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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 mm mmm^ % • •> >\ 1 V { ■ /f^^-^^^^^=- -c:^=^ THE BAPTISTS ? WHO k\i THEY, AND WH/T DO THEY RELIEVE? A LECTLTKE, mum AT mm, c. b, mu scons, .infjuRy 2!), iro, BY KEY. W. B. BOGGS, A. M. (.^' (PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.) -♦' ST. JOHN, N. B.: PniNTKI) nv McKILLOP A JOHNSTON, CANTERBURY STREET. 1878. A •B63 mmm ERRATA. Page 33.-17(1. line from bottom-read "A. D. 627" instead of "1627." 4th line from bottom -read "baptisteries" instead of " baptisms." 52. -Bottom line— read " to us as a yKJople." II f 'I I %l^ ^A I : ; ^ ;{ \ / THE BAPTISTS; A WHO k\l THEY, AND WH/T DO THEY BELIEVE? A LECTURE, mmm at stdnev, c. b, nom scoiii, mm\ n, m, BY KEY. W. B. BOGGS, A. M. (PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.) ST. JOHN, N. B.: I'RINTKD HY McKILLOP A JOHNSTON, CANTERBURY STUKKT. 1878. n / i THE BAPTISTS; WHO k^ THEY, Af WHAT DO THEY BELIEVE? The following address has originated in the thought that it is perfectly legitimate and proper for any Church or body of Christians to make a public statement, from time to time, of Avhat they believe. Such a course may be productive of much good, in enabling us better to understand each other's position. it may save us from false and uncharitable views, and from unintentionally misreprasenting one another. Another reason which has led to the preparation of this lec- ture is the fact that much ignorance concernino- our doctrines and principles is frequently manifested. We arc sometimes misrepresented, and doctrines are attributed to us which no true and enlightened Baptist ever held. Although our principles are j)lain and simple, many do not know what we believe. Tlie following, then, aims to be a brief ar I simple statement, by one Avho became a Baptist from principle, of the doctrines and principles which Baptists hold most sacredly, as the re- vealed will of God. It is not designedly controversial. Yet it would be impossible to discuss denominational petmliarities without more or less reference to controverted points. It at- tacks no one, it upbraids no one, it ridicules no one. At the same tune, I must claim the privilege of being free and unfet- tered in eliove that no (!<>mnuuul of Christ Is nou-essentiiil. There is mikh tuli< about essotitials and non-easentials ; but how ieth upon me daily, the care," not of the whole church, but " of all the churches" (2 Cor. xi : 28). i 1 jji } We find in the New Testament nothing of the niitureof eocle- sinsticul courts, -ts they are called, exereiHing jurisvliction and authority over ehurchcs. Our Lord Jesus C.'hrist in liis direc- tions tor the treatment of offences (Matt, xviii.) recognizes the Church (evidently the individual church to which the offender belongs) lus the idtimate tribunal of appeal, and its action aH jinal. lie says, when the previous steps ha\ J failed, " tell it unto the Church." He makes not the remotest reference to any higher court of appeal, either ecclesiastical or civil. *\Ve fin(' another illustration of this principle in 1 Cor. v : 2, 5, 12, 13. Paul reproves the church at Corinth for not dealing promptly with an offender and calls upon them, when theif are assemhfed to(/ether, to daVivvv h'lm to Satan, etc. Again, in re- ferring to this case (2 Cor. ii : 6), he states that the punishment wjis inflicted by " many," or literally by the greater numbei', whi.'h manifestly means the majority. It ha.s been claimed that the fifteenth chapter of the Acts furnishes authority for Church courts. Is this a valid claim ? Let us turn to the account of it. A church sprang up in the Gentile city of Antioch. Certain men from Judea visited them, and taught that they must be cir- cumcised, or they could not be saved. This doctrine was a sub- version of the Gospel. Aflter much discussion it was decided to carry the question to Jerusalem, where most of the Apostles were, and where they would be most likely to ascertain the truth in reference to the disputed doctrine. Paul, Barnabas and others were sent as delegates. When they were come to Jerusalem they were received by the Church, and the apostles and elders. Then a meeting was held to consider the matter. At the close of Peter's address, " all the multitude kept silence" while they heard what Paul and Barna- bas had to say. Then James spoke, and after his address, " it pleased the apostles and elders, with die whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas," to bear their communication ; and the document which they prepared commences thus : — " The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting," etc. We are led to the following conclusions : — 1. This was not a general council, for only two churches were represented, and, therefore, it bears no resemblance to modern councils. 2. It was unlike any council which can now be convened, for it was presided over by Apostles and inspired men. 8 3. It funiislK's no warrant for authoritative councils, since they cannot now issue inspired decrees. 4. It was in all respects, and in the highest degree excep- tional and extraordinary. The celebrated Anjhbishop Whately says ; — " As for so-called general councils we find not even any mention oT them, or allu- sion to any such exj)e<:lient. The pretended First Council at Jerusalem does seem to me a most extraoi'dinary chimera, with- out anv warrant whatever from sacred history." — Kingdom of Christ', p. ^Q. Mosheim, the great Church Historian, says : — " In those primitive times, each Christian Church was composed of the people, the preHiding offixxrs, and the ass'iMants or dewiom. These mud be the cora|X)nent jKjrts of every socie'^;''. The highest authority vras in the people, or the whole body of Chris- tians ; for even the Aix)stles themselves inculcated by their example that nothing of any moment was to be done or deter- mined on, but with the knowledge and consent of the brother- hood. — Acts i : 15; vi : 3; xv : 4; xxi : 22." — Ecdes. Hist. Vol. I., J). 77 [3IurdocJc'8 Translation). Again, he says , — '^ All the churches in those primitive tirae» were indepemlent bodies, or none of them subject to the juris- diction of any other. For though the churches which were founded by the Apostles themselves, frequently had the honor shown them to be consulted in difficult cases, yet they had no- judicial authority, no control, no jwwer of giving laws. On the contrary, it is as clear as noon-tlay, that all Christian churches had equal rights, and were in all respects on a footing of equality." — Vol. /., p. 83 And again, he says , — " These councils, of which no vestige api)ears tefore the middle of this (2nd) century, changed nearly the whole form of the church. For, in the first place, the an- cient rights and privileges of the people were, by them, very much abridged ; and on the other hand, the influence and authority of the bishops were not a little augmented." — Vd. I., p. 150. Dean Waddington, speaking of the churches of the first cen- tury says ; — " Every church was esseMially imlependeiit of ever it otlicr. The churches thus constituted and regulated, formed a sort of federative body of independent religious communities, dispersed through the greater part of the Roman Empire, in continual communication; and in constant harmony with each other." — Ecdes. Hist. p. I 43. 9 since very in '1 ■ i 1 All this agrees precisely with the views held by Baptists con- cerning tlie churchas of Christ and their government. Baptists hold that, according to the plain teaching of Holy 8criptnres, the regularly appointed offices in a Christian church are but ttm — that of bishop or jiastor, and (Jeacon ; the first, to minister in things spiritual, and the second, in things tem- poral. The New Testament Bishop was certainly not a " lord over God's heritjige," placed in authority over a number of churches and ministers in a large district, but wa.s simply the pa.stor, or one of the pjistors, of a church. Paul, in writing to the Church at Philippi, addresses " the saints in Christ Jesus, with the hi.ihops and deacons." The terms " bishop " and " elder " are synonymous. l\\ Paul's address at Miletus, to the eldem of the Ephesian Church (Acts XX.), he says, " Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers " (episcopous). The same word is here used which is elsewhere translated binliop. The elders, therefore, were bishops. The same thing is proved conclusively in Titus i : 5 — 7. I'liat these two officers, bishop and deacon, were the only ones recognized in the primitive churches seems evident from Paul's directions both to Timothy and Titus. In treating of the (qualifications of church officers, he mentions these only. If others had existed he would undoubtedly have referred to them. We find no warrant in the book for the almost endless variety and gradation of clerical orders and distinctions, from pope to parson, from cardinal to curate, which exist at the present day. We must, therefore, conclude that these offices are the inventions of men ; and we are of the oi)inion that the Lord Jesus Christ does not need men to invent anything for Him. " His work is perfed.''