The Diary of Andrew Fuller, 1780-1801

Book excerpt: Despite his prominent role during the last quarter of the eighteenth century in promoting evangelical Calvinism among British Particular Baptists, only portions of the diary of Andrew Fuller (1754-1815), one of the most important surviving manuscripts from that century, have appeared in print in various volumes published between 1816 and 1882, portions usually inaccurately transcribed and highly editorialized. The current edition is the first complete and accurate transcription of Fuller’s diary based on the sole surviving volume now residing at Bristol Baptist College. This edition, with exhaustive identifications, notes, and valuable appendices for students of Baptist history, provides a fascinating glimpse into Fuller’s ministry at Soham and Kettering during a period (1780-1801) when he became the titular head of the Particular Baptists as a result of his preaching throughout Northamptonshire and surrounding counties; his writing, such as his influential work, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation (1785); and his multi-national work as founding secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society (1792), a position he diligently maintained until his death in 1815, having left a legacy unequalled by any other minister of his generation.