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Toys and Playthings of the Religious Babyhouse
J.C. Philpot

Joseph Charles Philpot (1802 - 1869). English Strict Baptist preacher and editor born in Ripple, Kent, to a Church of England rector. Educated at Oxford, earning a B.A. in 1824რ 1824, he taught classics at Merchant Taylors’ School before resigning his Anglican curacy in 1835 to join the Strict Baptists. In 1837, he became pastor at Stamford and Allington, serving until 1869, preaching to hundreds weekly. Philpot edited The Gospel Standard magazine from 1840, publishing sermons and theological works like The True, Proper, and Eternal Sonship. His writings, emphasizing sovereign grace and experimental religion, reached thousands across England and America. A scholar of Hebrew and Greek, he translated Calvin’s Institutes excerpts. Married with one daughter, he prioritized ministry over personal wealth, living simply. His sermons, over 600 published, remain influential among Strict Baptists and Reformed circles.
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In this sermon transcript titled "Toys and Playthings of the Religious Baby House," J.C. Philpot emphasizes the importance of feeding the soul with God's appointed food. He compares hungry children who cannot be satisfied with mere playthings to hungry souls in need of true spiritual nourishment. Philpot asserts that religious rituals, ceremonies, and external displays cannot satisfy the deep hunger for God. Instead, he emphasizes that Christ, the bread of life, is the only true sustenance for the believing soul, referencing passages from Ezekiel, Psalms, and John. The sermon encourages listeners to seek the true nourishment of their souls in Christ alone.
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TOYS AND PLAYTHINGS OF THE RELIGIOUS BABY HOUSE by J. C. Philpott I will feed my flock, Ezekiel 34, verse 15. The only real food of the soul must be of God's own appointing, preparing and communicating. You can never deceive a hungry child. You may give it a plaything to still its cries. It may serve for a few minutes, but the pains of hunger are not to be removed by a doll. A toy horse will not allay the cravings after the mother's breast. So with babes in grace. A hungry soul cannot feed upon playthings, altars, robes, ceremonies, candlesticks, bowings, mutterings, painted windows, intoning priests, and singing men and women. These dolls and wooden horses, these toys and playthings of the religious baby house cannot feed the soul that, like David, cries out after the living God. Psalm 42, verse 23. Christ, the bread of life, the manna that came down from heaven, is the only food of the believing soul. John 6, verse 51. This Puritan devotional has been brought to you by Grace Gems, a treasury of ageless sovereign grace writings. Please visit our website at www.gracegems.org, where you can browse and freely download thousands of choice books, sermons, and quotes, along with select audio messages. No donations accepted. Thank you.
Toys and Playthings of the Religious Babyhouse
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Joseph Charles Philpot (1802 - 1869). English Strict Baptist preacher and editor born in Ripple, Kent, to a Church of England rector. Educated at Oxford, earning a B.A. in 1824რ 1824, he taught classics at Merchant Taylors’ School before resigning his Anglican curacy in 1835 to join the Strict Baptists. In 1837, he became pastor at Stamford and Allington, serving until 1869, preaching to hundreds weekly. Philpot edited The Gospel Standard magazine from 1840, publishing sermons and theological works like The True, Proper, and Eternal Sonship. His writings, emphasizing sovereign grace and experimental religion, reached thousands across England and America. A scholar of Hebrew and Greek, he translated Calvin’s Institutes excerpts. Married with one daughter, he prioritized ministry over personal wealth, living simply. His sermons, over 600 published, remain influential among Strict Baptists and Reformed circles.