Particular Baptist Online Resources

The Particular Baptist tradition is rich with primary sources — confessions, catechisms, sermons, and theological treatises — many of which are now freely available online. The following is a curated collection of those resources, organized by category. The bulk of these links were originally compiled at Petty France, a blog dedicated to Particular Baptist history and resources, to which I owe the credit for this collection. I have reorganized and supplemented them here, and will continue to add more. May they serve your study of this faithful stream of Reformed Christianity.

Archive Collections

These are the major repositories where most of the primary sources below can be found.

Angus Library Treasures — described as the world's best archive of English Baptist history, held at Regent's Park College, Oxford
Transcribed Particular Baptist Works — Voice of the Reformation's curated transcriptions
Particular Baptist Library — an online library organized by author
Post Reformation Digital Library — broad Reformed primary source database
Baptist History and Heritage — essays and resources on Baptist history and thought
Broadmead Bristol Church Records, 1640–1687 — firsthand records of one of the earliest Particular Baptist congregations

Reference Works

Whitley's Baptist Bibliography, Vol. I — Archive.org
Whitley's Baptist Bibliography, Vol. II — Archive.org
Confessions of Faith and Other Public Documents (Underhill's Compilation) — Archive.org

Confessions of Faith

First London Confession (1LCF)

1644 Edition — Angus Library
1646 Edition — Angus Library
1651 Edition — Angus Library
1652 Edition — Angus Library

Second London Confession (2LCF)

1677 Edition — Angus Library
1720 Edition (5th) — Angus Library
1773 Philadelphia Association Edition
1798 Philadelphia Association Edition
1818 Philadelphia Association Edition
1829 Philadelphia Edition — Google Books
1809 London Edition — Google Books
1850 Charleston Edition (4th)
1855 Spurgeon's Revision — Google Books

Catechisms

A Brief Instruction in the Principles of Christian Religion

The Baptist Catechism, attributed to Benjamin Keach and the Philadelphia Association

1695 Edition — Google Books
1695 Edition — British Library
1851 Edition

An Orthodox Catechism — Hercules Collins (1680)

A Particular Baptist adaptation of the Heidelberg Catechism

London General Assembly Narratives

Records from the early general assemblies of Particular Baptist churches in England.

1689 Narrative — Google Books / Angus Library
1690 Narrative — Angus Library
1692 Narrative — Google Books

Writings by Individual Authors

John Bunyan (1628–1688)

Collected Works — Digital Puritan

Philip Cary

Hercules Collins (c. 1647–1702)

Counsel for the Living
Mountains of Brass — British Library
The Temple Repair'd — Google Books
The Marrow of Gospel History
Some Reasons for Separation from the Church of England — Transcription
herculescollins.com — dedicated resource site

Benjamin Cox (fl. 1640s)

William Kiffin (1616–1701)

Hanserd Knollys (c. 1599–1691)

Isaac Marlow

A Brief Discourse Concerning Singing in the Public Worship of God

John Norcott

Baptism Discovered — Spurgeon reprint

Thomas Patient (d. 1666)

The Doctrine of Baptism and the Distinction of the Covenants — Transcription

John Piggot

Eleven Sermons Preached Upon Special Occasions

Andrew Ritor

A Treatise of the Vanity of Childish-Baptisme

John Spilsbury (1593–c. 1668)

God's Ordinance the Saints' Privilege

This list will be updated as more resources are discovered. If you know of a primary source not listed here, feel free to reach out.

Contemporary Works in Reformed Baptist Theology

The following are contemporary books and academic journals by Reformed Baptist scholars. They engage the primary sources above and contribute to the ongoing retrieval of confessional Baptist theology within the broader stream of classical theism and Reformed orthodoxy.

