Buck's
Theological Dictionary (1820)
BEREANS -- A movement of protestant dissenters from the church of Scotland, who
take their title from and profess to follow the example of the ancient Bereans,
in building their system of faith and practice upon the Scriptures alone,
without regard to any human authority whatever. As to their origin, we
find that the Bereans first assembled as a separate society of Christians, in
the city of Edinburgh, in the autumn of 1773 [under the leadership of John
Barclay, pictured left], and soon after in the Parish of Fettercairn. It is
said that their doctrine found converts in various places of Scotland, England,
and America; and that they have congregations in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley,
Stirling, Crieff, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Fettercairn, Aberdeen, and other towns
in Scotland, as well as in London, and various places in England.
The Bereans agree with the great majority of Christians respecting the doctrine
of the Trinity, which they hold as a fundamental article; and they also agree
in a great measure with the professed principles of both our established
churches respecting predestination and election, though they allege that these
doctrines are not consistently taught in either church. But they differ from
the majority of all sects of Christians in various other important particulars,
such as,
1. Respecting our knowledge of the Deity. Upon this subject they say, the
majority of professed Christians stumble at the very threshold of revelation, by
admitting that the doctrine of natural religion, natural conscience, natural
notices, etc not founded upon revelation, or derived from it by tradition,
they give up the cause of Christianity at once to the infidels; who may justly
argue, as Mr. Paine in fact does in his Age of Reason, that there is no occasion
for any revelation or word of God, if man can discover his nature and
perfections from his works alone. But this the Bereans argue is beyond the
natural powers of human reason; and therefore our knowledge of God is from
revelation alone, and that without revelation man would never have entertained
an idea of his existence.
2. With regard to faith in Christ, and assurance of salvation through his
merits, they differ from almost all other sects whatsoever. These they reckon
inseparable, or rather the same, because (say they) "God hath expressly
declared, he that believeth shall be saved; and therefore it is not only absurd
but impious, and in a manner calling God a liar, for a man to say I believe the
Gospel, but have doubts, nevertheless, of my own salvation." With regard
to the various distinctions and definitions that have been given of different
kinds of faith, they argue that there is nothing incomprehensible or obscure in
the meaning of this word as used in Scripture; but that as faith, when applied
to human testimony, signifies neither more nor less than the mere simple belief
of that testimony as true, upon the authority of the testifier, so, when
applied to the testimony of God, it signifies precisely "the belief of his
testimony, and resting upon his veracity alone, without any kind of collateral
support from concurrence of any other evidence or testimony whatever." And
they insist that, as this faith is the gift of God alone, so the person to whom
it is given is as conscious of possessing it as the being to whom God gives
life is of being alive: and therefore he entertains no doubts either of his
faith or his consequent salvation through the merits of Christ, who died and
rose again for that purpose. In a word, they argue that the Gospel would not be
what it is held forth to be, glad tidings of great joy, if it did not bring
full personal assurance of eternal salvation to the believer; which assurance,
they insist, is the present infallible privilege and portion of every individual
believer of the Gospel.
3. Consistently with the above definition of faith, they say that the sin
against the Holy Ghost, which has alarmed and puzzled so many in all ages, is
nothing else but unbelief; and that the expression--"it shall not be
forgiven neither in this world nor that which is to come." means only that
a person dying in infidelity would not be forgiven neither under the former
dispensation by Moses (the then present dispensation, kingdom, or government of
God,) nor under the Gospel dispensation, which, in respect of the Mosaic, was a
kind of future world or kingdom to come.
4. The Bereans interpret a great part of the Old Testament prophecies, and in
particular the whole of the Psalms, excepting such as are merely historical or
laudatory, to be typical or prophetical of Jesus Christ, his sufferings,
atonement, mediation and kingdom; and they esteem it a gross perversion of
these psalms and prophecies to apply them to the experiences of private
Christians. In proof of this, they not only urge the words of the apostle, that
no prophecy is of any private interpretation, but they insist that the whole of
the quotations from the ancient prophecies in the New Testament, and
particularly those from the Psalms, are expressly applied to Christ. In this
opinion many other classes of protestants agree with them.
5. Of the absolute all-superintending sovereignty of the Almighty, the Bereans
entertain the highest idea, as well as of the uninterrupted exertion thereof
over all his works, in heaven, earth, and hell, however unsearchable by his
creatures. A God without election, they argue, or choice in all his works, is a
God without existence, a mere idol, a nonentity. And to deny God's election,
purpose, and express will in all his works is to make him inferior to
ourselves.
The above excerpt was taken from http://www.soundofgrace.com/books/dict/bd_b.htm#A34
(originally written in 1820)