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This is a i)rett;y hard icxt to take when one wishes to speak of the Distinctive Principles of his own I)e nomination, l)til the time has been (and in some plaees I fear even now is) when the latter part of it was as true of the Baptists as originally it was of Christians in general. No Christian denominations have ever loved one another any more than they ought, but while other denominations have had their local differences, Baptists have been the object of universal attack. And it is only as they have become larger, stronger, and betler known, md the Spirit of Christ has more generally guided Christian denomin- ations in thJiY treatment of one another, that the odium attached to our denominational name has been in any degree modified and lessened. And I think we ought not to be surprised at this odium, for when I try for a moment to get outside of myself and ''see ourselves as others see us," it seems very natural that it should exist. For as others see us we sit in judgment upon the whole Christian world in some ^(c <^ 4 I particulars and condemn it. Other denominations differ from one another on some jjoints, hut we differ from them all, so that i» is much harder for a C'hristian to become a i5;i[)tist than .mythint; else, or to pass from any other one denomination to another. And as scorners are proverbially scorned, we who seem to others to he sitting in the seat of the scorner, have come in at one time or another for a liberal share of scorning. I suppose that one thing which increases the l)eri)lexity of good and intelligent Christians of other denominations about us, is the fact that we are so ready to co-operate with them in so many good works. They sec Baptist pastors exchanging pulpits with ministers of other denominations, sometimes going farther in this direction than some of them are willing to go. They see us as one with them in evangelistic efforts, and taking no mean place in the various movements of (Christian philanthropy and reform. And yet they say, " you will not sit down at the I-ord's table with us, and you will cling to a particular form of baptism, and add to the already too many sects of Christendom just for that. You are a strange people ! " Well, as far as union with other Christians in the good works of our common Christianity is concerned, I hope sve shall greatly increase their peri)lexity. May the day be distant when IJaptists shall not love all " v/ho love our Lord jesus Christ in sincerity," and join with them whenever it is practicable and wise in seeking the good of their fellow men ! Ikit this perplexity only shows how little we are understood and how much need there is of more light about us. Doiibllcss wc uii-iit i-rofiiahly knuw more aluHil ..ilirr clenoininatioiis than we do. I have again and aj^.iin licm surprised and delighted in talking with those wlioni I had sui)i)osed to he at the veiv anti[K)des of thouglit and feeling to myself, to fnid that beneath great differences of form and method both of us were really seeking the same great ends. iUil 1 can hardly believe that any body of Christians is more largely misunderstood than our own. It is said that we are great sticklers for fv)rms, when the truth is we have fewer forms than almost any other denomination, and we care very little for any fc^rms save those which wc believe ihe \An-d gave. It is said that we believe lliat unless a person is immersed he cannot be saved, but notliing conld be farther from the truth than this, and no t)ne wh. knows anything about us could ever make such a statement as this honestly. I wish other denominations understood us better. I wish we understood other denominations better. I wish every l>aptist knew why he is a Uaptist and could "ive a '-ood reason for it. Others might not agree with m if they did understand us. We might not agree with others if we did understand them. lUit light is always good. If it does not melt two men into one, it will help each to see the other's path, and keep each from running into the other. Why then do we maintain a separate ecclesiastical existence, and such an existence as our own ? \Vhat are the things which in these days of Christian Union comi)el us as a denomination to walk apart from those whom we love in Christ Jesus? Do you know, brethren ? Dots one in ten of you know? It not, I beg of you not to enter into denominational debates with tliosc who may be no better infornied than yourselves, for the most exasperating and j^rofitlcss disputes in the world are those which arise from the mutual ignorance of the disjjuters. Hut you ought to know what you believe and why you believe it, for it is not a light thing for any band of Christians to walk a])art from their brethren and perpetuate schism in the body of Christ. Certainly the JJaptist denomination docs not exist for any mere prudential reasons, because it has been found best to have such a body to reach certain classes in society. No Christian body can justify a separate and permanent existence on this ground alone, for it is the business of a Christian body, a Christian Church, to reach all classes in society and bring them all into that perfect social order wherein one is the Master, even (Jhrist, and all they are brethren. The Baptist denomination exists for no small and i)artial purpose. It was not called into existence to meet an emergency, and it does not continue to exist merely to fill a gap. It is not perpetuated that children may join the church to which their parents belonged, though I fear that this is the best reason many Baptists could give for being Baptists. Nor is the great difference between us and other denominations merely the amount of water that is used in baptism — as it is so often said and sometimes with an attempt at cheap wit at our expense. If the dividing line between us and other Christian denominations were simply a ([uestion of form, I should say that as a denomination we stand on a very " narrow neck of land, 'twixt two unbounded seas." But it is not so. We du dilTcr t'roni our l)rcllncM of other iniiics ;is to the form of Christian haplisni, hut there is somctliin.u l)eliincl the form, atul deeper tliaii the form which j^ives us a broad and solitl denominational jilatform, and retiuires us to stand firmly upon it. 