Covenant Theology & Baptist Distinctives

The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology — Pascal Denault (2013, rev. 2017). The most widely cited modern defense of 1689 Federalism. Denault argues that the Particular Baptists held a genuinely distinct covenantal structure from their Presbyterian contemporaries, grounded in the new covenant's exclusive membership.
Recovering a Covenantal Heritage: Essays in Baptist Covenant Theology — ed. Richard C. Barcellos (2014). A collection of essays from RBAP scholars retrieving and defending the Baptist covenantal tradition from the 17th century Reformed orthodox sources.
Covenant Theology: A Baptist Distinctive — ed. Earl M. Blackburn, Walter Chantry, et al. (2012). A multi-author introduction to the Baptist distinctive in covenant theology, accessible to pastors and lay readers.
A Reformed Baptist Manifesto — Samuel E. Waldron & Richard C. Barcellos (2004). A confessional and ecclesiological statement defining what it means to be Reformed and Baptist, engaging the broader evangelical and Reformed world.
In Defense of the Decalogue: A Critique of New Covenant Theology — Richard C. Barcellos (2001). A Reformed Baptist critique of New Covenant Theology's rejection of the moral law, arguing for the Decalogue's abiding authority from within a 1689 Federalist framework.
The Family Tree of Reformed Biblical Theology: Geerhardus Vos and John Owen, Their Methods of and Contributions to the Articulation of Redemptive History — Richard C. Barcellos (2010). Traces the roots of Reformed Biblical Theology through Vos and Owen, with implications for Baptist covenant theology.
From Shadow to Substance: The Federal Theology of the English Particular Baptists (1642–1704) — James Renihan (2018). A major academic study tracing the development of federal theology among the Particular Baptists from the early confessions through the post-Confession era, demonstrating their coherent and distinctive covenantal framework.
The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom — James Renihan (2022). A synthetic, pastor-theologian treatment of the covenant of grace as it finds its fulfillment in Christ, written as an accessible guide to the 1689 Federalist understanding of redemptive history.
Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ — Nehemiah Coxe & John Owen, ed. Ronald Miller, James Renihan & Francisco Orozco (RBAP, 2005). A foundational compilation bringing together Nehemiah Coxe's Discourse on the Covenants and John Owen's Biblical Theology, introduced and edited by Renihan, Miller, and Orozco. Indispensable for understanding the historical and exegetical roots of 1689 Federalism.
The Covenant of Works: Its Confessional and Scriptural Basis — Richard C. Barcellos (RBAP, 2016). A focused exegetical and confessional study of the covenant of works, defending its scriptural grounding and its place within the Westminster and 2LCF confessional traditions.
Getting the Garden Right: Adam's Work and God's Rest in Light of Christ — Richard C. Barcellos (Founders Press, 2017). Examines the Adamic administration — its covenantal structure, sabbatarian implications, and redemptive-historical significance — with particular attention to how Adam's work and God's rest find their eschatological fulfillment in Christ.
The Kingdom of God: A Baptist Expression of Covenant Theology — Jeffrey D. Johnson (Free Grace Press, 2014). A Baptist articulation of the kingdom of God within a covenantal framework, arguing that the kingdom's inauguration in Christ fulfills and transcends the typological structures of the old covenant.
The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism — Jeffrey D. Johnson (Free Grace Press, 2010). A pointed critique of the covenantal grounding for infant baptism, arguing that the theological system underlying paedobaptism contains a fatal internal inconsistency when measured against the new covenant's exclusive membership structure.

The 1689 Confession

A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith — Samuel E. Waldron (1989, repr. 2016). The standard modern commentary on the Second London Confession, chapter by chapter, written for pastors, students, and serious laypeople.
1689 Baptist Confession of Faith & the Baptist Catechism — James Renihan (2018). A critical edition of the 2LCF and the Baptist Catechism with a substantial historical and theological introduction, tracing their origins and reception.
A New Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 — Rob Ventura (Christian Focus, 2022). A pastoral and theological exposition of the 1689 Confession chapter by chapter, written by a Reformed Baptist pastor for congregational and personal use.
To the Judicious and Impartial Reader: Baptist Symbolics, Volume 2 — James M. Renihan (Founders Press, 2022). The second volume in Renihan's Baptist Symbolics series, offering a contextual-historical exposition of the 2LCF, tracking the sources of each article and situating the confession within the broader Reformed confessional tradition.