^ Baptist Churches are presided over by " bishops," in the New Testament sense — /. f ., overseers or pastors — and their temporal affairs are in charge of deacons. Baptists call councils from time to time, as occa.sion seems to require, but no authority is claimed for them. They do not issue " decrees," but are only advisory. They are not clerical conclaves, but are composed of private brethren as well as min- isters. Baptists hold Associations and Conventions, but they are merely meetings for general religious j)urposes, and have no legislative authority or ruling power whatever. And yet, there is probably as much real unitij among Bap- t 10 tist cluirehcs, the world over, as among those which arc bound togctlier by extensive, complicated, ponderous ecclesiastical systems, of human origin. Ba}>tist churches, though indepen- d(!nt of each other, are united by the most powerful of all bonds, even those specified by Paul, when exhorting the Ephe- sian Christians to maintain unity (Eph. iv : 4 — 6) ; — " There is one body, and one .Hpirit, even as ye are called in one hope of vour calling, one Ijord, onefdith, one baptmn, one God and Father of all, w^ho is above all, and through all, and in you all." This system of Church Government, framed, we believe, by Divine wisdom, is characterized by shnplicify, instead of coin- pkxHy ; and yet it is comprehensive enough to meet all re- quirements, and adecjuate to the successful settlement of all difficulties, when administered in the spirit of christian love. It is in connection with this principle of the independence of the churches, that Baptists have ever maintained an uncompro- mising disapproval of the unhallowed union of church and state ; it being })erfectly clear that thus united, the Church must be secularized by the State, as is lamentably apparent in all such establishments. SOUL LIBERTY. Another principle for whidi Baptists have always contended, is ^ioul Liberty, or perfect freedom of Conscience. Most denominations are very ready to advocate this principle r)ow, that in the light of the nineteenth century it is seen to be built on the foundation of truth and justice ; but trace back its history, and it will be found to be a distinguishing principle of the Baptists. They have ever stood forth aa the champions of perfect religious liberty, — holding that no man, or body of men, civil or ecclesiastical, luus a right to interfere with the conscience, or to force anyone to believe this or that doctrine, or to worship God according to this or that form. The celebratea John Locke, in his Essay on Toleration, says : — " The Bai)tists were, from the first, the friends of liberty ; just and true liberty ; e(j[ual and impartial liberty." Bancroft, the American Ilistorian, says, " Freedom of con- science, unlimited freedom of mind, was, from the first, the trophy of the Baptists."— i//-s^ U. aS'., Vol. IT., pp. 66, 67._ The first modern treatise ever written upon Religious Liberty was by Leonard Busher, a Baptist, in 1G14. Its title is '^ Re- ligions Peace, or a Plea for Liberty of Conscience." It asks full liberty for men to worship God in the maimer they believe 11 to to be rlglit. Tlireo years before that tlie Baptist Confession of Faith, then jniblislietl, used this lantruage — " We believe tliat the inaj:;istrate is not to meddle with religion, or matters of conscience, nor compel men to this or that form of religion, because Christ is the King and Lawf/iver of the Church and the conscience." The honor of being the first advoeate of religious liberty has been claimed for Jeremy Taylor. This claim is not supported ; for, in the first place, his plea is only for toleration of a few Christian sects, which falls far short of religious freedom; and, moreover, his treatise was issued nearly forty years after that of Leonard Busher. This principle is so manifestly reasonable and right, and in accordance with truth and equity, that it would be sui)erfluous to enter into an argumentative defence of it. Mow surprising that the opposite principle of intolerance and persecution — a principle so unreasonable, unjust, unscriptural, and thoroughly bad — should have survived so long ! The name of Roger Williams being inseparably conncc^ted with the cause of religious liberty, we cannot pass it over in silence. It is a name on which rests imperishable honor. He was the first advocate of soul-liberty in America. For this (sause he was banished from the Colony of Massachusetts, in 1635, by the very men who had fled from their own land to lind religious frecdon'i. There is no exhibition of moral heroism in the history of this continent grander than that which is presented by Roger AV^illiams going into exile among savage Indians, and enduring all the hardships of banishment in mid-winter, on account of principle ; and, under such circumstances founding a Commonwealth, the law of which should be perfect toleration — a conuuon wealth where, in the language of Judge Storey, " we read, for the first time since Christianity ascended the t!irone of the (Aesars, the declaration * that C(jnscience should be free, and men should not be punished for worshipping (lod in the w'ay they were persuaded He recpiired.'" — Rocjer Wllllmm and the Baptists, bij Dr. Eddi/. ' Baptists, though often suifering persecution from both Papists and Protestants, have never persecuted ; have never exercised intolerance towards others. It has been said that the reason of this is that they never had the power. This assertion is false, as nu'srht be shown bv several historical references. Take one instance. The Colony of Rhode Island was founded under Baptist I 12 A auspices. Had Williams and his people chosen to establish the Baptist faith as the religion of the land, they might have done so. Had V.try desired to secure to themselves peculiar re- ligious privileges and monopolies, and to opi)ress those who dissented from them, they miglit have done so. On the contrary, perfect reliyiom freedom for all was secured by their laws from the first. But, the principles of Baptists render it impossible that they should i)ersecute. Their views of the individuality of religion, and the spirituality of Christ's Kingdom, forbid that they should coerce men in matters of faith. If they did so, they would cease to be Baptists. PERSONAL FAITH INDISPENSABLE. Another founc ition principle of the Baptists, and one in which they differ from aU the leading sects of Christians, is this ; t/uit personal faith ill Christ is the great fundamental requirement, and prerequmte to all ordinances. They hold that none but those who have believed in Jesus to the saving of the soul, are qualified for either of the s'leraments of Christ, or for member- ship in His Church. We are thus led to the conclusion that ordinances are unmeaning and useless forms, without faith in Christ on the part of the candidate himself. Rivers of water cannot waah away his sin ; the sacred supper cannot originate the first impulse of spiritual life. Faith must be placed at the. very threshold of religion. Pre- vious to repentance and faith, man is an enemy against God. ITow, then, can the exercises of religion on the part of such an one be acceptable to Him ? It is indispensable ; nothing can be substituted for it ; nothing can be given as an equivalent ; its absence nmst render void all ceremonies. And it must be personal faith. Proxy is inadmissable. " F.very one of us shall give ac- count of himself to God." From this principle results our positive and oft-repeated denial that we believe Baptism to be a saving ordinance. There are none who are so determinedly opposed to this deadly error as Baptists. And yet there are persons, intelligent and well-informed in other things, who say, either through ignor- ance or malice, •' Oh ! the Baptists believe that you cannot be saved unless you are dipped." And this statement sometimes comes from the pulpit. There never was a charge made more utt»!rly and absolutely false. They no more believe^ tha.t than they believe one cannot be saved without the Lord's Supper. 4 1"3 It Is not tlie Baptists wlio, when one is taken suddenly ill, hurry away for a minister to eonie and baptize him. Baptism, whh us, is a profession of faith alreculy posseasexi) and we re- fuse to baptize any but those who declare their faith in Christ, and their U^lief that they have been born again. We baptize not bwause it iis mvingy but because it is comnmnded. Whether others regard it as really a saving ordinance, or as having some mysterious sort of saving influence, or, at least, as bcing^'a channel of gracxi, let their own statements declare. The late Rev, Henry Melvill, of London, a representative Episooi)alian, with the prayer book open in his hand, says :— "We really think that no fair, no straightforward dealing, can get rid of the ecjnclusion that the Church holds what is called Bap- tismal Regeneration. You may dislike the doctrine,— you may wish to have it expunged from the prayer-book,— but so long as I subscribe to that prayer-book, and so long as I officiate ac> cording to the foruLs of that prayer-book, I do not see how I can be commonly honest, and deny that every baptized i)erson is, on tlhat account, regenerate."— J/e^i'i^rs Sermom, Vol ILy p. 306. 11/' The Augsburg Confession of Faith, the Lutheran standard ot doctrine, distinctly declares baptism to be necessary to salvation, and that through it infants become children of God (Art. 9). The Westminster Confession of Faith, declares baptism to be unto the party baptized " a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafthic/ into Christ, of regeneraiion, of remission of sins," etc. And yet it is applied, by those who hold this creed, to persons who do not, and cannot believe ; so that it signifies in such cases, " ingrafting into Christ, regeneration and remis- sion of sins," without personal faith. r. /. • i Baptists unequivocally deny, both in their declarations of faith and by their practice, that they believe Baptiam to be a saving ordinance. i r • i This principle, viz. : the absolute necessity of personal laith before all ordinances and church engagements and relationships, is of the greatest moment, and cannot be insisted on too ear- nestly. On it the spirituality of the Church, and the welfare ol souls, in one sense, depend. That it is, to a lamentable extent, overlooked, or made void, by various bodies of Christians, is only too evident. Some who profess to hold \t, pradicidly ignore it. Wherever infant baptism is practiced, this principle is violated. I 14 A REGENERATED CHURCH-MEMBERSHiP, ^ Another Bai>tist princijrlfi^closclv allied to the nrecedhi(r orif' shmid he composed only of regenended persomf uot ihoseZho alter saKation; not those who can repeat certain creeds and mtcch,^^,,; not regenerated i)ersons and their oPprlnn, buttho e alone who make a credible prcrfe^nion of conve^L. ^' All the i^eferenees tc ^Jhri.stian Churches throughout the New Testament imply that they were companies of l^hevei-^L^Z who had becon^e « new creatures - in' Christ Jesus! ?hJXos- tohc hp.stles !)cgin with such salutations as these :—" To all that be„aw beovcxiof God, called to be saints >_" U^^o 1^ hS^tl^^^^"f^^^ Corinth, to them thai are .. ctih' J in e hrist Jesus, called to l>e saints/^ etc. ;— " To the «iints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesr-^--ro • the samts ni Christ Jesus whici, are at Phlippi, with the bisho - ^^:^C^:i:.