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-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, by 

-Edward Thurston Hiscox

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most

-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of

-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at

-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have

-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.

-

-Title: The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches

-

-Author: Edward Thurston Hiscox

-

-Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61084]

-

-Language: English

-

-Character set encoding: UTF-8

-

-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STANDARD MANUAL FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES ***

-

-

-

-

-Produced by John Hagerson and Mrs. Faith Ball

-

-

-

-

-+Transcriber's Notes+

-

- - This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to

-   discuss their history, organization, polity, and operations. The

-   book itself has a small form factor, suitable to be carried in a

-   suit coat pocket.

- - The author's perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are

-   introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against

-   alternatives.

- - Detailed information on the Transcriber's changes are listed after

-   the text.

-

-THE

-

-STANDARD MANUAL

-

-FOR

-

-BAPTIST CHURCHES

-

-_By_

-

-EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.

-

-Author of

-"The Baptist's Short Method," "Star Book for Ministers,"

-"The Star Book Series," "Pastors' Manual," etc.

-

-PHILADELPHIA

-

-THE AMERICAN BAPITST

-PUBLICATION SOCIETY

-

-CHICAGO   KANSAS CITY   LOS ANGELES   SEATTLE

-

-

-------------------------------------------------------------

-Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by

-THE AMERICAN BAPITST PUBLICATION SOCIETY

-In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington

-------------------------------------------------------------

-

-PRINTED IN U.S.A.

-

-

-PREFACE

-

-It is now thirty years since the "Baptist Church Directory," prepared

-by the writer, was first published. That work was designed to be

-somewhat of a _consensus_ of the opinions of those best able to judge

-in matters of Baptist church polity and usage, especially as to what

-concerns administration and discipline. It might thus prove a help to

-both pastors and members, particularly in perplexing cases liable to

-arise. Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify the order and customs

-of our churches through our widely extended ranks. This hope has been

-realized. More than fifty thousand copies of that book have been

-circulated in this country. It has also been translated, more or less

-fully, into six or seven different languages by our missionaries, for

-use in our missions and foreign fields.

-

-But many of the churches desired a smaller and less expensive manual,

-which they could put into the hands of all their members. To meet this

-want, sixteen years ago, the writer prepared the little "Star Book on

-Baptist Church Polity," which many churches have adopted, furnishing

-their members and candidates for membership with them freely. This has

-had a circulation of over thirty thousand copies; and both this and the

-"Directory" are in as great demand as at any previous time.

-

-It is something more than twenty years since the "Baptist Short

-Method," by the same author was published. The purpose of this manual

-was to give a concise view of those distinctive features which mark the

-difference between Baptists and other denominations, especially as to

-the ordinances and church order; and also to furnish the proofs by

-which our position in these respects is justified. About ten thousand

-copies of this book have found their way into circulation.

-

-The preparation of the present manual was undertaken at the request of,

-and by an arrangement with the pastor, R. S. MacArthur, D.D., on behalf

-of Calvary Baptist Church, New York City, for the special use of that

-church. Something was desired smaller than the "Directory," and more

-full than the "Star Book," embracing certain features of the "Short

-Method." When completed, it was thought to be, on the whole, so much

-superior to anything ever before prepared, as a manual for general use

-in Baptist churches, that by mutual consent, it was decided to have it

-published for general circulation, rather than confine it to the use of

-a single church.

-

-To both ministers and members, such a manual, it is hoped, will prove a

-valuable helper in the interest of church order, and of denominational

-unity and prosperity. Especially for the younger members, so many

-thousands of whom are yearly admitted to the fellowship of the

-churches, with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly instructed

-as to either doctrines or order, it should prove a most valuable

-assistant. Concise and accurate in statement of facts, transparent in

-arrangement of matters, convenient in form, and cheap in cost, pastors

-will find it to their own advantage, as well as to that of their

-members, to see that their churches are liberally supplied with copies.

-The pastor of one of our very largest and most prosperous churches, for

-whose use its preparation was undertaken, shows his estimate of its

-value, and sets other pastors a wise and worthy example, by ordering in

-advance of publication, _one thousand copies_ for his church.

-

-May the Divine blessing make this, as other works have been made, a

-means of furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and efficient

-service for Christ, in the churches for which it is designed.

-

-E. T. H.

-MOUNT VERNON, N. Y.

-January 24, 1890.

-

-

-CONTENTS

-

-CHAPTER I

-A CHRISTIAN CHURCH

-

-CHAPTER II

-CHURCH OFFICERS

-

-CHAPTER III

-CHURCH ORDINANCES

-

-CHAPTER IV

-CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP

-

-CHAPTER V

-CHURCH DISCIPLINE

-

-CHAPTER VI

-CASES OF APPEAL

-

-CHAPTER VII

-CHURCH BUSINESS

-

-CHAPTER VIII

-CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

-

-CHAPTER IX

-OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS

-

-CHAPTER X

-BAPTISM CONSIDERED

-

-CHAPTER XI

-THE LORD'S SUPPER

-

-CHAPTER XII

-INFANT BAPTISM

-

-CHAPTER XIII

-CHURCH GOVERNMENT

-

-CHAPTER XIV

-CHURCH OFFICERS

-

-CHAPTER XV

-BAPTIST HISTORY

-

-

-+STANDARD MANUAL FOR

-BAPTIST CHURCHES+

-

-+CHAPTER I+

-

-A CHRISTIAN CHURCH

-

-The word "church" is, in common language, used with large latitude of

-meaning. It is applied to a building used for Christian worship, to a

-congregation of Christian worshipers, to a religious establishment, to

-a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the aggregate of all Christian

-believers, and to a local company of Christian disciples associated in

-covenant for religious purposes. The latter is its common use in the

-New Testament.

-

-The Greek word _ekklesia,_ rendered "church," is derived from a word

-meaning "called out," and is used to indicate a company called out from

-a larger and more general assembly or concourse of people. In the free

-Greek cities, it designated a company of persons possessed of the

-rights of citizenship, and charged with certain important functions of

-administration in public affairs, summoned, or called out, from the

-common mass of the people. In the New Testament, the _ekklesia_ is a

-company of persons called out and separated from the common multitude

-by a Divine calling, chosen to be saints, invested with the privileges,

-and charged with the duties of citizenship in the kingdom of Christ.

-

-A Christian Church, therefore, according to the New Testament idea, is

-a company of persons Divinely called and separated from the world,

-baptized on a profession of their faith in Christ, united in covenant

-for worship and Christian service, under the supreme authority of

-Christ, whose Word is their only law and rule of life in all matters of

-religious faith and practice.

-

-Some Christian denominations include all their congregations in one

-comprehensive society, or ecclesiastical system, under some central

-authority, which legislates for and controls the whole. This

-comprehensive society they call the church. Thus we speak of the Roman

-Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church--where

-the word "church" stands for the aggregate of all their local

-societies. With Baptists it is different. They speak of Baptist

-churches, but not of the Baptist Church, when the entire denomination

-is meant. The Baptist Church would mean some one local congregation of

-baptized believers.

-

-Thus was it in Apostolic times. There was "the church in Jerusalem,"

-"the church of the Thessalonians," "the church of Babylon," "the church

-of the Laodiceans"; but "the churches of Macedonia," "the churches of

-Asia," "the churches of Judea." A church, therefore, is not a system of

-congregations confederated under a general government, but a single

-local congregation of Christian disciples associated in covenant and

-meeting together for worship. In this sense the word is commonly,

-almost uniformly, used in the New Testament.

-

-Churches are Divinely instituted to be "the light of the world" and

-"the salt of the earth." They are ordained for the glory of God, as

-"the ground and pillar of the truth," in the proclamation of His Gospel

-and the establishment of His kingdom in the world. They are

-commissioned to preach the Gospel to men, and to live the Gospel before

-men, that Christ may be honored and sinners saved. They should,

-therefore, be constantly striving to realize the grand purpose of their

-existence and fulfill the mission of their high calling. That church

-which does the most to honor Christ and save man will be the most

-honored by Him, and the most influential and prosperous in all that

-pertains to the true functions of a church. And since a church, as a

-body, is what its individual members are in their religious life and

-influence, therefore each member should strive to become in holy living

-what He desires the church to be.

-

-NOTE 1.--A body of Christian disciples may fail to meet some of the

-requirements of the Gospel, and still be a true church of Christ,

-providing it fulfills the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith

-and practice.

-

-NOTE 2.--But when a body ceases to acknowledge and submit to Christ as

-its Supreme Ruler, and to receive His Word as its supreme law, then it

-ceases to be a true church, and is simply a religious society, though

-it may still accept some of His doctrines and practice some of His

-precepts.

-

-NOTE 3.--A church is not a legislative, but an executive body. It

-cannot make laws, but only obey and administer those which Christ has

-given in the New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.

-

-NOTE 4.--But in matters pertaining to order and methods of

-administration, merely optional and discretionary, not involving

-fundamental principles, the church is to exercise its liberty, so long

-as it does not contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights of

-its members.

-

-NOTE 5.--And still further, while a church cannot become an

-authoritative expounder of either truth or duty, to bind the

-consciences even of its members, yet it does possess a judicial

-function for the interpretation and the enforcement of the laws of

-Christ for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members, so far as

-their relation to the compact is concerned.

-

-NOTE 6.--Each church owes courtesy and comity, fellowship and

-fraternity, to all others; but it owes subjection and allegiance to

-none, and is under authority to Christ alone.

-

-NOTE 7.--In matters of business and in the exercise of its authority in

-administration, the will of the church is expressed by a majority vote

-of its members. But the nearer that majority approaches to unanimity,

-the more satisfactory and emphatic are its decisions.

-

-NOTE 8.--Councils may be called, presbyteries convened, or committees

-of reference chosen for advice in cases of moment, but they are all

-_advisory_ only, and in no case authoritative. There is no higher, and

-no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs, than the individual

-church.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER II+

-

-CHURCH OFFICERS[1]

-

-The Scriptural officers of a church are _bishops_ and _deacons._

-Bishops are in the New Testament also called "presbyters," "elders,"

-and "overseers." Their duties and services have mainly reference to the

-spiritual interests of the body, though they properly have the

-oversight of all its concerns. The deacons have principal charge of the

-temporalities of the church, so as to relieve the pastor in that

-department of labor. They are, however, to be counselors and helpers of

-the pastor in all departments of his work. The qualifications for both

-offices are set forth in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.

-

-NOTE 1.--Pastors and deacons, as teachers and leaders of the flock,

-cannot be selected for and imposed upon the churches by any external

-authority whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected and

-chosen by the free suffrages of the members, without compulsion or

-restraint, from among themselves, or those who are to become identified

-with them in fellowship.

-

-NOTE 2.--In the election of either a pastor or deacon, notice of such

-election should be given from the pulpit for at least two Sundays

-preceding the time for the same. The election should be by ballot, and

-at least _three-quarters_ of the votes cast should be necessary for the

-election of a pastor, and _two-thirds_ for the election of a deacon.

-Such election should be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and

-conducted without partisan devices or personal strife.

-

-NOTE 3.--Both pastors and deacons are properly elected for unlimited

-terms of service, the relation to continue so long as there shall be

-mutual satisfaction. Such a course tends less to depreciate and make

-servile the officers and their duties in the estimation of the people,

-and of those who bear them, than a limited and specified time, though

-deacons are sometimes, and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term

-of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the church.

-

-NOTE 4.--The church is to fix on the amount of salary necessary to a

-generous support of the pastor, and hold itself obligated by every

-consideration of Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment of

-the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the church as it is

-unjust and vexatious to the pastor.

-

-NOTE 5.--The call to a pastor issues from the _church_ as a body, which

-also designates the amount of salary to be paid. It is in some sections

-usual, though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting of the

-entire congregation or society to approve or confirm the call. In some

-States it is necessary for the trustees, as the legal representatives

-of the corporation, to confirm the action officially, so far as the

-salary is concerned, before it can become legal.

-

-NOTE 6.--The number of deacons is optional with the church. It is

-usually from _three_ to _seven._ Let it be so many as the church needs

-and can find suitable as candidates for the office. But they should

-never be elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they be

-persons whose fitness for the office is generally conceded.

-

-NOTE 7.--The relations between pastor and the church may be dissolved

-at the option of either, by giving _three months'_ notice; or

-otherwise, by mutual consent. Between the deacons and the church, the

-relations may be dissolved at the option of either without previous

-notice.

-

-NOTE 8.--A church _clerk_ is elected annually, at a business meeting,

-by a majority vote. It is an office of convenience, for keeping the

-minutes and preserving the records of the body. Also _trustees_ are

-elected by the church, or if the law so requires, by a _society._ Their

-duties are the care of the property and the management of finances. But

-these are not considered Scriptural church officers; deacons might

-properly discharge all the functions of these offices.[2]

-

-NOTE 9.--The offices of trust and service in a church should be as

-widely distributed among the members as possible, consistently with the

-welfare of the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded. No one man

-should hold more than one office at the same time, unless the interests

-of the body absolutely demand it. If offices are honors, they should be

-widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly should be. For

-the same man to hold two or three offices is as unjust to him as it is

-to his brethren.

-

-NOTE 10.--A church cannot unite in any corporate capacity with other

-organizations for religious, benevolent, moral reform, or other

-purposes; but it may cooperate with these for any good object, and give

-to such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary aid.

-

-NOTE 11.--But members of churches can, as individuals, unite with

-outside organizations, for any purpose, not inconsistent with their

-profession as Christians, and not injurious to their church relations

-and duties.

-

-NOTE 12.--Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities, nor delegate

-their authority to any man, or to any body of men, to act officially

-for them. But they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to perform

-services for them, under instruction, and to report their action to the

-body.

-

-+FOOTNOTES:+

-

-[1] This and several of the following sections are consistent

-    with the "Star Book on Baptist Church Polity," on the same topics.

-

-[2] In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that being a

-    spiritual body, but incorporate a _society,_ as it is called,

-    consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support the

-    worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs of the

-    church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts its

-    secular concerns. It elects a specified number of _trustees,_ as

-    provided for by law, who are the legal representatives of the

-    corporation. The members of the society, and the trustees elected,

-    may or may not be members of the church. This whole society

-    arrangement is a relic of the old New England parish system of the

-    standing order, and is inconsistent with the freedom of church

-    action, and antagonistic to Baptist Church independence. It is

-    anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural. A church should be allowed to

-    manage its own affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be

-    protected by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated

-    in most of the States.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER III+

-

-CHURCH ORDINANCES

-

-Christian ordinances, in the largest sense, are any institutions, or

-regulations of Divine appointment, established as means of grace for

-the good of men, or as acts of worship for the honor of God. In that

-sense, not only are baptism and the Lord's Supper ordinances, but

-preaching, prayer, hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving are also

-ordinances, since all are of Divine appointment. But, in a narrower

-sense, it is common to say that _baptism_ and the _Lord's Supper_ are

-the only ordinances appointed by Christ to be observed by His churches.

-These are the only emblematic and commemorative rites enjoined upon His

-disciples, by which they are to be distinguished, and He is to be

-honored. They are the two symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,

-the two monuments of the New Dispensation.

-

-_Baptism_ is the immersion, or dipping, of a candidate in water, on a

-profession of his faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration; the

-baptism to be ministered in, or into, the name of the Father, the Son,

-and Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and resurrection of Christ,

-and in a figure declares the candidate's death to sin and the world,

-and his rising to a new life. It also proclaims the washing of

-regeneration, and professes the candidate's hope of a resurrection from

-the dead, through Him into the likeness of whose death he is buried in

-baptism.

-

-_The Lord's Supper_ is a provision of bread and wine, used to represent

-the body and the blood of Christ, partaken of by members of the church

-assembled for that purpose; in which service they commemorate the love

-of Christ exhibited in His death for them, and profess their faith and

-participation in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only ground of

-their hope of eternal life.

-

-NOTE 1.--No person can rightfully or properly become a church-member

-except he be first baptized, as the distinguishing mark and profession

-of his discipleship.

-

-NOTE 2.--The Supper is a church ordinance, and therefore is the

-privilege of church-members only. Therefore, also, since baptism

-precedes church-membership, it must precede and be prerequisite to the

-Lord's Supper.

-

-NOTE 3.--Since the Supper is distinctively a church ordinance, it is to

-be observed by churches only, and not by individuals; neither in

-private places, nor in sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by

-companies of disciples other than churches. But a church may by

-appointment, and in its official capacity, meet in a private house, a

-sick-room, or wherever it may elect, and there observe the Supper.

-

-NOTE 4.--Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly administered by

-ordained and accredited ministers; but both would be equally valid if

-administered by unordained persons, should occasion require and the

-church so direct. As to the qualifications of the administrator, the

-New Testament is silent, except that he should be a disciple.

-

-NOTE 5.--As to the time, place, and frequency of the ordinances, no

-Scriptural directions are given. These are left optional with the

-churches. They are usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily. As

-to the Supper, our churches have very generally come to observe it on

-the first Sunday of each month.

-

-NOTE 6.--The participation of the elements in the Supper should be done

-according to the special direction of Christ, the Head of the body.

-"This do in remembrance of _Me._" It is not, therefore, a test or token

-of Christian fellowship, except incidentally. All thought and sympathy

-in the service should be centered on Him who is "the living bread," and

-not fixed on others.

-

-NOTE 7.--The ordinances are not _sacraments,_ as taught by some,

-conveying effectual grace to the soul and imparting spiritual life. But

-as Divinely appointed means of grace, their importance must not be

-undervalued. They cannot be neglected without suffering serious harm

-and incurring the gravest responsibility.

-

-NOTE 8.--Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches

-utterly repudiate the dogma of "baptismal regeneration"; but it is

-essential to obedience, since Christ has commanded it. It is also

-essential to a public confession of Christ before the world, and to

-membership in the church which is His body. And no true lover of his

-Lord will refuse these acts of obedience and tokens of affection.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER IV+

-

-CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP

-

-It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but "one

-Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and no differing denominations

-existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a

-member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and

-privileges of full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door

-into the church." Now, it is different; and while the churches are

-desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do

-not receive unworthy persons. The churches therefore have candidates

-come before them, make their statement, give their "experience," and

-then their reception is decided by a vote of the members. And while

-they cannot become members without baptism, yet it is the vote of the

-body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.

-

-There are _three classes_ of candidates, and modes of reception to

-membership.

-

-1. _By baptism._--The church having listened to the religious

-experience of the candidate, and being satisfied with the same, and

-with his Christian deportment, votes to receive him to its fellowship,

-"on being baptized."

-

-2. _By letter._--The candidate presents a letter of dismission and

-recommendation from some other Baptist church with which he has been

-connected, for the purpose of transferring his membership to this. The

-church, being satisfied, votes to receive him into fellowship.

-

-3. _By experience._--Persons having been baptized, but for some reason

-being without membership in any church, wish to be received. They,

-giving satisfactory evidence of Christian character, and substantial

-agreement in matters of faith and practice, are received by vote, as in

-other cases.

-

-NOTE 1.--Persons cannot be received to membership on the credit of

-letters from other denominations. Such letters are, however, accepted,

-as certificates of Christian character, and of church standing.

-

-NOTE 2.--While the churches do not require candidates to sign any

-creed, confession, or articles of faith, yet they do expect a

-substantial agreement in matters of faith and practice on their part as

-essential both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony of the

-body.

-

-NOTE 3.--Should any member object to the reception of a candidate, such

-reception should be deferred, in order to consider the reasons for the

-objection. Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should not

-prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet no one should be

-received except by a unanimous or nearly unanimous vote.

-

-NOTE 4.--It is customary for candidates, after their experience or

-letters have been presented, to retire while the church deliberates and

-acts upon their case.

-

-NOTE 5.--Any member in good standing, is entitled, at any time, to a

-letter of dismission, in the usual form, with which to unite with

-another church of the same faith and order.

-

-NOTE 6.--Letters are usually made valid for _six months_ only, during

-which time they must be used, if used at all. But if held longer, they

-may be renewed by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for

-their non-use.

-

-NOTE 7.--Each one receiving a letter is still a member of the church,

-and under its watchcare and discipline, until his letter is actually

-received by another church.

-

-NOTE 8.--Letters cannot be given to members for the purpose of uniting

-with churches with which we are not in fellowship. But any member is

-entitled, at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and

-Christian character.

-

-NOTE 9.--No member can _withdraw_ from the church, or have his name

-_dropped,_ or at his own request be _excluded_ from the fellowship of

-the body without due process of discipline.

-

-NOTE 10.--Nor can a member have a letter voted and forced upon him

-without his wish and consent. Such would be a virtual expulsion from

-the body. If worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of the

-church against his will.

-

-NOTE 11.--Members living remote from the church are expected to unite

-with some Baptist church near their residence; or give satisfactory

-reasons for not doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected

-to report themselves to the church at least _once each year,_ and

-contribute to its support, till they cease to be members.

-

-NOTE 12.--Letters of dismission may be revoked, at any time before

-being used, if, in the judgment of the church, there be sufficient

-cause for such action.

-

-NOTE 13.--Church fellowship will be withdrawn from members who unite

-with other denominations; because, however excellent their character,

-or sincere their intentions, they have broken covenant with the church,

-and by such act have placed themselves beyond the limits of its

-fellowship.

-

-NOTE 14.--Persons excluded from other churches are not to be received

-to membership, except after the most careful investigation of all the

-facts in the case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion was

-unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently refuses to do

-justice to the excluded member.

-

-NOTE 15.--A letter is usually asked for and addressed to the particular

-church. This is proper, but not always necessary. It may in certain

-cases be asked for, and given "to the church of the same faith and

-order." Or if directed to one, it may be presented to, and received by

-another.

-

-NOTE 16.--It is expected that all pecuniary liability to the church

-will be canceled, and all personal difficulties in the church will be

-settled by a member, should such exist, before he shall receive a

-letter of dismission.

-

-NOTE 17.--Each member, without exception, is expected to fill his place

-in the church, by attendance on its appointments, as Providence may

-allow, and also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary support of

-the body, according to his ability. If in either of these respects he

-fails, and refuses, he becomes a covenant-breaker, and is subject to

-the discipline of the body.

-

-NOTE 18.--Persons excluded from the church may be again received to its

-fellowship on satisfactory evidence of fitness. This is called

-reception by _restoration,_ and is usually so entered on the records,

-and in associational reports.

-

-NOTE 19.--It is neither a Christian nor an honorable course for a

-church to grant an unworthy member a valid letter, and send him to

-another church as one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid

-of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of a course of

-discipline.

-

-NOTE 20.--No church is _obliged_ to receive a person to membership,

-simply because he brings a valid letter from another church. Each

-church is to be sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be

-received to its fellowship.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER V+

-

-CHURCH DISCIPLINE

-

-Church-members are supposed to be regenerate persons bearing the image

-and cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the peace of God rules,

-and who walk and work in "the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of

-peace." But unhappily, even the saints are sanctified only in part, and

-troubles sometimes arise among brethren. The evil passions of even good

-men may triumph over piety, and partisan strife may destroy the peace

-and the prosperity of the body of Christ. All this should, if possible,

-be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks to heal offenses; but it is

-better to _prevent_ them, than to _heal_ them. It is, however, better

-to heal and remove, than to endure them.

-

-Now these offenses and occasions of dissension in the churches arise

-from various causes, and are largely preventable. Most frequently they

-come by the following means:

-

-1. Because of the too suspicious and sensitive disposition of some who

-imagine themselves wronged, neglected, or in some way injured; the

-matter being chiefly imaginary, and without any real foundation in fact.

-

-2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential members do not

-carefully and constantly enough watch the beginnings of strife, and

-rectify the evil before it becomes serious.

-

-3. Because evil-doers by delay become more persistent in evil, while

-others are drawn into the strife, and contentious parties insensibly

-are formed, which tend to divide the church into hostile factions.

-

-4. Because that when the difficulty becomes chronic and deep-seated,

-the church is likely to undertake the discipline with judicial

-severity, and not in the spirit of meekness, in which the spiritual

-should restore the erring.

-

-5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken under excitement is

-almost certain to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result reached be

-just and right, the method by which it is reached is likely to be

-unwise, unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly producing more

-serious and more lasting evils than it has removed.

-

-_Offenses_ calling for discipline are usually considered as of _two_

-classes: _private_ or personal, and _public_ or general. These terms do

-not very accurately express the nature of the offenses, but they are in

-common use, and capable of being understood. In the administration of

-_corrective discipline,_ the following rules and principles constitute

-a correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:

-

-

-PRIVATE OFFENSES

-

-_Private offenses_ pertain to personal difficulties between

-individuals, having no direct reference to the church as a body, and

-not involving the Christian profession at large. In such cases, the

-course prescribed by our Saviour (Matt. 18:15-17) is to be strictly

-followed, without question or deviation.

-

-1. _First step._--The member who considers himself injured must go to

-the offender, tell him his grief, and between themselves alone, if

-possible, adjust and settle the difficulty. "If thy brother shall

-trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him

-alone." This must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or condemn the

-offender, but to win him. "If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy

-brother."

-

-2. _Second step._--If this shall fail, then the offended member must

-take one or two of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek an

-interview with the offender, and, if possible, by their united wisdom

-and piety, remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty. "But if he

-will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the

-mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established."

-

-3. _Third step._--If this step should prove unavailing, then the

-offended member must tell the whole matter to the _church,_ and leave

-it in their hands to be disposed of, as to them may seem wisest and

-best. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church." He

-has done his duty and must abide by the decision of the body which

-assumes this responsibility.

-

-4. _The result._--If this course of kindly Christian labor proves

-finally ineffectual, and the offender shows himself incorrigible,

-excision must follow. He must be cut off from fellowship in the church

-whose covenant he has broken, and whose authority he disregards. "And

-if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen

-man, and a publican." However painful the act, the church must be

-faithful to its duty, and to its God.

-

-NOTE 1.--While this Divine rule makes it obligatory on the offended

-member to go to the offender and seek a reconciliation, yet much more

-is it obligatory on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved

-with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the difficulty.

-

-NOTE 2.--The matter is not to be made public until these three steps

-have been fully taken, and have failed; and then to be made public only

-by telling the church, and no others.

-

-NOTE 3.--When the case comes before the church, it must not be

-neglected nor dropped, but judiciously pursued until the difficulty be

-adjusted, the offense removed, or else the offender be

-disfellowshipped, and put away.

-

-

-PUBLIC OFFENSES

-

-_Public offenses_ are not against any one person more than another, but

-are such as are supposed to be a dishonor to the church of which the

-offender is a member, and a reproach to the Christian profession. They

-constitute a violation of the code of Christian morals, if not of our

-common worldly morals.

-

-The more common causes of this class of offenses are the following:

-False doctrine (Gal. 1:9, 2 John 10), disregard of authority (Matt.

-18:17; 1 Thess. 5:14), contention and strife (Rom. 16:17), immoral

-conduct (1 Cor. 5:11), disorderly walk (2 Thess. 3:6, 9), covetous

-spirit (Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 5:11), arrogant conduct (3 John 9), going to

-law (1 Cor. 6:6).

-

-The following constitutes a proper and Scriptural course of treatment

-for such cases:

-

-1. The first member who has knowledge of the offense should, as in the

-case of private offenses, seek the offender, ascertain the facts, and

-attempt to reconcile or remove the difficulty. Not till he has done

-this should he make it public, or bring it before the church.

-

-2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this course of personal effort,

-or if such a course proves unsuccessful, then any member having

-knowledge of the facts should confer with the pastor and deacons as to

-the best course to be pursued.

-

-3. The pastor and deacons should, by the best method they are capable

-of devising, labor to adjust the matter without bringing it into the

-church, or otherwise making it public.

-

-4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case be already public, and a

-reproach and scandal to religion, then they should bring it to the

-church, and it should direct a proper course of discipline.

-

-5. The church, thus having the case before it, should either appoint a

-committee to visit the offender, or cite him before the body to answer

-the charge. He should be allowed to hear the evidence against him, know

-the witnesses, and be permitted to answer for himself.

-

-6. If the accused disproves the charges, or if he confesses the wrong,

-makes suitable acknowledgment, and, so far as possible, reparation,

-with promise of amendment, in all ordinary cases, this should be deemed

-satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.

-

-7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and prayerful labor, all efforts

-fail to reclaim the offender, then, however painful the necessity, the

-church must withdraw its fellowship from him, and put him away from

-them.

-

-8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality, by which the reputation

-of the body is compromised and the Christian name scandalized, on being

-proved or confessed, the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn

-from the offender, notwithstanding any confessions and promises of

-amendment; but not without a trial.

-

-The church's good name and the honor of religion demand this testimony

-against evil. He may be subsequently restored, if suitably penitent.

-

-NOTE 1.--All discipline should be conducted in the spirit of Christian

-meekness and love, with a desire to remove offenses and win offenders.

-It must also be done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain

-the honor of Christ's name, the purity of His church, and the integrity

-of His truth.

-

-NOTE 2.--If any member shall persist in bringing a private grievance

-before the church, or otherwise make it public before he has pursued

-the course prescribed in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he becomes

-himself an offender, and subject to the discipline of the body.

-

-NOTE 3.--When private difficulties exist among members which they

-cannot, or will not settle, the church should consider them as public

-offenses, and as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual

-injury which they inflict.

-

-Note 4.--When a member refers to the church any private difficulty,

-which he has been unable to settle, he must submit it wholly to the

-disposition of the body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to

-revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the church, he becomes

-an offender, and subject to discipline.

-

-NOTE 5.--Any member tried by the church has the right to receive copies

-of all charges against him, the names of his accusers, and the

-witnesses, both of whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face to

-face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses on his side, and

-answering for himself before the body.

-

-NOTE 6.--Every member on trial or excluded, shall have furnished at his

-request, authentic copies of all proceedings had by the church in his

-case, officially certified.

-

-NOTE 7.--No member under discipline can have the right to bring any

-person, not a member, before the church as his advocate, except by

-consent of the body.

-

-NOTE 8.--In every case of exclusion, the charges against the member,

-and the reasons for his exclusion, should be accurately entered on the

-records of the church.

-

-NOTE 9.--If at any time it shall become apparent, or seem probable to

-the church that it has for any reason dealt unjustly with a member, or

-excluded him without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without

-request by concession and restoration, so far as possible, repair the

-injury it has done him.

-

-NOTE 10.--The church should hold itself bound to restore to its

-fellowship an excluded member when, ever he gives satisfactory evidence

-of repentance and reformation consistent with godliness.

-

-NOTE 11.--The church will exercise is legitimate authority, and

-vindicate its honor and rectitude in the administration of discipline,

-even though the member should regard such discipline as unjust or

-oppressive.

-

-NOTE 12.--Nothing can be considered a just and reasonable cause for

-discipline, except what is forbidden by the letter of the spirit of

-Scripture. And nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for

-disfellowship and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary to

-Scripture, and what would have prevented the reception of the person

-into the church, had it been known to exist at the time of his

-reception.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER VI+

-

-CASES OF APPEAL

-

-Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes occur, so aggravated in

-their nature or so complicated in their treatment that it is found

-impossible to make a satisfactory settlement by ordinary methods;

-especially so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The excluded member

-will be almost sure to think he has been dealt with unjustly, and will

-wish for some redress; and if the case has been of long standing and

-much complicated, he will be equally sure to have others sympathize

-with him and condemn the action of the church. Now, although the

-_presumption_ is that the church has done right, and is justified in

-its action, the _possibility_ is that the church has done wrong, and is

-censurable for its action.

-

-What can be done in such a case?

-

-NOTE 1.--On the New Testament theory of church government, the action

-of this individual local church is final. There is no power either

-civil or ecclesiastical, that can reverse its decision or punish it for

-wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human tribunal has authority

-to compel it to confess or correct them.

-

-NOTE 2.--Councils, if appealed to for redress, have _no authority;_

-they are simply, always, and everywhere _advisory_--that, and nothing

-more. They can express an opinion, and give advice; but they have no

-authority to issue decrees, and would have no power to enforce them if

-they should.[1]

-

-NOTE 3.--Any person who believes himself wronged by church action has

-the inalienable right to appeal to the church for a new hearing, and,

-failing in this, to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he

-see fit to do so.

-

-_Now observe_--If an excluded member believes himself unjustly dealt

-by, and wishes redress the following is the proper course for him to

-pursue:

-

-1. Apply to the church which excluded, and ask a rehearing. State to

-them the grounds of his complaint and the evidence on which he thinks

-he can satisfy them, if a fair opportunity for being heard be given him.

-

-2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let him appeal to them to unite with

-him in calling a _mutual council,_ before which the whole case shall be

-placed, all parties to abide by its decision.

-

-3. If a mutual council be declined by the church, he would be fully

-justified, should he feel so inclined, in calling an _ex-parte_

-council, before which he should place the facts and seek its advice.

-

-4. Or, instead of calling an _ex-parte_ council, he could apply to some

-other church to be received to its fellowship, on the ground that he

-had been unjustly excluded. Should he be received to another church,

-that would give him church standing and fellowship again, and vindicate

-him so far as any ecclesiastical action could vindicate him.

-

-5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing left but for him to wait

-patiently, and bear the burden of his wrong until Providence opens the

-way for his deliverance. He may, after all, conclude that he himself

-was more in fault than he at first supposed, and the church less so.

-

-NOTE 4.--An _ex-parte_ council should not be called in such a case of

-difficulty until all efforts have failed to secure a _mutual_ council;

-as such a council, if called, would probably do nothing more than

-advise a mutual council and adjourn.

-

-NOTE 5.--Any church can well afford to grant a rehearing to an excluded

-member. It would be in the interest of peace, justice, and

-reconciliation. If the church be right, it can afford to be generous.

-

-NOTE 6.--Any church has the right to receive a member excluded, from

-another church, since each church is sole judge of the qualification of

-persons received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed to would

-use great caution, and with due regard to its own peace and purity,

-ascertain all the facts in the case before taking such action.

-

-NOTE 7.--If a mutual council be called, one-half the messengers and

-members are to be chosen by the church and one-half by the aggrieved

-party; but the _letters missive_ calling the council are to be sent out

-by and in the name of the church, and not of the aggrieved party. But

-these facts, as to the mutual call, are to be stated in the letters.

-

-NOTE 8.--A church excluding a member has no just cause of complaint

-against another church for receiving such an excluded member, since the

-one church is just as independent to receive one whom it judges worthy

-of fellowship, as the other is to exclude one whom it judged unworthy

-of fellowship.

-

-+FOOTNOTES:+

-

-[1] For a more comprehensive discussion of councils--what they can,

-    and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use them--see the

-    "Star Book on Baptist Councils."

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER VII+

-

-CHURCH BUSINESS

-

-The business meetings of a church should be conducted as much as

-possible in the spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the propriety

-and sanctity which attaches to all the interests of the kingdom of

-Christ. Meetings for business should not be needlessly multiplied, nor

-should they be unwisely neglected. It may not be wise to insist too

-rigidly on the observance of parliamentary rules, yet it is still worse

-to drift into a loose unbusinesslike way, which wastes time,

-accomplishes little, and does wrongly much that is done.

-

-

-ORDER OF BUSINESS

-

-1. The meetings to be opened with reading the Scriptures, singing, and

-prayer.

-

-2. The reading, correction, and approval of the minutes of the

-preceding meeting.

-

-3. Unfinished business, or such as the minutes present, including

-reports of committees taken in order.

-

-4. New business will next be taken up. Any member may call up new

-business. But important matters should not be presented, except on

-previous consultation with the pastor and deacons.

-

-NOTE 1.--The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of all

-church business meetings. If he be not present, or do not wish to

-serve, any one may be elected to take the place.

-

-NOTE 2.--All business meetings, both regular and special, should be

-announced from the pulpit one Sunday, at least, before they are held.

-

-NOTE 3.--Special meetings for business may be called at any time, by

-consent of the pastor and deacons, or by such other methods as the

-church itself may direct.

-

-NOTE 4.--Though a majority usually decides questions, yet in all

-matters of special importance a unanimous, or nearly unanimous, vote

-should be secured.

-

-NOTE 5.--Members may be received, and letters of dismission granted,

-either at the business church meeting, the covenant meeting, or the

-regular weekly prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed

-method should be observed.

-

-NOTE 6.--Candidates for admission to membership will be expected to

-retire from the meeting when action is taken on their reception.

-

-NOTE 7.--No persons, except members, will be present during the

-transaction of church business. If present, they may be asked to retire.

-

-NOTE 8.--Although the church should endeavor to do nothing which its

-members will be ashamed or afraid to have known by others, yet every

-member is bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish abroad,

-nor disclose to those without, the private affairs and business

-transactions of the body.

-

-

-RULES OF ORDER

-

-The following constitute the generally accepted rules of order for

-churches and other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:

-

-

-_Motions_

-

-1. All business shall be presented by a _motion,_ made by one member,

-and seconded by another, and presented in writing by the mover, if so

-required.

-

-2. No discussion can properly be had until the motion is made,

-seconded, and stated by the chairman.

-

-3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after it has been discussed, except by

-the unanimous consent of the body.

-

-4. A motion having been discussed, must be put to vote, unless

-withdrawn, laid on the table, referred, or postponed.

-

-5. A motion lost should not be recorded, except so ordered by the body

-at the time.

-

-6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the same meeting, except by

-unanimous consent.

-

-7. A motion should contain but one distinct proposition. If it contains

-more, it must be divided at the request of any member, and the

-propositions acted on separately.

-

-8. Only one question can properly be before the meeting at any one

-time. No second motion can be allowed to interrupt one already under

-debate, except a motion to _amend,_ to _substitute,_ to _commit,_ to

-_postpone,_ to _lay on the table,_ for _the previous question,_ or to

-_adjourn._

-

-9. These subsidiary motions just named cannot be interrupted by any

-other motion; nor can any other motion be applied to them except that

-to _amend,_ which may be done by specifying some _time, place,_ or

-_purpose._

-

-10. Nor can these motions interrupt or supersede each other; only that

-a motion to _adjourn_ is always in order, except while a member has the

-floor, or a question is being taken, and in some bodies even then.

-

-

-_Amendments_

-

-1. Amendments to resolutions may be made in three ways: By _omitting,_

-by _adding,_ or by _substituting_ words or sentences.

-

-2. An amendment to an amendment may be made, but is seldom necessary,

-and should be avoided.

-

-3. No amendment should be made which essentially changes the meaning or

-design of the original resolution.

-

-4. But a _substitute_ may be offered, which may change entirely the

-meaning of the resolution under debate.

-

-5. The amendment must first be discussed and acted on, and then the

-original resolution as amended.

-

-

-_Speaking_

-

-1. Any member desiring to speak on a question should rise in his place

-and address the moderator, confine his remarks to the question, and

-avoid all unkind and disrespectful language.

-

-2. A speaker using improper language, introducing improper subjects, or

-otherwise out of order, should be called to order by the chairman, or

-any member, and must either conform to the regulations of the body, or

-take his seat.

-

-3. A member while speaking can allow others to ask questions, or make

-explanations; but if he yields the floor to another, he cannot claim it

-again as his right.

-

-4. If two members rise to speak at the same time, preference is usually

-given to the one farthest from the chair, or to the one opposing the

-question under discussion.

-

-5. The fact that a person has several times arisen, and attempted to

-get the floor, gives him no claim or right to be heard. Nor does a call

-for the question deprive a member of his right to speak.

-

-

-_Voting_

-

-1. A question is put to vote by the chairman having first distinctly

-restated it, that all may vote intelligently. First, the _affirmative,_

-then the _negative_ is called; each so deliberately as to give all an

-opportunity of voting. He then distinctly announces whether the motion

-is _carried,_ or _lost._

-

-2. Voting is usually done by "aye" and "no," or by raising the hand. In

-a doubtful case by standing and being counted. On certain questions by

-ballot.

-

-3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman, is doubted, it is called

-again, usually by standing to be counted.

-

-4. All members should vote, unless for reasons excused; or unless under

-discipline, in which case they should take no part in the business.

-

-5. The moderator does not usually vote, except the question be taken by

-ballot; but when the meeting is equally divided, he is expected, but is

-not obligated to give the casting vote.

-

-6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot, the chairman appoints

-_tellers,_ to distribute, collect, and count the ballots.

-

-

-_Committees_

-

-1. Committees are nominated by the chairman, if so directed by the

-body, or by any member; and the nomination is confirmed by a vote of

-the body. More commonly the body directs that all committees shall be

-_appointed_ by the chairman, in which case no vote is needed to confirm.

-

-2. Any matter of business, or subject under debate, may be _referred_

-to a committee, with or without instructions. The committee make their

-_report,_ which is the result of their deliberations. The body then

-takes action on the report, and on any recommendations it may contain.

-

-3. The report of a committee is _accepted_ by a vote, which

-acknowledges their services, and takes the report before the body for

-its action. Afterward, any distinct _recommendation_ contained in the

-report is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.

-

-4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations of the committee are

-of a trifling moment or likely to be generally acceptable, the report

-is _accepted_ and _adopted_ by the same vote.

-

-5. A report may be _recommitted_ to the committee, with or without

-instructions; or that committee discharged, and the matter referred to

-a new one, for further consideration, so as to present it in a form

-more likely to meet the general concurrence of the body.

-

-6. A committee may be appointed _with power_ for a specific purpose.

-This gives them power to dispose conclusively of the matter, without

-further reference to the body.

-

-7. The first named in the appointment of a committee is by courtesy

-considered the _chairman._ But the committee has the right to name its

-own chairman.

-

-8. The member who moves the appointment of a committee is usually,

-though not necessarily, named its chairman.

-

-9. Committees of arrangement, or for other protracted service, _report

-progress_ from time to time, and are continued until their final

-report, or until their appointment expires by limitation.

-

-10. A committee is _discharged_ by a vote, when its business is done,

-and its report accepted. But usually, in routine business, a committee

-is considered discharged by the acceptance of its report.

-

-

-_Standing Committee_

-

-A committee appointed to act for a given period or during the recess of

-the body is called a _standing committee._ It has charge of a given

-department of business assigned by the body, and acts either with

-power, under instructions, or at discretion, as may be ordered. A

-standing committee is substantially a minor board, and has its own

-chairman, secretary, records, and times of meeting.

-

-

-_Appeal_

-

-The moderator announces all votes, and decides all questions as to

-rules of proceeding, and order of debate. But any member who is

-dissatisfied with his decisions may _appeal_ from them to the body. The

-moderator then puts the question, _"Shall the decision of the chair be

-sustained?"_ The vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative, is

-final. The right of appeal is undeniable, but should not be resorted to

-on trivial occasions.

-

-

-_Previous Question_

-

-Debate may be cut short by a vote to take the _previous question._ This

-means that the original, or main, question under discussion be

-immediately voted on, regardless of amendments and secondary questions

-and without further debate. Usually a _two-thirds_ vote is necessary to

-order the previous question.

-

-1. If the motion for the previous question be _carried,_ then the main

-question must be immediately taken, without further debate.

-

-2. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ the debate

-proceeds, as though no such motion had been made.

-

-3. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ it cannot be

-renewed with reference to the same question, during the same session.

-

-

-_To Lay on the Table_

-

-Immediate and decisive action on any question under discussion may be

-deferred, by a vote to _lay on the table_ the resolution pending. This

-disposes of the whole subject for the present, and ordinarily is in

-effect a final dismissal of it. But any member has the right

-subsequently to call it up; and the body will decide by vote whether,

-or not, it shall be taken from the table.

-

-1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is laid on the table for the

-present, or until a specified time, to give place to other business.

-

-2. A motion to lay on the table must apply to a resolution, or other

-papers. An abstract subject cannot be disposed of in this way.

-

-

-_Postponement_

-

-A simple _postponement_ is for a specified time or purpose, the

-business to be resumed when the time or purpose is reached. But a

-question _indefinitely postponed_ is considered as finally dismissed.

-

-

-_Not Debatable_

-

-Certain motions, by established usage, are _not debatable,_ but when

-once before the body, must be taken without discussion.

-

-These are: The _previous question,_ for _indefinite postponement,_ to

-_commit,_ to _lay on the table,_ to _adjourn._

-

-But when these motions are modified by some condition of _time, place,_

-or _purpose,_ they become debatable, and subject to the rules of other

-motions; but debatable only in respect to the time, place, or purpose

-which brings them within the province of debate.

-

-A body is, however, competent, by a vote, to allow debate on all

-motions.

-

-

-_To Reconsider_

-

-A motion to _reconsider_ a motion previously passed must be made by one

-who voted _for_ the motion when it passed.

-

-If the body votes to reconsider, then the motion or resolution being

-reconsidered, stands before them as previous to its passage, and may be

-discussed, adopted, or rejected.

-

-A vote to reconsider should be taken at the same session at which the

-vote reconsidered was passed, and when there are as many members

-present.

-

-

-_Be Discussed_

-

-If, when a question is introduced, any member objects to its

-discussion, as foreign, profitless, or contentious, the moderator

-should at once put the question, _"Shall this motion be discussed?"_ If

-this question be decided in the negative, the subject must be dismissed.

-

-

-_Order of the Day_

-

-The body may decide to take up some definite business at a specified

-time. That business therefore becomes the _order of the day,_ for that

-hour. When the time mentioned arrives, the chairman calls the business,

-or any member may demand it, with or without a vote: and all pending

-questions are postponed in consequence.

-

-

-_Point of Order_

-

-Any member who believes that a speaker is out of order, or that

-discussion is proceeding improperly, may at any time _rise to a point

-of order._ He must distinctly state his question or objection, which

-the moderator will decide.

-

-

-_Privileges_

-

-Questions relating to the _rights_ and _privileges_ of members are of

-primary importance, and, until disposed of, take precedence of all

-other business, and supersede all other motions, except that of

-adjournment.

-

-

-_Rule Suspended_

-

-A rule of order may be _suspended_ by a vote of the body, to allow the

-transaction of business necessary, but which could not otherwise be

-done without a violation of such rule.

-

-

-_Filling Blanks_

-

-Where different members are suggested for filling blanks, the _highest

-number, greatest distance,_ and _longest time_ are usually voted on

-first.

-

-

-_Adjournment_

-

-1. A simple motion _to adjourn_ is always in order, except while a

-member is speaking, or when taking a vote. It takes precedence of all

-other motions, and is not debatable.

-

-2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion to adjourn is in order while a

-speaker has the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business to stand,

-on reassembling, precisely as when adjournment took place.

-

-3. A body may adjourn to a specific time; but if no time be mentioned,

-the fixed, or usual time of meeting, is understood. If there be no

-fixed, or usual time of meeting, then an adjournment without date is

-equivalent to a dissolution.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER VIII+

-

-CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

-

-All evangelical churches profess to take the Holy Scriptures as their

-only and sufficient guide in matters of religious faith and practice.

-Baptists, especially, claim to have no authoritative creed except the

-New Testament. It is common, however, for the churches to have

-formulated statements of what are understood to be the leading

-Christian doctrines, printed and circulated among their members. These

-are not uniform among the churches, but are in substantial agreement as

-to the doctrines taught. Indeed, each church is at liberty to prepare

-its own confession, or have none at all; no one form being held as

-binding and obligatory on the churches to adopt. Members, on being

-received to fellowship, are not required to subscribe or pledge

-conformity to any creed-form, but are expected to yield substantial

-agreement to that which the church with which they unite has adopted.

-

-There are two Confessions which have gained more general acceptance

-than any others, and are now being widely adopted by the churches over

-the country. As to substance of doctrine, they do not essentially

-differ. That known as the New Hampshire Confession is commonly used by

-the churches North, East, and West; while that known as the

-Philadelphia Confession, is very generally in use in the South and

-Southwest. The former is much more brief and for that reason preferred

-by many. The other is substantially the London Confession of Faith,

-published by English Baptists in 1689. It is much more full in

-statement than the other, and is higher in its tone as to the doctrines

-of grace.

-

-American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic as to substance of

-doctrine, but moderately so, being midway between the extremes of

-Arminianism and Antinomianism. Though diversities of opinion may

-incline to either extreme, the "general atonement" view is for the most

-part held, while the "particular atonement" theory is maintained by not

-a few. The freedom of the human will is declared, while the sovereignty

-of Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of the Spirit's work in

-faith and salvation are maintained. They practice "strict communion,"

-as do their mission churches in foreign lands. In Great Britain,

-Baptists are sharply divided between "strict and free communion," and

-between the particular and the general atonement theories.

-

-The New Hampshire Confession, with a few verbal changes, is here

-inserted. But some of the proof-texts usually accompanying these

-articles are, for want of space, omitted.[1]

-

-

-ARTICLES OF FAITH

-

-I. THE SCRIPTURES

-

-We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men Divinely inspired,

-and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction;[1] that it has God

-for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of

-error for its matter;[2] that it reveals the principles by which God

-will judge us;[3] and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the

-world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by

-which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.

-

-[1] 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and

-is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for

-instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect,

-thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Sam.

-23:2; Acts 1:16.

-

-[2] Prov. 30:5, 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not unto His

-words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Also, John

-17:17; Rev. 22:18, 19; Rom. 3:4.

-

-[3] Rom. 2:12. As many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by

-the law. John 12:47, 48. If any man hear My words--the word that I have

-spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Also, 1 Cor. 4:3, 4;

-Luke 10:10-16; 12:47, 48.

-

-

-II. THE TRUE GOD

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one, and only one, living

-and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH,

-the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth:[1] inexpressibly

-glorious in holiness,[2] and worthy of all possible honor, confidence,

-and love;[3] that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,

-the Father, the Son, and the Holy  Ghost;[4] equal in every Divine

-perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great

-work of redemption.

-

-[1] John 4:24. God is a spirit. Ps. 147:5. His understanding is

-infinite. Ps. 83:18. Thou whose name alone is JEHOVAH art the Most High

-over all the earth. Heb. 3:4; Rom. 1:20; Jer. 10:10.

-

-[2] Exod. 15:11. Who is like unto Thee--glorious in holiness? Isa. 6:3;

-1 Peter 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:6-8.

-

-[3] Mark 12:30. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,

-and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy

-strength. Rev. 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and

-honour, and power. Matt. 10:37; Jer. 2:12, 13.

-

-[4] Matt. 28:19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them

-in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. John

-15:26; 1 Cor. 12:4-6.

-

-

-III. THE FALL OF MAN

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in holiness, under

-the law of his Maker;[1] but by voluntary transgression fell from that

-holy and happy state;[2] in consequence of which all mankind are now

-sinners[3] not by constraint but choice; being by nature utterly void

-of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to

-evil; and therefore under just condemnation,[4] without defense or

-excuse.[5]

-

-[1] Gen. 1:27. God created man in His own image. Gen. 1:31. And God saw

-everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Eccl. 7:29;

-Acts 17:26; Gen. 2:16.

-

-[2] Gen. 3:6-24. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for

-food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to

-make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave

-unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Rom. 5:12.

-

-[3] Rom. 5:19. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. John

-3:6; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:15-19; 8:7.

-

-[4] Eph. 2:3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past

-in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of

-the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.

-

-[5] Ezek. 18:19, 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die. Rom. 1:20. So

-that they are without excuse. Rom. 3:19. That every mouth may be

-stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Gal. 3:22.

-

-

-IV. THE WAY OF SALVATION

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly

-of grace;[1] through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God;[2] who

-according to the will of the Father, became man, yet without sin;[3]

-honored the Divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made

-a full atonement for our sins;[4] that having risen from the dead, He

-is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the

-tenderest sympathies with Divine perfections, He is every way qualified

-to be a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.[5]

-

-[1] Eph. 2:5. By grace ye are saved. Matt. 18:11; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor.

-3:5-7; Acts 15:11.

-

-[2] John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only

-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but

-have everlasting life.

-

-[3] Phil. 2:6-7. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to

-be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took on Him

-the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

-

-[4] Isa. 53:4, 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised

-for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and

-with His stripes we are healed.

-

-[5] Heb. 7:25. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost

-that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession

-for them. Col. 2:9. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead

-bodily.

-

-

-V. JUSTIFICATION

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the great Gospel blessing which

-Christ[1] secures to such as believe in Him is justification;[2] that

-justification includes the pardon of sin,[3] and the gift of eternal

-life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in

-consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but

-solely through faith in Christ; by means of which faith His perfect

-righteousness is freely imputed to us by God;[4] that it brings us into

-a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every

-other blessing needful for time and eternity.[5]

-

-[1] John 1:16. Of His fulness have all we received. Eph. 3:8.

-

-[2] Acts 13:39. By Him all that believe are justified from all things.

-Isa. 3:11, 12; Rom. 5:1.

-

-[3] Rom. 5:9. Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from

-wrath through Him. Zech. 13:1; Matt. 9:6; Acts 10:43.

-

-[4] Rom. 5:19. By the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.

-Rom. 3:24-26; 4:23-25; 1 John 2:12.

-

-[5] Rom. 5:1, 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God,

-through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith

-into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of

-God.

-

-

-VI. THE FREENESS OF SALVATION

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the blessings of salvation are

-made free to all by the Gospel:[1] that it is the immediate duty of all

-to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith;[2] and that

-nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his

-own determined depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel;[3]

-which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.[4]

-

-[1] Isa. 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the waters.

-Rev. 22:17. Whosoever will; let him take the water of life freely.

-

-[2] Acts 17:30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now

-commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Rom. 16:26; Mark 1:15; Rom.

-1:15-17.

-

-[3] John 5:40. Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. Matt.

-23:37; Rom. 9:32.

-

-[4] John 3:19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into

-the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds

-were evil. Matt. 11:20; Luke 19:27; 2 Thess. 1:8.

-

-

-VII. REGENERATION

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that in order to be saved, men must be

-regenerated, or born again;[1] that regeneration consists in giving a

-holy disposition to the mind;[2] that it is effected in a manner above

-our comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection with Divine

-truth,[3] so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel;[4] and

-that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance,

-faith, and newness of life.[5]

-

-[1] John 3:3. Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born

-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:6, 7; 1 Cor. 1:14; Rev.

-3:7-9; Rev. 21:27.

-

-[2] 2 Cor. 5:17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Ezek.

-36:26; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:28, 29.

-

-[3] John 3:8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the

-sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it

-goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 1:13; James

-1:16-18; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 2:13.

-

-[4] 1 Peter 1:22-25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth

-through the Spirit. 1 John 5:1; Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:6-11.

-

-[5] Eph. 5:9. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and

-righteousness, and truth. Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:18-23; Eph. 5:14-21; Matt.

-3:8-10, 7:20; 1 John 5:4, 18.

-

-

-VIII. REPENTANCE AND FAITH

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance and faith are sacred

-duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul by the

-regenerating Spirit of God;[1] whereby being deeply convinced of our

-guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by

-Christ,[2] we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and

-supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord

-Jesus as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone as the

-only and all-sufficient Saviour.[3]

-

-[1] Mark 1:15. Repent ye, and believe the gospel. Acts 11:18. Then hath

-God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Eph. 2:8. By

-grace are ye saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is

-the gift of God. 1 John 3:1.

-

-[2] John 16:8. He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,

-and of judgment. Acts 2:38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be

-baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission

-of sins. Acts 16:30, 31.

-

-[3] Romans 10:9-11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord

-Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the

-dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts 3:22, 23; Heb. 4:14.

-

-

-IX. GOD'S PURPOSE OF GRACE

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of

-God, according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and

-saves sinners;[1] that being perfectly consistent with the free agency

-of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end;[2]

-that it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness;[3] that

-it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility;[4] that it

-encourages the use of means; that it may be ascertained by its effects

-in all who truly accept of Christ;[5] that it is the foundation of

-Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves

-demands and deserves the utmost diligence.[6]

-

-[1] 2 Tim. 1:8, 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the

-gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and called us

-with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his

-own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the

-world began.

-

-[2] 2 Thess. 2:13, 14. But we are bound to give thanks always to God

-for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the

-beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit

-and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the

-obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-

-[3] 1 Cor. 4:7. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what

-hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,

-why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 1:26-31;

-Rom. 3:27.

-

-[4] 2 Tim. 2:10. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes,

-that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with

-eternal glory. 1 Cor. 9:22; Rom. 8:28-30.

-

-[5] 1 Thess. 1:4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

-

-[6] 2 Peter 1:10, 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to

-make your calling and election sure. Phil. 3:12; Heb. 6:11.

-

-

-X. SANCTIFICATION

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification is the process by

-which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His

-holiness;[1] that it is a progressive work;[2] that it is begun in

-regeneration; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the

-presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the

-continual use of the appointed means--especially the Word of

-God--self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer;[3] and in

-the practice of all godly exercise and duties.[4]

-

-[1] 1 Thess. 4:3. For this is the will of God, even your

-sanctification. 1 Thess. 5:23. And the very God of peace sanctify you

-wholly. 2 Cor. 7:1; 13:9; Eph. 1:4.

-

-[2] Prov. 4:18. The path of the just is as the shining light, which

-shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.

-

-[3] Phil. 2:12, 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and

-trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of

-his good pleasure. Eph. 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor.

-13:5; Luke 11:35; 9:23; Matt. 26:41; Eph. 6:18, 4:30.

-

-[4] 1 Tim. 4:7. Exercise thyself unto godliness.

-

-

-XI. PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate,

-being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish, but

-will endure unto the end;[1] that their preservering attachment from

-Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial

-professors;[2] that a special Providence watches over their welfare;[3]

-and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto

-salvation.[4]

-

-[1] John 8:31. Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word, then are ye

-My disciples indeed. 1 John 2:27, 28.

-

-[2] 1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if

-they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but

-they went out that it might be made manifest that they were not all of

-us.

-

-[3] Rom. 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good unto

-them that love God, to them who are the called according to His

-purpose. Matt. 6:30-33; Jer. 32:40.

-

-[4] Phil. 1:6. He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it

-until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 2:12, 13.

-

-

-XII. THE LAW AND GOSPEL

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the law of God is the eternal and

-unchangeable rule of his moral government;[1] that it is holy, just,

-and good;[2] and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to

-fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their sinful

-nature;[3] to deliver them from which, and to restore them through a

-Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one great end of

-the Gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment

-of the visible church.[4]

-

-[1] Rom. 3:31. Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea,

-we establish the law. Matt. 5:17; Luke 16:17; Rom. 3:20; 4:15.

-

-[2] Rom. 7:12. The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and

-good. Rom. 7:7, 14, 22; Gal. 3:21; Ps. 119.

-

-[3] Rom. 8:7, 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not

-subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are

-in the flesh cannot please God.

-

-[4] Rom. 8:2-4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath

-made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not

-do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in

-the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;

-that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk

-not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

-

-

-XIII. A GOSPEL CHURCH

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that a visible Church of Christ is a

-company of baptized believers,[1] associated by covenant in the faith

-and fellowship of the Gospel;[2] observing the ordinances of Christ;[3]

-governed by His laws;[4] and exercising the gifts, rights, and

-privileges invested in them by His Word;[5] that its only Scriptural

-officers are bishops or pastors, and deacons,[6] whose qualifications,

-claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.

-

-[1] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were

-baptized; and the same day there were added to them about three

-thousand souls.

-

-[2] 2 Cor. 8:5. They first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto

-us by the will of God.

-

-[3] 1 Cor. 11:2. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all

-things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you.

-

-[4] Matt. 28:20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have

-commanded you. John 13:15.

-

-[5] 1 Cor. 14:12. Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

-

-[6] Phil. 1:1. With the bishops and deacons. Acts 14:23, 15:22. 1 Tim.

-3, Titus 1.

-

-

-XIV. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the immersion

-in water of a believer in Christ,[1] into the name of the Father, and

-Son, and Holy Ghost;[2] to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem

-his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect,

-in His death to sin and resurrection to a new life;[3] that it is

-prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation, and to the Lord's

-Supper.[4]

-

-[1] Acts 8:36-39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water: what doth

-hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all

-thy heart, thou mayest. . . . And they went down into the water, both

-Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Matt. 3:5, 6; John 3:22,

-23; 4:1, 2; Matt. 28:19.

-

-[2] Matt. 28:19. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

-Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 10:47, 48; Gal. 3:27, 28.

-

-[3] Rom. 6:4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death;

-that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the

-Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Col. 2:12.

-

-[4] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were

-baptized, and there were added to them, the same day, about three

-thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles'

-doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

-Matt. 28:19, 20.

-

-

-XV. THE LORD'S SUPPER

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord's Supper is a provision

-of bread and wine, representing Christ's body and blood, partaken of by

-the members of the church assembled for that purpose,[1] in

-commemoration of the death of their Lord,[2] showing their faith and

-participation in the merits of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him

-for spiritual life and nourishment,[3] and their hope of life eternal

-through His resurrection from the dead; its observance to be preceded

-by faithful self-examination.[4]

-

-[1] Luke 22:19, 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake, and

-gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is given for you; this

-do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This

-cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Mark

-14:26-28; Matt. 26:27-30; 1 Cor. 11:22-30; 1 Cor. 10:16.

-

-[2] 1 Cor. 11:26. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,

-ye do show the Lord's death until He come. Matt. 28:20.

-

-[3] John 6:35, 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.

-Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life. He that

-eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him.

-

-[4] 1 Cor. 11:28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of

-that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11.

-

-

-XVI. THE LORD'S DAY

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the first day of the week is the

-Lord's Day,[1] and is to be kept sacred to religious purposes[2] by

-abstaining from all secular labor, except works of mercy and

-necessity;[3] by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both

-private and public;[4] and by preparation for that rest that remaineth

-for the people of God.

-

-[1] Acts 20:7. On the first day of the week, when the disciples came

-together to break bread, Paul preached to them.

-

-[2] Exod. 20:8. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Rev. 1:10. I

-was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Ps. 113:2-4.

-

-[3] Isa. 58:13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from

-doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the Sabbath a delight, the

-holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own

-ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words;

-then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to

-ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage

-of Jacob. Isa. 56:2-8.

-

-[4] Heb. 10:24, 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves

-together, as the manner of some is. Acts 13:44. The next Sabbath Day

-came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.

-

-

-XVII. CIVIL GOVERNMENT

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of Divine

-appointment, for the interest and good order of human society;[1] and

-that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and

-obeyed;[2] except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus

-Christ,[3] who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of

-the kings of the earth.[4]

-

-[1] Rom. 13:1-7. The powers that be are ordained of God. For rulers are

-not a terror to good works, but to the evil.

-

-[2] Matt. 22:21. Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are

-Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Titus 3:1; 1 Peter

-2:13; 1 Tim. 2:1-8.

-

-[3] Acts 5:29. We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt. 10:28. Fear

-not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Dan.

-3:15-18; 6:7, 10; Acts 4:18-20.

-

-[4] Matt. 23:10. Ye have one Master, even Christ. Rev. 19:16. And he

-hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND

-LORD OF LORDS. Ps. 72:11; Ps. 2; Rom. 14:8-13.

-

-

-XVIII. RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical and essential

-difference between the righteous and the wicked;[1] that such only as

-are regenerate, being justified through faith in Jesus Christ and

-sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His esteem;[2]

-while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are, in His

-sight, wicked and under the curse;[3] and this distinction holds among

-men, both in and after death.[4]

-

-[1] Mal. 3:18. Ye shall discern between the righteous and the wicked:

-between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Prov. 12:26;

-Isa. 5:26; Gen. 18:23; Jer. 15:19; Acts 10:34, 35; Rom. 6:16.

-

-[2] Rom. 1:17. The just shall live by faith. 1 John 2:29. If ye know

-that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness

-is born of Him. 1 John 3:7; Rom. 6:18, 22; 1 Cor. 11:32; Prov. 11:31; 1

-Peter 4:17, 18.

-

-[3] 1 John 5:19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world

-lieth in wickedness. Gal. 3:10. As many as are of the works of the law,

-are under the curse. John 3:36; Isa. 57:21; Ps. 10:4; Isa. 55:6, 7.

-

-[4] Prov. 14:32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the

-righteous hath hope in his death. Luke 16:25. Thou in thy lifetime

-receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now

-he is comforted, and thou art tormented. John 8:21-24; Prov. 10:24;

-Luke 12:4, 5; 11:23-26; John 12:25, 26; Eccl. 3:17.

-

-

-XIX. THE WORLD TO COME

-

-We believe the Scriptures teach that the end of the world is

-approaching;[1] that at the last day Christ will descend from

-heaven,[2] and raise the dead from the grave for final retribution;[3]

-that a solemn separation will then take place;[4] that the wicked will

-be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the righteous to endless joy;[5] and

-that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or

-hell on principles of righteousness.[6]

-

-[1] 1 Peter 4:7. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore

-sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Heb. 1:10-12; Matt. 24:35.

-

-[2] Acts 1:11. This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven,

-shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.

-

-[3] Acts 24:15. There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the

-just and unjust. 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 14:14; Dan. 12:2.

-

-[4] Matt. 13:49. The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from

-among the just. Matt. 13:37-43; 24:30, 31; 25:31-33.

-

-[5] Matt. 25:31-46. And these shall go away into everlasting

-punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. 22:11. He that is

-unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be

-filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and

-he that is holy; let him be holy still. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Mark 9:43-48.

-

-[6] 2 Thess. 1:6-12. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to

-recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to you who are

-troubled, rest with us . . . when He shall come to be glorified in His

-saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. Heb. 6:1, 2; 1 Cor.

-4:5; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:2-16; Rev. 20:11, 12; 1 John 2:28; 4:17;

-2 Peter 3:11, 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,

-what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and

-godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?

-

-

-COVENANT

-

-Having been, as we trust, brought by Divine grace to embrace the Lord

-Jesus Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him, we do now solemnly

-and joyfully covenant with each other TO WALK TOGETHER IN HIM, WITH

-BROTHERLY LOVE, to His glory, as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in

-His strength, engage--

-

-That we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each

-other, and faithfully warn, exhort, and admonish each other as occasion

-may require:

-

-That we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but will

-uphold the public worship of God and the ordinances of His house:

-

-That we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor neglect

-the great duty of religiously training our children, and those under

-our care, for the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:

-

-That, as we are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth, we

-will seek Divine aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and every worldly

-lust, and to walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win the souls

-of men:

-

-That we will cheerfully contribute of our property according as God has

-prospered us, for the maintenance of a faithful and evangelical

-ministry among us, for the support of the poor, and to spread the

-Gospel over the earth.

-

-That we will in all conditions, even till death, strive to live to the

-glory of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous

-light.

-

-"And may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord

-Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the

-everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his

-will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight through

-Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, for ever and ever. Amen."

-

-+FOOTNOTES:+

-

-[1] For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the "Baptist Church

-    Directory."

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER IX+

-

-OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS

-

-A Christian church should be the uncompromising friend of all virtue,

-and the determined enemy of all vice. Public morality and social purity

-should find in it an open and earnest advocate and defender. Churches

-should bear in mind that Christian morality, which constitutes their

-rule of life, claims a much higher standard than the morality of

-worldly society about them. Therefore their deportment should be such

-as to have a good report of them that are without, and command the

-respect of the world. In all this the pastor should be the wise but

-decided and courageous teacher, leader and exemplar for his people.

-

-There are certain questions of moral reform and social recreation with

-reference to which the churches are often much perplexed, but with

-reference to which they should have settled convictions, and hold a

-well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put definitions and

-restrictions touching intemperance, card-playing, theater-going,

-dancing, and the like, into covenants or articles of faith. A better

-way is for the church, after due consideration, to pass _standing

-resolutions_ on the subject, to be placed on its records as a guide to

-future action. Something like the following, to be varied at the option

-of the body, would serve as a declaration of principles:

-

-1. _Resolved,_ That this church expects every member to contribute

-statedly for its pecuniary support, according to his ability, as God

-has prospered him, and that a refusal to do this will be considered a

-breach of covenant.

-

-2. _Resolved,_ That this church will entertain and contribute statedly

-to Home and Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects of Christian

-benevolence, approved of and supported by our denomination.

-

-3. _Resolved,_ That the religious education of the young and Bible

-study as represented in Sunday school work commend themselves to our

-confidence, and we will, to the extent of our ability, give them our

-sympathy and our aid, by both our personal cooperation and

-contributions and expressed appreciation of all their legitimate aims

-and work.

-

-4. _Resolved,_ That in our opinion, the use of intoxicating drinks as a

-beverage, and also the manufacture and sale of the same for such a

-purpose are contrary to Christian morals, injurious to personal piety,

-and a hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons so using, making, or

-selling, are thereby disqualified for membership in this church.

-

-5. _Resolved,_ That we emphatically discountenance and condemn the

-practice of church-members frequenting theaters and other similar

-places of public amusements, as inconsistent with a Christian

-profession, detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious in the

-influence of its example on others.

-

-6. _Revolved,_ That the members of this church are earnestly requested

-not to provide for, take part in, or by any means encourage dancing or

-card-playing; but in all consistent ways to discountenance the same as

-a hindrance to personal godliness in their associations and tendencies,

-and an offense to brethren whom we should not willingly grieve.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER X+

-

-BAPTISM CONSIDERED

-

-What is Christian baptism? This is the gravest question which enters

-into the baptismal controversy. Other questions of moment there are in

-connection with it, touching the design, the efficacy, and the

-subjects. But it is of primary importance to know what constitutes

-baptism.

-

-Baptists answer the question by saying that baptism is the immersion,

-dipping, or burying in water, of a professed believer in Christ, in the

-name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

-

-Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, answer the question

-by saying that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring of water

-upon the candidate, touching the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping

-the person wholly into water; in either case in the name of the Father,

-the Son, and the Spirit; and that it may be administered to a candidate

-on his profession of faith, or to an unconscious infant on the

-professed faith of parents or sponsors. This would make four kinds of

-baptism, and two classes of subjects for its reception; and would

-consist rather in the application of water to the person, than putting

-the person into water.

-

-Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance, as well as to a oneness of

-the faith; insisting that as there is but one Lord, and one faith, so

-there is but one baptism. And the dipping in water of a professed

-disciple of Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling a person

-with water, nor pouring water upon him can by any possibility be

-Christian baptism. That this position is the true one, we appeal to the

-New Testament, and the best extant historical and philological

-authorities to establish.

-

-Let it be distinctly understood, however, that all the eminent names

-and learned authorities hereafter cited are Pedobaptists. Baptist

-authorities are wholly omitted, not because they are less accurate or

-less valuable, but because we prefer to allow our opponents in this

-controversy to bear witness for us, rather than to testify in our own

-behalf.

-

-

-THE MEANING OF THE WORD

-

-The word _baptize_ is, properly speaking, a Greek word (_baptizo_),

-adapted to the English language by a change in its termination. This is

-the word always used by Christ and His Apostles to express and define

-the ordinance. What does that word mean as originally used? For it is

-certain that our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed by believers

-of all classes, in all lands, and through all ages, would use a word of

-positive and definite import, and one whose meaning would admit of no

-reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars say? How do the Greek lexicons

-define the word?

-

-SCAPULA says: "To _dip,_ to immerse, as we do anything for the purpose

-of dyeing it."

-

-SCHLEUSNER says: "Properly it signifies to _dip,_ to immerse, to

-immerse in water."

-

-PARKHURST says: "To dip, _immerse,_ or plunge in water."

-

-STEVENS says: "To merge, or _immerse,_ to submerge, or bury in water."

-

-DONNEGAN says: "To _immerse_ repeatedly into liquid, to submerge, to

-soak thoroughly."

-

-ROBINSON says: "To _immerse,_ to sink."

-

-LIDDELL AND SCOTT say: "To _dip_ repeatedly."

-

-GRIMM'S LEXICON _of the New Testament,_ which in Europe and America

-stands confessedly at the head of Greek lexicography, as translated and

-edited by Professor Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines

-_baptizo:_ "(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, submerge. (2) To cleanse

-by dipping or submerging. (3) To overwhelm. In the New Testament it is

-used particularly of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted by

-John the Baptist, afterward by Christ's command received by Christians

-and adjusted to the contents and nature of their religion, viz., an

-_immersion_ in water, performed as a sign of the removal of sin, and

-administered to those who, impelled by a desire for salvation, sought

-admission to the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom. With _eis_ to mark

-the element into which the immersion is made; _en_ with the dative or

-the thing in which one is immersed."

-

-The noun _baptisma,_ the only other word used in the New Testament to

-denote the rite, GRIMM-THAYER thus define: "A word peculiar to the New

-Testament and ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John's baptism; (2)

-of Christian baptism. This, according to the view of the Apostles, is a

-rite of sacred _immersion_ commanded by Christ."

-

-Add to those such authorities as Alstidius, Passow, Schöttgen,

-Stockius, Stourdza, Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenmüller, Wetstein, Leigh,

-Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius, Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many

-others who bear the same witness to the proper meaning of the word

-_baptize._ If at any time the word may have a secondary meaning, it is

-strictly in accord with its primary meaning--to dip, or immerse. For

-both classic and sacred Greek the same meaning holds.

