Being a Cat

𝗔 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

OTD in 1651 Baptist preacher Obadiah Holmes was given 30 lashes at the public whipping post in Boston. His crime? Preaching the gospel and holding an illegal Baptist worship service in Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony.

On Sunday, July 20, 1651, Baptists John Clarke, John Crandall, and Obadiah Holmes traveled from the Baptist Church at Newport, Rhode Island to Lynn, Massachusetts where they held a small Baptist service in the home of William Witter. In the middle of their service, the authorities bust in and arrested them for "seducing and drawing aside others after their erroneous judgment and practices. Under the Puritan law it was illegal for Baptists to preach or hold church services.

Of these Baptists it was said, “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴.”

The three men were fined and if their fines were not paid, they were to be publicly whipped. Someone paid Clarke and Crandall’s fine, but Holmes refused to allow this. He viewed payment of the fine as admission of guilt. So, on September 5, 1651, he was given 30 lashes with a three-corded whipped.

Afterwards, Holmes famously said to the magistrates, “Ye have beaten me as with roses.” Two men, John Hazel and John Spur rushed to help Holmes. Both were arrested and fined for offering the Baptist preacher assistance! Obadiah Holmes was beaten so badly that for weeks he was forced to sleep on his elbows and knees. He would bear the scars of religious persecution for the rest of his life.

John Clarke would record this story in his book “Ill News from New England.” Clarke sailed to England where he was eventually able to convince King Charles II to allow religious liberty in the fledgling colony of Rhode Island.

Obadiah Holmes went on to serve as the second pastor of the Newport Baptist Church for 30 years. Obadiah and his wife Catherine later had ten children. Among their descents is Abraham Lincoln.

After years of faithful service, Obadiah Holmes died on October 15, 1682. May his forgotten story be rediscovered by a new generation of Baptists. “𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘪𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺.” 1 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 2:19

*Satan's New Age Mystery Babylon movement infers that we are all gods or on our way to godhood. Pantheism states everything is god or an aspect of god including the Earth. Christians should stand against this. God created the universe and God will create a new Heaven and a new Earth. The object of our affection and attention is God Himself. What God created should never be placed ahead of Him. Attributing creation to a "mother nature" is a deception aimed at denying God His due glory for that which He created.

"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."- Romans 1:25 King James Bible

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."- Genesis 1:1 King James Bible

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."- Revelation 21:1 King James Bible

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."- Ephesians 4:29 King James Bible

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."- James 3:6 King James Bible

"But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."- Colossians 3:8 King James Bible

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."- Luke 6:45 King James Bible

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"- Titus 2:11-13 King James Bible

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."- Galatians 5:16 King James Bible

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."- Mark 8:34 King James Bible

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."- 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 King James Bible

"But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils."- 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 King James Bible

Ephesians 4:22-24

Ephesians 4:17-24 KJV
(17) This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
(18) Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
(19) Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
(20) But ye have not so learned Christ;
(21) If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
(22) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
(23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
(24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

John chapter 1 context: https://kjbo.org/John-Chapter-1/

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:38-39 KJV

2 Chronicles chapter 15 context: https://kjbo.org/2-Chronicles-Chapter-15/