^' ^^^"^ - fUithM^hren^^ "^ of\Z\''!!7vl^^ """'" '''^^' Christ, and a consequent renewal mrdmc' tion f ' "''i ""', ^''^"^^ '^'' i^^""^' «»^ indispensable Sis wZl '.^r^^'^'r^^'P !" f -^^^^rch, the Scriptural stand- ™ I r^f. ni • •* '' ^T't"" ^'''' ^^"^^ ^^*^^^'» '^ abandoned, lliis pnnciple is ignored wherever persons are received into ehurcA memberslnp because they have arrived at a cerlab ^e Si7df mKW^T" ''r^ ^"""^-^ r ''^^^-'' ^ -rip'-"? L^Juircn, under such conditions, is a dream. iiTl3X'''Tl'^""''^ membership and infant baptism are eXthPr R. '^ T '^-T'^y ,"^^1^*^^^ '''> «"^^ subversive of into lu Clun T"'"' ^y -"^^'Z' ^''^'''''''' P^^'-^""^'^ ^r« brought into the Church, unconsciously and involuntarily, who ma>, never be born again But they are nwmher. of the (LT Tl is ha^ been maintained over and over again by leading Pedobapl t St.. Larc/e numbers, therefore, are brought into the Church n this way who may never possess any vital godliness ; and whose conv-ersion IS reiKlered ess probable by the fact thai something xs T 'r nr 4r^-^^' jsr'-^ '' -^^ -"'] '^^^^ J.- ,1 ^^ oiitn. In lact, in some denom - one think conversion nccassary wlien he is taught from *'& 15 ling- one, Im word, Kxse who It Hcckers- eeds and but tliose o\v he X> le Apos- > all that Into the anctific'cl t«f which 'To all bishoj'v Christ, renewal reusable i KStand- iidoned. ed into iin age, eligious riptural sm are rsive of )rought 10 hUUf This doba])- irch in wliose lething nger of a(!tual L'nonii- should from his childhood, as the writ<^r was, that in baptism he was made *' a member of Christ, a child of Clod, and an inheritor ot the Kingdom of Heaven?" How unmeaning to preach to "a member of Christ " the necc'^sity of being born againj iic might well reply, " I am an inheritor of the Kingdom of Hea- ven • the Church made me such ; go and preach repentance and regeneration to thase who need it" How can a regenerated Churcli membership be even approximately realized under such circumstances? » ,, r^ . i i It is not claimed that the membership of all Baptist churches is 1 ure They doubtless include some who have never known Christ bv faith. But, whik this Ls to be deplored, it cannot be wondered at when we remember that even under the eyes ol the Apostles, false professors, such as Simon Magus, crept into the church. But there Ls a vast difference between unknowingly receiving some who, although solemnly professing faith in Christ, and a ehatige of heart are, ne\'ertheless, unrenewed ; there is, J say, a great diiference between this and knowingly, deliber- atelv and purposely introducing large numbers in their natural, unrenewed state, into the Chureh. If unconverted persons come into the fellowship of our churches, it is not the tault ot our principles. We receive those only who make, what we be- lieve to b(;, \ sincere and honest profession of saving faith m Jesus Christ. BAPTISM-THE SUBJECTS. Baptists hold that helievcr>i only are Jit subjecis for baptim. This, they believe, is abundantly proved by the positive pre- cepts of the word of God, and by the principles of Christ s kino-dom. Let us look at the teachings of Scripture. Ihere is not a pjissage in the Bible where we are told that an infant was bai)tized ; there is not a command in the whole book to baptise infants. . . -, ... t i Belief is always the expreasly enjoined prerequisite. lake the commission, as recorded by ISIatthew (xxviu : 10, 10), ^o ye, therefore, and teach {diseipk) all nations, bajdiziny tham in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 1 have commanded you." Notice here, first, the order of the words-- 1 Disciple ; 2. Baptize ; 3. Teach. This order must be sig- nificant and important. To affirm the contrary is to charge the Saviour with using indefinite and random speech m one of the most notable utterances which ever fell from His lips. VVe I 16 loariiy tlu'ii, tlifrt the fruf thinrted, is forbidden by John iv: 1 — where it is said that the Pharisees heard "that Jesus made and Ixiptized more dis- eij>les than John." The making of the disciples and the Ixiptiz- ing of them, are here clearly distinguished. Ifweturnto the Commission, as recorded by Mark (xvi : 15, 16), the same doctrine of believer's Ixiptism is clwirly taught : " Preach the Gospel to every creature ; he that helierefh and is baptized shall be saved." Here is the same order — 1. Belief; 2. Baptism. " Then they that gladly received kis word were baptized." — Acts ii : 41. " But v'hen they believed Philip, preaching the things concern- ing the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." — Acts viii : 12. " Then answered Peter, can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, ichich have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ?"— Acts x : 46, 47. " And many of the Corinthians hearing, believed and were baptized." — Acts xviii : 8. The baptism of the households of Lydia, and the Philippian jailor, is not at all at variance with the doctrine of believer's baptism. For, in the case of Lydia, we learn that she was " of the city of Thyatira," in Asia Minor, far distant from Philij)pi, where she was converted ; and that she was " a seller of purple," probably a travelling merchant. Is it likely that her household included infants ? Says DeWette, " there is nothing here which shows tluit any, except adults, were baptized. Meyp:r says : — " When Jewish or heathen families became Christians, the children in them coull have been baptized, only in cases in which they 17 fhcn to f Christ, ako (lis- !^i liners. iijjj Ikij)- lace, the [liw^iplos tfcH thty ms thoy retatioiiy ^ iitttM'ly aid that lorc (lis- j Ixiptiz- 'k (xvi : ckrarly be/ievefh rder — 1 . ized."— eoncern- ist, tlioy lat these Ghost as nd were lilippian )elievcr'.s was " of [^hilippi, purple," ousehold 3WS tliat -" When Idren in ich they were so far developed that they could j)rofess their faith in Christ, and did a(!tually jjrofess it; for this was tiie universal re(juisition for the reception of baptism. On the contrary, if the children were still unable to believe, thev did not par- take of the rite, since they were wanting' in what the act presupposed." ()i,shause\ says :— "Since a confes.'^iori oi" faith preceded baptism, it is improbable in the highest de2. CURCELLCEUS (died 1G59), an eminently learned man, pub- lished a critical edition of the Greek Testament. " The bap- tism of infants in the first two centuries after Christ, was alto- 3 18 gctlior unknown, but, in the (liird contury, mus mI1o\vc><1 by sofufi f'cw. In \hc fifth and (ollowinij^ a^es it was ironorally roceived. The custom of bai)tizin<; infants did not l)o<^in Ixifore the tliird atisiu waM all places ther in a at it was lulint; the an act of IV. /., ish Court writer on :;rn wense, with the unknown be second ^ippolytus, seminary : nv Testa- Bib. Rep. le highest ibuted to ng of in- f it to be hich may 1 to have tence." — ?ly, plain made by itory and \ Luther, , Hagen- vidence is ,nd senti- iews, and ibsolutely eliable is so clear, I 10 so concni'rent, so abundant, is true, and infant b»ptisin was not instituted !)y Christ or the Apostles, tlie (picstion naturally arises whencje, and umh^r what circunistance-t, did it come'.' [ts origin is plain. Ki-ror in (htrfrtiir jjrcccded, and gave birth to it. Xo one. who carefully reads the A|>ostolic Kpistlcs am fail to notice, by the statements made and the warnings given, that error in doctrine and practice were even then begin- ning to cre(!p into the churches; and the Apostles expressly de<-lared that this should hi! the case mon^ fully aftcrwanls. Now, if we turn to tlie writings of the ** Fathers," as they are called, — that is, those who lived during the first few ceniuries after Christ, — we find that one of the earliest and most p-M-- nicious errors which (k'veloped itself was the do"trin(! that fMipfism mvcs the soul, and that salvation is imi>ossible without it. All the evidence needed on this point is a reference to the writings of some of, the "fathers." Cypri.m, Ambrose, Chry- sostom and others speak in the most extn -agant terms of tlie benefits and miraculous effects of baptism. They taught that all who died unbaptized must inevitably be lost. It is easy to see what such a doctrine would lead to. How could parents endure the thought of their dying children sinking to perdition when it was in their power to save them, by having them baptized ? Claudius Salmasius, who filled a professorship at the University of Leyden, in I6.'i2,says : — "An opinion prevailed that no one could be saved without being ba|)tiz(*d ; and /or that reamn the custom arose of haptizuu/ infantx.'^ First, the dcmpi of the ordinance was corrupted, and that led to un- scriptural pradicc. Many autliorities might be cited to show that this was the true historic origin of infant ba})tism. Bai)tismal regeneration and infant baptistn were closely con- nec'ted then; have they ever been clearly separated, or can they be? Another clew to the practice of primitive times is found In the adult baptism of several of the distinguished theologians and preachers of those days, — aJthowjh their parents were Christians of imquestioned intelligence and piety. Gregory Nazianzen, Archbishop of Constantinople, who died A. D. 389, and whose father was bishop of Nazianzen, was not baptized till he was nearly thirty years old. Ullman's Grerjon/ of Nazianzen. Ephrem, of Edessa, a learned writer (died A. D. 378), was born of parents who " where enobled by the blood of martyrs in their family, and had themselves both confessed Christ before 20 the persecutors, nndar Diocletian or liis siieeessors. Thf\' con- N'cnifed Kplnvin toCJ.xl fr.Mi, |,is rradle, like another Suiim,.!, but he was ei>>-htf('ii yctirs old when he wus ixiptiw'd."