Travels in Baptist History First Baptist Providence Rhode IslandThe cost of compromise part four

Jim Curran

Admin  · December 13 at 3:48 PM  · Travels in Baptist History First Baptist Providence Rhode IslandThe cost of compromise part four- A marriage torn apart by compromise Many times when you look at Baptist History you find men that are highly heralded yet when one examines more closely there are some deeper issues. Inevitably you find that these problems are the result of compromise. Stephen Gano was the son of John Gano- pastor of the first Baptist Church in New York City as well as a chaplin in the revolutionary Army. John was seemingly everywhere over the years including New Jersey, North Carolina and Kentucky. Stephen would also serve in the Revolutionary War as a surgeon’s mate aboard several privateer ships. He would be captured by the British and would bear the scar of the leg iron throughout his life. After the war he was married to Cornelia Vavaser. About a year afterward he was convicted of his lost condition and came to faith in Christ. He would be ordained by his father and the church in New York City. There were problems with Stephen Gano though that would surface. He compromised on baptism and the Lord’s supper”As to his denominational views and attachments, Dr. Gano was a Baptist of the old school; he was also a thoroughgoing adherent to all peculiarities of his favorite sect, with the exception of the treatment of persons baptized by immersion in other communities. He was fully settled in the belief, that the Baptist Churches ought, in consistency with their principles, to admit to their communion table all real Christians who have been baptized by immersion on a profession of their faith, to whatever denomination they might belong.” (By his daughter Mrs Peter Ludlow- New York Chronicle 1849 Baptist History Homepage) Stephen Gano would serve as the pastor of Baptist Church at Hillsdale, NY and then Hudson, NY. In 1792, Gano became the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island where he would pastor until his death. Gano’s life was frought with tragedy. While in Hudson his wife died leaving him with several young children He would then marry Polly Tallmadge in 1789 and have several more children with her. In 1797 Polly would die as well. He would marry Mary Brown (daughter of Joseph Brown of Brown University) but she too would die only after a year in marriage in December 1800. Next Gano married in October of 1801 Mrs. Joanna Latting, of Hillsdale, New York, a widow from where he used to pastor. By the middle of 1803 she had uncovered an uncomfortable secret about Gano and seven others that they were Freemasons. (I have not yet uncovered the names of the others.) She accused them of “worshiping idols and perverting the scriptures.” She denounced the Masonic Society as “The Mystery of Iniquity” and a “Covenant with death and an agreement with hell.” (First p 28) On these points I have to agree with Joanna wholeheartedly. Having researched and read through every ritual of the Blue Lodge, York Rite and Scottish Rite as well as the Eastern Star I will say unequivocally these are pagan to the core with a thin veneer of Bible so as to make it respectable. They add to the Scriptures fanciful tales that defy the clear sense of Scripture (Rev 22:18&19.) They pervert the name of Jehovah God equating him with Baal and On (Osiris) putting the composite name of “Jahbulon ” (And I hate to even type it but the truth must be known) in the Royal Arch degree in York Rite (although some have expunged it) In the Royal Arch degree of Freemasonry the lecturer asks, “Are you a Royal Arch Mason?” to which he replies, “I – am – that – I – am.” This is pure blasphemy. The practices and mysteries imitate pagan practices and even though they teach a works based salvation they claim not to be a religion at least publicly while acknowledging they are within the rituals. Albert Pike- who developed the rituals of the Scottish Rite Southern Jusisdiction said in Morals and Dogma, “Every Masonic lodge is a temple of religion, and its teaching are instructions in religion…this is true religion revealed to the ancient patriarchs; which Masonry has taught for many centuries, and which it will continue to teach as long as time endures.” (Pike was a mason after Gano but it is important to note these things as Morals and Dogma is widely considered as authoritative) This is not to mention the barbaric penalties proscribed in the rituals for revealing them. When Joanna brought the accusations she was not even allowed to read them. Instead Stephen read them for her! First does not include it but the indictment took two hours to read. (So doubtless it would have include many of the practices.) She was not permitted to do so because of a change in church meetings which was of course forced by the Charitable Baptist Society (which was composed of pew owners most of which were not members and many were probably lost- this compromise was noted in the last installment) This situation was carried out in a series of meetings with one lasting six hours. At the end of these meetings Stephen demanded a vote if “he was guilty of the horrid charges his wife had brought against him (and) whether he was unworthy (of) a place of in the church of God much less the pastoral office” (First p 18) There is no doubt that Stephen was a mason- and it seems that the others were as well. That accusation was certainly true. The question was rather if this was incompatible- the resulting actions show that it clearly was as what transpired next shows clear disregard of some Biblical concepts. The church would vote (sadly unanimously) “They will still hold in their fellowship those Brethren who are Free Masons” and acquitted Gano and the others of charges and promptly excommunicated Joanna. Gano would SEPARATE from her and NEVER SPEAK TO HER AGAIN! Yet he would continue to pastor the church despite this for 25 more years! He chose the Masons over his wife. Certainly this is dealt with in I Tim 3:1 and 4. He was not blameless in his support of this organization and his putting away of his wife was in violation of Mal 2:16 “For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” This sad chain of events shows just how much compromise with the world had affected the church. Already the Charitable Baptist Society comprised of pew owners controlled the church even though many had no personal testimony of salvation. They paid the pastor’s salary and controlled the situation. I would suspect that many of those accused of being masons were in this society. Now they had a pastor that was compromised and who was not qualified. Compromise always gets worse and cares not who it harms.