-

-PROF. MOSES STUART, one of the ablest scholars America has produced,

-declared: "_Baptizo_ means to dip, plunge, or _immerse_ into any

-liquid. All lexicographers and critics of any note are agreed in this."

-_Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository, 1833, p. 298._

-

-"All lexicographers and critics, of any note, are agreed in this," says

-one of the foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist. What a

-concession!

-

-The Greek language is rich in terms for the expression of all positive

-ideas, and all varying shades of thought. Why, then, did our Lord in

-commanding, and His Apostles in transmitting His command to posterity,

-use _always_ and _only_ the one word _baptizo,_ to describe the action,

-and that one word _baptisma,_ to describe the ordinance to which He

-intended all His followers to submit? The word _louo_ means to _wash_

-the body, and _nipto_ to wash parts of the body; but these words are

-not used, because washing is not what Christ meant. _Rantizo_ means to

-_sprinkle,_ and if sprinkling were baptism this would have been the

-word above all others; but it was never so used. _Cheo_ means to

-_pour:_ but pouring is not baptism, and so this word was never used to

-describe the ordinance. _Katharizo_ means to _purify,_ but it is not

-used for the ordinance. The facts are clear and the reasoning

-conclusive.

-

-STOURDZA, the Russian scholar and diplomat, says: "The church of the

-West has then departed from the example of Jesus Christ; she has

-obliterated the whole sublimity of the exterior sign. Baptism and

-immersion are _identical._ Baptism by _aspersion_ is as if one should

-say _immersion_ by _aspersion,_ or any other absurdity of the same

-nature." _Considerations, Orthodox Ch., p. 87._

-

-

-THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

-

-The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is thus described: "And Jesus, when

-He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water" (Matt. 3:16).

-And again, it is recorded that Jesus "was baptized of John in Jordan:

-and straightway coming up out of the water" (Mark 1:10). He certainly

-would not go down into Jordan to have water sprinkled on Him. Nobody

-believes He would. He was baptized _in_ Jordan, not _with_ Jordan.

-Moreover, he was _baptized,_ that is, _immersed,_ not _rantized,_ that

-is, _sprinkled._

-

-BISHOP TAYLOR says: "The custom of the ancient churches was not

-sprinkling, but _immersion,_ in pursuance of the meaning of the word in

-the commandments and the example of our blessed Saviour." _Commentary

-on Matthew 3:16._

-

-MACKNIGHT says: "Christ submitted to be baptized, that is, to be

-_buried_ under water, and to be raised out of it again, as an emblem of

-his future death and resurrection." _Com. Epis., Rom. 6:4._

-

-And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot, Whitby, Poole, Olshausen,

-Meyer, Alford, and many other commentators and scholars. All those whom

-John baptized he buried beneath the waters, and raised them up again.

-

-

-MUCH WATER NEEDED

-

-It is recorded that "John also was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim,

-because there was much water there" (John 3:23). Why need much water

-except for dipping, or burying candidates in the act of baptism?

-

-JOHN CALVIN, the great theologian, scholar, and commentator, whom

-Scaliger pronounced the most learned man in Europe, says: "From the

-words of John (chap. 3:23) it may be inferred that baptism was

-administered by John and Christ, by _plunging_ the whole body under

-water." _Com. on John 3:23._

-

-POOLE says: "It is apparent that both Christ and John baptized by

-dipping the whole body in the water, else they need not have sought

-places where had been a great plenty of water." _Annot. John 3:23._

-

-WHITBY says: "Because there was much water there in which their whole

-bodies might be dipped." _Crit. Com. John 3:23._

-

-With these agree Bengel, Curcælleus, Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and

-others.

-

-

-PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH

-

-"And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch,

-and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the

-Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (Acts 8:38). Why go down into

-the water, both, or either of them, if not for an immersion?

-

-VENEMA, the ecclesiastical historian, says: "It is without controversy,

-that baptism in the primitive church was administered by _immersion_

-into water, and not by sprinkling; seeing that John is said to have

-baptized in Jordan, and where there was much water, as Christ also did

-by His disciples in the neighborhood of those places. Philip also going

-down into the water baptized the eunuch." _Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec.

-138._

-

-To this may be added Calvin, Grotius, Towerson, Poole, and others to

-the same effect.

-

-

-THE TESTIMONY OF SCHOLARS

-

-Great men are not always wise. Our search should be for the _truth_

-wherever found; and though our final appeal in these matters is to the

-New Testament, still we are glad to use the testimony of distinguished

-scholars where it affirms the teachings of the Scriptures and confirms

-our position on the baptismal question. Especially so, as these

-scholars are not of our own, but of other denominations.

-

-ZANCHIUS, the learned Roman Catholic professor of Heidelberg, whose

-opinion De Courcy declared, "is worth a thousand others," said: "The

-proper signification of _baptize_ is to _immerse,_ plunge under,

-overwhelm in water." _Works, Vol. VI., p. 217. Geneva, 1619._

-

-LUTHER, the great German Reformer, says: "The term _baptism_ is Greek;

-in Latin it may be translated _mersio:_ since we _immerse_ anything

-into water, that the whole may be covered with the water." _Works, Vol.

-I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582._

-

-MELANCHTHON, the most scholarly and able co-laborer with Luther, says:

-"Baptism is _immersion_ into water, with this admirable benediction."

-_Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580._

-

-CAVE, in his able work on Christian Antiquities, says: "The party to be

-baptized was _wholly immersed,_ or put under water." _Prim. Christ., P.

-I. Chap. X. p. 320._

-

-BEZA, the learned translator of the New Testament, says: "Christ

-commanded us to be baptized, by which word it is certain _immersion_ is

-signified." _Annot. on Mark 7:4._

-

-MEDE, the distinguished English scholar and Divine, says, "There was no

-such thing as _sprinkling_ used in the Apostles' days, nor for many

-ages after them." _Dis. on Titus 3:5._

-

-GROTIUS, who his biographer calls one of the most illustrious names in

-literature, politics, and theology says: "That baptism used to be

-performed by _immersion,_ and not by pouring, appears by the proper

-signification of the word, and by the places chosen for the

-administration of the rite." _Annot. on Matt. 3:6; John 3:23._

-

-ADAM CLARK, the great Methodist commentator, says: "Alluding to the

-_immersions_ practiced in the case of adults, wherein the person

-appeared to be _buried_ under the water as Christ was buried in the

-heart of the earth." _Com. on Col. 2:12._

-

-FREDERICK MEYER, one of the ablest and most accurate exegetes of the

-present age, says: "_Immersion,_ which the word in classic Greek and in

-the New Testament ever means." _Com. on Mark 7:4._

-

-DEAN ALFORD says: "The baptism was administered by _immersion_ of the

-whole person." _Greek Testament, Matt. 3:6._

-

-BISHOP BOSSUET, the celebrated French Catholic bishop, orator, and

-counselor of state, says: "To baptize, signifies to _plunge,_ as is

-granted by all the world." See _Stenett ad Russen, p. 174._

-

-DOCTOR SCHAFF, the well-known church historian, says: "_Immersion,_ and

-not sprinkling, was unquestionably the original form. This is shown by

-the very meaning of the words _baptizo, baptisma,_ and _baptismos_ used

-to designate the rite." _Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488. Merc. ed., 1851. Also

-see Noel on Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8._

-

-DEAN STANLEY, the distinguished scholar, and historian of the Oriental

-Church, says: "The practice of the Eastern Church, and the meaning of

-the word, leave no sufficient ground for question that the original

-form of baptism was _complete immersion_ in the deep baptismal waters."

-_Hist. Eastern Church, p. 34._

-

-PROFESSOR FISHER, of Yale College, the accomplished scholar and

-historian, says of the Apostolic age: "The ordinary mode of baptism was

-by _immersion._" _Hist. Christ. Church, p. 41._

-

-PROFESSOR RIDDLE says: "There is no doubt that the usual mode of

-administering baptism in the early church, was by _immersion,_ or

-plunging the whole body of the person baptized under water." _Christ.

-Antiq., p. 502._

-

-Add to the above the testimony of Bishops Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius,

-Poole, Vitringa, Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark, Bloomfield, Scholz,

-Neander, and many others to the same effect, none of whom were Baptists.

-

-

-APOSTOLICAL ALLUSIONS

-

-What idea could the Apostle have had as to the nature of baptism, when

-in two of his epistles he alludes to it as a _burial_ except that it

-was a dipping or burial in water? To the Romans he says: "Therefore we

-are _buried_ with him, by baptism, into death" (Rom. 6:4). To the

-Colossians, in nearly the same language, "_Buried_ with him in baptism"

-(Col. 2:12). No one can misunderstand the meaning of these words.

-Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing, cleansing--nothing but a complete

-submersion--can represent a burial. And no candid mind could

-misunderstand such language, unless blinded or biased by prejudice,

-education, or sophistical reasoning from others.

-

-ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON makes this comment: "Anciently those who were

-baptized were _immersed_ and _buried_ in the water, to represent their

-death to sin; and then did rise up out of the water, to signify their

-entrance upon a new life. And to this custom the Apostle alludes."

-_Works, Vol. I., p. 170._

-

-JOHN WESLEY, the celebrated founder of Methodism, says: "Buried with

-him, alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by _immersion._" _Note

-on Rom. 6:4._

-

-CONYBEARE says: "This passage cannot be understood unless it be borne

-in mind that the primitive baptism was by _immersion._" _Life and

-Epist. St. Paul, Rom. 6:4._

-

-BLOOMFIELD says: "Here is a plain allusion to the ancient custom of

-baptizing by _immersion,_ and I agree with Koppe and Rosenmüller, that

-there is reason to regret it should ever have been abandoned in most

-Christian churches; especially as it has so evident a reference to the

-mystical sense of baptism." _Recens. Synop., Rom. 6:4._

-

-WHITEFIELD says: "It is certain that in the words of our text (Rom.

-6:4) there is an allusion to the manner of baptizing which was by

-_immersion._" _Eighteen Sermons, p. 297._

-

-MEYER says: "The candidate says to himself, Now I enter into fellowship

-with the death of Christ; I am to be buried with Christ in the

-_immersion,_ and in the _emersion_ I rise with Christ to newness of

-life." _Com. on Rom. 6:4._

-

-Add to these the names of Bishop Fell, Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark,

-Estius, Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin, Zwingli,

-Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with others equally good in authority, and what

-no one ought to question seems to be put beyond doubt.

-

-

-THE WITNESS OF HISTORY

-

-Learned and devout men have studied with care the early records of

-Christianity, and have written histories of the doctrines and customs

-of the churches, during the ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.

-What do they tell us as to the use of baptism during the first

-centuries after Christ?

-

-BARNABAS, the companion of St. Paul; Hermas, writing about A. D. 95;

-Justin Martyr, about A. D. 140; Tertullian, about A. D. 204;

-Hippolytus, about A. D. 225; Gregory, about A. D. 360; Basil, about

-A. D. 360; Ambrose, about A. D. 374; Cyril, about A. D. 374;

-Chrysostom, about A. D. 400; all speak of being _dipped,_ or _buried,_

-or _immersed,_ or _plunged_ in the water in baptism; and none of them

-make the least allusion to any application of water to the person for

-baptism by sprinkling, pouring, washing, or any other mode whatsoever.

-

-DOCTOR WALL, whose learned and laborious researches in connection with

-his exhaustive work on the _History of Infant Baptism_ left little for

-others to discover in this field of scholarship, says: "The Greek

-Church in all its branches does still use _immersion,_ and so do all

-other Christians in the world, except the Latins. All those nations

-that do now, or formerly did submit to the Bishop of Rome, do

-ordinarily baptize their children by pouring or sprinkling. But _all

-other Christians in the world,_ who never owned the Pope's usurped

-power, do and ever did _dip_ their infants in the ordinary use. All the

-Christians in Asia, all in Africa, and about one-third in Europe are of

-the last sort." _Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p. 376, 3d ed._

-

-BINGHAM, in his _Origines,_ the ablest work we have in English on

-Christian Antiquities, says: "The ancients thought that immersion, or

-_burying under water,_ did more lively represent the death, burial, and

-resurrection of Christ, as well as our own death to sin and rising

-again unto righteousness." _Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI._

-

-MOSHEIM says: "In this century (_the first_) baptism was administered

-in convenient places, without the public assemblies, and by _immersing_

-the candidate wholly in water." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch.

-4._

-

-NEANDER says: "In respect to the form of baptism, it was in conformity

-to the original institution, and the original import of the symbol,

-performed by _immersion,_ as a sign of entire baptism into the Holy

-Spirit, of being entirely penetrated with the same." _Ch. Hist., Vol.

-I., p. 310._ Also, _Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222._

-

-SCHAFF says: "Finally, so far as it respects the mode and manner of

-outward baptizing, there can be no doubt that _immersion,_ and not

-sprinkling was the original normal form." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488._

-

-PRESSENSÉ says: "Baptism, which was the sign of admission into the

-church, was administered by _immersion._ The convert was plunged

-beneath the water, and as he rose from it he received the laying on of

-hands." _Early Years of Christianity, p. 374._

-

-KURTZ says: "Baptism took place by a complete _immersion._" _Church

-History, p. 41._

-

-KRAUS says: "Baptism was performed by _immersion_ in the name of the

-Trinity." _Church History, p. 56. 1882._

-

-ELLICOTT says: "Jewish ablutions arrived at a ceremonial purity in the

-Levitical sense, and had nothing in common with the figurative act

-which portrayed through _immersion_ the complete disappearance of the

-old nature, and by the _emerging_ again, the beginning of a totally new

-life." _Life of Christ, p. 110._

-

-

-FOR THIRTEEN CENTURIES

-

-It is proved that not only was immersion practiced for baptism by

-Christ and His Apostles, but that for many ages after nothing else was

-known as baptism: and that for _thirteen hundred years_ it was the

-common and prevailing form over the whole Christian world, with only

-exceptional departures, hereafter to be noticed. And that though the

-Latin or Roman Church did finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right

-to change ordinances, the Greek and all the Oriental churches retained

-dipping, as they do to this day.

-

-DOCTOR STACKHOUSE says: "Several authors have shown and proved that

-this manner of _immersion_ continued, as much as possible, to be used

-for _thirteen hundred years_ after Christ." _Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1._

-

-BISHOP BOSSUET says: "We are able to make it appear, by the acts of

-councils and by ancient rituals, that for _thirteen hundred years_

-baptism was thus administered [by immersion] throughout the whole

-church, as far as possible." _Cited, Stennet ad Russen, p. 176._

-

-HAGENBACH says: "From the _thirteenth century_ sprinkling came into

-more general use in the West. The Greek Church, however, and the church

-of Milan still retained the practice of _immersion._" _Hist. Doct. Vol.

-II., p. 84, note 1._

-

-VAN OOSTERZEE says: "This _sprinkling,_ which appears to have first

-come generally into use in the _thirteenth century_ in place of the

-entire _immersion_ of the body, in imitation of the previous baptism of

-the sick, has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical character

-of the act is expressed by it much less conspicuously than by complete

-immersion and burial under the water." _Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p.

-749._

-

-COLEMAN says: "The practice of immersion continued even until the

-_thirteenth or fourteenth_ century. Indeed, it has never been formally

-abandoned." _Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12._

-

-To the same effect is the testimony of Doctors Brenner, Von Cölln,

-Winer, Augusti, Bingham, and others.

-

-

-AS TO THE GREEK CHURCH

-

-It is a notable fact and worthy of record in this discussion, that the

-Greek Church has always retained immersion in baptism. This church

-extends over Greece, Russia, Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and

-other Oriental countries. Like the Latin Church, it has corrupted the

-primitive purity of Gospel doctrine and practice with many absurd

-glosses and superstitious rites. It practices infant baptism, yet it is

-by _dipping,_ even in the severe climate of Siberia; and it uses

-_trine_ immersion, or dipping the candidate three times, one to each of

-the names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its branches immersion is

-retained.

-

-THE EDINBURGH ENCYCLOPEDIA says: "The Greek Church, as well as the

-Schismatics in the East, retained the custom of _immersing_ the whole

-body; but the Western Church adopted, in the _thirteenth century,_ the

-mode of sprinkling, which has been continued by the Protestants,

-Baptists only excepted." _Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism._

-

-These statements are fully confirmed by Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius,

-Buddeus, Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman and others, who have

-written on the state and history of the Greek Church.

-

-

-THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM

-

-What was baptism intended to represent? As a religious rite it meant

-something, had some symbolic force, and represented some moral or

-spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning was clearly this: to show forth

-the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, who died for our sins,

-and rose again for our justification. And every believer who receives

-this ordinance, professes thereby to have faith in the merits of

-Christ's death as the ground of his own hope of Salvation; to have

-fellowship also with His sufferings, and makes a declaration of his own

-death to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ. It also typifies the

-washing of regeneration; it further declares the candidate's hope of a

-resurrection from the dead, even as Christ, into the likeness of whose

-death he is buried, was raised up by the glory of the Father. Chiefly

-_death, burial,_ and _resurrection:_ the great facts of redemptive

-grace are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism does teach all this,

-and immersion alone can teach it. Careful students of the New Testament

-have clearly seen this, and very generally confessed it, whatever may

-have been their practice.

-

-BISHOP NEWTON says: "Baptism was usually performed by _immersion,_ or

-dipping the whole body under water, to represent the death, burial, and

-resurrection of Christ, and thereby signify the person's own dying to

-sin, the destruction of its power, and his resurrection to a new life."

-_Pract. Expos. Cate., p. 297._

-

-Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond, Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight,

-Olshausen, Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus, Frankius, Wall,

-Towerson, Adam Clark, Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony as to

-the design of the ordinance, and how it is answered in immersion only.

-

-

-A SUFFICIENCY OF WATER

-

-There have been found persons so ignorant, or so weak, or so perverse

-in their opposition to immersion, as to assert that the Jordan was a

-small stream, so nearly dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient

-depth of water for the immersion of the multitudes of the disciples of

-John and of Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and also that

-Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation for the immersion of the

-thousands of converts at the Pentecost, and on subsequent occasions.

-People are becoming more intelligent, and more candid, and it is

-possible that such puerile objections are no more heard. But it may be

-well to give passing notice to the facts.

-

-DR. EDWARD ROBINSON, at that time professor in the Union Theological

-Seminary, New York City, in 1840, made a careful survey of Palestine,

-including the Jordan valley and river. His published statements

-corroborate those of others previously made, as to the abundant supply

-of water, both in the Jordan, and in the city of Jerusalem. He cites

-the published statements of earlier explorers, whose works are known to

-the reading public: Seetzen, who visited that country in 1806;

-Burkhardt, who explored it in 1812; Irby and Mangles, in 1818; and

-Buckingham, who traveled through it about the same time. See

-_Robinson's Bib. Researches, Vol. II., Sec. 10, pp. 257-267._

-

-LIEUTENANT LYNCH, of the United States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by

-our government in charge of an expedition to explore the river Jordan

-and the Dead Sea. Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century missionary

-in Syria and Palestine, traversed the land in 1857, and Dean Stanley in

-1853, and others more recently. For a complete refutation of such

-puerile objections as those above mentioned, and a confirmation of

-Baptist claims, see the following works: Robinson's "Biblical

-Researches," Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267; Lynch's "Dead Sea

-Expedition," Ch. 10 and 11; Thomson's "The Land and the Book," Vol.

-II., pp. 445-6; Stanley's "Syria and Palestine," Ch. 7, pp. 306-7;

-Barclay's "The City of the Great Kings," ch. 10; and other citations in

-"Baptist Church Directory."

-

-

-THE RISE OF SPRINKLING

-

-The question will naturally arise and very properly, When did

-sprinkling for baptism first come into use? And how came it to pass,

-that a human device superseded and took the place of a Divine

-institution? These questions are fully and satisfactorily answered by

-Pedobaptist scholars themselves, whose testimony we accept as a

-justification of Baptist views.

-

-For _two hundred and fifty years_ after Christ we have no evidence of

-any departure from the primitive practice of immersion. At length the

-idea came to prevail that baptism possessed saving virtue, and had

-power to purify and sanctify the soul, making its salvation more

-secure. It was consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized. Here was

-the germ of the pernicious dogma of "baptismal regeneration," the

-foundation alike of infant baptism and of sprinkling instead of

-immersion.

-

-The first authenticated instance of _sprinkling_ occurred about the

-middle of the third century, or A. D. 250. This was the case of

-Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives this case, and Doctor Wall in

-his laborious researches could find no earlier instance; good evidence

-that no earlier existed. Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing

-himself about to die, was anxious to be baptized. The case seemed

-urgent, and as he was thought to be too feeble to be _immersed,_ a

-substitute was resorted to; water was poured profusely over him as he

-lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as possible a submersion. The

-word used to describe this action (_perichutheis, purfusus_) has

-usually been rendered _besprinkle;_ it rather means to pour profusely

-over and about one. This it was thought might answer the purpose in

-such an emergency.

-

-From this time onward pouring and sprinkling were resorted to at times

-of extreme illness, or feebleness, where persons could not leave their

-beds, and hence was termed _clinic_ baptism, from _clina,_ a couch. But

-it was always regarded as a substitute for baptism, rather than baptism

-itself; and its validity was doubted. Novatian himself having recovered

-from his sickness, was objected to when his friends proposed to make

-him bishop, because, it was said, he had never been properly baptized.

-It was not, however, until the seventeenth century that sprinkling

-became common in Europe, in France first, and then extending through

-those countries over which the pope held sway. At length, accepted by

-Calvin and the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland, by John Knox,

-and other Scotch refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter from the

-persecution to which they had been exposed in their native country;

-then into England: and in 1643 it was adopted as the exclusive mode of

-baptism by a majority of one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines,

-and sanctioned by Parliament the next year. All of which is verified by

-Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius, Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,

-"Ency. Brit.," "Edin. Ency.," and other reliable historical

-authorities.[1]

-

-+FOOTNOTES:+

-

-[1] For more numerous citations on this subject, see the "Star Book

-    on Christian Baptism," and "The Baptist Church Directory."

-

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER XI+

-

-THE LORD'S SUPPER

-

-The Lord's Supper, called also the "Eucharist," and the "Communion," is

-the most sacred act of Christian worship, and the highest expression of

-the mysteries of our holy religion. It is a service in which bread and

-wine--the _loaf_ and the _cup_--are used to represent the body and the

-blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for us. The bread is _broken,_

-distributed, and eaten; the wine is _poured,_ distributed, and drunk by

-the members of the assembled church, to show the sacrifice of Christ,

-His body broken, and His blood shed for their redemption; and that by

-His death they have life. Being begotten of God through the operation

-of the Spirit, their new life is sustained and nourished by mystically

-feeding on Him who is the Bread of God, which came down from heaven to

-give life to the world. He said: "This do in remembrance of Me." "As

-oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord's

-death, till He come." "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and

-drink His blood, ye have no life in you." "Whoso eateth My flesh and

-drinketh My blood hath eternal life." "He that eateth My flesh, and

-drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him." It is a Divine

-reality, though a sublime mystery.

-

-

-OPEN AND CLOSE COMMUNION

-

-The controversy between Baptists and other denominations, so far as the

-Lord's Supper is concerned, has no reference to its nature, the purpose

-for which it was instituted, the manner of its administration, or the

-effect of the elements on the participants. It has reference simply to

-the proper _subjects_ for participation in the privilege. Who may, and

-who may not properly and of right come to the Lord's Table? On the

-question of what are the Scriptural qualifications of participants,

-Baptist and Pedobaptists differ--differ not as to the general rule to

-be applied, but as to its particular application. And this particular

-application leads to the controversy on what is called _"close

-communion,"_ as practiced by Baptists, and to what is called _"open

-communion,"_ as practiced by Pedobaptists.

-

-_What is open communion? Open,_ free or mixed communion is, strictly

-speaking, that which allows any one who desires, and believes himself

-qualified, to come to the Lord's Table, without any questions being

-asked, or conditions imposed by the church in which the ordinance is

-observed. But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of the

-greater part of the Pedobaptist churches, which hold that _sprinkling_

-is lawful baptism, and invite, not all persons, but members of all

-evangelical churches, whatever be their view of church order and

-ordinances; holding them all as being baptized because they have been

-sprinkled.

-

-_What is close communion? Close,_ strict, or restricted communion is,

-properly speaking, that which does not invite all indiscriminately to

-the Lord's Table, but restricts the privilege to a particular class.

-But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of Baptist churches,

-which invite only baptized believers, walking in orderly fellowship in

-their own churches. And by baptized believers, they mean, of course,

-immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling to be baptism at all.

-

-

-ONE AND THE SAME RULE

-

-_Observe further:_ That Baptists and Pedobaptists have one and the same

-rule in theory as to the proper qualification for participants, namely,

-they all hold that baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized persons

-have no legal right to the Lord's Supper, and cannot consistently be

-invited  to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized persons to the

-Lord's Table, however good Christians, since such could not become

-church-members, and the Supper is for those within the church, not for

-the outside world. For though there are a few churches and a few

-pastors, who in their extreme liberality might be disposed to invite

-everybody to the sacred ordinance yet such a course would be contrary

-to their denominational standards, and opposed to the usages of their

-churches generally.

-

-_Further observe:_ They all practice a restriction since they restrict

-the privilege to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,

-walking in orderly church fellowship. But Baptists and Pedobaptists

-differ as to what constitutes _baptism,_ the one rejecting, and the

-other accepting the validity of sprinkling. Thus Baptists' custom is

-more _"close,"_ and Pedobaptists' is more _"open,"_ by the difference

-between their views of baptism; and by that difference only.

-_Therefore,_ it is manifest that the question so called of "close" and

-"open" communion is really not a question of "communion" at all, but of

-what constitutes Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled, and the

-controversy as to the restriction of the Lord's Supper will cease.

-

-

-THE BAPTIST POSITION

-

-Baptists hold that there are _three_ imperative conditions precedent to

-the privileges of the Lord's Supper: 1. _Regeneration._ No unconverted

-person can with propriety, or of right, eat and drink at that sacred

-feast, in commemoration of Christ's death. They must be persons dead to

-sin, and alive to God; born again, through the operation of the Spirit.

-2. _Baptism._ Buried with Christ in baptism on a profession of faith in

-Him. No person, however good, and however manifestly regenerate, is

-prepared without baptism, according to the Divine order, to receive the

-Supper. Without baptism he cannot enter the fellowship of the church,

-where the Supper alone is to be enjoyed. 3. _An orderly walk is

-necessary._ An upright and consistent Christian walk, and godly

-conversation among the saints, and before the world. For though one may

-be truly regenerate, and properly baptized, yet if he be a disorderly

-walker, violating his covenant obligations, living in sin, and bringing

-reproach on the Christian profession, he has no right to sit at the

-Lord's Table.

-

-The ordinances are a sacred trust which Christ has committed to the

-churches as custodians, and which they are to watch and guard from all

-profane intrusion, and improper use, with the most sedulous fidelity.

-Baptists believe that in order to maintain the purity and spirituality

-of the churches, it is necessary to maintain the ordinances pure; and

-especially necessary to restrict the Supper to regenerate and godly

-persons, baptized on a profession of their faith, into the fellowship

-of the saints. To adopt any other rule, or to allow any larger liberty,

-would break down the distinction between the church and the world;

-would bring in a carnal and unconverted membership, and transfer the

-sacred mysteries of the body and the blood of Christ from the temple of

-God to the temple of Belial. This would be disloyalty to Christ.

-

-The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those who _believed_ and _gladly

-received the Word,_ were _baptized._ Then they were _added to the

-church._ Then they continued steadfastly in the _Apostles' doctrine,_

-and fellowship, and in _breaking of bread,_ and in _prayer._

-

-_Notice,_ they were not baptized till they had received the Word and

-believed. They were not added to the church till they had believed and

-been baptized. They did not engage in the breaking of bread (that is,

-the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized, and were added to

-the church. This is the Divine order; and this is the order which

-Baptists maintain and defend.

-

-

-PEDOBAPTIST CLOSE COMMUNION

-

-It has already been shown that Pedobaptists themselves practice a

-restricted or close communion, limiting the privilege to baptized (as

-they call them) members of evangelical churches, and that their

-communion is more liberal than that of the Baptists only, and only by

-so much as their baptism (so-called) is more liberal than that of

-Baptists.

-

-But in some respects Pedobaptists practice a "close communion,"

-restrictive in its conditions, far beyond anything known to Baptists

-whose illiberality they are accustomed to magnify. They exclude a large

-class of their own members from the Lord's Table--namely, _baptized

-children!_ Baptists do not deny the Lord's Supper to their own members

-in good standing. If children are suitable subjects for baptism, it

-seems most unreasonable and unjust to deny them the Supper. If they can

-be benefited by one ordinance, can they not be equally benefited by the

-other? If they can receive the one on the faith of sponsors, can they

-not receive the other in the same way? Who has authorized parents or

-ministers to give baptism to unconverted and unconscious children, and

-refuse them the Lord's Supper? By denying the Supper to baptized

-children, Pedobaptists act contrary to the traditions of the ancient

-churches, which they are accustomed to cite with so much assurance, in

-defense of infant baptism. Do they not know that those ancient churches

-(not the primitive churches) gave the Lord's Supper to infants for many

-centuries? And the Greek Church, through all its branches, continues

-still the same practice.

-

-DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "After the general introduction of infant baptism,

-in the _second and third centuries,_ the sacrament continued to be

-administered to all who had been baptized, whether infants or adults.

-The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for this practice was, that

-age was no impediment. Augustine strongly advocates the practice. The

-custom continued for several centuries. It is mentioned in the third

-Council of Tours, A. D. 813; and even the Council of Trent, A. D. 1545,

-only decreed that it should not be considered essential to salvation.

-It is still scrupulously observed by the Greek Church." _Anc. Christ.

-Exemp., Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4, Sec. 7. Many other

-writers bear the same testimony._

-

-

-THE POWER OF SYMPATHY

-

-There is a small class of Baptists who are at times inclined to desire,

-and it may be, to seek a wider liberty at the Lord's Table than they

-find accorded in their own churches. The one prevailing argument with

-them is _sympathy._ To them it seems kindly and fraternal to invite all

-who say they love our common Lord and Saviour to unite in commemorating

-His death in the Supper. Even if they have not been baptized, they

-themselves believe they have, and they are good Christian people. "Why

-stand upon a technicality?" they say. To such the service is merely a

-sentimental service; a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,

-rather than an instituted commemoration of their dying Lord. They have

-neither Scripture, logic, expediency, the scholarship, nor the

-concurrent practice of Christendom, either past or present, to sustain

-their position. But _sympathy_ influences them; yet sympathy should not

-control conduct in matters of faith, or in acts of conscience. It is a

-grave perversion when affection for his disciples sways us more than

-fidelity to our Lord. We should not be so kind to _them_ as to be

-untrue to _Him._ Sincere Christians will honor those who are loyal to

-Christ, even though they differ in opinion.

-

-

-THREE FACTS EXPLAINED

-

-Baptists give the following reasons in justification of their course in

-the following cases:

-

-1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the Lord's Supper with them,

-because such persons are not baptized, as has been shown, they being

-simply sprinkled. They may be true converts, and have the spiritual

-qualifications, but they are destitute of the ceremonial

-qualification--baptism. The "buried in baptism" comes before the

-"breaking of bread."

-

-2. They do not accept the invitation of Pedobaptist churches to eat at

-the Lord's Table with them, for the same reason; they are not baptized

-Christians. And while the appreciate their Christian fellowship, they

-could not accept their church fellowship, and sit at the Lord's Table

-with them, without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing their

-baptismal errors.

-

-3. They do not invite immersed members of Pedobaptist churches to the

-Lord's Supper with them, because such persons, though they may be truly

-regenerate and properly baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining

-in and giving countenance to churches which hold and practice serious

-errors as to both the ordinances. These churches use sprinkling for

-baptism and administer the ordinance to infants, both of which are

-unscriptural. And yet such persons, by remaining in them, encourage and

-support these errors, instead of protesting against them by leaving

-them. They insist on immersion for themselves, and yet by a strange

-inconsistency give their fellowship and influence to perpetuate and

-sanction sprinkling for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly

-Christian walking; and, therefore, very properly, Baptists decline to

-invite them to the Lord's Supper.

-

-

-PEDOBAPTIST WITNESSES

-

-In further proof that the position of Baptists as to the Lord's Supper

-is correct and Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with baptism, and

-not with the Supper; and that they must still continue to restrict the

-ordinance to baptized believers, or else admit that sprinkling is

-baptism, we cite the concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist scholars

-and Divines in evidence on our side.

-

-JUSTIN MARTYR, one of the early Christian Fathers, says of the Supper:

-"This food is called by us the Eucharist, of which it is not lawful for

-any one to partake but such as believe the things taught by us to be

-true, and have been baptized." _Apol. I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff's Church

-Hist., Ch. 2. p. 516._

-

-MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says: "Neither those doing penance, nor

-those not yet baptized, were allowed to be present at the celebration

-of this ordinance." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3._

-

-NEANDER, the great church historian, says: "At this celebration, as may

-be easily concluded, no one could be present who was not a member of

-the Christian Church, and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism."

-_Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston, 1849._

-

-CAVE, one of the ablest writers on Christian antiquities, says the

-participants in the primitive church were those "that had embraced the

-doctrine of the Gospel, and had been baptized into the faith of Christ.

-For, looking upon the Lord's Supper as the highest and most solemn act

-of religion, they thought they could never take care enough in the

-dispensing of it." _Prim. Christ., Part I., Ch. 11, p. 333._

-

-BINGHAM, in his able work on the Antiquities of the Christian Church,

-says of the early Christians: "As soon as a man was baptized he was

-communicated"--that is, admitted to the communion. Baptism, therefore,

-essentially preceded the Supper.--_Christ. Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec.

-9, B. 15, Ch. 3._

-

-DOCTOR WALL, who searched the records of antiquity for facts

-illustrating the history of the ordinances, says: "No church ever gave

-the communion to any persons before they were baptized. Among all the

-absurdities that were ever held, none ever maintained that any person

-should partake of the communion before he was baptized." _Hist. Inf.

-Bap., Part II., Ch. 9._

-

-DOCTOR COLEMAN says of the early churches: "None indeed but believers

-in full communion with the church were permitted to be present." "But

-agreeably to all the laws and customs of the church, baptism

-constituted membership with the church. All baptized persons were

-legitimately numbered among the communicants as members of the church."

-_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8._

-

-DOCTOR SCHAFF says: "The communion was a regular part, and, in fact,

-the most important and solemn part of the Sunday worship, . . . in

-which none but full members of the church could engage." _Ch. Hist.,

-Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871._

-

-DOCTOR DODDRIDGE says: "It is certain that so far as our knowledge of

-primitive antiquity reaches, no unbaptized person received the Lord's

-Supper." _Lectures, pp. 511, 512._

-

-DOCTOR DICK says: "An uncircumcised man was not permitted to eat the

-Passover; and an unbaptized man should not be permitted to partake of

-the Eucharist." _Theol., Vol. II., p. 220._

-

-DOCTOR BAXTER says: "What man dares go in a way which hath neither

-precept nor example to warrant it, from a way that hath full current of

-both? Yet they that will admit members into the visible church without

-baptism do so." _Plain Scripture Proof, p. 24._

-

-DOCTOR DWIGHT, President of Yale College, and author of "Systematic

-Theology," says: "It is an indispensable qualification for this

-ordinance that the candidate for communion be a member of the visible

-church in full standing. By this, I intend that he should be a man of

-piety; that he should have made a public profession of religion, and

-that he should have been baptized." _Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch.

-4. Sec. 7._

-

-DOCTOR GRIFFIN, one of the fathers of New England Congregationalism,

-says: "I agree with the advocates of close communion on two points:

-1. That baptism is the initiatory ordinance which introduces us into

-the visible church; of course, where there is no baptism, there are no

-visible churches. 2. That we ought not to commune with those who are

-not baptized, and of course not church-members, even if we regard them

-as Christians." _Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited by Curtis on Com., p.

-125._

-

-DOCTOR HIBBARD, a leading Methodist scholar and Divine, says: "In one

-principle Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree. They both agree in

-rejecting from communion at the table of the Lord, and in denying the

-rights of church fellowship to all who have not been baptized." And

-with admirable frankness, he adds: "The charge of _close communion_ is

-no more applicable to the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch

-as the question of church fellowship with them is determined by as

-liberal principles as it is with any other Protestant churches, so far,

-I mean, as the present subject is concerned--i.e., _it is determined by

-valid baptism._" _Hibbard on Christ. Bap., P. II., p. 174._

-

-DOCTOR BULLOCK, another Methodist Divine, says: "Close communion, as it

-is generally termed, is the only logical and consistent course for

-Baptist churches to pursue. If their premises are right, their

-conclusion is surely just as it should be." And he commends the

-firmness of Baptists in not inviting to the communion those whom they

-regard as unbaptized. He says: "They do not feel willing to countenance

-such laxity in Christian discipline. Let us honor them for their

-steadfastness in maintaining what they believe to be a Bible precept,

-rather than criticize and censure because they differ with us

-concerning the intent and mode of Christian baptism, and believe it to

-be an irrepealable condition of coming to the Lord's Table." _What

-Christians Believe._

-

-THE INDEPENDENT, one of the most widely circulated, and perhaps the

-most influential Pedobaptist paper in the country, in an editorial,

-says: "Leading writers of all denominations declare that converts must

-be baptized before they can be invited to the communion table. This is

-the position generally taken. But Baptists regarding sprinkling as a

-nullity--no baptism at all--look upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and

-others, as unbaptized persons." "The other churches cannot urge the

-Baptists to become open communionists till they themselves take the

-position that all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as

-well as the baptized, may be invited to the communion table."

-_Editorial, July, 1879._

-

-THE CONGREGATIONALIST, the organ of the New England Congregational

-Churches, in an editorial, says: "Congregationalists have uniformly,

-until here and there an exception has arisen of late years, required

-baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite of a seat at the

-table of the Lord. It is a part of the false 'liberality' which now

-prevails in certain quarters, to welcome everybody 'who thinks he loves

-Christ' to commune in His body and blood. Such a course is the first

-step in breaking down that distinction between the church and the

-world, which our Saviour emphasized; and it seems to us it is an unwise

-and mistaken act for which no Scriptural warrant exists." _Editorial,

-July 9, 1879._

-

-THE OBSERVER, of New York, the oldest and leading Presbyterian journal

-of this country, said: "It is not a want of charity which compels the

-Baptist to restrict his invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting

-the personal piety of his unimmersed brethren. Presbyterians do not

-invite the unbaptized, however pious they may be. It is not

-uncharitable. It is not bigotry on the part of Baptists to confine

-their communion to those whom they consider the baptized."

-

-THE INTERIOR, of Chicago, the organ of Western Presbyterians, said:

-"The difference between our Baptist brethren and ourselves is an

-important difference. We agree with them, however, in saying that

-unbaptized persons should not partake of the Lord's Supper. Their view

-compels them to think that we are not baptized, and shuts them up to

-close communion. Close communion is, in our judgment, a more defensible

-position than open communion, which is justified on the ground that

-baptism is not a prerequisite to the Lord's Supper. To charge Baptists

-with bigotry because they abide by the logical consequences of their

-system is absurd."

-

-THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, of New York, the leading journal of American

-Methodists, said: "The regular Baptist churches in the United States

-may be considered today as particularly a unit on _three points_--the

-non-use of infant baptism, the immersion of believers only upon a

-profession of faith, and the administration of the holy communion to

-such only as have been immersed by ministers holding these views. In

-our opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing prosperity largely to

-its adherence to these views. In doctrine and government, and in other

-respects, it is the same as Congregationalists. In numbers, the regular

-Baptists are more than six times as great as the Congregationalists. It

-is not bigotry to adhere to one's convictions, provided the spirit of

-Christian love prevails."

-

-THE EPISCOPAL RECORDER said: "The close communion of the Baptist

-churches is but the necessary sequence of the fundamental idea out of

-which their existence has grown. No Christian Church would willingly

-receive to its communion even the humblest and truest believer in

-Christ who had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion only is

-baptism, and they therefore of necessity exclude from the Lord's Table

-all who have not been immersed. It is an essential part of the

-system--the legitimate carrying out of the creed."

-

-BISHOP COXE, of the Episcopal diocese of Western New York, says: "The

-Baptists hold that we have never been baptized, and they must exclude

-us from their communion table, if we were disposed to go there. Are we

-offended? Do we call it illiberal? No; we call it _principle,_ and we

-respect it. To say that we have never become members of Christ by

-baptism seems severe, but it is a conscientious adherence to duty, as

-they regard it. I should be the bigot, and not they, if I should ask

-them to violate their discipline in this, or in any other particular."

-_On Christ. Unity, in "Church Union," July, 1891._

-

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER XII+

-

-INFANT BAPTISM

-

-One of the customs held and upheld by Pedobaptist churches, which

-Baptists seriously condemn, is infant baptism. It is practiced by both

-Roman Catholics and Protestants as a religious institution; and though

-not held as sacredly, or practiced as widely as formerly, it still

-prevails to a wide extent throughout the Christian world. And yet it

-was not instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, nor known

-in the primitive churches, and has neither sanction nor recognition in

-the Word of God. It is for this reason that Baptists utterly reject and

-condemn the custom, as not simply useless and without authority, but as

-a most pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious both to the

-child that receives it, and to the church which allows it, can be

-easily shown. Baptism before faith, and without a profession it,

-contradicts and does violence to all New Testament teaching.

-

-

-NOT OF SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY

-

-Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural authority, and was not

-known in the first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates and

-defenders have with considerable candor admitted. Only a few of their

-historians and scholars can be cited here.

-

-DR. WILLIAM WALL, a learned Divine of the English Church, who wrote the

-"History of Infant Baptism," a work so able that the clergy in

-convocation assembled gave him a vote of thanks for his defense of the

-custom, says: "Among all the persons that are recorded as baptized by

-the Apostles, there is no express mention of any infants." _Hist. Inf.

-Bap., Intro., pp. 1, 55._

-

-THOMAS FULLER, the historian, says: "We do freely confess there is

-neither express precept nor precedent in the New Testament for the

-Baptism of Infants." _Infants' Advoc., pp. 71, 150._

-

-LUTHER says: "It cannot be proved by the sacred Scriptures that infant

-baptism was instituted by Christ, or begun by the first Christians

-after the Apostles." _Vanity of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8._

-

-NEANDER says: "Baptism was administered at first only to adults, as men

-were accustomed to conceive of _baptism_ and _faith_ as strictly

-connected. We have all reason for not deriving infant baptism from

-Apostolic institution." _Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311; Plant. and Train.,

-Vol. I., p. 222._

-

-PROFESSOR LANGE says: "All attempts to make out infant baptism from the

-New Testament fail. It is totally opposed to the spirit of the

-Apostolic age, and to the fundamental principles of the New Testament."

-_Inf. Baptism, p. 101._

-

-PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "Infant baptism was established neither by

-Christ, nor by the Apostles." _Art. Bap., Kitto's Cycl. Bib. Lit._

-

-DOCTOR HANNA says: "Scripture knows nothing of the baptism of infants."

-_North Brit. Review, Aug., 1852._

-

-PROFESSOR HAGENBACH says: "The passages from Scripture cited in favor

-of infant baptism as a usage of the primitive church are doubtful and

-prove nothing." _Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193._

-

-Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin, Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many

-others bear similar testimony.

-

-

-WHEN DID IT RISE?

-

-Since the New Testament knows nothing of infant baptism, and since it

-was neither instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, what

-was its origin, and when did it come into use?

-

-TERTULLIAN is the first who mentions the custom, and he opposes it.

-This was at the close of the second century, or about A. D. 200. His

-opposition to it proves two things: _First,_ that it was in occasional

-use, at least. _Second,_ that it was of recent origin, since had it

-been long used some earlier record if it could be found. _Neander, Ch.

-Hist., Vol. I., p. 311._

-

-BINGHAM could find no earlier allusion to it than that of Tertullian,

-though he believed it arose earlier. It must, therefore, as is

-generally agreed, have had its origin about the beginning of the _third

-century._

-

-CURCELLÆUS says: "The baptism of infants in the _two first_ centuries

-after Christ was altogether unknown; but in the _third_ and _fourth_

-was allowed by some few. In the _fifth_ and following ages it was

-generally received." _Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I., Ch. 12._

-

-SALMASIUS says: "In the _first two_ centuries no one was baptized,

-except, being instructed in the faith and acquainted with the doctrines

-of Christ, he was able to profess himself a believer." _Hist. Bapt.

-Suicer. Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136._

-

-Such testimony is conclusive, and quite sufficient, though much more of

-a similar character might be added.

-

-_But observe:_ That when the baptism of children began, it was not that

-of unconscious infants at all, as is now practiced, but, as Bunsen

-declares, of "little growing children, from six to ten years old." And

-he asserts that Tertullian "does not say one word of new-born infants."

-Cyprian, an African bishop, at the close of the _third_ century, urged

-the baptism of infants proper, because of the saving efficacy of the

-ordinance; and he is called the inventor, or father, of infant baptism.

-_Bunsen's Hippol. and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5._

-

-

-WHY DID IT RISE?

-

-There is even less difficulty in tracing the cause than in finding the

-origin of infant baptism. It originated in a perversion of Christian

-doctrine, and was itself the perversion of a Christian ordinance.

-

-All students of ecclesiastical history know that at an early period

-corruptions perverted Christian faith and practice. Among these, one of

-the earliest was that of an undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its

-sanctity was so exalted that it was believed to have power to wash away

-sins, and cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick were supposed to

-be prepared for death, and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.

-Anxious parents therefore desired their dying children to be thus

-prepared--"washed in the laver of regeneration," as it was termed--that

-they might be sure of salvation. And here came in that pernicious error

-of "baptismal regeneration," which gave rise to infant baptism, and

-which has through all these ages clung with more or less pertinacity to

-the clergy and laity of all churches which have practiced it.

-

-SALMASIUS says: "An opinion prevailed that no one could be saved

-without being baptized; and for that reason the custom arose of

-baptizing infants." _Epist. Jus. Pac. See Booth's Pedo. Exam., Ch.

-III., Sec. 3._

-

-VENEMA declares that "the ancients connected a regenerating power with

-baptism." He cites Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Clemens, Tertullian, and

-Cyprian as holding that opinion. _Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,

-3, 4._

-

-CHRYSOSTOM, writing about A. D. 398, as cited by Suicerus, says, "It is

-impossible without baptism to obtain the kingdom," and as cited by Wall

-he says: "If sudden death seize us before we are baptized, though we

-have a thousand good qualities, there is nothing to be expected but

-hell." _Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3._

-

-WADDINGTON, in his Church History, says, in reference to the _third_

-century: "A belief was gaining ground among the converts and was

-inculcated among the heathen, that the act of baptism gave remission of

-all sins committed previously." _Hist. of Church, Ch. II., p. 53._

-

-PROFESSOR FISHER says: "Very early baptism was so far identified with

-regeneration as to be designated by that term. This rite was considered

-essential to salvation. A virtue was believed to reside in the

-baptismal water itself." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 83._

-

-Do its advocates and supporters hold the same view now? Do parents and

-ministers still believe that the baptism of unconscious infants

-secures, or makes more sure, their salvation? If not, why do they

-practice it?

-

-PROFESSOR LANGE'S words are weighty, and should be carefully pondered

-by Protestant defenders of this Papal emanation. He says: "Would the

-Protestant Church fulfill and attain to its final destiny, the baptism

-of new-born children must of necessity be abolished. It has sunk down

-to a mere formality, without any meaning for the child." _History of

-Protestantism, p. 34._

-

-Many good people, familiar with infant baptism and surrounded by its

-influences, have naturally learned to reverence it as of Divine

-appointment, and some of them really believe it is taught or sanctioned

-by the New Testament. But Baptists are right in rejecting it as

-something utterly without foundation in the Word of God.

-

-

-HOUSEHOLD BAPTISMS

-

-Much stress is laid by some of the advocates of infant baptism on that

-fact that in the Acts of the Apostles several cases of household

-baptism are mentioned. And it is asked with an air of assurance: "If

-entire households were baptized, must there not have been children

-among them? And were they not baptized also?" To this it is sufficient

-to reply, that nothing is said of children, and we have no right to put

-into the Scriptures what we do not find in them. All inference that

-such households contained infants, and that such infants were baptized,

-is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian institutions could be

-built on so slight a foundation as that, we could bring in all the

-mummeries of the Greek or the Roman Church, and all the ceremonies of

-the Mosaic ritual.

-

-One thing is certain: If in those households any children were

-baptized, they were old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe on

-Christ, and were thus suitable subjects for the ordinance, and for

-church fellowship. For it is said, _"They believed, and gladly received

-the Word."_ There are thousands of Baptist churches into whose

-fellowship whole households have been baptized--parents and children

-and perhaps others connected with them. But all were old enough to

-_believe_ and to make _profession_ of their faith. So evidently it was

-in these households.

-

-The more prominent of these households are that of Lydia, mentioned in

-Acts 16; that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also in Acts 16; and

-that of Stephanas, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1. Now note what a few

-distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say on these cases.

-

-DOCTOR NEANDER says: "We cannot prove that the Apostles ordained infant

-baptism; from those places where the baptism of a whole family is

-mentioned, we can draw no such conclusion." _Planting and Training, p.

-162, N. Y. Ed., 1865._

-

-PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "In none of these instances has it been proved

-that there were little children among them." _Kitto's Bib. Cyc., Art.

-Bap._

-

-DOCTOR MEYER says: "That the baptism of children was not in use at that

-time appears evident from 1 Cor. 7:14." _Comment. on Acts 16:15._

-

-DOCTOR DE WETTE says: "This passage has been adduced in proof of the

-apostolical authority of infant baptism: but there is no proof here

-that any except adults were baptized." _Com. New Test., Acts 16:15._

-

-DOCTOR OLSHAUSEN says: "There is altogether wanting any conclusive

-proof-text for the baptism of infants in the age of the apostles."

-_Com. on Acts 16:15._

-

-BISHOP BLOOMFIELD says of the jailer: "It is taken for granted that his

-family became Christians as well as himself." _Com. on Acts 16:15._

-

-Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other commentators declare that in this

-case the household all believed, and therefore were baptized and did

-rejoice. MacKnight considers the case of the household of Stephanas as

-giving no countenance to the baptism of infants. And with him agree

-Guise, Hammond, Doddridge, and others.

-

-As to the argument used by some, that baptism came in the place of

-circumcision, it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched and destitute

-of reason, to claim the serious regard of intelligent and candid minds.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER XIII+

-

-CHURCH GOVERNMENT

-

-A Christian church is a society with a corporate life, organized on

-some definite plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which it proposes

-to accomplish. It has, therefore, its officers and ordinances, its laws

-and regulations, fitted to administer its government and carry out its

-purposes. The question then arises, What is the true and proper form of

-church organization and government? We do not care to inquire as to the

-various and contradictory forms, as we see them about us in the

-different denominations, but what was the organic form and government

-of the first churches, planted by and molded under the hands of

-Christ's inspired Apostles.

-

-There are _three_ special and widely different forms of church

-government which have gained prevalence in Christian communities during

-past age, and which are still maintained with varied success, each of

-which claims to have been the original primitive form:

-

-1. The _prelatical,_ in which the governing power resides in prelates,

-or diocesan bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the Roman, Greek,

-English, and most Oriental churches.

-

-2. The _presbyterian,_ in which the governing power resides in

-assemblies, synods, presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish

-Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian churches.

-

-3. The _independent,_ in which the body is self-governing, each single

-and local church administering its own government by the voice of the

-majority of its members; as among Baptists, Congregationalists,

-Independents, and some other bodies.

-

-Now which of these modes of church life and administration is taught in

-the New Testament, if either? or which best accords with the

-constitution and government of the Apostolic churches?

-

-Baptists hold that each separate, local church is an independent body,

-governing itself according to the laws of Christ, as found in the New

-Testament; that each such church is independent of all other churches,

-and of all other persons, so far as administration is concerned, owing

-comity and fellowship to all, but allegiance and submission to none.

-The government is administered by the body of the members, where no one

-possesses a preeminence of authority, but each enjoys an equality of

-rights, and in which, in matters of opinion, the majority decides.

-

-That this style of church structure is according to the New Testament

-appears evident from a study of the sacred records themselves. The

-Apostles treated the churches as independent bodies. Their epistles

-were addressed to the churches as such; they reported their doings to

-them; enjoined upon them the duty of discipline; exhorted, instructed,

-and reproved them as independent and responsible bodies. They

-recognized the right of the churches to elect their own teachers and

-officers, a primary and fundamental right, which, when conceded

-supposes all other rights and powers necessary to a self-governing

-community acting under Divinely given laws.

-

-NEANDER, the distinguished historian, says of the first age: "The

-churches were taught to govern themselves." "The brethren chose their

-own officers from among themselves." "In respect to the election of

-church officers, the ancient principle was still adhered to: that the

-consent of the community was necessary to the validity of every such

-election, and each one was at liberty to offer reasons against it."

-_Introd. Coleman's Prim. Christ'y, p. 19; Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 199;

-Plant. and Train., p. 156._

-

-MOSHEIM says of the first century: "In those primitive times, each

-Christian Church was composed of the _people,_ the presiding

-_officers,_ and the assistants, or _deacons._ These must be the

-component parts of every society. The principal voice was that of the

-_people,_ or of the whole body of Christians." "The assembled people,

-therefore, elected their own rulers and teachers." Of the second

-century, he adds: "One president, or bishop, presides over each church.

-He was created by the common suffrages of the people." "During a great

-part of this century, all the churches continued to be, as at first,

-_independent_ of each other. Each church was a kind of small,

-independent republic, governing itself by its own laws, enacted, or at

-least sanctioned, by the people." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2,

-Sec. 5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2._

-

-COLEMAN says: "These churches, wherever formed, became separate and

-independent bodies, competent to appoint their own officers and

-administer their own government without reference or subordination to

-any control, authority or foreign power. No fact connected with the

-history of the primitive church is more fully established or more

-generally conceded." _Prim. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95._

-

-Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow, Doctor Burton, Doctor

-Waddington--all of them Church of England Divines--fully agree with

-this testimony, and confirm the evidence cited:

-

-GEISELER, the historian, says, concerning early changes: "Country

-churches, which had grown up around some city, seem, with their

-bishops, to have been usually, in a certain degree, under the authority

-of the mother church. With this exception, all the churches were alike

-independent, though some were especially held in honor, on such grounds

-as their Apostolic origin, or the importance of the city in which they

-were situated." _Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52._

-

-Further discussion on this subject is not needed. The point is proved,

-and the independent form of church government is manifestly primitive

-and apostolic, as advocated and practiced by Baptists.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER XIV+

-

-CHURCH OFFICERS

-

-How many, and what are the Scriptural officers of a Christian church?

-For a church, being a society, must have not only laws, but officers to

-execute them. How many orders are there in the ministry? These are

-questions which have at times greatly divided the Christian world.

-

-Baptists assert that the officers of a church are _two,_--and of right,

-can be no more,--_pastor_ and _deacons._ In this opinion agree some

-other denominations, while the various Episcopal sects insist that

-there should be three sets--_deacons, priests,_ and _bishops,_ to which

-the Church of England adds archbishops. Others add to this number

-indefinitely; and the Romish Church carries the list up to ten or

-twelve, ending with the pope. Now it is not so much what this church

-preaches or practices, but on what basis were the primitive

-churches--the churches of inspiration--organized. Our Lord did not live

-to shape, and model, and put in order all things for the full equipment

-of His people, that they might be thoroughly furnished unto all good

-works, but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of wisdom by which they

-should be able to do all this, and carry out His plans, in the

-organization of His kingdom after He had left them. We assume that the

-first churches were organized on the Divine plan, and seek to ascertain

-what that plan was.

-

-In the New Testament, the words _bishop, presbyter, elder,_ are used to

-designate church officers. They all, however, designate the same

-office, and therefore officially mean the same thing; indeed, they are

-not infrequently applied to the same individual. The bishop--called

-also the presbyter, or elder--was the _pastor,_ or overseer of the

-spiritual flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it, as the shepherd

-does his sheep. The _deacons_ were chosen to attend to the temporal

-interests of the church, as appears by the election of the seven,

-recorded in the sixth chapter of Acts. This was done in order that the

-Apostles might be free from the temporal cares, and thus able to give

-their attention more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of the

-people. The word _deacon_ means a _minister,_ a _servant._ It is

-sometimes applied to the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in the

-general sense as one who "came, not to be ministered unto, but to

-minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Some of the first

-deacons were also efficient preachers of the Gospel, but their work as

-deacons pertained to other services in the churches. While, therefore,

-the deacon is a church officer, his office does not constitute an order

-in the ministry at all, its functions belonging to temporal concerns,

-and not to a spiritual service. The service usually performed by

-clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be presumed, so far as such

-service was needed in the first churches, was devolved on the deacons.

-

-Pastors, by whatever name they may have been known, had the same

-service, and were of the same grade, dignity, and authority. In the

-first churches there were no high orders of clergy placed over lower

-grades, and over the churches ruling with superior authority. All were

-equals among equals, and all equally ministered to the churches. If in

-the same church there might chance to be several to whom the titles

-_bishop, presbyter,_ or _elder_ were applied, they were all of equal

-rank or authority, though one might be selected to serve as the pastor

-of the church, and devote himself to its local interests; while the

-others might give themselves to more general missionary work.

-

-NEANDER says: "The word _presbyter,_ or _elder,_ indicates rather the

-dignity of the office, since presbyters among the Jews were usually

-aged and venerable; while _bishop,_ or _episcopos,_ designated the

-nature of their work as overseers, or pastors of the churches. The

-former title was used by Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the

-synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used by the Greek and other

-Gentile converts, as more familiar and expressive to them." "They were

-not designed to exercise absolute authority, but to act as presiding

-officers and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to conduct all

-things, with the cooperation of the communities, as their ministers and

-not as their masters." _Introd. to Cole., Prim. Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist.,

-Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant. and Train., p. 147._

-

-MOSHEIM says: "The rulers of the churches were denominated sometimes

-_presbyters,_ or _elders,_ a designation borrowed from the Jews, and

-indicative rather of the wisdom than the age of the persons, and

-sometimes also _bishops:_ for it is most manifest that both terms are

-promiscuously used in the New Testament of one and the same class of

-persons." "In these primitive times, each Christian church was composed

-of the _people,_ the presiding _officers,_ and the assistants, or

-_deacons._ These must be the components of every society." _Eccl.

-Hist., Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8._

-

-GIESELER asserts: "The new churches everywhere formed themselves on the

-model of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the head of each were the

-_elders_ (_presbyter, bishop_), all officially of equal rank, though in

-several instances a peculiar authority seems to have been conceded to

-some one individual from personal considerations." _Ch. Hist., Part 1,

-Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29._

-

-WADDINGTON declares: "It is also true that in the earliest government

-of the first Christian society,--that of Jerusalem,--not the _elders_

-only, but the 'whole church,' were associated with the Apostles; and it

-is even certain that the terms _bishop_ and _elder,_ or _presbyter,_

-were in the first instance and for a short period, sometimes used

-synonymously, and indiscriminately applied to the same order in the

-ministry." _Hist. Christ. Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2._

-

-ARCHBISHOP USHER says that "_bishop_ and _presbyter_ differed only in

-degree, and not in order." See _Cole., Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec.

-6._

-

-BISHOP BURNETT says: "As for the notion of distinct offices of _bishop_

-and _presbyter,_ I confess it is not so clear to me." _Vindic. Ch. of

-Sects, p. 366._

-

-DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "It is generally admitted by Episcopal writers on

-this subject, that in the New Testament, and in the earliest

-ecclesiastical writings, the terms _bishops_ and _presbyters,_ or

-elders, are synonymous, and denote one and the same office." "The

-office of _presbyter_ was undeniably identical with that of _bishop,_

-as has been shown above." "Only _two orders_ of officers are known in

-the church until the close of the second century. Those of the first

-are styled either _bishops_ or _presbyters;_ of the second, _deacons._"

-_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5._

-

-This author cites many of the early Christian Fathers who bore the same

-testimony, among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Justin Martyr,

-Irenæus, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many prelatical

-writers, besides these above quoted, frankly admit the same facts.

-

-The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts 20:17, 18), called together the

-_elders_ (_presbyters_) of the Ephesian Church. But in verse 28 he

-calls these officers _overseers_ (_episcopos_). Here the terms

-_presbuteros_ and _episcopos_ were certainly used interchangeably.

-

-Paul and Timothy, in their address to the Philippian Christians,

-specify three classes as evidently constituting the entire body of

-disciples. They say, "To all the _saints_ in Christ Jesus, which are at

-Philippi, with the _bishops_ and _deacons._" Saints, bishops, and

-deacons embraced the whole church.

-

-Timothy was instructed by Paul as to the qualifications of pastors to

-be placed over the churches. (1 Tim. 3:1.) Particular directions are

-given as to both _bishops_ and _deacons,_ but no mention is made of

-elders--clearly because they were the same as bishops.

-

-Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors for the church in Crete.

-(Titus 1:5, 7.) These pastors are called _elders_ in verse 5 and

-_bishops_ in verse 7.

-

-_Pastors_ and _deacons,_ therefore, are two orders, and these officers

-simply were known or needed in the Apostolic churches. In this, also,

-the views held by Baptists are in harmony with the customs of the

-churches in the first and purest age of Christian history.

-

-

-

-+CHAPTER XV+

-

-BAPTIST HISTORY

-

-It is sometimes asked: "When and where did the Baptists originate? Who

-were their founders? What is their history?" These are questions of

-interest; but a more important one would be: "Are they right? Is their

-faith according to the teachings of the New Testament?" Many things

-which are old are not true. Creeds and sects may boast a venerable

-antiquity, while the Word of God utterly condemns them. Any

-organization that cannot reasonably claim Christ for its founder has

-small right to the name of a Christian church, no matter how old it may

-be.

-

-Baptists claim to be built on the foundation of the Apostles and

-prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone. If this

-claim be well founded, whether they have a written history of one

-century or of twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the past belongs

-to any, it may be well to know. Any Baptist history constitutes one of

-the most interesting chapters in the records of Christianity.

-

-During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines of the Gospel became

-corrupted, and its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and Gentile

-converts brought into the churches many of their old religious notions,

-and incorporated them with the faith of Christ. These, together with

-the many philosophical ideas of the times and the perversions to which

-the truth is always exposed from the ignorance and selfishness of men,

-very early turned the churches aside from the faith once delivered to

-the saints. Still there were many who in simplicity and humility

-maintained the doctrines and customs in their original purity. Those

-churches which were strongest and most prosperous were most exposed to

-corruption by alliances with the world.

-

-When at length the period of martyrdom and persecution terminated; when

-a nominal Christianity took possession of a throne, and Church and

-State became united, then religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its

-simplicity, its spirituality, and its power, and a temporal hierarchy

-took the place of the church of Christ. This was the great apostasy of

-the early times. But all the churches and all disciples did not follow

-in the wake of this sad departure from the truth. Many congregations

-and communities of true worshipers kept the doctrines of the Gospel,

-and practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in their primitive

-purity. And this they continued to do through all the ages of darkness

-and corruption which followed. They were never identified with the

-Roman or Greek churches; they never were in alliance with States; never

-formed hierarchies. As independent congregations, or small communities,

-with no other bond of union than a common faith, fellowship, and

-sympathy, often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the Word of God as

-their guide, they sought to realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a

-spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.

-

-These religious communities were by the dominant hierarchies called

-_sects,_ and stigmatized as _heretics._ As such they were traduced and

-persecuted continually. And though they may have had their errors, they

-were the best and purest defenders of the Christian faith, and the

-truest representatives of the first disciples of Christ then existing.

-The State churches were the heretics; while those so-called sects were

-the true successors of the first Christians.

-

-They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated and martyred because they

-bore witness to the truth of God and testified against the errors and

-vices of the so-called churches. History has never done them justice,

-and perhaps never will; because history has been too much written in

-the interest of their enemies, or from their standpoint. Tortured and

-tormented by those who should have been their defenders, crowns and

-miters alike pledged to their destruction, they could do nothing but

-suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ's faithful witnesses. They

-were known by various names in different ages and in different lands,

-but retained the same general characteristics.

-

-In the _first_ and _second_ centuries, Messalians, Montanists,

-Euchites, were terms which distinguished some of these sects.

-

-In the _third, fourth,_ and _fifth_ centuries arose the Novatians.

-Increasing with exceeding rapidity, they quite overspread the Roman

-empire, in spite of the cruel and destructive persecutions which they

-suffered.

-

-In the _fourth_ century the Donatists appeared, as a new form of

-existing sects, or a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied

-rapidly, spread extensively, and long survived.

-

-In the _seventh_ century appeared the Paulicians, attracting much

-attention, and calling down upon themselves the wrath of the Romish

-Church. Still they increased greatly, notwithstanding their many

-persecutions.

-

-That these Christian communities should have been faultless could not

-be supposed. But they were the best of the ages in which they lived,

-and maintained the purest forms of Gospel truth and practice. Without

-the advantage of organization and association, they differed somewhat

-among themselves.

-

-But in general they all professed to take the New Testament as the rule

-of their faith and practice. They held to a spiritual

-church-membership, and received only professedly regenerated persons to

-the ordinances. Denying the orthodoxy of the Romish Church, they

-rebaptized persons received from that body, and hence were called

-_Anabaptists._ Infant baptism they rejected, according to Allix,

-Mosheim, Robinson, and other historians. Baptism they administered by

-immersion, as indeed did all Christians during those ages. Robinson

-calls them "Trinitarian Baptists." It is said that the Empress

-Theodora, after having confiscated their property, caused to be cruelly

-put to death no less than one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no other

-fault or offense than their religious faith.

-

-About the close of the _tenth_ century appeared the Paterines;

-substantially the same people, no doubt as had previously existed under

-other names. They too rejected infant baptism, and protested against

-the corruptions of the Romish Church; in consequence of which they

-suffered long and severe persecution.

-

-In the _eleventh_ century, and the ages following, were the Waldenses,

-Albigenses, Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons. These were new

-names, and names usually given by their enemies. They increased, even

-under their persecutions, to a wonderful extent, and attracted the

-notice, if not the sympathy, of all Europe.

-

-It is not pretended that these ancient sects were known by the name as

-Baptists; but in general they held the more prominent and distinctive

-principles which have always characterized the Baptists; thus: 1. They

-declared and defended the rights of faith and conscience and the

-freedom of worship. 2. They denied the authority of popes and the right

-of kings and States to interfere with the people in matters of

-religion. 3. They rejected infant baptism. 4. They baptized by dipping.

-5. They held the Bible to be the only rule and authority in concerns of

-religious faith and practice. 6. They admitted to the churches none

-except such as professed to be regenerated and godly persons.

-

-Now it is conceded by all historians of note that such churches and

-communities did exist, separate from and persecuted by, the prevailing

-State churches and civil authorities during all the ages from the

-Apostles to the Reformation.

-

-When the Reformation under Luther and his coadjutors broke out, these

-sects to a great extent fraternized with, and were lost in, the

-multitude of the reformers. Such as continued their separate existence,

-as the Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence of the

-reformers, did from sympathy what the persecutions of the Papists had

-never been able to compel them to do--abandon dipping for sprinkling in

-baptism, adopted infant baptism, and took the general forms of

-religious life, into which Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.

-

-

-THE WELSH BAPTISTS

-

-Few denominations have a better claim to antiquity than the Welsh

-Baptists. They trace their descent directly from the Apostles and urge

-in favor of their claim arguments which have never been confuted.

-

-When Austin, the Romish monk and missionary, visited Wales, at the

-close of the _sixth_ century, he found a community of more than two

-thousand Christians, quietly living in their mountain homes. They were

-independent of the Romish See, and wholly rejected its authority.

-Austin labored hard to convert them--that is, to bring them under the

-Papal yoke; but entirely failed in the effort. Yielding things in

-general, he reduced his demand upon them to three particulars: 1. That

-they should observe Easter in due form, as ordered by the Church.

-2. That they should give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.

-3. That they should preach to the English the Word of God, as

-directed.[1]

-

-These demands of Austin prove that they neither observed the Popish

-ordinance of Easter, nor baptized their children. They, however,

-rejected all his overtures, whereupon he left them with threats of war

-and wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was invaded by the Saxons, and

-many of these inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as was believed,

-at the instigation of this bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.

-

-

-THE DUTCH BAPTISTS

-

-The Baptists of Holland have a history that reaches back to a very

-remote period, if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently assert.

-And this antiquity is conceded by historians who have no sympathy with

-their denominational sentiments.

-

-MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says, "The true origin of that sect

-which acquired the name Anabaptist _is hid in the remote depths of

-antiquity,_ and is consequently extremely difficult to be ascertained."

-_Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427, Mac. Ed., 1811._ See _Introd. Orchard's

-Hist. Bap., p. 17._

-

-ZWINGLI, the Swiss Reformer, contemporary with Luther, declares: "The

-institution of Anabaptism is no novelty but for _thirteen hundred

-years_ has caused great disturbance in the church." _Introd. Orchard's

-Hist. Bap., p. 17._ Thirteen hundred years before his time would have

-carried it back to within two centuries of the death of Christ.

-

-DOCTOR DERMONT, chaplain to the king of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij,

-professor of theology at Groningen, a few years since received a royal

-commission to prepare a history of the Reformed Dutch Church. That

-history, prepared under royal sanction, and officially published,

-contains the following manly and generous testimony to the antiquity

-and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists. "We have now seen that the

-Baptists, who were formerly called Anabaptists, and in later times

-Mennonites, were the original Waldenses, and have long in the history

-of the church received the honor of that origin. On this account, _the

-Baptists may be considered the only Christian community which has stood

-since the Apostles, and as a Christian society, which has preserved

-pure the doctrines of the Gospel through all ages." Hist. Ref. Dutch

-Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819._ See _Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites._

-

-MOSHEIM says of the persecutions of this people in the sixteenth

-century, "Vast numbers of these people, in nearly all the countries of

-Europe, would rather perish miserably by drowning, hanging, burning, or

-decapitation, than renounce the opinions they had embraced." And their

-innocency he vindicates thus: "It is indeed true that many Anabaptists

-were put to death, not as being bad citizens, or injurious members of

-civil society, but as being incurable _heretics,_ who were condemned by

-the old canon laws. For the error of _adult baptism_ was in that age

-looked upon as a horrible offense." That was their only crime. _Eccl.

-Hist., Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4._

-

-This testimony is all the more welcome, because it comes from those who

-have no ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but who, in fidelity

-to history, bear honest testimony to the truth which history teaches.

-The circumstances under which their evidence was produced give it

-additional force.

-

-CARDINAL HOSSIUS, chairman of the council at Trent, says: "If the truth

-of religion were to be judged of by the readiness and cheerfulness

-which a man of any sect shows in suffering, then the opinions and

-persuasions of no sect can be truer or surer, than those of the

-_Anabaptists;_ since there have been none, for these _twelve hundred

-years past,_ that have been more grievously punished." _Orchard's Hist.

-Bap., Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364._

-

-Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists, called Anabaptists, and

-Mennonites, miserably perished by the hands of their cruel persecutors,

-for no crime but their refusal to conform to established churches.[2]

-

-

-THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS

-

-At what time the Baptists appeared in England in definite

-denominational form, it is impossible to say. But from the _twelfth_ to

-the _seventeenth_ century, many of them suffered cruel persecutions,

-and death by burning, drowning, and beheading, besides many other, and

-sometimes most inhuman tortures. And this they suffered both from

-Papists and Protestants, condemned by both civil and ecclesiastical

-tribunals, only because they persisted in worshiping God, according to

-the dictates of their consciences, and because they would not submit

-their religious faith and worship to the dictates of popes and

-princes.[3] In 1538, royal edicts were issued against them, and several

-were burnt at the stake in Smithfield.

-

-BRANDE writes that: "In the year 1538, thirty-one Baptists, that fled

-from England, were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the men were

-beheaded, the women were drowned." _Hist. Reformers._ See _Benedict's

-Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol.

-II, p. 355, Sup._ What crime had they committed to merit such treatment

-as this?

-

-BISHOP LATIMER declares that, "The Baptists that were burnt in

-different parts of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and without

-any fear, during the time of Henry VIII." _Lent Sermons. Neal's Hist.