— .l/A/t/t J}nf/4tieal history thivt Basil of diw^irea, (A. J). ;').>(>) thoui-h lie could boast* oi* christian aneestrv for Hoveral jr(.„erations, was not baptized till he wa ^vontv-seveii years old. ChrvscHtoin (died A. J>. 407), the golden-nlouthod preacher, Archbishop (►fCnstantiiiople, and born of Christian |»arent-<, received ba|)tisni at tlie aj^o of twentv-eij^ht. Ainbro- Kius, bishop of Milan, was a (;itiy.c.i of KcMue, but born in France, A.J). .'}4(). He received a rehVious ©hication, and was reared' in tl|e habits of virtuous eondue^,; but he was not Uipti/ed tdl he had reached the a^^e (,f thirty-four. Auirustine was not bai)ti/ed until he was ne-arly twenty-live vears of a;;e, though his mother, .Monica, was a woman' of f^-eat piety, ami instructwl him carefully in the principles oi' the Christian re- h^non. Jerome was bapti/xnl at the age of thirty-one. Tiie Kmperor Theodosius was ba[)tized in the thirty-fourth or thirty- fiftli vear of his a^^c, thour(>- 11 Fniiuie, as nnircd Ui|>ti/etl stiiie WiW i of aj^e, >Iety, aiul intiaii re- le. Ti.e or thirty- fr m his hese per- le erron- iviitliority x'ates are its ablest ining the ■. Other covenant iiinations t; others 1 I)erfect !(! for its a *' thiis \: Tcsta- istead of ncouclu- iion, and t Jewish ►st UUdC- )rethren" i i i at .b'nisiilom did not say h* , wiion this very (jucstion of circnm- ti.sion canie before them ? The ('onverts at Antioeh had been taii<;ht l»y sonir that circiinicision was still bindinfj, and that it was necessary for iIkmu to ohservi' it. How ea>s', then, for the <' poverty narkably sprinkle, the vari- n, or the were not w Testa- 'jinite act ning the we sliall imanded. , to sink id; Bap- immerse ibraerge. lentative mimerse washing, ize, bury 1 It Is needless to extend this list. The mme mcanimjs are trlven bv .Ustcdius, Bailey, Schoettgenius, Tarkhurst, Pasor, Hwlericus, Young, Robertson, Htokius, Stephanus, Suidas, Schleusner, Bretschneider, Suit^erus, Richardson, and others. All ao-ree in giving dip, or immerse, as the ordinary meaning of the word. If the Greek Ixixicon has ever yet been published which gives sprinkle as the meaning of baptlzo, it has been most carefully oom-ealed, and kept out of reach of those who have investigated this question. Writers on the subject iiave somc- ihiieb made the cMm-tion that such Lexicons exist ; but this assertion requires to be substantiated, for grave doubts rest upon the truth of it But the important fact is that all Lexicographers of (ipy note are unanimous in their definition of the ordinary meaning of the word. Now let us turn to the STAN DARD ENCYCLOPEDIAS. Encyclopedia Britannica.— " Baptism is derived from the Greek baptizo, to dip or wash. The usual mode of performing the ceremony was by immersion, but the practice of baptism bv sprinkling gradually came in, in spite of the opposition of Councils and hostile decrees. The Council of Ravenna, A. D. 1311 was the first Council of the Church which legalized bap- tism by sprinkling, by leaving it to the choice of the officiating minister." _, ,. , „ • i v Edinburgh Encyclopedia.—" The h-stlaw for sprinkling was obtained in the following manner :— Pope Stephen U. bcint- driven from Rome by Astolphus, King of the Lombards A. D 753, Hed to Pepin, who, a short time before, had usurped the throne of France. While he remained there, the monks ot Creasy, in Brittany, consulted him whether, in case of nece.mty, biptism performed by pouring water on the head of the infant Mould be lawful, and Stephen replied that it would. But though the truth of this fact be allowed— which some Cathohcss deny— yet pouring and sprinkling were only admitted in cases of necessity. It was not till 1311 that the Legislatur^ in a Council helu at Ravenna, declared immersion to be indifterent. In this countrv (Scotland), however, sprinkling was never prac- tised in ordinary cuses until after the Reformation. And in England, even in the reign of Edward VI., immersion was com- monly observed. But during the persecution of Mary many persons, most of whom were Scotchmen, fled from England to G ene\ a, ai id there gradually imbibed tlie o])inions of thai 24 Church In 1556, a book was pubh'shed at that place contafi,- ing the forms of prayers and ministrations of sacraments ai>- proved by that famous, and godly, a.id Jearned nmn, John taJyin in ^v•luch the admmistrator is enjoined to take water in his hand and ay it on the child's forehead. These Scottish exiles, who had renounced the authority of the Po,,e, implicitlv acknowledged the authority of Calvin, and returning to theh^ own country in 1559 with John Knox at their head, ^tablished .sprinkling m S<.otland. From Scotland this ,>ractice made S way into England, in the reign of Elizabetii, but was not au- thorized by the Establislieil Church " Chambers' Cyclopedia.-" It is, however, indisputable tliat n the primitive d.urch the ordinary „io- lan, John e water in B Scottish implicitly 5 to their stablished made its 9 not au- tible tliat ^ was by e erected ain— " It >nnation, 3re made dipping, »e of the person to le words ole body lot leave Kxly was le rite of by com- rora the in 1755. ivenient he can- it (bap- i of the To/. /., e usual >^s, Avas passed over to the Gentile Christians. Indeed, this form was the most suitable to signify that which Christ intended to render an obje<;t of contemplation by such a symbol ; the iminei-sion of the whole man in the spirit of a new life." — Planting and Training of tlie Chridian Church, J). Wl, GuERiCKE, Henry E. F., Doctor and Professor of Theology of Halle—*' Baptism was originally performed by immersion in the name of the Trinity."— ^bicjen^ Church History, p. 141. Venema (17th century) — " It is without controversy that baptism in the primitive church was administered by immersion into water, and not by sprinkling. The essential act of bap- tising in the second century consisted not in sprinkling, but in immersion into water, in the name of each person of the Trinity. To the essential rite of baptism in the third century pertained immersion and not aspersion, except in cases of ne- cessity ; and it was accounted a half perfect baptism. Immer- sion, in the fourth century, was one of those acts that were considered as essential to Baptism." — Eccles. Hist., Cent /., par. 138 ; Cent. II., par. 100 ; Cent. III., par. 51 ; Cent. IV., par. 100. Kurtz, Professor of Eccles. Hist, at Dorpat— " Baptism was administered bv a complete immersion in the name of Christ, or the Triune God.''— Eccles. Hist, Vol. I., p. 70. ScHAFF, Dr. Philip, of New York—" Finally, by the gen- eral usage of ecclesiastical antiquity, which was always immersion, as to this day in the Oriental, and also the Greco-Roman Churches." Church History, p. 568. COMMENTATORS, ETC. 1 — Reformers. Martin Luther — On the Sacrament of Baptism {at the be-- ginning)— " First, the name Baptism is Greek; in Latin it (Sin be rendered immersion, when we immerse anything into water, that it may be all covered with water. And although that custom has now grown out of use with most persons, (nor do they wholly submerge children, but only pour on a little water) yet they ought to be entirely immersed, and immediately drawn out. For this the etymology of the name seems to demand." — Op. Lutlieri, 1564, Vol. I.Jol. 319. John Calvin—" The word baptize itself signifies immerse, and it is certain that the right of immersing was observed by the ancient Q\invc\\.''—histitutlon of the Christian EeligioQi, Book If., chap. lu. 4 2d I ZwiNGLi — "Into his death; Avhen ye were immersedinto the water of baptism ye were ingrafted into the death of Christ ; that is, tlie immersion of your body into water was a sign that ye ought to je ingrafted into Christ and his di^ath.'^—Annotations on Uo- Vfums in : 3j Worh, vol. iv., p. 420. William Tyndale — " 'J1ie plunging into the water signi- fieth that we die, and are buried witii Christ, as concerning the old life of sin, which is Adam. And the pulling out again sig- nifieth that we rise again with Christ in a new life, full of the Holy Ghost, which shall teach us, and guide us, and work the will of God in us, as thou seest Romans vV —Obedience of a Chrintian Mem, edition of 1671, p, 143. 2 — Roman Catholic. Est, Chancellor of the University of Douay— " For immer- sion represents to us Christ's burial, and so also his death. For the tomb is a symbol of death, since none but the dead are buried. Moreover, the emersion, which follows the immersion, has a resemblance to a resurrection. We are, therefore, in bap- tism conformed not only to the death of Christ, as he has just said, but also to his burial and resurrection.'' — Comment, m the Epistles ; Bom. vi : 3. Brenner — " Thirteen hundred years was baptism generally and regularly an immersion of the person under the water, and only in extraordinary cases, a sprinkling or pouring with water ; the latter was, moreover, disputed as a mode of baptism, nay, even forbidden."— if/^-to^-iea/ Exhibition of the Administration of Baptism from Christ to our own times, p. 306. Bishop Bossuet, of Meaux, France, (died 1704)— "We are ah\e to make it ai)pear, by the acts of Councils ard by ancient rituals, that for thirteen hundred years baptism was adminis- tered by immersion throughout tlie whole Church, as far as possible." 3. — Episcopalian. Archhishop Tillotson— " Anciently, those who were bap- tized were immersed, and buried in the water, to represent their death to sin, and then did rise up out of the Avater, to sig- nify their entrance upon a new life, and to those the Apostle alludes— Rom. vi : 4:-6."