'J he Baptist denonh ination exists because of ctrtain principles which it holds to be true, distinctive principles, found in their fulness in no other denomination, principles so important in (he hiw^dom of Christ, so comprehensive, so far /caching in their applications, that it seems necessary at present that there should be a separate denomination to preach them and teach them, that the i:;ospel of Christ may be fully set before the luorld. I propose in the remainder of this discourse to stale these principles without extended elaboration or defense. As I shall name them they arc five in number. T. — We believe that the Bible strictly interpreted is the only Standard of Christian Doctrine and Duty. This is our fundamental principle whi(-h sha[)es and determines every other. We receive the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of (iod, ar.d seek to be guided by them alone in all matters of faith and practice. And with res[)ect to Christian institutions we seek esi)ecially to be guided by the New Testament. In interpreting the Scriptures we aim to avoid two equally dangerous extremes — a bald literalism, and a high-llown spiritualism, the one of which robs the Bible of some of its most precious truths, and the other makes it a book of inspired nonsense. We mean to take the Bible just as it 8 reads, literally where it was meant to be taken literally, and spiritually where it was meant to be taken spirituall)-. We believe it si ould be read like any other book, and inter[)reted by the generally aecepted principles of inter- ])retatiop of similar literature, for we hold that only thus we may hope to get at the mind of the Spirit. It will thus be seen that we stand opposed to two great tend'ncies,— 3/^r.v/, the tendency to add to the vScriptures, which manifests itself in the exaltation of human traditions to the level of the Word of God. We think very little of human traditions, we care little for the creeds of Christendom, however historic. The " church fathers " as they are called, receive but little veneration at our hands. We value them as reflecting the sentiments of their times, but as authorities we yield them no place. But second, we stand opposed to the tendencv to take aivay from the Scrii)tures, which manifests itsel" in the disposition of some to modify, tone down, explain away, and even tear out of the Bible such teachings as do not seem to ^,n,rmonize with enlightened reason and con- science. Reason ar*d conscience are not our final iippeal, but the Bible. We believe that the Bible should guide reason, and not reason the Bible. We believe that the Bible should ^nlighten conscience, and not conscience sit in judgment on the Bible. In a word, our final (juestion in all matters of faith and practice is and always has been, " what saith the Scripture ? " We rejoice when we hear our brethren of other Protestant denominations asking this same (juestion as earnestly as \vc do, and \vc do not for a moment question their sincerity, when they too profess to be guided by the Scriptures alone as the one perfect and infallible s' ulard of doctrine and duty. With such our difference is mainly one of interpretation and while this difference remains as great as it now is, I see no way but for us peaceably to walk aj)art and keep our minds and hearts oi)en for more light. con- |ppeal, ,uide lat the :ience final I ways I when Ltions II. — IVc believe that a clnirch of jfesus Christ is ideally composed otily of such persons as have been reio^enerated by the Holy Spirit and made neic creatures in Chi ist Jesus. We believe in a Rci^enerated Church Membership. 'I'his is merely an api)lication of the principle just stated, fur as we read the New Testament, repentance and faith are necessary in all who would become members of a church of Christ. For a church of Christ in the New Testament sense is more than a congregation of persons gathered together without regard to moral character. // is a body of baptized men and women who have bee?i called out from the world and separated unto the service and worship of Christ. This definition we believe can be sustained by a careful study of the New Testament. This view of course is opposed to that by which the buunds of a church are fixed only by the number of per- sons in the families com[)osing it, a theory which is con- sistently carried out only in the Roman Catholic Church. We do not count the infants and unregenerated members of our households members of the church and kingdom of Christ. The kingdom of Christ in our opinion is a 10 spiritual kingdom, and to be a citizen of it one must be born " from above," not from below. And we do not wonder that those Pedo-baptist Churches which approach most nearly to the New Testament idea of a church are often at a loss to know where the " children of the church " as they are called — the sprinkled infants of Christian parents— really are, in it, or outoi it. Practically they are out of it and must give evidence of Christian conversion before they can be in it, and come to the Lord's Tabic, the