Baptist History & Ecclesiology

Edification and Beauty: The Practical Ecclesiology of the English Particular Baptists, 1675–1705 — James M. Renihan (2009). A scholarly historical study of Particular Baptist church life and ecclesiological practice in the post-Confession era, drawing from primary assembly documents and church records.
Faith and Life for Baptists: The Documents of the London Particular Baptist General Assemblies — James M. Renihan (2016). A critical edition and introduction to the documents produced by the London Particular Baptist General Assemblies (1689–1692), essential primary sources for understanding early Particular Baptist polity.
The Reformed Theology of Benjamin Keach (1640–1704) — Jonathan W. Arnold (2019). An academic study of Keach's theological method and content, situating him within the broader Reformed orthodox tradition and demonstrating the catholicity of his convictions.
Orthodox, Puritan, Baptist: Hercules Collins (1647–1702) and Particular Baptist Identity in Early Modern England — G. Stephen Weaver, Jr. (2015). A scholarly monograph in the Reformed Historical Theology series situating Hercules Collins — one of the foremost Particular Baptist theologians of the post-Confession era — within the streams of Reformed orthodoxy, Puritanism, and Baptist identity. Essential reading for anyone engaging Collins's primary works listed above.
The Confessing Baptist: Essays on the Use of Creeds in Baptist Faith and Life — various contributors (2022). A collection of essays defending the use of confessions and creeds within Baptist churches, against both bare biblicism and confessional minimalism.
Theologians of the Baptist Tradition — ed. Timothy George & David S. Dockery (2001). A survey of significant Baptist theologians from John Bunyan and Benjamin Keach through the 20th century, with individual chapters on each figure. Useful for understanding how Baptist theology developed across the tradition's history.
For the Vindication of the Truth: Baptist Symbolics, Volume 1 — A Brief Exposition of the First London Baptist Confession of Faith — James Renihan (2026). The first volume in a projected series on Baptist symbolics, offering a detailed historical and theological exposition of the 1644/1646 First London Confession.
The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement — Anthony Chute, Nathan Finn & Michael A. G. Haykin (B&H Academic, 2015). A readable survey of Baptist history from the English Separatist roots through the global expansion of the Baptist movement, attending to both Particular and General Baptist streams. A useful entry-level textbook for students and layreaders.
Readings in Baptist History: Four Centuries of Selected Documents — ed. Joseph Early, Jr. (B&H Academic, 2008). A primary source anthology spanning four centuries of Baptist life and thought — confessions, letters, associational minutes, and theological writings — tracing the development of Baptist identity from the 17th century to the present.

Church Membership & Discipline

Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches: A Contemporary Ecclesiology — John S. Hammett (Kregel, 2005). A comprehensive Baptist ecclesiology engaging the nature of the church, its membership, polity, ordinances, and mission from a confessional Baptist standpoint. A thorough academic treatment with pastoral application.
Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus — Jonathan Leeman (Crossway, 2012). A 9Marks treatment of formal church membership as a public declaration of allegiance to Jesus, recovering its theological weight and ecclesiological necessity against the consumerism of contemporary evangelicalism.
40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline — Jeremy M. Kimble (Kregel, 2017). A structured Q&A treatment covering the theology, practice, and biblical basis of church membership and the proper exercise of restorative church discipline.
Is Church Membership Biblical? — Ryan M. McGraw (Reformation Heritage Books, 2014). A concise booklet arguing from Scripture and the Reformed confessional tradition for the necessity of formal church membership, addressing common objections.
Going Beyond the Five Points: Pursuing a More Comprehensive Reformation — ed. Rob Ventura, with Barcellos, Waldron, Blackburn & Martin (Founders Press, 2015). Essays arguing that a genuinely Reformed theology entails not only the five points of Calvinism but also confessional ecclesiology, sacramentology, and the regulative principle of worship — a call to a more comprehensive reformation.

Classical Theism & Baptist Theology

Confessing the Impassible God: The Biblical, Classical, & Confessional Doctrine of Divine Impassibility — ed. Ronald S. Baines, Richard Barcellos, et al. (2015). A multi-author RBAP volume defending divine impassibility from biblical, historical, and confessional angles. Contributors include leading Reformed Baptist scholars, situating the doctrine squarely within the 2LCF heritage.
Trinity and Creation: A Scriptural and Confessional Account — Richard C. Barcellos (2019). Examines the doctrine of the Trinity and creation from a confessional Reformed Baptist perspective, engaging classical Trinitarian categories and their implications for understanding God's works ad extra.