-~Sermo7i8 vii., p. 179. Bishop Taylor—" And the ancient churches did not, in their baptism, sprinkle water with their hands, but immer"-ed the catechumen or the infant." After some references in proof of this assertion, he adds :~" All which are a perfect convic- 27 nerally and tlon, that the custom of the ancient churches was not sprink- VmJ, but immersion, in pui-suance to the sense of the word^ in the commandment, and the example of our blessed Saviour. — Eu'e of Comcienee, Book ill., chap, iv., Rule xv. Dr. Whitby — " It being so expressl}^ declared here (Rom. vi: and Col. ii : 12) that we are 'buried with Christ in baptism,' by being buried under water, and the argument to obli«'-e us to a conformitv to his death by dying t» sin, being take'n hence ; and this immersion being religiously observed by all christians for thirteen centuries, and approved by our Church ; and the change of h into sprinkling, without either any allowance from the author of this institution, or any license from any ^.buncil of the Church, it were to be wished that this custom might be again of general useJ^—Commmentary on Hie, New Testament — Rom. vi: A. CoNYBEARE AND HowsoN.— " It IS necdlcss to add that bap- tism wtis (unless in exceptional cases) administered by immer- sion, the convert being plunged beneath the surface of the water, to represent his death to the life of sin, and then raised from his momentary burial to represent his resurrection to the life of righteousness. It must be a subject of regret that the general discontinuance of this original form of baptism (though perhaps necessary in cur Northern oliiiates) has rendered ob- scure to popular apprehension some very important passages ot Scripture."— X/fe and Epistles of St Paul, Vol.1., p. 439. Again they say, in a note on the passsage "Buried with hin) bv baptism"—" This passage cannot be understood, unless it be b*Srne in mind that the primitive baptism was by immersion. — Vol. II., p. 169. 4 — Presbyterian. Westminster Assembly of Divines.—" In this phrase the Apostle seemeth to allude to the ancient manner of baptism, which was to dip the persons baptized, and, as it were, bury them under the water for a while, and then to draw them out of it and lift them up, to represent the burial of our old man and our resurrection to newness of me."-~Annotatiom, puh- Ihlwd in folio, under the auspices of the Assembly— Annot. on Rom. vi : 3, 4. i . ^ i r Dr. Chalmers—" We doubt not that the prevalent style ot administration in the Apastles' days was by an actual submerg- ing of the whole bodv under water. We advert to this for the purpose of throwing "light on the analogy that is instituted m 28 these verses. Jesus Clirist, by death, underwent this sort of baptism by an immersion under the surface of the ground, whence he soon emerged again by liis ressurrection. We, by being baj)tized into his death, are conceived to have made a similar translation, in tlie act of descending under the water of baptism, to have resigned an old life, and in the act of ascend- ing to emerge into a second or a new life." — Lectures on the Epintle to the Romans, on Chap. vi. : 3, 4. Dr. George Campbell, President of Marischal College, Aberdeen — " The word Baptize'm, both in sacred authors and in classical, signifies 'to dip,' 'to plunge,' 'to immerse,' and was rendered by Tertullian, the oldest of the Latin fathers, * tingere,' the term used for dyeing cloth, which was by immer- sion. It is always construed suititbly to this meaning." — Tr((nslaiion of the Gospels; note on Matt, in : il. Tliis same writer says, " I have heard a disputant, in defiance of etymology and iise, maintain that the word rendered in the New Testament, baptize, means more properly to sprinkle than to plunge, and in defiance of all antiquity, that the former method was the earliest, and for many centuries, the most general practice of baptizing. One who argues in this manner never fails, with persons of knowledge, to betray the cause he would defend ; and though with respect to the vulgar, bold assertions generally succeed as well as arguments, sometimes better ; yet a candid mind will disdain to take help of a falsehood, even in support of the truth." — Lectures mi Systematic Theology, p. 480. 6 — Wesleyan. John Wesley — " ' Buried mith him by haptum,^ — alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion." — Comnwnt on Mom. vi: 4.* Dr, Adam Clarke — " ' We are buried with him by baptiwi inio death.'' It is probable that the Apostle here alludes to the mode of administering baptism by immersion, the whole body being put undei^ Vie water, which seemed to say, the man is drowned ; is dead ; and when he came up out of the water, he seemed to have a resurrection to life ; the man is risen agam ; he is alive !" — Comvient on Rom. vi : 4. *When this lecture was delivered it contained another quotation from Mr. Wesley : but I have since been assured by an esteemed Wesleyan minister, that it was written before Mr. W^esley's conversion, or before he became the founder of Methodism ; and therefore, in fairness, it is omitted. 29 sort of ground, We, by made a water of ' ascend- s on the College, »ors and 'se,' and fathers, immer- ling." — dejmnce \ in the Icle than ' method general 3r never e would ssertions tter; yet xl, even oology, p. alluding Comnumt i bapthrm s to the )le body man is rater, he I agam; s ition from n minister, ecarae the m Again, on the passage " baptize for tJte (ilrfid,'''' he says, " Butafi they receive baptism a.s an emblem of (kath, in voluntarily going under the water, so they rewive it as an emblem of the rcmrrec- tii. : unto eternal lij'<\ in coming up out of the water ; thus they are baptized for t/w dead in i)erfeet faith of the resurrection." — ( 'omment on L Cor, xv : 29. The above are but a few of the extracts of similar import, ■which might be given. All the great German commentators and critics, such as Tholuck, Meyer, Gesenius, DeWette, Bret- schneider, Fritsche, Winer, Rheinwald, Halm, etc., hare .said the same thinr/ ; as also Bloomfield, Doddridge, Lightfoot, IMoses Stuart, Wall, Baxter, Whitefield, Towerson, and many more. Volumes might be filled with such quotations stating, n(>t in ambiguous or equivocal language, but in the plained^ mod nnquaUfied termit, that baptism, as instituted and prac- ticed by Christ and the Apostles, and continued for centuries, was inimersion, and that only. The man who stands up in these days to defend sprinkling, or pouring, as the primitive mode of baptism, has all the learned Christian world against him. It is sometimes said, when we cite the published utterances of eminent biblical scholars of different denominations in sup- port of our views, that we build our faith and practice more on the words of men than on the word of God. This is false. We build our faith and practice on noddny bid the rcord of God. And we make such quotations oaly to show that the highest authorities! in Ecclesiastical History and Scri])ture Interpreta- tion, in all communions, have really taken the same vieirs of God's Word, which we do, whatever their practice may have been. Thus, the doctrines which we hold, became we believe them to be God's tnUJi, are supported by the ancient history and the scholarship of Christendom. But it is said, " Why quote such utterances, when it is well known that many of the men who made them held, at the same time, the faith and practice of the denominations to which they belonged ?" We reply that, with that we have nothing to do. To their own Master they stand or fall. Whether they taught and practiced contrary to their convictions of truth, it is not for us to inquire. The fact remains that they unanimously ad- mit the truth, and scripturalness, and antiquity of those very doctrines and practices which, we believe, the Divine oracles plainly teach. But why did they make such admissions? 30 Gennlne scholarship and a fearless honesty rcqinred it. And their statements are published, and, therefore, jiiven to the world. THE PRACTICE OF THE GREEK CHURCH. The practice of the Greek Church is worthy of notice. The New Testament was written in (ireek. What can be fairer than to submit the quos^tion to the Greeks themselves? If it had been originally written in the Welsh or Gaelic language, cer- tainly it would be imi^rtant to ascertain what the original and unvarying understanding of it** terms had l)een by tl»e Welsh or Gaelic people. ,. , . 7. .• ^- i- The Greek, or Eastern Church, so called, m distmction trora the lioman, Latin, or Western Church, extends over Greece and all through Russia, from the Black Sea to Siberia, arid has branches 8(;attered through Egypt, Abyssinia, Arabia, Palestme, and other African and Asiastic countries. Now, it is well known that the Greek Church has always practised, and still invariably practices, immersion in baptism, even in the severe climate ot Northern Russia. Dr. AVall, an Episcopalian, Vicar of Shoreham, England, declares, " The Greek Church, in all its branches, does still use immersion, and so do all «)ther Christians in the world except the Latins. All those nations of Christians that do now, or for- merlv did, submit to the authority of the Bishop of Rome, do ordinarily baptize their infants by pourinf/ or sprinkling ; but all othe)^ Christians in the world, who never owned the Pope s usurped power, do, and ever did, dip their infants in the ordmary use. All the Christians in Asia, all in Africa, and ab<.ut one- third part of Europe, are of the last aort:'— History of Infant Baptism, Part II., ehap. 0. The celebrated Dean Stanley says:— "There can be no ques- tion that the original form of baptism— the very meaning oi the word — was complete immersion in the deep baptismal waters ; and that, for at least four centuries, any other form was either unknown, or regarded, unless in the case of danger- ous illness, as an exceptional, almost a monstrous case. To this form the Eastern Church still rigidly axJheres ; and the most illustrious and venerable portion of it, that of the Byzan- tine Empire, absolutely repudiates and ignores any other mode of administration as essentially invalid. The Latin Church has wholly altered the mode, and, with the two exceptions ot the Cathedral of Milan, and the sect of the Baptists, a few, drops ot I i SI it. And II to tlio ce. The lirer than If it had lage, cer- giiial and je Welnh rtiv>n from rreece and , jind has Palestine, ell known invariably sliraate of Eng;land, (8 still use rid except )w, or for- Rome, do 'ding ; but Jie Pope's e ordinary ibout one- of Infant >e no ques- leaning of baptismal )ther form of danger- case. To ; and the he Byzan- >ther mode Church has ious of tlie w drops of ! water are now the western substitute for the thnH3-fold plunge into tlie rashing rivers, or the wide baptisteries of the East." — lifctures on the llMtorif of tJie Kciatcrn ChurcJi, />. 