peculiar privilege of church fellowship Theoretically they are already in it and have the right to come or be brought to the Lord's Table now. Theory and practice do not agree. It may be said that Baptist churches are not always true to this great principle of a regenerated church membership. They sometimes receive those whose piety is doubtful and retain those who show no piety at all. Yes, there is imperfection in everything human, and a church of Christ is a divine Institution, composed of human beings, and therefore is liable to err. But apart from this limitation our churches have the remedy in their own hands. Baptists should always remember that a liaptist church ought to be the purest church in a community, and that if it is not, and so far as it is not, the theory of a regenerated church membership will seem, must seem to the world an idle boast. It is the duty of a church that stands for this great principle, to be very careful whom it receives into its fellowship, and equally careful whom it retains. II It may also be said that there are other churches which practically believe in a regenerated church member- shi]) as well as the Baptists. We grant it with all our heart, and glory in the truth as a portion of our lawful inheritance. It may sound boastful, but I believe it is the truth, the historic truth, that the Baptists were the first among the sects of modern Christendom to insist on a regenerated church membership, and moreover that it is through their influence, silent and unconscious though it may have been, that this idea has taken so firm a root in other denominations. The countries where this idea prevails most generallv, (ircat Britain and North America, are the countries where Baptist churches are most numerous. And it is beyond question, that the presence of a good, live Baptist church in a community is a spiritual blessing to the other churches of that community. The mission of the Baptists will not be fulfilled until the adoption of this great principle is universal. of III. — IVe believe that only believers in Jesus Christ are the proper subjects of Christian baptism, and that only such as i^ive credible evidence of faith i/i Christ s/iould be baptized. It is generally admitted that baj^tism is the door into a church, so that this })rinciple is only the natural sequence of the one just stated. For if only such as have been born from above are to be received into church fellowship then only such are to be baptized. This is the order of the Great Conmiission of our Lord Jesus Christ given to his Apostles and followed by them, and binding upon all his disciples to the end of the world. " Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 12 them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy (ihost, (Matt. 2S : 19.) This order cannot be changed or tami)ercd with in any way without spiritual disaster to the meddler, and to the entire cause of Jesus Christ. It is true we read of household baptisms in the New Testament, just ^/rree and no more, — that of Lydia and her house, that of the Phillipian jailer and his house, and that of the household of Stephanas. But of the Phillipian jailer it is written (Acts 16: 34) that he "rejoiced greatly, with all his house, having believed in God." Of the household of Stephanas, Paul said that it was " the first fruits of Achaia," and spoke of the members of it as "setting thvMnselves to minister unto the saints," (i Cor. 16:15). I should like to baptize a good many such households as that. *.)f the household of Lydia nothing is said as to numbers, sex, or ages, but in view of the Lord's command, (Matt. 28 : 19), and the apostolic practice revealed elsewhere of making persons disciples before baptizing them, the burden of proof rests upon those who contend for infant baptism from this example. They must prove that there were infants in that household before the argument for infant ba[)tism from that case will be sound and good. We do not wish to rest so great a case upon so small a foundation. But this is all the New Testament allows, for while our Saviour took little children in his arms and blessed them, he did not baptize them, and it is a noteworthy fact that latterly the practice of infant baptism has been defended for the most part upon extra-Biblical grounds. ^3 IV.— We believe that the oydiiumccs of a Christian church are such o)ily as arc commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. And of course this limits us to two, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. As to the first our ])osition is very clear. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in Jesus Christ in loater, into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. To maintain this view we api)eal, (i) to the meaning of the Greek word rendered " baptize," as given by the best scholars of the Christian world : (2) to the accounts of the administration of the ordinance in the New Testament, especially of the baptism of Christ, (Matt. 3 : 13-16), and of the Ethiopian eunuch, (Acts 8 : 36-38) ; (3) to the symb(jlism of the act as set forth in Rom. 6 : 3-5, which is wholly lost if any other form is substituted for immersion; (4) to the practice of the primitive churches; (5) to the practice of the Greek church down to the present time; (6) to the concessions of many who do not practice immersion alone, that this was unquestion- ably the original mode, which concessions are very numerous and come from representative men in every Christian body. We do not regard the ordinance as in any wise saving, but rather as an ordinance for such as have already had their sins forgiven through (iod's free grace in Christ Jesus, and are " being