-Purit., Vol. II, p. 356._

-

-Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they suffered perhaps no more than

-under that of the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign of the latter

-a congregation of Baptists was discovered in London, whereupon several

-were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned, and two burnt at Smithfield.[4]

-

-DOCTOR FEATLEY, one of their bitter enemies, wrote of them, in 1633:

-"This sect, among others, hath so far presumed upon the patience of the

-State, that it hath held weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds of

-men and women together in the twilight, in rivulets and in some arms of

-the Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all over head and ears. It hath

-printed divers pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea, and

-challenged some of our preachers to disputation." _Eng. Bapt. Jubilee

-Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bapt., p. 304._

-

-BAILEY wrote, in 1639, that: "Under the shadow of independency they

-have lifted up their heads, and increased their numbers above all sects

-in the land. They have _forty-six churches_ in and about London. They

-are a people very fond of religious liberty, and very unwilling to be

-brought under bondage of the judgment of others." _Benedict's History,

-p. 304._

-

-The first book published in the English language on the subject of

-baptism was translated from the Dutch, and bears date 1618. From this

-time they multiplied rapidly through all parts of the kingdom. The

-first regularly organized church among them, known as such in England,

-dates from 1607, and was formed in London by a Mr. Smyth, previously a

-clergyman of the Established Church.

-

-In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called, held a convention in

-London, in which more than one hundred congregations were represented,

-and which issued a confession of faith, still in use and highly

-esteemed.

-

-The last Baptist martyr in England was Edward Wightman, of Burton upon

-Trent, condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and burnt at Litchfield,

-April 11, 1612.[5]

-

-

-AMERICAN BAPTISTS

-

-The history of American Baptists runs back a little more than two and a

-quarter centuries. In this country, as elsewhere, they were cradled

-amidst persecution, and nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This has

-been their fortune in every age, and in every land.

-

-ROGER WILLIAMS, a distinguished and an honored name, was identified

-with the rise of the denomination in America. He has been called their

-founder, because he organized the first church, and was intimately

-connected with their early history. Williams was born in Wales, 1598,

-educated at Oxford, England, came to America in 1630, and settled as

-minister of the Puritan church in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after,

-he adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church order, on account of

-which he was banished by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of

-Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous winter, in a new and

-inhospitable country. Having wandered far and suffered much, finding

-the savage Indians more generous and hospitable than his fellow

-Christians, he finally reached and fixed his future home at what is now

-Providence, R. I. Here, with a few associates of like faith, he founded

-a new colony, calling both the city and the colony _Providence,_ in

-recognition of the Divine guidance and protection, which he had in so

-remarkable a manner experienced.

-

-In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism from one of his associates,

-there being no minister to perform that service. He in turn baptized

-his associates, and a church was organized, of which he was chosen

-pastor. He was also appointed first Governor of Rhode Island. Full

-liberty was granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger Williams became

-the first ruler, and Rhode Island the first State which ever gave

-entire freedom to all persons to worship God, according to their own

-choice, without dictation or interference from civil or ecclesiastical

-authorities.

-

-On account of this unrestricted liberty many Baptists, as well as other

-persecuted religionists from other colonies, and from Europe, collected

-in considerable numbers at Providence, and spread through the colony.

-

-It is a mistake to suppose that all the Baptist churches in America

-grew out of the one which Roger Williams founded. It is even doubtful

-whether any single church arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration

-increased, other churches grew up, having no connection with that; and

-with considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists spread into

-adjoining colonies, particularly west and south. For a long time,

-however, they were sorely persecuted, especially in Massachusetts and

-Connecticut; persecuted even by those who had themselves fled from

-persecution in their native land, to find freedom and refuge in these

-distant wilds.

-

-In 1644, the present First Church in Newport, R. I., was organized. But

-whether the present First Church in Providence was constituted before

-this date is still a disputed point. Both claim priority. In 1656, the

-Second Church, Newport, was formed. Then followed in order of time the

-church in Swansea, Massachusetts, 1663; First, Boston, 1665; North

-Kingstone, R. I., 1665; Seventh Day Church, Newport, 1671; South

-Kingstone, R. I., 1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown, N. J., 1688;

-Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689; Charleston, S. C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,

-1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton, Ct., 1705. Others, not

-mentioned, arose within this period in these and other colonies. With

-the increase of population, Baptists rapidly increased and widely

-spread over the country.

-

-_Edward's Tables_ gives the number of American Baptist Churches in

-1768, as only 137.

-

-_Asplund's Register_ for 1790, reported 872 churches, 722 ordained

-ministers, with 64,975 members.

-

-_Benedict's History_ states that in 1812, there were 2,633 churches,

-2,143 ordained ministers, and 204,185 members.

-

-_Allen's Register_ for 1836, puts them at 7,299 churches, 4.075

-ordained ministers, and 517,523 members.

-

-_The Baptist Year-Book_ gives the following figures:

-

-Date Churches Ministers   Members

-1840    7,771     5,208   571,291

-1860   12,279     7,773 1,016,134

-1880   26,080    16,569 2,296,327

-1890   33,588    21,175 3,070,047

-1900   43,427    29,473 4,181,086

-1910   49,045    33,909 5,266,369

-1920   53,866    42,121 7,504,447

-1930   53,888    49,907 8,915,785

-

-_The Year-Book_ gives the Sunday school statistics for 1930, as

-follows: For the United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment

-5,143,056.

-

-The figures given in all these cases are probably less than the actual

-facts warrant, since full reports from associations, churches, and

-schools can never be obtained.

-

-

-OTHER BAPTISTS

-

-Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood, there are in the United States

-very many other and smaller denominations, which practice immersion,

-but are not in fellowship with, or reckoned as a part of, the great

-Baptist family.

-

-The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on account of their observing

-Saturday, or the seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath, on the

-ground that the Jewish Sabbath was never abrogated. They are estimated

-at about 7,000.

-

-The Free Will Baptists, who take their name from their views as to the

-freedom of the human will and practice open communion, number about

-66,000. In the North the Free Will Baptist churches have generally

-united with the Northern Convention, and their membership is reckoned

-with that of the regular Baptist body.

-

-The Six Principle Baptists, so called because their doctrinal

-confession is based on the six points mentioned in Hebrews 6:1, 2, are

-estimated at about 300.

-

-The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather Primitive Baptists, found chiefly

-in the Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday schools, or other

-reform movements lest they should seem to interfere with the Divine

-decrees. They are said to number 43,000.

-

-The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called Campbellites, or Christians,

-number about 1,200,000.

-

-The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership of the Churches of God in

-North America, are estimated at about 30,000.

-

-The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups number about 126,000, and the

-United Brethren, about 330,000.

-

-

-BAPTISTS ELSEWHERE

-

-In North America, aside from the United States, but including the

-provinces of British America, Central America, Mexico, and the West

-Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930 about 249,809.

-

-In Europe there were in 1930 about 1,639,656.

-

-In Asia, about 361,800.

-

-In Australasia, about 35,113.

-

-In Africa, about 83,041.

-

-+FOOTNOTES:

-

-[1] See Benedict's Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.

-

-[2] Benedict's Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol.

-    II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4.

-

-[3] See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and

-    Benedict.

-

-[4] Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II.,

-    p. 358. Supplement.

-

-[5] Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bap.

-

-

-

-+Transcriber's Notes+

-

- - The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word "missionaries":

-   mission|aries. In this and all subsequent cases, the whole word

-   was moved to the earlier page.

- - The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word "thousand":

-   thou|sand.

- - The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word "admitted":

-   ad|mitted.

- - Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to "Divine."

- - The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word "general":

-   gen|eral.

- - Page 10, apply RC to "Divine," "Divinely," and "Word." Change

-   "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 11, apply RC to "Apostolic,", "Divinely," "His Gospel," and

-   "His."

- - Page 12, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice); change "fulfil" to

-   "fulfill"; apply RC to "Him" and "He." Note 1, apply RC to

-   "Gospel"; change "fulfils" to "fulfills" and "practise" to

-   "practice." Note 2, apply RC to "His Word" and "His"; change

-   "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "His."

- - Page 15, note 2, apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 18, apply RC to "Divine," "Word," "Divine," "His" (twice),

-   and "He."

- - Page 19, apply RC to "His" (twice).

- - Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to "Me" and "Him." Note 7, apply RC to

-   "Divinely."

- - The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word "baptismal":

-   bap|tismal.

- - Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to "His."

- - Page 23, change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 24, Note 2, change "practise" to "practice."

- - The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word "possibly":

-   pos|sibly.

- - Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to "His" (twice).

- - The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word

-   "ecclesiastical": ecclesias|tical.

- - Page 46, Voting, point 1, change "deliberatively" to

-   "deliberately."

- - The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word "services":

-   ser|vices.

- - The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word "importance":

-   impor|tance.

- - Page 56, change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 57, apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 58, change "practise" to "practice"; add comma to "Britain

-   Baptists"; apply RC to "Divinely."

- - Page 59, note 2, apply RC to "His" and "He." Note 3, apply RC to

-   "My." Section II, apply RC to "Persons" and "Divine." Note 2,

-   apply RC to "Thee."

- - Page 60, note 1, apply RC to "His" apply RC to "He."

- - Page 61, apply RC to "Divine," "His" (twice), "He," "His,"

-   "Divine," and "He." Note 2, apply RC to "He," "His," and "Him."

-   Note 3, apply RC to "Himself" and "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "He,"

-   "Him," and "His." Note 5, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He," and

-   "Him."

- - Page 62, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC

-   to "His." Note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 3, apply RC to "His" and

-   "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "One."

- - Page 63, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice). Note 3, apply RC to "Me."

-   Apply RC to "Divine" and "Gospel."

- - Page 64, note 1, change "Rev. 8:7-9" to "Rev. 3:7-9." Note 5,

-   change "Eph. 8:14-21" to "Eph. 5:14-21." Apply RC to "Prophet,"

-   "Priest," "King," and "Him."

- - Page 65, note 1, apply RC to "Gospel"; change "Eph. 2:3" to "Eph.

-   2:8" and change "ye are" to "are ye" to match the quotation. Note

-   2, change "Acts 11:38" to "Acts 2:38" to match the quotation. Note

-   3, apply RC to "Him." Point IX, apply RC to "He." Note 1, apply RC

-   to "Gospel."

- - Page 66, note 1, change "a holy calling" to "an holy calling."

-   Note 2, apply RC to "He" and "Gospel." Note 4, change "elects

-   sake" to "elect's sakes" and "Chris" to "Christ." Note 5, change

-   "1 Thess. 4:10" to "1 Thess. 1:4." Apply RC to "His" and "Word."

- - Page 67, change "practise" to "practice." Note 1, change "Thess

-   4:3" to "1 Thess. 4:3." Note 3, change "Phil. 1:12, 13" to "Phil.

-   2:12, 13" to match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to

-   "My" (twice). Note 2, change "John 2:19" to "1 John 2:19" to match

-   the quotation.

- - Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to "His." Section XII, apply RC to

-   "Gospel." Note 4, change "Rom. 8:2, 4" to "Rom. 8:2-4" to match

-   the quotation; apply RC to "His."

- - Page 69, apply RC to "Gospel," "His" (twice), "Word," and

-   "Scriptural." Note 4, change "John 1#:15" (where # represents a

-   poorly printed sort), to "John 13:15."

- - Page 70, apply RC to "His." Note 2, change "Matt. 18:19" to "Matt.

-   28:19" to match quotation. Note 3, change "raised from the dead"

-   to "raised up from the dead." Note 4, apply RC to "Apostles'."

- - Page 71, apply RC to "His," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC to

-   "He," "My," "Me," and "My"; change "1 Cor. 11:27-30" to "1 Cor.

-   11:22-30." Note 2, apply RC to "He." Note 3, apply RC to "My"

-   (four times) and "Me."

- - Page 72, note 2, change "Ps. 113:24" to "Ps. 113:2-4." Note 3,

-   apply RC to "My" and "Him"; change "then shall thou delight" to

-   "then shalt thou delight." Note 4, apply RC to "Word." Point XVII,

-   apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 73, note 4, change "Rev. 19:14" to "Rev. 19:16" to match

-   quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to "His" (twice). Note 2, apply

-   RC to "He" and "Him."

- - Page 74, note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 5, change "Matt.

-   25:35-41" to "Matt. 25:31-46." Note 6, apply RC to "He" and "Him."

- - Page 75, apply RC to "Divine," "Him" (twice), "His" (thrice),

-   "Divine."

- - Page 76, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His."

- - The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word "expressed":

-   ex|pressed.

- - Page 79, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 82, apply RC to "His Apostles."

- - Page 85, apply RC to "His" (twice), "He," and "His."

- - Page 86, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He."

- - Page 88, apply RC to "His."

- - Page 89, change "Malancthon" to "Malanchthon" and "colaborer" to

-   "co-laborer."

- - Page 90, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman. Change

-   "practised" to "practiced."

- - Page 91, change "practise" to "practice."

- - The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word "sufficient":

-   suf|ficient.

- - Page 92, apply RC to "Apostle."

- - The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word "immersion":

-   immer|sion.

- - Page 95, apply RC to "Apostles."

- - The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word "original":

-   origi|nal.

- - Page 98, change "practised" to "practised"; apply RC to "His

-   Apostles."

- - Page 99, change "practise" to "practice" (twice).

- - Page 100, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"

-   and "practises" to "practices."

- - Page 101, apply RC to "His."

- - Page 102, change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 104, apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 105, change "practise" to "practice."

- - The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word "Parliament":

-   Par|liament.

- - Page 108, apply RC to "His" (thrice) and "Me."

- - Page 109, apply RC to "He," "His," "My" (four times), "Me," and

-   "Divine."

- - The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word "practiced"

-   (changed from "practised"): prac|ticed.

- - Page 110, change "practised" to "practiced" and "practise" to

-   "practice" (twice).

- - Page 111, change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 112, apply RC to "Him."

- - Page 113, apply RC to "Divine."

- - Page 114, apply RC to "Apostolic," "Word," "Apostles'," "Word,"

-   and "Divine." Change "practise" to "practice."

- - Page 115, change "practise" to "practice."

- - The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word "infants":

-   in|fants.

- - Page 116, change "practise" to "practice" (thrice).

- - Page 117, apply RC to "His";  change "practise" to "practice";

-   apply RC to "Him."

- - Page 118, change "practise" to "practice."

- - The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word "remaining":

-   re|maining.

- - Page 119, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen.

- - Page 120, apply RC to "Gospel."

- - Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a

-   churchman.

- - Page 124, apply RC to "Lord's Table."

- - Page 125, apply RC to "His."

- - Page 129, change "practised" to "practiced" (thrice). Apply RC to

-   "His Apostles" and "Word."

- - Page 130, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman; apply

-   RC to "Apostles."

- - Page 131, apply RC to "Apostolic" and "Apostles."

- - Page 132, change "practised" to "practiced." Apply RC to "His

-   Apostles."

- - Page 133, change "practised" to "practiced."

- - Page 134, change "practise" to "practice" and "practised" to

-   "practiced."

- - Page 136, change "practise" to "practice." Apply RC to "Divine"

-   and "Word."

- - Page 137, apply RC to "Gospel" and "Word."

- - Page 138, apply RC to "Apostles."

- - Page 140, apply RC to "Apostles."

- - Page 141, apply RC to "Apostolic."

- - Page 142, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Divinely."

- - The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word "people":

-    peo|ple.

- - Page 144, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen; apply RC

-   to "Apostolic." Add "Ch. Hist." to the Geiseler citation.

- - Page 145, change "practised" to "practiced."

- - Page 146, change "practises" to "practices."

- - Page 147, apply RC to "His," "He," "His Apostles," "His" (twice),

-   "He," "Divine," and "Apostles."

- - The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word "minister":

-   min|ister.

- - Page 148, apply RC to "Apostles," "His," and "Gospel."

- - The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word "authority":

-   author|ity.

- - Page 149, change "later" to "latter."

- - Page 150, apply RC to "Apostles."

- - Page 152, apply RC to "Apostle"; change _"episcopous"_ to

-   _"episcopos"_ for consistency.

- - Page 153, apply RC to "Apostolic."

- - Page 154, apply RC to "Word," "Apostles," and "Himself."

- - Page 155, apply RC to "Gospel."

- - The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word "apostasy":

-   apos|tasy.

- - Page 156, apply RC to "Gospel,"; change "practised" to "practiced"

-   apply RC to "Word" and "Gospel."

- - Page 158, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"

-   (twice).

- - Page 160, change "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "Apostles."

- - Page 161, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Word."

- - The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word "contemporary":

-   contempo|rary.

- - Page 163, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Gospel."

- - Page 164, change "offence" to "offense."

- - The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word "because":

-   be|cause.

- - Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after

-   "Smithfield"; change "suffered perhaps more" to "suffered perhaps

-   no more."

- - Page 167, change "defence" to "defense."

- - Page 169, add comma to "after he"; apply RC to "Divine."

- - The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word "themselves":

-   them|selves.

- - Page 173, change "practise" to "practice" (twice); apply RC to

-   "Divine."