21). Alexander de Htourdza (of the (jlreek Clmrch), Russian State Councillor, »says; — "The distinctive characteristic of the insti- tution of baptism i.s immei%sio)i, bnptiamn, \\\\\vh. cannot be omitted witliout destroying the mysteriou.s sense of the sacra- ment, and c;niti"adicting at the stmie time the etymologi{!al signification of the woixl, which serves to designate it. The Church of the West has, tlien, departed from the example of Jesus Christ; she has obliterated the whole sublimity of the exterior sign ; in short, she (wmmits an abuse of words, and of ideas, in pmctising baptism by aaixraion, this very term being in itself a derisive contradiction. The verb bapUzo, immcrfjo, has, in fiict, but one sole ac^•eptation. It signifies literally, and always, to plunge, J3a{)tism and immersion are, therefore, identical, and to say baptism by a,^pcrsion, is as if one should say immci'sioH by aspersion^ or any other absurdity of the same nature," — Coimderaimis on the DocU'ine and Spirit qfth^ Orthodox Church, StuUg. 1816, p. 87. The Greek Church, then, numbering about 97,473,000, and the Nestorians, Maronites Copts, Armenians, Jacobite Syrians, Abyssinians, and other Oriental Christian sects to the number of about nine or ten millions more, — making, together, over one hundred millions, — have from the first, and still do prac- tice, immersion in baptism. That is, according to Dr. Wall Dean Stanley, and others, all Christians in the world, except the Church of Rome, and those who came out from her at the Reformation, retain the original mode of baptism. BAI^ISTERIES. We will now turn to another class of witnesses, by no means the least interesting and satisfactory. Their testimony is a silent one, but most convincing. I refer to the ancient, bap- tisteries. The most ancient one is found in the Catacomb of San Pon- 4;iano at Rome. It was in these subterranean passages and chambers that the early Christians of that city sought refuge during the dark days of Pagan persecution. Here they lived and worshipped and were buried. And here they constructed baptisteries for the administration of the sacred rite. Through the Catacomb of San Ponziano a streaiu of water runs, tne channel of which is diverted into a reservoir, which was used 32 for administering ba[)tism by immersion from the first to the fourth century. The dimensions of the reservoir, wiiich is still full of water, are four and a half feet in length, three and a half in Avidth, and three ansuiliJic(ifio)i,s far mTAMary to a right approacih to the Lord's Supper, and who admit all who choose to come, baptized or unb:iptized, converted or unr-on- vei'te.l. As soon as any (pialificution wliatever is requin^d the communion ceases to be open. All denominations re(piiro certain ([ualifications ; th(!refore, all are close communionists. And all make haptixm an indmiieiiHcMIc qiui/ification : there- fore, all are close (iommunionists on the very ground which is so much complained of in Baptists. Strictly speakingj then Baptists are no more chargeable with dose (!ommunion than others. So that all the uidcind feelings and hard words with wliich they are so often assailed on the communion cpiestion, are unreasonable, and betray either a state of ignorance that is pitiable, or an ungenerous disposition that is certainly very un- like the spirit of Olirist. Thus far, then, Baptists and all others are agreed, viz : that baptism should 2>i'ccede tlie Lord's /Supper. Secondly. It has been already shown what we believe to be scriptural baptism 5 that ground need not, therefore, be gone over again at any length. iTi brief, we believe that the infalli- ble standard — the Word of God — plainly tea(!hes, and eeelessi- astical history, and the highest Christian scholarship fully con- firm the doctrine, that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit ; and that nothing else answers the requirements of God'si Word. Now put these two things together, and what is the result ? We are led immediately, inevitably and logically to the Bai>tist position on the communion question. While we hold that baptism is prerequisite to the Lord's Supper, and that nothing but the immersion of a believer, in water, in the name of the Trinity, is scriptural baptism, we cannot occupy any other ground than that of restricted communion. Any other course 36 wonld be !i most dislionest conipromi.^c of principle. Any one with the Klij^htest perception or rcttsonin^^ power must at once ifce this. • • i.1 • i. ( )ur friends who object to our views and practice ni this mat- ter must first show us tluit one or the other of the two positions dclinee dishonest to our convictions bv iiracticino- free communion wliile hohlin^^ the views which We do. In order to make amiv for a change of practice one ot our i)ositions must first be abandoned. Which shall it be/ Siiall it be the first, viz: that baptism must precede the -Lords Sni)perV That could hardlv be expected when we beheve so firmlv tl^at it is scriptural; and other denominations could scarcelv ask this of us, when they hold it just as firmly as we do. Shall it bethcsrcoju/? But how can we do that, wiien, to our minds, nothing is more plainly taught in (iod's Book than that hclieirrs only are the jiroper suhjects, and wimersiori only the proi)er mode of baptism ; and, when, in addition, we have the universal testimony of history, and the admissions oi the best and most learned in all branches of Christ's Church to show that our understanding of Scripture on these points is correct? As well might we be asked to adopt the consecrated wafer, instead of bread and wine, at the Lord's table, as t. adopt iniant sprinkling instead of Scriptural baptism. It is plain then, that we cannot be loyal to God's word, as we understand it, and abandon either of the above mentioned positions. And while we hold them, it is e(iually plain that we cauHot be open- communionists. To do that we would have to trample on the teachings of the New Testament, stifie our convictions of truth, and bear about with us continually the consciousness of being inconsistent, illogical and dishonest. The only logical way lor a Bajitist to become an advocate of free communion is to deny that the Scriptures require baptism before the Lord's ^Siipper. If he can firmly believe that, then the path is open. This is the ground taken by most of those Baptists who hold open- communion views. But how can we accei)t that doctrine when the Word teaches us that the breaking of bread was obs(>rved 6)/ y Christ and His Apostles to the primitive cimrches that we hold them. But let us see what traces of them we can discover during the intervening age<^. We hold that the true succession is succession of doctrines and principles, of faitli and works ; that the genuine representatives of the primitive Christians, the true successors of the Apostles, are those who hold their doctrines, and follow their examples, as they followed Christ. The Baptist claim to continuity from primitive times is noth- ing more nor less than this : that during all the intervening ages there have been persons, at times numerous and prominent, at other times, scattered by persecution and hidden, persons holding substantially the same distinctive principles which we hold to-day. But their history is to be " traced by their suffer- ings for the truth, by the sttiins of their martyrs' blood, by the light of their martyi's' fires." President Edwards, speaking of the long, dreary, interval between the rise of Antichrist and the Reformation, says :— " In every age of this dark time there ai>i)eared particular per- sons, in all i)arts of Christendom, who bore a testimony against the corruptions and tyranny of the Church of Rome. Tliere is no one age of Antichrist — even in the darkest times of all — but ecclesiastieui historians mention a great many by uame who pleaded for the ancient purity of doctrine and worship. (Jod was pleased to maintain an uninterrupted succession of wit- nesses through the whole time, in Germany, France, Britain, and other countries. And there were numbers in every age who were persecuted and put to death for this testimony." — Works, Vol. L, p. 460. Those who during this long period stood out boldly against the increasing corruptions of Christianity, the usurped power of 4(J the clergy, and tlie union of Churcli and S'tato, .tn(f who pfcad earnestlv for liberty of a)nscience, the t^olc autliority of God';^ word, and the purity of tl>c C'lnirch, were known hy different nauifii"* in different ages and countries; but their leading prin- ciples were substantially the same. In the earlier age* there were the Xovatians, Donatiste, Paiilicians and others^and in later times, the Waldenses, Albigenses, or Vaudois. It is not pretended that all these were Baptists in all resijects, aud we by no means endorse all tiie sentiments held by the dif- ferent bodies. It is only claimed that the distinguishing princi- j)les of the Baptists have had advocates in every age, and that, too, among those who are universally regarded as the }>reserver5* of primitive Christianity during the dark ages. In the til i I'd century were the Noi'((tianfi. It was in Rome that their principles begtm to be declared. The leading prineiple which distinguished them, and for which they earnestly con- tended, was ihc pnniy of the CJiurrh. In fact, it was on account of their adhei'ence to this jn'inciple that their dissent and st^parate organization took place. The dominant church had become very lax in discipline, and looked leniently upon gross offences in its members. The Xovatlans maintained that the Church nhonld be holi/. They were called Vafhari, ov Puritans; and they rebap- tized those who came over to them from the Catholics. See MoHhcim, (hit. III., Part II., ch. v. In the fourth century the I)ourin.'iple scene of their earnest protests and terrible persecutions. I'hev became ex- eee(b"ngly numerous, as may be jtidgcd from the statement of JNIoshemi, that, under the Emj)ress Th(!nt on the writings of their bitter enemies for a knowledge of their doctrines ; sffthat they are probably much misrepresented. This we learn, how- ever, that they protc'^ted earnestly against tl^- manv errors, both m doctrine and j)ractice, whiciriiad grown up in' the CaJiolic Church, and condemned the nudtiplied forms and ceremonies, the ritualism of that age, such as the worship of the Virgin INIary and the saints, the adoration of the cross and of images, etc. They advocatees of Bulgaria and Thrace, whence they spread into Italy, so that in the early part of the eleventh century they were very numerous in Lonibardy, and Insubria, and especially in Milan. In Italy tliey were' called Paterini, and Cdlhuri They afterwards appeared in ditterent countries of Europe. In Erance they were known as A lb i(/enscs and Boni Homines (good men). It seems evi«Ient that all these dilibrent bodies of dissenters, who, during the course of many centuries, in different parts of the (5 42 world, and in the f'nce of tlie fiercest persecutions, nuiintained their advocacy of ])riniitive Christianity, were HubsUintiaUy one (Old (lie .sdjnc pcop/r. Holding a common faith, the various brandies readily merged into one another. 