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More Than a Memory — Richard C. Barcellos (2013). Argues against the merely memorialist view of the Lord's Supper prevalent in Baptist circles, recovering the classical Reformed understanding of the Supper as a genuine means of grace.
Amidst Us Our Belovèd Stands: Recovering Sacrament in the Baptist Tradition — Michael A. G. Haykin (Lexham Press, 2022). A historical and theological study recovering a richer sacramental theology within the Baptist tradition, arguing from primary sources that Baptists have historically held a higher view of the Lord's Supper than the dominant memorialist consensus allows.
In Remembrance of Him: Profiting from the Lord's Supper — Guilelmus Saldenus & Wilhelmus à Brakel (Reformation Heritage Books, 2012). Two classic Dutch Reformed devotional treatments of the Lord's Supper combined in one volume: Saldenus on preparation for the Supper and Brakel on its profitable reception. A devotional complement to the more systematic treatments listed above.
The Mystery of the Lord's Supper: Sermons by Robert Bruce — Robert Bruce, ed. T. F. Torrance (Christian Focus, 2005). Five early 17th-century sermons on 1 Corinthians 11 by the Scottish Reformed minister Robert Bruce, in which he articulates a high Reformed view of the real spiritual presence of Christ in the Supper. A classic of sacramental piety within the Reformed tradition.
The Mystical Presence: And the Doctrine of the Reformed Church on the Lord's Supper — John Williamson Nevin (Wipf & Stock, 2012 repr.). A landmark 19th-century Mercersburg theology text arguing for the spiritual real presence of Christ in the Eucharist against the merely memorial view, historically significant for its retrieval of Calvin's eucharistic theology against the low-church evangelicalism of Nevin's era.
The Lord's Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes — ed. Thomas R. Schreiner & Matthew R. Crawford (B&H Academic, 2010). A multi-author volume in the New American Commentary Studies series covering the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of the Lord's Supper, from Old Testament antecedents through the patristic period and into contemporary debates about presence and practice.
More Than a Symbol: The British Baptist Recovery of Baptismal Sacramentalism — Stanley Keith Fowler (Paternoster, 2002). A scholarly study of how British Baptist theologians in the 20th century — including H. Wheeler Robinson and Neville Clark — moved toward a richer sacramental theology of baptism, recovering symbolic-realist categories against the purely ordinance-only tradition. Useful for understanding the range of Baptist sacramental thought.
Promise and Presence: An Exploration in Sacramental Theology — John E. Colwell (Paternoster, 2005). An exploration of sacramental theology from a Baptist perspective, arguing for a sacramental realism grounded in the divine promise and presence rather than in sacerdotal mechanisms or bare memorialism.

Baptism

Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ — ed. Thomas R. Schreiner & Shawn D. Wright (B&H Academic, 2006). A multi-author New American Commentary Studies volume making the biblical-theological case for credobaptism. Covers Old Testament covenant background, the Gospels, Paul, and Hebrews, as well as historical and practical essays. The standard academic Baptist response to paedobaptist covenant theology.

Academic Journals

Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies (JIRBS) 2014 — ed. James M. Renihan (RBAP). A theological journal committed to confessional Reformed Baptist theology as summarized in the Second London Confession.
JIRBS 2016 — ed. James M. Renihan & Richard C. Barcellos (RBAP).
JIRBS 2017 — ed. James M. Renihan & Richard C. Barcellos (RBAP).
Journal of International Reformed Baptist Seminary 2024 — ed. Richard C. Barcellos, James M. Renihan & Drew Sparks (Broken Wharfe). Articles include:
- "The Doctrine of the Christian Sabbath" — Richard C. Barcellos
- "Troubling the Churches" — James M. Renihan
- "In Defense of Classical Theism" — Drew Sparks
- "Nice and Hot Disputes" — Ashley J. Charles
- Book reviews
Journal of International Reformed Baptist Seminary 2025 — ed. Richard Barcellos et al. (Broken Wharfe). Articles include:
- "Is Nicaea a Caveat or a Control?" — Daniel D. Schreiderer
- "The Nicene Creed: An Introduction" — Cameron G. Porter
- "The Consequence of Perfection" — Drew Sparks
- "Do We Worship an Emotional God?" — Josh Tinkham
- Book reviews include Simply Trinity by Matthew Barrett and The Gospel of John by Cyril of Alexandria (Ancient Christian Texts)

Pastoral & Healthy Church Studies

Nine Marks of a Healthy Church — Mark Dever (Crossway, 4th ed. 2021). The foundational 9Marks text outlining nine biblical characteristics of a healthy church: expository preaching, biblical theology, the gospel, conversion, evangelism, membership, discipline, discipleship, and leadership. Widely used in Reformed and Baptist church-planting and revitalization.
What Is a Healthy Church? — Mark Dever (Crossway). A brief companion to Nine Marks, introducing the marks of a healthy church for congregational reading and discussion.
What Is a Healthy Church Member? — Thabiti M. Anyabwile (Crossway, 2008). Identifies ten marks of a healthy church member — theological literacy, genuine conversion, biblical evangelism, growth in holiness, among others — arguing that congregational health depends on individual members pursuing these qualities as a matter of biblical discipleship.