-

-

-

-

-

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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 61084 ***
+
++Transcriber's Notes+
+
+ - This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to
+   discuss their history, organization, polity, and operations. The
+   book itself has a small form factor, suitable to be carried in a
+   suit coat pocket.
+ - The author's perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are
+   introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against
+   alternatives.
+ - Detailed information on the Transcriber's changes are listed after
+   the text.
+
+THE
+
+STANDARD MANUAL
+
+FOR
+
+BAPTIST CHURCHES
+
+_By_
+
+EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.
+
+Author of
+"The Baptist's Short Method," "Star Book for Ministers,"
+"The Star Book Series," "Pastors' Manual," etc.
+
+PHILADELPHIA
+
+THE AMERICAN BAPITST
+PUBLICATION SOCIETY
+
+CHICAGO   KANSAS CITY   LOS ANGELES   SEATTLE
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by
+THE AMERICAN BAPITST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
+In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PRINTED IN U.S.A.
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+It is now thirty years since the "Baptist Church Directory," prepared
+by the writer, was first published. That work was designed to be
+somewhat of a _consensus_ of the opinions of those best able to judge
+in matters of Baptist church polity and usage, especially as to what
+concerns administration and discipline. It might thus prove a help to
+both pastors and members, particularly in perplexing cases liable to
+arise. Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify the order and customs
+of our churches through our widely extended ranks. This hope has been
+realized. More than fifty thousand copies of that book have been
+circulated in this country. It has also been translated, more or less
+fully, into six or seven different languages by our missionaries, for
+use in our missions and foreign fields.
+
+But many of the churches desired a smaller and less expensive manual,
+which they could put into the hands of all their members. To meet this
+want, sixteen years ago, the writer prepared the little "Star Book on
+Baptist Church Polity," which many churches have adopted, furnishing
+their members and candidates for membership with them freely. This has
+had a circulation of over thirty thousand copies; and both this and the
+"Directory" are in as great demand as at any previous time.
+
+It is something more than twenty years since the "Baptist Short
+Method," by the same author was published. The purpose of this manual
+was to give a concise view of those distinctive features which mark the
+difference between Baptists and other denominations, especially as to
+the ordinances and church order; and also to furnish the proofs by
+which our position in these respects is justified. About ten thousand
+copies of this book have found their way into circulation.
+
+The preparation of the present manual was undertaken at the request of,
+and by an arrangement with the pastor, R. S. MacArthur, D.D., on behalf
+of Calvary Baptist Church, New York City, for the special use of that
+church. Something was desired smaller than the "Directory," and more
+full than the "Star Book," embracing certain features of the "Short
+Method." When completed, it was thought to be, on the whole, so much
+superior to anything ever before prepared, as a manual for general use
+in Baptist churches, that by mutual consent, it was decided to have it
+published for general circulation, rather than confine it to the use of
+a single church.
+
+To both ministers and members, such a manual, it is hoped, will prove a
+valuable helper in the interest of church order, and of denominational
+unity and prosperity. Especially for the younger members, so many
+thousands of whom are yearly admitted to the fellowship of the
+churches, with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly instructed
+as to either doctrines or order, it should prove a most valuable
+assistant. Concise and accurate in statement of facts, transparent in
+arrangement of matters, convenient in form, and cheap in cost, pastors
+will find it to their own advantage, as well as to that of their
+members, to see that their churches are liberally supplied with copies.
+The pastor of one of our very largest and most prosperous churches, for
+whose use its preparation was undertaken, shows his estimate of its
+value, and sets other pastors a wise and worthy example, by ordering in
+advance of publication, _one thousand copies_ for his church.
+
+May the Divine blessing make this, as other works have been made, a
+means of furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and efficient
+service for Christ, in the churches for which it is designed.
+
+E. T. H.
+MOUNT VERNON, N. Y.
+January 24, 1890.
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER I
+A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
+
+CHAPTER II
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+CHAPTER III
+CHURCH ORDINANCES
+
+CHAPTER IV
+CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP
+
+CHAPTER V
+CHURCH DISCIPLINE
+
+CHAPTER VI
+CASES OF APPEAL
+
+CHAPTER VII
+CHURCH BUSINESS
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
+
+CHAPTER IX
+OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS
+
+CHAPTER X
+BAPTISM CONSIDERED
+
+CHAPTER XI
+THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+CHAPTER XII
+INFANT BAPTISM
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+CHURCH GOVERNMENT
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+CHAPTER XV
+BAPTIST HISTORY
+
+
++STANDARD MANUAL FOR
+BAPTIST CHURCHES+
+
++CHAPTER I+
+
+A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
+
+The word "church" is, in common language, used with large latitude of
+meaning. It is applied to a building used for Christian worship, to a
+congregation of Christian worshipers, to a religious establishment, to
+a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the aggregate of all Christian
+believers, and to a local company of Christian disciples associated in
+covenant for religious purposes. The latter is its common use in the
+New Testament.
+
+The Greek word _ekklesia,_ rendered "church," is derived from a word
+meaning "called out," and is used to indicate a company called out from
+a larger and more general assembly or concourse of people. In the free
+Greek cities, it designated a company of persons possessed of the
+rights of citizenship, and charged with certain important functions of
+administration in public affairs, summoned, or called out, from the
+common mass of the people. In the New Testament, the _ekklesia_ is a
+company of persons called out and separated from the common multitude
+by a Divine calling, chosen to be saints, invested with the privileges,
+and charged with the duties of citizenship in the kingdom of Christ.
+
+A Christian Church, therefore, according to the New Testament idea, is
+a company of persons Divinely called and separated from the world,
+baptized on a profession of their faith in Christ, united in covenant
+for worship and Christian service, under the supreme authority of
+Christ, whose Word is their only law and rule of life in all matters of
+religious faith and practice.
+
+Some Christian denominations include all their congregations in one
+comprehensive society, or ecclesiastical system, under some central
+authority, which legislates for and controls the whole. This
+comprehensive society they call the church. Thus we speak of the Roman
+Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church--where
+the word "church" stands for the aggregate of all their local
+societies. With Baptists it is different. They speak of Baptist
+churches, but not of the Baptist Church, when the entire denomination
+is meant. The Baptist Church would mean some one local congregation of
+baptized believers.
+
+Thus was it in Apostolic times. There was "the church in Jerusalem,"
+"the church of the Thessalonians," "the church of Babylon," "the church
+of the Laodiceans"; but "the churches of Macedonia," "the churches of
+Asia," "the churches of Judea." A church, therefore, is not a system of
+congregations confederated under a general government, but a single
+local congregation of Christian disciples associated in covenant and
+meeting together for worship. In this sense the word is commonly,
+almost uniformly, used in the New Testament.
+
+Churches are Divinely instituted to be "the light of the world" and
+"the salt of the earth." They are ordained for the glory of God, as
+"the ground and pillar of the truth," in the proclamation of His Gospel
+and the establishment of His kingdom in the world. They are
+commissioned to preach the Gospel to men, and to live the Gospel before
+men, that Christ may be honored and sinners saved. They should,
+therefore, be constantly striving to realize the grand purpose of their
+existence and fulfill the mission of their high calling. That church
+which does the most to honor Christ and save man will be the most
+honored by Him, and the most influential and prosperous in all that
+pertains to the true functions of a church. And since a church, as a
+body, is what its individual members are in their religious life and
+influence, therefore each member should strive to become in holy living
+what He desires the church to be.
+
+NOTE 1.--A body of Christian disciples may fail to meet some of the
+requirements of the Gospel, and still be a true church of Christ,
+providing it fulfills the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith
+and practice.
+
+NOTE 2.--But when a body ceases to acknowledge and submit to Christ as
+its Supreme Ruler, and to receive His Word as its supreme law, then it
+ceases to be a true church, and is simply a religious society, though
+it may still accept some of His doctrines and practice some of His
+precepts.
+
+NOTE 3.--A church is not a legislative, but an executive body. It
+cannot make laws, but only obey and administer those which Christ has
+given in the New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.
+
+NOTE 4.--But in matters pertaining to order and methods of
+administration, merely optional and discretionary, not involving
+fundamental principles, the church is to exercise its liberty, so long
+as it does not contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights of
+its members.
+
+NOTE 5.--And still further, while a church cannot become an
+authoritative expounder of either truth or duty, to bind the
+consciences even of its members, yet it does possess a judicial
+function for the interpretation and the enforcement of the laws of
+Christ for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members, so far as
+their relation to the compact is concerned.
+
+NOTE 6.--Each church owes courtesy and comity, fellowship and
+fraternity, to all others; but it owes subjection and allegiance to
+none, and is under authority to Christ alone.
+
+NOTE 7.--In matters of business and in the exercise of its authority in
+administration, the will of the church is expressed by a majority vote
+of its members. But the nearer that majority approaches to unanimity,
+the more satisfactory and emphatic are its decisions.
+
+NOTE 8.--Councils may be called, presbyteries convened, or committees
+of reference chosen for advice in cases of moment, but they are all
+_advisory_ only, and in no case authoritative. There is no higher, and
+no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs, than the individual
+church.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER II+
+
+CHURCH OFFICERS[1]
+
+The Scriptural officers of a church are _bishops_ and _deacons._
+Bishops are in the New Testament also called "presbyters," "elders,"
+and "overseers." Their duties and services have mainly reference to the
+spiritual interests of the body, though they properly have the
+oversight of all its concerns. The deacons have principal charge of the
+temporalities of the church, so as to relieve the pastor in that
+department of labor. They are, however, to be counselors and helpers of
+the pastor in all departments of his work. The qualifications for both
+offices are set forth in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
+
+NOTE 1.--Pastors and deacons, as teachers and leaders of the flock,
+cannot be selected for and imposed upon the churches by any external
+authority whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected and
+chosen by the free suffrages of the members, without compulsion or
+restraint, from among themselves, or those who are to become identified
+with them in fellowship.
+
+NOTE 2.--In the election of either a pastor or deacon, notice of such
+election should be given from the pulpit for at least two Sundays
+preceding the time for the same. The election should be by ballot, and
+at least _three-quarters_ of the votes cast should be necessary for the
+election of a pastor, and _two-thirds_ for the election of a deacon.
+Such election should be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and
+conducted without partisan devices or personal strife.
+
+NOTE 3.--Both pastors and deacons are properly elected for unlimited
+terms of service, the relation to continue so long as there shall be
+mutual satisfaction. Such a course tends less to depreciate and make
+servile the officers and their duties in the estimation of the people,
+and of those who bear them, than a limited and specified time, though
+deacons are sometimes, and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term
+of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the church.
+
+NOTE 4.--The church is to fix on the amount of salary necessary to a
+generous support of the pastor, and hold itself obligated by every
+consideration of Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment of
+the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the church as it is
+unjust and vexatious to the pastor.
+
+NOTE 5.--The call to a pastor issues from the _church_ as a body, which
+also designates the amount of salary to be paid. It is in some sections
+usual, though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting of the
+entire congregation or society to approve or confirm the call. In some
+States it is necessary for the trustees, as the legal representatives
+of the corporation, to confirm the action officially, so far as the
+salary is concerned, before it can become legal.
+
+NOTE 6.--The number of deacons is optional with the church. It is
+usually from _three_ to _seven._ Let it be so many as the church needs
+and can find suitable as candidates for the office. But they should
+never be elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they be
+persons whose fitness for the office is generally conceded.
+
+NOTE 7.--The relations between pastor and the church may be dissolved
+at the option of either, by giving _three months'_ notice; or
+otherwise, by mutual consent. Between the deacons and the church, the
+relations may be dissolved at the option of either without previous
+notice.
+
+NOTE 8.--A church _clerk_ is elected annually, at a business meeting,
+by a majority vote. It is an office of convenience, for keeping the
+minutes and preserving the records of the body. Also _trustees_ are
+elected by the church, or if the law so requires, by a _society._ Their
+duties are the care of the property and the management of finances. But
+these are not considered Scriptural church officers; deacons might
+properly discharge all the functions of these offices.[2]
+
+NOTE 9.--The offices of trust and service in a church should be as
+widely distributed among the members as possible, consistently with the
+welfare of the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded. No one man
+should hold more than one office at the same time, unless the interests
+of the body absolutely demand it. If offices are honors, they should be
+widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly should be. For
+the same man to hold two or three offices is as unjust to him as it is
+to his brethren.
+
+NOTE 10.--A church cannot unite in any corporate capacity with other
+organizations for religious, benevolent, moral reform, or other
+purposes; but it may cooperate with these for any good object, and give
+to such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary aid.
+
+NOTE 11.--But members of churches can, as individuals, unite with
+outside organizations, for any purpose, not inconsistent with their
+profession as Christians, and not injurious to their church relations
+and duties.
+
+NOTE 12.--Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities, nor delegate
+their authority to any man, or to any body of men, to act officially
+for them. But they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to perform
+services for them, under instruction, and to report their action to the
+body.
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] This and several of the following sections are consistent
+    with the "Star Book on Baptist Church Polity," on the same topics.
+
+[2] In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that being a
+    spiritual body, but incorporate a _society,_ as it is called,
+    consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support the
+    worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs of the
+    church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts its
+    secular concerns. It elects a specified number of _trustees,_ as
+    provided for by law, who are the legal representatives of the
+    corporation. The members of the society, and the trustees elected,
+    may or may not be members of the church. This whole society
+    arrangement is a relic of the old New England parish system of the
+    standing order, and is inconsistent with the freedom of church
+    action, and antagonistic to Baptist Church independence. It is
+    anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural. A church should be allowed to
+    manage its own affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be
+    protected by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated
+    in most of the States.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER III+
+
+CHURCH ORDINANCES
+
+Christian ordinances, in the largest sense, are any institutions, or
+regulations of Divine appointment, established as means of grace for
+the good of men, or as acts of worship for the honor of God. In that
+sense, not only are baptism and the Lord's Supper ordinances, but
+preaching, prayer, hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving are also
+ordinances, since all are of Divine appointment. But, in a narrower
+sense, it is common to say that _baptism_ and the _Lord's Supper_ are
+the only ordinances appointed by Christ to be observed by His churches.
+These are the only emblematic and commemorative rites enjoined upon His
+disciples, by which they are to be distinguished, and He is to be
+honored. They are the two symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,
+the two monuments of the New Dispensation.
+
+_Baptism_ is the immersion, or dipping, of a candidate in water, on a
+profession of his faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration; the
+baptism to be ministered in, or into, the name of the Father, the Son,
+and Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and resurrection of Christ,
+and in a figure declares the candidate's death to sin and the world,
+and his rising to a new life. It also proclaims the washing of
+regeneration, and professes the candidate's hope of a resurrection from
+the dead, through Him into the likeness of whose death he is buried in
+baptism.
+
+_The Lord's Supper_ is a provision of bread and wine, used to represent
+the body and the blood of Christ, partaken of by members of the church
+assembled for that purpose; in which service they commemorate the love
+of Christ exhibited in His death for them, and profess their faith and
+participation in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only ground of
+their hope of eternal life.
+
+NOTE 1.--No person can rightfully or properly become a church-member
+except he be first baptized, as the distinguishing mark and profession
+of his discipleship.
+
+NOTE 2.--The Supper is a church ordinance, and therefore is the
+privilege of church-members only. Therefore, also, since baptism
+precedes church-membership, it must precede and be prerequisite to the
+Lord's Supper.
+
+NOTE 3.--Since the Supper is distinctively a church ordinance, it is to
+be observed by churches only, and not by individuals; neither in
+private places, nor in sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by
+companies of disciples other than churches. But a church may by
+appointment, and in its official capacity, meet in a private house, a
+sick-room, or wherever it may elect, and there observe the Supper.
+
+NOTE 4.--Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly administered by
+ordained and accredited ministers; but both would be equally valid if
+administered by unordained persons, should occasion require and the
+church so direct. As to the qualifications of the administrator, the
+New Testament is silent, except that he should be a disciple.
+
+NOTE 5.--As to the time, place, and frequency of the ordinances, no
+Scriptural directions are given. These are left optional with the
+churches. They are usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily. As
+to the Supper, our churches have very generally come to observe it on
+the first Sunday of each month.
+
+NOTE 6.--The participation of the elements in the Supper should be done
+according to the special direction of Christ, the Head of the body.
+"This do in remembrance of _Me._" It is not, therefore, a test or token
+of Christian fellowship, except incidentally. All thought and sympathy
+in the service should be centered on Him who is "the living bread," and
+not fixed on others.
+
+NOTE 7.--The ordinances are not _sacraments,_ as taught by some,
+conveying effectual grace to the soul and imparting spiritual life. But
+as Divinely appointed means of grace, their importance must not be
+undervalued. They cannot be neglected without suffering serious harm
+and incurring the gravest responsibility.
+
+NOTE 8.--Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches
+utterly repudiate the dogma of "baptismal regeneration"; but it is
+essential to obedience, since Christ has commanded it. It is also
+essential to a public confession of Christ before the world, and to
+membership in the church which is His body. And no true lover of his
+Lord will refuse these acts of obedience and tokens of affection.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER IV+
+
+CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP
+
+It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but "one
+Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and no differing denominations
+existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a
+member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and
+privileges of full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door
+into the church." Now, it is different; and while the churches are
+desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do
+not receive unworthy persons. The churches therefore have candidates
+come before them, make their statement, give their "experience," and
+then their reception is decided by a vote of the members. And while
+they cannot become members without baptism, yet it is the vote of the
+body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.
+
+There are _three classes_ of candidates, and modes of reception to
+membership.
+
+1. _By baptism._--The church having listened to the religious
+experience of the candidate, and being satisfied with the same, and
+with his Christian deportment, votes to receive him to its fellowship,
+"on being baptized."
+
+2. _By letter._--The candidate presents a letter of dismission and
+recommendation from some other Baptist church with which he has been
+connected, for the purpose of transferring his membership to this. The
+church, being satisfied, votes to receive him into fellowship.
+
+3. _By experience._--Persons having been baptized, but for some reason
+being without membership in any church, wish to be received. They,
+giving satisfactory evidence of Christian character, and substantial
+agreement in matters of faith and practice, are received by vote, as in
+other cases.
+
+NOTE 1.--Persons cannot be received to membership on the credit of
+letters from other denominations. Such letters are, however, accepted,
+as certificates of Christian character, and of church standing.
+
+NOTE 2.--While the churches do not require candidates to sign any
+creed, confession, or articles of faith, yet they do expect a
+substantial agreement in matters of faith and practice on their part as
+essential both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony of the
+body.
+
+NOTE 3.--Should any member object to the reception of a candidate, such
+reception should be deferred, in order to consider the reasons for the
+objection. Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should not
+prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet no one should be
+received except by a unanimous or nearly unanimous vote.
+
+NOTE 4.--It is customary for candidates, after their experience or
+letters have been presented, to retire while the church deliberates and
+acts upon their case.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any member in good standing, is entitled, at any time, to a
+letter of dismission, in the usual form, with which to unite with
+another church of the same faith and order.
+
+NOTE 6.--Letters are usually made valid for _six months_ only, during
+which time they must be used, if used at all. But if held longer, they
+may be renewed by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for
+their non-use.
+
+NOTE 7.--Each one receiving a letter is still a member of the church,
+and under its watchcare and discipline, until his letter is actually
+received by another church.
+
+NOTE 8.--Letters cannot be given to members for the purpose of uniting
+with churches with which we are not in fellowship. But any member is
+entitled, at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and
+Christian character.
+
+NOTE 9.--No member can _withdraw_ from the church, or have his name
+_dropped,_ or at his own request be _excluded_ from the fellowship of
+the body without due process of discipline.
+
+NOTE 10.--Nor can a member have a letter voted and forced upon him
+without his wish and consent. Such would be a virtual expulsion from
+the body. If worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of the
+church against his will.
+
+NOTE 11.--Members living remote from the church are expected to unite
+with some Baptist church near their residence; or give satisfactory
+reasons for not doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected
+to report themselves to the church at least _once each year,_ and
+contribute to its support, till they cease to be members.
+
+NOTE 12.--Letters of dismission may be revoked, at any time before
+being used, if, in the judgment of the church, there be sufficient
+cause for such action.
+
+NOTE 13.--Church fellowship will be withdrawn from members who unite
+with other denominations; because, however excellent their character,
+or sincere their intentions, they have broken covenant with the church,
+and by such act have placed themselves beyond the limits of its
+fellowship.
+
+NOTE 14.--Persons excluded from other churches are not to be received
+to membership, except after the most careful investigation of all the
+facts in the case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion was
+unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently refuses to do
+justice to the excluded member.
+
+NOTE 15.--A letter is usually asked for and addressed to the particular
+church. This is proper, but not always necessary. It may in certain
+cases be asked for, and given "to the church of the same faith and
+order." Or if directed to one, it may be presented to, and received by
+another.
+
+NOTE 16.--It is expected that all pecuniary liability to the church
+will be canceled, and all personal difficulties in the church will be
+settled by a member, should such exist, before he shall receive a
+letter of dismission.
+
+NOTE 17.--Each member, without exception, is expected to fill his place
+in the church, by attendance on its appointments, as Providence may
+allow, and also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary support of
+the body, according to his ability. If in either of these respects he
+fails, and refuses, he becomes a covenant-breaker, and is subject to
+the discipline of the body.
+
+NOTE 18.--Persons excluded from the church may be again received to its
+fellowship on satisfactory evidence of fitness. This is called
+reception by _restoration,_ and is usually so entered on the records,
+and in associational reports.
+
+NOTE 19.--It is neither a Christian nor an honorable course for a
+church to grant an unworthy member a valid letter, and send him to
+another church as one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid
+of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of a course of
+discipline.
+
+NOTE 20.--No church is _obliged_ to receive a person to membership,
+simply because he brings a valid letter from another church. Each
+church is to be sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be
+received to its fellowship.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER V+
+
+CHURCH DISCIPLINE
+
+Church-members are supposed to be regenerate persons bearing the image
+and cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the peace of God rules,
+and who walk and work in "the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of
+peace." But unhappily, even the saints are sanctified only in part, and
+troubles sometimes arise among brethren. The evil passions of even good
+men may triumph over piety, and partisan strife may destroy the peace
+and the prosperity of the body of Christ. All this should, if possible,
+be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks to heal offenses; but it is
+better to _prevent_ them, than to _heal_ them. It is, however, better
+to heal and remove, than to endure them.
+
+Now these offenses and occasions of dissension in the churches arise
+from various causes, and are largely preventable. Most frequently they
+come by the following means:
+
+1. Because of the too suspicious and sensitive disposition of some who
+imagine themselves wronged, neglected, or in some way injured; the
+matter being chiefly imaginary, and without any real foundation in fact.
+
+2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential members do not
+carefully and constantly enough watch the beginnings of strife, and
+rectify the evil before it becomes serious.
+
+3. Because evil-doers by delay become more persistent in evil, while
+others are drawn into the strife, and contentious parties insensibly
+are formed, which tend to divide the church into hostile factions.
+
+4. Because that when the difficulty becomes chronic and deep-seated,
+the church is likely to undertake the discipline with judicial
+severity, and not in the spirit of meekness, in which the spiritual
+should restore the erring.
+
+5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken under excitement is
+almost certain to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result reached be
+just and right, the method by which it is reached is likely to be
+unwise, unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly producing more
+serious and more lasting evils than it has removed.
+
+_Offenses_ calling for discipline are usually considered as of _two_
+classes: _private_ or personal, and _public_ or general. These terms do
+not very accurately express the nature of the offenses, but they are in
+common use, and capable of being understood. In the administration of
+_corrective discipline,_ the following rules and principles constitute
+a correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:
+
+
+PRIVATE OFFENSES
+
+_Private offenses_ pertain to personal difficulties between
+individuals, having no direct reference to the church as a body, and
+not involving the Christian profession at large. In such cases, the
+course prescribed by our Saviour (Matt. 18:15-17) is to be strictly
+followed, without question or deviation.
+
+1. _First step._--The member who considers himself injured must go to
+the offender, tell him his grief, and between themselves alone, if
+possible, adjust and settle the difficulty. "If thy brother shall
+trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him
+alone." This must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or condemn the
+offender, but to win him. "If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
+brother."
+
+2. _Second step._--If this shall fail, then the offended member must
+take one or two of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek an
+interview with the offender, and, if possible, by their united wisdom
+and piety, remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty. "But if he
+will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the
+mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established."
+
+3. _Third step._--If this step should prove unavailing, then the
+offended member must tell the whole matter to the _church,_ and leave
+it in their hands to be disposed of, as to them may seem wisest and
+best. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church." He
+has done his duty and must abide by the decision of the body which
+assumes this responsibility.
+
+4. _The result._--If this course of kindly Christian labor proves
+finally ineffectual, and the offender shows himself incorrigible,
+excision must follow. He must be cut off from fellowship in the church
+whose covenant he has broken, and whose authority he disregards. "And
+if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen
+man, and a publican." However painful the act, the church must be
+faithful to its duty, and to its God.
+
+NOTE 1.--While this Divine rule makes it obligatory on the offended
+member to go to the offender and seek a reconciliation, yet much more
+is it obligatory on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved
+with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the difficulty.
+
+NOTE 2.--The matter is not to be made public until these three steps
+have been fully taken, and have failed; and then to be made public only
+by telling the church, and no others.
+
+NOTE 3.--When the case comes before the church, it must not be
+neglected nor dropped, but judiciously pursued until the difficulty be
+adjusted, the offense removed, or else the offender be
+disfellowshipped, and put away.
+
+
+PUBLIC OFFENSES
+
+_Public offenses_ are not against any one person more than another, but
+are such as are supposed to be a dishonor to the church of which the
+offender is a member, and a reproach to the Christian profession. They
+constitute a violation of the code of Christian morals, if not of our
+common worldly morals.
+
+The more common causes of this class of offenses are the following:
+False doctrine (Gal. 1:9, 2 John 10), disregard of authority (Matt.
+18:17; 1 Thess. 5:14), contention and strife (Rom. 16:17), immoral
+conduct (1 Cor. 5:11), disorderly walk (2 Thess. 3:6, 9), covetous
+spirit (Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 5:11), arrogant conduct (3 John 9), going to
+law (1 Cor. 6:6).
+
+The following constitutes a proper and Scriptural course of treatment
+for such cases:
+
+1. The first member who has knowledge of the offense should, as in the
+case of private offenses, seek the offender, ascertain the facts, and
+attempt to reconcile or remove the difficulty. Not till he has done
+this should he make it public, or bring it before the church.
+
+2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this course of personal effort,
+or if such a course proves unsuccessful, then any member having
+knowledge of the facts should confer with the pastor and deacons as to
+the best course to be pursued.
+
+3. The pastor and deacons should, by the best method they are capable
+of devising, labor to adjust the matter without bringing it into the
+church, or otherwise making it public.
+
+4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case be already public, and a
+reproach and scandal to religion, then they should bring it to the
+church, and it should direct a proper course of discipline.
+
+5. The church, thus having the case before it, should either appoint a
+committee to visit the offender, or cite him before the body to answer
+the charge. He should be allowed to hear the evidence against him, know
+the witnesses, and be permitted to answer for himself.
+
+6. If the accused disproves the charges, or if he confesses the wrong,
+makes suitable acknowledgment, and, so far as possible, reparation,
+with promise of amendment, in all ordinary cases, this should be deemed
+satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.
+
+7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and prayerful labor, all efforts
+fail to reclaim the offender, then, however painful the necessity, the
+church must withdraw its fellowship from him, and put him away from
+them.
+
+8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality, by which the reputation
+of the body is compromised and the Christian name scandalized, on being
+proved or confessed, the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn
+from the offender, notwithstanding any confessions and promises of
+amendment; but not without a trial.
+
+The church's good name and the honor of religion demand this testimony
+against evil. He may be subsequently restored, if suitably penitent.
+
+NOTE 1.--All discipline should be conducted in the spirit of Christian
+meekness and love, with a desire to remove offenses and win offenders.
+It must also be done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain
+the honor of Christ's name, the purity of His church, and the integrity
+of His truth.
+
+NOTE 2.--If any member shall persist in bringing a private grievance
+before the church, or otherwise make it public before he has pursued
+the course prescribed in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he becomes
+himself an offender, and subject to the discipline of the body.
+
+NOTE 3.--When private difficulties exist among members which they
+cannot, or will not settle, the church should consider them as public
+offenses, and as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual
+injury which they inflict.
+
+Note 4.--When a member refers to the church any private difficulty,
+which he has been unable to settle, he must submit it wholly to the
+disposition of the body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to
+revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the church, he becomes
+an offender, and subject to discipline.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any member tried by the church has the right to receive copies
+of all charges against him, the names of his accusers, and the
+witnesses, both of whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face to
+face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses on his side, and
+answering for himself before the body.
+
+NOTE 6.--Every member on trial or excluded, shall have furnished at his
+request, authentic copies of all proceedings had by the church in his
+case, officially certified.
+
+NOTE 7.--No member under discipline can have the right to bring any
+person, not a member, before the church as his advocate, except by
+consent of the body.
+
+NOTE 8.--In every case of exclusion, the charges against the member,
+and the reasons for his exclusion, should be accurately entered on the
+records of the church.
+
+NOTE 9.--If at any time it shall become apparent, or seem probable to
+the church that it has for any reason dealt unjustly with a member, or
+excluded him without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without
+request by concession and restoration, so far as possible, repair the
+injury it has done him.
+
+NOTE 10.--The church should hold itself bound to restore to its
+fellowship an excluded member when, ever he gives satisfactory evidence
+of repentance and reformation consistent with godliness.
+
+NOTE 11.--The church will exercise is legitimate authority, and
+vindicate its honor and rectitude in the administration of discipline,
+even though the member should regard such discipline as unjust or
+oppressive.
+
+NOTE 12.--Nothing can be considered a just and reasonable cause for
+discipline, except what is forbidden by the letter of the spirit of
+Scripture. And nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for
+disfellowship and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary to
+Scripture, and what would have prevented the reception of the person
+into the church, had it been known to exist at the time of his
+reception.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VI+
+
+CASES OF APPEAL
+
+Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes occur, so aggravated in
+their nature or so complicated in their treatment that it is found
+impossible to make a satisfactory settlement by ordinary methods;
+especially so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The excluded member
+will be almost sure to think he has been dealt with unjustly, and will
+wish for some redress; and if the case has been of long standing and
+much complicated, he will be equally sure to have others sympathize
+with him and condemn the action of the church. Now, although the
+_presumption_ is that the church has done right, and is justified in
+its action, the _possibility_ is that the church has done wrong, and is
+censurable for its action.
+
+What can be done in such a case?
+
+NOTE 1.--On the New Testament theory of church government, the action
+of this individual local church is final. There is no power either
+civil or ecclesiastical, that can reverse its decision or punish it for
+wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human tribunal has authority
+to compel it to confess or correct them.
+
+NOTE 2.--Councils, if appealed to for redress, have _no authority;_
+they are simply, always, and everywhere _advisory_--that, and nothing
+more. They can express an opinion, and give advice; but they have no
+authority to issue decrees, and would have no power to enforce them if
+they should.[1]
+
+NOTE 3.--Any person who believes himself wronged by church action has
+the inalienable right to appeal to the church for a new hearing, and,
+failing in this, to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he
+see fit to do so.
+
+_Now observe_--If an excluded member believes himself unjustly dealt
+by, and wishes redress the following is the proper course for him to
+pursue:
+
+1. Apply to the church which excluded, and ask a rehearing. State to
+them the grounds of his complaint and the evidence on which he thinks
+he can satisfy them, if a fair opportunity for being heard be given him.
+
+2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let him appeal to them to unite with
+him in calling a _mutual council,_ before which the whole case shall be
+placed, all parties to abide by its decision.
+
+3. If a mutual council be declined by the church, he would be fully
+justified, should he feel so inclined, in calling an _ex-parte_
+council, before which he should place the facts and seek its advice.
+
+4. Or, instead of calling an _ex-parte_ council, he could apply to some
+other church to be received to its fellowship, on the ground that he
+had been unjustly excluded. Should he be received to another church,
+that would give him church standing and fellowship again, and vindicate
+him so far as any ecclesiastical action could vindicate him.
+
+5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing left but for him to wait
+patiently, and bear the burden of his wrong until Providence opens the
+way for his deliverance. He may, after all, conclude that he himself
+was more in fault than he at first supposed, and the church less so.
+
+NOTE 4.--An _ex-parte_ council should not be called in such a case of
+difficulty until all efforts have failed to secure a _mutual_ council;
+as such a council, if called, would probably do nothing more than
+advise a mutual council and adjourn.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any church can well afford to grant a rehearing to an excluded
+member. It would be in the interest of peace, justice, and
+reconciliation. If the church be right, it can afford to be generous.
+
+NOTE 6.--Any church has the right to receive a member excluded, from
+another church, since each church is sole judge of the qualification of
+persons received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed to would
+use great caution, and with due regard to its own peace and purity,
+ascertain all the facts in the case before taking such action.
+
+NOTE 7.--If a mutual council be called, one-half the messengers and
+members are to be chosen by the church and one-half by the aggrieved
+party; but the _letters missive_ calling the council are to be sent out
+by and in the name of the church, and not of the aggrieved party. But
+these facts, as to the mutual call, are to be stated in the letters.
+
+NOTE 8.--A church excluding a member has no just cause of complaint
+against another church for receiving such an excluded member, since the
+one church is just as independent to receive one whom it judges worthy
+of fellowship, as the other is to exclude one whom it judged unworthy
+of fellowship.
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For a more comprehensive discussion of councils--what they can,
+    and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use them--see the
+    "Star Book on Baptist Councils."
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VII+
+
+CHURCH BUSINESS
+
+The business meetings of a church should be conducted as much as
+possible in the spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the propriety
+and sanctity which attaches to all the interests of the kingdom of
+Christ. Meetings for business should not be needlessly multiplied, nor
+should they be unwisely neglected. It may not be wise to insist too
+rigidly on the observance of parliamentary rules, yet it is still worse
+to drift into a loose unbusinesslike way, which wastes time,
+accomplishes little, and does wrongly much that is done.
+
+
+ORDER OF BUSINESS
+
+1. The meetings to be opened with reading the Scriptures, singing, and
+prayer.
+
+2. The reading, correction, and approval of the minutes of the
+preceding meeting.
+
+3. Unfinished business, or such as the minutes present, including
+reports of committees taken in order.
+
+4. New business will next be taken up. Any member may call up new
+business. But important matters should not be presented, except on
+previous consultation with the pastor and deacons.
+
+NOTE 1.--The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of all
+church business meetings. If he be not present, or do not wish to
+serve, any one may be elected to take the place.
+
+NOTE 2.--All business meetings, both regular and special, should be
+announced from the pulpit one Sunday, at least, before they are held.
+
+NOTE 3.--Special meetings for business may be called at any time, by
+consent of the pastor and deacons, or by such other methods as the
+church itself may direct.
+
+NOTE 4.--Though a majority usually decides questions, yet in all
+matters of special importance a unanimous, or nearly unanimous, vote
+should be secured.
+
+NOTE 5.--Members may be received, and letters of dismission granted,
+either at the business church meeting, the covenant meeting, or the
+regular weekly prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed
+method should be observed.
+
+NOTE 6.--Candidates for admission to membership will be expected to
+retire from the meeting when action is taken on their reception.
+
+NOTE 7.--No persons, except members, will be present during the
+transaction of church business. If present, they may be asked to retire.
+
+NOTE 8.--Although the church should endeavor to do nothing which its
+members will be ashamed or afraid to have known by others, yet every
+member is bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish abroad,
+nor disclose to those without, the private affairs and business
+transactions of the body.
+
+
+RULES OF ORDER
+
+The following constitute the generally accepted rules of order for
+churches and other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:
+
+
+_Motions_
+
+1. All business shall be presented by a _motion,_ made by one member,
+and seconded by another, and presented in writing by the mover, if so
+required.
+
+2. No discussion can properly be had until the motion is made,
+seconded, and stated by the chairman.
+
+3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after it has been discussed, except by
+the unanimous consent of the body.
+
+4. A motion having been discussed, must be put to vote, unless
+withdrawn, laid on the table, referred, or postponed.
+
+5. A motion lost should not be recorded, except so ordered by the body
+at the time.
+
+6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the same meeting, except by
+unanimous consent.
+
+7. A motion should contain but one distinct proposition. If it contains
+more, it must be divided at the request of any member, and the
+propositions acted on separately.
+
+8. Only one question can properly be before the meeting at any one
+time. No second motion can be allowed to interrupt one already under
+debate, except a motion to _amend,_ to _substitute,_ to _commit,_ to
+_postpone,_ to _lay on the table,_ for _the previous question,_ or to
+_adjourn._
+
+9. These subsidiary motions just named cannot be interrupted by any
+other motion; nor can any other motion be applied to them except that
+to _amend,_ which may be done by specifying some _time, place,_ or
+_purpose._
+
+10. Nor can these motions interrupt or supersede each other; only that
+a motion to _adjourn_ is always in order, except while a member has the
+floor, or a question is being taken, and in some bodies even then.
+
+
+_Amendments_
+
+1. Amendments to resolutions may be made in three ways: By _omitting,_
+by _adding,_ or by _substituting_ words or sentences.
+
+2. An amendment to an amendment may be made, but is seldom necessary,
+and should be avoided.
+
+3. No amendment should be made which essentially changes the meaning or
+design of the original resolution.
+
+4. But a _substitute_ may be offered, which may change entirely the
+meaning of the resolution under debate.
+
+5. The amendment must first be discussed and acted on, and then the
+original resolution as amended.
+
+
+_Speaking_
+
+1. Any member desiring to speak on a question should rise in his place
+and address the moderator, confine his remarks to the question, and
+avoid all unkind and disrespectful language.
+
+2. A speaker using improper language, introducing improper subjects, or
+otherwise out of order, should be called to order by the chairman, or
+any member, and must either conform to the regulations of the body, or
+take his seat.
+
+3. A member while speaking can allow others to ask questions, or make
+explanations; but if he yields the floor to another, he cannot claim it
+again as his right.
+
+4. If two members rise to speak at the same time, preference is usually
+given to the one farthest from the chair, or to the one opposing the
+question under discussion.
+
+5. The fact that a person has several times arisen, and attempted to
+get the floor, gives him no claim or right to be heard. Nor does a call
+for the question deprive a member of his right to speak.
+
+
+_Voting_
+
+1. A question is put to vote by the chairman having first distinctly
+restated it, that all may vote intelligently. First, the _affirmative,_
+then the _negative_ is called; each so deliberately as to give all an
+opportunity of voting. He then distinctly announces whether the motion
+is _carried,_ or _lost._
+
+2. Voting is usually done by "aye" and "no," or by raising the hand. In
+a doubtful case by standing and being counted. On certain questions by
+ballot.
+
+3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman, is doubted, it is called
+again, usually by standing to be counted.
+
+4. All members should vote, unless for reasons excused; or unless under
+discipline, in which case they should take no part in the business.
+
+5. The moderator does not usually vote, except the question be taken by
+ballot; but when the meeting is equally divided, he is expected, but is
+not obligated to give the casting vote.
+
+6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot, the chairman appoints
+_tellers,_ to distribute, collect, and count the ballots.
+
+
+_Committees_
+
+1. Committees are nominated by the chairman, if so directed by the
+body, or by any member; and the nomination is confirmed by a vote of
+the body. More commonly the body directs that all committees shall be
+_appointed_ by the chairman, in which case no vote is needed to confirm.
+
+2. Any matter of business, or subject under debate, may be _referred_
+to a committee, with or without instructions. The committee make their
+_report,_ which is the result of their deliberations. The body then
+takes action on the report, and on any recommendations it may contain.
+
+3. The report of a committee is _accepted_ by a vote, which
+acknowledges their services, and takes the report before the body for
+its action. Afterward, any distinct _recommendation_ contained in the
+report is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.
+
+4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations of the committee are
+of a trifling moment or likely to be generally acceptable, the report
+is _accepted_ and _adopted_ by the same vote.
+
+5. A report may be _recommitted_ to the committee, with or without
+instructions; or that committee discharged, and the matter referred to
+a new one, for further consideration, so as to present it in a form
+more likely to meet the general concurrence of the body.
+
+6. A committee may be appointed _with power_ for a specific purpose.
+This gives them power to dispose conclusively of the matter, without
+further reference to the body.
+
+7. The first named in the appointment of a committee is by courtesy
+considered the _chairman._ But the committee has the right to name its
+own chairman.
+
+8. The member who moves the appointment of a committee is usually,
+though not necessarily, named its chairman.
+
+9. Committees of arrangement, or for other protracted service, _report
+progress_ from time to time, and are continued until their final
+report, or until their appointment expires by limitation.
+
+10. A committee is _discharged_ by a vote, when its business is done,
+and its report accepted. But usually, in routine business, a committee
+is considered discharged by the acceptance of its report.
+
+
+_Standing Committee_
+
+A committee appointed to act for a given period or during the recess of
+the body is called a _standing committee._ It has charge of a given
+department of business assigned by the body, and acts either with
+power, under instructions, or at discretion, as may be ordered. A
+standing committee is substantially a minor board, and has its own
+chairman, secretary, records, and times of meeting.
+
+
+_Appeal_
+
+The moderator announces all votes, and decides all questions as to
+rules of proceeding, and order of debate. But any member who is
+dissatisfied with his decisions may _appeal_ from them to the body. The
+moderator then puts the question, _"Shall the decision of the chair be
+sustained?"_ The vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative, is
+final. The right of appeal is undeniable, but should not be resorted to
+on trivial occasions.
+
+
+_Previous Question_
+
+Debate may be cut short by a vote to take the _previous question._ This
+means that the original, or main, question under discussion be
+immediately voted on, regardless of amendments and secondary questions
+and without further debate. Usually a _two-thirds_ vote is necessary to
+order the previous question.
+
+1. If the motion for the previous question be _carried,_ then the main
+question must be immediately taken, without further debate.
+
+2. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ the debate
+proceeds, as though no such motion had been made.
+
+3. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ it cannot be
+renewed with reference to the same question, during the same session.
+
+
+_To Lay on the Table_
+
+Immediate and decisive action on any question under discussion may be
+deferred, by a vote to _lay on the table_ the resolution pending. This
+disposes of the whole subject for the present, and ordinarily is in
+effect a final dismissal of it. But any member has the right
+subsequently to call it up; and the body will decide by vote whether,
+or not, it shall be taken from the table.
+
+1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is laid on the table for the
+present, or until a specified time, to give place to other business.
+
+2. A motion to lay on the table must apply to a resolution, or other
+papers. An abstract subject cannot be disposed of in this way.
+
+
+_Postponement_
+
+A simple _postponement_ is for a specified time or purpose, the
+business to be resumed when the time or purpose is reached. But a
+question _indefinitely postponed_ is considered as finally dismissed.
+
+
+_Not Debatable_
+
+Certain motions, by established usage, are _not debatable,_ but when
+once before the body, must be taken without discussion.
+
+These are: The _previous question,_ for _indefinite postponement,_ to
+_commit,_ to _lay on the table,_ to _adjourn._
+
+But when these motions are modified by some condition of _time, place,_
+or _purpose,_ they become debatable, and subject to the rules of other
+motions; but debatable only in respect to the time, place, or purpose
+which brings them within the province of debate.
+
+A body is, however, competent, by a vote, to allow debate on all
+motions.
+
+
+_To Reconsider_
+
+A motion to _reconsider_ a motion previously passed must be made by one
+who voted _for_ the motion when it passed.
+
+If the body votes to reconsider, then the motion or resolution being
+reconsidered, stands before them as previous to its passage, and may be
+discussed, adopted, or rejected.
+
+A vote to reconsider should be taken at the same session at which the
+vote reconsidered was passed, and when there are as many members
+present.
+
+
+_Be Discussed_
+
+If, when a question is introduced, any member objects to its
+discussion, as foreign, profitless, or contentious, the moderator
+should at once put the question, _"Shall this motion be discussed?"_ If
+this question be decided in the negative, the subject must be dismissed.
+
+
+_Order of the Day_
+
+The body may decide to take up some definite business at a specified
+time. That business therefore becomes the _order of the day,_ for that
+hour. When the time mentioned arrives, the chairman calls the business,
+or any member may demand it, with or without a vote: and all pending
+questions are postponed in consequence.
+
+
+_Point of Order_
+
+Any member who believes that a speaker is out of order, or that
+discussion is proceeding improperly, may at any time _rise to a point
+of order._ He must distinctly state his question or objection, which
+the moderator will decide.
+
+
+_Privileges_
+
+Questions relating to the _rights_ and _privileges_ of members are of
+primary importance, and, until disposed of, take precedence of all
+other business, and supersede all other motions, except that of
+adjournment.
+
+
+_Rule Suspended_
+
+A rule of order may be _suspended_ by a vote of the body, to allow the
+transaction of business necessary, but which could not otherwise be
+done without a violation of such rule.
+
+
+_Filling Blanks_
+
+Where different members are suggested for filling blanks, the _highest
+number, greatest distance,_ and _longest time_ are usually voted on
+first.
+
+
+_Adjournment_
+
+1. A simple motion _to adjourn_ is always in order, except while a
+member is speaking, or when taking a vote. It takes precedence of all
+other motions, and is not debatable.
+
+2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion to adjourn is in order while a
+speaker has the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business to stand,
+on reassembling, precisely as when adjournment took place.
+
+3. A body may adjourn to a specific time; but if no time be mentioned,
+the fixed, or usual time of meeting, is understood. If there be no
+fixed, or usual time of meeting, then an adjournment without date is
+equivalent to a dissolution.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VIII+
+
+CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
+
+All evangelical churches profess to take the Holy Scriptures as their
+only and sufficient guide in matters of religious faith and practice.
+Baptists, especially, claim to have no authoritative creed except the
+New Testament. It is common, however, for the churches to have
+formulated statements of what are understood to be the leading
+Christian doctrines, printed and circulated among their members. These
+are not uniform among the churches, but are in substantial agreement as
+to the doctrines taught. Indeed, each church is at liberty to prepare
+its own confession, or have none at all; no one form being held as
+binding and obligatory on the churches to adopt. Members, on being
+received to fellowship, are not required to subscribe or pledge
+conformity to any creed-form, but are expected to yield substantial
+agreement to that which the church with which they unite has adopted.
+
+There are two Confessions which have gained more general acceptance
+than any others, and are now being widely adopted by the churches over
+the country. As to substance of doctrine, they do not essentially
+differ. That known as the New Hampshire Confession is commonly used by
+the churches North, East, and West; while that known as the
+Philadelphia Confession, is very generally in use in the South and
+Southwest. The former is much more brief and for that reason preferred
+by many. The other is substantially the London Confession of Faith,
+published by English Baptists in 1689. It is much more full in
+statement than the other, and is higher in its tone as to the doctrines
+of grace.
+
+American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic as to substance of
+doctrine, but moderately so, being midway between the extremes of
+Arminianism and Antinomianism. Though diversities of opinion may
+incline to either extreme, the "general atonement" view is for the most
+part held, while the "particular atonement" theory is maintained by not
+a few. The freedom of the human will is declared, while the sovereignty
+of Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of the Spirit's work in
+faith and salvation are maintained. They practice "strict communion,"
+as do their mission churches in foreign lands. In Great Britain,
+Baptists are sharply divided between "strict and free communion," and
+between the particular and the general atonement theories.
+
+The New Hampshire Confession, with a few verbal changes, is here
+inserted. But some of the proof-texts usually accompanying these
+articles are, for want of space, omitted.[1]
+
+
+ARTICLES OF FAITH
+
+I. THE SCRIPTURES
+
+We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men Divinely inspired,
+and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction;[1] that it has God
+for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of
+error for its matter;[2] that it reveals the principles by which God
+will judge us;[3] and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the
+world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by
+which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
+
+[1] 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
+is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
+instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect,
+thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Sam.
+23:2; Acts 1:16.
+
+[2] Prov. 30:5, 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not unto His
+words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Also, John
+17:17; Rev. 22:18, 19; Rom. 3:4.
+
+[3] Rom. 2:12. As many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by
+the law. John 12:47, 48. If any man hear My words--the word that I have
+spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Also, 1 Cor. 4:3, 4;
+Luke 10:10-16; 12:47, 48.
+
+
+II. THE TRUE GOD
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one, and only one, living
+and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH,
+the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth:[1] inexpressibly
+glorious in holiness,[2] and worthy of all possible honor, confidence,
+and love;[3] that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy  Ghost;[4] equal in every Divine
+perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great
+work of redemption.
+
+[1] John 4:24. God is a spirit. Ps. 147:5. His understanding is
+infinite. Ps. 83:18. Thou whose name alone is JEHOVAH art the Most High
+over all the earth. Heb. 3:4; Rom. 1:20; Jer. 10:10.
+
+[2] Exod. 15:11. Who is like unto Thee--glorious in holiness? Isa. 6:3;
+1 Peter 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:6-8.
+
+[3] Mark 12:30. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
+and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
+strength. Rev. 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and
+honour, and power. Matt. 10:37; Jer. 2:12, 13.
+
+[4] Matt. 28:19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them
+in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. John
+15:26; 1 Cor. 12:4-6.
+
+
+III. THE FALL OF MAN
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in holiness, under
+the law of his Maker;[1] but by voluntary transgression fell from that
+holy and happy state;[2] in consequence of which all mankind are now
+sinners[3] not by constraint but choice; being by nature utterly void
+of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to
+evil; and therefore under just condemnation,[4] without defense or
+excuse.[5]
+
+[1] Gen. 1:27. God created man in His own image. Gen. 1:31. And God saw
+everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Eccl. 7:29;
+Acts 17:26; Gen. 2:16.
+
+[2] Gen. 3:6-24. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for
+food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
+make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave
+unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Rom. 5:12.
+
+[3] Rom. 5:19. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. John
+3:6; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:15-19; 8:7.
+
+[4] Eph. 2:3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past
+in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
+the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.
+
+[5] Ezek. 18:19, 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die. Rom. 1:20. So
+that they are without excuse. Rom. 3:19. That every mouth may be
+stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Gal. 3:22.
+
+
+IV. THE WAY OF SALVATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly
+of grace;[1] through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God;[2] who
+according to the will of the Father, became man, yet without sin;[3]
+honored the Divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made
+a full atonement for our sins;[4] that having risen from the dead, He
+is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the
+tenderest sympathies with Divine perfections, He is every way qualified
+to be a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.[5]
+
+[1] Eph. 2:5. By grace ye are saved. Matt. 18:11; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor.
+3:5-7; Acts 15:11.
+
+[2] John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
+begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
+have everlasting life.
+
+[3] Phil. 2:6-7. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to
+be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took on Him
+the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
+
+[4] Isa. 53:4, 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
+for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
+with His stripes we are healed.
+
+[5] Heb. 7:25. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost
+that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
+for them. Col. 2:9. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
+bodily.
+
+
+V. JUSTIFICATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the great Gospel blessing which
+Christ[1] secures to such as believe in Him is justification;[2] that
+justification includes the pardon of sin,[3] and the gift of eternal
+life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in
+consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but
+solely through faith in Christ; by means of which faith His perfect
+righteousness is freely imputed to us by God;[4] that it brings us into
+a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every
+other blessing needful for time and eternity.[5]
+
+[1] John 1:16. Of His fulness have all we received. Eph. 3:8.
+
+[2] Acts 13:39. By Him all that believe are justified from all things.
+Isa. 3:11, 12; Rom. 5:1.
+
+[3] Rom. 5:9. Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from
+wrath through Him. Zech. 13:1; Matt. 9:6; Acts 10:43.
+
+[4] Rom. 5:19. By the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.
+Rom. 3:24-26; 4:23-25; 1 John 2:12.
+
+[5] Rom. 5:1, 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God,
+through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith
+into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of
+God.
+
+
+VI. THE FREENESS OF SALVATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the blessings of salvation are
+made free to all by the Gospel:[1] that it is the immediate duty of all
+to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith;[2] and that
+nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his
+own determined depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel;[3]
+which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.[4]
+
+[1] Isa. 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the waters.
+Rev. 22:17. Whosoever will; let him take the water of life freely.
+
+[2] Acts 17:30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now
+commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Rom. 16:26; Mark 1:15; Rom.
+1:15-17.
+
+[3] John 5:40. Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. Matt.
+23:37; Rom. 9:32.
+
+[4] John 3:19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
+the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds
+were evil. Matt. 11:20; Luke 19:27; 2 Thess. 1:8.
+
+
+VII. REGENERATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that in order to be saved, men must be
+regenerated, or born again;[1] that regeneration consists in giving a
+holy disposition to the mind;[2] that it is effected in a manner above
+our comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection with Divine
+truth,[3] so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel;[4] and
+that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance,
+faith, and newness of life.[5]
+
+[1] John 3:3. Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born
+again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:6, 7; 1 Cor. 1:14; Rev.
+3:7-9; Rev. 21:27.
+
+[2] 2 Cor. 5:17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Ezek.
+36:26; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:28, 29.
+
+[3] John 3:8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
+sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
+goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 1:13; James
+1:16-18; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 2:13.
+
+[4] 1 Peter 1:22-25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
+through the Spirit. 1 John 5:1; Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:6-11.
+
+[5] Eph. 5:9. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
+righteousness, and truth. Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:18-23; Eph. 5:14-21; Matt.
+3:8-10, 7:20; 1 John 5:4, 18.
+
+
+VIII. REPENTANCE AND FAITH
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance and faith are sacred
+duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul by the
+regenerating Spirit of God;[1] whereby being deeply convinced of our
+guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by
+Christ,[2] we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and
+supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord
+Jesus as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone as the
+only and all-sufficient Saviour.[3]
+
+[1] Mark 1:15. Repent ye, and believe the gospel. Acts 11:18. Then hath
+God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Eph. 2:8. By
+grace are ye saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is
+the gift of God. 1 John 3:1.
+
+[2] John 16:8. He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
+and of judgment. Acts 2:38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
+baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
+of sins. Acts 16:30, 31.
+
+[3] Romans 10:9-11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
+Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the
+dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts 3:22, 23; Heb. 4:14.
+
+
+IX. GOD'S PURPOSE OF GRACE
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of
+God, according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and
+saves sinners;[1] that being perfectly consistent with the free agency
+of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end;[2]
+that it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness;[3] that
+it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility;[4] that it
+encourages the use of means; that it may be ascertained by its effects
+in all who truly accept of Christ;[5] that it is the foundation of
+Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves
+demands and deserves the utmost diligence.[6]
+
+[1] 2 Tim. 1:8, 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the
+gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and called us
+with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
+own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
+world began.
+
+[2] 2 Thess. 2:13, 14. But we are bound to give thanks always to God
+for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
+beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit
+and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the
+obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
+
+[3] 1 Cor. 4:7. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what
+hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
+why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 1:26-31;
+Rom. 3:27.
+
+[4] 2 Tim. 2:10. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes,
+that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
+eternal glory. 1 Cor. 9:22; Rom. 8:28-30.
+
+[5] 1 Thess. 1:4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
+
+[6] 2 Peter 1:10, 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
+make your calling and election sure. Phil. 3:12; Heb. 6:11.
+
+
+X. SANCTIFICATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification is the process by
+which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His
+holiness;[1] that it is a progressive work;[2] that it is begun in
+regeneration; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the
+presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the
+continual use of the appointed means--especially the Word of
+God--self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer;[3] and in
+the practice of all godly exercise and duties.[4]
+
+[1] 1 Thess. 4:3. For this is the will of God, even your
+sanctification. 1 Thess. 5:23. And the very God of peace sanctify you
+wholly. 2 Cor. 7:1; 13:9; Eph. 1:4.
+
+[2] Prov. 4:18. The path of the just is as the shining light, which
+shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.
+
+[3] Phil. 2:12, 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and
+trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of
+his good pleasure. Eph. 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor.
+13:5; Luke 11:35; 9:23; Matt. 26:41; Eph. 6:18, 4:30.
+
+[4] 1 Tim. 4:7. Exercise thyself unto godliness.
+
+
+XI. PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate,
+being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish, but
+will endure unto the end;[1] that their preservering attachment from
+Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial
+professors;[2] that a special Providence watches over their welfare;[3]
+and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto
+salvation.[4]
+
+[1] John 8:31. Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word, then are ye
+My disciples indeed. 1 John 2:27, 28.
+
+[2] 1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if
+they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
+they went out that it might be made manifest that they were not all of
+us.
+
+[3] Rom. 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good unto
+them that love God, to them who are the called according to His
+purpose. Matt. 6:30-33; Jer. 32:40.
+
+[4] Phil. 1:6. He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it
+until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 2:12, 13.
+
+
+XII. THE LAW AND GOSPEL
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the law of God is the eternal and
+unchangeable rule of his moral government;[1] that it is holy, just,
+and good;[2] and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to
+fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their sinful
+nature;[3] to deliver them from which, and to restore them through a
+Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one great end of
+the Gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment
+of the visible church.[4]
+
+[1] Rom. 3:31. Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea,
+we establish the law. Matt. 5:17; Luke 16:17; Rom. 3:20; 4:15.
+
+[2] Rom. 7:12. The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
+good. Rom. 7:7, 14, 22; Gal. 3:21; Ps. 119.
+
+[3] Rom. 8:7, 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
+subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
+in the flesh cannot please God.
+
+[4] Rom. 8:2-4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
+made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not
+do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
+the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;
+that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
+not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
+
+
+XIII. A GOSPEL CHURCH
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that a visible Church of Christ is a
+company of baptized believers,[1] associated by covenant in the faith
+and fellowship of the Gospel;[2] observing the ordinances of Christ;[3]
+governed by His laws;[4] and exercising the gifts, rights, and
+privileges invested in them by His Word;[5] that its only Scriptural
+officers are bishops or pastors, and deacons,[6] whose qualifications,
+claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
+
+[1] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were
+baptized; and the same day there were added to them about three
+thousand souls.
+
+[2] 2 Cor. 8:5. They first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto
+us by the will of God.
+
+[3] 1 Cor. 11:2. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all
+things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you.
+
+[4] Matt. 28:20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
+commanded you. John 13:15.
+
+[5] 1 Cor. 14:12. Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
+
+[6] Phil. 1:1. With the bishops and deacons. Acts 14:23, 15:22. 1 Tim.
+3, Titus 1.
+
+
+XIV. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the immersion
+in water of a believer in Christ,[1] into the name of the Father, and
+Son, and Holy Ghost;[2] to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
+his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect,
+in His death to sin and resurrection to a new life;[3] that it is
+prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation, and to the Lord's
+Supper.[4]
+
+[1] Acts 8:36-39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water: what doth
+hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all
+thy heart, thou mayest. . . . And they went down into the water, both
+Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Matt. 3:5, 6; John 3:22,
+23; 4:1, 2; Matt. 28:19.
+
+[2] Matt. 28:19. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
+Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 10:47, 48; Gal. 3:27, 28.
+
+[3] Rom. 6:4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death;
+that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
+Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Col. 2:12.
+
+[4] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were
+baptized, and there were added to them, the same day, about three
+thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles'
+doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
+Matt. 28:19, 20.
+
+
+XV. THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord's Supper is a provision
+of bread and wine, representing Christ's body and blood, partaken of by
+the members of the church assembled for that purpose,[1] in
+commemoration of the death of their Lord,[2] showing their faith and
+participation in the merits of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him
+for spiritual life and nourishment,[3] and their hope of life eternal
+through His resurrection from the dead; its observance to be preceded
+by faithful self-examination.[4]
+
+[1] Luke 22:19, 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake, and
+gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is given for you; this
+do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This
+cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Mark
+14:26-28; Matt. 26:27-30; 1 Cor. 11:22-30; 1 Cor. 10:16.
+
+[2] 1 Cor. 11:26. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
+ye do show the Lord's death until He come. Matt. 28:20.
+
+[3] John 6:35, 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.
+Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life. He that
+eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him.
+
+[4] 1 Cor. 11:28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of
+that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11.
+
+
+XVI. THE LORD'S DAY
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the first day of the week is the
+Lord's Day,[1] and is to be kept sacred to religious purposes[2] by
+abstaining from all secular labor, except works of mercy and
+necessity;[3] by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both
+private and public;[4] and by preparation for that rest that remaineth
+for the people of God.
+
+[1] Acts 20:7. On the first day of the week, when the disciples came
+together to break bread, Paul preached to them.
+
+[2] Exod. 20:8. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Rev. 1:10. I
+was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Ps. 113:2-4.
+
+[3] Isa. 58:13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from
+doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the Sabbath a delight, the
+holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own
+ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words;
+then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to
+ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage
+of Jacob. Isa. 56:2-8.
+
+[4] Heb. 10:24, 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
+together, as the manner of some is. Acts 13:44. The next Sabbath Day
+came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.
+
+
+XVII. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of Divine
+appointment, for the interest and good order of human society;[1] and
+that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and
+obeyed;[2] except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus
+Christ,[3] who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of
+the kings of the earth.[4]
+
+[1] Rom. 13:1-7. The powers that be are ordained of God. For rulers are
+not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
+
+[2] Matt. 22:21. Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are
+Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Titus 3:1; 1 Peter
+2:13; 1 Tim. 2:1-8.
+
+[3] Acts 5:29. We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt. 10:28. Fear
+not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Dan.
+3:15-18; 6:7, 10; Acts 4:18-20.
+
+[4] Matt. 23:10. Ye have one Master, even Christ. Rev. 19:16. And he
+hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND
+LORD OF LORDS. Ps. 72:11; Ps. 2; Rom. 14:8-13.
+
+
+XVIII. RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical and essential
+difference between the righteous and the wicked;[1] that such only as
+are regenerate, being justified through faith in Jesus Christ and
+sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His esteem;[2]
+while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are, in His
+sight, wicked and under the curse;[3] and this distinction holds among
+men, both in and after death.[4]
+
+[1] Mal. 3:18. Ye shall discern between the righteous and the wicked:
+between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Prov. 12:26;
+Isa. 5:26; Gen. 18:23; Jer. 15:19; Acts 10:34, 35; Rom. 6:16.
+
+[2] Rom. 1:17. The just shall live by faith. 1 John 2:29. If ye know
+that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness
+is born of Him. 1 John 3:7; Rom. 6:18, 22; 1 Cor. 11:32; Prov. 11:31; 1
+Peter 4:17, 18.
+
+[3] 1 John 5:19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world
+lieth in wickedness. Gal. 3:10. As many as are of the works of the law,
+are under the curse. John 3:36; Isa. 57:21; Ps. 10:4; Isa. 55:6, 7.
+
+[4] Prov. 14:32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the
+righteous hath hope in his death. Luke 16:25. Thou in thy lifetime
+receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now
+he is comforted, and thou art tormented. John 8:21-24; Prov. 10:24;
+Luke 12:4, 5; 11:23-26; John 12:25, 26; Eccl. 3:17.
+
+
+XIX. THE WORLD TO COME
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the end of the world is
+approaching;[1] that at the last day Christ will descend from
+heaven,[2] and raise the dead from the grave for final retribution;[3]
+that a solemn separation will then take place;[4] that the wicked will
+be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the righteous to endless joy;[5] and
+that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or
+hell on principles of righteousness.[6]
+
+[1] 1 Peter 4:7. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore
+sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Heb. 1:10-12; Matt. 24:35.
+
+[2] Acts 1:11. This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven,
+shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.
+
+[3] Acts 24:15. There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the
+just and unjust. 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 14:14; Dan. 12:2.
+
+[4] Matt. 13:49. The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from
+among the just. Matt. 13:37-43; 24:30, 31; 25:31-33.
+
+[5] Matt. 25:31-46. And these shall go away into everlasting
+punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. 22:11. He that is
+unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be
+filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and
+he that is holy; let him be holy still. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Mark 9:43-48.
+
+[6] 2 Thess. 1:6-12. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to
+recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to you who are
+troubled, rest with us . . . when He shall come to be glorified in His
+saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. Heb. 6:1, 2; 1 Cor.
+4:5; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:2-16; Rev. 20:11, 12; 1 John 2:28; 4:17;
+2 Peter 3:11, 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
+what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
+godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?
+
+
+COVENANT
+
+Having been, as we trust, brought by Divine grace to embrace the Lord
+Jesus Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him, we do now solemnly
+and joyfully covenant with each other TO WALK TOGETHER IN HIM, WITH
+BROTHERLY LOVE, to His glory, as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in
+His strength, engage--
+
+That we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each
+other, and faithfully warn, exhort, and admonish each other as occasion
+may require:
+
+That we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but will
+uphold the public worship of God and the ordinances of His house:
+
+That we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor neglect
+the great duty of religiously training our children, and those under
+our care, for the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:
+
+That, as we are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth, we
+will seek Divine aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and every worldly
+lust, and to walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win the souls
+of men:
+
+That we will cheerfully contribute of our property according as God has
+prospered us, for the maintenance of a faithful and evangelical
+ministry among us, for the support of the poor, and to spread the
+Gospel over the earth.
+
+That we will in all conditions, even till death, strive to live to the
+glory of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous
+light.
+
+"And may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord
+Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
+everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his
+will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight through
+Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the "Baptist Church
+    Directory."
+
+
+
++CHAPTER IX+
+
+OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS
+
+A Christian church should be the uncompromising friend of all virtue,
+and the determined enemy of all vice. Public morality and social purity
+should find in it an open and earnest advocate and defender. Churches
+should bear in mind that Christian morality, which constitutes their
+rule of life, claims a much higher standard than the morality of
+worldly society about them. Therefore their deportment should be such
+as to have a good report of them that are without, and command the
+respect of the world. In all this the pastor should be the wise but
+decided and courageous teacher, leader and exemplar for his people.
+
+There are certain questions of moral reform and social recreation with
+reference to which the churches are often much perplexed, but with
+reference to which they should have settled convictions, and hold a
+well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put definitions and
+restrictions touching intemperance, card-playing, theater-going,
+dancing, and the like, into covenants or articles of faith. A better
+way is for the church, after due consideration, to pass _standing
+resolutions_ on the subject, to be placed on its records as a guide to
+future action. Something like the following, to be varied at the option
+of the body, would serve as a declaration of principles:
+
+1. _Resolved,_ That this church expects every member to contribute
+statedly for its pecuniary support, according to his ability, as God
+has prospered him, and that a refusal to do this will be considered a
+breach of covenant.
+
+2. _Resolved,_ That this church will entertain and contribute statedly
+to Home and Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects of Christian
+benevolence, approved of and supported by our denomination.
+
+3. _Resolved,_ That the religious education of the young and Bible
+study as represented in Sunday school work commend themselves to our
+confidence, and we will, to the extent of our ability, give them our
+sympathy and our aid, by both our personal cooperation and
+contributions and expressed appreciation of all their legitimate aims
+and work.
+
+4. _Resolved,_ That in our opinion, the use of intoxicating drinks as a
+beverage, and also the manufacture and sale of the same for such a
+purpose are contrary to Christian morals, injurious to personal piety,
+and a hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons so using, making, or
+selling, are thereby disqualified for membership in this church.
+
+5. _Resolved,_ That we emphatically discountenance and condemn the
+practice of church-members frequenting theaters and other similar
+places of public amusements, as inconsistent with a Christian
+profession, detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious in the
+influence of its example on others.
+
+6. _Revolved,_ That the members of this church are earnestly requested
+not to provide for, take part in, or by any means encourage dancing or
+card-playing; but in all consistent ways to discountenance the same as
+a hindrance to personal godliness in their associations and tendencies,
+and an offense to brethren whom we should not willingly grieve.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER X+
+
+BAPTISM CONSIDERED
+
+What is Christian baptism? This is the gravest question which enters
+into the baptismal controversy. Other questions of moment there are in
+connection with it, touching the design, the efficacy, and the
+subjects. But it is of primary importance to know what constitutes
+baptism.
+
+Baptists answer the question by saying that baptism is the immersion,
+dipping, or burying in water, of a professed believer in Christ, in the
+name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
+
+Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, answer the question
+by saying that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring of water
+upon the candidate, touching the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping
+the person wholly into water; in either case in the name of the Father,
+the Son, and the Spirit; and that it may be administered to a candidate
+on his profession of faith, or to an unconscious infant on the
+professed faith of parents or sponsors. This would make four kinds of
+baptism, and two classes of subjects for its reception; and would
+consist rather in the application of water to the person, than putting
+the person into water.
+
+Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance, as well as to a oneness of
+the faith; insisting that as there is but one Lord, and one faith, so
+there is but one baptism. And the dipping in water of a professed
+disciple of Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling a person
+with water, nor pouring water upon him can by any possibility be
+Christian baptism. That this position is the true one, we appeal to the
+New Testament, and the best extant historical and philological
+authorities to establish.
+
+Let it be distinctly understood, however, that all the eminent names
+and learned authorities hereafter cited are Pedobaptists. Baptist
+authorities are wholly omitted, not because they are less accurate or
+less valuable, but because we prefer to allow our opponents in this
+controversy to bear witness for us, rather than to testify in our own
+behalf.
+
+
+THE MEANING OF THE WORD
+
+The word _baptize_ is, properly speaking, a Greek word (_baptizo_),
+adapted to the English language by a change in its termination. This is
+the word always used by Christ and His Apostles to express and define
+the ordinance. What does that word mean as originally used? For it is
+certain that our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed by believers
+of all classes, in all lands, and through all ages, would use a word of
+positive and definite import, and one whose meaning would admit of no
+reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars say? How do the Greek lexicons
+define the word?
+
+SCAPULA says: "To _dip,_ to immerse, as we do anything for the purpose
+of dyeing it."
+
+SCHLEUSNER says: "Properly it signifies to _dip,_ to immerse, to
+immerse in water."
+
+PARKHURST says: "To dip, _immerse,_ or plunge in water."
+
+STEVENS says: "To merge, or _immerse,_ to submerge, or bury in water."
+
+DONNEGAN says: "To _immerse_ repeatedly into liquid, to submerge, to
+soak thoroughly."
+
+ROBINSON says: "To _immerse,_ to sink."
+
+LIDDELL AND SCOTT say: "To _dip_ repeatedly."
+
+GRIMM'S LEXICON _of the New Testament,_ which in Europe and America
+stands confessedly at the head of Greek lexicography, as translated and
+edited by Professor Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines
+_baptizo:_ "(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, submerge. (2) To cleanse
+by dipping or submerging. (3) To overwhelm. In the New Testament it is
+used particularly of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted by
+John the Baptist, afterward by Christ's command received by Christians
+and adjusted to the contents and nature of their religion, viz., an
+_immersion_ in water, performed as a sign of the removal of sin, and
+administered to those who, impelled by a desire for salvation, sought
+admission to the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom. With _eis_ to mark
+the element into which the immersion is made; _en_ with the dative or
+the thing in which one is immersed."
+
+The noun _baptisma,_ the only other word used in the New Testament to
+denote the rite, GRIMM-THAYER thus define: "A word peculiar to the New
+Testament and ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John's baptism; (2)
+of Christian baptism. This, according to the view of the Apostles, is a
+rite of sacred _immersion_ commanded by Christ."
+
+Add to those such authorities as Alstidius, Passow, Schöttgen,
+Stockius, Stourdza, Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenmüller, Wetstein, Leigh,
+Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius, Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many
+others who bear the same witness to the proper meaning of the word
+_baptize._ If at any time the word may have a secondary meaning, it is
+strictly in accord with its primary meaning--to dip, or immerse. For
+both classic and sacred Greek the same meaning holds.
+
+PROF. MOSES STUART, one of the ablest scholars America has produced,
+declared: "_Baptizo_ means to dip, plunge, or _immerse_ into any
+liquid. All lexicographers and critics of any note are agreed in this."
+_Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository, 1833, p. 298._
+
+"All lexicographers and critics, of any note, are agreed in this," says
+one of the foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist. What a
+concession!
+
+The Greek language is rich in terms for the expression of all positive
+ideas, and all varying shades of thought. Why, then, did our Lord in
+commanding, and His Apostles in transmitting His command to posterity,
+use _always_ and _only_ the one word _baptizo,_ to describe the action,
+and that one word _baptisma,_ to describe the ordinance to which He
+intended all His followers to submit? The word _louo_ means to _wash_
+the body, and _nipto_ to wash parts of the body; but these words are
+not used, because washing is not what Christ meant. _Rantizo_ means to
+_sprinkle,_ and if sprinkling were baptism this would have been the
+word above all others; but it was never so used. _Cheo_ means to
+_pour:_ but pouring is not baptism, and so this word was never used to
+describe the ordinance. _Katharizo_ means to _purify,_ but it is not
+used for the ordinance. The facts are clear and the reasoning
+conclusive.
+
+STOURDZA, the Russian scholar and diplomat, says: "The church of the
+West has then departed from the example of Jesus Christ; she has
+obliterated the whole sublimity of the exterior sign. Baptism and
+immersion are _identical._ Baptism by _aspersion_ is as if one should
+say _immersion_ by _aspersion,_ or any other absurdity of the same
+nature." _Considerations, Orthodox Ch., p. 87._
+
+
+THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
+
+The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is thus described: "And Jesus, when
+He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water" (Matt. 3:16).
+And again, it is recorded that Jesus "was baptized of John in Jordan:
+and straightway coming up out of the water" (Mark 1:10). He certainly
+would not go down into Jordan to have water sprinkled on Him. Nobody
+believes He would. He was baptized _in_ Jordan, not _with_ Jordan.
+Moreover, he was _baptized,_ that is, _immersed,_ not _rantized,_ that
+is, _sprinkled._
+
+BISHOP TAYLOR says: "The custom of the ancient churches was not
+sprinkling, but _immersion,_ in pursuance of the meaning of the word in
+the commandments and the example of our blessed Saviour." _Commentary
+on Matthew 3:16._
+
+MACKNIGHT says: "Christ submitted to be baptized, that is, to be
+_buried_ under water, and to be raised out of it again, as an emblem of
+his future death and resurrection." _Com. Epis., Rom. 6:4._
+
+And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot, Whitby, Poole, Olshausen,
+Meyer, Alford, and many other commentators and scholars. All those whom
+John baptized he buried beneath the waters, and raised them up again.
+
+
+MUCH WATER NEEDED
+
+It is recorded that "John also was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim,
+because there was much water there" (John 3:23). Why need much water
+except for dipping, or burying candidates in the act of baptism?
+
+JOHN CALVIN, the great theologian, scholar, and commentator, whom
+Scaliger pronounced the most learned man in Europe, says: "From the
+words of John (chap. 3:23) it may be inferred that baptism was
+administered by John and Christ, by _plunging_ the whole body under
+water." _Com. on John 3:23._
+
+POOLE says: "It is apparent that both Christ and John baptized by
+dipping the whole body in the water, else they need not have sought
+places where had been a great plenty of water." _Annot. John 3:23._
+
+WHITBY says: "Because there was much water there in which their whole
+bodies might be dipped." _Crit. Com. John 3:23._
+
+With these agree Bengel, Curcælleus, Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and
+others.
+
+
+PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH
+
+"And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch,
+and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the
+Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (Acts 8:38). Why go down into
+the water, both, or either of them, if not for an immersion?
+
+VENEMA, the ecclesiastical historian, says: "It is without controversy,
+that baptism in the primitive church was administered by _immersion_
+into water, and not by sprinkling; seeing that John is said to have
+baptized in Jordan, and where there was much water, as Christ also did
+by His disciples in the neighborhood of those places. Philip also going
+down into the water baptized the eunuch." _Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec.
+138._
+
+To this may be added Calvin, Grotius, Towerson, Poole, and others to
+the same effect.
+
+
+THE TESTIMONY OF SCHOLARS
+
+Great men are not always wise. Our search should be for the _truth_
+wherever found; and though our final appeal in these matters is to the
+New Testament, still we are glad to use the testimony of distinguished
+scholars where it affirms the teachings of the Scriptures and confirms
+our position on the baptismal question. Especially so, as these
+scholars are not of our own, but of other denominations.
+
+ZANCHIUS, the learned Roman Catholic professor of Heidelberg, whose
+opinion De Courcy declared, "is worth a thousand others," said: "The
+proper signification of _baptize_ is to _immerse,_ plunge under,
+overwhelm in water." _Works, Vol. VI., p. 217. Geneva, 1619._
+
+LUTHER, the great German Reformer, says: "The term _baptism_ is Greek;
+in Latin it may be translated _mersio:_ since we _immerse_ anything
+into water, that the whole may be covered with the water." _Works, Vol.
+I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582._
+
+MELANCHTHON, the most scholarly and able co-laborer with Luther, says:
+"Baptism is _immersion_ into water, with this admirable benediction."
+_Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580._
+
+CAVE, in his able work on Christian Antiquities, says: "The party to be
+baptized was _wholly immersed,_ or put under water." _Prim. Christ., P.
+I. Chap. X. p. 320._
+
+BEZA, the learned translator of the New Testament, says: "Christ
+commanded us to be baptized, by which word it is certain _immersion_ is
+signified." _Annot. on Mark 7:4._
+
+MEDE, the distinguished English scholar and Divine, says, "There was no
+such thing as _sprinkling_ used in the Apostles' days, nor for many
+ages after them." _Dis. on Titus 3:5._
+
+GROTIUS, who his biographer calls one of the most illustrious names in
+literature, politics, and theology says: "That baptism used to be
+performed by _immersion,_ and not by pouring, appears by the proper
+signification of the word, and by the places chosen for the
+administration of the rite." _Annot. on Matt. 3:6; John 3:23._
+
+ADAM CLARK, the great Methodist commentator, says: "Alluding to the
+_immersions_ practiced in the case of adults, wherein the person
+appeared to be _buried_ under the water as Christ was buried in the
+heart of the earth." _Com. on Col. 2:12._
+
+FREDERICK MEYER, one of the ablest and most accurate exegetes of the
+present age, says: "_Immersion,_ which the word in classic Greek and in
+the New Testament ever means." _Com. on Mark 7:4._
+
+DEAN ALFORD says: "The baptism was administered by _immersion_ of the
+whole person." _Greek Testament, Matt. 3:6._
+
+BISHOP BOSSUET, the celebrated French Catholic bishop, orator, and
+counselor of state, says: "To baptize, signifies to _plunge,_ as is
+granted by all the world." See _Stenett ad Russen, p. 174._
+
+DOCTOR SCHAFF, the well-known church historian, says: "_Immersion,_ and
+not sprinkling, was unquestionably the original form. This is shown by
+the very meaning of the words _baptizo, baptisma,_ and _baptismos_ used
+to designate the rite." _Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488. Merc. ed., 1851. Also
+see Noel on Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8._
+
+DEAN STANLEY, the distinguished scholar, and historian of the Oriental
+Church, says: "The practice of the Eastern Church, and the meaning of
+the word, leave no sufficient ground for question that the original
+form of baptism was _complete immersion_ in the deep baptismal waters."
+_Hist. Eastern Church, p. 34._
+
+PROFESSOR FISHER, of Yale College, the accomplished scholar and
+historian, says of the Apostolic age: "The ordinary mode of baptism was
+by _immersion._" _Hist. Christ. Church, p. 41._
+
+PROFESSOR RIDDLE says: "There is no doubt that the usual mode of
+administering baptism in the early church, was by _immersion,_ or
+plunging the whole body of the person baptized under water." _Christ.
+Antiq., p. 502._
+
+Add to the above the testimony of Bishops Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius,
+Poole, Vitringa, Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark, Bloomfield, Scholz,
+Neander, and many others to the same effect, none of whom were Baptists.
+
+
+APOSTOLICAL ALLUSIONS
+
+What idea could the Apostle have had as to the nature of baptism, when
+in two of his epistles he alludes to it as a _burial_ except that it
+was a dipping or burial in water? To the Romans he says: "Therefore we
+are _buried_ with him, by baptism, into death" (Rom. 6:4). To the
+Colossians, in nearly the same language, "_Buried_ with him in baptism"
+(Col. 2:12). No one can misunderstand the meaning of these words.
+Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing, cleansing--nothing but a complete
+submersion--can represent a burial. And no candid mind could
+misunderstand such language, unless blinded or biased by prejudice,
+education, or sophistical reasoning from others.
+
+ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON makes this comment: "Anciently those who were
+baptized were _immersed_ and _buried_ in the water, to represent their
+death to sin; and then did rise up out of the water, to signify their
+entrance upon a new life. And to this custom the Apostle alludes."
+_Works, Vol. I., p. 170._
+
+JOHN WESLEY, the celebrated founder of Methodism, says: "Buried with
+him, alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by _immersion._" _Note
+on Rom. 6:4._
+
+CONYBEARE says: "This passage cannot be understood unless it be borne
+in mind that the primitive baptism was by _immersion._" _Life and
+Epist. St. Paul, Rom. 6:4._
+
+BLOOMFIELD says: "Here is a plain allusion to the ancient custom of
+baptizing by _immersion,_ and I agree with Koppe and Rosenmüller, that
+there is reason to regret it should ever have been abandoned in most
+Christian churches; especially as it has so evident a reference to the
+mystical sense of baptism." _Recens. Synop., Rom. 6:4._
+
+WHITEFIELD says: "It is certain that in the words of our text (Rom.
+6:4) there is an allusion to the manner of baptizing which was by
+_immersion._" _Eighteen Sermons, p. 297._
+
+MEYER says: "The candidate says to himself, Now I enter into fellowship
+with the death of Christ; I am to be buried with Christ in the
+_immersion,_ and in the _emersion_ I rise with Christ to newness of
+life." _Com. on Rom. 6:4._
+
+Add to these the names of Bishop Fell, Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark,
+Estius, Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin, Zwingli,
+Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with others equally good in authority, and what
+no one ought to question seems to be put beyond doubt.
+
+
+THE WITNESS OF HISTORY
+
+Learned and devout men have studied with care the early records of
+Christianity, and have written histories of the doctrines and customs
+of the churches, during the ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.
+What do they tell us as to the use of baptism during the first
+centuries after Christ?
+
+BARNABAS, the companion of St. Paul; Hermas, writing about A. D. 95;
+Justin Martyr, about A. D. 140; Tertullian, about A. D. 204;
+Hippolytus, about A. D. 225; Gregory, about A. D. 360; Basil, about
+A. D. 360; Ambrose, about A. D. 374; Cyril, about A. D. 374;
+Chrysostom, about A. D. 400; all speak of being _dipped,_ or _buried,_
+or _immersed,_ or _plunged_ in the water in baptism; and none of them
+make the least allusion to any application of water to the person for
+baptism by sprinkling, pouring, washing, or any other mode whatsoever.
+
+DOCTOR WALL, whose learned and laborious researches in connection with
+his exhaustive work on the _History of Infant Baptism_ left little for
+others to discover in this field of scholarship, says: "The Greek
+Church in all its branches does still use _immersion,_ and so do all
+other Christians in the world, except the Latins. All those nations
+that do now, or formerly did submit to the Bishop of Rome, do
+ordinarily baptize their children by pouring or sprinkling. But _all
+other Christians in the world,_ who never owned the Pope's usurped
+power, do and ever did _dip_ their infants in the ordinary use. All the
+Christians in Asia, all in Africa, and about one-third in Europe are of
+the last sort." _Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p. 376, 3d ed._
+
+BINGHAM, in his _Origines,_ the ablest work we have in English on
+Christian Antiquities, says: "The ancients thought that immersion, or
+_burying under water,_ did more lively represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, as well as our own death to sin and rising
+again unto righteousness." _Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI._
+
+MOSHEIM says: "In this century (_the first_) baptism was administered
+in convenient places, without the public assemblies, and by _immersing_
+the candidate wholly in water." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch.
+4._
+
+NEANDER says: "In respect to the form of baptism, it was in conformity
+to the original institution, and the original import of the symbol,
+performed by _immersion,_ as a sign of entire baptism into the Holy
+Spirit, of being entirely penetrated with the same." _Ch. Hist., Vol.
+I., p. 310._ Also, _Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222._
+
+SCHAFF says: "Finally, so far as it respects the mode and manner of
+outward baptizing, there can be no doubt that _immersion,_ and not
+sprinkling was the original normal form." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488._
+
+PRESSENSÉ says: "Baptism, which was the sign of admission into the
+church, was administered by _immersion._ The convert was plunged
+beneath the water, and as he rose from it he received the laying on of
+hands." _Early Years of Christianity, p. 374._
+
+KURTZ says: "Baptism took place by a complete _immersion._" _Church
+History, p. 41._
+
+KRAUS says: "Baptism was performed by _immersion_ in the name of the
+Trinity." _Church History, p. 56. 1882._
+
+ELLICOTT says: "Jewish ablutions arrived at a ceremonial purity in the
+Levitical sense, and had nothing in common with the figurative act
+which portrayed through _immersion_ the complete disappearance of the
+old nature, and by the _emerging_ again, the beginning of a totally new
+life." _Life of Christ, p. 110._
+
+
+FOR THIRTEEN CENTURIES
+
+It is proved that not only was immersion practiced for baptism by
+Christ and His Apostles, but that for many ages after nothing else was
+known as baptism: and that for _thirteen hundred years_ it was the
+common and prevailing form over the whole Christian world, with only
+exceptional departures, hereafter to be noticed. And that though the
+Latin or Roman Church did finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right
+to change ordinances, the Greek and all the Oriental churches retained
+dipping, as they do to this day.
+
+DOCTOR STACKHOUSE says: "Several authors have shown and proved that
+this manner of _immersion_ continued, as much as possible, to be used
+for _thirteen hundred years_ after Christ." _Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1._
+
+BISHOP BOSSUET says: "We are able to make it appear, by the acts of
+councils and by ancient rituals, that for _thirteen hundred years_
+baptism was thus administered [by immersion] throughout the whole
+church, as far as possible." _Cited, Stennet ad Russen, p. 176._
+
+HAGENBACH says: "From the _thirteenth century_ sprinkling came into
+more general use in the West. The Greek Church, however, and the church
+of Milan still retained the practice of _immersion._" _Hist. Doct. Vol.
+II., p. 84, note 1._
+
+VAN OOSTERZEE says: "This _sprinkling,_ which appears to have first
+come generally into use in the _thirteenth century_ in place of the
+entire _immersion_ of the body, in imitation of the previous baptism of
+the sick, has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical character
+of the act is expressed by it much less conspicuously than by complete
+immersion and burial under the water." _Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p.
+749._
+
+COLEMAN says: "The practice of immersion continued even until the
+_thirteenth or fourteenth_ century. Indeed, it has never been formally
+abandoned." _Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12._
+
+To the same effect is the testimony of Doctors Brenner, Von Cölln,
+Winer, Augusti, Bingham, and others.
+
+
+AS TO THE GREEK CHURCH
+
+It is a notable fact and worthy of record in this discussion, that the
+Greek Church has always retained immersion in baptism. This church
+extends over Greece, Russia, Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and
+other Oriental countries. Like the Latin Church, it has corrupted the
+primitive purity of Gospel doctrine and practice with many absurd
+glosses and superstitious rites. It practices infant baptism, yet it is
+by _dipping,_ even in the severe climate of Siberia; and it uses
+_trine_ immersion, or dipping the candidate three times, one to each of
+the names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its branches immersion is
+retained.
+
+THE EDINBURGH ENCYCLOPEDIA says: "The Greek Church, as well as the
+Schismatics in the East, retained the custom of _immersing_ the whole
+body; but the Western Church adopted, in the _thirteenth century,_ the
+mode of sprinkling, which has been continued by the Protestants,
+Baptists only excepted." _Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism._
+
+These statements are fully confirmed by Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius,
+Buddeus, Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman and others, who have
+written on the state and history of the Greek Church.
+
+
+THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM
+
+What was baptism intended to represent? As a religious rite it meant
+something, had some symbolic force, and represented some moral or
+spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning was clearly this: to show forth
+the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, who died for our sins,
+and rose again for our justification. And every believer who receives
+this ordinance, professes thereby to have faith in the merits of
+Christ's death as the ground of his own hope of Salvation; to have
+fellowship also with His sufferings, and makes a declaration of his own
+death to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ. It also typifies the
+washing of regeneration; it further declares the candidate's hope of a
+resurrection from the dead, even as Christ, into the likeness of whose
+death he is buried, was raised up by the glory of the Father. Chiefly
+_death, burial,_ and _resurrection:_ the great facts of redemptive
+grace are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism does teach all this,
+and immersion alone can teach it. Careful students of the New Testament
+have clearly seen this, and very generally confessed it, whatever may
+have been their practice.
+
+BISHOP NEWTON says: "Baptism was usually performed by _immersion,_ or
+dipping the whole body under water, to represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, and thereby signify the person's own dying to
+sin, the destruction of its power, and his resurrection to a new life."
+_Pract. Expos. Cate., p. 297._
+
+Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond, Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight,
+Olshausen, Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus, Frankius, Wall,
+Towerson, Adam Clark, Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony as to
+the design of the ordinance, and how it is answered in immersion only.
+
+
+A SUFFICIENCY OF WATER
+
+There have been found persons so ignorant, or so weak, or so perverse
+in their opposition to immersion, as to assert that the Jordan was a
+small stream, so nearly dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient
+depth of water for the immersion of the multitudes of the disciples of
+John and of Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and also that
+Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation for the immersion of the
+thousands of converts at the Pentecost, and on subsequent occasions.
+People are becoming more intelligent, and more candid, and it is
+possible that such puerile objections are no more heard. But it may be
+well to give passing notice to the facts.
+
+DR. EDWARD ROBINSON, at that time professor in the Union Theological
+Seminary, New York City, in 1840, made a careful survey of Palestine,
+including the Jordan valley and river. His published statements
+corroborate those of others previously made, as to the abundant supply
+of water, both in the Jordan, and in the city of Jerusalem. He cites
+the published statements of earlier explorers, whose works are known to
+the reading public: Seetzen, who visited that country in 1806;
+Burkhardt, who explored it in 1812; Irby and Mangles, in 1818; and
+Buckingham, who traveled through it about the same time. See
+_Robinson's Bib. Researches, Vol. II., Sec. 10, pp. 257-267._
+
+LIEUTENANT LYNCH, of the United States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by
+our government in charge of an expedition to explore the river Jordan
+and the Dead Sea. Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century missionary
+in Syria and Palestine, traversed the land in 1857, and Dean Stanley in
+1853, and others more recently. For a complete refutation of such
+puerile objections as those above mentioned, and a confirmation of
+Baptist claims, see the following works: Robinson's "Biblical
+Researches," Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267; Lynch's "Dead Sea
+Expedition," Ch. 10 and 11; Thomson's "The Land and the Book," Vol.
+II., pp. 445-6; Stanley's "Syria and Palestine," Ch. 7, pp. 306-7;
+Barclay's "The City of the Great Kings," ch. 10; and other citations in
+"Baptist Church Directory."
+
+
+THE RISE OF SPRINKLING
+
+The question will naturally arise and very properly, When did
+sprinkling for baptism first come into use? And how came it to pass,
+that a human device superseded and took the place of a Divine
+institution? These questions are fully and satisfactorily answered by
+Pedobaptist scholars themselves, whose testimony we accept as a
+justification of Baptist views.
+
+For _two hundred and fifty years_ after Christ we have no evidence of
+any departure from the primitive practice of immersion. At length the
+idea came to prevail that baptism possessed saving virtue, and had
+power to purify and sanctify the soul, making its salvation more
+secure. It was consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized. Here was
+the germ of the pernicious dogma of "baptismal regeneration," the
+foundation alike of infant baptism and of sprinkling instead of
+immersion.
+
+The first authenticated instance of _sprinkling_ occurred about the
+middle of the third century, or A. D. 250. This was the case of
+Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives this case, and Doctor Wall in
+his laborious researches could find no earlier instance; good evidence
+that no earlier existed. Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing
+himself about to die, was anxious to be baptized. The case seemed
+urgent, and as he was thought to be too feeble to be _immersed,_ a
+substitute was resorted to; water was poured profusely over him as he
+lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as possible a submersion. The
+word used to describe this action (_perichutheis, purfusus_) has
+usually been rendered _besprinkle;_ it rather means to pour profusely
+over and about one. This it was thought might answer the purpose in
+such an emergency.
+
+From this time onward pouring and sprinkling were resorted to at times
+of extreme illness, or feebleness, where persons could not leave their
+beds, and hence was termed _clinic_ baptism, from _clina,_ a couch. But
+it was always regarded as a substitute for baptism, rather than baptism
+itself; and its validity was doubted. Novatian himself having recovered
+from his sickness, was objected to when his friends proposed to make
+him bishop, because, it was said, he had never been properly baptized.
+It was not, however, until the seventeenth century that sprinkling
+became common in Europe, in France first, and then extending through
+those countries over which the pope held sway. At length, accepted by
+Calvin and the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland, by John Knox,
+and other Scotch refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter from the
+persecution to which they had been exposed in their native country;
+then into England: and in 1643 it was adopted as the exclusive mode of
+baptism by a majority of one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines,
+and sanctioned by Parliament the next year. All of which is verified by
+Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius, Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,
+"Ency. Brit.," "Edin. Ency.," and other reliable historical
+authorities.[1]
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For more numerous citations on this subject, see the "Star Book
+    on Christian Baptism," and "The Baptist Church Directory."
+
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XI+
+
+THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+The Lord's Supper, called also the "Eucharist," and the "Communion," is
+the most sacred act of Christian worship, and the highest expression of
+the mysteries of our holy religion. It is a service in which bread and
+wine--the _loaf_ and the _cup_--are used to represent the body and the
+blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for us. The bread is _broken,_
+distributed, and eaten; the wine is _poured,_ distributed, and drunk by
+the members of the assembled church, to show the sacrifice of Christ,
+His body broken, and His blood shed for their redemption; and that by
+His death they have life. Being begotten of God through the operation
+of the Spirit, their new life is sustained and nourished by mystically
+feeding on Him who is the Bread of God, which came down from heaven to
+give life to the world. He said: "This do in remembrance of Me." "As
+oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord's
+death, till He come." "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
+drink His blood, ye have no life in you." "Whoso eateth My flesh and
+drinketh My blood hath eternal life." "He that eateth My flesh, and
+drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him." It is a Divine
+reality, though a sublime mystery.
+
+
+OPEN AND CLOSE COMMUNION
+
+The controversy between Baptists and other denominations, so far as the
+Lord's Supper is concerned, has no reference to its nature, the purpose
+for which it was instituted, the manner of its administration, or the
+effect of the elements on the participants. It has reference simply to
+the proper _subjects_ for participation in the privilege. Who may, and
+who may not properly and of right come to the Lord's Table? On the
+question of what are the Scriptural qualifications of participants,
+Baptist and Pedobaptists differ--differ not as to the general rule to
+be applied, but as to its particular application. And this particular
+application leads to the controversy on what is called _"close
+communion,"_ as practiced by Baptists, and to what is called _"open
+communion,"_ as practiced by Pedobaptists.
+
+_What is open communion? Open,_ free or mixed communion is, strictly
+speaking, that which allows any one who desires, and believes himself
+qualified, to come to the Lord's Table, without any questions being
+asked, or conditions imposed by the church in which the ordinance is
+observed. But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of the
+greater part of the Pedobaptist churches, which hold that _sprinkling_
+is lawful baptism, and invite, not all persons, but members of all
+evangelical churches, whatever be their view of church order and
+ordinances; holding them all as being baptized because they have been
+sprinkled.
+
+_What is close communion? Close,_ strict, or restricted communion is,
+properly speaking, that which does not invite all indiscriminately to
+the Lord's Table, but restricts the privilege to a particular class.
+But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of Baptist churches,
+which invite only baptized believers, walking in orderly fellowship in
+their own churches. And by baptized believers, they mean, of course,
+immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling to be baptism at all.
+
+
+ONE AND THE SAME RULE
+
+_Observe further:_ That Baptists and Pedobaptists have one and the same
+rule in theory as to the proper qualification for participants, namely,
+they all hold that baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized persons
+have no legal right to the Lord's Supper, and cannot consistently be
+invited  to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized persons to the
+Lord's Table, however good Christians, since such could not become
+church-members, and the Supper is for those within the church, not for
+the outside world. For though there are a few churches and a few
+pastors, who in their extreme liberality might be disposed to invite
+everybody to the sacred ordinance yet such a course would be contrary
+to their denominational standards, and opposed to the usages of their
+churches generally.
+
+_Further observe:_ They all practice a restriction since they restrict
+the privilege to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,
+walking in orderly church fellowship. But Baptists and Pedobaptists
+differ as to what constitutes _baptism,_ the one rejecting, and the
+other accepting the validity of sprinkling. Thus Baptists' custom is
+more _"close,"_ and Pedobaptists' is more _"open,"_ by the difference
+between their views of baptism; and by that difference only.
+_Therefore,_ it is manifest that the question so called of "close" and
+"open" communion is really not a question of "communion" at all, but of
+what constitutes Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled, and the
+controversy as to the restriction of the Lord's Supper will cease.
+
+
+THE BAPTIST POSITION
+
+Baptists hold that there are _three_ imperative conditions precedent to
+the privileges of the Lord's Supper: 1. _Regeneration._ No unconverted
+person can with propriety, or of right, eat and drink at that sacred
+feast, in commemoration of Christ's death. They must be persons dead to
+sin, and alive to God; born again, through the operation of the Spirit.
+2. _Baptism._ Buried with Christ in baptism on a profession of faith in
+Him. No person, however good, and however manifestly regenerate, is
+prepared without baptism, according to the Divine order, to receive the
+Supper. Without baptism he cannot enter the fellowship of the church,
+where the Supper alone is to be enjoyed. 3. _An orderly walk is
+necessary._ An upright and consistent Christian walk, and godly
+conversation among the saints, and before the world. For though one may
+be truly regenerate, and properly baptized, yet if he be a disorderly
+walker, violating his covenant obligations, living in sin, and bringing
+reproach on the Christian profession, he has no right to sit at the
+Lord's Table.
+
+The ordinances are a sacred trust which Christ has committed to the
+churches as custodians, and which they are to watch and guard from all
+profane intrusion, and improper use, with the most sedulous fidelity.
+Baptists believe that in order to maintain the purity and spirituality
+of the churches, it is necessary to maintain the ordinances pure; and
+especially necessary to restrict the Supper to regenerate and godly
+persons, baptized on a profession of their faith, into the fellowship
+of the saints. To adopt any other rule, or to allow any larger liberty,
+would break down the distinction between the church and the world;
+would bring in a carnal and unconverted membership, and transfer the
+sacred mysteries of the body and the blood of Christ from the temple of
+God to the temple of Belial. This would be disloyalty to Christ.
+
+The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those who _believed_ and _gladly
+received the Word,_ were _baptized._ Then they were _added to the
+church._ Then they continued steadfastly in the _Apostles' doctrine,_
+and fellowship, and in _breaking of bread,_ and in _prayer._
+
+_Notice,_ they were not baptized till they had received the Word and
+believed. They were not added to the church till they had believed and
+been baptized. They did not engage in the breaking of bread (that is,
+the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized, and were added to
+the church. This is the Divine order; and this is the order which
+Baptists maintain and defend.
+
+
+PEDOBAPTIST CLOSE COMMUNION
+
+It has already been shown that Pedobaptists themselves practice a
+restricted or close communion, limiting the privilege to baptized (as
+they call them) members of evangelical churches, and that their
+communion is more liberal than that of the Baptists only, and only by
+so much as their baptism (so-called) is more liberal than that of
+Baptists.
+
+But in some respects Pedobaptists practice a "close communion,"
+restrictive in its conditions, far beyond anything known to Baptists
+whose illiberality they are accustomed to magnify. They exclude a large
+class of their own members from the Lord's Table--namely, _baptized
+children!_ Baptists do not deny the Lord's Supper to their own members
+in good standing. If children are suitable subjects for baptism, it
+seems most unreasonable and unjust to deny them the Supper. If they can
+be benefited by one ordinance, can they not be equally benefited by the
+other? If they can receive the one on the faith of sponsors, can they
+not receive the other in the same way? Who has authorized parents or
+ministers to give baptism to unconverted and unconscious children, and
+refuse them the Lord's Supper? By denying the Supper to baptized
+children, Pedobaptists act contrary to the traditions of the ancient
+churches, which they are accustomed to cite with so much assurance, in
+defense of infant baptism. Do they not know that those ancient churches
+(not the primitive churches) gave the Lord's Supper to infants for many
+centuries? And the Greek Church, through all its branches, continues
+still the same practice.
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "After the general introduction of infant baptism,
+in the _second and third centuries,_ the sacrament continued to be
+administered to all who had been baptized, whether infants or adults.
+The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for this practice was, that
+age was no impediment. Augustine strongly advocates the practice. The
+custom continued for several centuries. It is mentioned in the third
+Council of Tours, A. D. 813; and even the Council of Trent, A. D. 1545,
+only decreed that it should not be considered essential to salvation.
+It is still scrupulously observed by the Greek Church." _Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4, Sec. 7. Many other
+writers bear the same testimony._
+
+
+THE POWER OF SYMPATHY
+
+There is a small class of Baptists who are at times inclined to desire,
+and it may be, to seek a wider liberty at the Lord's Table than they
+find accorded in their own churches. The one prevailing argument with
+them is _sympathy._ To them it seems kindly and fraternal to invite all
+who say they love our common Lord and Saviour to unite in commemorating
+His death in the Supper. Even if they have not been baptized, they
+themselves believe they have, and they are good Christian people. "Why
+stand upon a technicality?" they say. To such the service is merely a
+sentimental service; a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,
+rather than an instituted commemoration of their dying Lord. They have
+neither Scripture, logic, expediency, the scholarship, nor the
+concurrent practice of Christendom, either past or present, to sustain
+their position. But _sympathy_ influences them; yet sympathy should not
+control conduct in matters of faith, or in acts of conscience. It is a
+grave perversion when affection for his disciples sways us more than
+fidelity to our Lord. We should not be so kind to _them_ as to be
+untrue to _Him._ Sincere Christians will honor those who are loyal to
+Christ, even though they differ in opinion.
+
+
+THREE FACTS EXPLAINED
+
+Baptists give the following reasons in justification of their course in
+the following cases:
+
+1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the Lord's Supper with them,
+because such persons are not baptized, as has been shown, they being
+simply sprinkled. They may be true converts, and have the spiritual
+qualifications, but they are destitute of the ceremonial
+qualification--baptism. The "buried in baptism" comes before the
+"breaking of bread."
+
+2. They do not accept the invitation of Pedobaptist churches to eat at
+the Lord's Table with them, for the same reason; they are not baptized
+Christians. And while the appreciate their Christian fellowship, they
+could not accept their church fellowship, and sit at the Lord's Table
+with them, without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing their
+baptismal errors.
+
+3. They do not invite immersed members of Pedobaptist churches to the
+Lord's Supper with them, because such persons, though they may be truly
+regenerate and properly baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining
+in and giving countenance to churches which hold and practice serious
+errors as to both the ordinances. These churches use sprinkling for
+baptism and administer the ordinance to infants, both of which are
+unscriptural. And yet such persons, by remaining in them, encourage and
+support these errors, instead of protesting against them by leaving
+them. They insist on immersion for themselves, and yet by a strange
+inconsistency give their fellowship and influence to perpetuate and
+sanction sprinkling for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly
+Christian walking; and, therefore, very properly, Baptists decline to
+invite them to the Lord's Supper.
+
+
+PEDOBAPTIST WITNESSES
+
+In further proof that the position of Baptists as to the Lord's Supper
+is correct and Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with baptism, and
+not with the Supper; and that they must still continue to restrict the
+ordinance to baptized believers, or else admit that sprinkling is
+baptism, we cite the concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist scholars
+and Divines in evidence on our side.
+
+JUSTIN MARTYR, one of the early Christian Fathers, says of the Supper:
+"This food is called by us the Eucharist, of which it is not lawful for
+any one to partake but such as believe the things taught by us to be
+true, and have been baptized." _Apol. I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff's Church
+Hist., Ch. 2. p. 516._
+
+MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says: "Neither those doing penance, nor
+those not yet baptized, were allowed to be present at the celebration
+of this ordinance." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3._
+
+NEANDER, the great church historian, says: "At this celebration, as may
+be easily concluded, no one could be present who was not a member of
+the Christian Church, and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism."
+_Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston, 1849._
+
+CAVE, one of the ablest writers on Christian antiquities, says the
+participants in the primitive church were those "that had embraced the
+doctrine of the Gospel, and had been baptized into the faith of Christ.
+For, looking upon the Lord's Supper as the highest and most solemn act
+of religion, they thought they could never take care enough in the
+dispensing of it." _Prim. Christ., Part I., Ch. 11, p. 333._
+
+BINGHAM, in his able work on the Antiquities of the Christian Church,
+says of the early Christians: "As soon as a man was baptized he was
+communicated"--that is, admitted to the communion. Baptism, therefore,
+essentially preceded the Supper.--_Christ. Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec.
+9, B. 15, Ch. 3._
+
+DOCTOR WALL, who searched the records of antiquity for facts
+illustrating the history of the ordinances, says: "No church ever gave
+the communion to any persons before they were baptized. Among all the
+absurdities that were ever held, none ever maintained that any person
+should partake of the communion before he was baptized." _Hist. Inf.
+Bap., Part II., Ch. 9._
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says of the early churches: "None indeed but believers
+in full communion with the church were permitted to be present." "But
+agreeably to all the laws and customs of the church, baptism
+constituted membership with the church. All baptized persons were
+legitimately numbered among the communicants as members of the church."
+_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8._
+
+DOCTOR SCHAFF says: "The communion was a regular part, and, in fact,
+the most important and solemn part of the Sunday worship, . . . in
+which none but full members of the church could engage." _Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871._
+
+DOCTOR DODDRIDGE says: "It is certain that so far as our knowledge of
+primitive antiquity reaches, no unbaptized person received the Lord's
+Supper." _Lectures, pp. 511, 512._
+
+DOCTOR DICK says: "An uncircumcised man was not permitted to eat the
+Passover; and an unbaptized man should not be permitted to partake of
+the Eucharist." _Theol., Vol. II., p. 220._
+
+DOCTOR BAXTER says: "What man dares go in a way which hath neither
+precept nor example to warrant it, from a way that hath full current of
+both? Yet they that will admit members into the visible church without
+baptism do so." _Plain Scripture Proof, p. 24._
+
+DOCTOR DWIGHT, President of Yale College, and author of "Systematic
+Theology," says: "It is an indispensable qualification for this
+ordinance that the candidate for communion be a member of the visible
+church in full standing. By this, I intend that he should be a man of
+piety; that he should have made a public profession of religion, and
+that he should have been baptized." _Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch.
+4. Sec. 7._
+
+DOCTOR GRIFFIN, one of the fathers of New England Congregationalism,
+says: "I agree with the advocates of close communion on two points:
+1. That baptism is the initiatory ordinance which introduces us into
+the visible church; of course, where there is no baptism, there are no
+visible churches. 2. That we ought not to commune with those who are
+not baptized, and of course not church-members, even if we regard them
+as Christians." _Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited by Curtis on Com., p.
+125._
+
+DOCTOR HIBBARD, a leading Methodist scholar and Divine, says: "In one
+principle Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree. They both agree in
+rejecting from communion at the table of the Lord, and in denying the
+rights of church fellowship to all who have not been baptized." And
+with admirable frankness, he adds: "The charge of _close communion_ is
+no more applicable to the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch
+as the question of church fellowship with them is determined by as
+liberal principles as it is with any other Protestant churches, so far,
+I mean, as the present subject is concerned--i.e., _it is determined by
+valid baptism._" _Hibbard on Christ. Bap., P. II., p. 174._
+
+DOCTOR BULLOCK, another Methodist Divine, says: "Close communion, as it
+is generally termed, is the only logical and consistent course for
+Baptist churches to pursue. If their premises are right, their
+conclusion is surely just as it should be." And he commends the
+firmness of Baptists in not inviting to the communion those whom they
+regard as unbaptized. He says: "They do not feel willing to countenance
+such laxity in Christian discipline. Let us honor them for their
+steadfastness in maintaining what they believe to be a Bible precept,
+rather than criticize and censure because they differ with us
+concerning the intent and mode of Christian baptism, and believe it to
+be an irrepealable condition of coming to the Lord's Table." _What
+Christians Believe._
+
+THE INDEPENDENT, one of the most widely circulated, and perhaps the
+most influential Pedobaptist paper in the country, in an editorial,
+says: "Leading writers of all denominations declare that converts must
+be baptized before they can be invited to the communion table. This is
+the position generally taken. But Baptists regarding sprinkling as a
+nullity--no baptism at all--look upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and
+others, as unbaptized persons." "The other churches cannot urge the
+Baptists to become open communionists till they themselves take the
+position that all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as
+well as the baptized, may be invited to the communion table."
+_Editorial, July, 1879._
+
+THE CONGREGATIONALIST, the organ of the New England Congregational
+Churches, in an editorial, says: "Congregationalists have uniformly,
+until here and there an exception has arisen of late years, required
+baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite of a seat at the
+table of the Lord. It is a part of the false 'liberality' which now
+prevails in certain quarters, to welcome everybody 'who thinks he loves
+Christ' to commune in His body and blood. Such a course is the first
+step in breaking down that distinction between the church and the
+world, which our Saviour emphasized; and it seems to us it is an unwise
+and mistaken act for which no Scriptural warrant exists." _Editorial,
+July 9, 1879._
+
+THE OBSERVER, of New York, the oldest and leading Presbyterian journal
+of this country, said: "It is not a want of charity which compels the
+Baptist to restrict his invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting
+the personal piety of his unimmersed brethren. Presbyterians do not
+invite the unbaptized, however pious they may be. It is not
+uncharitable. It is not bigotry on the part of Baptists to confine
+their communion to those whom they consider the baptized."
+
+THE INTERIOR, of Chicago, the organ of Western Presbyterians, said:
+"The difference between our Baptist brethren and ourselves is an
+important difference. We agree with them, however, in saying that
+unbaptized persons should not partake of the Lord's Supper. Their view
+compels them to think that we are not baptized, and shuts them up to
+close communion. Close communion is, in our judgment, a more defensible
+position than open communion, which is justified on the ground that
+baptism is not a prerequisite to the Lord's Supper. To charge Baptists
+with bigotry because they abide by the logical consequences of their
+system is absurd."
+
+THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, of New York, the leading journal of American
+Methodists, said: "The regular Baptist churches in the United States
+may be considered today as particularly a unit on _three points_--the
+non-use of infant baptism, the immersion of believers only upon a
+profession of faith, and the administration of the holy communion to
+such only as have been immersed by ministers holding these views. In
+our opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing prosperity largely to
+its adherence to these views. In doctrine and government, and in other
+respects, it is the same as Congregationalists. In numbers, the regular
+Baptists are more than six times as great as the Congregationalists. It
+is not bigotry to adhere to one's convictions, provided the spirit of
+Christian love prevails."
+
+THE EPISCOPAL RECORDER said: "The close communion of the Baptist
+churches is but the necessary sequence of the fundamental idea out of
+which their existence has grown. No Christian Church would willingly
+receive to its communion even the humblest and truest believer in
+Christ who had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion only is
+baptism, and they therefore of necessity exclude from the Lord's Table
+all who have not been immersed. It is an essential part of the
+system--the legitimate carrying out of the creed."
+
+BISHOP COXE, of the Episcopal diocese of Western New York, says: "The
+Baptists hold that we have never been baptized, and they must exclude
+us from their communion table, if we were disposed to go there. Are we
+offended? Do we call it illiberal? No; we call it _principle,_ and we
+respect it. To say that we have never become members of Christ by
+baptism seems severe, but it is a conscientious adherence to duty, as
+they regard it. I should be the bigot, and not they, if I should ask
+them to violate their discipline in this, or in any other particular."
+_On Christ. Unity, in "Church Union," July, 1891._
+
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XII+
+
+INFANT BAPTISM
+
+One of the customs held and upheld by Pedobaptist churches, which
+Baptists seriously condemn, is infant baptism. It is practiced by both
+Roman Catholics and Protestants as a religious institution; and though
+not held as sacredly, or practiced as widely as formerly, it still
+prevails to a wide extent throughout the Christian world. And yet it
+was not instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, nor known
+in the primitive churches, and has neither sanction nor recognition in
+the Word of God. It is for this reason that Baptists utterly reject and
+condemn the custom, as not simply useless and without authority, but as
+a most pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious both to the
+child that receives it, and to the church which allows it, can be
+easily shown. Baptism before faith, and without a profession it,
+contradicts and does violence to all New Testament teaching.
+
+
+NOT OF SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY
+
+Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural authority, and was not
+known in the first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates and
+defenders have with considerable candor admitted. Only a few of their
+historians and scholars can be cited here.
+
+DR. WILLIAM WALL, a learned Divine of the English Church, who wrote the
+"History of Infant Baptism," a work so able that the clergy in
+convocation assembled gave him a vote of thanks for his defense of the
+custom, says: "Among all the persons that are recorded as baptized by
+the Apostles, there is no express mention of any infants." _Hist. Inf.
+Bap., Intro., pp. 1, 55._
+
+THOMAS FULLER, the historian, says: "We do freely confess there is
+neither express precept nor precedent in the New Testament for the
+Baptism of Infants." _Infants' Advoc., pp. 71, 150._
+
+LUTHER says: "It cannot be proved by the sacred Scriptures that infant
+baptism was instituted by Christ, or begun by the first Christians
+after the Apostles." _Vanity of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8._
+
+NEANDER says: "Baptism was administered at first only to adults, as men
+were accustomed to conceive of _baptism_ and _faith_ as strictly
+connected. We have all reason for not deriving infant baptism from
+Apostolic institution." _Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311; Plant. and Train.,
+Vol. I., p. 222._
+
+PROFESSOR LANGE says: "All attempts to make out infant baptism from the
+New Testament fail. It is totally opposed to the spirit of the
+Apostolic age, and to the fundamental principles of the New Testament."
+_Inf. Baptism, p. 101._
+
+PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "Infant baptism was established neither by
+Christ, nor by the Apostles." _Art. Bap., Kitto's Cycl. Bib. Lit._
+
+DOCTOR HANNA says: "Scripture knows nothing of the baptism of infants."
+_North Brit. Review, Aug., 1852._
+
+PROFESSOR HAGENBACH says: "The passages from Scripture cited in favor
+of infant baptism as a usage of the primitive church are doubtful and
+prove nothing." _Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193._
+
+Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin, Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many
+others bear similar testimony.
+
+
+WHEN DID IT RISE?
+
+Since the New Testament knows nothing of infant baptism, and since it
+was neither instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, what
+was its origin, and when did it come into use?
+
+TERTULLIAN is the first who mentions the custom, and he opposes it.
+This was at the close of the second century, or about A. D. 200. His
+opposition to it proves two things: _First,_ that it was in occasional
+use, at least. _Second,_ that it was of recent origin, since had it
+been long used some earlier record if it could be found. _Neander, Ch.
+Hist., Vol. I., p. 311._
+
+BINGHAM could find no earlier allusion to it than that of Tertullian,
+though he believed it arose earlier. It must, therefore, as is
+generally agreed, have had its origin about the beginning of the _third
+century._
+
+CURCELLÆUS says: "The baptism of infants in the _two first_ centuries
+after Christ was altogether unknown; but in the _third_ and _fourth_
+was allowed by some few. In the _fifth_ and following ages it was
+generally received." _Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I., Ch. 12._
+
+SALMASIUS says: "In the _first two_ centuries no one was baptized,
+except, being instructed in the faith and acquainted with the doctrines
+of Christ, he was able to profess himself a believer." _Hist. Bapt.
+Suicer. Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136._
+
+Such testimony is conclusive, and quite sufficient, though much more of
+a similar character might be added.
+
+_But observe:_ That when the baptism of children began, it was not that
+of unconscious infants at all, as is now practiced, but, as Bunsen
+declares, of "little growing children, from six to ten years old." And
+he asserts that Tertullian "does not say one word of new-born infants."
+Cyprian, an African bishop, at the close of the _third_ century, urged
+the baptism of infants proper, because of the saving efficacy of the
+ordinance; and he is called the inventor, or father, of infant baptism.
+_Bunsen's Hippol. and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5._
+
+
+WHY DID IT RISE?
+
+There is even less difficulty in tracing the cause than in finding the
+origin of infant baptism. It originated in a perversion of Christian
+doctrine, and was itself the perversion of a Christian ordinance.
+
+All students of ecclesiastical history know that at an early period
+corruptions perverted Christian faith and practice. Among these, one of
+the earliest was that of an undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its
+sanctity was so exalted that it was believed to have power to wash away
+sins, and cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick were supposed to
+be prepared for death, and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.
+Anxious parents therefore desired their dying children to be thus
+prepared--"washed in the laver of regeneration," as it was termed--that
+they might be sure of salvation. And here came in that pernicious error
+of "baptismal regeneration," which gave rise to infant baptism, and
+which has through all these ages clung with more or less pertinacity to
+the clergy and laity of all churches which have practiced it.
+
+SALMASIUS says: "An opinion prevailed that no one could be saved
+without being baptized; and for that reason the custom arose of
+baptizing infants." _Epist. Jus. Pac. See Booth's Pedo. Exam., Ch.
+III., Sec. 3._
+
+VENEMA declares that "the ancients connected a regenerating power with
+baptism." He cites Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Clemens, Tertullian, and
+Cyprian as holding that opinion. _Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,
+3, 4._
+
+CHRYSOSTOM, writing about A. D. 398, as cited by Suicerus, says, "It is
+impossible without baptism to obtain the kingdom," and as cited by Wall
+he says: "If sudden death seize us before we are baptized, though we
+have a thousand good qualities, there is nothing to be expected but
+hell." _Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3._
+
+WADDINGTON, in his Church History, says, in reference to the _third_
+century: "A belief was gaining ground among the converts and was
+inculcated among the heathen, that the act of baptism gave remission of
+all sins committed previously." _Hist. of Church, Ch. II., p. 53._
+
+PROFESSOR FISHER says: "Very early baptism was so far identified with
+regeneration as to be designated by that term. This rite was considered
+essential to salvation. A virtue was believed to reside in the
+baptismal water itself." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 83._
+
+Do its advocates and supporters hold the same view now? Do parents and
+ministers still believe that the baptism of unconscious infants
+secures, or makes more sure, their salvation? If not, why do they
+practice it?
+
+PROFESSOR LANGE'S words are weighty, and should be carefully pondered
+by Protestant defenders of this Papal emanation. He says: "Would the
+Protestant Church fulfill and attain to its final destiny, the baptism
+of new-born children must of necessity be abolished. It has sunk down
+to a mere formality, without any meaning for the child." _History of
+Protestantism, p. 34._
+
+Many good people, familiar with infant baptism and surrounded by its
+influences, have naturally learned to reverence it as of Divine
+appointment, and some of them really believe it is taught or sanctioned
+by the New Testament. But Baptists are right in rejecting it as
+something utterly without foundation in the Word of God.
+
+
+HOUSEHOLD BAPTISMS
+
+Much stress is laid by some of the advocates of infant baptism on that
+fact that in the Acts of the Apostles several cases of household
+baptism are mentioned. And it is asked with an air of assurance: "If
+entire households were baptized, must there not have been children
+among them? And were they not baptized also?" To this it is sufficient
+to reply, that nothing is said of children, and we have no right to put
+into the Scriptures what we do not find in them. All inference that
+such households contained infants, and that such infants were baptized,
+is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian institutions could be
+built on so slight a foundation as that, we could bring in all the
+mummeries of the Greek or the Roman Church, and all the ceremonies of
+the Mosaic ritual.
+
+One thing is certain: If in those households any children were
+baptized, they were old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe on
+Christ, and were thus suitable subjects for the ordinance, and for
+church fellowship. For it is said, _"They believed, and gladly received
+the Word."_ There are thousands of Baptist churches into whose
+fellowship whole households have been baptized--parents and children
+and perhaps others connected with them. But all were old enough to
+_believe_ and to make _profession_ of their faith. So evidently it was
+in these households.
+
+The more prominent of these households are that of Lydia, mentioned in
+Acts 16; that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also in Acts 16; and
+that of Stephanas, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1. Now note what a few
+distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say on these cases.
+
+DOCTOR NEANDER says: "We cannot prove that the Apostles ordained infant
+baptism; from those places where the baptism of a whole family is
+mentioned, we can draw no such conclusion." _Planting and Training, p.
+162, N. Y. Ed., 1865._
+
+PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "In none of these instances has it been proved
+that there were little children among them." _Kitto's Bib. Cyc., Art.
+Bap._
+
+DOCTOR MEYER says: "That the baptism of children was not in use at that
+time appears evident from 1 Cor. 7:14." _Comment. on Acts 16:15._
+
+DOCTOR DE WETTE says: "This passage has been adduced in proof of the
+apostolical authority of infant baptism: but there is no proof here
+that any except adults were baptized." _Com. New Test., Acts 16:15._
+
+DOCTOR OLSHAUSEN says: "There is altogether wanting any conclusive
+proof-text for the baptism of infants in the age of the apostles."
+_Com. on Acts 16:15._
+
+BISHOP BLOOMFIELD says of the jailer: "It is taken for granted that his
+family became Christians as well as himself." _Com. on Acts 16:15._
+
+Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other commentators declare that in this
+case the household all believed, and therefore were baptized and did
+rejoice. MacKnight considers the case of the household of Stephanas as
+giving no countenance to the baptism of infants. And with him agree
+Guise, Hammond, Doddridge, and others.
+
+As to the argument used by some, that baptism came in the place of
+circumcision, it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched and destitute
+of reason, to claim the serious regard of intelligent and candid minds.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XIII+
+
+CHURCH GOVERNMENT
+
+A Christian church is a society with a corporate life, organized on
+some definite plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which it proposes
+to accomplish. It has, therefore, its officers and ordinances, its laws
+and regulations, fitted to administer its government and carry out its
+purposes. The question then arises, What is the true and proper form of
+church organization and government? We do not care to inquire as to the
+various and contradictory forms, as we see them about us in the
+different denominations, but what was the organic form and government
+of the first churches, planted by and molded under the hands of
+Christ's inspired Apostles.
+
+There are _three_ special and widely different forms of church
+government which have gained prevalence in Christian communities during
+past age, and which are still maintained with varied success, each of
+which claims to have been the original primitive form:
+
+1. The _prelatical,_ in which the governing power resides in prelates,
+or diocesan bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the Roman, Greek,
+English, and most Oriental churches.
+
+2. The _presbyterian,_ in which the governing power resides in
+assemblies, synods, presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish
+Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian churches.
+
+3. The _independent,_ in which the body is self-governing, each single
+and local church administering its own government by the voice of the
+majority of its members; as among Baptists, Congregationalists,
+Independents, and some other bodies.
+
+Now which of these modes of church life and administration is taught in
+the New Testament, if either? or which best accords with the
+constitution and government of the Apostolic churches?
+
+Baptists hold that each separate, local church is an independent body,
+governing itself according to the laws of Christ, as found in the New
+Testament; that each such church is independent of all other churches,
+and of all other persons, so far as administration is concerned, owing
+comity and fellowship to all, but allegiance and submission to none.
+The government is administered by the body of the members, where no one
+possesses a preeminence of authority, but each enjoys an equality of
+rights, and in which, in matters of opinion, the majority decides.
+
+That this style of church structure is according to the New Testament
+appears evident from a study of the sacred records themselves. The
+Apostles treated the churches as independent bodies. Their epistles
+were addressed to the churches as such; they reported their doings to
+them; enjoined upon them the duty of discipline; exhorted, instructed,
+and reproved them as independent and responsible bodies. They
+recognized the right of the churches to elect their own teachers and
+officers, a primary and fundamental right, which, when conceded
+supposes all other rights and powers necessary to a self-governing
+community acting under Divinely given laws.
+
+NEANDER, the distinguished historian, says of the first age: "The
+churches were taught to govern themselves." "The brethren chose their
+own officers from among themselves." "In respect to the election of
+church officers, the ancient principle was still adhered to: that the
+consent of the community was necessary to the validity of every such
+election, and each one was at liberty to offer reasons against it."
+_Introd. Coleman's Prim. Christ'y, p. 19; Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 199;
+Plant. and Train., p. 156._
+
+MOSHEIM says of the first century: "In those primitive times, each
+Christian Church was composed of the _people,_ the presiding
+_officers,_ and the assistants, or _deacons._ These must be the
+component parts of every society. The principal voice was that of the
+_people,_ or of the whole body of Christians." "The assembled people,
+therefore, elected their own rulers and teachers." Of the second
+century, he adds: "One president, or bishop, presides over each church.
+He was created by the common suffrages of the people." "During a great
+part of this century, all the churches continued to be, as at first,
+_independent_ of each other. Each church was a kind of small,
+independent republic, governing itself by its own laws, enacted, or at
+least sanctioned, by the people." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2,
+Sec. 5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2._
+
+COLEMAN says: "These churches, wherever formed, became separate and
+independent bodies, competent to appoint their own officers and
+administer their own government without reference or subordination to
+any control, authority or foreign power. No fact connected with the
+history of the primitive church is more fully established or more
+generally conceded." _Prim. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95._
+
+Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow, Doctor Burton, Doctor
+Waddington--all of them Church of England Divines--fully agree with
+this testimony, and confirm the evidence cited:
+
+GEISELER, the historian, says, concerning early changes: "Country
+churches, which had grown up around some city, seem, with their
+bishops, to have been usually, in a certain degree, under the authority
+of the mother church. With this exception, all the churches were alike
+independent, though some were especially held in honor, on such grounds
+as their Apostolic origin, or the importance of the city in which they
+were situated." _Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52._
+
+Further discussion on this subject is not needed. The point is proved,
+and the independent form of church government is manifestly primitive
+and apostolic, as advocated and practiced by Baptists.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XIV+
+
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+How many, and what are the Scriptural officers of a Christian church?
+For a church, being a society, must have not only laws, but officers to
+execute them. How many orders are there in the ministry? These are
+questions which have at times greatly divided the Christian world.
+
+Baptists assert that the officers of a church are _two,_--and of right,
+can be no more,--_pastor_ and _deacons._ In this opinion agree some
+other denominations, while the various Episcopal sects insist that
+there should be three sets--_deacons, priests,_ and _bishops,_ to which
+the Church of England adds archbishops. Others add to this number
+indefinitely; and the Romish Church carries the list up to ten or
+twelve, ending with the pope. Now it is not so much what this church
+preaches or practices, but on what basis were the primitive
+churches--the churches of inspiration--organized. Our Lord did not live
+to shape, and model, and put in order all things for the full equipment
+of His people, that they might be thoroughly furnished unto all good
+works, but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of wisdom by which they
+should be able to do all this, and carry out His plans, in the
+organization of His kingdom after He had left them. We assume that the
+first churches were organized on the Divine plan, and seek to ascertain
+what that plan was.
+
+In the New Testament, the words _bishop, presbyter, elder,_ are used to
+designate church officers. They all, however, designate the same
+office, and therefore officially mean the same thing; indeed, they are
+not infrequently applied to the same individual. The bishop--called
+also the presbyter, or elder--was the _pastor,_ or overseer of the
+spiritual flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it, as the shepherd
+does his sheep. The _deacons_ were chosen to attend to the temporal
+interests of the church, as appears by the election of the seven,
+recorded in the sixth chapter of Acts. This was done in order that the
+Apostles might be free from the temporal cares, and thus able to give
+their attention more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of the
+people. The word _deacon_ means a _minister,_ a _servant._ It is
+sometimes applied to the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in the
+general sense as one who "came, not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Some of the first
+deacons were also efficient preachers of the Gospel, but their work as
+deacons pertained to other services in the churches. While, therefore,
+the deacon is a church officer, his office does not constitute an order
+in the ministry at all, its functions belonging to temporal concerns,
+and not to a spiritual service. The service usually performed by
+clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be presumed, so far as such
+service was needed in the first churches, was devolved on the deacons.
+
+Pastors, by whatever name they may have been known, had the same
+service, and were of the same grade, dignity, and authority. In the
+first churches there were no high orders of clergy placed over lower
+grades, and over the churches ruling with superior authority. All were
+equals among equals, and all equally ministered to the churches. If in
+the same church there might chance to be several to whom the titles
+_bishop, presbyter,_ or _elder_ were applied, they were all of equal
+rank or authority, though one might be selected to serve as the pastor
+of the church, and devote himself to its local interests; while the
+others might give themselves to more general missionary work.
+
+NEANDER says: "The word _presbyter,_ or _elder,_ indicates rather the
+dignity of the office, since presbyters among the Jews were usually
+aged and venerable; while _bishop,_ or _episcopos,_ designated the
+nature of their work as overseers, or pastors of the churches. The
+former title was used by Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the
+synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used by the Greek and other
+Gentile converts, as more familiar and expressive to them." "They were
+not designed to exercise absolute authority, but to act as presiding
+officers and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to conduct all
+things, with the cooperation of the communities, as their ministers and
+not as their masters." _Introd. to Cole., Prim. Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant. and Train., p. 147._
+
+MOSHEIM says: "The rulers of the churches were denominated sometimes
+_presbyters,_ or _elders,_ a designation borrowed from the Jews, and
+indicative rather of the wisdom than the age of the persons, and
+sometimes also _bishops:_ for it is most manifest that both terms are
+promiscuously used in the New Testament of one and the same class of
+persons." "In these primitive times, each Christian church was composed
+of the _people,_ the presiding _officers,_ and the assistants, or
+_deacons._ These must be the components of every society." _Eccl.
+Hist., Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8._
+
+GIESELER asserts: "The new churches everywhere formed themselves on the
+model of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the head of each were the
+_elders_ (_presbyter, bishop_), all officially of equal rank, though in
+several instances a peculiar authority seems to have been conceded to
+some one individual from personal considerations." _Ch. Hist., Part 1,
+Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29._
+
+WADDINGTON declares: "It is also true that in the earliest government
+of the first Christian society,--that of Jerusalem,--not the _elders_
+only, but the 'whole church,' were associated with the Apostles; and it
+is even certain that the terms _bishop_ and _elder,_ or _presbyter,_
+were in the first instance and for a short period, sometimes used
+synonymously, and indiscriminately applied to the same order in the
+ministry." _Hist. Christ. Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2._
+
+ARCHBISHOP USHER says that "_bishop_ and _presbyter_ differed only in
+degree, and not in order." See _Cole., Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec.
+6._
+
+BISHOP BURNETT says: "As for the notion of distinct offices of _bishop_
+and _presbyter,_ I confess it is not so clear to me." _Vindic. Ch. of
+Sects, p. 366._
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "It is generally admitted by Episcopal writers on
+this subject, that in the New Testament, and in the earliest
+ecclesiastical writings, the terms _bishops_ and _presbyters,_ or
+elders, are synonymous, and denote one and the same office." "The
+office of _presbyter_ was undeniably identical with that of _bishop,_
+as has been shown above." "Only _two orders_ of officers are known in
+the church until the close of the second century. Those of the first
+are styled either _bishops_ or _presbyters;_ of the second, _deacons._"
+_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5._
+
+This author cites many of the early Christian Fathers who bore the same
+testimony, among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Justin Martyr,
+Irenæus, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many prelatical
+writers, besides these above quoted, frankly admit the same facts.
+
+The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts 20:17, 18), called together the
+_elders_ (_presbyters_) of the Ephesian Church. But in verse 28 he
+calls these officers _overseers_ (_episcopos_). Here the terms
+_presbuteros_ and _episcopos_ were certainly used interchangeably.
+
+Paul and Timothy, in their address to the Philippian Christians,
+specify three classes as evidently constituting the entire body of
+disciples. They say, "To all the _saints_ in Christ Jesus, which are at
+Philippi, with the _bishops_ and _deacons._" Saints, bishops, and
+deacons embraced the whole church.
+
+Timothy was instructed by Paul as to the qualifications of pastors to
+be placed over the churches. (1 Tim. 3:1.) Particular directions are
+given as to both _bishops_ and _deacons,_ but no mention is made of
+elders--clearly because they were the same as bishops.
+
+Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors for the church in Crete.
+(Titus 1:5, 7.) These pastors are called _elders_ in verse 5 and
+_bishops_ in verse 7.
+
+_Pastors_ and _deacons,_ therefore, are two orders, and these officers
+simply were known or needed in the Apostolic churches. In this, also,
+the views held by Baptists are in harmony with the customs of the
+churches in the first and purest age of Christian history.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XV+
+
+BAPTIST HISTORY
+
+It is sometimes asked: "When and where did the Baptists originate? Who
+were their founders? What is their history?" These are questions of
+interest; but a more important one would be: "Are they right? Is their
+faith according to the teachings of the New Testament?" Many things
+which are old are not true. Creeds and sects may boast a venerable
+antiquity, while the Word of God utterly condemns them. Any
+organization that cannot reasonably claim Christ for its founder has
+small right to the name of a Christian church, no matter how old it may
+be.
+
+Baptists claim to be built on the foundation of the Apostles and
+prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone. If this
+claim be well founded, whether they have a written history of one
+century or of twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the past belongs
+to any, it may be well to know. Any Baptist history constitutes one of
+the most interesting chapters in the records of Christianity.
+
+During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines of the Gospel became
+corrupted, and its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and Gentile
+converts brought into the churches many of their old religious notions,
+and incorporated them with the faith of Christ. These, together with
+the many philosophical ideas of the times and the perversions to which
+the truth is always exposed from the ignorance and selfishness of men,
+very early turned the churches aside from the faith once delivered to
+the saints. Still there were many who in simplicity and humility
+maintained the doctrines and customs in their original purity. Those
+churches which were strongest and most prosperous were most exposed to
+corruption by alliances with the world.
+
+When at length the period of martyrdom and persecution terminated; when
+a nominal Christianity took possession of a throne, and Church and
+State became united, then religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its
+simplicity, its spirituality, and its power, and a temporal hierarchy
+took the place of the church of Christ. This was the great apostasy of
+the early times. But all the churches and all disciples did not follow
+in the wake of this sad departure from the truth. Many congregations
+and communities of true worshipers kept the doctrines of the Gospel,
+and practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in their primitive
+purity. And this they continued to do through all the ages of darkness
+and corruption which followed. They were never identified with the
+Roman or Greek churches; they never were in alliance with States; never
+formed hierarchies. As independent congregations, or small communities,
+with no other bond of union than a common faith, fellowship, and
+sympathy, often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the Word of God as
+their guide, they sought to realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a
+spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.
+
+These religious communities were by the dominant hierarchies called
+_sects,_ and stigmatized as _heretics._ As such they were traduced and
+persecuted continually. And though they may have had their errors, they
+were the best and purest defenders of the Christian faith, and the
+truest representatives of the first disciples of Christ then existing.
+The State churches were the heretics; while those so-called sects were
+the true successors of the first Christians.
+
+They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated and martyred because they
+bore witness to the truth of God and testified against the errors and
+vices of the so-called churches. History has never done them justice,
+and perhaps never will; because history has been too much written in
+the interest of their enemies, or from their standpoint. Tortured and
+tormented by those who should have been their defenders, crowns and
+miters alike pledged to their destruction, they could do nothing but
+suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ's faithful witnesses. They
+were known by various names in different ages and in different lands,
+but retained the same general characteristics.
+
+In the _first_ and _second_ centuries, Messalians, Montanists,
+Euchites, were terms which distinguished some of these sects.
+
+In the _third, fourth,_ and _fifth_ centuries arose the Novatians.
+Increasing with exceeding rapidity, they quite overspread the Roman
+empire, in spite of the cruel and destructive persecutions which they
+suffered.
+
+In the _fourth_ century the Donatists appeared, as a new form of
+existing sects, or a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied
+rapidly, spread extensively, and long survived.
+
+In the _seventh_ century appeared the Paulicians, attracting much
+attention, and calling down upon themselves the wrath of the Romish
+Church. Still they increased greatly, notwithstanding their many
+persecutions.
+
+That these Christian communities should have been faultless could not
+be supposed. But they were the best of the ages in which they lived,
+and maintained the purest forms of Gospel truth and practice. Without
+the advantage of organization and association, they differed somewhat
+among themselves.
+
+But in general they all professed to take the New Testament as the rule
+of their faith and practice. They held to a spiritual
+church-membership, and received only professedly regenerated persons to
+the ordinances. Denying the orthodoxy of the Romish Church, they
+rebaptized persons received from that body, and hence were called
+_Anabaptists._ Infant baptism they rejected, according to Allix,
+Mosheim, Robinson, and other historians. Baptism they administered by
+immersion, as indeed did all Christians during those ages. Robinson
+calls them "Trinitarian Baptists." It is said that the Empress
+Theodora, after having confiscated their property, caused to be cruelly
+put to death no less than one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no other
+fault or offense than their religious faith.
+
+About the close of the _tenth_ century appeared the Paterines;
+substantially the same people, no doubt as had previously existed under
+other names. They too rejected infant baptism, and protested against
+the corruptions of the Romish Church; in consequence of which they
+suffered long and severe persecution.
+
+In the _eleventh_ century, and the ages following, were the Waldenses,
+Albigenses, Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons. These were new
+names, and names usually given by their enemies. They increased, even
+under their persecutions, to a wonderful extent, and attracted the
+notice, if not the sympathy, of all Europe.
+
+It is not pretended that these ancient sects were known by the name as
+Baptists; but in general they held the more prominent and distinctive
+principles which have always characterized the Baptists; thus: 1. They
+declared and defended the rights of faith and conscience and the
+freedom of worship. 2. They denied the authority of popes and the right
+of kings and States to interfere with the people in matters of
+religion. 3. They rejected infant baptism. 4. They baptized by dipping.
+5. They held the Bible to be the only rule and authority in concerns of
+religious faith and practice. 6. They admitted to the churches none
+except such as professed to be regenerated and godly persons.
+
+Now it is conceded by all historians of note that such churches and
+communities did exist, separate from and persecuted by, the prevailing
+State churches and civil authorities during all the ages from the
+Apostles to the Reformation.
+
+When the Reformation under Luther and his coadjutors broke out, these
+sects to a great extent fraternized with, and were lost in, the
+multitude of the reformers. Such as continued their separate existence,
+as the Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence of the
+reformers, did from sympathy what the persecutions of the Papists had
+never been able to compel them to do--abandon dipping for sprinkling in
+baptism, adopted infant baptism, and took the general forms of
+religious life, into which Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.
+
+
+THE WELSH BAPTISTS
+
+Few denominations have a better claim to antiquity than the Welsh
+Baptists. They trace their descent directly from the Apostles and urge
+in favor of their claim arguments which have never been confuted.
+
+When Austin, the Romish monk and missionary, visited Wales, at the
+close of the _sixth_ century, he found a community of more than two
+thousand Christians, quietly living in their mountain homes. They were
+independent of the Romish See, and wholly rejected its authority.
+Austin labored hard to convert them--that is, to bring them under the
+Papal yoke; but entirely failed in the effort. Yielding things in
+general, he reduced his demand upon them to three particulars: 1. That
+they should observe Easter in due form, as ordered by the Church.
+2. That they should give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.
+3. That they should preach to the English the Word of God, as
+directed.[1]
+
+These demands of Austin prove that they neither observed the Popish
+ordinance of Easter, nor baptized their children. They, however,
+rejected all his overtures, whereupon he left them with threats of war
+and wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was invaded by the Saxons, and
+many of these inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as was believed,
+at the instigation of this bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.
+
+
+THE DUTCH BAPTISTS
+
+The Baptists of Holland have a history that reaches back to a very
+remote period, if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently assert.
+And this antiquity is conceded by historians who have no sympathy with
+their denominational sentiments.
+
+MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says, "The true origin of that sect
+which acquired the name Anabaptist _is hid in the remote depths of
+antiquity,_ and is consequently extremely difficult to be ascertained."
+_Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427, Mac. Ed., 1811._ See _Introd. Orchard's
+Hist. Bap., p. 17._
+
+ZWINGLI, the Swiss Reformer, contemporary with Luther, declares: "The
+institution of Anabaptism is no novelty but for _thirteen hundred
+years_ has caused great disturbance in the church." _Introd. Orchard's
+Hist. Bap., p. 17._ Thirteen hundred years before his time would have
+carried it back to within two centuries of the death of Christ.
+
+DOCTOR DERMONT, chaplain to the king of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij,
+professor of theology at Groningen, a few years since received a royal
+commission to prepare a history of the Reformed Dutch Church. That
+history, prepared under royal sanction, and officially published,
+contains the following manly and generous testimony to the antiquity
+and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists. "We have now seen that the
+Baptists, who were formerly called Anabaptists, and in later times
+Mennonites, were the original Waldenses, and have long in the history
+of the church received the honor of that origin. On this account, _the
+Baptists may be considered the only Christian community which has stood
+since the Apostles, and as a Christian society, which has preserved
+pure the doctrines of the Gospel through all ages." Hist. Ref. Dutch
+Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819._ See _Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites._
+
+MOSHEIM says of the persecutions of this people in the sixteenth
+century, "Vast numbers of these people, in nearly all the countries of
+Europe, would rather perish miserably by drowning, hanging, burning, or
+decapitation, than renounce the opinions they had embraced." And their
+innocency he vindicates thus: "It is indeed true that many Anabaptists
+were put to death, not as being bad citizens, or injurious members of
+civil society, but as being incurable _heretics,_ who were condemned by
+the old canon laws. For the error of _adult baptism_ was in that age
+looked upon as a horrible offense." That was their only crime. _Eccl.
+Hist., Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4._
+
+This testimony is all the more welcome, because it comes from those who
+have no ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but who, in fidelity
+to history, bear honest testimony to the truth which history teaches.
+The circumstances under which their evidence was produced give it
+additional force.
+
+CARDINAL HOSSIUS, chairman of the council at Trent, says: "If the truth
+of religion were to be judged of by the readiness and cheerfulness
+which a man of any sect shows in suffering, then the opinions and
+persuasions of no sect can be truer or surer, than those of the
+_Anabaptists;_ since there have been none, for these _twelve hundred
+years past,_ that have been more grievously punished." _Orchard's Hist.
+Bap., Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364._
+
+Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists, called Anabaptists, and
+Mennonites, miserably perished by the hands of their cruel persecutors,
+for no crime but their refusal to conform to established churches.[2]
+
+
+THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS
+
+At what time the Baptists appeared in England in definite
+denominational form, it is impossible to say. But from the _twelfth_ to
+the _seventeenth_ century, many of them suffered cruel persecutions,
+and death by burning, drowning, and beheading, besides many other, and
+sometimes most inhuman tortures. And this they suffered both from
+Papists and Protestants, condemned by both civil and ecclesiastical
+tribunals, only because they persisted in worshiping God, according to
+the dictates of their consciences, and because they would not submit
+their religious faith and worship to the dictates of popes and
+princes.[3] In 1538, royal edicts were issued against them, and several
+were burnt at the stake in Smithfield.
+
+BRANDE writes that: "In the year 1538, thirty-one Baptists, that fled
+from England, were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the men were
+beheaded, the women were drowned." _Hist. Reformers._ See _Benedict's
+Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol.
+II, p. 355, Sup._ What crime had they committed to merit such treatment
+as this?
+
+BISHOP LATIMER declares that, "The Baptists that were burnt in
+different parts of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and without
+any fear, during the time of Henry VIII." _Lent Sermons. Neal's Hist.
+Purit., Vol. II, p. 356._
+
+Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they suffered perhaps no more than
+under that of the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign of the latter
+a congregation of Baptists was discovered in London, whereupon several
+were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned, and two burnt at Smithfield.[4]
+
+DOCTOR FEATLEY, one of their bitter enemies, wrote of them, in 1633:
+"This sect, among others, hath so far presumed upon the patience of the
+State, that it hath held weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds of
+men and women together in the twilight, in rivulets and in some arms of
+the Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all over head and ears. It hath
+printed divers pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea, and
+challenged some of our preachers to disputation." _Eng. Bapt. Jubilee
+Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bapt., p. 304._
+
+BAILEY wrote, in 1639, that: "Under the shadow of independency they
+have lifted up their heads, and increased their numbers above all sects
+in the land. They have _forty-six churches_ in and about London. They
+are a people very fond of religious liberty, and very unwilling to be
+brought under bondage of the judgment of others." _Benedict's History,
+p. 304._
+
+The first book published in the English language on the subject of
+baptism was translated from the Dutch, and bears date 1618. From this
+time they multiplied rapidly through all parts of the kingdom. The
+first regularly organized church among them, known as such in England,
+dates from 1607, and was formed in London by a Mr. Smyth, previously a
+clergyman of the Established Church.
+
+In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called, held a convention in
+London, in which more than one hundred congregations were represented,
+and which issued a confession of faith, still in use and highly
+esteemed.
+
+The last Baptist martyr in England was Edward Wightman, of Burton upon
+Trent, condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and burnt at Litchfield,
+April 11, 1612.[5]
+
+
+AMERICAN BAPTISTS
+
+The history of American Baptists runs back a little more than two and a
+quarter centuries. In this country, as elsewhere, they were cradled
+amidst persecution, and nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This has
+been their fortune in every age, and in every land.
+
+ROGER WILLIAMS, a distinguished and an honored name, was identified
+with the rise of the denomination in America. He has been called their
+founder, because he organized the first church, and was intimately
+connected with their early history. Williams was born in Wales, 1598,
+educated at Oxford, England, came to America in 1630, and settled as
+minister of the Puritan church in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after,
+he adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church order, on account of
+which he was banished by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of
+Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous winter, in a new and
+inhospitable country. Having wandered far and suffered much, finding
+the savage Indians more generous and hospitable than his fellow
+Christians, he finally reached and fixed his future home at what is now
+Providence, R. I. Here, with a few associates of like faith, he founded
+a new colony, calling both the city and the colony _Providence,_ in
+recognition of the Divine guidance and protection, which he had in so
+remarkable a manner experienced.
+
+In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism from one of his associates,
+there being no minister to perform that service. He in turn baptized
+his associates, and a church was organized, of which he was chosen
+pastor. He was also appointed first Governor of Rhode Island. Full
+liberty was granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger Williams became
+the first ruler, and Rhode Island the first State which ever gave
+entire freedom to all persons to worship God, according to their own
+choice, without dictation or interference from civil or ecclesiastical
+authorities.
+
+On account of this unrestricted liberty many Baptists, as well as other
+persecuted religionists from other colonies, and from Europe, collected
+in considerable numbers at Providence, and spread through the colony.
+
+It is a mistake to suppose that all the Baptist churches in America
+grew out of the one which Roger Williams founded. It is even doubtful
+whether any single church arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration
+increased, other churches grew up, having no connection with that; and
+with considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists spread into
+adjoining colonies, particularly west and south. For a long time,
+however, they were sorely persecuted, especially in Massachusetts and
+Connecticut; persecuted even by those who had themselves fled from
+persecution in their native land, to find freedom and refuge in these
+distant wilds.
+
+In 1644, the present First Church in Newport, R. I., was organized. But
+whether the present First Church in Providence was constituted before
+this date is still a disputed point. Both claim priority. In 1656, the
+Second Church, Newport, was formed. Then followed in order of time the
+church in Swansea, Massachusetts, 1663; First, Boston, 1665; North
+Kingstone, R. I., 1665; Seventh Day Church, Newport, 1671; South
+Kingstone, R. I., 1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown, N. J., 1688;
+Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689; Charleston, S. C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,
+1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton, Ct., 1705. Others, not
+mentioned, arose within this period in these and other colonies. With
+the increase of population, Baptists rapidly increased and widely
+spread over the country.
+
+_Edward's Tables_ gives the number of American Baptist Churches in
+1768, as only 137.
+
+_Asplund's Register_ for 1790, reported 872 churches, 722 ordained
+ministers, with 64,975 members.
+
+_Benedict's History_ states that in 1812, there were 2,633 churches,
+2,143 ordained ministers, and 204,185 members.
+
+_Allen's Register_ for 1836, puts them at 7,299 churches, 4.075
+ordained ministers, and 517,523 members.
+
+_The Baptist Year-Book_ gives the following figures:
+
+Date Churches Ministers   Members
+1840    7,771     5,208   571,291
+1860   12,279     7,773 1,016,134
+1880   26,080    16,569 2,296,327
+1890   33,588    21,175 3,070,047
+1900   43,427    29,473 4,181,086
+1910   49,045    33,909 5,266,369
+1920   53,866    42,121 7,504,447
+1930   53,888    49,907 8,915,785
+
+_The Year-Book_ gives the Sunday school statistics for 1930, as
+follows: For the United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment
+5,143,056.
+
+The figures given in all these cases are probably less than the actual
+facts warrant, since full reports from associations, churches, and
+schools can never be obtained.
+
+
+OTHER BAPTISTS
+
+Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood, there are in the United States
+very many other and smaller denominations, which practice immersion,
+but are not in fellowship with, or reckoned as a part of, the great
+Baptist family.
+
+The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on account of their observing
+Saturday, or the seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath, on the
+ground that the Jewish Sabbath was never abrogated. They are estimated
+at about 7,000.
+
+The Free Will Baptists, who take their name from their views as to the
+freedom of the human will and practice open communion, number about
+66,000. In the North the Free Will Baptist churches have generally
+united with the Northern Convention, and their membership is reckoned
+with that of the regular Baptist body.
+
+The Six Principle Baptists, so called because their doctrinal
+confession is based on the six points mentioned in Hebrews 6:1, 2, are
+estimated at about 300.
+
+The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather Primitive Baptists, found chiefly
+in the Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday schools, or other
+reform movements lest they should seem to interfere with the Divine
+decrees. They are said to number 43,000.
+
+The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called Campbellites, or Christians,
+number about 1,200,000.
+
+The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership of the Churches of God in
+North America, are estimated at about 30,000.
+
+The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups number about 126,000, and the
+United Brethren, about 330,000.
+
+
+BAPTISTS ELSEWHERE
+
+In North America, aside from the United States, but including the
+provinces of British America, Central America, Mexico, and the West
+Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930 about 249,809.
+
+In Europe there were in 1930 about 1,639,656.
+
+In Asia, about 361,800.
+
+In Australasia, about 35,113.
+
+In Africa, about 83,041.
+
++FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] See Benedict's Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.
+
+[2] Benedict's Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol.
+    II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4.
+
+[3] See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and
+    Benedict.
+
+[4] Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II.,
+    p. 358. Supplement.
+
+[5] Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bap.
+
+
+
++Transcriber's Notes+
+
+ - The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word "missionaries":
+   mission|aries. In this and all subsequent cases, the whole word
+   was moved to the earlier page.
+ - The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word "thousand":
+   thou|sand.
+ - The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word "admitted":
+   ad|mitted.
+ - Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word "general":
+   gen|eral.
+ - Page 10, apply RC to "Divine," "Divinely," and "Word." Change
+   "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 11, apply RC to "Apostolic,", "Divinely," "His Gospel," and
+   "His."
+ - Page 12, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice); change "fulfil" to
+   "fulfill"; apply RC to "Him" and "He." Note 1, apply RC to
+   "Gospel"; change "fulfils" to "fulfills" and "practise" to
+   "practice." Note 2, apply RC to "His Word" and "His"; change
+   "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 15, note 2, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 18, apply RC to "Divine," "Word," "Divine," "His" (twice),
+   and "He."
+ - Page 19, apply RC to "His" (twice).
+ - Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to "Me" and "Him." Note 7, apply RC to
+   "Divinely."
+ - The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word "baptismal":
+   bap|tismal.
+ - Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 23, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 24, Note 2, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word "possibly":
+   pos|sibly.
+ - Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to "His" (twice).
+ - The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word
+   "ecclesiastical": ecclesias|tical.
+ - Page 46, Voting, point 1, change "deliberatively" to
+   "deliberately."
+ - The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word "services":
+   ser|vices.
+ - The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word "importance":
+   impor|tance.
+ - Page 56, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 57, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 58, change "practise" to "practice"; add comma to "Britain
+   Baptists"; apply RC to "Divinely."
+ - Page 59, note 2, apply RC to "His" and "He." Note 3, apply RC to
+   "My." Section II, apply RC to "Persons" and "Divine." Note 2,
+   apply RC to "Thee."
+ - Page 60, note 1, apply RC to "His" apply RC to "He."
+ - Page 61, apply RC to "Divine," "His" (twice), "He," "His,"
+   "Divine," and "He." Note 2, apply RC to "He," "His," and "Him."
+   Note 3, apply RC to "Himself" and "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "He,"
+   "Him," and "His." Note 5, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He," and
+   "Him."
+ - Page 62, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC
+   to "His." Note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 3, apply RC to "His" and
+   "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "One."
+ - Page 63, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice). Note 3, apply RC to "Me."
+   Apply RC to "Divine" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 64, note 1, change "Rev. 8:7-9" to "Rev. 3:7-9." Note 5,
+   change "Eph. 8:14-21" to "Eph. 5:14-21." Apply RC to "Prophet,"
+   "Priest," "King," and "Him."
+ - Page 65, note 1, apply RC to "Gospel"; change "Eph. 2:3" to "Eph.
+   2:8" and change "ye are" to "are ye" to match the quotation. Note
+   2, change "Acts 11:38" to "Acts 2:38" to match the quotation. Note
+   3, apply RC to "Him." Point IX, apply RC to "He." Note 1, apply RC
+   to "Gospel."
+ - Page 66, note 1, change "a holy calling" to "an holy calling."
+   Note 2, apply RC to "He" and "Gospel." Note 4, change "elects
+   sake" to "elect's sakes" and "Chris" to "Christ." Note 5, change
+   "1 Thess. 4:10" to "1 Thess. 1:4." Apply RC to "His" and "Word."
+ - Page 67, change "practise" to "practice." Note 1, change "Thess
+   4:3" to "1 Thess. 4:3." Note 3, change "Phil. 1:12, 13" to "Phil.
+   2:12, 13" to match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to
+   "My" (twice). Note 2, change "John 2:19" to "1 John 2:19" to match
+   the quotation.
+ - Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to "His." Section XII, apply RC to
+   "Gospel." Note 4, change "Rom. 8:2, 4" to "Rom. 8:2-4" to match
+   the quotation; apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 69, apply RC to "Gospel," "His" (twice), "Word," and
+   "Scriptural." Note 4, change "John 1#:15" (where # represents a
+   poorly printed sort), to "John 13:15."
+ - Page 70, apply RC to "His." Note 2, change "Matt. 18:19" to "Matt.
+   28:19" to match quotation. Note 3, change "raised from the dead"
+   to "raised up from the dead." Note 4, apply RC to "Apostles'."
+ - Page 71, apply RC to "His," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC to
+   "He," "My," "Me," and "My"; change "1 Cor. 11:27-30" to "1 Cor.
+   11:22-30." Note 2, apply RC to "He." Note 3, apply RC to "My"
+   (four times) and "Me."
+ - Page 72, note 2, change "Ps. 113:24" to "Ps. 113:2-4." Note 3,
+   apply RC to "My" and "Him"; change "then shall thou delight" to
+   "then shalt thou delight." Note 4, apply RC to "Word." Point XVII,
+   apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 73, note 4, change "Rev. 19:14" to "Rev. 19:16" to match
+   quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to "His" (twice). Note 2, apply
+   RC to "He" and "Him."
+ - Page 74, note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 5, change "Matt.
+   25:35-41" to "Matt. 25:31-46." Note 6, apply RC to "He" and "Him."
+ - Page 75, apply RC to "Divine," "Him" (twice), "His" (thrice),
+   "Divine."
+ - Page 76, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His."
+ - The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word "expressed":
+   ex|pressed.
+ - Page 79, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 82, apply RC to "His Apostles."
+ - Page 85, apply RC to "His" (twice), "He," and "His."
+ - Page 86, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He."
+ - Page 88, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 89, change "Malancthon" to "Malanchthon" and "colaborer" to
+   "co-laborer."
+ - Page 90, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman. Change
+   "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 91, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word "sufficient":
+   suf|ficient.
+ - Page 92, apply RC to "Apostle."
+ - The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word "immersion":
+   immer|sion.
+ - Page 95, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word "original":
+   origi|nal.
+ - Page 98, change "practised" to "practised"; apply RC to "His
+   Apostles."
+ - Page 99, change "practise" to "practice" (twice).
+ - Page 100, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"
+   and "practises" to "practices."
+ - Page 101, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 102, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 104, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 105, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word "Parliament":
+   Par|liament.
+ - Page 108, apply RC to "His" (thrice) and "Me."
+ - Page 109, apply RC to "He," "His," "My" (four times), "Me," and
+   "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word "practiced"
+   (changed from "practised"): prac|ticed.
+ - Page 110, change "practised" to "practiced" and "practise" to
+   "practice" (twice).
+ - Page 111, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 112, apply RC to "Him."
+ - Page 113, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 114, apply RC to "Apostolic," "Word," "Apostles'," "Word,"
+   and "Divine." Change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 115, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word "infants":
+   in|fants.
+ - Page 116, change "practise" to "practice" (thrice).
+ - Page 117, apply RC to "His";  change "practise" to "practice";
+   apply RC to "Him."
+ - Page 118, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word "remaining":
+   re|maining.
+ - Page 119, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen.
+ - Page 120, apply RC to "Gospel."
+ - Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a
+   churchman.
+ - Page 124, apply RC to "Lord's Table."
+ - Page 125, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 129, change "practised" to "practiced" (thrice). Apply RC to
+   "His Apostles" and "Word."
+ - Page 130, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman; apply
+   RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 131, apply RC to "Apostolic" and "Apostles."
+ - Page 132, change "practised" to "practiced." Apply RC to "His
+   Apostles."
+ - Page 133, change "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 134, change "practise" to "practice" and "practised" to
+   "practiced."
+ - Page 136, change "practise" to "practice." Apply RC to "Divine"
+   and "Word."
+ - Page 137, apply RC to "Gospel" and "Word."
+ - Page 138, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 140, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 141, apply RC to "Apostolic."
+ - Page 142, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Divinely."
+ - The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word "people":
+    peo|ple.
+ - Page 144, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen; apply RC
+   to "Apostolic." Add "Ch. Hist." to the Geiseler citation.
+ - Page 145, change "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 146, change "practises" to "practices."
+ - Page 147, apply RC to "His," "He," "His Apostles," "His" (twice),
+   "He," "Divine," and "Apostles."
+ - The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word "minister":
+   min|ister.
+ - Page 148, apply RC to "Apostles," "His," and "Gospel."
+ - The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word "authority":
+   author|ity.
+ - Page 149, change "later" to "latter."
+ - Page 150, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 152, apply RC to "Apostle"; change _"episcopous"_ to
+   _"episcopos"_ for consistency.
+ - Page 153, apply RC to "Apostolic."
+ - Page 154, apply RC to "Word," "Apostles," and "Himself."
+ - Page 155, apply RC to "Gospel."
+ - The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word "apostasy":
+   apos|tasy.
+ - Page 156, apply RC to "Gospel,"; change "practised" to "practiced"
+   apply RC to "Word" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 158, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"
+   (twice).
+ - Page 160, change "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 161, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Word."
+ - The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word "contemporary":
+   contempo|rary.
+ - Page 163, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 164, change "offence" to "offense."
+ - The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word "because":
+   be|cause.
+ - Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after
+   "Smithfield"; change "suffered perhaps more" to "suffered perhaps
+   no more."
+ - Page 167, change "defence" to "defense."
+ - Page 169, add comma to "after he"; apply RC to "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word "themselves":
+   them|selves.
+ - Page 173, change "practise" to "practice" (twice); apply RC to
+   "Divine."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist
+Churches, by Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 61084 ***
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-<pre>