80 that the differ- ent names used by historians are not j^enerally the names of distinct sects, bat different appellations, given in different ages and countries to })eo])lo, lidding Huhatuntially the name pnn- (■!j)f()i. A\'e now come to the WTas one of the most ilhistriou.s of the loaders. After twenty years of most successful labor in the South of France, in win- ning souls to Christ and turning multitudes from the corrupted Christianity of those days, he was burnt at the stake A.I). 1124 or 11;J0. One of his principles is thus given by Mosheiiu — "That persons ought not be baptized until thev come to the use of reason," Cent XII., Part II., ch. i\ " Xeander says " that he was an opponent of infant baptism, since he regarded personal faith as a necessary condition for true baptism, and denied the benefit in the case of another's Mth.^ Hist. Oh. ReL and Church To/. IV. jk 595. He was followed by Henry of Lausanne, who preached the gos- pel boldly, and with great results. The truth as proclaimed by him was accepted by multitudes. He was at last apprehended and committed to prison in A. D. 1148, where he soon after died. Neiinder says that " he attackal various customs wliich could not be directly proved from the sacred scriptures, as cor- ruptions of primitive Christianity ; such for example, as the worship of saints and infant baptisiil." — Hid. Oh. ReL and Ohureh, Vol. I V. p. 601. Mosheim says : — " An accurate account of the doctrines of this man, also, has not come down to us. We only know that he, too, dimpprovcd of infant haptivn, inveighed severely against the corrupt morals of the elergy, des[)ised the festal days and the religious ceremonies, and held clandestine assemblie>s." — Cent. XII. Part II. eh. o. In a Waldensian Treatise on Antichrist, Purgatory, Invocation of Saints, and the Sacraments, supposeil to have been written about the year 1120, it is said of Antichrist that " He teaches to baptize children into the faith, and attributes to this the work of regeneration, thus confounding the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration with the external rite of baptism, and on this foundation bestows orders, and, indeed grounds all his Christianity." M. de Potter, in his account of the Waldenses, says: — " They had a cpre that it (baf)tisni) should never be (!on- ferred on children of a tender age;" and again, " laying stress on the truth that in infancy there can be no actual conversion to the christian faith, they therefore, baptized anew all those who left the Romish Church, wishing to embracje their doctrine." In the public declaration of their faith to the French King, A. I). 1521, according to Montanus, they "assert in the strongest terms the ba})tizing of believers, and deny that of infants." One of their ancient Confessions of Faith, declares, " We con- sider the sacraments as signs of holy things, or as the visible 44 cniblcnis of invisil)le l)l(.'ssin([iiire(l. Thoy say, ^' We have now seen tliat the Bai)tists, who were formerly called Anahapti.sts, and in later times Mennonites, ipcrc the. orif/imil Wd/dctms, and who, lon^ in the history of the church, received the honor of that orifjjin. On this account the BnptiHfi^may be conmhred an Uic only Chritithin rnmninnifi/ which, haa ntood miwe the dayn of the A{)0}le to tell how terrible were the stonnB ot pe.><«>t,tion which tell uikhi the unotlendinjr \V «l;l«^«^7';»»<[;;': L^enne.; how tierce und fiendish the ra^;e <.t their de^^rovern; hirw rnanV thousand, of them .utfercjl sin.dar atrcx;Uu« to tWe which ha've lK>c>n recn-ntly jK>riK^rat«l in the provmc^en of i ur- I kev The history of th(>ir jTersei-utiinis is one eontuuioiis recoid a ot' fire and .word; the rack and ti»e gibW, the most uduunan 'i ^ rtures and hear rend in*r scenes. Tens of thoasantU wcn-e tor- S an^slain simply t^,r their o^n^uo.^ Their ^^^^ kiiowledsfl that they were persons « Wamele*. hie a d lo>aI .ubjectsr but thevhehl certain religious principle's, which have ahvays lx>en hated by ungmlly men and worldly christians The nam... of very many mi^dit l>e gi yen who sutfered mar- tyrdom in England alike under Blocnly Mary and Protestant l^li/il>eth solelv f< r holding these views ; but the details of S;'^ tortnrS and death are dreadful. In the sixteenth century immense numk^rs of liaptists suiieren^>;!"»^7t^]>;:;- ishment or burning. For details, see Cramp's Bajdud IMory, ^'(t;":^inl;'ix3 given to illustrate the kind of peiw^^ion Baptists had to sutfer in England .is late as the ^f^P^^^'!' 17 h cmtun/. Rev. Benjamin Keach was a Baptist minister at Winslow, in Buckinghamshire. He afterwards became pastor o the same church to which Rev. C. H. Spurgeon now muusters, at the Metropolitan Tal>crnacle, London. ,1.^ „ p ^f "In 1664, Mr. K«ich published a little book for the u.e ot children, entitled, ' The LIuUVh Instructor ; or a Neiv ami Ea,y Pnmm'r: For this he was summoned to m>f^^^ the Lizes at Aylesbury, Oct. 8, 1664 I^ing brouglvt to e bar, the clerk said, ' Benjamin Keach, hear y«"^;'^^|;;}?^Vinslnw art here indicted, by the name of Benjamin Keach, o Wins v m the County of Bucks, for that thou bemg a f ditious, s<,-his- matic pcrsonf evilly ami maliciously disposed, and f^l"^;^^,! His Majesty's government, and the government of the Church of England, didst maliciously and wickedly, on the f I; «i ^ay, in fhe 16th year of the reign of our sovereign lord the King wr^te, print, and publish, or cause to l)e written, printed, and pubv/shed, one seditious and venemous book, ^"titled 27.. r/uV,/'« Instructor; or a New and Ea^H /Vwmm'r ; wherein are contained, bv way of question .md answer, these ^^amnab c positions, contrary to the Book of (^mmon Prayer, and the 47 4 litnrfry of the (Hnirck of Eiiine ye blessed of my Father, in- herit the king(h»m prepured for you ;' and so shall they reijtrn with Christ on the earth a thousanu years, even on >foun't Sion, in the New Jerusalem. " hi another plaee you have Avickedly and malieiouslv written these plain Knjrlish words:— f^.— Why may not infants Ije re- ceived into the Church now, as th(!y were under the law? A. — I)e("n the pillory at Aylesbury, in the open market, from eleven o'clock till one, with a paper u})on your head with this inscription : — For vmiimj^ printing, and publishing a mJmmatical hook, entitled, ' llie Child's Instructor ; or a JVeiti and Easy Primmer.' And the next Thursday to stand, in the same manner and for the same time, in the market at Winslow ; and then your book shall be openly burnt l)efore your face by the conimon hangmen, in disgrace of you and your doctrine. And you shall forfeit to the King's Majesty the sum of twenty t b 48 pounds, and sI.hII remain in tiuol unC.l you fin pounds, and in default of payment to be whipped, ihe latter vvonld n,.t, or could not, pay the fine, and " without mercy, his back was laid bare, and the lash laid on for conscience sake. ,i . 49 T , . i Tho Hcsh Inino; ,„ jrory welts, and yet tin; hUm^ fell ; the blood riui down Ins le^rs juid niiide puddles on the ground, and vet the blows fell, until intolerance was satisfied. 'As the strokes fell upon me,' he says, ' I had such a sj)iritual numilestation .,t' (.od s presence as 1 never had before, and the outwanl pain was so removed from me that I well eo'dd bear it; yea, I felt it not although It was previous, as the spectators said* the man strik- in}r with all his strenjrth (ymi, spitting in his hands three times, a« many affirmed), with a three-eorles and apostolic men. We are thankful for such a spiritual jH;digree. Mad not these principles been immortal a.s the Word of God, they would have faded forever from the earth, when all the world' waged war against them for ages. Well may we with wonder ask why such principles have always been spoken against, ami their advocates persecuted. Then; is nothing in these doctrines that is injurious to men morally or spiritually ; nothing that is hostile to the welfare of society; nothing that is subversive of hiw and good government. And yet iaey have, from the be- ginning, been fiercely opposed, and their adherents have been the objects of the most relentless tyranny. Pei-liaps we may find the explanation in the fact tliat the truth, even when uttered by the Hon of God, was hated and resisted, and tliat He — the very truth itself— Mas crowned with thorns and cru- cified. OUR POSITION. Wisdom says, " I^t another man praise thee and not thine own mouth." Let us hear, then, what others have said. The late Dr. Wood, of Andover, Mass., in 1854 thus expressed himself; — " I entertain the most cordial esteem, love, and con- fidence towards the Baptists, as a denomination. 