saved " by the operation of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we submit to it and administer it simply as an act of obediLiice to Jesus Christ. \Vhat we wish and all we wish is to obey Him, and we do not see how this can be done except by doing as he did. It is not a question of conscience with us, much less of convenience, but simply and only a ^4 question of fact, How ivas Jesus Christ Baptized ? Atu! what did he mean when he bade his followers ^i^o and make disciples and baptize them ? If we can find the ansvvcrs to these two questions, it is enouLjh, we mean to follow Him. It is not a cjuestion with us as to the /node of baptism, but as to the act of baptism. We care but little for the mode if the act is decently performed. It is not a question as to the amount of watei in baptism. Any amount in which we can oai)ti/.e decently is enough, a baptistery full is as good as an ocean full. All that i^ necessary is water enough to do just what Christ has commanded, and as we believe he has commanded immersion alone, immersion alone we practice. As to the other church ordinance 2i>e believe that the Lord's Supper is a CGmmemorative avd symbolic act, in which the members of a church come together and partake of bread and 7i>i?ie as symbols of his body and blood given for men, this also beinq done as an act of obedience to the Saviour, and i?i reme/nb ranee of Him. We do not believe with the Roman Catholics in " the real presence " of Christ in the elements of his table, but we do believe and are sure that He is with us whenever we gather about his table in the right spirit. We do not believe in "close communion " as it is so often miscalled, but we do believe that in the New Testament order^ baptism preceded the Lord's Supper and therefore like other denominations we restrict the communion to the baptized. And as we differ from our Pedo-baptist brethren as to what constitutes Christian baptism, we are consistently obliged to restrict the communion to such as w-e believe IS to have been baptized. It is " close baptism," not " close communion," and the only way in which our view of the communion can be called close is l)y taking the illogical and untenable ground, that there is no vital and necessary order and relation between t'ne two ordin ances. We do not say by withholding a general invitation to the Lord's table that we alone are C'hrist's followers. We only say that immersion alotic is baptism^ and h"" the present state of the Christian world we know not how t*. preserve this ordinance as we believe Christ has given it, and with it maintain the grand principle of His absolute Lordship in its integrity, excei)t by doing as we do. V. — We believe that there is and should be no or^^anic union between cJiurch a?id state, and furthermore that each duirch is and ought to be independent of every other church ifi all matters of faith and practice, beim;: accou?itable for its discipline and doctrines only to the Lord y^esus Christ. Baptists have always stood firmly by the word of Jesus Christ, " My kingdom is not of this world," and there- fore have never asked the state to aid them in propagating their views or sustaining their institutions, and although many of tiiem have died for their faith, I do not know that they ever have been |)ersecutors. Ba{)tists do not believe in a church state or a state church. They hold that the state has nothing to do with religion except to protect every one in the peaceable exercise of his personal right to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. They do not believe in mere toleration which im})lies the right of some dominant faith to tolerate and the duty of others to be satisfied with toleration, but i6 rather in soul Hbcrly, a ])rincii)le whicli f'uund its most complete expression for the first time in the history of the world upon these American shores. All that I'nptisls ask of the state is to let them alone, and see that they let others alone. As for Church Independency, this too has always been a cardinal principle of the lUiptists, as it now is with all churches which are governed by tlie congregational polity as it is now called. Our churches are not united by any ecclesiastical bonds one with another. Some persons who ought to know better speak of our denom- ination as " the IJaptist church," Init there is no such church on earth. There is a Roman Catholic church, an l%piscopalian church, a Presbyterian church, a Methodist church, but no Haptist cluirch. J]a[)tist churches there arc, one here and another there, (may the T.ord rapidh' increase tlieir numl)crl) but no Tkiptist church. There is a r.r it,!-, us, and we believe in many cases through our influence, but I do not know where else to find them all together and so consistently maintained. There is not a bad principle among them, not one which has not proved a blessing wherever it has been fairly tried. Yet we do not believe in them simj)ly because they have worked well, but rather because v/c are persuaded that they are taught in the r.ible. It is for the sake of the.se that we feel obliged at present to maintain a separate ecclesiastical existence, and while the necessity remains the Baptist denomination will remain. We love Christian Union, but we love Truth better, and Liberty better, and conscious of our liability as human beings to imperfection and error, and being very desirous of union in the 'I'ruth, the only uniqn that can be of real and lasting value, we cordially invite all Christians to join us in searching as for hid t. -auire, for the truth as it is in Jesus, even for the knowledge of the truth that comes from continuintr in his Word, and makes all who find it free.