-

-The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, by 

-Edward Thurston Hiscox

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most

-other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of

-the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at

-www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have

-to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.

-

-Title: The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches

-

-Author: Edward Thurston Hiscox

-

-Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61084]

-

-Language: English

-

-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

-

-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STANDARD MANUAL FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES ***

-

-

-

-

-Produced by John Hagerson and Mrs. Faith Ball

-

-

-

-

-

-</pre>

-

-<div class="trans_notes">

-<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>

-<ul>

-<li>This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to discuss their

-history, organization, polity, and operations. The book itself has a small form

-factor, suitable to be carried in a suit coat pocket.</li>

-<li>The author&rsquo;s perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are

-introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against alternatives.</li>

-<li>Detailed information on the Transcriber&rsquo;s changes are listed after

-the text. <a href="#DTN">Details.</a></li>

-</ul>

-</div>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="pagenum" id="ptp">[title&nbsp;page]</span>THE</p>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">STANDARD MANUAL</span></p>

-

-<p class="tdc">FOR</p>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">BAPTIST CHURCHES</span></p>

-

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p class="tdc"><i>By</i></p>

-

-<p class="tdc">EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.</p>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smaller">Author of<br />

-&ldquo;The Baptist&rsquo;s Short Method,&rdquo; &ldquo;Star Book for Ministers,&rdquo;<br />

-&ldquo;The Star Book Series,&rdquo; &ldquo;Pastors&rsquo; Manual,&rdquo; etc.</span></p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-

-<p class="tdc">PHILADELPHIA</p>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="larger">THE AMERICAN BAPITST<br />

-PUBLICATION SOCIETY</span></p>

-

-<p class="tdc">CHICAGO&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;KANSAS CITY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LOS ANGELES&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SEATTLE</p>

-

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="pverso">[verso]</span></p>

-<hr />

-<p class="tdc">Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by<br />

-<span class="smcap">the american bapitst publication society</span><br />

-In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington</p>

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Printed in U.S.A.</span></p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p3">[p.&nbsp;3]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc">PREFACE</h3>

-

-<p>It is now thirty years since the &ldquo;Baptist

-Church Directory,&ldquo; prepared by the writer,

-was first published. That work was designed

-to be somewhat of a <i>consensus</i> of

-the opinions of those best able to judge in

-matters of Baptist church polity and usage,

-especially as to what concerns administration

-and discipline. It might thus prove a

-help to both pastors and members, particularly

-in perplexing cases liable to arise.

-Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify

-the order and customs of our churches

-through our widely extended ranks. This

-hope has been realized. More than fifty

-thousand copies of that book have been circulated

-in this country. It has also been

-translated, more or less fully, into six or

-seven different languages by our missionaries,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p4">[p.&nbsp;4]</span>

-for use in our missions and foreign

-fields.</p>

-

-<p>But many of the churches desired a

-smaller and less expensive manual, which

-they could put into the hands of all their

-members. To meet this want, sixteen years

-ago, the writer prepared the little &ldquo;Star

-Book on Baptist Church Polity,&rdquo; which

-many churches have adopted, furnishing

-their members and candidates for membership

-with them freely. This has had a circulation

-of over thirty thousand copies; and

-both this and the &ldquo;Directory&ldquo; are in as

-great demand as at any previous time.</p>

-

-<p>It is something more than twenty years

-since the &ldquo;Baptist Short Method,&rdquo; by the

-same author was published. The purpose

-of this manual was to give a concise view

-of those distinctive features which mark

-the difference between Baptists and other

-denominations, especially as to the ordinances

-and church order; and also to furnish

-the proofs by which our position in

-these respects is justified. About ten thousand

-<span class="pagenum" id="p5">[p.&nbsp;5]</span>

-copies of this book have found their

-way into circulation.</p>

-

-<p>The preparation of the present manual

-was undertaken at the request of, and by

-an arrangement with the pastor, R.&nbsp;S. MacArthur,

-D.D., on behalf of Calvary

-Baptist Church, New York City, for the

-special use of that church. Something was

-desired smaller than the &ldquo;Directory,&rdquo; and

-more full than the &ldquo;Star Book,&rdquo; embracing

-certain features of the &ldquo;Short Method.&rdquo;

-When completed, it was thought to be, on

-the whole, so much superior to anything

-ever before prepared, as a manual for general

-use in Baptist churches, that by mutual

-consent, it was decided to have it published

-for general circulation, rather than confine

-it to the use of a single church.</p>

-

-<p>To both ministers and members, such a

-manual, it is hoped, will prove a valuable

-helper in the interest of church order, and

-of denominational unity and prosperity.

-Especially for the younger members, so

-many thousands of whom are yearly admitted

-<span class="pagenum" id="p6">[p.&nbsp;6]</span>

-to the fellowship of the churches,

-with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly

-instructed as to either doctrines or

-order, it should prove a most valuable assistant.

-Concise and accurate in statement of

-facts, transparent in arrangement of matters,

-convenient in form, and cheap in cost,

-pastors will find it to their own advantage,

-as well as to that of their members, to see

-that their churches are liberally supplied

-with copies. The pastor of one of our

-very largest and most prosperous churches,

-for whose use its preparation was undertaken,

-shows his estimate of its value, and

-sets other pastors a wise and worthy example,

-by ordering in advance of publication,

-<i>one thousand copies</i> for his church.</p>

-

-<p>May the Divine blessing make this, as

-other works have been made, a means of

-furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and

-efficient service for Christ, in the churches

-for which it is designed.</p>

-

-<p class="tdr">E.&nbsp;T.&nbsp;H.</p>

-<p><span class="smcap">Mount Vernon, N.&nbsp;Y.<br />

-January 24, 1890.</span></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p7">[p.&nbsp;7]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc">CONTENTS</h3>

-

-<table>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch1">CHAPTER I</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">A Christian Church</span></td><td class="tdr">9</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch2">CHAPTER II</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">14</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch3">CHAPTER III</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Ordinances</span></td><td class="tdr">18</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch4">CHAPTER IV</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church-membership</span></td><td class="tdr">22</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch5">CHAPTER V</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Discipline</span></td><td class="tdr">27</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch6">CHAPTER VI</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Cases of Appeal</span></td><td class="tdr">37</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2" class="tdc"><a href="#ch7">CHAPTER VII</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Business</span></td><td class="tdr">41</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="pagenum" id="p8">[p.&nbsp;8]</span>

-<a href="#ch8">CHAPTER VIII</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Christian Doctrine</span></td><td class="tdr">56</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch9">CHAPTER IX</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Optional Standing Resolutions</span></td><td class="tdr">77</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch10">CHAPTER X</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptism Considered</span></td><td class="tdr">80</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch11">CHAPTER XI</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</span></td><td class="tdr">108</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch12">CHAPTER XII</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Infant Baptism</span></td><td class="tdr">129</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch13">CHAPTER XIII</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Government</span></td><td class="tdr">140</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch14">CHAPTER XIV</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">146</td></tr>

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch15">CHAPTER XV</a></td></tr>

-<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptist History</span></td><td class="tdr">154</td></tr>

-</table>

-

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-<p>&nbsp;</p>

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p9">[p.&nbsp;9]</span></p>

-<h2 class="tdc">STANDARD MANUAL FOR<br />

-BAPTIST CHURCHES</h2>

-

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch1">CHAPTER I</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">a christian church</span></p>

-

-<p>The word &ldquo;church&rdquo; is, in common language,

-used with large latitude of meaning.

-It is applied to a building used for Christian

-worship, to a congregation of Christian

-worshipers, to a religious establishment, to

-a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the

-aggregate of all Christian believers, and to

-a local company of Christian disciples associated

-in covenant for religious purposes.

-The latter is its common use in the New

-Testament.</p>

-

-<p>The Greek word <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia,</span> rendered

-&ldquo;church,&rdquo; is derived from a word meaning

-&ldquo;called out,&rdquo; and is used to indicate a company

-called out from a larger and more general

-<span class="pagenum" id="p10">[p.&nbsp;10]</span>

-assembly or concourse of people. In the

-free Greek cities, it designated a company

-of persons possessed of the rights of citizenship,

-and charged with certain important

-functions of administration in public affairs,

-summoned, or called out, from the common

-mass of the people. In the New Testament,

-the <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia</span> is a company of persons

-called out and separated from the common

-multitude by a Divine calling, chosen to be

-saints, invested with the privileges, and

-charged with the duties of citizenship in the

-kingdom of Christ.</p>

-

-<p>A Christian Church, therefore, according

-to the New Testament idea, is a company

-of persons Divinely called and separated

-from the world, baptized on a profession of

-their faith in Christ, united in covenant for

-worship and Christian service, under the

-supreme authority of Christ, whose Word is

-their only law and rule of life in all matters

-of religious faith and practice.</p>

-

-<p>Some Christian denominations include all

-their congregations in one comprehensive

-society, or ecclesiastical system, under some

-central authority, which legislates for and

-controls the whole. This comprehensive

-society they call the church. Thus we

-speak of the Roman Catholic Church, the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p11">[p.&nbsp;11]</span>

-Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church&mdash;where

-the word &ldquo;church&rdquo; stands for the

-aggregate of all their local societies. With

-Baptists it is different. They speak of

-Baptist churches, but not of the Baptist

-Church, when the entire denomination is

-meant. The Baptist Church would mean

-some one local congregation of baptized

-believers.</p>

-

-<p>Thus was it in Apostolic times. There

-was &ldquo;the church in Jerusalem,&rdquo; &ldquo;the

-church of the Thessalonians,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church

-of Babylon,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church of the Laodiceans&rdquo;;

-but &ldquo;the churches of Macedonia,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;the churches of Asia,&rdquo; &ldquo;the churches of

-Judea.&rdquo; A church, therefore, is not a

-system of congregations confederated under

-a general government, but a single local

-congregation of Christian disciples associated

-in covenant and meeting together for

-worship. In this sense the word is commonly,

-almost uniformly, used in the New

-Testament.</p>

-

-<p>Churches are Divinely instituted to be

-&ldquo;the light of the world&rdquo; and &ldquo;the salt of

-the earth.&rdquo; They are ordained for the

-glory of God, as &ldquo;the ground and pillar of

-the truth,&rdquo; in the proclamation of His Gospel

-and the establishment of His kingdom

-<span class="pagenum" id="p12">[p.&nbsp;12]</span>

-in the world. They are commissioned to

-preach the Gospel to men, and to live the

-Gospel before men, that Christ may be

-honored and sinners saved. They should,

-therefore, be constantly striving to realize

-the grand purpose of their existence and

-fulfill the mission of their high calling.

-That church which does the most to honor

-Christ and save man will be the most

-honored by Him, and the most influential

-and prosperous in all that pertains to the

-true functions of a church. And since a

-church, as a body, is what its individual

-members are in their religious life and influence,

-therefore each member should strive

-to become in holy living what He desires the

-church to be.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;A body of Christian disciples may fail to

-meet some of the requirements of the Gospel, and

-still be a true church of Christ, providing it fulfills

-the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith and

-practice.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;But when a body ceases to acknowledge

-and submit to Christ as its Supreme Ruler, and to

-receive His Word as its supreme law, then it ceases to

-be a true church, and is simply a religious society,

-though it may still accept some of His doctrines and

-practice some of His precepts.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;A church is not a legislative, but an

-executive body. It cannot make laws, but only obey

-and administer those which Christ has given in the

-New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p13">[p.&nbsp;13]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;But in matters pertaining to order and

-methods of administration, merely optional and discretionary,

-not involving fundamental principles, the

-church is to exercise its liberty, so long as it does not

-contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights

-of its members.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;And still further, while a church cannot

-become an authoritative expounder of either truth or

-duty, to bind the consciences even of its members,

-yet it does possess a judicial function for the interpretation

-and the enforcement of the laws of Christ

-for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members,

-so far as their relation to the compact is concerned.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Each church owes courtesy and comity,

-fellowship and fraternity, to all others; but it owes

-subjection and allegiance to none, and is under authority

-to Christ alone.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;In matters of business and in the exercise

-of its authority in administration, the will of the

-church is expressed by a majority vote of its members.

-But the nearer that majority approaches to

-unanimity, the more satisfactory and emphatic are

-its decisions.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Councils may be called, presbyteries convened,

-or committees of reference chosen for advice

-in cases of moment, but they are all <i>advisory</i> only,

-and in no case authoritative. There is no higher,

-and no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs,

-than the individual church.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p14">[p.&nbsp;14]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch2">CHAPTER II</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers<a id="ch2_fna1"></a>

-<a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>

-

-<p>The Scriptural officers of a church are

-<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i> Bishops are in the

-New Testament also called &ldquo;presbyters,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;elders,&rdquo; and &ldquo;overseers.&rdquo; Their duties

-and services have mainly reference to the

-spiritual interests of the body, though they

-properly have the oversight of all its concerns.

-The deacons have principal charge

-of the temporalities of the church, so as to

-relieve the pastor in that department of

-labor. They are, however, to be counselors

-and helpers of the pastor in all departments

-of his work. The qualifications for both

-offices are set forth in the Epistles to

-Timothy and Titus.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Pastors and deacons, as teachers and

-leaders of the flock, cannot be selected for and imposed

-upon the churches by any external authority

-whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected

-<span class="pagenum" id="p15">[p.&nbsp;15]</span>

-and chosen by the free suffrages of the members,

-without compulsion or restraint, from among themselves,

-or those who are to become identified with

-them in fellowship.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;In the election of either a pastor or

-deacon, notice of such election should be given from

-the pulpit for at least two Sundays preceding the

-time for the same. The election should be by ballot,

-and at least <i>three-quarters</i> of the votes cast should be

-necessary for the election of a pastor, and <i>two-thirds</i>

-for the election of a deacon. Such election should

-be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and conducted

-without partisan devices or personal strife.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Both pastors and deacons are properly

-elected for unlimited terms of service, the relation to

-continue so long as there shall be mutual satisfaction.

-Such a course tends less to depreciate and make

-servile the officers and their duties in the estimation

-of the people, and of those who bear them, than a

-limited and specified time, though deacons are sometimes,

-and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term

-of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the

-church.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;The church is to fix on the amount of

-salary necessary to a generous support of the pastor,

-and hold itself obligated by every consideration of

-Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment

-of the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the

-church as it is unjust and vexatious to the pastor.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;The call to a pastor issues from the

-<i>church</i> as a body, which also designates the amount

-of salary to be paid. It is in some sections usual,

-though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting

-of the entire congregation or society to approve or

-confirm the call. In some States it is necessary for

-the trustees, as the legal representatives of the corporation,

-to confirm the action officially, so far as the

-salary is concerned, before it can become legal.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p16">[p.&nbsp;16]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The number of deacons is optional with

-the church. It is usually from <i>three</i> to <i>seven.</i> Let it

-be so many as the church needs and can find suitable

-as candidates for the office. But they should never be

-elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they

-be persons whose fitness for the office is generally

-conceded.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The relations between pastor and the

-church may be dissolved at the option of either, by

-giving <i>three months&rsquo;</i> notice; or otherwise, by mutual

-consent. Between the deacons and the church, the

-relations may be dissolved at the option of either

-without previous notice.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church <i>clerk</i> is elected annually, at a

-business meeting, by a majority vote. It is an office

-of convenience, for keeping the minutes and preserving

-the records of the body. Also <i>trustees</i> are elected

-by the church, or if the law so requires, by a <i>society.</i>

-Their duties are the care of the property and the

-management of finances. But these are not considered

-Scriptural church officers; deacons might properly

-discharge all the functions of these

-<span class="wsnw">offices.<a id="ch2_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;The offices of trust and service in a

-church should be as widely distributed among the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p17">[p.&nbsp;17]</span>

-members as possible, consistently with the welfare of

-the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded.

-No one man should hold more than one office at the

-same time, unless the interests of the body absolutely

-demand it. If offices are honors, they should be

-widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly

-should be. For the same man to hold two or three

-offices is as unjust to him as it is to his brethren.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;A church cannot unite in any corporate

-capacity with other organizations for religious, benevolent,

-moral reform, or other purposes; but it may

-cooperate with these for any good object, and give to

-such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary

-aid.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;But members of churches can, as individuals,

-unite with outside organizations, for any

-purpose, not inconsistent with their profession as

-Christians, and not injurious to their church relations

-and duties.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities,

-nor delegate their authority to any man, or

-to any body of men, to act officially for them. But

-they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to

-perform services for them, under instruction, and to

-report their action to the body.</p>

-

-<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn1"><p><a href="#ch2_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>

-This and several of the following sections are consistent

-with the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Church Polity,&ldquo; on the same

-topics.</p></div>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn2"><p><a href="#ch2_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>

-In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that

-being a spiritual body, but incorporate a <i>society,</i> as it is called,

-consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support

-the worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs

-of the church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts

-its secular concerns. It elects a specified number of

-<i>trustees,</i> as provided for by law, who are the legal representatives

-of the corporation. The members of the society, and the

-trustees elected, may or may not be members of the church.

-This whole society arrangement is a relic of the old New

-England parish system of the standing order, and is inconsistent

-with the freedom of church action, and antagonistic to

-Baptist Church independence. It is anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural.

-A church should be allowed to manage its own

-affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be protected

-by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated in

-most of the States.</p></div>

-</div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p18">[p.&nbsp;18]</span></p>

-<h3 id="ch3" class="tdc">CHAPTER III</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church ordinances</span></p>

-

-<p>Christian ordinances, in the largest

-sense, are any institutions, or regulations of

-Divine appointment, established as means of

-grace for the good of men, or as acts of

-worship for the honor of God. In that

-sense, not only are baptism and the Lord&rsquo;s

-Supper ordinances, but preaching, prayer,

-hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving

-are also ordinances, since all are of Divine

-appointment. But, in a narrower sense, it is

-common to say that <i>baptism</i> and the <i>Lord&rsquo;s

-Supper</i> are the only ordinances appointed

-by Christ to be observed by His churches.

-These are the only emblematic and commemorative

-rites enjoined upon His disciples,

-by which they are to be distinguished, and

-He is to be honored. They are the two

-symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,

-the two monuments of the New Dispensation.</p>

-

-<p><i>Baptism</i> is the immersion, or dipping, of

-<span class="pagenum" id="p19">[p.&nbsp;19]</span>

-a candidate in water, on a profession of his

-faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration;

-the baptism to be ministered in, or

-into, the name of the Father, the Son, and

-Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and

-resurrection of Christ, and in a figure declares

-the candidate&rsquo;s death to sin and the

-world, and his rising to a new life. It also

-proclaims the washing of regeneration, and

-professes the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a resurrection

-from the dead, through Him into the

-likeness of whose death he is buried in baptism.</p>

-

-<p><i>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</i> is a provision of bread

-and wine, used to represent the body and

-the blood of Christ, partaken of by members

-of the church assembled for that purpose;

-in which service they commemorate

-the love of Christ exhibited in His death for

-them, and profess their faith and participation

-in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only

-ground of their hope of eternal life.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;No person can rightfully or properly become

-a church-member except he be first baptized, as

-the distinguishing mark and profession of his discipleship.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The Supper is a church ordinance, and

-therefore is the privilege of church-members only.

-Therefore, also, since baptism precedes church-membership,

-it must precede and be prerequisite to the

-Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p20">[p.&nbsp;20]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Since the Supper is distinctively a church

-ordinance, it is to be observed by churches only, and

-not by individuals; neither in private places, nor in

-sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by companies

-of disciples other than churches. But a church

-may by appointment, and in its official capacity, meet

-in a private house, a sick-room, or wherever it may

-elect, and there observe the Supper.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly

-administered by ordained and accredited ministers;

-but both would be equally valid if administered

-by unordained persons, should occasion require and

-the church so direct. As to the qualifications of the

-administrator, the New Testament is silent, except

-that he should be a disciple.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;As to the time, place, and frequency of

-the ordinances, no Scriptural directions are given.

-These are left optional with the churches. They are

-usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily.

-As to the Supper, our churches have very generally

-come to observe it on the first Sunday of each month.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The participation of the elements in the

-Supper should be done according to the special direction

-of Christ, the Head of the body. &ldquo;This do in

-remembrance of <i>Me.</i>&rdquo; It is not, therefore, a test or

-token of Christian fellowship, except incidentally.

-All thought and sympathy in the service should be

-centered on Him who is &ldquo;the living bread,&rdquo; and not

-fixed on others.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The ordinances are not <i>sacraments,</i> as

-taught by some, conveying effectual grace to the soul

-and imparting spiritual life. But as Divinely appointed

-means of grace, their importance must not

-be undervalued. They cannot be neglected without

-suffering serious harm and incurring the gravest responsibility.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Baptism is not essential to salvation, for

-our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of &ldquo;baptismal

-<span class="pagenum" id="p21">[p.&nbsp;21]</span>

-regeneration&rdquo;; but it is essential to obedience,

-since Christ has commanded it. It is also essential to

-a public confession of Christ before the world, and to

-membership in the church which is His body. And no

-true lover of his Lord will refuse these acts of

-obedience and tokens of affection.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p22">[p.&nbsp;22]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch4">CHAPTER IV</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church-membership</span></p>

-

-<p>It is most likely that in the Apostolic age

-when there was but &ldquo;one Lord, one faith,

-and one baptism,&rdquo; and no differing denominations

-existed, the baptism of a convert

-by that very act constituted him a member

-of the church, and at once endowed him

-with all the rights and privileges of full

-membership. In that sense, &ldquo;baptism was

-the door into the church.&rdquo; Now, it is

-different; and while the churches are desirous

-of receiving members, they are wary

-and cautious that they do not receive unworthy

-persons. The churches therefore

-have candidates come before them, make

-their statement, give their &ldquo;experience,&rdquo;

-and then their reception is decided by a

-vote of the members. And while they cannot

-become members without baptism, yet

-it is the vote of the body which admits

-them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p23">[p.&nbsp;23]</span>

-There are <i>three classes</i> of candidates, and

-modes of reception to membership.</p>

-

-<p>1. <i>By baptism.</i>&mdash;The church having listened

-to the religious experience of the candidate,

-and being satisfied with the same,

-and with his Christian deportment, votes to

-receive him to its fellowship, &ldquo;on being

-baptized.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>2. <i>By letter.</i>&mdash;The candidate presents a

-letter of dismission and recommendation

-from some other Baptist church with which

-he has been connected, for the purpose of

-transferring his membership to this. The

-church, being satisfied, votes to receive him

-into fellowship.</p>

-

-<p>3. <i>By experience.</i>&mdash;Persons having been

-baptized, but for some reason being without

-membership in any church, wish to be

-received. They, giving satisfactory evidence

-of Christian character, and substantial

-agreement in matters of faith and practice,

-are received by vote, as in other cases.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Persons cannot be received to membership

-on the credit of letters from other denominations.

-Such letters are, however, accepted, as

-certificates of Christian character, and of church

-standing.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;While the churches do not require candidates

-to sign any creed, confession, or articles of

-faith, yet they do expect a substantial agreement in

-<span class="pagenum" id="p24">[p.&nbsp;24]</span>

-matters of faith and practice on their part as essential

-both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony

-of the body.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Should any member object to the reception

-of a candidate, such reception should be deferred,

-in order to consider the reasons for the objection.

-Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should

-not prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet

-no one should be received except by a unanimous or

-nearly unanimous vote.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;It is customary for candidates, after their

-experience or letters have been presented, to retire

-while the church deliberates and acts upon their case.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member in good standing, is entitled,

-at any time, to a letter of dismission, in the usual

-form, with which to unite with another church of the

-same faith and order.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Letters are usually made valid for <i>six

-months</i> only, during which time they must be used, if

-used at all. But if held longer, they may be renewed

-by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for

-their non-use.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;Each one receiving a letter is still a

-member of the church, and under its watchcare and

-discipline, until his letter is actually received by

-another church.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Letters cannot be given to members for

-the purpose of uniting with churches with which we

-are not in fellowship. But any member is entitled,

-at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and

-Christian character.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;No member can <i>withdraw</i> from the

-church, or have his name <i>dropped,</i> or at his own

-request be <i>excluded</i> from the fellowship of the body

-without due process of discipline.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;Nor can a member have a letter voted

-and forced upon him without his wish and consent.

-<span class="pagenum" id="p25">[p.&nbsp;25]</span>

-Such would be a virtual expulsion from the body. If

-worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of

-the church against his will.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;Members living remote from the church

-are expected to unite with some Baptist church near

-their residence; or give satisfactory reasons for not

-doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected

-to report themselves to the church at least

-<i>once each year,</i> and contribute to its support, till they

-cease to be members.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Letters of dismission may be revoked,

-at any time before being used, if, in the judgment of

-the church, there be sufficient cause for such action.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 13.&mdash;Church fellowship will be withdrawn

-from members who unite with other denominations;

-because, however excellent their character, or sincere

-their intentions, they have broken covenant with the

-church, and by such act have placed themselves beyond

-the limits of its fellowship.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 14.&mdash;Persons excluded from other churches

-are not to be received to membership, except after the

-most careful investigation of all the facts in the

-case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion

-was unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently

-refuses to do justice to the excluded member.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 15.&mdash;A letter is usually asked for and addressed

-to the particular church. This is proper, but

-not always necessary. It may in certain cases be

-asked for, and given &ldquo;to the church of the same

-faith and order.&rdquo; Or if directed to one, it may be

-presented to, and received by another.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 16.&mdash;It is expected that all pecuniary liability

-to the church will be canceled, and all personal difficulties

-in the church will be settled by a member,

-should such exist, before he shall receive a letter of

-dismission.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 17.&mdash;Each member, without exception, is expected

-to fill his place in the church, by attendance

-<span class="pagenum" id="p26">[p.&nbsp;26]</span>

-on its appointments, as Providence may allow, and

-also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary

-support of the body, according to his ability. If in

-either of these respects he fails, and refuses, he becomes

-a covenant-breaker, and is subject to the discipline

-of the body.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 18.&mdash;Persons excluded from the church may

-be again received to its fellowship on satisfactory

-evidence of fitness. This is called reception by <i>restoration,</i>

-and is usually so entered on the records, and

-in associational reports.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 19.&mdash;It is neither a Christian nor an honorable

-course for a church to grant an unworthy member

-a valid letter, and send him to another church as

-one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid

-of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of

-a course of discipline.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 20.&mdash;No church is <i>obliged</i> to receive a person

-to membership, simply because he brings a valid

-letter from another church. Each church is to be

-sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be

-received to its fellowship.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p27">[p.&nbsp;27]</span></p>

-<h3 id="ch5" class="tdc">CHAPTER V</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church discipline</span></p>

-

-<p>Church-members are supposed to be regenerate

-persons bearing the image and

-cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the

-peace of God rules, and who walk and

-work in &ldquo;the unity of the Spirit, and the

-bond of peace.&rdquo; But unhappily, even the

-saints are sanctified only in part, and

-troubles sometimes arise among brethren.

-The evil passions of even good men may

-triumph over piety, and partisan strife may

-destroy the peace and the prosperity of the

-body of Christ. All this should, if possible,

-be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks

-to heal offenses; but it is better to <i>prevent</i>

-them, than to <i>heal</i> them. It is, however,

-better to heal and remove, than to endure

-them.</p>

-

-<p>Now these offenses and occasions of dissension

-in the churches arise from various

-causes, and are largely preventable. Most

-frequently they come by the following

-means:</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p28">[p.&nbsp;28]</span>

-1. Because of the too suspicious and

-sensitive disposition of some who imagine

-themselves wronged, neglected, or in some

-way injured; the matter being chiefly imaginary,

-and without any real foundation in

-fact.</p>

-

-<p>2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential

-members do not carefully and constantly

-enough watch the beginnings of

-strife, and rectify the evil before it becomes

-serious.</p>

-

-<p>3. Because evil-doers by delay become

-more persistent in evil, while others are

-drawn into the strife, and contentious parties

-insensibly are formed, which tend to divide

-the church into hostile factions.</p>

-

-<p>4. Because that when the difficulty becomes

-chronic and deep-seated, the church

-is likely to undertake the discipline with

-judicial severity, and not in the spirit of

-meekness, in which the spiritual should restore

-the erring.</p>

-

-<p>5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken

-under excitement is almost certain

-to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result

-reached be just and right, the method by

-which it is reached is likely to be unwise,

-unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly

-<span class="pagenum" id="p29">[p.&nbsp;29]</span>

-producing more serious and more lasting

-evils than it has removed.</p>

-

-<p><i>Offenses</i> calling for discipline are usually

-considered as of <i>two</i> classes: <i>private</i> or personal,

-and <i>public</i> or general. These terms

-do not very accurately express the nature of

-the offenses, but they are in common use,

-and capable of being understood. In the

-administration of <i>corrective discipline,</i> the

-following rules and principles constitute a

-correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">private offenses</span></p>

-

-<p><i>Private offenses</i> pertain to personal difficulties

-between individuals, having no direct

-reference to the church as a body, and not

-involving the Christian profession at large.

-In such cases, the course prescribed by

-our Saviour (Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:15</span>&ndash;17) is to be

-strictly followed, without question or deviation.</p>

-

-<p>1. <i>First step.</i>&mdash;The member who considers

-himself injured must go to the

-offender, tell him his grief, and between

-themselves alone, if possible, adjust and

-settle the difficulty. &ldquo;If thy brother shall

-trespass against thee, go and tell him his

-fault, between thee and him alone.&rdquo; This

-<span class="pagenum" id="p30">[p.&nbsp;30]</span>

-must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or

-condemn the offender, but to win him. &ldquo;If

-he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy

-brother.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>2. <i>Second step.</i>&mdash;If this shall fail, then

-the offended member must take one or two

-of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek

-an interview with the offender, and, if possible,

-by their united wisdom and piety,

-remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty.

-&ldquo;But if he will not hear thee, then

-take with thee one or two more, that in the

-mouth of two or three witnesses, every word

-may be established.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>3. <i>Third step.</i>&mdash;If this step should prove

-unavailing, then the offended member must

-tell the whole matter to the <i>church,</i> and

-leave it in their hands to be disposed of, as

-to them may seem wisest and best. &ldquo;And

-if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to

-the church.&rdquo; He has done his duty and

-must abide by the decision of the body

-which assumes this responsibility.</p>

-

-<p>4. <i>The result.</i>&mdash;If this course of kindly

-Christian labor proves finally ineffectual,

-and the offender shows himself incorrigible,

-excision must follow. He must be cut off

-from fellowship in the church whose covenant

-he has broken, and whose authority

-<span class="pagenum" id="p31">[p.&nbsp;31]</span>

-he disregards. &ldquo;And if he neglect to hear

-the church, let him be unto thee as an

-heathen man, and a publican.&rdquo; However

-painful the act, the church must be faithful

-to its duty, and to its God.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;While this Divine rule makes it obligatory

-on the offended member to go to the offender and

-seek a reconciliation, yet much more is it obligatory

-on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved

-with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the

-difficulty.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The matter is not to be made public until

-these three steps have been fully taken, and have

-failed; and then to be made public only by telling

-the church, and no others.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When the case comes before the church,

-it must not be neglected nor dropped, but judiciously

-pursued until the difficulty be adjusted, the offense

-removed, or else the offender be disfellowshipped,

-and put away.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">public offenses</span></p>

-

-<p><i>Public offenses</i> are not against any one

-person more than another, but are such as

-are supposed to be a dishonor to the church

-of which the offender is a member, and a

-reproach to the Christian profession. They

-constitute a violation of the code of Christian

-morals, if not of our common worldly

-morals.</p>

-

-<p>The more common causes of this class of

-offenses are the following: False doctrine

-<span class="pagenum" id="p32">[p.&nbsp;32]</span>

-(Gal. <span class="wsnw">1:9,</span> 2&nbsp;John 10), disregard of authority

-(Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:17;</span> 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:14),</span>

-contention and strife (Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:17),</span> immoral

-conduct (1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> disorderly

-walk (2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 9), covetous spirit

-(Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:5;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> arrogant

-conduct (3&nbsp;John 9), going to law (1&nbsp;Cor.

-<span class="wsnw">6:6).</span></p>

-

-<p>The following constitutes a proper and

-Scriptural course of treatment for such

-cases:</p>

-

-<p>1. The first member who has knowledge

-of the offense should, as in the case of private

-offenses, seek the offender, ascertain

-the facts, and attempt to reconcile or remove

-the difficulty. Not till he has done this

-should he make it public, or bring it before

-the church.</p>

-

-<p>2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this

-course of personal effort, or if such a course

-proves unsuccessful, then any member having

-knowledge of the facts should confer

-with the pastor and deacons as to the best

-course to be pursued.</p>

-

-<p>3. The pastor and deacons should, by the

-best method they are capable of devising,

-labor to adjust the matter without bringing

-it into the church, or otherwise making it

-public.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p33">[p.&nbsp;33]</span>

-4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case

-be already public, and a reproach and scandal

-to religion, then they should bring it to

-the church, and it should direct a proper

-course of discipline.</p>

-

-<p>5. The church, thus having the case before

-it, should either appoint a committee

-to visit the offender, or cite him before the

-body to answer the charge. He should be

-allowed to hear the evidence against him,

-know the witnesses, and be permitted to answer

-for himself.</p>

-

-<p>6. If the accused disproves the charges,

-or if he confesses the wrong, makes suitable

-acknowledgment, and, so far as possible,

-reparation, with promise of amendment,

-in all ordinary cases, this should be

-deemed satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.</p>

-

-<p>7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and

-prayerful labor, all efforts fail to reclaim

-the offender, then, however painful the necessity,

-the church must withdraw its fellowship

-from him, and put him away from

-them.</p>

-

-<p>8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality,

-by which the reputation of the body

-is compromised and the Christian name

-scandalized, on being proved or confessed,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p34">[p.&nbsp;34]</span>

-the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn

-from the offender, notwithstanding

-any confessions and promises of amendment;

-but not without a trial.</p>

-

-<p>The church&rsquo;s good name and the honor

-of religion demand this testimony against

-evil. He may be subsequently restored, if

-suitably penitent.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;All discipline should be conducted in the

-spirit of Christian meekness and love, with a desire

-to remove offenses and win offenders. It must also be

-done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain

-the honor of Christ&rsquo;s name, the purity of His church,

-and the integrity of His truth.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;If any member shall persist in bringing a

-private grievance before the church, or otherwise

-make it public before he has pursued the course prescribed

-in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he

-becomes himself an offender, and subject to the discipline

-of the body.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When private difficulties exist among

-members which they cannot, or will not settle, the

-church should consider them as public offenses, and

-as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual

-injury which they inflict.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;When a member refers to the church any

-private difficulty, which he has been unable to settle,

-he must submit it wholly to the disposition of the

-body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to

-revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the

-church, he becomes an offender, and subject to discipline.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member tried by the church has the

-right to receive copies of all charges against him, the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p35">[p.&nbsp;35]</span>

-names of his accusers, and the witnesses, both of

-whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face

-to face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses

-on his side, and answering for himself before the

-body.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Every member on trial or excluded, shall

-have furnished at his request, authentic copies of all

-proceedings had by the church in his case, officially

-certified.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No member under discipline can have

-the right to bring any person, not a member, before

-the church as his advocate, except by consent of the

-body.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;In every case of exclusion, the charges

-against the member, and the reasons for his exclusion,

-should be accurately entered on the records of

-the church.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;If at any time it shall become apparent,

-or seem probable to the church that it has for any

-reason dealt unjustly with a member, or excluded him

-without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without

-request by concession and restoration, so far as

-possible, repair the injury it has done him.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;The church should hold itself bound to

-restore to its fellowship an excluded member when,

-ever he gives satisfactory evidence of repentance and

-reformation consistent with godliness.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;The church will exercise is legitimate

-authority, and vindicate its honor and rectitude in

-the administration of discipline, even though the

-member should regard such discipline as unjust or

-oppressive.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Nothing can be considered a just and

-reasonable cause for discipline, except what is forbidden

-by the letter of the spirit of Scripture. And

-<span class="pagenum" id="p36">[p.&nbsp;36]</span>

-nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for disfellowship

-and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary

-to Scripture, and what would have prevented

-the reception of the person into the church, had it

-been known to exist at the time of his reception.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p37">[p.&nbsp;37]</span></p>

-<h3 id="ch6" class="tdc">CHAPTER VI</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">cases of appeal</span></p>

-

-<p>Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes

-occur, so aggravated in their nature

-or so complicated in their treatment that it

-is found impossible to make a satisfactory

-settlement by ordinary methods; especially

-so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The

-excluded member will be almost sure to

-think he has been dealt with unjustly, and

-will wish for some redress; and if the case

-has been of long standing and much complicated,

-he will be equally sure to have

-others sympathize with him and condemn

-the action of the church. Now, although

-the <i>presumption</i> is that the church has done

-right, and is justified in its action, the <i>possibility</i>

-is that the church has done wrong,

-and is censurable for its action.</p>

-

-<p>What can be done in such a case?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;On the New Testament theory of church

-government, the action of this individual local church

-is final. There is no power either civil or ecclesiastical,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p38">[p.&nbsp;38]</span>

-that can reverse its decision or punish it for

-wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human

-tribunal has authority to compel it to confess or correct

-them.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;Councils, if appealed to for redress, have

-<i>no authority;</i> they are simply, always, and everywhere

-<i>advisory</i>&mdash;that, and nothing more. They can

-express an opinion, and give advice; but they have

-no authority to issue decrees, and would have no

-power to enforce them if they should.<a id="ch6_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch6_fn1">[1]</a></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Any person who believes himself wronged

-by church action has the inalienable right to appeal

-to the church for a new hearing, and, failing in this,

-to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he

-see fit to do so.</p>

-

-<p><i>Now observe</i>&mdash;If an excluded member

-believes himself unjustly dealt by, and

-wishes redress the following is the proper

-course for him to pursue:</p>

-

-<p>1. Apply to the church which excluded,

-and ask a rehearing. State to them the

-grounds of his complaint and the evidence

-on which he thinks he can satisfy them, if

-a fair opportunity for being heard be given

-him.</p>

-

-<p>2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let

-him appeal to them to unite with him in

-calling a <i>mutual council,</i> before which the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p39">[p.&nbsp;39]</span>

-whole case shall be placed, all parties to

-abide by its decision.</p>

-

-<p>3. If a mutual council be declined by

-the church, he would be fully justified,

-should he feel so inclined, in calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span>

-council, before which he should place

-the facts and seek its advice.</p>

-

-<p>4. Or, instead of calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council,

-he could apply to some other church to

-be received to its fellowship, on the ground

-that he had been unjustly excluded. Should

-he be received to another church, that would

-give him church standing and fellowship

-again, and vindicate him so far as any ecclesiastical

-action could vindicate him.</p>

-

-<p>5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing

-left but for him to wait patiently, and

-bear the burden of his wrong until Providence

-opens the way for his deliverance.

-He may, after all, conclude that he himself

-was more in fault than he at first supposed,

-and the church less so.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;An <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council should not be called

-in such a case of difficulty until all efforts have failed

-to secure a <i>mutual</i> council; as such a council, if

-called, would probably do nothing more than advise

-a mutual council and adjourn.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any church can well afford to grant a

-rehearing to an excluded member. It would be in

-the interest of peace, justice, and reconciliation. If

-the church be right, it can afford to be generous.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p40">[p.&nbsp;40]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Any church has the right to receive a

-member excluded, from another church, since each

-church is sole judge of the qualification of persons

-received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed

-to would use great caution, and with due

-regard to its own peace and purity, ascertain all the

-facts in the case before taking such action.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;If a mutual council be called, one-half

-the messengers and members are to be chosen by the

-church and one-half by the aggrieved party; but the

-<i>letters missive</i> calling the council are to be sent out

-by and in the name of the church, and not of the

-aggrieved party. But these facts, as to the mutual

-call, are to be stated in the letters.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church excluding a member has no

-just cause of complaint against another church for

-receiving such an excluded member, since the one

-church is just as independent to receive one whom it

-judges worthy of fellowship, as the other is to exclude

-one whom it judged unworthy of fellowship.</p>

-

-<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch6_fn1"><p><a href="#ch6_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>

-For a more comprehensive discussion of councils&mdash;what they

-can, and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use

-them&mdash;see the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Councils.&rdquo;</p></div>

-</div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p41">[p.&nbsp;41]</span></p>

-<h3 id="ch7" class="tdc">CHAPTER VII</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church business</span></p>

-

-<p>The business meetings of a church should

-be conducted as much as possible in the

-spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the

-propriety and sanctity which attaches to all

-the interests of the kingdom of Christ.

-Meetings for business should not be needlessly

-multiplied, nor should they be unwisely

-neglected. It may not be wise to

-insist too rigidly on the observance of parliamentary

-rules, yet it is still worse to drift

-into a loose unbusinesslike way, which

-wastes time, accomplishes little, and does

-wrongly much that is done.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">order of business</span></p>

-

-<p>1. The meetings to be opened with reading

-the Scriptures, singing, and prayer.</p>

-

-<p>2. The reading, correction, and approval

-of the minutes of the preceding meeting.</p>

-

-<p>3. Unfinished business, or such as the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p42">[p.&nbsp;42]</span>

-minutes present, including reports of committees

-taken in order.</p>

-

-<p>4. New business will next be taken up.

-Any member may call up new business.

