is the goal of this post to briefly present the authorship of Benjamin Keach as a vital part of his pastoral practice. First, a short survey of Keach’s authorial forms will be considered. Second, a few of his pastoral motives for writing will be assessed. Finally, some applications will be given for today’s pastors as they evaluate their own ministries, congregations, and the glory which belongs solely to Christ the Lord.
A Variety of Authorial Forms
It is imprudent to attempt to provide an exhaustive list of every form Keach employed in his writing. Therefore, the following section will only provide a general review of Keach’s sermon publication, a single confession of faith, and his more unique works of allegory, poetry, and hymnody.
Keach’s sermons constitute the majority of his publications. Austin Walker notes that these works emerged from sermons he preached on the Lord’s Day and, occasionally, at other venues.[1] Often upon request from his congregation at Horselydown, Keach would compile his manuscripts from a series of sermons, and then lightly edit them for ease of reading. Keach viewed this task as tending to his pastoral duties of preaching and teaching the flock under his care. His high view of preaching led him to publish a total of roughly two hundred sermons by the end of his life in 1704.[2] Some examples of these sermons turned books are The Marrow of True Justification (1692), The Everlasting Covenant (1693), A Golden Mine Opened (1694), The Display of Glorious Grace (1698), and An Exposition of the Parables (1701). These sermons will come under consideration below when Keach’s motives for writing are evaluated in detail.
An objection to Keach’s practice may arise at this point. Do the publications of his own sermons suggest an underlying intention of self-promotion? It is true that a man must spiritually discern his ambition, and Benjamin Keach surely battled his flesh until the day of his death. But the evidence suggests that his intentions in writing so prolifically were spiritual, pastoral, and pure. In the preface to The Everlasting Covenant he commented, “Though the substance of what is herein contained you have heard from the pulpit, yet I am persuaded it will not be unpleasing to you to see [emphasis added] those great truths presented to your view from the press.”[3] Here one finds that Keach’s aim fell short of self-promotion. He fixed his eyes on Christ and his own usefulness in His kingdom. Keach believed in the power of the human senses. The senses are instrumental in a person’s learning and experience of the truth. Preaching appeals primarily to the ear. Writing appeals to the eyes. Keach perceived that the visual element of the written word served to further cement deep truths in the hearts and minds of his people.
In addition to his sermons, Keach also published his church’s articles of faith. He observed that the majority of the people under his care were unlearned in orthodox Christianity. He sought to remedy this through the printing of affordable confessions and catechisms. Not only did he teach the truth to his people verbally, he also documented their common statement of faith in order to warmly encourage their long-lasting biblical literacy.[4] At the time of its publication, Keach knew his remaining time was short. He did not know “how soon [he] may put off [his] tabernacle.”[5] So, he committed himself to this task. His love for the people compelled him to leave them access to biblically grounded articles of their own faith.
Keach tinkered with the genres of allegory, poetry, and hymnody as well in his writing. His most widely read allegory was The Travels of True Godliness. In this work, Keach addressed the errors of several popular teachers in his day. He wished to uncover the implications of these false teachings and their effects upon the ordinary Christian.[6] While the work was not as popular and engaging as Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, it did achieve some publicity by connecting with the broad audience for whom it was intended. As for his poems and hymns, many of them lacked artistic flair and pleasant meter. His variation of genre, however, afforded Keach a unique opportunity to communicate Scripture to those outside his immediate purview.[7] Having reviewed some of Keach’s authorial forms, it is fitting now to examine a few of the pastoral motives that informed his authorship.
Pastoral Motives
Keach’s writings had a consistent pastoral tincture. His motivations are observable by studying the forewords of his various works. His opening epistolary notes often indicated his authorial intent. Some of his most obvious motivations were shepherding, evangelism, education, polemics, and worship. These motives will be expounded in this section. The study of his shepherding motive runs downstream to his other purposes of evangelism, education, polemics, and worship.
Shepherding
As Keach labored with his pen, he did so with a shepherd’s heart. The man was bent on preaching and teaching the Word of God for the good of Christ’s church, and he persisted in keeping a watchful eye on “all the flock” (Acts 20:28). In his dedication of The Glory of a True Church, he stated that the work was written specifically to Baptist congregations and “especially to that under my care.”[8] Herein lies a hint of Keach’s pastoral aim in his writing. He went on to say concerning the nature of this pastoral work, “[The pastor] must be faithful and skillful to declare the mind of God, and diligent therein also to preach ‘in season and out of season,’ God having committed unto him the ministry of reconciliation, a most choice and sacred trust.”[9] While writing goes unmentioned here, it is simple enough to deduce—given Keach’s own practice—that he saw writing as a legitimate pastoral means of declaring the mind of God.
