Hercules Collins: Orthodox, Puritan, Baptist

Abstract

This dissertation argues that the writings of Hercules Collins demonstrate that he viewed himself as faithfully operating within both the historic Nicene-Christianity shown in the early creeds and the Protestant orthodoxy codified by the Westminster Assembly in the Westminster Confession of Faith. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction to the thesis of the dissertation and the methodology that is pursued in arguing for the thesis. In chapter 2, a biographical sketch of Collins is provided. The third chapter focuses on the orthodoxy of Hercules Collins. Collins' relationship to historic Christianity is demonstrated by showing the way he utilized the creeds of the early church and the writings of the Patristic era. In chapter 4, Collins' commitment to a Puritan/Protestant Evangelicalism is explored. Chapter 5 presents the Baptist ecclesiology of Hercules Collins. In the sixth and concluding chapter, the issue of Collins' significance is again explored by a summary of the evidence presented for his importance and ability to represent the broader Particular Baptist community of which he was a part.