-But important matters should not be presented,

-except on previous consultation with

-the pastor and deacons.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator

-of all church business meetings. If he be not

-present, or do not wish to serve, any one may be

-elected to take the place.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;All business meetings, both regular and

-special, should be announced from the pulpit one

-Sunday, at least, before they are held.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Special meetings for business may be

-called at any time, by consent of the pastor and deacons,

-or by such other methods as the church itself

-may direct.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Though a majority usually decides questions,

-yet in all matters of special importance a unanimous,

-or nearly unanimous, vote should be secured.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Members may be received, and letters of

-dismission granted, either at the business church

-meeting, the covenant meeting, or the regular weekly

-prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed method

-should be observed.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Candidates for admission to membership

-will be expected to retire from the meeting

-when action is taken on their reception.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No persons, except members, will be

-present during the transaction of church business. If

-present, they may be asked to retire.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p43">[p.&nbsp;43]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Although the church should endeavor to

-do nothing which its members will be ashamed or

-afraid to have known by others, yet every member is

-bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish

-abroad, nor disclose to those without, the private

-affairs and business transactions of the body.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">rules of order</span></p>

-

-<p>The following constitute the generally

-accepted rules of order for churches and

-other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Motions</i></p>

-

-<p>1. All business shall be presented by a

-<i>motion,</i> made by one member, and seconded

-by another, and presented in writing by the

-mover, if so required.</p>

-

-<p>2. No discussion can properly be had until

-the motion is made, seconded, and stated by

-the chairman.</p>

-

-<p>3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after

-it has been discussed, except by the unanimous

-consent of the body.</p>

-

-<p>4. A motion having been discussed, must

-be put to vote, unless withdrawn, laid on

-the table, referred, or postponed.</p>

-

-<p>5. A motion lost should not be recorded,

-except so ordered by the body at the time.</p>

-

-<p>6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the

-same meeting, except by unanimous consent.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p44">[p.&nbsp;44]</span>

-7. A motion should contain but one distinct

-proposition. If it contains more, it

-must be divided at the request of any member,

-and the propositions acted on separately.</p>

-

-<p>8. Only one question can properly be before

-the meeting at any one time. No second

-motion can be allowed to interrupt one

-already under debate, except a motion to

-<i>amend,</i> to <i>substitute,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>postpone,</i>

-to <i>lay on the table,</i> for <i>the previous question,</i>

-or to <i>adjourn.</i></p>

-

-<p>9. These subsidiary motions just named

-cannot be interrupted by any other motion;

-nor can any other motion be applied to

-them except that to <i>amend,</i> which may be

-done by specifying some <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose.</i></p>

-

-<p>10. Nor can these motions interrupt or

-supersede each other; only that a motion to

-<i>adjourn</i> is always in order, except while a

-member has the floor, or a question is being

-taken, and in some bodies even then.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Amendments</i></p>

-

-<p>1. Amendments to resolutions may be

-made in three ways: By <i>omitting,</i> by <i>adding,</i>

-or by <i>substituting</i> words or sentences.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p45">[p.&nbsp;45]</span>

-2. An amendment to an amendment may

-be made, but is seldom necessary, and should

-be avoided.</p>

-

-<p>3. No amendment should be made which

-essentially changes the meaning or design

-of the original resolution.</p>

-

-<p>4. But a <i>substitute</i> may be offered, which

-may change entirely the meaning of the

-resolution under debate.</p>

-

-<p>5. The amendment must first be discussed

-and acted on, and then the original resolution

-as amended.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Speaking</i></p>

-

-<p>1. Any member desiring to speak on a

-question should rise in his place and address

-the moderator, confine his remarks to the

-question, and avoid all unkind and disrespectful

-language.</p>

-

-<p>2. A speaker using improper language,

-introducing improper subjects, or otherwise

-out of order, should be called to order by

-the chairman, or any member, and must

-either conform to the regulations of the

-body, or take his seat.</p>

-

-<p>3. A member while speaking can allow

-others to ask questions, or make explanations;

-but if he yields the floor to another,

-he cannot claim it again as his right.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p46">[p.&nbsp;46]</span>

-4. If two members rise to speak at the

-same time, preference is usually given

-to the one farthest from the chair, or to

-the one opposing the question under discussion.</p>

-

-<p>5. The fact that a person has several

-times arisen, and attempted to get the floor,

-gives him no claim or right to be heard.

-Nor does a call for the question deprive a

-member of his right to speak.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Voting</i></p>

-

-<p>1. A question is put to vote by the chairman

-having first distinctly restated it, that

-all may vote intelligently. First, the <i>affirmative,</i>

-then the <i>negative</i> is called; each so

-deliberately as to give all an opportunity

-of voting. He then distinctly announces

-whether the motion is <i>carried,</i> or <i>lost.</i></p>

-

-<p>2. Voting is usually done by &ldquo;aye&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;no,&rdquo; or by raising the hand. In a doubtful

-case by standing and being counted. On

-certain questions by ballot.</p>

-

-<p>3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman,

-is doubted, it is called again, usually

-by standing to be counted.</p>

-

-<p>4. All members should vote, unless for

-reasons excused; or unless under discipline,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p47">[p.&nbsp;47]</span>

-in which case they should take no part in

-the business.</p>

-

-<p>5. The moderator does not usually vote,

-except the question be taken by ballot; but

-when the meeting is equally divided, he is

-expected, but is not obligated to give the

-casting vote.</p>

-

-<p>6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot,

-the chairman appoints <i>tellers,</i> to distribute,

-collect, and count the ballots.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Committees</i></p>

-

-<p>1. Committees are nominated by the

-chairman, if so directed by the body, or by

-any member; and the nomination is confirmed

-by a vote of the body. More commonly

-the body directs that all committees

-shall be <i>appointed</i> by the chairman, in which

-case no vote is needed to confirm.</p>

-

-<p>2. Any matter of business, or subject

-under debate, may be <i>referred</i> to a committee,

-with or without instructions. The

-committee make their <i>report,</i> which is the

-result of their deliberations. The body then

-takes action on the report, and on any

-recommendations it may contain.</p>

-

-<p>3. The report of a committee is <i>accepted</i>

-by a vote, which acknowledges their services,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p48">[p.&nbsp;48]</span>

-and takes the report before the body

-for its action. Afterward, any distinct

-<i>recommendation</i> contained in the report

-is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.</p>

-

-<p>4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations

-of the committee are of a trifling

-moment or likely to be generally acceptable,

-the report is <i>accepted</i> and <i>adopted</i> by the

-same vote.</p>

-

-<p>5. A report may be <i>recommitted</i> to the

-committee, with or without instructions; or

-that committee discharged, and the matter

-referred to a new one, for further consideration,

-so as to present it in a form more

-likely to meet the general concurrence of

-the body.</p>

-

-<p>6. A committee may be appointed <i>with

-power</i> for a specific purpose. This gives

-them power to dispose conclusively of the

-matter, without further reference to the

-body.</p>

-

-<p>7. The first named in the appointment

-of a committee is by courtesy considered

-the <i>chairman.</i> But the committee has the

-right to name its own chairman.</p>

-

-<p>8. The member who moves the appointment

-of a committee is usually, though not

-necessarily, named its chairman.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p49">[p.&nbsp;49]</span>

-9. Committees of arrangement, or for

-other protracted service, <i>report progress</i>

-from time to time, and are continued until

-their final report, or until their appointment

-expires by limitation.</p>

-

-<p>10. A committee is <i>discharged</i> by a vote,

-when its business is done, and its report accepted.

-But usually, in routine business, a

-committee is considered discharged by the

-acceptance of its report.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Standing Committee</i></p>

-

-<p>A committee appointed to act for a given

-period or during the recess of the body is

-called a <i>standing committee.</i> It has charge

-of a given department of business assigned

-by the body, and acts either with power,

-under instructions, or at discretion, as may

-be ordered. A standing committee is substantially

-a minor board, and has its own

-chairman, secretary, records, and times of

-meeting.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Appeal</i></p>

-

-<p>The moderator announces all votes, and

-decides all questions as to rules of proceeding,

-and order of debate. But any member

-who is dissatisfied with his decisions may

-<span class="pagenum" id="p50">[p.&nbsp;50]</span>

-<i>appeal</i> from them to the body. The moderator

-then puts the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall the

-decision of the chair be sustained?&rdquo;</i> The

-vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative,

-is final. The right of appeal is

-undeniable, but should not be resorted to

-on trivial occasions.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Previous Question</i></p>

-

-<p>Debate may be cut short by a vote to

-take the <i>previous question.</i> This means that

-the original, or main, question under discussion

-be immediately voted on, regardless of

-amendments and secondary questions and

-without further debate. Usually a <i>two-thirds</i>

-vote is necessary to order the previous

-question.</p>

-

-<p>1. If the motion for the previous question

-be <i>carried,</i> then the main question must

-be immediately taken, without further debate.</p>

-

-<p>2. If the motion for the previous question

-be <i>lost,</i> the debate proceeds, as though

-no such motion had been made.</p>

-

-<p>3. If the motion for the previous question

-be <i>lost,</i> it cannot be renewed with reference

-to the same question, during the same

-session.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p51">[p.&nbsp;51]</span><i>To Lay on the Table</i></p>

-

-<p>Immediate and decisive action on any

-question under discussion may be deferred,

-by a vote to <i>lay on the table</i> the resolution

-pending. This disposes of the whole subject

-for the present, and ordinarily is in

-effect a final dismissal of it. But any member

-has the right subsequently to call it up;

-and the body will decide by vote whether,

-or not, it shall be taken from the table.</p>

-

-<p>1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is

-laid on the table for the present, or until a

-specified time, to give place to other business.</p>

-

-<p>2. A motion to lay on the table must

-apply to a resolution, or other papers. An

-abstract subject cannot be disposed of in

-this way.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Postponement</i></p>

-

-<p>A simple <i>postponement</i> is for a specified

-time or purpose, the business to be resumed

-when the time or purpose is reached. But

-a question <i>indefinitely postponed</i> is considered

-as finally dismissed.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Not Debatable</i></p>

-

-<p>Certain motions, by established usage, are

-<i>not debatable,</i> but when once before the

-body, must be taken without discussion.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p52">[p.&nbsp;52]</span>

-These are: The <i>previous question,</i> for <i>indefinite

-postponement,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>lay on

-the table,</i> to <i>adjourn.</i></p>

-

-<p>But when these motions are modified by

-some condition of <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose,</i>

-they become debatable, and subject to the

-rules of other motions; but debatable only in

-respect to the time, place, or purpose which

-brings them within the province of debate.</p>

-

-<p>A body is, however, competent, by a vote,

-to allow debate on all motions.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>To Reconsider</i></p>

-

-<p>A motion to <i>reconsider</i> a motion previously

-passed must be made by one who

-voted <i>for</i> the motion when it passed.</p>

-

-<p>If the body votes to reconsider, then the

-motion or resolution being reconsidered,

-stands before them as previous to its passage,

-and may be discussed, adopted, or rejected.</p>

-

-<p>A vote to reconsider should be taken at

-the same session at which the vote reconsidered

-was passed, and when there are as

-many members present.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Be Discussed</i></p>

-

-<p>If, when a question is introduced, any

-member objects to its discussion, as foreign,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p53">[p.&nbsp;53]</span>

-profitless, or contentious, the moderator

-should at once put the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall this

-motion be discussed?&rdquo;</i> If this question be

-decided in the negative, the subject must be

-dismissed.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Order of the Day</i></p>

-

-<p>The body may decide to take up some

-definite business at a specified time. That

-business therefore becomes the <i>order of the

-day,</i> for that hour. When the time mentioned

-arrives, the chairman calls the business,

-or any member may demand it, with

-or without a vote: and all pending questions

-are postponed in consequence.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Point of Order</i></p>

-

-<p>Any member who believes that a speaker

-is out of order, or that discussion is proceeding

-improperly, may at any time <i>rise to

-a point of order.</i> He must distinctly state

-his question or objection, which the moderator

-will decide.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Privileges</i></p>

-

-<p>Questions relating to the <i>rights</i> and <i>privileges</i>

-of members are of primary importance,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p54">[p.&nbsp;54]</span>

-and, until disposed of, take precedence

-of all other business, and supersede all other

-motions, except that of adjournment.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Rule Suspended</i></p>

-

-<p>A rule of order may be <i>suspended</i> by a

-vote of the body, to allow the transaction

-of business necessary, but which could not

-otherwise be done without a violation of

-such rule.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Filling Blanks</i></p>

-

-<p>Where different members are suggested

-for filling blanks, the <i>highest number, greatest

-distance,</i> and <i>longest time</i> are usually

-voted on first.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><i>Adjournment</i></p>

-

-<p>1. A simple motion <i>to adjourn</i> is always

-in order, except while a member is speaking,

-or when taking a vote. It takes precedence

-of all other motions, and is not

-debatable.</p>

-

-<p>2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion

-to adjourn is in order while a speaker has

-the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business

-to stand, on reassembling, precisely as

-when adjournment took place.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p55">[p.&nbsp;55]</span>

-3. A body may adjourn to a specific time;

-but if no time be mentioned, the fixed, or

-usual time of meeting, is understood. If

-there be no fixed, or usual time of meeting,

-then an adjournment without date is equivalent

-to a dissolution.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p56">[p.&nbsp;56]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch8">CHAPTER VIII</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">christian doctrine</span></p>

-

-<p>All evangelical churches profess to take

-the Holy Scriptures as their only and sufficient

-guide in matters of religious faith

-and practice. Baptists, especially, claim to

-have no authoritative creed except the New

-Testament. It is common, however, for the

-churches to have formulated statements of

-what are understood to be the leading Christian

-doctrines, printed and circulated among

-their members. These are not uniform

-among the churches, but are in substantial

-agreement as to the doctrines taught. Indeed,

-each church is at liberty to prepare its

-own confession, or have none at all; no one

-form being held as binding and obligatory

-on the churches to adopt. Members, on

-being received to fellowship, are not required

-to subscribe or pledge conformity

-to any creed-form, but are expected to yield

-substantial agreement to that which the

-church with which they unite has adopted.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p57">[p.&nbsp;57]</span>

-There are two Confessions which have

-gained more general acceptance than any

-others, and are now being widely adopted

-by the churches over the country. As to

-substance of doctrine, they do not essentially

-differ. That known as the New Hampshire

-Confession is commonly used by the churches

-North, East, and West; while that known

-as the Philadelphia Confession, is very generally

-in use in the South and Southwest.

-The former is much more brief and for that

-reason preferred by many. The other is

-substantially the London Confession of

-Faith, published by English Baptists in

-1689. It is much more full in statement

-than the other, and is higher in its tone as

-to the doctrines of grace.</p>

-

-<p>American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic

-as to substance of doctrine, but moderately

-so, being midway between the extremes

-of Arminianism and Antinomianism.

-Though diversities of opinion may incline to

-either extreme, the &ldquo;general atonement&rdquo;

-view is for the most part held, while the

-&ldquo;particular atonement&rdquo; theory is maintained

-by not a few. The freedom of the human

-will is declared, while the sovereignty of

-Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of

-the Spirit&rsquo;s work in faith and salvation are

-<span class="pagenum" id="p58">[p.&nbsp;58]</span>

-maintained. They practice &ldquo;strict communion,&rdquo;

-as do their mission churches in

-foreign lands. In Great Britain, Baptists

-are sharply divided between &ldquo;strict and free

-communion,&rdquo; and between the particular and

-the general atonement theories.</p>

-

-<p>The New Hampshire Confession, with a

-few verbal changes, is here inserted. But

-some of the proof-texts usually accompanying

-these articles are, for want of space,

-omitted.<a id="ch8_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch8_fn1">[1]</a></p>

-

-<p class="cgap">ARTICLES OF FAITH</p>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">i. the scriptures</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe that the Holy Bible was written

-by men Divinely inspired, and is a perfect

-treasure of heavenly <span class="wsnw">instruction;[1]</span> that it has

-God for its author, salvation for its end, and

-truth without any mixture of error for its

-<span class="wsnw">matter;[2]</span> that it reveals the principles by

-which God will judge <span class="wsnw">us;[3]</span> and therefore is,

-and shall remain to the end of the world,

-the true center of Christian union, and the

-supreme standard by which all human

-conduct, creeds and opinions should be

-tried.</p>

-

-<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p59">[p.&nbsp;59]</span>

-[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:16,</span> 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of

-God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,

-for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be

-perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2&nbsp;Peter

-<span class="wsnw">1:21;</span> 2&nbsp;Sam. <span class="wsnw">23:2;</span>

-Acts <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">30:5,</span> 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not

-unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

-Also, John <span class="wsnw">17:17;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:18,</span> 19;

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:4.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span> As many as have sinned in the law, shall be

-judged by the law. John <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48. If any man hear My

-words&mdash;the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge

-him in the last day. Also, 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:3,</span> 4;

-Luke <span class="wsnw">10:10</span>&ndash;16; <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ii. the true god</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there

-is one, and only one, living and true God,

-an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is

-<span class="smcap">Jehovah,</span> the Maker and Supreme Ruler

-of Heaven and <span class="wsnw">Earth:[1]</span> inexpressibly glorious

-in <span class="wsnw">holiness,[2]</span> and worthy of all possible

-honor, confidence, and <span class="wsnw">love;[3]</span> that in the

-unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,

-the Father, the Son, and the Holy

-<span class="wsnw">Ghost;[4]</span> equal in every Divine perfection,

-and executing distinct but harmonious offices

-in the great work of redemption.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">4:24.</span> God is a spirit.

-Ps. <span class="wsnw">147:5.</span> His understanding

-is infinite. Ps. <span class="wsnw">83:18.</span> Thou whose name alone is <span class="smcap">Jehovah</span>

-art the Most High over all the earth. Heb. <span class="wsnw">3:4;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20;</span>

-Jer. <span class="wsnw">10:10.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span> Who is like unto Thee&mdash;glorious in holiness?

-Isa. <span class="wsnw">6:3;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:15,</span> 16;

-Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:6</span>&ndash;8.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Mark <span class="wsnw">12:30.</span> Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all

-thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p60">[p.&nbsp;60]</span>

-with all thy strength. Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:11.</span> Thou art worthy, O Lord,

-to receive glory, and honour, and power. Matt. <span class="wsnw">10:37;</span>

-Jer. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span> Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing

-them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the

-Holy Ghost. John <span class="wsnw">15:26;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">12:4</span>&ndash;6.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">iii. the fall of man</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that man

-was created in holiness, under the law of his

-<span class="wsnw">Maker;[1]</span> but by voluntary transgression fell

-from that holy and happy <span class="wsnw">state;[2]</span> in consequence

-of which all mankind are now <span class="wsnw">sinners[3]</span>

-not by constraint but choice; being

-by nature utterly void of that holiness required

-by the law of God, positively inclined

-to evil; and therefore under just <span class="wsnw">condemnation,[4]</span>

-without defense or <span class="wsnw">excuse.[5]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:27.</span> God created man in His own image.

-Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:31.</span>

-And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was

-very good. Eccl. <span class="wsnw">7:29;</span> Acts <span class="wsnw">17:26;</span>

-Gen. <span class="wsnw">2:16.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Gen. <span class="wnsw">3:6</span>&ndash;24. And when the woman saw that the tree was

-good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree

-to be desired to make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof,

-and did eat; and gave unto her husband with her, and he

-did eat. Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:12.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By one man&rsquo;s disobedience many were made

-sinners. John <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">51:5;</span>

-Rom. <span class="wnsw">5:15</span>&ndash;19; <span class="wsnw">8:7.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:3.</span> Among whom also we all had our conversation in

-times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the

-flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath

-even as others.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] Ezek. <span class="wsnw">18:19,</span> 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die.

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20.</span> So that they are without excuse.

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become

-guilty before God. Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:22.</span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p61">[p.&nbsp;61]</span>

-<span class="smcap">iv. the way of salvation</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-salvation of sinners is wholly of <span class="wsnw">grace;[1]</span>

-through the mediatorial offices of the Son

-of <span class="wsnw">God;[2]</span> who according to the will of the

-Father, became man, yet without <span class="wsnw">sin;[3]</span>

-honored the Divine law by His personal

-obedience, and by His death made a full

-atonement for our <span class="wsnw">sins;[4]</span> that having risen

-from the dead, He is now enthroned in

-heaven; and uniting in His wonderful

-person the tenderest sympathies with Divine

-perfections, He is every way qualified to be

-a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient

-<span class="wsnw">Saviour.[5]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:5.</span> By grace ye are saved.

-Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:11;</span>

-1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">4:10;</span>

-1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">3:5</span>&ndash;7; Acts <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span> For God so loved the world that He gave His

-only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not

-perish, but have everlasting life.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:6</span>&ndash;7. Who being in the form of God thought it

-not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no

-reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was

-made in the likeness of men.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Isa. <span class="wsnw">53:4,</span> 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He

-was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace

-was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] Heb. <span class="wsnw">7:25.</span> Wherefore He is able also to save them to the

-uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to

-make intercession for them. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:9.</span> For in Him dwelleth

-all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p62">[p.&nbsp;62]</span>

-<span class="smcap">v. justification</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-great Gospel blessing which <span class="wsnw">Christ[1]</span> secures

-to such as believe in Him is <span class="wsnw">justification;[2]</span>

-that justification includes the pardon of

-<span class="wsnw">sin,[3]</span> and the gift of eternal life on principles

-of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in

-consideration of any works of righteousness

-which we have done, but solely through

-faith in Christ; by means of which faith

-His perfect righteousness is freely imputed

-to us by <span class="wsnw">God;[4]</span> that it brings us into a

-state of most blessed peace and favor with

-God, and secures every other blessing needful

-for time and <span class="wsnw">eternity.[5]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span> Of His fulness have all we received.

-Eph. <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">13:39.</span> By Him all that believe are justified from all

-things. Isa. <span class="wnsw">3:11,</span> 12; Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved

-from wrath through Him. Zech. <span class="wsnw">13:1;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">9:6;</span>

-Acts <span class="wsnw">10:43.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By the obedience of One shall many be made

-righteous. Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:24</span>&ndash;26; <span class="wsnw">4:23</span>&ndash;25;

-1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1,</span> 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with

-God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have

-access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in

-hope of the glory of God.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vi. the freeness of salvation</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-blessings of salvation are made free to all

-<span class="pagenum" id="p63">[p.&nbsp;63]</span>

-by the <span class="wsnw">Gospel:[1]</span> that it is the immediate

-duty of all to accept them by a cordial,

-penitent, and obedient <span class="wsnw">faith;[2]</span> and that nothing

-prevents the salvation of the greatest

-sinner on earth but his own determined depravity

-and voluntary rejection of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[3]</span>

-which rejection involves him in an

-aggravated <span class="wsnw">condemnation.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:1.</span> Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the

-waters. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:17.</span> Whosoever will; let him take the water

-of life freely.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">17:30.</span> And the times of this ignorance God winked

-at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:26;</span> Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15;</span>

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:15</span>&ndash;17.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">5:40.</span> Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have

-life. Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:37;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">9:32.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] John <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> And this is the condemnation, that light is

-come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than

-light because their deeds were evil. Matt. <span class="wsnw">11:20;</span>

-Luke <span class="wsnw">19:27;</span> 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:8.</span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vii. regeneration</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that in

-order to be saved, men must be regenerated,

-or born <span class="wsnw">again;[1]</span> that regeneration consists

-in giving a holy disposition to the <span class="wsnw">mind;[2]</span>

-that it is effected in a manner above our

-comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection

-with Divine <span class="wsnw">truth,[3]</span> so as to secure

-our voluntary obedience to the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[4]</span>

-and that its proper evidence appears in the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p64">[p.&nbsp;64]</span>

-holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness

-of <span class="wsnw">life.[5]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">3:3.</span> Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man

-be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 7;

-1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:14;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">3:7</span>&ndash;9;

-Rev. <span class="wsnw">21:27.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:17.</span> If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

-Ezek. <span class="wsnw">36:26;</span> Deut. <span class="wsnw">30:6;</span>

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:28,</span> 29.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span> The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou

-hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,

-and whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the

-Spirit. John <span class="wsnw">1:13;</span> James <span class="wsnw">1:16</span>&ndash;18;

-1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:30;</span> Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:13.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:22</span>&ndash;25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying

-the truth through the Spirit. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:1;</span>

-Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:20</span>&ndash;24; Col. <span class="wsnw">3:6</span>&ndash;11.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and

-righteousness, and truth. Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:9;</span> Gal. <span class="wsnw">5:18</span>&ndash;23;

-Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:14</span>&ndash;21; Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:8</span>&ndash;10,

-<span class="wsnw">7:20;</span> 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:4,</span> 18.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">viii. repentance and faith</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance

-and faith are sacred duties, and

-also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul

-by the regenerating Spirit of <span class="wsnw">God;[1]</span> whereby

-being deeply convinced of our guilt,

-danger, and helplessness, and of the way of

-salvation by <span class="wsnw">Christ,[2]</span> we turn to God with

-unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication

-for mercy; at the same time heartily

-receiving the Lord Jesus as our Prophet,

-Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone

-as the only and all-sufficient <span class="wsnw">Saviour.[3]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p65">[p.&nbsp;65]</span>

-[1] Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15.</span> Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. Acts <span class="wsnw">11:18.</span>

-Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance

-unto life. Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:8.</span> By grace are ye saved, through faith:

-and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:1.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">16:8.</span> He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,

-and of judgment. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:38.</span> Then Peter said unto

-them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name

-of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts <span class="wsnw">16:30,</span> 31.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Romans <span class="wsnw">10:9</span>&ndash;11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth

-the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath

-raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;

-Heb. <span class="wsnw">4:14.</span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ix. god&rsquo;s purpose of grace</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that election

-is the eternal purpose of God, according

-to which He graciously regenerates,

-sanctifies, and saves <span class="wsnw">sinners;[1]</span> that being

-perfectly consistent with the free agency of

-man, it comprehends all the means in connection

-with the <span class="wsnw">end;[2]</span> that it is a most

-glorious display of God&rsquo;s sovereign <span class="wsnw">goodness;[3]</span>

-that it utterly excludes boasting, and

-promotes <span class="wsnw">humility;[4]</span> that it encourages the

-use of means; that it may be ascertained

-by its effects in all who truly accept of

-<span class="wsnw">Christ;[5]</span> that it is the foundation of Christian

-assurance; and that to ascertain it with

-regard to ourselves demands and deserves

-the utmost <span class="wsnw">diligence.[6]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">1:8,</span> 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the

-Gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p66">[p.&nbsp;66]</span>

-called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but

-according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in

-Christ Jesus before the world began.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">2:13,</span> 14. But we are bound to give thanks always

-to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God

-hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through

-sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; whereunto

-He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our

-Lord Jesus Christ.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> For who maketh thee to differ from another?

-and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou

-didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received

-it? 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:26</span>&ndash;31; Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:27.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:10.</span> Therefore I endure all things for the elect&rsquo;s

-sakes, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ

-Jesus with eternal glory. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">9:22;</span>

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28</span>&ndash;30.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span> Knowing, brethren beloved, your election

-of God.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:10,</span> 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence

-to make your calling and election sure. Phil. <span class="wsnw">3:12;</span>

-Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:11.</span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">x. sanctification</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification

-is the process by which, according

-to the will of God, we are made partakers

-of His <span class="wsnw">holiness;[1]</span> that it is a progressive

-<span class="wsnw">work;[2]</span> that it is begun in regeneration;

-that it is carried on in the hearts of believers

-by the presence and power of the Holy

-Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual

-use of the appointed means&mdash;especially

-the Word of God&mdash;self-examination,

-self-denial, watchfulness and <span class="wsnw">prayer;[3]</span> and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p67">[p.&nbsp;67]</span>

-in the practice of all godly exercise and

-<span class="wsnw">duties.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">4:3.</span>

-For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.

-1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:23.</span> And the very God of peace sanctify

-you wholly. 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:1;</span> <span class="wsnw">13:9;</span>

-Eph. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">4:18.</span> The path of the just is as the shining light,

-which shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and

-trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and

-to do of his good pleasure. Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:2;</span>

-2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:18;</span> 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">13:5;</span>

-Luke <span class="wsnw">11:35;</span> <span class="wsnw">9:23;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:41;</span>

-Eph. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> <span class="wsnw">4:30.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> Exercise thyself unto godliness.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xi. perseverance of saints</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that such

-as are truly regenerate, being born of the

-Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish,

-but will endure unto the <span class="wsnw">end;[1]</span> that their

-preservering attachment from Christ is the

-grand mark which distinguishes them from

-superficial <span class="wsnw">professors;[2]</span> that a special Providence

-watches over their <span class="wsnw">welfare;[3]</span> and that

-they are kept by the power of God through

-faith unto <span class="wsnw">salvation.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">8:31.</span> Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word,

-then are ye My disciples indeed. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:27,</span> 28.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:19.</span> They went out from us, but they were not of

-us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued

-with us: but they went out that it might be made manifest

-that they were not all of us.</p>

-

-<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p68">[p.&nbsp;68]</span>

-[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28.</span> And we know that all things work together for

-good unto them that love God, to them who are the called according

-to His purpose. Matt. <span class="wsnw">6:30</span>&ndash;33; Jer. <span class="wsnw">32:40.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:6.</span> He who hath begun a good work in you will

-perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xii. the law and gospel</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-law of God is the eternal and unchangeable

-rule of his moral <span class="wsnw">government;[1]</span> that it is

-holy, just, and <span class="wsnw">good;[2]</span> and that the inability

-which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men

-to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from

-their sinful <span class="wsnw">nature;[3]</span> to deliver them from

-which, and to restore them through a Mediator

-to unfeigned obedience to the holy law,

-is one great end of the Gospel, and of the

-means of grace connected with the establishment

-of the visible <span class="wsnw">church.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:31.</span> Do we make void the law through faith? God

-forbid. Yea, we establish the law. Matt. <span class="wsnw">5:17;</span>

-Luke <span class="wsnw">16:17;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:20;</span> <span class="wsnw">4:15.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">7:12.</span> The law is holy, and the commandment holy,

-and just, and good. Rom. <span class="wnsw">7:7,</span> 14, 22; Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:21;</span>

-Ps. 119.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:7,</span> 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for

-it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So

-then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:2</span>&ndash;4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ

-Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For

-what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the

-flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,

-and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness

-of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,

-but after the Spirit.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p69">[p.&nbsp;69]</span>

-<span class="smcap">xiii. a gospel church</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that a

-visible Church of Christ is a company of

-baptized <span class="wsnw">believers,[1]</span> associated by covenant

-in the faith and fellowship of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[2]</span>

-observing the ordinances of <span class="wnsw">Christ;[3]</span> governed

-by His <span class="wsnw">laws;[4]</span> and exercising the gifts,

-rights, and privileges invested in them by

-His <span class="wsnw">Word;[5]</span> that its only Scriptural officers

-are bishops or pastors, and <span class="wsnw">deacons,[6]</span>

-whose qualifications, claims, and duties are

-defined in the Epistles to Timothy and

-Titus.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word

-were baptized; and the same day there were added to them about

-three thousand souls.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">8:5.</span> They first gave their own selves to the Lord,

-and unto us by the will of God.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:2.</span> Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember

-me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered

-them to you.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:20.</span> Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever

-I have commanded you. John <span class="wsnw">13:15.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">14:12.</span> Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the

-church.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[6] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:1.</span> With the bishops and deacons.

-Acts <span class="wsnw">14:23,</span> <span class="wsnw">15:22.</span> 1&nbsp;Tim. 3, Titus 1.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xiv. christian baptism</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that

-Christian baptism is the immersion in water

-<span class="pagenum" id="p70">[p.&nbsp;70]</span>

-of a believer in <span class="wsnw">Christ,[1]</span> into the name of

-the Father, and Son, and Holy <span class="wsnw">Ghost;[2]</span>

-to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem

-his faith in the crucified, buried, and

-risen Saviour, with its effect, in His death to

-sin and resurrection to a new <span class="wsnw">life;[3]</span> that it

-is prerequisite to the privileges of a church

-relation, and to the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Supper.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">8:36</span>&ndash;39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water:

-what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou

-believest with all thy heart, thou mayest.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. And they went

-down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized

-him. Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:5,</span> 6; John <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;

-<span class="wnsw">4:1,</span> 2; Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wswn">28:19.</span> Baptizing them in the name of the Father

-and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts <span class="wsnw">10:47,</span> 48; Gal.

-<span class="wsnw">3:27,</span> 28.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span> Therefore we are buried with him by baptism

-into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the

-glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness

-of life. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word

-were baptized, and there were added to them, the same day,

-about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in

-the Apostles&rsquo; doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,

-and in prayers. Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19,</span> 20.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xv. the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-Lord&rsquo;s Supper is a provision of bread and

-wine, representing Christ&rsquo;s body and blood,

-partaken of by the members of the church

-assembled for that <span class="wsnw">purpose,[1]</span> in commemoration

-of the death of their <span class="wsnw">Lord,[2]</span> showing

-<span class="pagenum" id="p71">[p.&nbsp;71]</span>

-their faith and participation in the merits

-of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him

-for spiritual life and <span class="wsnw">nourishment,[3]</span> and their

-hope of life eternal through His resurrection

-from the dead; its observance to be preceded

-by faithful <span class="wsnw">self-examination.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Luke <span class="wsnw">22:19,</span> 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and

-brake, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is

-given for you; this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the

-cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My

-blood, which is shed for you. Mark <span class="wsnw">14:26</span>&ndash;28;

-Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:27</span>&ndash;30;

-1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:22</span>&ndash;30; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">10:16.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:26.</span> For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink

-this cup, ye do show the Lord&rsquo;s death until He come. Matt.

-<span class="wsnw">28:20.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">6:35,</span> 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread

-of life. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath

-eternal life. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood

-dwelleth in Me, and I in him.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">11:28.</span> But let a man examine himself, and so let

-him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:42,</span> 46;

-<span class="wsnw">20:7,</span> 11.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvi. the lord&rsquo;s day</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-first day of the week is the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Day,[1]</span>

-and is to be kept sacred to religious <span class="wsnw">purposes[2]</span>

-by abstaining from all secular labor,

-except works of mercy and <span class="wnsw">necessity;[3]</span> by

-the devout observance of all the means of

-grace, both private and <span class="wsnw">public;[4]</span> and by

-preparation for that rest that remaineth for

-the people of God.</p>

-

-<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p72">[p.&nbsp;72]</span>

-[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">20:7.</span> On the first day of the week, when the disciples

-came together to break bread, Paul preached to them.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">20:8.</span> Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.

-Rev. <span class="wsnw">1:10.</span> I was in the Spirit on the Lord&rsquo;s Day.

-Ps. <span class="wsnw">113:2</span>&ndash;4.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Isa. <span class="wsnw">58:13,</span> 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath,

-from doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the

-Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt

-honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own

-pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight

-thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon

-the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of

-Jacob. Isa. <span class="wsnw">56:2</span>&ndash;8.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Heb. <span class="wsnw">10:24,</span> 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves

-together, as the manner of some is. Acts <span class="wsnw">13:44.</span> The next

-Sabbath Day came almost the whole city together to hear the

-Word of God.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvii. civil government</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that civil

-government is of Divine appointment, for

-the interest and good order of human <span class="wsnw">society;[1]</span>

-and that magistrates are to be prayed

-for, conscientiously honored, and <span class="wsnw">obeyed;[2]</span>

-except only in things opposed to the will of

-our Lord Jesus <span class="wsnw">Christ,[3]</span> who is the only

-Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of

-the kings of the <span class="wsnw">earth.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">13:1</span>&ndash;7. The powers that be are ordained of God.

-For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wsnw">22:21.</span> Render therefore unto C&aelig;sar the things that

-are C&aelig;sar&rsquo;s, and unto God the things that are God&rsquo;s. Titus

-<span class="wsnw">3:1;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:13;</span>

-1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:1</span>&ndash;8.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wnsw">5:29.</span> We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt.

-<span class="wsnw">10:28.</span> Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to

-kill the soul. Dan. <span class="wsnw">3:15</span>&ndash;18; <span class="wsnw">6:7,</span> 10;

-Acts <span class="wsnw">4:18</span>&ndash;20.</p>

-

-<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p73">[p.&nbsp;73]</span>

-[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:10.</span> Ye have one Master, even Christ.

-Rev. <span class="wsnw">19:16.</span>

-And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,

-<span class="smcap">King of kings and Lord of lords.</span> Ps. <span class="wnsw">72:11;</span> Ps. 2;

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">14:8</span>&ndash;13.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xviii. righteous and wicked</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there

-is a radical and essential difference between

-the righteous and the <span class="wsnw">wicked;[1]</span> that such only

-as are regenerate, being justified through

-faith in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the

-Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His

-<span class="wsnw">esteem;[2]</span> while all such as continue in impenitence

-and unbelief are, in His sight,

-wicked and under the <span class="wsnw">curse;[3]</span> and this distinction

-holds among men, both in and after

-<span class="wsnw">death.[4]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] Mal. <span class="wsnw">3:18.</span> Ye shall discern between the righteous and the

-wicked: between him that serveth God and him that serveth

-him not. Prov. <span class="wsnw">12:26;</span> Isa. <span class="wsnw">5:26;</span>

-Gen. <span class="wsnw">18:23;</span> Jer. <span class="wsnw">15:19;</span>

-Acts <span class="wsnw">10:34,</span> 35; Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:16.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:17.</span> The just shall live by faith.

-1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:29.</span> If

-ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth

-righteousness is born of Him. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:7;</span>

-Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> 22; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:32;</span>

-Prov. <span class="wsnw">11:31;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:17,</span> 18.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> And we know that we are of God, and the

-whole world lieth in wickedness. Gal. <span class="wnsw">3:10.</span> As many as are

-of the works of the law, are under the curse. John <span class="wsnw">3:36;</span> Isa.

-<span class="wsnw">57:21;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">10:4;</span>

-Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:6,</span> 7.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Prov. <span class="wsnw">14:32.</span> The wicked is driven away in his wickedness,

-but the righteous hath hope in his death. Luke <span class="wsnw">16:25.</span>

-Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise

-Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art

-tormented. John <span class="wsnw">8:21</span>&ndash;24;

-Prov. <span class="wsnw">10:24;</span> Luke <span class="wsnw">12:4,</span> 5;

-<span class="wsnw">11:23</span>&ndash;26;

-John <span class="wsnw">12:25,</span> 26; Eccl. <span class="wsnw">3:17.</span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p74">[p.&nbsp;74]</span>

-<span class="smcap">xix. the world to come</span></p>

-

-<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the

-end of the world is <span class="wsnw">approaching;[1]</span> that at

-the last day Christ will descend from

-<span class="wsnw">heaven,[2]</span> and raise the dead from the grave

-for final <span class="wsnw">retribution;[3]</span> that a solemn separation

-will then take <span class="wsnw">place;[4]</span> that the wicked

-will be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the

-righteous to endless <span class="wsnw">joy;[5]</span> and that this

-judgment will fix forever the final state of

-men in heaven or hell on principles of <span class="wsnw">righteousness.[6]</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> But the end of all things is at hand: be ye

-therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:29</span>&ndash;31; Heb.

-<span class="wsnw">1:10</span>&ndash;12; Matt. <span class="wsnw">24:35.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">1:11.</span> This same Jesus which is taken up from you

-into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him

-go into heaven.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wsnw">24:15.</span> There shall be a resurrection of the dead,

-both of the just and unjust. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">15:12</span>&ndash;58;

-Luke <span class="wsnw">14:14;</span> Dan. <span class="wsnw">12:2.</span></p>

-

-<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wnsw">13:49.</span> The angels shall come forth, and sever the

-wicked from among the just. Matt. <span class="wsnw">13:37</span>&ndash;43;

-<span class="wsnw">24:30,</span> 31; <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;33.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[5] Matt. <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;46. And these shall go away into everlasting

-punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:11.</span>

-He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is

-filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him

-be righteous still; and he that is holy; let him be holy still.

-1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">6:9,</span> 10; Mark <span class="wsnw">9:43</span>&ndash;48.</p>

-

-<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:6</span>&ndash;12.

-Seeing it is a righteous thing with God

-to recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to

-you who are troubled, rest with us&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. when He shall come to

-be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that

-<span class="pagenum" id="p75">[p.&nbsp;75]</span>

-believe. Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span> 2; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:5;</span>

-Acts <span class="wsnw">17:31;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:2</span>&ndash;16;

-Rev. <span class="wsnw">20:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">2:28;</span>

-<span class="wsnw">4:17;</span> 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:11,</span> 12. Seeing

-then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of

-persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

-looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">covenant</span></p>

-

-<p>Having been, as we trust, brought by

-Divine grace to embrace the Lord Jesus

-Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him,

-we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant

-with each other <span class="smcap">to walk together in

-Him, with brotherly love,</span> to His glory,

-as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in

-His strength, engage&mdash;</p>

-

-<p>That we will exercise a Christian care

-and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully

-warn, exhort, and admonish each other

-as occasion may require:</p>

-

-<p>That we will not forsake the assembling

-of ourselves together, but will uphold the

-public worship of God and the ordinances

-of His house:</p>

-

-<p>That we will not omit closet and family

-religion at home, nor neglect the great duty

-of religiously training our children, and

-those under our care, for the service of

-Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:</p>

-

-<p>That, as we are the light of the world,

-and the salt of the earth, we will seek Divine

-<span class="pagenum" id="p76">[p.&nbsp;76]</span>

-aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and

-every worldly lust, and to walk circumspectly

-in the world, that we may win the

-souls of men:</p>

-

-<p>That we will cheerfully contribute of our

-property according as God has prospered

-us, for the maintenance of a faithful and

-evangelical ministry among us, for the support

-of the poor, and to spread the Gospel

-over the earth.</p>

-

-<p>That we will in all conditions, even till

-death, strive to live to the glory of Him

-who hath called us out of darkness into His

-marvelous light.</p>

-

-<p>&ldquo;And may the God of peace, who brought

-again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that

-great Shepherd of the sheep, through the

-blood of the everlasting covenant, make us

-perfect in every good work to do his will,

-working in us that which is well pleasing

-in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom

-be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch8_fn1"><p><a href="#ch8_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>

-For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the &ldquo;Baptist

-Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>

-</div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p77">[p.&nbsp;77]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch9">CHAPTER IX</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">optional standing resolutions</span></p>

-

-<p>A Christian church should be the uncompromising

-friend of all virtue, and the

-determined enemy of all vice. Public

-morality and social purity should find in it

-an open and earnest advocate and defender.

-Churches should bear in mind that Christian

-morality, which constitutes their rule

-of life, claims a much higher standard than

-the morality of worldly society about them.

-Therefore their deportment should be such

-as to have a good report of them that are

-without, and command the respect of the

-world. In all this the pastor should be the

-wise but decided and courageous teacher,

-leader and exemplar for his people.</p>

-

-<p>There are certain questions of moral

-reform and social recreation with reference

-to which the churches are often much perplexed,

-but with reference to which they

-should have settled convictions, and hold a

-well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put

-<span class="pagenum" id="p78">[p.&nbsp;78]</span>

-definitions and restrictions touching intemperance,

-card-playing, theater-going, dancing,

-and the like, into covenants or articles

-of faith. A better way is for the church,

-after due consideration, to pass <i>standing

-resolutions</i> on the subject, to be placed on

-its records as a guide to future action.

-Something like the following, to be varied

-at the option of the body, would serve as a

-declaration of principles:</p>

-

-<p>1. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church expects

-every member to contribute statedly for its

-pecuniary support, according to his ability,

-as God has prospered him, and that a refusal

-to do this will be considered a breach

-of covenant.</p>

-

-<p>2. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church will entertain

-and contribute statedly to Home and

-Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects

-of Christian benevolence, approved of

-and supported by our denomination.</p>

-

-<p>3. <i>Resolved,</i> That the religious education

-of the young and Bible study as represented

-in Sunday school work commend

-themselves to our confidence, and we will,

-to the extent of our ability, give them our

-sympathy and our aid, by both our personal

-cooperation and contributions and expressed

-<span class="pagenum" id="p79">[p.&nbsp;79]</span>

-appreciation of all their legitimate

-aims and work.</p>

-

-<p>4. <i>Resolved,</i> That in our opinion, the use

-of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and

-also the manufacture and sale of the same

-for such a purpose are contrary to Christian

-morals, injurious to personal piety, and a

-hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons

-so using, making, or selling, are thereby disqualified

-for membership in this church.</p>

-

-<p>5. <i>Resolved,</i> That we emphatically discountenance

-and condemn the practice of

-church-members frequenting theaters and

-other similar places of public amusements,

-as inconsistent with a Christian profession,

-detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious

-in the influence of its example on others.</p>

-

-<p>6. <i>Revolved,</i> That the members of this

-church are earnestly requested not to provide

-for, take part in, or by any means encourage

-dancing or card-playing; but in all

-consistent ways to discountenance the same

-as a hindrance to personal godliness in their

-associations and tendencies, and an offense

-to brethren whom we should not willingly

-grieve.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p80">[p.&nbsp;80]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch10">CHAPTER X</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptism considered</span></p>

-

-<p>What is Christian baptism? This is

-the gravest question which enters into the

-baptismal controversy. Other questions of

-moment there are in connection with it,

-touching the design, the efficacy, and the

-subjects. But it is of primary importance

-to know what constitutes baptism.</p>

-

-<p>Baptists answer the question by saying

-that baptism is the immersion, dipping, or

-burying in water, of a professed believer in

-Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son,

-and the Holy Spirit.</p>

-

-<p>Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and

-Protestant, answer the question by saying

-that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring

-of water upon the candidate, touching

-the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping

-the person wholly into water; in either case

-in the name of the Father, the Son, and

-the Spirit; and that it may be administered

-<span class="pagenum" id="p81">[p.&nbsp;81]</span>

-to a candidate on his profession of faith, or

-to an unconscious infant on the professed

-faith of parents or sponsors. This would

-make four kinds of baptism, and two

-classes of subjects for its reception; and

-would consist rather in the application of

-water to the person, than putting the person

-into water.</p>

-

-<p>Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance,

-as well as to a oneness of the faith; insisting

-that as there is but one Lord, and one

-faith, so there is but one baptism. And the

-dipping in water of a professed disciple of

-Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling

-a person with water, nor pouring water

-upon him can by any possibility be Christian

-baptism. That this position is the true

-one, we appeal to the New Testament, and

-the best extant historical and philological

-authorities to establish.</p>

-

-<p>Let it be distinctly understood, however,

-that all the eminent names and learned authorities

-hereafter cited are Pedobaptists.

-Baptist authorities are wholly omitted, not

-because they are less accurate or less valuable,

-but because we prefer to allow our

-opponents in this controversy to bear witness

-for us, rather than to testify in our own

-behalf.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p82">[p.&nbsp;82]</span>

-<span class="smcap">the meaning of the word</span></p>

-

-<p>The word <i>baptize</i> is, properly speaking,

-a Greek word (<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo</span>), adapted to the English

-language by a change in its termination.

-This is the word always used by

-Christ and His Apostles to express and define

-the ordinance. What does that word mean

-as originally used? For it is certain that

-our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed

-by believers of all classes, in all

-lands, and through all ages, would use a

-word of positive and definite import, and

-one whose meaning would admit of no

-reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars

-say? How do the Greek lexicons define

-the word?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Scapula</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>dip,</i> to immerse, as

-we do anything for the purpose of dyeing it.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Schleusner</span> says: &ldquo;Properly it signifies

-to <i>dip,</i> to immerse, to immerse in water.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Parkhurst</span> says: &ldquo;To dip, <i>immerse,</i> or

-plunge in water.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Stevens</span> says: &ldquo;To merge, or <i>immerse,</i>

-to submerge, or bury in water.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Donnegan</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse</i> repeatedly

-into liquid, to submerge, to soak thoroughly.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p83">[p.&nbsp;83]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Robinson</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse,</i> to sink.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Liddell and Scott</span> say: &ldquo;To <i>dip</i> repeatedly.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Grimm&rsquo;s Lexicon</span> <i>of the New Testament,</i>

-which in Europe and America stands confessedly

-at the head of Greek lexicography,

-as translated and edited by Professor

-Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines

-<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo:</span> &ldquo;(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse,

-submerge. (2) To cleanse by dipping

-or submerging. (3) To overwhelm.

-In the New Testament it is used particularly

-of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted

-by John the Baptist, afterward by Christ&rsquo;s

-command received by Christians and adjusted

-to the contents and nature of their

-religion, viz., an <i>immersion</i> in water, performed

-as a sign of the removal of sin, and

-administered to those who, impelled by a

-desire for salvation, sought admission to the

-benefits of the Messiah&rsquo;s kingdom. With

-<i>eis</i> to mark the element into which the

-immersion is made; <i>en</i> with the dative or

-the thing in which one is immersed.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>The noun <span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> the only other word

-used in the New Testament to denote the

-rite, <span class="smcap">Grimm-Thayer</span> thus define: &ldquo;A

-word peculiar to the New Testament and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p84">[p.&nbsp;84]</span>

-ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John&rsquo;s

-baptism; (2) of Christian baptism. This,

-according to the view of the Apostles, is a

-rite of sacred <i>immersion</i> commanded by

-Christ.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>Add to those such authorities as Alstidius,

-Passow, Sch&ouml;ttgen, Stockius, Stourdza,

-Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenm&uuml;ller, Wetstein,

-Leigh, Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius,

-Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many

-others who bear the same witness to the

-proper meaning of the word <i>baptize.</i> If

-at any time the word may have a secondary

-meaning, it is strictly in accord with its

-primary meaning&mdash;to dip, or immerse. For

-both classic and sacred Greek the same

-meaning holds.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Prof. Moses Stuart,</span> one of the ablest

-scholars America has produced, declared:

-&ldquo;<span lang="grc-Latn">Baptizo</span> means to dip, plunge, or <i>immerse</i>

-into any liquid. All lexicographers and

-critics of any note are agreed in this.&rdquo;

-<i>Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository,

-1833, p. 298.</i></p>

-

-<p>&ldquo;All lexicographers and critics, of any

-note, are agreed in this,&rdquo; says one of the

-foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist.

-What a concession!</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p85">[p.&nbsp;85]</span>

-The Greek language is rich in terms for

-the expression of all positive ideas, and all

-varying shades of thought. Why, then, did

-our Lord in commanding, and His Apostles

-in transmitting His command to posterity,

-use <i>always</i> and <i>only</i> the one word <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo,</span>

-to describe the action, and that one word

-<span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> to describe the ordinance to which

-He intended all His followers to submit?

-The word <span lang="grc-Latn">louo</span> means to <i>wash</i> the body, and

-<span lang="grc-Latn">nipto</span> to wash parts of the body; but these

-words are not used, because washing is not

-what Christ meant. <span lang="grc-Latn">Rantizo</span> means to

-<i>sprinkle,</i> and if sprinkling were baptism this

-would have been the word above all others;

-but it was never so used. <span lang="grc-Latn">Cheo</span> means to

-<i>pour:</i> but pouring is not baptism, and so

-this word was never used to describe the

-ordinance. <span lang="grc-Latn">Katharizo</span> means to <i>purify,</i> but

-it is not used for the ordinance. The facts

-are clear and the reasoning conclusive.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Stourdza,</span> the Russian scholar and diplomat,

-says: &ldquo;The church of the West has

-then departed from the example of Jesus

-Christ; she has obliterated the whole sublimity

-of the exterior sign. Baptism and

-immersion are <i>identical.</i> Baptism by <i>aspersion</i>

-is as if one should say <i>immersion</i> by

-<i>aspersion,</i> or any other absurdity of the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p86">[p.&nbsp;86]</span>

-same nature.&rdquo; <i>Considerations, Orthodox

-Ch., p. 87.</i></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptism of jesus</span></p>

-

-<p>The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is

-thus described: &ldquo;And Jesus, when He was

-baptized, went up straightway out of the

-water&rdquo; (Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:16).</span> And again, it is

-recorded that Jesus &ldquo;was baptized of John

-in Jordan: and straightway coming up out

-of the water&rdquo; (Mark <span class="wsnw">1:10).</span> He certainly

-would not go down into Jordan to have

-water sprinkled on Him. Nobody believes

-He would. He was baptized <i>in</i> Jordan, not

-<i>with</i> Jordan. Moreover, he was <i>baptized,</i>

-that is, <i>immersed,</i> not <i>rantized,</i> that is,

-<i>sprinkled.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Taylor</span> says: &ldquo;The custom of

-the ancient churches was not sprinkling, but

-<i>immersion,</i> in pursuance of the meaning of

-the word in the commandments and the

-example of our blessed Saviour.&rdquo; <i>Commentary

-on Matthew <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">MacKnight</span> says: &ldquo;Christ submitted to

-be baptized, that is, to be <i>buried</i> under

-water, and to be raised out of it again, as

-an emblem of his future death and resurrection.&rdquo;

-<i>Com. Epis., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p87">[p.&nbsp;87]</span>

-And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot,

-Whitby, Poole, Olshausen, Meyer,

-Alford, and many other commentators and

-scholars. All those whom John baptized

-he buried beneath the waters, and raised

-them up again.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">much water needed</span></p>

-

-<p>It is recorded that &ldquo;John also was baptizing

-in Enon, near to Salim, because there

-was much water there&rdquo; (John <span class="wsnw">3:23).</span>

-Why need much water except for dipping,

-or burying candidates in the act of baptism?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">John Calvin,</span> the great theologian,

-scholar, and commentator, whom Scaliger

-pronounced the most learned man in Europe,

-says: &ldquo;From the words of John (chap. <span class="wsnw">3:23)</span>

-it may be inferred that baptism was

-administered by John and Christ, by <i>plunging</i>

-the whole body under water.&rdquo; <i>Com. on

-John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Poole</span> says: &ldquo;It is apparent that both

-Christ and John baptized by dipping the

-whole body in the water, else they need

-not have sought places where had been

-a great plenty of water.&rdquo; <i>Annot. John

-<span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p88">[p.&nbsp;88]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Whitby</span> says: &ldquo;Because there was much

-water there in which their whole bodies

-might be dipped.&rdquo; <i>Crit. Com. John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>

-

-<p>With these agree Bengel, Curc&aelig;lleus,

-Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and others.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">philip and the eunuch</span></p>

-

-<p>&ldquo;And they went down both into the water,

-both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized

-him. And when they were come up out of

-the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught

-away Philip&rdquo; (Acts <span class="wsnw">8:38).</span> Why go

-down into the water, both, or either of them,

-if not for an immersion?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Venema,</span> the ecclesiastical historian, says:

-&ldquo;It is without controversy, that baptism in

-the primitive church was administered by

-<i>immersion</i> into water, and not by sprinkling;

-seeing that John is said to have baptized

-in Jordan, and where there was much

-water, as Christ also did by His disciples in

-the neighborhood of those places. Philip

-also going down into the water baptized the

-eunuch.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec. 138.</i></p>

-

-<p>To this may be added Calvin, Grotius,

-Towerson, Poole, and others to the same

-effect.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p89">[p.&nbsp;89]</span>

-<span class="smcap">the testimony of scholars</span></p>

-

-<p>Great men are not always wise. Our

-search should be for the <i>truth</i> wherever

-found; and though our final appeal in these

-matters is to the New Testament, still we

-are glad to use the testimony of distinguished

-scholars where it affirms the teachings

-of the Scriptures and confirms our position

-on the baptismal question. Especially

-so, as these scholars are not of our own, but

-of other denominations.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Zanchius,</span> the learned Roman Catholic

-professor of Heidelberg, whose opinion

-De Courcy declared, &ldquo;is worth a thousand

-others,&rdquo; said: &ldquo;The proper signification of

-<i>baptize</i> is to <i>immerse,</i> plunge under, overwhelm

-in water.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. VI., p. 217.

-Geneva, 1619.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Luther,</span> the great German Reformer,

-says: &ldquo;The term <i>baptism</i> is Greek; in Latin

-it may be translated <span lang="la">mersio:</span> since we <i>immerse</i>

-anything into water, that the whole

-may be covered with the water.&rdquo; <i>Works,

-Vol. I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Melanchthon,</span> the most scholarly and able

-co-laborer with Luther, says: &ldquo;Baptism is

-<i>immersion</i> into water, with this admirable

-benediction.&rdquo; <i>Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p90">[p.&nbsp;90]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Cave,</span> in his able work on Christian

-Antiquities, says: &ldquo;The party to be baptized

-was <i>wholly immersed,</i> or put under

-water.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., P. I. Chap. X. p. 320.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Beza,</span> the learned translator of the New

-Testament, says: &ldquo;Christ commanded us

-to be baptized, by which word it is certain

-<i>immersion</i> is signified.&rdquo; <i>Annot. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mede,</span> the distinguished English scholar

-and Divine, says, &ldquo;There was no such thing

-as <i>sprinkling</i> used in the Apostles&rsquo; days, nor

-for many ages after them.&rdquo; <i>Dis. on Titus <span class="wsnw">3:5.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Grotius,</span> who his biographer calls one

-of the most illustrious names in literature,

-politics, and theology says: &ldquo;That baptism

-used to be performed by <i>immersion,</i> and not

-by pouring, appears by the proper signification

-of the word, and by the places chosen

-for the administration of the rite.&rdquo; <i>Annot.

-on Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Adam Clark,</span> the great Methodist commentator,

-says: &ldquo;Alluding to the <i>immersions</i>

-practiced in the case of adults, wherein

-the person appeared to be <i>buried</i> under the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p91">[p.&nbsp;91]</span>

-water as Christ was buried in the heart of

-the earth.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Frederick Meyer,</span> one of the ablest and

-most accurate exegetes of the present age,

-says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> which the word in classic

-Greek and in the New Testament ever

-means.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Dean Alford</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism was

-administered by <i>immersion</i> of the whole

-person.&rdquo; <i>Greek Testament, Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet,</span> the celebrated French

-Catholic bishop, orator, and counselor of

-state, says: &ldquo;To baptize, signifies to <i>plunge,</i>

-as is granted by all the world.&rdquo; See <i>Stenett

-ad Russen, p. 174.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff,</span> the well-known church

-historian, says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> and not sprinkling,

-was unquestionably the original form.

-This is shown by the very meaning of the

-words <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo, baptisma,</span> and <span lang="grc-Latn">baptismos</span> used

-to designate the rite.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488.

-Merc. ed., 1851. Also see Noel on

-Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Dean Stanley,</span> the distinguished scholar,

-and historian of the Oriental Church,

-says: &ldquo;The practice of the Eastern Church,

-and the meaning of the word, leave no sufficient

-<span class="pagenum" id="p92">[p.&nbsp;92]</span>

-ground for question that the original

-form of baptism was <i>complete immersion</i> in

-the deep baptismal waters.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Eastern

-Church, p. 34.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher,</span> of Yale College, the

-accomplished scholar and historian, says of

-the Apostolic age: &ldquo;The ordinary mode of

-baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.

-Church, p. 41.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Riddle</span> says: &ldquo;There is no

-doubt that the usual mode of administering

-baptism in the early church, was by <i>immersion,</i>

-or plunging the whole body of the

-person baptized under water.&rdquo; <i>Christ. Antiq.,

-p. 502.</i></p>

-

-<p>Add to the above the testimony of Bishops

-Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius, Poole, Vitringa,

-Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark,

-Bloomfield, Scholz, Neander, and many

-others to the same effect, none of whom

-were Baptists.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">apostolical allusions</span></p>

-

-<p>What idea could the Apostle have had as

-to the nature of baptism, when in two of

-his epistles he alludes to it as a <i>burial</i>

-except that it was a dipping or burial in

-<span class="pagenum" id="p93">[p.&nbsp;93]</span>

-water? To the Romans he says: &ldquo;Therefore

-we are <i>buried</i> with him, by baptism,

-into death&rdquo; (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4).</span> To the Colossians,

-in nearly the same language, &ldquo;<i>Buried</i>

-with him in baptism&rdquo; (Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12).</span> No

-one can misunderstand the meaning of these

-words. Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing,

-cleansing&mdash;nothing but a complete submersion&mdash;can

-represent a burial. And no

-candid mind could misunderstand such language,

-unless blinded or biased by prejudice,

-education, or sophistical reasoning

-from others.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Tillotson</span> makes this comment:

-&ldquo;Anciently those who were baptized

-were <i>immersed</i> and <i>buried</i> in the water, to

-represent their death to sin; and then did

-rise up out of the water, to signify their

-entrance upon a new life. And to this custom

-the Apostle alludes.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. I., p. 170.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">John Wesley,</span> the celebrated founder of

-Methodism, says: &ldquo;Buried with him, alluding

-to the ancient manner of baptizing by

-<i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Note on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Conybeare</span> says: &ldquo;This passage cannot

-be understood unless it be borne in mind

-that the primitive baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo;

-<span class="pagenum" id="p94">[p.&nbsp;94]</span>

-<i>Life and Epist. St. Paul, Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bloomfield</span> says: &ldquo;Here is a plain allusion

-to the ancient custom of baptizing by

-<i>immersion,</i> and I agree with Koppe and

-Rosenm&uuml;ller, that there is reason to regret

-it should ever have been abandoned in most

-Christian churches; especially as it has so

-evident a reference to the mystical sense of

-baptism.&rdquo; <i>Recens. Synop., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Whitefield</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that

-in the words of our text (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4)</span> there

-is an allusion to the manner of baptizing

-which was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Eighteen Sermons,

-p. 297.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;The candidate says to himself,

-Now I enter into fellowship with the

-death of Christ; I am to be buried with

-Christ in the <i>immersion,</i> and in the <i>emersion</i>

-I rise with Christ to newness of life.&rdquo; <i>Com.

-on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>

-

-<p>Add to these the names of Bishop Fell,

-Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark, Estius,

-Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin,

-Zwingli, Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with

-others equally good in authority, and what

-no one ought to question seems to be put

-beyond doubt.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p95">[p.&nbsp;95]</span>

-<span class="smcap">the witness of history</span></p>

-

-<p>Learned and devout men have studied

-with care the early records of Christianity,

-and have written histories of the doctrines

-and customs of the churches, during the

-ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.

-What do they tell us as to the use of

-baptism during the first centuries after

-Christ?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Barnabas,</span> the companion of St. Paul;

-Hermas, writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 95; Justin

-Martyr, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 140; Tertullian, about

-<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 204; Hippolytus, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 225;

-Gregory, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 360; Basil, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>

-360; Ambrose, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Cyril,

-about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Chrysostom, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>

-400; all speak of being <i>dipped,</i> or <i>buried,</i>

-or <i>immersed,</i> or <i>plunged</i> in the water in

-baptism; and none of them make the least

-allusion to any application of water to the

-person for baptism by sprinkling, pouring,

-washing, or any other mode whatsoever.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> whose learned and laborious

-researches in connection with his exhaustive

-work on the <i>History of Infant Baptism</i>

-left little for others to discover in this

-field of scholarship, says: &ldquo;The Greek

-<span class="pagenum" id="p96">[p.&nbsp;96]</span>

-Church in all its branches does still use <i>immersion,</i>

-and so do all other Christians in the

-world, except the Latins. All those nations

-that do now, or formerly did submit to the

-Bishop of Rome, do ordinarily baptize their

-children by pouring or sprinkling. But <i>all

-other Christians in the world,</i> who never

-owned the Pope&rsquo;s usurped power, do and

-ever did <i>dip</i> their infants in the ordinary

-use. All the Christians in Asia, all in Africa,

-and about one-third in Europe are of the

-last sort.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p.

-376, 3d ed.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his <i>Origines,</i> the ablest

-work we have in English on Christian Antiquities,

-says: &ldquo;The ancients thought that

-immersion, or <i>burying under water,</i> did

-more lively represent the death, burial, and

-resurrection of Christ, as well as our own

-death to sin and rising again unto righteousness.&rdquo;

-<i>Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;In this century (<i>the

-first</i>) baptism was administered in convenient

-places, without the public assemblies,

-and by <i>immersing</i> the candidate wholly in

-water.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch. 4.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;In respect to the form

-of baptism, it was in conformity to the original

-<span class="pagenum" id="p97">[p.&nbsp;97]</span>

-institution, and the original import of

-the symbol, performed by <i>immersion,</i> as a

-sign of entire baptism into the Holy Spirit,

-of being entirely penetrated with the same.&rdquo;

-<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 310.</i> Also, <i>Plant. and

-Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;Finally, so far as it respects

-the mode and manner of outward

-baptizing, there can be no doubt that <i>immersion,</i>

-and not sprinkling was the original

-normal form.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Pressens&eacute;</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism, which was the

-sign of admission into the church, was administered

-by <i>immersion.</i> The convert was

-plunged beneath the water, and as he rose

-from it he received the laying on of hands.&rdquo;

-<i>Early Years of Christianity, p. 374.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Kurtz</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism took place by a

-complete <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Church History, p. 41.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Kraus</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was performed

-by <i>immersion</i> in the name of the Trinity.&rdquo;

-<i>Church History, p. 56. 1882.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Ellicott</span> says: &ldquo;Jewish ablutions arrived

-at a ceremonial purity in the Levitical sense,

-and had nothing in common with the figurative

-act which portrayed through <i>immersion</i>

-<span class="pagenum" id="p98">[p.&nbsp;98]</span>

-the complete disappearance of the old nature,

-and by the <i>emerging</i> again, the beginning of

-a totally new life.&rdquo; <i>Life of Christ, p. 110.</i></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">for thirteen centuries</span></p>

-

-<p>It is proved that not only was immersion

-practiced for baptism by Christ and

-His Apostles, but that for many ages after

-nothing else was known as baptism: and

-that for <i>thirteen hundred years</i> it was the

-common and prevailing form over the whole

-Christian world, with only exceptional departures,

-hereafter to be noticed. And that

-though the Latin or Roman Church did

-finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right

-to change ordinances, the Greek and all

-the Oriental churches retained dipping, as

-they do to this day.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Stackhouse</span> says: &ldquo;Several authors

-have shown and proved that this manner

-of <i>immersion</i> continued, as much as

-possible, to be used for <i>thirteen hundred

-years</i> after Christ.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet</span> says: &ldquo;We are able to

-make it appear, by the acts of councils and

-by ancient rituals, that for <i>thirteen hundred

-years</i> baptism was thus administered [by

-<span class="pagenum" id="p99">[p.&nbsp;99]</span>

-immersion] throughout the whole church,

-as far as possible.&rdquo; <i>Cited, Stennet ad

-Russen, p. 176.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;From the <i>thirteenth

-century</i> sprinkling came into more general

-use in the West. The Greek Church, however,

-and the church of Milan still retained

-the practice of <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Doct.

-Vol. II., p. 84, note 1.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Van Oosterzee</span> says: &ldquo;This <i>sprinkling,</i>

-which appears to have first come generally

-into use in the <i>thirteenth century</i> in place of

-the entire <i>immersion</i> of the body, in imitation

-of the previous baptism of the sick,

-has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical

-character of the act is expressed by

-it much less conspicuously than by complete

-immersion and burial under the water.&rdquo;

-<i>Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p. 749.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;The practice of immersion

-continued even until the <i>thirteenth or

-fourteenth</i> century. Indeed, it has never

-been formally abandoned.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.

-Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12.</i></p>

-

-<p>To the same effect is the testimony of

-Doctors Brenner, Von C&ouml;lln, Winer, Augusti,

-Bingham, and others.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p100">[p.&nbsp;100]</span>

-<span class="smcap">as to the greek church</span></p>

-

-<p>It is a notable fact and worthy of record

-in this discussion, that the Greek Church

-has always retained immersion in baptism.

-This church extends over Greece, Russia,

-Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and

-other Oriental countries. Like the Latin

-Church, it has corrupted the primitive purity

-of Gospel doctrine and practice with many

-absurd glosses and superstitious rites. It

-practices infant baptism, yet it is by <i>dipping,</i>

-even in the severe climate of Siberia;

-and it uses <i>trine</i> immersion, or dipping the

-candidate three times, one to each of the

-names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its

-branches immersion is retained.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Edinburgh Encyclopedia</span> says:

-&ldquo;The Greek Church, as well as the Schismatics

-in the East, retained the custom of

-<i>immersing</i> the whole body; but the Western

-Church adopted, in the <i>thirteenth century,</i>

-the mode of sprinkling, which has been

-continued by the Protestants, Baptists only

-excepted.&rdquo; <i>Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism.</i></p>

-

-<p>These statements are fully confirmed by

-Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius, Buddeus,

-Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman

-<span class="pagenum" id="p101">[p.&nbsp;101]</span>

-and others, who have written on the state

-and history of the Greek Church.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the design of baptism</span></p>

-

-<p>What was baptism intended to represent?

-As a religious rite it meant something, had

-some symbolic force, and represented some

-moral or spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning

-was clearly this: to show forth the

-death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,

-who died for our sins, and rose again for

-our justification. And every believer who

-receives this ordinance, professes thereby to

-have faith in the merits of Christ&rsquo;s death

-as the ground of his own hope of Salvation;

-to have fellowship also with His sufferings,

-and makes a declaration of his own death

-to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ.

-It also typifies the washing of regeneration;

-it further declares the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a

-resurrection from the dead, even as Christ,

-into the likeness of whose death he is

-buried, was raised up by the glory of the

-Father. Chiefly <i>death, burial,</i> and <i>resurrection:</i>

-the great facts of redemptive grace

-are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism

-does teach all this, and immersion alone can

-teach it. Careful students of the New

-<span class="pagenum" id="p102">[p.&nbsp;102]</span>

-Testament have clearly seen this, and very

-generally confessed it, whatever may have

-been their practice.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Newton</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was

-usually performed by <i>immersion,</i> or dipping

-the whole body under water, to represent

-the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,

-and thereby signify the person&rsquo;s own dying

-to sin, the destruction of its power, and his

-resurrection to a new life.&rdquo; <i>Pract. Expos.

-Cate., p. 297.</i></p>

-

-<p>Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond,

-Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight, Olshausen,

-Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus,

-Frankius, Wall, Towerson, Adam Clark,

-Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony

-as to the design of the ordinance, and how

-it is answered in immersion only.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">a sufficiency of water</span></p>

-

-<p>There have been found persons so ignorant,

-or so weak, or so perverse in their

-opposition to immersion, as to assert that

-the Jordan was a small stream, so nearly

-dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient

-depth of water for the immersion of the

-multitudes of the disciples of John and of

-<span class="pagenum" id="p103">[p.&nbsp;103]</span>

-Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and

-also that Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation

-for the immersion of the thousands

-of converts at the Pentecost, and on

-subsequent occasions. People are becoming

-more intelligent, and more candid, and it is

-possible that such puerile objections are no

-more heard. But it may be well to give

-passing notice to the facts.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Dr. Edward Robinson,</span> at that time

-professor in the Union Theological Seminary,

-New York City, in 1840, made a

-careful survey of Palestine, including the

-Jordan valley and river. His published

-statements corroborate those of others previously

-made, as to the abundant supply of

-water, both in the Jordan, and in the city

-of Jerusalem. He cites the published

-statements of earlier explorers, whose works

-are known to the reading public: Seetzen,

-who visited that country in 1806; Burkhardt,

-who explored it in 1812; Irby and

-Mangles, in 1818; and Buckingham, who

-traveled through it about the same time.

-See <i>Robinson&rsquo;s Bib. Researches, Vol. II.,

-Sec. 10, pp. 257-267.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Lieutenant Lynch,</span> of the United

-States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by our

-<span class="pagenum" id="p104">[p.&nbsp;104]</span>

-government in charge of an expedition to

-explore the river Jordan and the Dead Sea.

-Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century

-missionary in Syria and Palestine,

-traversed the land in 1857, and Dean

-Stanley in 1853, and others more recently.

-For a complete refutation of such puerile

-objections as those above mentioned, and a

-confirmation of Baptist claims, see the following

-works: Robinson&rsquo;s &ldquo;Biblical Researches,&rdquo;

-Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267;

-Lynch&rsquo;s &ldquo;Dead Sea Expedition,&rdquo; Ch. 10 and

-11; Thomson&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Land and the Book,&rdquo;

-Vol. II., pp. 445-6; Stanley&rsquo;s &ldquo;Syria and

-Palestine,&rdquo; Ch. 7, pp. 306-7; Barclay&rsquo;s

-&ldquo;The City of the Great Kings,&rdquo; ch. 10; and

-other citations in &ldquo;Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the rise of sprinkling</span></p>

-

-<p>The question will naturally arise and very

-properly, When did sprinkling for baptism

-first come into use? And how came it to

-pass, that a human device superseded and

-took the place of a Divine institution? These

-questions are fully and satisfactorily answered

-by Pedobaptist scholars themselves,

-whose testimony we accept as a justification

-of Baptist views.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p105">[p.&nbsp;105]</span>

-For <i>two hundred and fifty years</i> after

-Christ we have no evidence of any departure

-from the primitive practice of immersion.

-At length the idea came to prevail

-that baptism possessed saving virtue, and

-had power to purify and sanctify the soul,

-making its salvation more secure. It was

-consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized.

-Here was the germ of the pernicious

-dogma of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; the

-foundation alike of infant baptism and of

-sprinkling instead of immersion.</p>

-

-<p>The first authenticated instance of <i>sprinkling</i>

-occurred about the middle of the third

-century, or <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 250. This was the case

-of Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives

-this case, and Doctor Wall in his laborious

-researches could find no earlier instance;

-good evidence that no earlier existed.

-Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing

-himself about to die, was anxious to be

-baptized. The case seemed urgent, and as

-he was thought to be too feeble to be

-<i>immersed,</i> a substitute was resorted to;

-water was poured profusely over him as he

-lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as

-possible a submersion. The word used to

-describe this action (<span lang="la">perichutheis, purfusus</span>)

-has usually been rendered <i>besprinkle;</i> it

-<span class="pagenum" id="p106">[p.&nbsp;106]</span>

-rather means to pour profusely over and

-about one. This it was thought might answer

-the purpose in such an emergency.</p>

-

-<p>From this time onward pouring and sprinkling

-were resorted to at times of extreme

-illness, or feebleness, where persons could

-not leave their beds, and hence was termed

-<i>clinic</i> baptism, from <span lang="la">clina,</span> a couch. But it

-was always regarded as a substitute for baptism,

-rather than baptism itself; and its

-validity was doubted. Novatian himself

-having recovered from his sickness, was

-objected to when his friends proposed to

-make him bishop, because, it was said, he

-had never been properly baptized. It was

-not, however, until the seventeenth century

-that sprinkling became common in Europe,

-in France first, and then extending through

-those countries over which the pope held

-sway. At length, accepted by Calvin and

-the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland,

-by John Knox, and other Scotch

-refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter

-from the persecution to which they had

-been exposed in their native country; then

-into England: and in 1643 it was adopted

-as the exclusive mode of baptism by a

-majority of one of the Westminster Assembly

-of Divines, and sanctioned by Parliament

-<span class="pagenum" id="p107">[p.&nbsp;107]</span>

-the next year. All of which is

-verified by Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius,

-Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,

-&ldquo;Ency. Brit.,&rdquo; &ldquo;Edin. Ency.,&rdquo; and other

-reliable historical

-<span class="wsnw">authorities.<a id="ch10_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch10_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>

-

-<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch10_fn1"><p><a href="#ch10_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>

-For more numerous citations on this subject, see the &ldquo;Star

-Book on Christian Baptism,&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>

-</div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p108">[p.&nbsp;108]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch11">CHAPTER XI</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>

-

-<p>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper, called also the

-&ldquo;Eucharist,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Communion,&rdquo; is

-the most sacred act of Christian worship,

-and the highest expression of the mysteries

-of our holy religion. It is a service in

-which bread and wine&mdash;the <i>loaf</i> and the <i>cup</i>&mdash;are

-used to represent the body and the

-blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for

-us. The bread is <i>broken,</i> distributed, and

-eaten; the wine is <i>poured,</i> distributed, and

-drunk by the members of the assembled

-church, to show the sacrifice of Christ, His

-body broken, and His blood shed for their

-redemption; and that by His death they

-have life. Being begotten of God through

-the operation of the Spirit, their new life is

-sustained and nourished by mystically feeding

-on Him who is the Bread of God, which

-came down from heaven to give life to the

-world. He said: &ldquo;This do in remembrance

-of Me.&rdquo; &ldquo;As oft as ye eat this bread

-<span class="pagenum" id="p109">[p.&nbsp;109]</span>

-and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord&rsquo;s

-death, till He come.&rdquo; &ldquo;Except ye eat the

-flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood,

-ye have no life in you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Whoso eateth

-My flesh and drinketh My blood hath

-eternal life.&rdquo; &ldquo;He that eateth My flesh,

-and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me,

-and I in him.&rdquo; It is a Divine reality, though

-a sublime mystery.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">open and close communion</span></p>

-

-<p>The controversy between Baptists and

-other denominations, so far as the Lord&rsquo;s

-Supper is concerned, has no reference to its

-nature, the purpose for which it was instituted,

-the manner of its administration, or

-the effect of the elements on the participants.

-It has reference simply to the proper <i>subjects</i>

-for participation in the privilege.

-Who may, and who may not properly and

-of right come to the Lord&rsquo;s Table? On

-the question of what are the Scriptural

-qualifications of participants, Baptist and

-Pedobaptists differ&mdash;differ not as to the

-general rule to be applied, but as to its particular

-application. And this particular

-application leads to the controversy on

-what is called <i>&ldquo;close communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced

-<span class="pagenum" id="p110">[p.&nbsp;110]</span>

-by Baptists, and to what is called

-<i>&ldquo;open communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced by Pedobaptists.</p>

-

-<p><i>What is open communion? Open,</i> free

-or mixed communion is, strictly speaking,

-that which allows any one who desires, and

-believes himself qualified, to come to the

-Lord&rsquo;s Table, without any questions being

-asked, or conditions imposed by the church

-in which the ordinance is observed. But

-ordinarily the term is applied to the practice

-of the greater part of the Pedobaptist

-churches, which hold that <i>sprinkling</i>

-is lawful baptism, and invite, not all

-persons, but members of all evangelical

-churches, whatever be their view of

-church order and ordinances; holding

-them all as being baptized because they

-have been sprinkled.</p>

-

-<p><i>What is close communion? Close,</i> strict,

-or restricted communion is, properly speaking,

-that which does not invite all indiscriminately

-to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, but restricts

-the privilege to a particular class.

-But ordinarily the term is applied to the

-practice of Baptist churches, which invite

-only baptized believers, walking in orderly

-fellowship in their own churches. And by

-baptized believers, they mean, of course,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p111">[p.&nbsp;111]</span>

-immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling

-to be baptism at all.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">one and the same rule</span></p>

-

-<p><i>Observe further:</i> That Baptists and Pedobaptists

-have one and the same rule in

-theory as to the proper qualification for

-participants, namely, they all hold that

-baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized

-persons have no legal right to the Lord&rsquo;s

-Supper, and cannot consistently be invited

-to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized

-persons to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, however

-good Christians, since such could not

-become church-members, and the Supper is

-for those within the church, not for the

-outside world. For though there are a few

-churches and a few pastors, who in their

-extreme liberality might be disposed to invite

-everybody to the sacred ordinance yet

-such a course would be contrary to their

-denominational standards, and opposed to

-the usages of their churches generally.</p>

-

-<p><i>Further observe:</i> They all practice a restriction

-since they restrict the privilege

-to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,

-walking in orderly church fellowship.

-But Baptists and Pedobaptists differ

-<span class="pagenum" id="p112">[p.&nbsp;112]</span>

-as to what constitutes <i>baptism,</i> the one rejecting,

-and the other accepting the validity

-of sprinkling. Thus Baptists&rsquo; custom

-is more <i>&ldquo;close,&rdquo;</i> and Pedobaptists&rsquo; is more

-<i>&ldquo;open,&rdquo;</i> by the difference between their

-views of baptism; and by that difference

-only. <i>Therefore,</i> it is manifest that the

-question so called of &ldquo;close&rdquo; and &ldquo;open&rdquo;

-communion is really not a question of

-&ldquo;communion&rdquo; at all, but of what constitutes

-Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled,

-and the controversy as to the restriction

-of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper will cease.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptist position</span></p>

-

-<p>Baptists hold that there are <i>three</i> imperative

-conditions precedent to the privileges

-of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper: 1.&nbsp;<i>Regeneration.</i>

-No unconverted person can with propriety,

-or of right, eat and drink at that

-sacred feast, in commemoration of Christ&rsquo;s

-death. They must be persons dead to sin,

-and alive to God; born again, through the

-operation of the Spirit. 2.&nbsp;<i>Baptism.</i> Buried

-with Christ in baptism on a profession

-of faith in Him. No person, however good,

-and however manifestly regenerate, is prepared

-without baptism, according to the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p113">[p.&nbsp;113]</span>

-Divine order, to receive the Supper. Without

-baptism he cannot enter the fellowship

-of the church, where the Supper alone is

-to be enjoyed. 3.&nbsp;<i>An orderly walk is necessary.</i>

-An upright and consistent Christian

-walk, and godly conversation among the

-saints, and before the world. For though

-one may be truly regenerate, and properly

-baptized, yet if he be a disorderly walker,

-violating his covenant obligations, living in

-sin, and bringing reproach on the Christian

-profession, he has no right to sit at the

-Lord&rsquo;s Table.</p>

-

-<p>The ordinances are a sacred trust which

-Christ has committed to the churches as

-custodians, and which they are to watch

-and guard from all profane intrusion, and

-improper use, with the most sedulous

-fidelity. Baptists believe that in order to

-maintain the purity and spirituality of the

-churches, it is necessary to maintain the

-ordinances pure; and especially necessary

-to restrict the Supper to regenerate and

-godly persons, baptized on a profession of

-their faith, into the fellowship of the saints.

-To adopt any other rule, or to allow any

-larger liberty, would break down the distinction

-between the church and the world;

-would bring in a carnal and unconverted

-<span class="pagenum" id="p114">[p.&nbsp;114]</span>

-membership, and transfer the sacred mysteries

-of the body and the blood of Christ

-from the temple of God to the temple

-of Belial. This would be disloyalty to

-Christ.</p>

-

-<p>The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those

-who <i>believed</i> and <i>gladly received the Word,</i>

-were <i>baptized.</i> Then they were <i>added to

-the church.</i> Then they continued steadfastly

-in the <i>Apostles&rsquo; doctrine,</i> and fellowship, and

-in <i>breaking of bread,</i> and in <i>prayer.</i></p>

-

-<p><i>Notice,</i> they were not baptized till they

-had received the Word and believed. They

-were not added to the church till they had

-believed and been baptized. They did not

-engage in the breaking of bread (that is,

-the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized,

-and were added to the church. This

-is the Divine order; and this is the order

-which Baptists maintain and defend.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist close communion</span></p>

-

-<p>It has already been shown that Pedobaptists

-themselves practice a restricted or close

-communion, limiting the privilege to baptized

-(as they call them) members of evangelical

-churches, and that their communion

-is more liberal than that of the Baptists

-<span class="pagenum" id="p115">[p.&nbsp;115]</span>

-only, and only by so much as their baptism

-(so-called) is more liberal than that of

-Baptists.</p>

-

-<p>But in some respects Pedobaptists practice

-a &ldquo;close communion,&rdquo; restrictive in its conditions,

-far beyond anything known to Baptists

-whose illiberality they are accustomed

-to magnify. They exclude a large class of

-their own members from the Lord&rsquo;s Table&mdash;namely,

-<i>baptized children!</i> Baptists do not

-deny the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to their own members

-in good standing. If children are suitable

-subjects for baptism, it seems most

-unreasonable and unjust to deny them the

-Supper. If they can be benefited by one ordinance,

-can they not be equally benefited by

-the other? If they can receive the one on

-the faith of sponsors, can they not receive the

-other in the same way? Who has authorized

-parents or ministers to give baptism to

-unconverted and unconscious children, and

-refuse them the Lord&rsquo;s Supper? By denying

-the Supper to baptized children, Pedobaptists

-act contrary to the traditions of the

-ancient churches, which they are accustomed

-to cite with so much assurance, in defense of

-infant baptism. Do they not know that

-those ancient churches (not the primitive

-churches) gave the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to infants

-<span class="pagenum" id="p116">[p.&nbsp;116]</span>

-for many centuries? And the Greek

-Church, through all its branches, continues

-still the same practice.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;After the general

-introduction of infant baptism, in the

-<i>second and third centuries,</i> the sacrament

-continued to be administered to all who had

-been baptized, whether infants or adults.

-The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for

-this practice was, that age was no impediment.

-Augustine strongly advocates the

-practice. The custom continued for several

-centuries. It is mentioned in the third

-Council of Tours, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 813; and even the

-Council of Trent, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 1545, only decreed

-that it should not be considered essential to

-salvation. It is still scrupulously observed

-by the Greek Church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,

-Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4,

-Sec. 7. Many other writers bear the same

-testimony.</i></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the power of sympathy</span></p>

-

-<p>There is a small class of Baptists who are

-at times inclined to desire, and it may be, to

-seek a wider liberty at the Lord&rsquo;s Table

-than they find accorded in their own

-churches. The one prevailing argument

-with them is <i>sympathy.</i> To them it seems

-<span class="pagenum" id="p117">[p.&nbsp;117]</span>

-kindly and fraternal to invite all who say

-they love our common Lord and Saviour to

-unite in commemorating His death in the

-Supper. Even if they have not been baptized,

-they themselves believe they have, and they

-are good Christian people. &ldquo;Why stand

-upon a technicality?&rdquo; they say. To such

-the service is merely a sentimental service;

-a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,

-rather than an instituted commemoration

-of their dying Lord. They

-have neither Scripture, logic, expediency,

-the scholarship, nor the concurrent practice

-of Christendom, either past or present, to

-sustain their position. But <i>sympathy</i> influences

-them; yet sympathy should not control

-conduct in matters of faith, or in acts

-of conscience. It is a grave perversion

-when affection for his disciples sways us

-more than fidelity to our Lord. We should

-not be so kind to <i>them</i> as to be untrue to

-<i>Him.</i> Sincere Christians will honor those

-who are loyal to Christ, even though they

-differ in opinion.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">three facts explained</span></p>

-

-<p>Baptists give the following reasons in justification

-of their course in the following cases:</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p118">[p.&nbsp;118]</span>

-1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the

-Lord&rsquo;s Supper with them, because such persons

-are not baptized, as has been shown,

-they being simply sprinkled. They may

-be true converts, and have the spiritual

-qualifications, but they are destitute of the

-ceremonial qualification&mdash;baptism. The

-&ldquo;buried in baptism&rdquo; comes before the

-&ldquo;breaking of bread.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p>2. They do not accept the invitation of

-Pedobaptist churches to eat at the Lord&rsquo;s

-Table with them, for the same reason; they

-are not baptized Christians. And while

-the appreciate their Christian fellowship,

-they could not accept their church fellowship,

-and sit at the Lord&rsquo;s Table with them,

-without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing

-their baptismal errors.</p>

-

-<p>3. They do not invite immersed members

-of Pedobaptist churches to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper

-with them, because such persons, though

-they may be truly regenerate and properly

-baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining

-in and giving countenance to churches

-which hold and practice serious errors as to

-both the ordinances. These churches use

-sprinkling for baptism and administer the

-ordinance to infants, both of which are unscriptural.

-And yet such persons, by remaining

-<span class="pagenum" id="p119">[p.&nbsp;119]</span>

-in them, encourage and support

-these errors, instead of protesting against

-them by leaving them. They insist on immersion

-for themselves, and yet by a strange

-inconsistency give their fellowship and influence

-to perpetuate and sanction sprinkling

-for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly

-Christian walking; and, therefore, very

-properly, Baptists decline to invite them to

-the Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist witnesses</span></p>

-

-<p>In further proof that the position of

-Baptists as to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper is correct and

-Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with

-baptism, and not with the Supper; and that

-they must still continue to restrict the ordinance

-to baptized believers, or else admit

-that sprinkling is baptism, we cite the

-concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist

-scholars and Divines in evidence on our

-side.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Justin Martyr,</span> one of the early Christian

-Fathers, says of the Supper: &ldquo;This

-food is called by us the Eucharist, of which

-it is not lawful for any one to partake but

-such as believe the things taught by us

-to be true, and have been baptized.&rdquo; <i>Apol.</i>

-<span class="pagenum" id="p120">[p.&nbsp;120]</span>

-<i>I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff&rsquo;s Church Hist., Ch.

-2. p. 516.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says:

-&ldquo;Neither those doing penance, nor those not

-yet baptized, were allowed to be present at

-the celebration of this ordinance.&rdquo; <i>Eccl.

-Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the great church historian,

-says: &ldquo;At this celebration, as may be easily

-concluded, no one could be present who

-was not a member of the Christian Church,

-and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism.&rdquo;

-<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston,

-1849.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Cave,</span> one of the ablest writers on Christian

-antiquities, says the participants in the

-primitive church were those &ldquo;that had embraced

-the doctrine of the Gospel, and had

-been baptized into the faith of Christ. For,

-looking upon the Lord&rsquo;s Supper as the highest

-and most solemn act of religion, they

-thought they could never take care enough

-in the dispensing of it.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., Part

-I., Ch. 11, p. 333.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his able work on the Antiquities

-of the Christian Church, says of the

-early Christians: &ldquo;As soon as a man was

-<span class="pagenum" id="p121">[p.&nbsp;121]</span>

-baptized he was communicated&rdquo;&mdash;that is,

-admitted to the communion. Baptism,

-therefore, essentially preceded the Supper.&mdash;<i>Christ.

-Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec. 9, B. 15,

-Ch. 3.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> who searched the records

-of antiquity for facts illustrating the history

-of the ordinances, says: &ldquo;No church ever

-gave the communion to any persons before

-they were baptized. Among all the absurdities

-that were ever held, none ever

-maintained that any person should partake

-of the communion before he was baptized.&rdquo;

-<i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Part II., Ch. 9.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says of the early

-churches: &ldquo;None indeed but believers in

-full communion with the church were permitted

-to be present.&rdquo; &ldquo;But agreeably to all

-the laws and customs of the church, baptism

-constituted membership with the

-church. All baptized persons were legitimately

-numbered among the communicants

-as members of the church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.

-Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;The communion

-was a regular part, and, in fact, the most

-important and solemn part of the Sunday

-worship,&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. in which none but full members

-<span class="pagenum" id="p122">[p.&nbsp;122]</span>

-of the church could engage.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist.,

-Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Doddridge</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that

-so far as our knowledge of primitive antiquity

-reaches, no unbaptized person received the

-Lord&rsquo;s Supper.&rdquo; <i>Lectures, pp. 511, 512.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dick</span> says: &ldquo;An uncircumcised

-man was not permitted to eat the Passover;

-and an unbaptized man should not be permitted

-to partake of the Eucharist.&rdquo; <i>Theol.,

-Vol. II., p. 220.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Baxter</span> says: &ldquo;What man dares

-go in a way which hath neither precept nor

-example to warrant it, from a way that

-hath full current of both? Yet they that

-will admit members into the visible church

-without baptism do so.&rdquo; <i>Plain Scripture

-Proof, p. 24.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dwight,</span> President of Yale College,

-and author of &ldquo;Systematic Theology,&rdquo;

-says: &ldquo;It is an indispensable qualification for

-this ordinance that the candidate for communion

-be a member of the visible church in

-full standing. By this, I intend that he

-should be a man of piety; that he should

-have made a public profession of religion,

-and that he should have been baptized.&rdquo;

-<i>Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch. 4. Sec. 7.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p123">[p.&nbsp;123]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Doctor Griffin,</span> one of the fathers of

-New England Congregationalism, says: &ldquo;I

-agree with the advocates of close communion

-on two points: 1.&nbsp;That baptism is the initiatory

-ordinance which introduces us into the

-visible church; of course, where there is no

-baptism, there are no visible churches.

-2.&nbsp;That we ought not to commune with those

-who are not baptized, and of course not

-church-members, even if we regard them as

-Christians.&rdquo; <i>Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited

-by Curtis on Com., p. 125.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hibbard,</span> a leading Methodist

-scholar and Divine, says: &ldquo;In one principle

-Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree.

-They both agree in rejecting from communion

-at the table of the Lord, and in denying

-the rights of church fellowship to all who

-have not been baptized.&rdquo; And with admirable

-frankness, he adds: &ldquo;The charge of

-<i>close communion</i> is no more applicable to

-the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch

-as the question of church fellowship

-with them is determined by as liberal principles

-as it is with any other Protestant

-churches, so far, I mean, as the present subject

-is concerned&mdash;i.e., <i>it is determined by

-valid baptism.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hibbard on Christ. Bap.,

-P. II., p. 174.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p124">[p.&nbsp;124]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Doctor Bullock,</span> another Methodist Divine,

-says: &ldquo;Close communion, as it is generally

-termed, is the only logical and consistent

-course for Baptist churches to pursue.

-If their premises are right, their conclusion

-is surely just as it should be.&rdquo; And he commends

-the firmness of Baptists in not inviting

-to the communion those whom they

-regard as unbaptized. He says: &ldquo;They do

-not feel willing to countenance such laxity

-in Christian discipline. Let us honor

-them for their steadfastness in maintaining

-what they believe to be a Bible precept,

-rather than criticize and censure because

-they differ with us concerning the intent

-and mode of Christian baptism, and believe

-it to be an irrepealable condition of coming

-to the Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo; <i>What Christians

-Believe.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Independent,</span> one of the most

-widely circulated, and perhaps the most influential

-Pedobaptist paper in the country, in

-an editorial, says: &ldquo;Leading writers of all

-denominations declare that converts must be

-baptized before they can be invited to the

-communion table. This is the position

-generally taken. But Baptists regarding

-sprinkling as a nullity&mdash;no baptism at all&mdash;look

-upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p125">[p.&nbsp;125]</span>

-others, as unbaptized persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;The

-other churches cannot urge the Baptists to

-become open communionists till they themselves

-take the position that all who love

-our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as

-well as the baptized, may be invited to

-the communion table.&rdquo; <i>Editorial, July,

-1879.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Congregationalist,</span> the organ of

-the New England Congregational Churches,

-in an editorial, says: &ldquo;Congregationalists

-have uniformly, until here and there an exception

-has arisen of late years, required

-baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite

-of a seat at the table of the Lord.

-It is a part of the false &lsquo;liberality&rsquo; which

-now prevails in certain quarters, to welcome

-everybody &lsquo;who thinks he loves Christ&rsquo; to

-commune in His body and blood. Such a

-course is the first step in breaking down

-that distinction between the church and the

-world, which our Saviour emphasized; and

-it seems to us it is an unwise and mistaken

-act for which no Scriptural warrant exists.&rdquo;

-<i>Editorial, July 9, 1879.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Observer,</span> of New York, the oldest

-and leading Presbyterian journal of this

-country, said: &ldquo;It is not a want of charity

-<span class="pagenum" id="p126">[p.&nbsp;126]</span>

-which compels the Baptist to restrict his

-invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting

-the personal piety of his unimmersed

-brethren. Presbyterians do not invite the

-unbaptized, however pious they may be. It

-is not uncharitable. It is not bigotry on

-the part of Baptists to confine their communion

-to those whom they consider the

-baptized.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Interior,</span> of Chicago, the organ of

-Western Presbyterians, said: &ldquo;The difference

-between our Baptist brethren and ourselves

-is an important difference. We agree

-with them, however, in saying that unbaptized

-persons should not partake of the

-Lord&rsquo;s Supper. Their view compels them

-to think that we are not baptized, and shuts

-them up to close communion. Close communion

-is, in our judgment, a more defensible

-position than open communion, which is

-justified on the ground that baptism is not

-a prerequisite to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper. To

-charge Baptists with bigotry because they

-abide by the logical consequences of their

-system is absurd.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Christian Advocate,</span> of New York,

-the leading journal of American Methodists,

-said: &ldquo;The regular Baptist churches in the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p127">[p.&nbsp;127]</span>

-United States may be considered today as

-particularly a unit on <i>three points</i>&mdash;the non-use

-of infant baptism, the immersion of

-believers only upon a profession of faith,

-and the administration of the holy communion

-to such only as have been immersed

-by ministers holding these views. In our

-opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing

-prosperity largely to its adherence to these

-views. In doctrine and government, and

-in other respects, it is the same as Congregationalists.

-In numbers, the regular

-Baptists are more than six times as great as

-the Congregationalists. It is not bigotry

-to adhere to one&rsquo;s convictions, provided

-the spirit of Christian love prevails.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">The Episcopal Recorder</span> said: &ldquo;The

-close communion of the Baptist churches is

-but the necessary sequence of the fundamental

-idea out of which their existence

-has grown. No Christian Church would

-willingly receive to its communion even the

-humblest and truest believer in Christ who

-had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion

-only is baptism, and they therefore

-of necessity exclude from the Lord&rsquo;s Table

-all who have not been immersed. It is an

-essential part of the system&mdash;the legitimate

-carrying out of the creed.&rdquo;</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p128">[p.&nbsp;128]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Bishop Coxe,</span> of the Episcopal diocese of

-Western New York, says: &ldquo;The Baptists

-hold that we have never been baptized, and

-they must exclude us from their communion

-table, if we were disposed to go there. Are

-we offended? Do we call it illiberal? No;

-we call it <i>principle,</i> and we respect it. To

-say that we have never become members of

-Christ by baptism seems severe, but it is a

-conscientious adherence to duty, as they regard

-it. I should be the bigot, and not

-they, if I should ask them to violate their

-discipline in this, or in any other particular.&rdquo;

-<i>On Christ. Unity, in &ldquo;Church Union,&rdquo;

-July, 1891.</i></p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p129">[p.&nbsp;129]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch12">CHAPTER XII</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">infant baptism</span></p>

-

-<p>One of the customs held and upheld by

-Pedobaptist churches, which Baptists seriously

-condemn, is infant baptism. It is

-practiced by both Roman Catholics and

-Protestants as a religious institution; and

-though not held as sacredly, or practiced as

-widely as formerly, it still prevails to a

-wide extent throughout the Christian world.

-And yet it was not instituted by Christ, nor

-practiced by His Apostles, nor known in the

-primitive churches, and has neither sanction

-nor recognition in the Word of God. It is

-for this reason that Baptists utterly reject

-and condemn the custom, as not simply useless

-and without authority, but as a most

-pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious

-both to the child that receives it,

-and to the church which allows it, can be

-easily shown. Baptism before faith, and

-without a profession it, contradicts and

-<span class="pagenum" id="p130">[p.&nbsp;130]</span>

-does violence to all New Testament teaching.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">not of scriptural authority</span></p>

-

-<p>Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural

-authority, and was not known in the

-first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates

-and defenders have with considerable candor

-admitted. Only a few of their historians

-and scholars can be cited here.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Dr. William Wall,</span> a learned Divine

-of the English Church, who wrote the &ldquo;History

-of Infant Baptism,&rdquo; a work so able

-that the clergy in convocation assembled

-gave him a vote of thanks for his defense

-of the custom, says: &ldquo;Among all the persons

-that are recorded as baptized by the

-Apostles, there is no express mention of

-any infants.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Intro., pp.

-1, 55.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Thomas Fuller,</span> the historian, says:

-&ldquo;We do freely confess there is neither express

-precept nor precedent in the New

-Testament for the Baptism of Infants.&rdquo;

-<i>Infants&rsquo; Advoc., pp. 71, 150.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Luther</span> says: &ldquo;It cannot be proved by

-the sacred Scriptures that infant baptism

-was instituted by Christ, or begun by the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p131">[p.&nbsp;131]</span>

-first Christians after the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Vanity

-of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was administered

-at first only to adults, as men were

-accustomed to conceive of <i>baptism</i> and <i>faith</i>

-as strictly connected. We have all reason

-for not deriving infant baptism from Apostolic

-institution.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311;

-Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange</span> says: &ldquo;All attempts to

-make out infant baptism from the New Testament

-fail. It is totally opposed to the

-spirit of the Apostolic age, and to the fundamental

-principles of the New Testament.&rdquo;

-<i>Inf. Baptism, p. 101.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;Infant baptism

-was established neither by Christ, nor by

-the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Art. Bap., Kitto&rsquo;s Cycl. Bib.

-Lit.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hanna</span> says: &ldquo;Scripture knows

-nothing of the baptism of infants.&rdquo; <i>North

-Brit. Review, Aug., 1852.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;The passages

-from Scripture cited in favor of infant

-baptism as a usage of the primitive

-church are doubtful and prove nothing.&rdquo;

-<i>Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193.</i></p>

-

-<p>Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p132">[p.&nbsp;132]</span>

-Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many others

-bear similar testimony.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">when did it rise?</span></p>

-

-<p>Since the New Testament knows nothing

-of infant baptism, and since it was neither

-instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His

-Apostles, what was its origin, and when did

-it come into use?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Tertullian</span> is the first who mentions

-the custom, and he opposes it. This was at

-the close of the second century, or about

-<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 200. His opposition to it proves

-two things: <i>First,</i> that it was in occasional use,

-at least. <i>Second,</i> that it was of recent

-origin, since had it been long used some

-earlier record if it could be found. <i>Neander,

-Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bingham</span> could find no earlier allusion

-to it than that of Tertullian, though he believed

-it arose earlier. It must, therefore,

-as is generally agreed, have had its origin

-about the beginning of the <i>third century.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Curcell&aelig;us</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism of infants

-in the <i>two first</i> centuries after Christ

-was altogether unknown; but in the <i>third</i>

-and <i>fourth</i> was allowed by some few. In

-the <i>fifth</i> and following ages it was generally

-<span class="pagenum" id="p133">[p.&nbsp;133]</span>

-received.&rdquo; <i>Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I.,

-Ch. 12.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;In the <i>first two</i> centuries

-no one was baptized, except, being

-instructed in the faith and acquainted with

-the doctrines of Christ, he was able to profess

-himself a believer.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bapt. Suicer.

-Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136.</i></p>

-

-<p>Such testimony is conclusive, and quite

-sufficient, though much more of a similar

-character might be added.</p>

-

-<p><i>But observe:</i> That when the baptism of

-children began, it was not that of unconscious

-infants at all, as is now practiced, but,

-as Bunsen declares, of &ldquo;little growing children,

-from six to ten years old.&rdquo; And he

-asserts that Tertullian &ldquo;does not say one

-word of new-born infants.&rdquo; Cyprian, an

-African bishop, at the close of the <i>third</i> century,

-urged the baptism of infants proper,

-because of the saving efficacy of the ordinance;

-and he is called the inventor, or

-father, of infant baptism. <i>Bunsen&rsquo;s Hippol.

-and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5.</i></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">why did it rise?</span></p>

-

-<p>There is even less difficulty in tracing the

-cause than in finding the origin of infant

-<span class="pagenum" id="p134">[p.&nbsp;134]</span>

-baptism. It originated in a perversion of

-Christian doctrine, and was itself the perversion

-of a Christian ordinance.</p>

-

-<p>All students of ecclesiastical history know

-that at an early period corruptions perverted

-Christian faith and practice. Among

-these, one of the earliest was that of an

-undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its

-sanctity was so exalted that it was believed

-to have power to wash away sins, and

-cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick

-were supposed to be prepared for death,

-and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.

-Anxious parents therefore desired

-their dying children to be thus prepared&mdash;&ldquo;washed

-in the laver of regeneration,&rdquo; as

-it was termed&mdash;that they might be sure of

-salvation. And here came in that pernicious

-error of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; which

-gave rise to infant baptism, and which has

-through all these ages clung with more or

-less pertinacity to the clergy and laity of all

-churches which have practiced it.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;An opinion prevailed

-that no one could be saved without being

-baptized; and for that reason the custom

-arose of baptizing infants.&rdquo; <i>Epist. Jus.

-Pac. See Booth&rsquo;s Pedo. Exam., Ch. III.,

-Sec. 3.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p135">[p.&nbsp;135]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Venema</span> declares that &ldquo;the ancients connected

-a regenerating power with baptism.&rdquo;

-He cites Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Clemens,

-Tertullian, and Cyprian as holding that

-opinion. <i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,

-3, 4.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Chrysostom,</span> writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 398, as

-cited by Suicerus, says, &ldquo;It is impossible

-without baptism to obtain the kingdom,&rdquo;

-and as cited by Wall he says: &ldquo;If sudden

-death seize us before we are baptized,

-though we have a thousand good qualities,

-there is nothing to be expected but hell.&rdquo;

-<i>Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Waddington,</span> in his Church History,

-says, in reference to the <i>third</i> century: &ldquo;A

-belief was gaining ground among the converts

-and was inculcated among the heathen,

-that the act of baptism gave remission

-of all sins committed previously.&rdquo; <i>Hist.

-of Church, Ch. II., p. 53.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher</span> says: &ldquo;Very early baptism

-was so far identified with regeneration

-as to be designated by that term. This rite

-was considered essential to salvation. A

-virtue was believed to reside in the baptismal

-water itself.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p.

-83.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p136">[p.&nbsp;136]</span>

-Do its advocates and supporters hold

-the same view now? Do parents and ministers

-still believe that the baptism of unconscious

-infants secures, or makes more sure,

-their salvation? If not, why do they practice

-it?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange&rsquo;s</span> words are weighty,

-and should be carefully pondered by Protestant

-defenders of this Papal emanation. He

-says: &ldquo;Would the Protestant Church fulfill

-and attain to its final destiny, the baptism

-of new-born children must of necessity be

-abolished. It has sunk down to a mere formality,

-without any meaning for the child.&rdquo;

-<i>History of Protestantism, p. 34.</i></p>

-

-<p>Many good people, familiar with infant

-baptism and surrounded by its influences,

-have naturally learned to reverence it as of

-Divine appointment, and some of them

-really believe it is taught or sanctioned by

-the New Testament. But Baptists are right

-in rejecting it as something utterly without

-foundation in the Word of God.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">household baptisms</span></p>

-

-<p>Much stress is laid by some of the advocates

-of infant baptism on that fact that in

-<span class="pagenum" id="p137">[p.&nbsp;137]</span>

-the Acts of the Apostles several cases of

-household baptism are mentioned. And it

-is asked with an air of assurance: &ldquo;If entire

-households were baptized, must there

-not have been children among them? And

-were they not baptized also?&rdquo; To this it

-is sufficient to reply, that nothing is said of

-children, and we have no right to put into

-the Scriptures what we do not find in them.

-All inference that such households contained

-infants, and that such infants were baptized,

-is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian

-institutions could be built on so slight a

-foundation as that, we could bring in all

-the mummeries of the Greek or the Roman

-Church, and all the ceremonies of the Mosaic

-ritual.</p>

-

-<p>One thing is certain: If in those households

-any children were baptized, they were

-old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe

-on Christ, and were thus suitable subjects

-for the ordinance, and for church fellowship.

-For it is said, <i>&ldquo;They believed, and gladly

-received the Word.&rdquo;</i> There are thousands

-of Baptist churches into whose fellowship

-whole households have been baptized&mdash;parents

-and children and perhaps others

-connected with them. But all were old

-enough to <i>believe</i> and to make <i>profession</i> of

-<span class="pagenum" id="p138">[p.&nbsp;138]</span>

-their faith. So evidently it was in these

-households.</p>

-

-<p>The more prominent of these households

-are that of Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16;

-that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also

-in Acts 16; and that of Stephanas, mentioned

-in 1&nbsp;Corinthians 1. Now note what a

-few distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say

-on these cases.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Neander</span> says: &ldquo;We cannot

-prove that the Apostles ordained infant baptism;

-from those places where the baptism

-of a whole family is mentioned, we can draw

-no such conclusion.&rdquo; <i>Planting and Training,

-p. 162, N.&nbsp;Y. Ed., 1865.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;In none of

-these instances has it been proved that there

-were little children among them.&rdquo; <i>Kitto&rsquo;s

-Bib. Cyc., Art. Bap.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;That the baptism

-of children was not in use at that time appears

-evident from 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:14.</span>&rdquo; <i>Comment.

-on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor De Wette</span> says: &ldquo;This passage

-has been adduced in proof of the apostolical

-authority of infant baptism: but there is

-no proof here that any except adults were

-baptized.&rdquo; <i>Com. New Test., Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p139">[p.&nbsp;139]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Doctor Olshausen</span> says: &ldquo;There is altogether

-wanting any conclusive proof-text

-for the baptism of infants in the age of the

-apostles.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bloomfield</span> says of the jailer:

-&ldquo;It is taken for granted that his family became

-Christians as well as himself.&rdquo; <i>Com.

-on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>

-

-<p>Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other

-commentators declare that in this case the

-household all believed, and therefore were

-baptized and did rejoice. MacKnight considers

-the case of the household of Stephanas

-as giving no countenance to the baptism of

-infants. And with him agree Guise, Hammond,

-Doddridge, and others.</p>

-

-<p>As to the argument used by some, that

-baptism came in the place of circumcision,

-it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched

-and destitute of reason, to claim the serious

-regard of intelligent and candid minds.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p140">[p.&nbsp;140]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch13">CHAPTER XIII</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church government</span></p>

-

-<p>A Christian church is a society with a

-corporate life, organized on some definite

-plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which

-it proposes to accomplish. It has, therefore,

-its officers and ordinances, its laws and regulations,

-fitted to administer its government

-and carry out its purposes. The question

-then arises, What is the true and proper

-form of church organization and government?

-We do not care to inquire as to the

-various and contradictory forms, as we see

-them about us in the different denominations,

-but what was the organic form and

-government of the first churches, planted

-by and molded under the hands of Christ&rsquo;s

-inspired Apostles.</p>

-

-<p>There are <i>three</i> special and widely different

-forms of church government which have

-gained prevalence in Christian communities

-during past age, and which are still maintained

-with varied success, each of which

-<span class="pagenum" id="p141">[p.&nbsp;141]</span>

-claims to have been the original primitive

-form:</p>

-

-<p>1. The <i>prelatical,</i> in which the governing

-power resides in prelates, or diocesan

-bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the

-Roman, Greek, English, and most Oriental

-churches.</p>

-

-<p>2. The <i>presbyterian,</i> in which the governing

-power resides in assemblies, synods,

-presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish

-Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian

-churches.</p>

-

-<p>3. The <i>independent,</i> in which the body

-is self-governing, each single and local

-church administering its own government

-by the voice of the majority of its members;

-as among Baptists, Congregationalists,

-Independents, and some other bodies.</p>

-

-<p>Now which of these modes of church

-life and administration is taught in the New

-Testament, if either? or which best accords

-with the constitution and government of the

-Apostolic churches?</p>

-

-<p>Baptists hold that each separate, local

-church is an independent body, governing

-itself according to the laws of Christ, as

-found in the New Testament; that each

-<span class="pagenum" id="p142">[p.&nbsp;142]</span>

-such church is independent of all other

-churches, and of all other persons, so far as

-administration is concerned, owing comity

-and fellowship to all, but allegiance and

-submission to none. The government is

-administered by the body of the members,

-where no one possesses a preeminence of

-authority, but each enjoys an equality of

-rights, and in which, in matters of opinion,

-the majority decides.</p>

-

-<p>That this style of church structure is

-according to the New Testament appears

-evident from a study of the sacred records

-themselves. The Apostles treated the

-churches as independent bodies. Their

-epistles were addressed to the churches

-as such; they reported their doings to

-them; enjoined upon them the duty of

-discipline; exhorted, instructed, and reproved

-them as independent and responsible

-bodies. They recognized the right of the

-churches to elect their own teachers and

-officers, a primary and fundamental right,

-which, when conceded supposes all other

-rights and powers necessary to a self-governing

-community acting under Divinely

-given laws.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the distinguished historian, says

-of the first age: &ldquo;The churches were taught

-<span class="pagenum" id="p143">[p.&nbsp;143]</span>

-to govern themselves.&rdquo; &ldquo;The brethren

-chose their own officers from among themselves.&rdquo;

-&ldquo;In respect to the election of

-church officers, the ancient principle was

-still adhered to: that the consent of the

-community was necessary to the validity of

-every such election, and each one was at

-liberty to offer reasons against it.&rdquo; <i>Introd.

-Coleman&rsquo;s Prim. Christ&rsquo;y, p. 19; Ch.

-Hist., Vol. I., p. 199; Plant. and Train.,

-p. 156.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the first century: &ldquo;In

-those primitive times, each Christian Church

-was composed of the <i>people,</i> the presiding

-<i>officers,</i> and the assistants, or <i>deacons.</i>

-These must be the component parts of every

-society. The principal voice was that of the

-<i>people,</i> or of the whole body of Christians.&rdquo;

-&ldquo;The assembled people, therefore, elected

-their own rulers and teachers.&rdquo; Of the

-second century, he adds: &ldquo;One president,

-or bishop, presides over each church. He

-was created by the common suffrages of the

-people.&rdquo; &ldquo;During a great part of this century,

-all the churches continued to be, as at

-first, <i>independent</i> of each other. Each

-church was a kind of small, independent republic,

-governing itself by its own laws,

-enacted, or at least sanctioned, by the people.&rdquo;

-<span class="pagenum" id="p144">[p.&nbsp;144]</span>

-<i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2, Sec.

-5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;These churches, wherever

-formed, became separate and independent

-bodies, competent to appoint their own

-officers and administer their own government

-without reference or subordination to

-any control, authority or foreign power.

-No fact connected with the history of the

-primitive church is more fully established

-or more generally conceded.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ.

-Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95.</i></p>

-

-<p>Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow,

-Doctor Burton, Doctor Waddington&mdash;all of

-them Church of England Divines&mdash;fully

-agree with this testimony, and confirm the

-evidence cited:</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Geiseler,</span> the historian, says, concerning

-early changes: &ldquo;Country churches, which

-had grown up around some city, seem, with

-their bishops, to have been usually, in a

-certain degree, under the authority of the

-mother church. With this exception, all the

-churches were alike independent, though

-some were especially held in honor, on such

-grounds as their Apostolic origin, or the importance

-of the city in which they were

-situated.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p145">[p.&nbsp;145]</span>

-Further discussion on this subject is not

-needed. The point is proved, and the independent

-form of church government is manifestly

-primitive and apostolic, as advocated

-and practiced by Baptists.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p146">[p.&nbsp;146]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch14">CHAPTER XIV</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers</span></p>

-

-<p>How many, and what are the Scriptural

-officers of a Christian church? For a

-church, being a society, must have not only

-laws, but officers to execute them. How

-many orders are there in the ministry?

-These are questions which have at times

-greatly divided the Christian world.</p>

-

-<p>Baptists assert that the officers of a church

-are <i>two,</i>&mdash;and of right, can be no more,&mdash;<i>pastor</i>

-and <i>deacons.</i> In this opinion agree

-some other denominations, while the various

-Episcopal sects insist that there should be

-three sets&mdash;<i>deacons, priests,</i> and <i>bishops,</i> to

-which the Church of England adds archbishops.

-Others add to this number indefinitely;

-and the Romish Church carries

-the list up to ten or twelve, ending with the

-pope. Now it is not so much what this

-church preaches or practices, but on what

-basis were the primitive churches&mdash;the

-churches of inspiration&mdash;organized. Our

-<span class="pagenum" id="p147">[p.&nbsp;147]</span>

-Lord did not live to shape, and model, and

-put in order all things for the full equipment

-of His people, that they might be

-thoroughly furnished unto all good works,

-but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of

-wisdom by which they should be able to do

-all this, and carry out His plans, in the organization

-of His kingdom after He had left

-them. We assume that the first churches

-were organized on the Divine plan, and seek

-to ascertain what that plan was.</p>

-

-<p>In the New Testament, the words <i>bishop,

-presbyter, elder,</i> are used to designate church

-officers. They all, however, designate the

-same office, and therefore officially mean

-the same thing; indeed, they are not infrequently

-applied to the same individual.

-The bishop&mdash;called also the presbyter, or elder&mdash;was

-the <i>pastor,</i> or overseer of the spiritual

-flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it,

-as the shepherd does his sheep. The <i>deacons</i>

-were chosen to attend to the temporal interests

-of the church, as appears by the election

-of the seven, recorded in the sixth chapter

-of Acts. This was done in order that the

-Apostles might be free from the temporal

-cares, and thus able to give their attention

-more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of

-the people. The word <i>deacon</i> means a <i>minister,</i>

-<span class="pagenum" id="p148">[p.&nbsp;148]</span>

-a <i>servant.</i> It is sometimes applied to

-the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in

-the general sense as one who &ldquo;came, not to

-be ministered unto, but to minister, and to

-give His life a ransom for many.&rdquo; Some of

-the first deacons were also efficient preachers

-of the Gospel, but their work as deacons

-pertained to other services in the churches.

-While, therefore, the deacon is a church

-officer, his office does not constitute an order

-in the ministry at all, its functions belonging

-to temporal concerns, and not to a spiritual

-service. The service usually performed

-by clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be

-presumed, so far as such service was needed

-in the first churches, was devolved on the

-deacons.</p>

-

-<p>Pastors, by whatever name they may

-have been known, had the same service,

-and were of the same grade, dignity, and

-authority. In the first churches there were

-no high orders of clergy placed over lower

-grades, and over the churches ruling with

-superior authority. All were equals among

-equals, and all equally ministered to the

-churches. If in the same church there

-might chance to be several to whom the

-titles <i>bishop, presbyter,</i> or <i>elder</i> were applied,

-they were all of equal rank or authority,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p149">[p.&nbsp;149]</span>

-though one might be selected to serve as

-the pastor of the church, and devote himself

-to its local interests; while the others

-might give themselves to more general missionary

-work.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;The word <i>presbyter,</i> or

-<i>elder,</i> indicates rather the dignity of the

-office, since presbyters among the Jews were

-usually aged and venerable; while <i>bishop,</i>

-or <span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos,</span> designated the nature of their

-work as overseers, or pastors of the

-churches. The former title was used by

-Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the

-synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used

-by the Greek and other Gentile converts, as

-more familiar and expressive to them.&rdquo;

-&ldquo;They were not designed to exercise absolute

-authority, but to act as presiding officers

-and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to

-conduct all things, with the cooperation of

-the communities, as their ministers and not

-as their masters.&rdquo; <i>Introd. to Cole., Prim.

-Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant.

-and Train., p. 147.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;The rulers of the

-churches were denominated sometimes <i>presbyters,</i>

-or <i>elders,</i> a designation borrowed

-from the Jews, and indicative rather of the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p150">[p.&nbsp;150]</span>

-wisdom than the age of the persons, and

-sometimes also <i>bishops:</i> for it is most manifest

-that both terms are promiscuously used

-in the New Testament of one and the same

-class of persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;In these primitive

-times, each Christian church was composed

-of the <i>people,</i> the presiding <i>officers,</i> and the

-assistants, or <i>deacons.</i> These must be the

-components of every society.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist.,

-Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Gieseler</span> asserts: &ldquo;The new churches

-everywhere formed themselves on the model

-of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the

-head of each were the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyter,

-bishop</i>), all officially of equal rank, though

-in several instances a peculiar authority

-seems to have been conceded to some one

-individual from personal considerations.&rdquo;

-<i>Ch. Hist., Part 1, Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Waddington</span> declares: &ldquo;It is also true

-that in the earliest government of the first

-Christian society,&mdash;that of Jerusalem,&mdash;not

-the <i>elders</i> only, but the &lsquo;whole church,&rsquo;

-were associated with the Apostles; and it is

-even certain that the terms <i>bishop</i> and <i>elder,</i>

-or <i>presbyter,</i> were in the first instance and

-for a short period, sometimes used synonymously,

-and indiscriminately applied to the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p151">[p.&nbsp;151]</span>

-same order in the ministry.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.

-Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Usher</span> says that &ldquo;<i>bishop</i>

-and <i>presbyter</i> differed only in degree, and

-not in order.&rdquo; See <i>Cole., Anc. Christ.

-Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Burnett</span> says: &ldquo;As for the

-notion of distinct offices of <i>bishop</i> and <i>presbyter,</i>

-I confess it is not so clear to me.&rdquo;

-<i>Vindic. Ch. of Sects, p. 366.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;It is generally

-admitted by Episcopal writers on this subject,

-that in the New Testament, and in the

-earliest ecclesiastical writings, the terms

-<i>bishops</i> and <i>presbyters,</i> or elders, are synonymous,

-and denote one and the same

-office.&rdquo; &ldquo;The office of <i>presbyter</i> was undeniably

-identical with that of <i>bishop,</i> as has

-been shown above.&rdquo; &ldquo;Only <i>two orders</i> of

-officers are known in the church until the

-close of the second century. Those of the

-first are styled either <i>bishops</i> or <i>presbyters;</i>

-of the second, <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,

-Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5.</i></p>

-

-<p>This author cites many of the early Christian

-Fathers who bore the same testimony,

-among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp,

-Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Jerome,

-<span class="pagenum" id="p152">[p.&nbsp;152]</span>

-Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many

-prelatical writers, besides these above

-quoted, frankly admit the same facts.</p>

-

-<p>The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts <span class="wsnw">20:17,</span> 18),

-called together the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyters</i>)

-of the Ephesian Church. But in verse

-28 he calls these officers <i>overseers</i> (<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span>).

-Here the terms <span lang="grc-Latn">presbuteros</span> and

-<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span> were certainly used interchangeably.</p>

-

-<p>Paul and Timothy, in their address to the

-Philippian Christians, specify three classes

-as evidently constituting the entire body of

-disciples. They say, &ldquo;To all the <i>saints</i> in

-Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the

-<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; Saints, bishops, and

-deacons embraced the whole church.</p>

-

-<p>Timothy was instructed by Paul as to

-the qualifications of pastors to be placed

-over the churches. (1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:1.)</span> Particular

-directions are given as to both

-<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons,</i> but no mention is made

-of elders&mdash;clearly because they were the

-same as bishops.</p>

-

-<p>Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors

-for the church in Crete. (Titus <span class="wsnw">1:5,</span> 7.)

-These pastors are called <i>elders</i> in verse

-5 and <i>bishops</i> in verse 7.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p153">[p.&nbsp;153]</span>

-<i>Pastors</i> and <i>deacons,</i> therefore, are two

-orders, and these officers simply were known

-or needed in the Apostolic churches. In

-this, also, the views held by Baptists are in

-harmony with the customs of the churches

-in the first and purest age of Christian history.</p>

-

-<hr />

-

-<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p154">[p.&nbsp;154]</span></p>

-<h3 class="tdc" id="ch15">CHAPTER XV</h3>

-

-<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptist history</span></p>

-

-<p>It is sometimes asked: &ldquo;When and

-where did the Baptists originate? Who

-were their founders? What is their history?&rdquo;

-These are questions of interest;

-but a more important one would be: &ldquo;Are

-they right? Is their faith according to the

-teachings of the New Testament?&rdquo; Many

-things which are old are not true. Creeds

-and sects may boast a venerable antiquity,

-while the Word of God utterly condemns

-them. Any organization that cannot reasonably

-claim Christ for its founder has

-small right to the name of a Christian

-church, no matter how old it may be.</p>

-

-<p>Baptists claim to be built on the foundation

-of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus

-Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone.

-If this claim be well founded, whether they

-have a written history of one century or of

-twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the

-past belongs to any, it may be well to know.

-<span class="pagenum" id="p155">[p.&nbsp;155]</span>

-Any Baptist history constitutes one of the

-most interesting chapters in the records of

-Christianity.</p>

-

-<p>During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines

-of the Gospel became corrupted, and

-its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and

-Gentile converts brought into the churches

-many of their old religious notions, and

-incorporated them with the faith of Christ.

-These, together with the many philosophical

-ideas of the times and the perversions to

-which the truth is always exposed from the

-ignorance and selfishness of men, very early

-turned the churches aside from the faith

-once delivered to the saints. Still there

-were many who in simplicity and humility

-maintained the doctrines and customs in

-their original purity. Those churches which

-were strongest and most prosperous were

-most exposed to corruption by alliances with

-the world.</p>

-

-<p>When at length the period of martyrdom

-and persecution terminated; when a nominal

-Christianity took possession of a throne,

-and Church and State became united, then

-religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its simplicity,

-its spirituality, and its power, and a

-temporal hierarchy took the place of the

-church of Christ. This was the great apostasy

-<span class="pagenum" id="p156">[p.&nbsp;156]</span>

-of the early times. But all the churches

-and all disciples did not follow in the wake

-of this sad departure from the truth. Many

-congregations and communities of true worshipers

-kept the doctrines of the Gospel, and

-practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in

-their primitive purity. And this they continued

-to do through all the ages of darkness

-and corruption which followed. They

-were never identified with the Roman or

-Greek churches; they never were in alliance

-with States; never formed hierarchies. As

-independent congregations, or small communities,

-with no other bond of union than a

-common faith, fellowship, and sympathy,

-often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the

-Word of God as their guide, they sought to

-realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a

-spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.</p>

-

-<p>These religious communities were by the

-dominant hierarchies called <i>sects,</i> and stigmatized

-as <i>heretics.</i> As such they were

-traduced and persecuted continually. And

-though they may have had their errors,

-they were the best and purest defenders of

-the Christian faith, and the truest representatives

-of the first disciples of Christ then

-existing. The State churches were the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p157">[p.&nbsp;157]</span>

-heretics; while those so-called sects were the

-true successors of the first Christians.</p>

-

-<p>They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated

-and martyred because they bore

-witness to the truth of God and testified

-against the errors and vices of the so-called

-churches. History has never done them

-justice, and perhaps never will; because

-history has been too much written in the

-interest of their enemies, or from their

-standpoint. Tortured and tormented by

-those who should have been their defenders,

-crowns and miters alike pledged to their

-destruction, they could do nothing but

-suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ&rsquo;s

-faithful witnesses. They were known by

-various names in different ages and in different

-lands, but retained the same general

-characteristics.</p>

-

-<p>In the <i>first</i> and <i>second</i> centuries, Messalians,

-Montanists, Euchites, were terms

-which distinguished some of these sects.</p>

-

-<p>In the <i>third, fourth,</i> and <i>fifth</i> centuries

-arose the Novatians. Increasing with exceeding

-rapidity, they quite overspread the

-Roman empire, in spite of the cruel and

-destructive persecutions which they suffered.</p>

-

-<p>In the <i>fourth</i> century the Donatists appeared,

-as a new form of existing sects, or

-<span class="pagenum" id="p158">[p.&nbsp;158]</span>

-a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied

-rapidly, spread extensively, and long

-survived.</p>

-

-<p>In the <i>seventh</i> century appeared the Paulicians,

-attracting much attention, and calling

-down upon themselves the wrath of the

-Romish Church. Still they increased

-greatly, notwithstanding their many persecutions.</p>

-

-<p>That these Christian communities should

-have been faultless could not be supposed.

-But they were the best of the ages in which

-they lived, and maintained the purest forms

-of Gospel truth and practice. Without

-the advantage of organization and association,

-they differed somewhat among themselves.</p>

-

-<p>But in general they all professed to take

-the New Testament as the rule of their

-faith and practice. They held to a spiritual

-church-membership, and received only professedly

-regenerated persons to the ordinances.

-Denying the orthodoxy of the

-Romish Church, they rebaptized persons

-received from that body, and hence were

-called <i>Anabaptists.</i> Infant baptism they

-rejected, according to Allix, Mosheim, Robinson,

-and other historians. Baptism they

-administered by immersion, as indeed did

-<span class="pagenum" id="p159">[p.&nbsp;159]</span>

-all Christians during those ages. Robinson

-calls them &ldquo;Trinitarian Baptists.&rdquo; It is

-said that the Empress Theodora, after

-having confiscated their property, caused

-to be cruelly put to death no less than

-one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no

-other fault or offense than their religious

-faith.</p>

-

-<p>About the close of the <i>tenth</i> century appeared

-the Paterines; substantially the

-same people, no doubt as had previously

-existed under other names. They too rejected

-infant baptism, and protested against

-the corruptions of the Romish Church; in

-consequence of which they suffered long and

-severe persecution.</p>

-

-<p>In the <i>eleventh</i> century, and the ages following,

-were the Waldenses, Albigenses,

-Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons.

-These were new names, and names usually

-given by their enemies. They increased,

-even under their persecutions, to a wonderful

-extent, and attracted the notice, if not

-the sympathy, of all Europe.</p>

-

-<p>It is not pretended that these ancient

-sects were known by the name as Baptists; but

-in general they held the more prominent

-and distinctive principles which have always

-characterized the Baptists; thus: 1.&nbsp;They

-<span class="pagenum" id="p160">[p.&nbsp;160]</span>

-declared and defended the rights of faith

-and conscience and the freedom of worship.

-2.&nbsp;They denied the authority of popes and

-the right of kings and States to interfere

-with the people in matters of religion.

-3.&nbsp;They rejected infant baptism. 4.&nbsp;They baptized

-by dipping. 5.&nbsp;They held the Bible to

-be the only rule and authority in concerns of

-religious faith and practice. 6.&nbsp;They admitted

-to the churches none except such as

-professed to be regenerated and godly persons.</p>

-

-<p>Now it is conceded by all historians of

-note that such churches and communities

-did exist, separate from and persecuted by,

-the prevailing State churches and civil

-authorities during all the ages from the

-Apostles to the Reformation.</p>

-

-<p>When the Reformation under Luther and

-his coadjutors broke out, these sects to a

-great extent fraternized with, and were lost

-in, the multitude of the reformers. Such as

-continued their separate existence, as the

-Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence

-of the reformers, did from sympathy

-what the persecutions of the Papists had

-never been able to compel them to do&mdash;abandon

-dipping for sprinkling in baptism,

-adopted infant baptism, and took the

-<span class="pagenum" id="p161">[p.&nbsp;161]</span>

-general forms of religious life, into which

-Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the welsh baptists</span></p>

-

-<p>Few denominations have a better claim

-to antiquity than the Welsh Baptists. They

-trace their descent directly from the

-Apostles and urge in favor of their claim

-arguments which have never been confuted.</p>

-

-<p>When Austin, the Romish monk and

-missionary, visited Wales, at the close of

-the <i>sixth</i> century, he found a community of

-more than two thousand Christians, quietly

-living in their mountain homes. They

-were independent of the Romish See, and

-wholly rejected its authority. Austin

-labored hard to convert them&mdash;that is, to

-bring them under the Papal yoke; but entirely

-failed in the effort. Yielding things

-in general, he reduced his demand upon

-them to three particulars: 1.&nbsp;That they

-should observe Easter in due form, as ordered

-by the Church. 2.&nbsp;That they should

-give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.

-3.&nbsp;That they should preach to the

-English the Word of God, as

-<span class="wsnw">directed.<a id="ch15_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p162">[p.&nbsp;162]</span>

-These demands of Austin prove that they

-neither observed the Popish ordinance of

-Easter, nor baptized their children. They,

-however, rejected all his overtures, whereupon

-he left them with threats of war and

-wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was

-invaded by the Saxons, and many of these

-inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as

-was believed, at the instigation of this

-bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the dutch baptists</span></p>

-

-<p>The Baptists of Holland have a history

-that reaches back to a very remote period,

-if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently

-assert. And this antiquity is conceded

-by historians who have no sympathy

-with their denominational sentiments.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says,

-&ldquo;The true origin of that sect which

-acquired the name Anabaptist <i>is hid in the

-remote depths of antiquity,</i> and is consequently

-extremely difficult to be ascertained.&rdquo;

-<i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427,

-Mac. Ed., 1811.</i> See <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s

-Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Zwingli,</span> the Swiss Reformer, contemporary

-<span class="pagenum" id="p163">[p.&nbsp;163]</span>

-with Luther, declares: &ldquo;The institution

-of Anabaptism is no novelty but for

-<i>thirteen hundred years</i> has caused great disturbance

-in the church.&rdquo; <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s

-Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i> Thirteen hundred years

-before his time would have carried it back

-to within two centuries of the death of

-Christ.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dermont,</span> chaplain to the king

-of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij, professor of

-theology at Groningen, a few years since

-received a royal commission to prepare a

-history of the Reformed Dutch Church.

-That history, prepared under royal sanction,

-and officially published, contains the following

-manly and generous testimony to the

-antiquity and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists.

-&ldquo;We have now seen that the Baptists,

-who were formerly called Anabaptists, and

-in later times Mennonites, were the original

-Waldenses, and have long in the history of

-the church received the honor of that origin.

-On this account, <i>the Baptists may be considered

-the only Christian community which has

-stood since the Apostles, and as a Christian

-society, which has preserved pure the doctrines

-of the Gospel through all ages.&rdquo; Hist.

-Ref. Dutch Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819.</i> See

-<i>Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p164">[p.&nbsp;164]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the persecutions of this

-people in the sixteenth century, &ldquo;Vast

-numbers of these people, in nearly all the

-countries of Europe, would rather perish

-miserably by drowning, hanging, burning,

-or decapitation, than renounce the opinions

-they had embraced.&rdquo; And their

-innocency he vindicates thus: &ldquo;It is

-indeed true that many Anabaptists were

-put to death, not as being bad citizens,

-or injurious members of civil society,

-but as being incurable <i>heretics,</i> who were

-condemned by the old canon laws. For

-the error of <i>adult baptism</i> was in that

-age looked upon as a horrible offense.&rdquo;

-That was their only crime. <i>Eccl. Hist.,

-Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller&rsquo;s

-Ch. Hist., B. 4.</i></p>

-

-<p>This testimony is all the more welcome,

-because it comes from those who have no

-ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but

-who, in fidelity to history, bear honest testimony

-to the truth which history teaches.

-The circumstances under which their evidence

-was produced give it additional

-force.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Cardinal Hossius,</span> chairman of the

-council at Trent, says: &ldquo;If the truth of

-<span class="pagenum" id="p165">[p.&nbsp;165]</span>

-religion were to be judged of by the readiness

-and cheerfulness which a man of any

-sect shows in suffering, then the opinions

-and persuasions of no sect can be truer or

-surer, than those of the <i>Anabaptists;</i> since

-there have been none, for these <i>twelve hundred

-years past,</i> that have been more grievously

-punished.&rdquo; <i>Orchard&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.,

-Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364.</i></p>

-

-<p>Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists,

-called Anabaptists, and Mennonites, miserably

-perished by the hands of their cruel

-persecutors, for no crime but their refusal

-to conform to established

-<span class="wsnw">churches.<a id="ch15_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the english baptists</span></p>

-

-<p>At what time the Baptists appeared in

-England in definite denominational form, it

-is impossible to say. But from the <i>twelfth</i>

-to the <i>seventeenth</i> century, many of them

-suffered cruel persecutions, and death by

-burning, drowning, and beheading, besides

-many other, and sometimes most inhuman

-tortures. And this they suffered both from

-Papists and Protestants, condemned by both

-civil and ecclesiastical tribunals, only because

-<span class="pagenum" id="p166">[p.&nbsp;166]</span>

-they persisted in worshiping God, according

-to the dictates of their consciences,

-and because they would not submit their religious

-faith and worship to the dictates of

-popes and <span class="wsnw">princes.<a id="ch15_fna3"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn3">[3]</a></span>

-In 1538, royal edicts

-were issued against them, and several were

-burnt at the stake in Smithfield.</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Brande</span> writes that: &ldquo;In the year 1538,

-thirty-one Baptists, that fled from England,

-were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the

-men were beheaded, the women were

-drowned.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Reformers.</i> See <i>Benedict&rsquo;s

-Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,

-Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol. II, p. 355,

-Sup.</i> What crime had they committed to

-merit such treatment as this?</p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Latimer</span> declares that, &ldquo;The

-Baptists that were burnt in different parts

-of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and

-without any fear, during the time of Henry

-VIII.&rdquo; <i>Lent Sermons. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Purit.,

-Vol. II, p. 356.</i></p>

-

-<p>Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they

-suffered perhaps no more than under that of

-the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign

-of the latter a congregation of Baptists was

-<span class="pagenum" id="p167">[p.&nbsp;167]</span>

-discovered in London, whereupon several

-were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned,

-and two burnt at

-<span class="wsnw">Smithfield.<a id="ch15_fna4"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn4">[4]</a></span></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Featley,</span> one of their bitter enemies,

-wrote of them, in 1633: &ldquo;This sect,

-among others, hath so far presumed upon

-the patience of the State, that it hath held

-weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds

-of men and women together in the twilight,

-in rivulets and in some arms of the

-Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all

-over head and ears. It hath printed divers

-pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea,

-and challenged some of our preachers to disputation.&rdquo;

-<i>Eng. Bapt. Jubilee Memor.,

-Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bapt., p. 304.</i></p>

-

-<p><span class="smcap">Bailey</span> wrote, in 1639, that: &ldquo;Under

-the shadow of independency they have lifted

-up their heads, and increased their numbers

-above all sects in the land. They have

-<i>forty-six churches</i> in and about London.

-They are a people very fond of religious

-liberty, and very unwilling to be brought

-under bondage of the judgment of others.&rdquo;

-<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History, p. 304.</i></p>

-

-<p>The first book published in the English

-<span class="pagenum" id="p168">[p.&nbsp;168]</span>

-language on the subject of baptism was

-translated from the Dutch, and bears date

-1618. From this time they multiplied

-rapidly through all parts of the kingdom.

-The first regularly organized church among

-them, known as such in England, dates

-from 1607, and was formed in London by

-a Mr. Smyth, previously a clergyman of

-the Established Church.</p>

-

-<p>In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called,

-held a convention in London, in which more

-than one hundred congregations were represented,

-and which issued a confession of

-faith, still in use and highly esteemed.</p>

-

-<p>The last Baptist martyr in England was

-Edward Wightman, of Burton upon Trent,

-condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and

-burnt at Litchfield, April 11,

-<span class="wsnw">1612.<a id="ch15_fna5"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn5">[5]</a></span></p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">american baptists</span></p>

-

-<p>The history of American Baptists runs

-back a little more than two and a quarter

-centuries. In this country, as elsewhere,

-they were cradled amidst persecution, and

-nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This

-has been their fortune in every age, and in

-every land.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p169">[p.&nbsp;169]</span>

-<span class="smcap">Roger Williams,</span> a distinguished and

-an honored name, was identified with the

-rise of the denomination in America. He

-has been called their founder, because he organized

-the first church, and was intimately

-connected with their early history. Williams

-was born in Wales, 1598, educated at

-Oxford, England, came to America in 1630,

-and settled as minister of the Puritan church

-in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after, he

-adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church

-order, on account of which he was banished

-by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of

-Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous

-winter, in a new and inhospitable country.

-Having wandered far and suffered much,

-finding the savage Indians more generous

-and hospitable than his fellow Christians,

-he finally reached and fixed his future home

-at what is now Providence, R.&nbsp;I. Here,

-with a few associates of like faith, he founded

-a new colony, calling both the city and the

-colony <i>Providence,</i> in recognition of the

-Divine guidance and protection, which he

-had in so remarkable a manner experienced.</p>

-

-<p>In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism

-from one of his associates, there being no

-minister to perform that service. He in

-turn baptized his associates, and a church

-<span class="pagenum" id="p170">[p.&nbsp;170]</span>

-was organized, of which he was chosen

-pastor. He was also appointed first Governor

-of Rhode Island. Full liberty was

-granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger

-Williams became the first ruler, and Rhode

-Island the first State which ever gave entire

-freedom to all persons to worship God,

-according to their own choice, without dictation

-or interference from civil or ecclesiastical

-authorities.</p>

-

-<p>On account of this unrestricted liberty

-many Baptists, as well as other persecuted

-religionists from other colonies, and from

-Europe, collected in considerable numbers

-at Providence, and spread through the

-colony.</p>

-

-<p>It is a mistake to suppose that all the

-Baptist churches in America grew out of the

-one which Roger Williams founded. It is

-even doubtful whether any single church

-arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration

-increased, other churches grew up,

-having no connection with that; and with

-considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists

-spread into adjoining colonies, particularly

-west and south. For a long time,

-however, they were sorely persecuted, especially

-in Massachusetts and Connecticut;

-persecuted even by those who had themselves

-<span class="pagenum" id="p171">[p.&nbsp;171]</span>

-fled from persecution in their native

-land, to find freedom and refuge in these

-distant wilds.</p>

-

-<p>In 1644, the present First Church in

-Newport, R.&nbsp;I., was organized. But

-whether the present First Church in Providence

-was constituted before this date is

-still a disputed point. Both claim priority.

-In 1656, the Second Church, Newport, was

-formed. Then followed in order of time

-the church in Swansea, Massachusetts,

-1663; First, Boston, 1665; North Kingstone,

-R.&nbsp;I., 1665; Seventh Day Church,

-Newport, 1671; South Kingstone, R.&nbsp;I.,

-1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown,

-N.&nbsp;J., 1688; Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689;

-Charleston, S.&nbsp;C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,

-1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton,

-Ct., 1705. Others, not mentioned, arose

-within this period in these and other colonies.

-With the increase of population, Baptists

-rapidly increased and widely spread

-over the country.</p>

-

-<p><i>Edward&rsquo;s Tables</i> gives the number of

-American Baptist Churches in 1768, as

-only 137.</p>

-

-<p><i>Asplund&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1790, reported

-872 churches, 722 ordained ministers, with

-64,975 members.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p172">[p.&nbsp;172]</span>

-<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History</i> states that in 1812,

-there were 2,633 churches, 2,143 ordained

-ministers, and 204,185 members.</p>

-

-<p><i>Allen&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1836, puts them at

-7,299 churches, 4.075 ordained ministers,

-and 517,523 members.</p>

-

-<p><i>The Baptist Year-Book</i> gives the following

-figures:</p>

-

-<table>

-<tr><th>Date</th><th>Churches</th><th>Ministers</th><th>Members</th></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1840</td><td class="tdr">7,771</td><td class="tdr">5,208</td><td class="tdr">571,291</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1860</td><td class="tdr">12,279</td><td class="tdr">7,773</td><td class="tdr">1,016,134</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1880</td><td class="tdr">26,080</td><td class="tdr">16,569</td><td class="tdr">2,296,327</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1890</td><td class="tdr">33,588</td><td class="tdr">21,175</td><td class="tdr">3,070,047</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1900</td><td class="tdr">43,427</td><td class="tdr">29,473</td><td class="tdr">4,181,086</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1910</td><td class="tdr">49,045</td><td class="tdr">33,909</td><td class="tdr">5,266,369</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1920</td><td class="tdr">53,866</td><td class="tdr">42,121</td><td class="tdr">7,504,447</td></tr>

-<tr><td class="tdr">1930</td><td class="tdr">53,888</td><td class="tdr">49,907</td><td class="tdr">8,915,785</td></tr>

-</table>

-

-<p><i>The Year-Book</i> gives the Sunday school

-statistics for 1930, as follows: For the

-United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment

-5,143,056.</p>

-

-<p>The figures given in all these cases are

-probably less than the actual facts warrant,

-since full reports from associations,

-churches, and schools can never be obtained.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">other baptists</span></p>

-

-<p>Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood,

-there are in the United States very many

-<span class="pagenum" id="p173">[p.&nbsp;173]</span>

-other and smaller denominations, which

-practice immersion, but are not in fellowship

-with, or reckoned as a part of, the great

-Baptist family.</p>

-

-<p>The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on

-account of their observing Saturday, or the

-seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath,

-on the ground that the Jewish Sabbath was

-never abrogated. They are estimated at

-about 7,000.</p>

-

-<p>The Free Will Baptists, who take their

-name from their views as to the freedom

-of the human will and practice open communion,

-number about 66,000. In the North

-the Free Will Baptist churches have generally

-united with the Northern Convention,

-and their membership is reckoned with that

-of the regular Baptist body.</p>

-

-<p>The Six Principle Baptists, so called because

-their doctrinal confession is based on

-the six points mentioned in Hebrews <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span>

-2, are estimated at about 300.</p>

-

-<p>The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather

-Primitive Baptists, found chiefly in the

-Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday

-schools, or other reform movements lest

-they should seem to interfere with the Divine

-decrees. They are said to number

-43,000.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="p174">[p.&nbsp;174]</span>

-The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called

-Campbellites, or Christians, number about

-1,200,000.</p>

-

-<p>The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership

-of the Churches of God in North

-America, are estimated at about 30,000.</p>

-

-<p>The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups

-number about 126,000, and the United

-Brethren, about 330,000.</p>

-

-<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">baptists elsewhere</span></p>

-

-<p>In North America, aside from the United

-States, but including the provinces of British

-America, Central America, Mexico, and the

-West Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930

-about 249,809.</p>

-

-<p>In Europe there were in 1930 about

-1,639,656.</p>

-

-<p>In Asia, about 361,800.</p>

-

-<p>In Australasia, about 35,113.</p>

-

-<p>In Africa, about 83,041.</p>

-

-<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn1"><p><a href="#ch15_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>

-See Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.</p></div>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn2"><p><a href="#ch15_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>

-Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,

-Vol. II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller&rsquo;s Ch. Hist., B. 4.</p></div>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn3"><p><a href="#ch15_fna3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>

-See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and Benedict.</p></div>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn4"><p><a href="#ch15_fna4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>

-Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II., p. 358. Supplement.</p></div>

-<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn5"><p><a href="#ch15_fna5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>

-Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.</p></div>

-</div>

-

-<hr />

-

-<div id="DTN" class="trans_notes">

-<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>

-<div class="smaller">

-<ul>

-<li>The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word

-&ldquo;missionaries&rdquo;: mission|aries. In this and all subsequent

-cases, the whole word was moved to the earlier page.</li>

-<li>The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word &ldquo;thousand&rdquo;:

-thou|sand.</li>

-<li>The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word &ldquo;admitted&rdquo;:

-ad|mitted.</li>

-<li>Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to

-&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word &ldquo;general&rdquo;:

-gen|eral.</li>

-<li>Page 10, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 11, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo;, &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;His Gospel,&rdquo; and &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 12, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice); change

-&ldquo;fulfil&rdquo; to &ldquo;fulfill&rdquo;; apply RC to

-&ldquo;Him&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to

-&ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change &ldquo;fulfils&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;fulfills&rdquo; and &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His Word&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;His&rdquo;; change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;

-apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 15, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 18, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 19, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>

-<li>Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;Me&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;

-Note 7, apply RC to &ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word

-&ldquo;baptismal&rdquo;: bap|tismal.</li>

-<li>Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 23, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 24, Note 2, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word

-&ldquo;possibly&rdquo;: pos|sibly.</li>

-<li>Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>

-<li>The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word

-&ldquo;ecclesiastical&rdquo;: ecclesias|tical.</li>

-<li>Page 46, Voting, point 1, change &ldquo;deliberatively&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;deliberately.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word

-&ldquo;services&rdquo;: ser|vices.</li>

-<li>The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word

-&ldquo;importance&rdquo;: impor|tance.</li>

-<li>Page 56, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 57, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 58, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; add

-comma to &ldquo;Britain Baptists&rdquo;; apply RC to

-&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 59, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;

-Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My.&rdquo; Section II, apply RC to

-&ldquo;Persons&rdquo; and &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to

-&ldquo;Thee.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 60, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; apply RC to

-&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 61, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),

-&ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;

-and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Himself&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo;

-and &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 5, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 62, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC

-to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;One.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 63, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice). Note 3, apply RC to

-&ldquo;Me.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 64, note 1, change &ldquo;Rev. 8:7&ndash;9&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.