Further proof of this shepherding motive is found in The Marrow of True Justification. In its introduction, Keach said that he was “prevailed with” by some of his congregants to publish these two sermons.[10] He readily admitted that the printing of these sermons was for his people.[11] He sensed the burden of pasturing Christ’s sheep for whom he would give an account. So, Keach felt obliged to meet his peoples’ request.
His two sermons on justification were not the only sermons for which he was “prevailed with” by his listeners. Beginning A Golden Mine Opened—a compilation of almost forty sermons—Keach invoked the same verbiage:
It was the least of my thoughts, when I had preached the greatest part of the ensuing sermons, once to suppose they should ever be published to the world. But through some of your important requests and desires, I was prevailed with [emphasis added], many of you so readily and unexpectedly subscribing to take off so great a number of them.[12]
Keach did not publish his sermons for acclaim and attention. Evidently, those who heard his sermons at the Horselydown church were helped enough by them that they wished to see them propagated through print.
Evangelism
In connection with the shepherding basis of his writing, Keach sought to be evangelical even with his pen. In his Exposition of the Parables he stated that one of the main benefits of preaching the parables of Jesus was their unveiling of the gospel of the kingdom. One of his principal reasons for compiling this massive work on the parables was to aid in teaching “the weak” the meaning of them.[13] He aspired to open the floodgates of truth for those living in ignorance. Thinking on the nature of Christ’s parabolic teaching, Keach remarked,
Were the duties of morality, or the rules of a godly life, kept secret from the foundation of the world, until our Saviour came? No, certainly, for the law of the Lord is perfect in that great case; but they were the mysteries of the gospel, or the mysteries of our salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, which He mainly designed to instruct us in, by speaking his parables.[14]
Keach set his heart upon communicating those “mysteries of the gospel” when he published these sermons. He frequently extended the free offer of the gospel and wished to employ the tool of books to cast that seed even further than his own congregation. In this, Keach found he was obeying the Pauline charge to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tm. 4:5).
Education
Keach desired to teach his people the robust theology of the whole Bible. His goal in writing confessions and (especially) catechisms was not to generate robotic zealots who possessed no individuality. Nor was it to turn every congregant into a heartless tinman.[15] Rather he wished to equip individuals and families with the truth of the Bible in a way accessible for them. His eye to the future drove him to provide these works for fathers and mothers seeking to raise their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
Besides his sermons, Keach added this pastoral remark in the Articles of Faith: “All that I shall say more, is to entreat you to labour after holiness … that as you have a good doctrine, you may also have a holy and good [manner of life].”[16] What does this tell of Keach’s objective in educating his people? He clearly did not wish to produce loveless theologians. On the contrary, he desired that their sound doctrine be married with an affectionate life.
His work in The Glory of a True Church exemplifies this educational motive as well. Walker points out that Keach published this book to teach his congregation the summation of the pastoral work.[17] The people needed a deeper knowledge of the biblical ecclesiology presented in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.[18] He was fervent about leading his people to not only confess true facts, but also to open to them the hermeneutical foundation and principles for finding those truths in the Scriptures.
In The Marrow of True Justification, he gave seven reasons for initially preaching on the key Protestant doctrine. His second reason stands out in point of his educational tendencies as a pastor:
I fear many good Christians may not be so clearly and fully instructed into this doctrine as they ought, or it might be wished they were, though they be rightly built upon the true foundation, or upon that precious Cornerstone God hath laid in Zion, yet are but babes in Christ, and therefore need further instruction, for their establishment in this, and other essentials of the true Christian religion.[19]
Keach ached for his people to grow up “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). He pursued Christ’s sheep so that he might help bring them safely to their heavenly home. This was highly influential in his didactic approach to preaching and, therefore, writing.