1 have had the freest intercourse, and the sincerest friendshij) with liaptist ministers, theological students, and private Christians. And I 50 have wished that our denomination-the Congregational-was as free from erratic speculations, and as well grounded in the doctrines and experin^ental principles of the Puntans, as the Bap r It seems to me thit tl^y are the ChnsUans who are likely to maintain pure ChristianUy and to hold ^ the foim of 'The'^i^t' Scotch Presbyterian, Dr. Chalmers, pays the follow- in^ trikite to the English Baptiste :-" Let it never be forgot- ten, of the Particular Baptists of England, that they form the denomination of Fuller, and Carey and Ryland, and Hall, and Foster; that they have originated among the greatest^^^^^^^^^^ missionary enterprises; that they have enriched the C^n ^^^^^^^ literature of our country with authorship of the most exalted n eTy as well as of the first talent, and the first eloquence ; that thev have wac.ed a very noble and successful war with the hydra ofinttn^mianism; th'at perhaps there is not a -T^J^^^^i community of ministers in our islands, or who ^av^ Pf J^^ to their number, a greater amount of mental power and niental Ictviy "n the defence and illustration of our common faith; and lat is better than all the triumphs of genius or under- s andC who by their zeal and fidelity and pastoral labor arng ^ingregations which they have reared, have do- « more to swell the li^st of genuine disciplcsh p in the walks o private society, and thus both to uphold and extend the living Chris- tianity of our nation." i r. ,i ^ ^^ii ^„ii of thpir Baptists have no cause to be ashamed of the ro^l^allo their illustrious men. Passing by the notable names of t^e ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ middle a.>-os, and coming down to modern times, we might point S HX SuNYAN, "thclmmortal dreamer," whose great allegory i been translated into more languages of the word than any other book except the Bible ; to John ^i^ton, whose c^lo^sa .renins produced the "Paradise Lost;" to Robert Hall hat most finished pulpit orator, the Chrysostom of modern tunes , o John Foster, whom Sir James Mackintosh pronounces "one ;'f the mos^. pro bund and elouqent writers that England has ro^^uced :" ti Andrew Fuller, the eminent theologian, who Cavei^es with giant steps the whole emph-e of "tion and of reason, as iti handmaid;" to John H«^^^^^' *.^^,f;;"^,^, philanthropist, and unselfish reformer; to Willa M Carly ^e first Missiokary from Great Britain to Lidia, who, during the forty years of his labors in that land, m connection with his as "Lrpublished over t.o luuuired and twelve thous^lf^^o^^^^^ of the Bible, in jorty dijerent lanyuagcs , to ^^vu.^ . 51 the heroic Apiistlc of Burmah, one of the first missionaries that ever left the shores of America for a heatlien land ; to Sir Henry Havelock, the valiant Christian warrior, whose name and fame can never he forgotten while the dreadful memories of Lucknow remain ; to C, IT. Spurgeon, confessedly the most eminent of living preachers, who, from his })ulpit, addresses the largest assembly that regularly convenes to-day in the world, for religious purposes. T\\Q first Misidorvary Society, for the purpose of evangelizing the heathen, was founded by the Baptists, in 1792. Of the efforts of this Society, Chambers' Cyclopedia thus speaks : — "No mission band has arisen in any denomination within the century who have surpassed the agents of the Baptist Missionary Society in ardent zeal, patient perseverance, and invincible forti- tude, in carrying out their Lord's commission to preach the gospel to every creature. The names of Carey, Marshman, Ward and Knibb will be had in grateful remembrance by all succeeding generations ; and their footsteps are now being trod by a long list of Christian missionaries of all evangelical per- suasions, who are ' the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ' " 'Y\m first Bible Society (British and Foreign), havii for its object to give the Holy Scriptures to all tin world, was originated by a Baptist, Rev. Joseph Hughes, of Battersea, near London. The translation and dissemination of the Word of God have always formed an important part of the work done by Baptists. The Ijondon Quarterly Revieui referring, in 1809, to the labors of Carey and his friends in India, said, " In fourteen years they have done more towards spreading the knowledge of the scriptures among the heathen than all the world besides." T\\Q first Evangelical Christian churches in India, Burmah, Siam and China were Baptist churches. And the standard of the cross, raised by the faithful and fearless pioneers, now waves over multitudes reclaimed from heathenism. STATISTICS, ETC. The increase of tlie Baptists is remarkable. For example : — In the United States, in the year 1770, there were 77 Baptist churches, now there are about 23,000, witii almost 2,000,000 of members, — 'that is, communicants. During the last fifty years we have gained, in that country, more than 17,500 churches, e(piivaient to more than one church every day during ail those 52 years There are over fifty churches of our denomination in the '^^irSS' Siaaa we ha.. 667 cWeh. - W* members • in the West Indies, 153 churches, 27,884 members , ^Grtat Britain, 2,617 churches, 265,797 ^"b- ^ m Ger- mauy, 103 churches, 19,997 members; mbweden, 234 church j, 10,495 members; in Hindustan and C^y>»"' ^^^ ^^IXS' in fi9'! members- in Burraah, 404 churches, 19,671 members. i°L''ding to in all lands, ;e obtain the ibUowing numbe..: Euroi>e, Asia, - Africa, America, Australasia, Churches. 3,080 518 52 23,828 102 Members. 302,335 31,199 1,997 2,013,314 6,756 27,040 2,355,601 And these principles are spreading very rapidly, and indi- rectlv affecting those who will not yd acknowledge that they arelLiptural. References to the statistics of other denomnia- bns show that, in the United States especially, mfant baptism s IriduaUy declining, the number of adult baptisms far exceed- fn'tee^ ot- infaii: It is stated that in that country, "not one diild in ten receives the rite." Multitudes are becoming con- V need of the unscripturalness of such an ordinance ; and con- c"^'tk)us Christian.^ when they see clearly that there is no war- ran for it in God's word, will abandon it. Large numbers of Pedobapt s'm^^^ year, adopt Baptist principles, and becleUnnected with the denomination ^-^^y^^ been made of the Baptist pastors in Brooklyn ^. \ . , a., to their previous training, with the following results •.--//"/^^e"'^ee [rained as BaptisS; fifteen were not so tramed, but have coj to us a,s follows :— Presbyterian 5 ; Methodist, 4 ; Episcopal, . , Ln W:!; 1 ; Quaker,' 1 ; Reformed Dutch, 1 . -'\«-Xn savs of h mself, " I was never trained to any beliet, but when Xc ted at se'venteen years of age, became a Baptist by soleinn convictions from reading the N.w Testament -"^^/'^'^^^^^^^^^ As is well known, Rev. Mr. Dunn (Presbyterian), of Bo. on, nd Revs. T. D. Talmage, and PI. W. Beecher, o iWdyii have baptisteries in their houses of worship, for the iinn« of those who desire it; and now it is understood hat a similar conv e^Lnce will probably be put into Mr. Moody's new church edifice in Chicago. , - - In view of the prosperity granted to us a people, and tlu ^\r 53 prospects of still greater triumphs of the truth, we will but say, to CtoU be aU the praise. As regards their relations with other Christian communities and with their fellow men in general, Baptists are not open Uy the charge sometimes brought against them— of iiliberality or exclusiyeness. They are always ready to co-operate with their tellow Christians of other persuasions, in religious effort, in be- nevolent institutions, in the promotion of every enterprise for the mental, moral, and spiritual welfare of the world, in every good cause, where no compromise of principle w involved. Ihey entertain sincere resi^ect and love for the people of God of every name, and are ready to manifest this Christian friendship as fully and unmistakably as any, but Uiey ivill not sacrifioe God's truth. "^ Baptists are not, accorditiff to the historical signification of the term, Protestants. They do in reality protest, as their pre- decessors have always done, against all that is unscriptural in doctrine or practice, wherever it exists ; but Protestantism, so- called, IS only as old as A. D. 1529, when the celebrated Protest of certain German states and princes was made at the Diet of bpires. We say to Protestants, God si)eed vou, and help vou to do a good work ! You have rejison to protest against 'the errors of that body from which you came out, only vou do not carry your protest far enough. We never were enclosed within her pale, but we rejoice in the work you are doing, and would rejoice more fully it it were more thorough. Oh that the lie- formers • had accomplished a complete Reformation ! Oh that they had left certain things behind them when they came out ! How much more glorious, more [powerful, and more triumphant would the Reformation have been ! But it was scareelv to be expected that they could at omv. shake off all the errors 'among which they had been reared. It was a great spiritual resurrect tion, and in coming forth from the tomb some of the grave clothes clung to them. How desirable that their descendants should complete the work which they began, and now render the Reformation perfect. The word of our God shall stand forever. It may be opposed and its holy light obscured for a time, but in the end it must be aciknowledged. The Bible is the only infallil)le guide amid the varying currents of human opinion. " But if it is to be our guide, it must he fully accepted, and implicitly obeyed. Neither long-standing custom, nor natural inclination, nor self-interest, nor tlie example of numbers, nor any other consideration should 1 64 be suffered for a moment to stand l)etween ns and the hearty reception of, and nnhesitating obedience to the teachinp ot Jesus. In God's book we are counselled to " buy the truth and sell it not." Oh, the truth, the tndh oj God, what a blessed possession ! Be it ours to embrace and keep it, unadulterated by human opinions or traditions ; for when we appear before our Master's throne nothing but Truth wdl stand. \ 4 I \, I