Polemics
His polemical motivations are related to his educational thrust in preaching and writing. Keach’s third reason for preaching and publishing The Marrow of True Justification was locally conditioned. He said, “The present times are perilous, and many grand errors in and about this great fundamental point too much abound and prevail, (as many have with grief observed of late,) and that too in and about this city.”[20] He was cognizant of the error espoused in his particular city. He wrote against the Baxterians, the Antinomians, and the Papists in England. This reveals that Keach was informed of his own cultural-theological context. His polemical approach to these issues ensured that his people—and the broader church—understood the dangerous pitfalls into which some influential preachers in London fell. In this Keach sought to spare the flock of God from the same errors.
Worship
Every pastor worth his salt longs to exalt Christ in all he does in service to the church. He also longs for the pure worship of the church under his care. Keach was no exception. In Tropologia—the closest publication to a form of his systematic theology—he wrote,
And now reader, thou mayest perceive that what I have received, I am willing to communicate. Talents must not be hid in napkins. And that this compilation may bring glory to God, advantage to thee, and to the church of Christ in general, even for ages to come, is, and shall be the constant prayer of him, who is willing to serve thee in the work of the Gospel for Christ’s sake.[21]
Keach—not seeking to embellish his talents—knew he was gifted to some degree in writing. He recognized that talents such as his “must not be hid in napkins.” Thus, he prayed for the Lord’s blessing upon his writing that his own congregation and the church in general might be given an interpretive advantage in their study of the Scriptures. But his ultimate target was doxology. In other words, he labored with his pen to the glory of God alone. How might today’s pastors learn from these Keachean motivations for writing? It is time to now consider some applications.
Applications
The apostle John repeated the phrase “I am writing” seven times in the opening chapters of his first epistle. He repeated this phrase frequently to communicate to his readers the purpose for his writing. He took up this statement again at the end of his epistle. John said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13; emphasis added). John’s intentions were deeply pastoral. His aim was gospel assurance. This implicitly supports the idea that pastoral writing was not unique to Benjamin Keach. He was not the first pastor to write in order to advance his pastoral work amongst the brethren. But what are some things that pastors today must do to undertake the work of pastoral writing effectively?
First, a pastor must consider his abilities. Keach’s success as a writer should not be diminished, but it is evident that he occasionally stretched beyond his own abilities. He perhaps wrote more hymns and poems than necessary. A pastor must know the limitations of his gifts. Being a skilled sermon writer does not mean a man will write hymns and poetry well. It might be that writing is not a tool he is skilled in at all. He must, therefore, seek to be useful in other ways that are equally valid. Pastors must recognize that the goal is not to be the Bunyan or Piper of their people. They are called to operate in the gifts which the Lord has graciously given them. The express duties of a pastor are to preach and shepherd. Writing and publishing must not be viewed as a requirement to fulfill the ministry call. Nor should it be deemed a gift that is higher than men gifted and suited differently.
Second, before a pastor takes up his pen (or keyboard), he must consider his own heart. Benjamin Keach is a good example of success and failure in this area. For the majority of his writings, his pure motives shine through. But there were occasions in which he failed to kill his pride before spilling ink (e.g. Keach’s rebuttals of Marlow in the hymn singing controversy). Writing pastors must guard against a vindictive kind of penmanship. Writing is a tool to feed the flock, not one’s ego. It is an instrument to defend the sheep from wolves, not to defend oneself the moment any degree of criticism arises. This is a serious danger especially for young ministers. What is the pastor’s purpose in writing? Is it for Christ and His Bride? He must ask the Lord to kill any form of pride in his heart and be willing to confess, repent, and look to Christ when evil seeks to destroy him.
Third, a pastor must consider his own congregation. Benjamin Keach was devoted to writing in such a way that the church at Horselydown would be benefited and helped. A writing pastor should choose his subjects for writing carefully. In fact, if he seeks to discern the needs of his people in his preaching, then he would do well to begin his authorial endeavors by putting those sermons in print. He must have his pastoral finger on the spiritual pulse of his congregation. Of course, this should not prevent him from preaching the whole counsel of God, but this will protect a pastor from writing over the heads of his people.
Fourth, a pastor seeking to publish biblical truths for his people must seek the Holy Spirit’s help through much prayer. Keach is another good example of this practice. In his preface to An Exposition of the Parables he wrote,
And (considering that the parables contain the substance of our Saviour’s ministry, and the profound mysteries couched therein,) the sense of my great weakness, or inabilities to manage so great a work, hath caused me not to undertake it without tremblings of heart, and many prayers and cries to God, that my heart, tongue, and pen, might be influenced and guided by the divine Spirit.”[22] (emphasis added)
Preaching indeed requires the ministry and assistance of the Holy Spirit. Keach saw the pastoral work of writing as no different. Pastors today must entrust every aspect of their ministries to the Lord through prayer. He must ask the Spirit of Christ to fill his soul with the word of Christ so that his voice—and perhaps his pen—might put the spotless Lamb of God on glorious display.
Lastly, as noted above, if a pastor is going to write something, he must always do it with his eyes set on the glory of God and the good of His church. Take note of Keach’s closing words to the preface of The Display of Glorious Grace: “If thou dost receive any light, spiritual profit, or advantage by thy perusing of these sermons, let thy care be to return the praise to the God of truth, and with charity to cover my weaknesses, and forget me not in thy prayers.”[23] Despite his gifts with the pen, Keach was humble and presented himself to his congregation as their servant in the gospel for the sake of the Lord Jesus. No credit is to be taken by a man who has the gift of teaching or writing. It is called a gift because it is given to him by God to accomplish His work.
Conclusion
The pastoral pen of Benjamin Keach sought to bring together the truths of gospel preaching with the medium of print. The visual words brought these truths to life for many in his congregation and readers outside his ministry. Keach’s prolific authorship and its broad effectiveness goes to show the legitimacy of the instrument of writing that is available to pastors today. Let pastors equipped for this particular kind of ministry labor in it with joy. Like Keach, let him write to this end:
Let Thy bright Glory so break forth,
And Darkness fly from ev’ry Land,
That all the Saints throughout the Earth
May in Thy Truth rejoicing stand.
O let Thy Face upon them shine,
Who by Election, Lord, are Thine![24]
About the Author
Jared Saleeby is an MDiv student at CBTS. He is the happy husband of Ruth Saleeby. The Lord has blessed them with three awesome kids. He serves as one of the pastors at New Covenant Church in Myrtle Beach, SC.
[1] Austin Walker, The Excellent Benjamin Keach, 2nd ed. (Ontario: Joshua Press, 2015), 249.
[2] Ibid., 251.
[3] Benjamin Keach, The Everlasting Covenant, (1693; repr., Kansas City: Baptist Heritage Press, 2022), i.
[4] Jonathan W. Arnold, The Reformed Theology of Benjamin Keach (1640-1704), Centre for Baptist Studies in Oxford Publications (Oxford: Regent’s Park College, 2013), 45.
[5] Benjamin Keach, “The Articles of the Faith of the Church of Christ Meeting at Horsley-Down,” in The Glory of a True Church (1697; repr., Kansas City: Baptist Heritage Press, 2022), 58.
[6] Walker, Benjamin Keach, 352.
[7] Ibid., 302.
[8] Benjamin Keach, The Glory of a True Church (1697; repr., Kansas City: Baptist Heritage Press, 2022), ix.
[9] Ibid., 4.
[10] Benjamin Keach, The Marrow of True Justification (1692; repr., Birmingham: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2007), 7.
[11] Ibid., 17.
[12] Benjamin Keach, A Golden Mine Opened: Or, the Glory of God’s Rich Grace Displayed in the Mediator to Believers: And His Direful Wrath against Impenitent Sinners: Containing the Substance of near Forty Sermons upon Several Subjects (London: Printed for the author. 1694), Logos, para. 1, sent. 1–2.
[13] Benjamin Keach, An Exposition of the Parables and Express Similitudes of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (London: Aylott and Co., 1858), 4.
[14] Ibid., vi.
[15] Arnold, Benjamin Keach, 57–58.
[16] Keach, “The Articles of the Faith,” 59.
[17] Walker, Benjamin Keach, 232.
[18] Ibid., 240.
[19] Keach, Justification, 18.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Benjamin Keach, Tropologia: A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors (London: William Hill Collingridge, 1856), viii.
[22] Keach, Parables, v.
[23] Benjamin Keach, The Display of Glorious Grace Or, the Covenant of Peace, Opened: In Fourteen Sermons (London: S. Bridge. 1698), vii.
[24] Benjamin Keach, War with the Devil; or the Young Man’s Conflict with the Powers of Darkness; Displayed in a Poetical Dialogue between Youth and Conscience (Coventry: T. Luckman. n.d. First published 1673), 118–19.
This blog post is authored by a student of Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary.