-3:7&ndash;9.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;Eph. 8:14&ndash;21&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;Eph. 5:14&ndash;21.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Prophet,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Priest,&rdquo; &ldquo;King,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 65, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change

-&ldquo;Eph. 2:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;Eph. 2:8&rdquo; and change &ldquo;ye

-are&rdquo; to &ldquo;are ye&rdquo; to match the quotation. Note 2,

-change &ldquo;Acts 11:38&rdquo; to &ldquo;Acts 2:38&rdquo; to match the

-quotation. Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Point IX, apply RC to

-&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 66, note 1, change &ldquo;a holy calling&rdquo; to &ldquo;an holy

-calling.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;elects sake&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;elect&rsquo;s sakes&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chris&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;Christ.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:10&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 1:4.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 67, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note

-1, change &ldquo;Thess 4:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:3.&rdquo; Note

-3, change &ldquo;Phil. 1:12, 13&rdquo; to &ldquo;Phil. 2:12, 13&rdquo; to

-match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo;

-(twice). Note 2, change &ldquo;John 2:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;John

-2:19&rdquo; to match the quotation.</li>

-<li>Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Section XII, apply RC

-to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;Rom. 8:2, 4&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;Rom. 8:2&ndash;4&rdquo; to match the quotation; apply RC to

-&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 69, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),

-&ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Scriptural.&rdquo; Note 4, change

-&ldquo;John 1#:15&rdquo; (where # represents a poorly printed sort), to

-&ldquo;John 13:15.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 70, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, change &ldquo;Matt.

-18:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 28:19&rdquo; to match quotation. Note 3,

-change &ldquo;raised from the dead&ldquo; to &ldquo;raised up from the

-dead.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 71, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;My,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and &ldquo;My&rdquo;; change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor.

-11:27&ndash;30&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor. 11:22&ndash;30.&rdquo; Note 2,

-apply RC to &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; (four

-times) and &ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 72, note 2, change &ldquo;Ps. 113:24&rdquo; to &ldquo;Ps.

-113:2&ndash;4.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Him&rdquo;; change &ldquo;then shall thou delight&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;then shalt thou delight.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to

-&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Point XVII, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 73, note 4, change &ldquo;Rev. 19:14&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.

-19:16&rdquo; to match quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;

-(twice). Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 74, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 5, change

-&ldquo;Matt. 25:35&ndash;41&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 25:31&ndash;46.&rdquo;

-Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 75, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him&rdquo; (twice),

-&ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice), &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 76, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word

-&ldquo;expressed&rdquo;: ex|pressed.</li>

-<li>Page 79, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change

-&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 82, apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 85, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 86, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 88, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 89, change &ldquo;Malancthon&rdquo; to &ldquo;Malanchthon&rdquo;

-and &ldquo;colaborer&rdquo; to &ldquo;co-laborer.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 90, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a churchman.

-Change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 91, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word

-&ldquo;sufficient&rdquo;: suf|ficient.</li>

-<li>Page 92, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word

-&ldquo;immersion&rdquo;: immer|sion.</li>

-<li>Page 95, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word

-&ldquo;original&rdquo;: origi|nal.</li>

-<li>Page 98, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practised&rdquo;;

-apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 99, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;

-(twice).</li>

-<li>Page 100, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change

-&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 101, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 102, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 104, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 105, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word

-&ldquo;Parliament&rdquo;: Par|liament.</li>

-<li>Page 108, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice) and

-&ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 109, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;My&rdquo; (four times), &ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word

-&ldquo;practiced&rdquo; (changed from &ldquo;practised&rdquo;):

-prac|ticed.</li>

-<li>Page 110, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>

-<li>Page 111, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 112, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 113, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 114, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 115, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word

-&ldquo;infants&rdquo;: in|fants.</li>

-<li>Page 116, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;

-(thrice).</li>

-<li>Page 117, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;;  change &ldquo;practise&rdquo;

-to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 118, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word

-&ldquo;remaining&rdquo;: re|maining.</li>

-<li>Page 119, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen.</li>

-<li>Page 120, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring

-to a churchman.</li>

-<li>Page 124, apply RC to &ldquo;Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 125, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 129, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo;

-(thrice). Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 130, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a

-churchman; apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 131, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 132, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;

-Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 133, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 134, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 136, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;

-Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 137, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 138, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 140, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 141, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 142, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word

-&ldquo;people&rdquo;: peo|ple.</li>

-<li>Page 144, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen;

-apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo; Add &ldquo;Ch. Hist.&rdquo; to the

-Geiseler citation.</li>

-<li>Page 145, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 146, change &ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 147, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His

-Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo;

-&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word

-&ldquo;minister&rdquo;: min|ister.</li>

-<li>Page 148, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word

-&ldquo;authority&rdquo;: author|ity.</li>

-<li>Page 149, change &ldquo;later&rdquo; to &ldquo;latter.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 150, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 152, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle&rdquo;; change

-<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopous&rdquo;</span> to

-<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopos&rdquo;</span> for consistency.</li>

-<li>Page 153, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 154, apply RC to &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Himself.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 155, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word

-&ldquo;apostasy&rdquo;: apos|tasy.</li>

-<li>Page 156, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo;; change

-&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; apply RC to

-&ldquo;Word&rdquo; and &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 158, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change

-&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>

-<li>Page 160, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;

-apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 161, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word

-&ldquo;contemporary&rdquo;: contempo|rary.</li>

-<li>Page 163, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and

-&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 164, change &ldquo;offence&rdquo; to &ldquo;offense.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word

-&ldquo;because&rdquo;: be|cause.</li>

-<li>Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after

-&ldquo;Smithfield&rdquo;; change &ldquo;suffered perhaps more&rdquo; to

-&ldquo;suffered perhaps no more.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 167, change &ldquo;defence&rdquo; to &ldquo;defense.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>Page 169, add comma to &ldquo;after he&rdquo;; apply RC to

-&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-<li>The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word

-&ldquo;themselves&rdquo;: them|selves.</li>

-<li>Page 173, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;

-(twice); apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>

-</ul>

-</div>

-</div>

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-<pre>

-

-

-

-

-

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+<body>
+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 61084 ***</div>
+
+<div class="trans_notes">
+<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>
+<ul>
+<li>This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to discuss their
+history, organization, polity, and operations. The book itself has a small form
+factor, suitable to be carried in a suit coat pocket.</li>
+<li>The author&rsquo;s perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are
+introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against alternatives.</li>
+<li>Detailed information on the Transcriber&rsquo;s changes are listed after
+the text. <a href="#DTN">Details.</a></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="pagenum" id="ptp">[title&nbsp;page]</span>THE</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">STANDARD MANUAL</span></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">FOR</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">BAPTIST CHURCHES</span></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="tdc"><i>By</i></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smaller">Author of<br />
+&ldquo;The Baptist&rsquo;s Short Method,&rdquo; &ldquo;Star Book for Ministers,&rdquo;<br />
+&ldquo;The Star Book Series,&rdquo; &ldquo;Pastors&rsquo; Manual,&rdquo; etc.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="tdc">PHILADELPHIA</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="larger">THE AMERICAN BAPITST<br />
+PUBLICATION SOCIETY</span></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">CHICAGO&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;KANSAS CITY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LOS ANGELES&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SEATTLE</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="pverso">[verso]</span></p>
+<hr />
+<p class="tdc">Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by<br />
+<span class="smcap">the american bapitst publication society</span><br />
+In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington</p>
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Printed in U.S.A.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p3">[p.&nbsp;3]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc">PREFACE</h3>
+
+<p>It is now thirty years since the &ldquo;Baptist
+Church Directory,&ldquo; prepared by the writer,
+was first published. That work was designed
+to be somewhat of a <i>consensus</i> of
+the opinions of those best able to judge in
+matters of Baptist church polity and usage,
+especially as to what concerns administration
+and discipline. It might thus prove a
+help to both pastors and members, particularly
+in perplexing cases liable to arise.
+Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify
+the order and customs of our churches
+through our widely extended ranks. This
+hope has been realized. More than fifty
+thousand copies of that book have been circulated
+in this country. It has also been
+translated, more or less fully, into six or
+seven different languages by our missionaries,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p4">[p.&nbsp;4]</span>
+for use in our missions and foreign
+fields.</p>
+
+<p>But many of the churches desired a
+smaller and less expensive manual, which
+they could put into the hands of all their
+members. To meet this want, sixteen years
+ago, the writer prepared the little &ldquo;Star
+Book on Baptist Church Polity,&rdquo; which
+many churches have adopted, furnishing
+their members and candidates for membership
+with them freely. This has had a circulation
+of over thirty thousand copies; and
+both this and the &ldquo;Directory&ldquo; are in as
+great demand as at any previous time.</p>
+
+<p>It is something more than twenty years
+since the &ldquo;Baptist Short Method,&rdquo; by the
+same author was published. The purpose
+of this manual was to give a concise view
+of those distinctive features which mark
+the difference between Baptists and other
+denominations, especially as to the ordinances
+and church order; and also to furnish
+the proofs by which our position in
+these respects is justified. About ten thousand
+<span class="pagenum" id="p5">[p.&nbsp;5]</span>
+copies of this book have found their
+way into circulation.</p>
+
+<p>The preparation of the present manual
+was undertaken at the request of, and by
+an arrangement with the pastor, R.&nbsp;S. MacArthur,
+D.D., on behalf of Calvary
+Baptist Church, New York City, for the
+special use of that church. Something was
+desired smaller than the &ldquo;Directory,&rdquo; and
+more full than the &ldquo;Star Book,&rdquo; embracing
+certain features of the &ldquo;Short Method.&rdquo;
+When completed, it was thought to be, on
+the whole, so much superior to anything
+ever before prepared, as a manual for general
+use in Baptist churches, that by mutual
+consent, it was decided to have it published
+for general circulation, rather than confine
+it to the use of a single church.</p>
+
+<p>To both ministers and members, such a
+manual, it is hoped, will prove a valuable
+helper in the interest of church order, and
+of denominational unity and prosperity.
+Especially for the younger members, so
+many thousands of whom are yearly admitted
+<span class="pagenum" id="p6">[p.&nbsp;6]</span>
+to the fellowship of the churches,
+with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly
+instructed as to either doctrines or
+order, it should prove a most valuable assistant.
+Concise and accurate in statement of
+facts, transparent in arrangement of matters,
+convenient in form, and cheap in cost,
+pastors will find it to their own advantage,
+as well as to that of their members, to see
+that their churches are liberally supplied
+with copies. The pastor of one of our
+very largest and most prosperous churches,
+for whose use its preparation was undertaken,
+shows his estimate of its value, and
+sets other pastors a wise and worthy example,
+by ordering in advance of publication,
+<i>one thousand copies</i> for his church.</p>
+
+<p>May the Divine blessing make this, as
+other works have been made, a means of
+furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and
+efficient service for Christ, in the churches
+for which it is designed.</p>
+
+<p class="tdr">E.&nbsp;T.&nbsp;H.</p>
+<p><span class="smcap">Mount Vernon, N.&nbsp;Y.<br />
+January 24, 1890.</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p7">[p.&nbsp;7]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc">CONTENTS</h3>
+
+<table>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch1">CHAPTER I</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">A Christian Church</span></td><td class="tdr">9</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch2">CHAPTER II</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">14</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch3">CHAPTER III</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Ordinances</span></td><td class="tdr">18</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch4">CHAPTER IV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church-membership</span></td><td class="tdr">22</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch5">CHAPTER V</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Discipline</span></td><td class="tdr">27</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch6">CHAPTER VI</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Cases of Appeal</span></td><td class="tdr">37</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2" class="tdc"><a href="#ch7">CHAPTER VII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Business</span></td><td class="tdr">41</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="pagenum" id="p8">[p.&nbsp;8]</span>
+<a href="#ch8">CHAPTER VIII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Christian Doctrine</span></td><td class="tdr">56</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch9">CHAPTER IX</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Optional Standing Resolutions</span></td><td class="tdr">77</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch10">CHAPTER X</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptism Considered</span></td><td class="tdr">80</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch11">CHAPTER XI</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</span></td><td class="tdr">108</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch12">CHAPTER XII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Infant Baptism</span></td><td class="tdr">129</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch13">CHAPTER XIII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Government</span></td><td class="tdr">140</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch14">CHAPTER XIV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">146</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch15">CHAPTER XV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptist History</span></td><td class="tdr">154</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p9">[p.&nbsp;9]</span></p>
+<h2 class="tdc">STANDARD MANUAL FOR<br />
+BAPTIST CHURCHES</h2>
+
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch1">CHAPTER I</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">a christian church</span></p>
+
+<p>The word &ldquo;church&rdquo; is, in common language,
+used with large latitude of meaning.
+It is applied to a building used for Christian
+worship, to a congregation of Christian
+worshipers, to a religious establishment, to
+a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the
+aggregate of all Christian believers, and to
+a local company of Christian disciples associated
+in covenant for religious purposes.
+The latter is its common use in the New
+Testament.</p>
+
+<p>The Greek word <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia,</span> rendered
+&ldquo;church,&rdquo; is derived from a word meaning
+&ldquo;called out,&rdquo; and is used to indicate a company
+called out from a larger and more general
+<span class="pagenum" id="p10">[p.&nbsp;10]</span>
+assembly or concourse of people. In the
+free Greek cities, it designated a company
+of persons possessed of the rights of citizenship,
+and charged with certain important
+functions of administration in public affairs,
+summoned, or called out, from the common
+mass of the people. In the New Testament,
+the <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia</span> is a company of persons
+called out and separated from the common
+multitude by a Divine calling, chosen to be
+saints, invested with the privileges, and
+charged with the duties of citizenship in the
+kingdom of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>A Christian Church, therefore, according
+to the New Testament idea, is a company
+of persons Divinely called and separated
+from the world, baptized on a profession of
+their faith in Christ, united in covenant for
+worship and Christian service, under the
+supreme authority of Christ, whose Word is
+their only law and rule of life in all matters
+of religious faith and practice.</p>
+
+<p>Some Christian denominations include all
+their congregations in one comprehensive
+society, or ecclesiastical system, under some
+central authority, which legislates for and
+controls the whole. This comprehensive
+society they call the church. Thus we
+speak of the Roman Catholic Church, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p11">[p.&nbsp;11]</span>
+Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church&mdash;where
+the word &ldquo;church&rdquo; stands for the
+aggregate of all their local societies. With
+Baptists it is different. They speak of
+Baptist churches, but not of the Baptist
+Church, when the entire denomination is
+meant. The Baptist Church would mean
+some one local congregation of baptized
+believers.</p>
+
+<p>Thus was it in Apostolic times. There
+was &ldquo;the church in Jerusalem,&rdquo; &ldquo;the
+church of the Thessalonians,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church
+of Babylon,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church of the Laodiceans&rdquo;;
+but &ldquo;the churches of Macedonia,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;the churches of Asia,&rdquo; &ldquo;the churches of
+Judea.&rdquo; A church, therefore, is not a
+system of congregations confederated under
+a general government, but a single local
+congregation of Christian disciples associated
+in covenant and meeting together for
+worship. In this sense the word is commonly,
+almost uniformly, used in the New
+Testament.</p>
+
+<p>Churches are Divinely instituted to be
+&ldquo;the light of the world&rdquo; and &ldquo;the salt of
+the earth.&rdquo; They are ordained for the
+glory of God, as &ldquo;the ground and pillar of
+the truth,&rdquo; in the proclamation of His Gospel
+and the establishment of His kingdom
+<span class="pagenum" id="p12">[p.&nbsp;12]</span>
+in the world. They are commissioned to
+preach the Gospel to men, and to live the
+Gospel before men, that Christ may be
+honored and sinners saved. They should,
+therefore, be constantly striving to realize
+the grand purpose of their existence and
+fulfill the mission of their high calling.
+That church which does the most to honor
+Christ and save man will be the most
+honored by Him, and the most influential
+and prosperous in all that pertains to the
+true functions of a church. And since a
+church, as a body, is what its individual
+members are in their religious life and influence,
+therefore each member should strive
+to become in holy living what He desires the
+church to be.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;A body of Christian disciples may fail to
+meet some of the requirements of the Gospel, and
+still be a true church of Christ, providing it fulfills
+the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith and
+practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;But when a body ceases to acknowledge
+and submit to Christ as its Supreme Ruler, and to
+receive His Word as its supreme law, then it ceases to
+be a true church, and is simply a religious society,
+though it may still accept some of His doctrines and
+practice some of His precepts.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;A church is not a legislative, but an
+executive body. It cannot make laws, but only obey
+and administer those which Christ has given in the
+New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p13">[p.&nbsp;13]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;But in matters pertaining to order and
+methods of administration, merely optional and discretionary,
+not involving fundamental principles, the
+church is to exercise its liberty, so long as it does not
+contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights
+of its members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;And still further, while a church cannot
+become an authoritative expounder of either truth or
+duty, to bind the consciences even of its members,
+yet it does possess a judicial function for the interpretation
+and the enforcement of the laws of Christ
+for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members,
+so far as their relation to the compact is concerned.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Each church owes courtesy and comity,
+fellowship and fraternity, to all others; but it owes
+subjection and allegiance to none, and is under authority
+to Christ alone.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;In matters of business and in the exercise
+of its authority in administration, the will of the
+church is expressed by a majority vote of its members.
+But the nearer that majority approaches to
+unanimity, the more satisfactory and emphatic are
+its decisions.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Councils may be called, presbyteries convened,
+or committees of reference chosen for advice
+in cases of moment, but they are all <i>advisory</i> only,
+and in no case authoritative. There is no higher,
+and no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs,
+than the individual church.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p14">[p.&nbsp;14]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch2">CHAPTER II</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers<a id="ch2_fna1"></a>
+<a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Scriptural officers of a church are
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i> Bishops are in the
+New Testament also called &ldquo;presbyters,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;elders,&rdquo; and &ldquo;overseers.&rdquo; Their duties
+and services have mainly reference to the
+spiritual interests of the body, though they
+properly have the oversight of all its concerns.
+The deacons have principal charge
+of the temporalities of the church, so as to
+relieve the pastor in that department of
+labor. They are, however, to be counselors
+and helpers of the pastor in all departments
+of his work. The qualifications for both
+offices are set forth in the Epistles to
+Timothy and Titus.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Pastors and deacons, as teachers and
+leaders of the flock, cannot be selected for and imposed
+upon the churches by any external authority
+whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected
+<span class="pagenum" id="p15">[p.&nbsp;15]</span>
+and chosen by the free suffrages of the members,
+without compulsion or restraint, from among themselves,
+or those who are to become identified with
+them in fellowship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;In the election of either a pastor or
+deacon, notice of such election should be given from
+the pulpit for at least two Sundays preceding the
+time for the same. The election should be by ballot,
+and at least <i>three-quarters</i> of the votes cast should be
+necessary for the election of a pastor, and <i>two-thirds</i>
+for the election of a deacon. Such election should
+be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and conducted
+without partisan devices or personal strife.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Both pastors and deacons are properly
+elected for unlimited terms of service, the relation to
+continue so long as there shall be mutual satisfaction.
+Such a course tends less to depreciate and make
+servile the officers and their duties in the estimation
+of the people, and of those who bear them, than a
+limited and specified time, though deacons are sometimes,
+and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term
+of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the
+church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;The church is to fix on the amount of
+salary necessary to a generous support of the pastor,
+and hold itself obligated by every consideration of
+Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment
+of the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the
+church as it is unjust and vexatious to the pastor.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;The call to a pastor issues from the
+<i>church</i> as a body, which also designates the amount
+of salary to be paid. It is in some sections usual,
+though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting
+of the entire congregation or society to approve or
+confirm the call. In some States it is necessary for
+the trustees, as the legal representatives of the corporation,
+to confirm the action officially, so far as the
+salary is concerned, before it can become legal.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p16">[p.&nbsp;16]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The number of deacons is optional with
+the church. It is usually from <i>three</i> to <i>seven.</i> Let it
+be so many as the church needs and can find suitable
+as candidates for the office. But they should never be
+elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they
+be persons whose fitness for the office is generally
+conceded.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The relations between pastor and the
+church may be dissolved at the option of either, by
+giving <i>three months&rsquo;</i> notice; or otherwise, by mutual
+consent. Between the deacons and the church, the
+relations may be dissolved at the option of either
+without previous notice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church <i>clerk</i> is elected annually, at a
+business meeting, by a majority vote. It is an office
+of convenience, for keeping the minutes and preserving
+the records of the body. Also <i>trustees</i> are elected
+by the church, or if the law so requires, by a <i>society.</i>
+Their duties are the care of the property and the
+management of finances. But these are not considered
+Scriptural church officers; deacons might properly
+discharge all the functions of these
+<span class="wsnw">offices.<a id="ch2_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;The offices of trust and service in a
+church should be as widely distributed among the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p17">[p.&nbsp;17]</span>
+members as possible, consistently with the welfare of
+the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded.
+No one man should hold more than one office at the
+same time, unless the interests of the body absolutely
+demand it. If offices are honors, they should be
+widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly
+should be. For the same man to hold two or three
+offices is as unjust to him as it is to his brethren.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;A church cannot unite in any corporate
+capacity with other organizations for religious, benevolent,
+moral reform, or other purposes; but it may
+cooperate with these for any good object, and give to
+such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary
+aid.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;But members of churches can, as individuals,
+unite with outside organizations, for any
+purpose, not inconsistent with their profession as
+Christians, and not injurious to their church relations
+and duties.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities,
+nor delegate their authority to any man, or
+to any body of men, to act officially for them. But
+they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to
+perform services for them, under instruction, and to
+report their action to the body.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn1"><p><a href="#ch2_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+This and several of the following sections are consistent
+with the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Church Polity,&ldquo; on the same
+topics.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn2"><p><a href="#ch2_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>
+In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that
+being a spiritual body, but incorporate a <i>society,</i> as it is called,
+consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support
+the worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs
+of the church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts
+its secular concerns. It elects a specified number of
+<i>trustees,</i> as provided for by law, who are the legal representatives
+of the corporation. The members of the society, and the
+trustees elected, may or may not be members of the church.
+This whole society arrangement is a relic of the old New
+England parish system of the standing order, and is inconsistent
+with the freedom of church action, and antagonistic to
+Baptist Church independence. It is anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural.
+A church should be allowed to manage its own
+affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be protected
+by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated in
+most of the States.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p18">[p.&nbsp;18]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch3" class="tdc">CHAPTER III</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church ordinances</span></p>
+
+<p>Christian ordinances, in the largest
+sense, are any institutions, or regulations of
+Divine appointment, established as means of
+grace for the good of men, or as acts of
+worship for the honor of God. In that
+sense, not only are baptism and the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper ordinances, but preaching, prayer,
+hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving
+are also ordinances, since all are of Divine
+appointment. But, in a narrower sense, it is
+common to say that <i>baptism</i> and the <i>Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper</i> are the only ordinances appointed
+by Christ to be observed by His churches.
+These are the only emblematic and commemorative
+rites enjoined upon His disciples,
+by which they are to be distinguished, and
+He is to be honored. They are the two
+symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,
+the two monuments of the New Dispensation.</p>
+
+<p><i>Baptism</i> is the immersion, or dipping, of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p19">[p.&nbsp;19]</span>
+a candidate in water, on a profession of his
+faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration;
+the baptism to be ministered in, or
+into, the name of the Father, the Son, and
+Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and
+resurrection of Christ, and in a figure declares
+the candidate&rsquo;s death to sin and the
+world, and his rising to a new life. It also
+proclaims the washing of regeneration, and
+professes the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a resurrection
+from the dead, through Him into the
+likeness of whose death he is buried in baptism.</p>
+
+<p><i>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</i> is a provision of bread
+and wine, used to represent the body and
+the blood of Christ, partaken of by members
+of the church assembled for that purpose;
+in which service they commemorate
+the love of Christ exhibited in His death for
+them, and profess their faith and participation
+in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only
+ground of their hope of eternal life.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;No person can rightfully or properly become
+a church-member except he be first baptized, as
+the distinguishing mark and profession of his discipleship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The Supper is a church ordinance, and
+therefore is the privilege of church-members only.
+Therefore, also, since baptism precedes church-membership,
+it must precede and be prerequisite to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p20">[p.&nbsp;20]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Since the Supper is distinctively a church
+ordinance, it is to be observed by churches only, and
+not by individuals; neither in private places, nor in
+sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by companies
+of disciples other than churches. But a church
+may by appointment, and in its official capacity, meet
+in a private house, a sick-room, or wherever it may
+elect, and there observe the Supper.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly
+administered by ordained and accredited ministers;
+but both would be equally valid if administered
+by unordained persons, should occasion require and
+the church so direct. As to the qualifications of the
+administrator, the New Testament is silent, except
+that he should be a disciple.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;As to the time, place, and frequency of
+the ordinances, no Scriptural directions are given.
+These are left optional with the churches. They are
+usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily.
+As to the Supper, our churches have very generally
+come to observe it on the first Sunday of each month.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The participation of the elements in the
+Supper should be done according to the special direction
+of Christ, the Head of the body. &ldquo;This do in
+remembrance of <i>Me.</i>&rdquo; It is not, therefore, a test or
+token of Christian fellowship, except incidentally.
+All thought and sympathy in the service should be
+centered on Him who is &ldquo;the living bread,&rdquo; and not
+fixed on others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The ordinances are not <i>sacraments,</i> as
+taught by some, conveying effectual grace to the soul
+and imparting spiritual life. But as Divinely appointed
+means of grace, their importance must not
+be undervalued. They cannot be neglected without
+suffering serious harm and incurring the gravest responsibility.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Baptism is not essential to salvation, for
+our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of &ldquo;baptismal
+<span class="pagenum" id="p21">[p.&nbsp;21]</span>
+regeneration&rdquo;; but it is essential to obedience,
+since Christ has commanded it. It is also essential to
+a public confession of Christ before the world, and to
+membership in the church which is His body. And no
+true lover of his Lord will refuse these acts of
+obedience and tokens of affection.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p22">[p.&nbsp;22]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch4">CHAPTER IV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church-membership</span></p>
+
+<p>It is most likely that in the Apostolic age
+when there was but &ldquo;one Lord, one faith,
+and one baptism,&rdquo; and no differing denominations
+existed, the baptism of a convert
+by that very act constituted him a member
+of the church, and at once endowed him
+with all the rights and privileges of full
+membership. In that sense, &ldquo;baptism was
+the door into the church.&rdquo; Now, it is
+different; and while the churches are desirous
+of receiving members, they are wary
+and cautious that they do not receive unworthy
+persons. The churches therefore
+have candidates come before them, make
+their statement, give their &ldquo;experience,&rdquo;
+and then their reception is decided by a
+vote of the members. And while they cannot
+become members without baptism, yet
+it is the vote of the body which admits
+them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p23">[p.&nbsp;23]</span>
+There are <i>three classes</i> of candidates, and
+modes of reception to membership.</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>By baptism.</i>&mdash;The church having listened
+to the religious experience of the candidate,
+and being satisfied with the same,
+and with his Christian deportment, votes to
+receive him to its fellowship, &ldquo;on being
+baptized.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>By letter.</i>&mdash;The candidate presents a
+letter of dismission and recommendation
+from some other Baptist church with which
+he has been connected, for the purpose of
+transferring his membership to this. The
+church, being satisfied, votes to receive him
+into fellowship.</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>By experience.</i>&mdash;Persons having been
+baptized, but for some reason being without
+membership in any church, wish to be
+received. They, giving satisfactory evidence
+of Christian character, and substantial
+agreement in matters of faith and practice,
+are received by vote, as in other cases.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Persons cannot be received to membership
+on the credit of letters from other denominations.
+Such letters are, however, accepted, as
+certificates of Christian character, and of church
+standing.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;While the churches do not require candidates
+to sign any creed, confession, or articles of
+faith, yet they do expect a substantial agreement in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p24">[p.&nbsp;24]</span>
+matters of faith and practice on their part as essential
+both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Should any member object to the reception
+of a candidate, such reception should be deferred,
+in order to consider the reasons for the objection.
+Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should
+not prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet
+no one should be received except by a unanimous or
+nearly unanimous vote.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;It is customary for candidates, after their
+experience or letters have been presented, to retire
+while the church deliberates and acts upon their case.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member in good standing, is entitled,
+at any time, to a letter of dismission, in the usual
+form, with which to unite with another church of the
+same faith and order.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Letters are usually made valid for <i>six
+months</i> only, during which time they must be used, if
+used at all. But if held longer, they may be renewed
+by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for
+their non-use.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;Each one receiving a letter is still a
+member of the church, and under its watchcare and
+discipline, until his letter is actually received by
+another church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Letters cannot be given to members for
+the purpose of uniting with churches with which we
+are not in fellowship. But any member is entitled,
+at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and
+Christian character.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;No member can <i>withdraw</i> from the
+church, or have his name <i>dropped,</i> or at his own
+request be <i>excluded</i> from the fellowship of the body
+without due process of discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;Nor can a member have a letter voted
+and forced upon him without his wish and consent.
+<span class="pagenum" id="p25">[p.&nbsp;25]</span>
+Such would be a virtual expulsion from the body. If
+worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of
+the church against his will.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;Members living remote from the church
+are expected to unite with some Baptist church near
+their residence; or give satisfactory reasons for not
+doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected
+to report themselves to the church at least
+<i>once each year,</i> and contribute to its support, till they
+cease to be members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Letters of dismission may be revoked,
+at any time before being used, if, in the judgment of
+the church, there be sufficient cause for such action.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 13.&mdash;Church fellowship will be withdrawn
+from members who unite with other denominations;
+because, however excellent their character, or sincere
+their intentions, they have broken covenant with the
+church, and by such act have placed themselves beyond
+the limits of its fellowship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 14.&mdash;Persons excluded from other churches
+are not to be received to membership, except after the
+most careful investigation of all the facts in the
+case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion
+was unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently
+refuses to do justice to the excluded member.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 15.&mdash;A letter is usually asked for and addressed
+to the particular church. This is proper, but
+not always necessary. It may in certain cases be
+asked for, and given &ldquo;to the church of the same
+faith and order.&rdquo; Or if directed to one, it may be
+presented to, and received by another.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 16.&mdash;It is expected that all pecuniary liability
+to the church will be canceled, and all personal difficulties
+in the church will be settled by a member,
+should such exist, before he shall receive a letter of
+dismission.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 17.&mdash;Each member, without exception, is expected
+to fill his place in the church, by attendance
+<span class="pagenum" id="p26">[p.&nbsp;26]</span>
+on its appointments, as Providence may allow, and
+also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary
+support of the body, according to his ability. If in
+either of these respects he fails, and refuses, he becomes
+a covenant-breaker, and is subject to the discipline
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 18.&mdash;Persons excluded from the church may
+be again received to its fellowship on satisfactory
+evidence of fitness. This is called reception by <i>restoration,</i>
+and is usually so entered on the records, and
+in associational reports.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 19.&mdash;It is neither a Christian nor an honorable
+course for a church to grant an unworthy member
+a valid letter, and send him to another church as
+one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid
+of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of
+a course of discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 20.&mdash;No church is <i>obliged</i> to receive a person
+to membership, simply because he brings a valid
+letter from another church. Each church is to be
+sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be
+received to its fellowship.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p27">[p.&nbsp;27]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch5" class="tdc">CHAPTER V</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church discipline</span></p>
+
+<p>Church-members are supposed to be regenerate
+persons bearing the image and
+cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the
+peace of God rules, and who walk and
+work in &ldquo;the unity of the Spirit, and the
+bond of peace.&rdquo; But unhappily, even the
+saints are sanctified only in part, and
+troubles sometimes arise among brethren.
+The evil passions of even good men may
+triumph over piety, and partisan strife may
+destroy the peace and the prosperity of the
+body of Christ. All this should, if possible,
+be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks
+to heal offenses; but it is better to <i>prevent</i>
+them, than to <i>heal</i> them. It is, however,
+better to heal and remove, than to endure
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Now these offenses and occasions of dissension
+in the churches arise from various
+causes, and are largely preventable. Most
+frequently they come by the following
+means:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p28">[p.&nbsp;28]</span>
+1. Because of the too suspicious and
+sensitive disposition of some who imagine
+themselves wronged, neglected, or in some
+way injured; the matter being chiefly imaginary,
+and without any real foundation in
+fact.</p>
+
+<p>2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential
+members do not carefully and constantly
+enough watch the beginnings of
+strife, and rectify the evil before it becomes
+serious.</p>
+
+<p>3. Because evil-doers by delay become
+more persistent in evil, while others are
+drawn into the strife, and contentious parties
+insensibly are formed, which tend to divide
+the church into hostile factions.</p>
+
+<p>4. Because that when the difficulty becomes
+chronic and deep-seated, the church
+is likely to undertake the discipline with
+judicial severity, and not in the spirit of
+meekness, in which the spiritual should restore
+the erring.</p>
+
+<p>5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken
+under excitement is almost certain
+to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result
+reached be just and right, the method by
+which it is reached is likely to be unwise,
+unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly
+<span class="pagenum" id="p29">[p.&nbsp;29]</span>
+producing more serious and more lasting
+evils than it has removed.</p>
+
+<p><i>Offenses</i> calling for discipline are usually
+considered as of <i>two</i> classes: <i>private</i> or personal,
+and <i>public</i> or general. These terms
+do not very accurately express the nature of
+the offenses, but they are in common use,
+and capable of being understood. In the
+administration of <i>corrective discipline,</i> the
+following rules and principles constitute a
+correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">private offenses</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Private offenses</i> pertain to personal difficulties
+between individuals, having no direct
+reference to the church as a body, and not
+involving the Christian profession at large.
+In such cases, the course prescribed by
+our Saviour (Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:15</span>&ndash;17) is to be
+strictly followed, without question or deviation.</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>First step.</i>&mdash;The member who considers
+himself injured must go to the
+offender, tell him his grief, and between
+themselves alone, if possible, adjust and
+settle the difficulty. &ldquo;If thy brother shall
+trespass against thee, go and tell him his
+fault, between thee and him alone.&rdquo; This
+<span class="pagenum" id="p30">[p.&nbsp;30]</span>
+must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or
+condemn the offender, but to win him. &ldquo;If
+he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
+brother.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>Second step.</i>&mdash;If this shall fail, then
+the offended member must take one or two
+of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek
+an interview with the offender, and, if possible,
+by their united wisdom and piety,
+remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty.
+&ldquo;But if he will not hear thee, then
+take with thee one or two more, that in the
+mouth of two or three witnesses, every word
+may be established.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>Third step.</i>&mdash;If this step should prove
+unavailing, then the offended member must
+tell the whole matter to the <i>church,</i> and
+leave it in their hands to be disposed of, as
+to them may seem wisest and best. &ldquo;And
+if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to
+the church.&rdquo; He has done his duty and
+must abide by the decision of the body
+which assumes this responsibility.</p>
+
+<p>4. <i>The result.</i>&mdash;If this course of kindly
+Christian labor proves finally ineffectual,
+and the offender shows himself incorrigible,
+excision must follow. He must be cut off
+from fellowship in the church whose covenant
+he has broken, and whose authority
+<span class="pagenum" id="p31">[p.&nbsp;31]</span>
+he disregards. &ldquo;And if he neglect to hear
+the church, let him be unto thee as an
+heathen man, and a publican.&rdquo; However
+painful the act, the church must be faithful
+to its duty, and to its God.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;While this Divine rule makes it obligatory
+on the offended member to go to the offender and
+seek a reconciliation, yet much more is it obligatory
+on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved
+with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the
+difficulty.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The matter is not to be made public until
+these three steps have been fully taken, and have
+failed; and then to be made public only by telling
+the church, and no others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When the case comes before the church,
+it must not be neglected nor dropped, but judiciously
+pursued until the difficulty be adjusted, the offense
+removed, or else the offender be disfellowshipped,
+and put away.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">public offenses</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Public offenses</i> are not against any one
+person more than another, but are such as
+are supposed to be a dishonor to the church
+of which the offender is a member, and a
+reproach to the Christian profession. They
+constitute a violation of the code of Christian
+morals, if not of our common worldly
+morals.</p>
+
+<p>The more common causes of this class of
+offenses are the following: False doctrine
+<span class="pagenum" id="p32">[p.&nbsp;32]</span>
+(Gal. <span class="wsnw">1:9,</span> 2&nbsp;John 10), disregard of authority
+(Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:17;</span> 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:14),</span>
+contention and strife (Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:17),</span> immoral
+conduct (1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> disorderly
+walk (2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 9), covetous spirit
+(Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:5;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> arrogant
+conduct (3&nbsp;John 9), going to law (1&nbsp;Cor.
+<span class="wsnw">6:6).</span></p>
+
+<p>The following constitutes a proper and
+Scriptural course of treatment for such
+cases:</p>
+
+<p>1. The first member who has knowledge
+of the offense should, as in the case of private
+offenses, seek the offender, ascertain
+the facts, and attempt to reconcile or remove
+the difficulty. Not till he has done this
+should he make it public, or bring it before
+the church.</p>
+
+<p>2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this
+course of personal effort, or if such a course
+proves unsuccessful, then any member having
+knowledge of the facts should confer
+with the pastor and deacons as to the best
+course to be pursued.</p>
+
+<p>3. The pastor and deacons should, by the
+best method they are capable of devising,
+labor to adjust the matter without bringing
+it into the church, or otherwise making it
+public.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p33">[p.&nbsp;33]</span>
+4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case
+be already public, and a reproach and scandal
+to religion, then they should bring it to
+the church, and it should direct a proper
+course of discipline.</p>
+
+<p>5. The church, thus having the case before
+it, should either appoint a committee
+to visit the offender, or cite him before the
+body to answer the charge. He should be
+allowed to hear the evidence against him,
+know the witnesses, and be permitted to answer
+for himself.</p>
+
+<p>6. If the accused disproves the charges,
+or if he confesses the wrong, makes suitable
+acknowledgment, and, so far as possible,
+reparation, with promise of amendment,
+in all ordinary cases, this should be
+deemed satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.</p>
+
+<p>7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and
+prayerful labor, all efforts fail to reclaim
+the offender, then, however painful the necessity,
+the church must withdraw its fellowship
+from him, and put him away from
+them.</p>
+
+<p>8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality,
+by which the reputation of the body
+is compromised and the Christian name
+scandalized, on being proved or confessed,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p34">[p.&nbsp;34]</span>
+the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn
+from the offender, notwithstanding
+any confessions and promises of amendment;
+but not without a trial.</p>
+
+<p>The church&rsquo;s good name and the honor
+of religion demand this testimony against
+evil. He may be subsequently restored, if
+suitably penitent.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;All discipline should be conducted in the
+spirit of Christian meekness and love, with a desire
+to remove offenses and win offenders. It must also be
+done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain
+the honor of Christ&rsquo;s name, the purity of His church,
+and the integrity of His truth.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;If any member shall persist in bringing a
+private grievance before the church, or otherwise
+make it public before he has pursued the course prescribed
+in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he
+becomes himself an offender, and subject to the discipline
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When private difficulties exist among
+members which they cannot, or will not settle, the
+church should consider them as public offenses, and
+as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual
+injury which they inflict.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;When a member refers to the church any
+private difficulty, which he has been unable to settle,
+he must submit it wholly to the disposition of the
+body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to
+revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the
+church, he becomes an offender, and subject to discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member tried by the church has the
+right to receive copies of all charges against him, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p35">[p.&nbsp;35]</span>
+names of his accusers, and the witnesses, both of
+whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face
+to face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses
+on his side, and answering for himself before the
+body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Every member on trial or excluded, shall
+have furnished at his request, authentic copies of all
+proceedings had by the church in his case, officially
+certified.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No member under discipline can have
+the right to bring any person, not a member, before
+the church as his advocate, except by consent of the
+body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;In every case of exclusion, the charges
+against the member, and the reasons for his exclusion,
+should be accurately entered on the records of
+the church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;If at any time it shall become apparent,
+or seem probable to the church that it has for any
+reason dealt unjustly with a member, or excluded him
+without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without
+request by concession and restoration, so far as
+possible, repair the injury it has done him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;The church should hold itself bound to
+restore to its fellowship an excluded member when,
+ever he gives satisfactory evidence of repentance and
+reformation consistent with godliness.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;The church will exercise is legitimate
+authority, and vindicate its honor and rectitude in
+the administration of discipline, even though the
+member should regard such discipline as unjust or
+oppressive.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Nothing can be considered a just and
+reasonable cause for discipline, except what is forbidden
+by the letter of the spirit of Scripture. And
+<span class="pagenum" id="p36">[p.&nbsp;36]</span>
+nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for disfellowship
+and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary
+to Scripture, and what would have prevented
+the reception of the person into the church, had it
+been known to exist at the time of his reception.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p37">[p.&nbsp;37]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch6" class="tdc">CHAPTER VI</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">cases of appeal</span></p>
+
+<p>Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes
+occur, so aggravated in their nature
+or so complicated in their treatment that it
+is found impossible to make a satisfactory
+settlement by ordinary methods; especially
+so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The
+excluded member will be almost sure to
+think he has been dealt with unjustly, and
+will wish for some redress; and if the case
+has been of long standing and much complicated,
+he will be equally sure to have
+others sympathize with him and condemn
+the action of the church. Now, although
+the <i>presumption</i> is that the church has done
+right, and is justified in its action, the <i>possibility</i>
+is that the church has done wrong,
+and is censurable for its action.</p>
+
+<p>What can be done in such a case?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;On the New Testament theory of church
+government, the action of this individual local church
+is final. There is no power either civil or ecclesiastical,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p38">[p.&nbsp;38]</span>
+that can reverse its decision or punish it for
+wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human
+tribunal has authority to compel it to confess or correct
+them.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;Councils, if appealed to for redress, have
+<i>no authority;</i> they are simply, always, and everywhere
+<i>advisory</i>&mdash;that, and nothing more. They can
+express an opinion, and give advice; but they have
+no authority to issue decrees, and would have no
+power to enforce them if they should.<a id="ch6_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch6_fn1">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Any person who believes himself wronged
+by church action has the inalienable right to appeal
+to the church for a new hearing, and, failing in this,
+to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he
+see fit to do so.</p>
+
+<p><i>Now observe</i>&mdash;If an excluded member
+believes himself unjustly dealt by, and
+wishes redress the following is the proper
+course for him to pursue:</p>
+
+<p>1. Apply to the church which excluded,
+and ask a rehearing. State to them the
+grounds of his complaint and the evidence
+on which he thinks he can satisfy them, if
+a fair opportunity for being heard be given
+him.</p>
+
+<p>2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let
+him appeal to them to unite with him in
+calling a <i>mutual council,</i> before which the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p39">[p.&nbsp;39]</span>
+whole case shall be placed, all parties to
+abide by its decision.</p>
+
+<p>3. If a mutual council be declined by
+the church, he would be fully justified,
+should he feel so inclined, in calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span>
+council, before which he should place
+the facts and seek its advice.</p>
+
+<p>4. Or, instead of calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council,
+he could apply to some other church to
+be received to its fellowship, on the ground
+that he had been unjustly excluded. Should
+he be received to another church, that would
+give him church standing and fellowship
+again, and vindicate him so far as any ecclesiastical
+action could vindicate him.</p>
+
+<p>5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing
+left but for him to wait patiently, and
+bear the burden of his wrong until Providence
+opens the way for his deliverance.
+He may, after all, conclude that he himself
+was more in fault than he at first supposed,
+and the church less so.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;An <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council should not be called
+in such a case of difficulty until all efforts have failed
+to secure a <i>mutual</i> council; as such a council, if
+called, would probably do nothing more than advise
+a mutual council and adjourn.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any church can well afford to grant a
+rehearing to an excluded member. It would be in
+the interest of peace, justice, and reconciliation. If
+the church be right, it can afford to be generous.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p40">[p.&nbsp;40]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Any church has the right to receive a
+member excluded, from another church, since each
+church is sole judge of the qualification of persons
+received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed
+to would use great caution, and with due
+regard to its own peace and purity, ascertain all the
+facts in the case before taking such action.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;If a mutual council be called, one-half
+the messengers and members are to be chosen by the
+church and one-half by the aggrieved party; but the
+<i>letters missive</i> calling the council are to be sent out
+by and in the name of the church, and not of the
+aggrieved party. But these facts, as to the mutual
+call, are to be stated in the letters.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church excluding a member has no
+just cause of complaint against another church for
+receiving such an excluded member, since the one
+church is just as independent to receive one whom it
+judges worthy of fellowship, as the other is to exclude
+one whom it judged unworthy of fellowship.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch6_fn1"><p><a href="#ch6_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For a more comprehensive discussion of councils&mdash;what they
+can, and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use
+them&mdash;see the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Councils.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p41">[p.&nbsp;41]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch7" class="tdc">CHAPTER VII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church business</span></p>
+
+<p>The business meetings of a church should
+be conducted as much as possible in the
+spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the
+propriety and sanctity which attaches to all
+the interests of the kingdom of Christ.
+Meetings for business should not be needlessly
+multiplied, nor should they be unwisely
+neglected. It may not be wise to
+insist too rigidly on the observance of parliamentary
+rules, yet it is still worse to drift
+into a loose unbusinesslike way, which
+wastes time, accomplishes little, and does
+wrongly much that is done.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">order of business</span></p>
+
+<p>1. The meetings to be opened with reading
+the Scriptures, singing, and prayer.</p>
+
+<p>2. The reading, correction, and approval
+of the minutes of the preceding meeting.</p>
+
+<p>3. Unfinished business, or such as the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p42">[p.&nbsp;42]</span>
+minutes present, including reports of committees
+taken in order.</p>
+
+<p>4. New business will next be taken up.
+Any member may call up new business.
+But important matters should not be presented,
+except on previous consultation with
+the pastor and deacons.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator
+of all church business meetings. If he be not
+present, or do not wish to serve, any one may be
+elected to take the place.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;All business meetings, both regular and
+special, should be announced from the pulpit one
+Sunday, at least, before they are held.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Special meetings for business may be
+called at any time, by consent of the pastor and deacons,
+or by such other methods as the church itself
+may direct.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Though a majority usually decides questions,
+yet in all matters of special importance a unanimous,
+or nearly unanimous, vote should be secured.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Members may be received, and letters of
+dismission granted, either at the business church
+meeting, the covenant meeting, or the regular weekly
+prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed method
+should be observed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Candidates for admission to membership
+will be expected to retire from the meeting
+when action is taken on their reception.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No persons, except members, will be
+present during the transaction of church business. If
+present, they may be asked to retire.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p43">[p.&nbsp;43]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Although the church should endeavor to
+do nothing which its members will be ashamed or
+afraid to have known by others, yet every member is
+bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish
+abroad, nor disclose to those without, the private
+affairs and business transactions of the body.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">rules of order</span></p>
+
+<p>The following constitute the generally
+accepted rules of order for churches and
+other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Motions</i></p>
+
+<p>1. All business shall be presented by a
+<i>motion,</i> made by one member, and seconded
+by another, and presented in writing by the
+mover, if so required.</p>
+
+<p>2. No discussion can properly be had until
+the motion is made, seconded, and stated by
+the chairman.</p>
+
+<p>3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after
+it has been discussed, except by the unanimous
+consent of the body.</p>
+
+<p>4. A motion having been discussed, must
+be put to vote, unless withdrawn, laid on
+the table, referred, or postponed.</p>
+
+<p>5. A motion lost should not be recorded,
+except so ordered by the body at the time.</p>
+
+<p>6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the
+same meeting, except by unanimous consent.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p44">[p.&nbsp;44]</span>
+7. A motion should contain but one distinct
+proposition. If it contains more, it
+must be divided at the request of any member,
+and the propositions acted on separately.</p>
+
+<p>8. Only one question can properly be before
+the meeting at any one time. No second
+motion can be allowed to interrupt one
+already under debate, except a motion to
+<i>amend,</i> to <i>substitute,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>postpone,</i>
+to <i>lay on the table,</i> for <i>the previous question,</i>
+or to <i>adjourn.</i></p>
+
+<p>9. These subsidiary motions just named
+cannot be interrupted by any other motion;
+nor can any other motion be applied to
+them except that to <i>amend,</i> which may be
+done by specifying some <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose.</i></p>
+
+<p>10. Nor can these motions interrupt or
+supersede each other; only that a motion to
+<i>adjourn</i> is always in order, except while a
+member has the floor, or a question is being
+taken, and in some bodies even then.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Amendments</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Amendments to resolutions may be
+made in three ways: By <i>omitting,</i> by <i>adding,</i>
+or by <i>substituting</i> words or sentences.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p45">[p.&nbsp;45]</span>
+2. An amendment to an amendment may
+be made, but is seldom necessary, and should
+be avoided.</p>
+
+<p>3. No amendment should be made which
+essentially changes the meaning or design
+of the original resolution.</p>
+
+<p>4. But a <i>substitute</i> may be offered, which
+may change entirely the meaning of the
+resolution under debate.</p>
+
+<p>5. The amendment must first be discussed
+and acted on, and then the original resolution
+as amended.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Speaking</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Any member desiring to speak on a
+question should rise in his place and address
+the moderator, confine his remarks to the
+question, and avoid all unkind and disrespectful
+language.</p>
+
+<p>2. A speaker using improper language,
+introducing improper subjects, or otherwise
+out of order, should be called to order by
+the chairman, or any member, and must
+either conform to the regulations of the
+body, or take his seat.</p>
+
+<p>3. A member while speaking can allow
+others to ask questions, or make explanations;
+but if he yields the floor to another,
+he cannot claim it again as his right.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p46">[p.&nbsp;46]</span>
+4. If two members rise to speak at the
+same time, preference is usually given
+to the one farthest from the chair, or to
+the one opposing the question under discussion.</p>
+
+<p>5. The fact that a person has several
+times arisen, and attempted to get the floor,
+gives him no claim or right to be heard.
+Nor does a call for the question deprive a
+member of his right to speak.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Voting</i></p>
+
+<p>1. A question is put to vote by the chairman
+having first distinctly restated it, that
+all may vote intelligently. First, the <i>affirmative,</i>
+then the <i>negative</i> is called; each so
+deliberately as to give all an opportunity
+of voting. He then distinctly announces
+whether the motion is <i>carried,</i> or <i>lost.</i></p>
+
+<p>2. Voting is usually done by &ldquo;aye&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;no,&rdquo; or by raising the hand. In a doubtful
+case by standing and being counted. On
+certain questions by ballot.</p>
+
+<p>3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman,
+is doubted, it is called again, usually
+by standing to be counted.</p>
+
+<p>4. All members should vote, unless for
+reasons excused; or unless under discipline,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p47">[p.&nbsp;47]</span>
+in which case they should take no part in
+the business.</p>
+
+<p>5. The moderator does not usually vote,
+except the question be taken by ballot; but
+when the meeting is equally divided, he is
+expected, but is not obligated to give the
+casting vote.</p>
+
+<p>6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot,
+the chairman appoints <i>tellers,</i> to distribute,
+collect, and count the ballots.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Committees</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Committees are nominated by the
+chairman, if so directed by the body, or by
+any member; and the nomination is confirmed
+by a vote of the body. More commonly
+the body directs that all committees
+shall be <i>appointed</i> by the chairman, in which
+case no vote is needed to confirm.</p>
+
+<p>2. Any matter of business, or subject
+under debate, may be <i>referred</i> to a committee,
+with or without instructions. The
+committee make their <i>report,</i> which is the
+result of their deliberations. The body then
+takes action on the report, and on any
+recommendations it may contain.</p>
+
+<p>3. The report of a committee is <i>accepted</i>
+by a vote, which acknowledges their services,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p48">[p.&nbsp;48]</span>
+and takes the report before the body
+for its action. Afterward, any distinct
+<i>recommendation</i> contained in the report
+is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.</p>
+
+<p>4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations
+of the committee are of a trifling
+moment or likely to be generally acceptable,
+the report is <i>accepted</i> and <i>adopted</i> by the
+same vote.</p>
+
+<p>5. A report may be <i>recommitted</i> to the
+committee, with or without instructions; or
+that committee discharged, and the matter
+referred to a new one, for further consideration,
+so as to present it in a form more
+likely to meet the general concurrence of
+the body.</p>
+
+<p>6. A committee may be appointed <i>with
+power</i> for a specific purpose. This gives
+them power to dispose conclusively of the
+matter, without further reference to the
+body.</p>
+
+<p>7. The first named in the appointment
+of a committee is by courtesy considered
+the <i>chairman.</i> But the committee has the
+right to name its own chairman.</p>
+
+<p>8. The member who moves the appointment
+of a committee is usually, though not
+necessarily, named its chairman.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p49">[p.&nbsp;49]</span>
+9. Committees of arrangement, or for
+other protracted service, <i>report progress</i>
+from time to time, and are continued until
+their final report, or until their appointment
+expires by limitation.</p>
+
+<p>10. A committee is <i>discharged</i> by a vote,
+when its business is done, and its report accepted.
+But usually, in routine business, a
+committee is considered discharged by the
+acceptance of its report.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Standing Committee</i></p>
+
+<p>A committee appointed to act for a given
+period or during the recess of the body is
+called a <i>standing committee.</i> It has charge
+of a given department of business assigned
+by the body, and acts either with power,
+under instructions, or at discretion, as may
+be ordered. A standing committee is substantially
+a minor board, and has its own
+chairman, secretary, records, and times of
+meeting.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Appeal</i></p>
+
+<p>The moderator announces all votes, and
+decides all questions as to rules of proceeding,
+and order of debate. But any member
+who is dissatisfied with his decisions may
+<span class="pagenum" id="p50">[p.&nbsp;50]</span>
+<i>appeal</i> from them to the body. The moderator
+then puts the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall the
+decision of the chair be sustained?&rdquo;</i> The
+vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative,
+is final. The right of appeal is
+undeniable, but should not be resorted to
+on trivial occasions.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Previous Question</i></p>
+
+<p>Debate may be cut short by a vote to
+take the <i>previous question.</i> This means that
+the original, or main, question under discussion
+be immediately voted on, regardless of
+amendments and secondary questions and
+without further debate. Usually a <i>two-thirds</i>
+vote is necessary to order the previous
+question.</p>
+
+<p>1. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>carried,</i> then the main question must
+be immediately taken, without further debate.</p>
+
+<p>2. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>lost,</i> the debate proceeds, as though
+no such motion had been made.</p>
+
+<p>3. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>lost,</i> it cannot be renewed with reference
+to the same question, during the same
+session.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p51">[p.&nbsp;51]</span><i>To Lay on the Table</i></p>
+
+<p>Immediate and decisive action on any
+question under discussion may be deferred,
+by a vote to <i>lay on the table</i> the resolution
+pending. This disposes of the whole subject
+for the present, and ordinarily is in
+effect a final dismissal of it. But any member
+has the right subsequently to call it up;
+and the body will decide by vote whether,
+or not, it shall be taken from the table.</p>
+
+<p>1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is
+laid on the table for the present, or until a
+specified time, to give place to other business.</p>
+
+<p>2. A motion to lay on the table must
+apply to a resolution, or other papers. An
+abstract subject cannot be disposed of in
+this way.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Postponement</i></p>
+
+<p>A simple <i>postponement</i> is for a specified
+time or purpose, the business to be resumed
+when the time or purpose is reached. But
+a question <i>indefinitely postponed</i> is considered
+as finally dismissed.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Not Debatable</i></p>
+
+<p>Certain motions, by established usage, are
+<i>not debatable,</i> but when once before the
+body, must be taken without discussion.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p52">[p.&nbsp;52]</span>
+These are: The <i>previous question,</i> for <i>indefinite
+postponement,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>lay on
+the table,</i> to <i>adjourn.</i></p>
+
+<p>But when these motions are modified by
+some condition of <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose,</i>
+they become debatable, and subject to the
+rules of other motions; but debatable only in
+respect to the time, place, or purpose which
+brings them within the province of debate.</p>
+
+<p>A body is, however, competent, by a vote,
+to allow debate on all motions.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>To Reconsider</i></p>
+
+<p>A motion to <i>reconsider</i> a motion previously
+passed must be made by one who
+voted <i>for</i> the motion when it passed.</p>
+
+<p>If the body votes to reconsider, then the
+motion or resolution being reconsidered,
+stands before them as previous to its passage,
+and may be discussed, adopted, or rejected.</p>
+
+<p>A vote to reconsider should be taken at
+the same session at which the vote reconsidered
+was passed, and when there are as
+many members present.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Be Discussed</i></p>
+
+<p>If, when a question is introduced, any
+member objects to its discussion, as foreign,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p53">[p.&nbsp;53]</span>
+profitless, or contentious, the moderator
+should at once put the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall this
+motion be discussed?&rdquo;</i> If this question be
+decided in the negative, the subject must be
+dismissed.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Order of the Day</i></p>
+
+<p>The body may decide to take up some
+definite business at a specified time. That
+business therefore becomes the <i>order of the
+day,</i> for that hour. When the time mentioned
+arrives, the chairman calls the business,
+or any member may demand it, with
+or without a vote: and all pending questions
+are postponed in consequence.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Point of Order</i></p>
+
+<p>Any member who believes that a speaker
+is out of order, or that discussion is proceeding
+improperly, may at any time <i>rise to
+a point of order.</i> He must distinctly state
+his question or objection, which the moderator
+will decide.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Privileges</i></p>
+
+<p>Questions relating to the <i>rights</i> and <i>privileges</i>
+of members are of primary importance,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p54">[p.&nbsp;54]</span>
+and, until disposed of, take precedence
+of all other business, and supersede all other
+motions, except that of adjournment.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Rule Suspended</i></p>
+
+<p>A rule of order may be <i>suspended</i> by a
+vote of the body, to allow the transaction
+of business necessary, but which could not
+otherwise be done without a violation of
+such rule.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Filling Blanks</i></p>
+
+<p>Where different members are suggested
+for filling blanks, the <i>highest number, greatest
+distance,</i> and <i>longest time</i> are usually
+voted on first.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Adjournment</i></p>
+
+<p>1. A simple motion <i>to adjourn</i> is always
+in order, except while a member is speaking,
+or when taking a vote. It takes precedence
+of all other motions, and is not
+debatable.</p>
+
+<p>2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion
+to adjourn is in order while a speaker has
+the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business
+to stand, on reassembling, precisely as
+when adjournment took place.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p55">[p.&nbsp;55]</span>
+3. A body may adjourn to a specific time;
+but if no time be mentioned, the fixed, or
+usual time of meeting, is understood. If
+there be no fixed, or usual time of meeting,
+then an adjournment without date is equivalent
+to a dissolution.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p56">[p.&nbsp;56]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch8">CHAPTER VIII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">christian doctrine</span></p>
+
+<p>All evangelical churches profess to take
+the Holy Scriptures as their only and sufficient
+guide in matters of religious faith
+and practice. Baptists, especially, claim to
+have no authoritative creed except the New
+Testament. It is common, however, for the
+churches to have formulated statements of
+what are understood to be the leading Christian
+doctrines, printed and circulated among
+their members. These are not uniform
+among the churches, but are in substantial
+agreement as to the doctrines taught. Indeed,
+each church is at liberty to prepare its
+own confession, or have none at all; no one
+form being held as binding and obligatory
+on the churches to adopt. Members, on
+being received to fellowship, are not required
+to subscribe or pledge conformity
+to any creed-form, but are expected to yield
+substantial agreement to that which the
+church with which they unite has adopted.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p57">[p.&nbsp;57]</span>
+There are two Confessions which have
+gained more general acceptance than any
+others, and are now being widely adopted
+by the churches over the country. As to
+substance of doctrine, they do not essentially
+differ. That known as the New Hampshire
+Confession is commonly used by the churches
+North, East, and West; while that known
+as the Philadelphia Confession, is very generally
+in use in the South and Southwest.
+The former is much more brief and for that
+reason preferred by many. The other is
+substantially the London Confession of
+Faith, published by English Baptists in
+1689. It is much more full in statement
+than the other, and is higher in its tone as
+to the doctrines of grace.</p>
+
+<p>American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic
+as to substance of doctrine, but moderately
+so, being midway between the extremes
+of Arminianism and Antinomianism.
+Though diversities of opinion may incline to
+either extreme, the &ldquo;general atonement&rdquo;
+view is for the most part held, while the
+&ldquo;particular atonement&rdquo; theory is maintained
+by not a few. The freedom of the human
+will is declared, while the sovereignty of
+Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of
+the Spirit&rsquo;s work in faith and salvation are
+<span class="pagenum" id="p58">[p.&nbsp;58]</span>
+maintained. They practice &ldquo;strict communion,&rdquo;
+as do their mission churches in
+foreign lands. In Great Britain, Baptists
+are sharply divided between &ldquo;strict and free
+communion,&rdquo; and between the particular and
+the general atonement theories.</p>
+
+<p>The New Hampshire Confession, with a
+few verbal changes, is here inserted. But
+some of the proof-texts usually accompanying
+these articles are, for want of space,
+omitted.<a id="ch8_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch8_fn1">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p class="cgap">ARTICLES OF FAITH</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">i. the scriptures</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe that the Holy Bible was written
+by men Divinely inspired, and is a perfect
+treasure of heavenly <span class="wsnw">instruction;[1]</span> that it has
+God for its author, salvation for its end, and
+truth without any mixture of error for its
+<span class="wsnw">matter;[2]</span> that it reveals the principles by
+which God will judge <span class="wsnw">us;[3]</span> and therefore is,
+and shall remain to the end of the world,
+the true center of Christian union, and the
+supreme standard by which all human
+conduct, creeds and opinions should be
+tried.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p59">[p.&nbsp;59]</span>
+[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:16,</span> 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of
+God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
+for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be
+perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2&nbsp;Peter
+<span class="wsnw">1:21;</span> 2&nbsp;Sam. <span class="wsnw">23:2;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">30:5,</span> 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not
+unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
+Also, John <span class="wsnw">17:17;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:18,</span> 19;
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:4.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span> As many as have sinned in the law, shall be
+judged by the law. John <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48. If any man hear My
+words&mdash;the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
+him in the last day. Also, 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:3,</span> 4;
+Luke <span class="wsnw">10:10</span>&ndash;16; <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ii. the true god</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there
+is one, and only one, living and true God,
+an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is
+<span class="smcap">Jehovah,</span> the Maker and Supreme Ruler
+of Heaven and <span class="wsnw">Earth:[1]</span> inexpressibly glorious
+in <span class="wsnw">holiness,[2]</span> and worthy of all possible
+honor, confidence, and <span class="wsnw">love;[3]</span> that in the
+unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy
+<span class="wsnw">Ghost;[4]</span> equal in every Divine perfection,
+and executing distinct but harmonious offices
+in the great work of redemption.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">4:24.</span> God is a spirit.
+Ps. <span class="wsnw">147:5.</span> His understanding
+is infinite. Ps. <span class="wsnw">83:18.</span> Thou whose name alone is <span class="smcap">Jehovah</span>
+art the Most High over all the earth. Heb. <span class="wsnw">3:4;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20;</span>
+Jer. <span class="wsnw">10:10.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span> Who is like unto Thee&mdash;glorious in holiness?
+Isa. <span class="wsnw">6:3;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:15,</span> 16;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:6</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Mark <span class="wsnw">12:30.</span> Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
+thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p60">[p.&nbsp;60]</span>
+with all thy strength. Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:11.</span> Thou art worthy, O Lord,
+to receive glory, and honour, and power. Matt. <span class="wsnw">10:37;</span>
+Jer. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span> Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing
+them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
+Holy Ghost. John <span class="wsnw">15:26;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">12:4</span>&ndash;6.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">iii. the fall of man</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that man
+was created in holiness, under the law of his
+<span class="wsnw">Maker;[1]</span> but by voluntary transgression fell
+from that holy and happy <span class="wsnw">state;[2]</span> in consequence
+of which all mankind are now <span class="wsnw">sinners[3]</span>
+not by constraint but choice; being
+by nature utterly void of that holiness required
+by the law of God, positively inclined
+to evil; and therefore under just <span class="wsnw">condemnation,[4]</span>
+without defense or <span class="wsnw">excuse.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:27.</span> God created man in His own image.
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:31.</span>
+And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was
+very good. Eccl. <span class="wsnw">7:29;</span> Acts <span class="wsnw">17:26;</span>
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">2:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Gen. <span class="wnsw">3:6</span>&ndash;24. And when the woman saw that the tree was
+good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
+to be desired to make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof,
+and did eat; and gave unto her husband with her, and he
+did eat. Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By one man&rsquo;s disobedience many were made
+sinners. John <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">51:5;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wnsw">5:15</span>&ndash;19; <span class="wsnw">8:7.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:3.</span> Among whom also we all had our conversation in
+times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the
+flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath
+even as others.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Ezek. <span class="wsnw">18:19,</span> 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20.</span> So that they are without excuse.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
+guilty before God. Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:22.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p61">[p.&nbsp;61]</span>
+<span class="smcap">iv. the way of salvation</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+salvation of sinners is wholly of <span class="wsnw">grace;[1]</span>
+through the mediatorial offices of the Son
+of <span class="wsnw">God;[2]</span> who according to the will of the
+Father, became man, yet without <span class="wsnw">sin;[3]</span>
+honored the Divine law by His personal
+obedience, and by His death made a full
+atonement for our <span class="wsnw">sins;[4]</span> that having risen
+from the dead, He is now enthroned in
+heaven; and uniting in His wonderful
+person the tenderest sympathies with Divine
+perfections, He is every way qualified to be
+a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient
+<span class="wsnw">Saviour.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:5.</span> By grace ye are saved.
+Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:11;</span>
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">4:10;</span>
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">3:5</span>&ndash;7; Acts <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span> For God so loved the world that He gave His
+only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
+perish, but have everlasting life.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:6</span>&ndash;7. Who being in the form of God thought it
+not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no
+reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was
+made in the likeness of men.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Isa. <span class="wsnw">53:4,</span> 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He
+was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace
+was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Heb. <span class="wsnw">7:25.</span> Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
+uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to
+make intercession for them. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:9.</span> For in Him dwelleth
+all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p62">[p.&nbsp;62]</span>
+<span class="smcap">v. justification</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+great Gospel blessing which <span class="wsnw">Christ[1]</span> secures
+to such as believe in Him is <span class="wsnw">justification;[2]</span>
+that justification includes the pardon of
+<span class="wsnw">sin,[3]</span> and the gift of eternal life on principles
+of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in
+consideration of any works of righteousness
+which we have done, but solely through
+faith in Christ; by means of which faith
+His perfect righteousness is freely imputed
+to us by <span class="wsnw">God;[4]</span> that it brings us into a
+state of most blessed peace and favor with
+God, and secures every other blessing needful
+for time and <span class="wsnw">eternity.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span> Of His fulness have all we received.
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">13:39.</span> By Him all that believe are justified from all
+things. Isa. <span class="wnsw">3:11,</span> 12; Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved
+from wrath through Him. Zech. <span class="wsnw">13:1;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">9:6;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">10:43.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By the obedience of One shall many be made
+righteous. Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:24</span>&ndash;26; <span class="wsnw">4:23</span>&ndash;25;
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1,</span> 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with
+God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have
+access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in
+hope of the glory of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vi. the freeness of salvation</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+blessings of salvation are made free to all
+<span class="pagenum" id="p63">[p.&nbsp;63]</span>
+by the <span class="wsnw">Gospel:[1]</span> that it is the immediate
+duty of all to accept them by a cordial,
+penitent, and obedient <span class="wsnw">faith;[2]</span> and that nothing
+prevents the salvation of the greatest
+sinner on earth but his own determined depravity
+and voluntary rejection of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[3]</span>
+which rejection involves him in an
+aggravated <span class="wsnw">condemnation.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:1.</span> Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the
+waters. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:17.</span> Whosoever will; let him take the water
+of life freely.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">17:30.</span> And the times of this ignorance God winked
+at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:26;</span> Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:15</span>&ndash;17.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">5:40.</span> Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have
+life. Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:37;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">9:32.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] John <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> And this is the condemnation, that light is
+come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
+light because their deeds were evil. Matt. <span class="wsnw">11:20;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">19:27;</span> 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:8.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vii. regeneration</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that in
+order to be saved, men must be regenerated,
+or born <span class="wsnw">again;[1]</span> that regeneration consists
+in giving a holy disposition to the <span class="wsnw">mind;[2]</span>
+that it is effected in a manner above our
+comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection
+with Divine <span class="wsnw">truth,[3]</span> so as to secure
+our voluntary obedience to the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[4]</span>
+and that its proper evidence appears in the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p64">[p.&nbsp;64]</span>
+holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness
+of <span class="wsnw">life.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">3:3.</span> Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man
+be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 7;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:14;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">3:7</span>&ndash;9;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">21:27.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:17.</span> If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
+Ezek. <span class="wsnw">36:26;</span> Deut. <span class="wsnw">30:6;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:28,</span> 29.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span> The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
+hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
+and whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the
+Spirit. John <span class="wsnw">1:13;</span> James <span class="wsnw">1:16</span>&ndash;18;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:30;</span> Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:13.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:22</span>&ndash;25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying
+the truth through the Spirit. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:1;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:20</span>&ndash;24; Col. <span class="wsnw">3:6</span>&ndash;11.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
+righteousness, and truth. Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:9;</span> Gal. <span class="wsnw">5:18</span>&ndash;23;
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:14</span>&ndash;21; Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:8</span>&ndash;10,
+<span class="wsnw">7:20;</span> 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:4,</span> 18.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">viii. repentance and faith</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance
+and faith are sacred duties, and
+also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul
+by the regenerating Spirit of <span class="wsnw">God;[1]</span> whereby
+being deeply convinced of our guilt,
+danger, and helplessness, and of the way of
+salvation by <span class="wsnw">Christ,[2]</span> we turn to God with
+unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication
+for mercy; at the same time heartily
+receiving the Lord Jesus as our Prophet,
+Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone
+as the only and all-sufficient <span class="wsnw">Saviour.[3]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p65">[p.&nbsp;65]</span>
+[1] Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15.</span> Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. Acts <span class="wsnw">11:18.</span>
+Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance
+unto life. Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:8.</span> By grace are ye saved, through faith:
+and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:1.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">16:8.</span> He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
+and of judgment. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:38.</span> Then Peter said unto
+them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name
+of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts <span class="wsnw">16:30,</span> 31.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Romans <span class="wsnw">10:9</span>&ndash;11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth
+the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath
+raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;
+Heb. <span class="wsnw">4:14.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ix. god&rsquo;s purpose of grace</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that election
+is the eternal purpose of God, according
+to which He graciously regenerates,
+sanctifies, and saves <span class="wsnw">sinners;[1]</span> that being
+perfectly consistent with the free agency of
+man, it comprehends all the means in connection
+with the <span class="wsnw">end;[2]</span> that it is a most
+glorious display of God&rsquo;s sovereign <span class="wsnw">goodness;[3]</span>
+that it utterly excludes boasting, and
+promotes <span class="wsnw">humility;[4]</span> that it encourages the
+use of means; that it may be ascertained
+by its effects in all who truly accept of
+<span class="wsnw">Christ;[5]</span> that it is the foundation of Christian
+assurance; and that to ascertain it with
+regard to ourselves demands and deserves
+the utmost <span class="wsnw">diligence.[6]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">1:8,</span> 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the
+Gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p66">[p.&nbsp;66]</span>
+called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
+according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in
+Christ Jesus before the world began.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">2:13,</span> 14. But we are bound to give thanks always
+to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
+hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through
+sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; whereunto
+He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our
+Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> For who maketh thee to differ from another?
+and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou
+didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received
+it? 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:26</span>&ndash;31; Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:27.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:10.</span> Therefore I endure all things for the elect&rsquo;s
+sakes, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
+Jesus with eternal glory. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">9:22;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28</span>&ndash;30.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span> Knowing, brethren beloved, your election
+of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:10,</span> 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence
+to make your calling and election sure. Phil. <span class="wsnw">3:12;</span>
+Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:11.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">x. sanctification</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification
+is the process by which, according
+to the will of God, we are made partakers
+of His <span class="wsnw">holiness;[1]</span> that it is a progressive
+<span class="wsnw">work;[2]</span> that it is begun in regeneration;
+that it is carried on in the hearts of believers
+by the presence and power of the Holy
+Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual
+use of the appointed means&mdash;especially
+the Word of God&mdash;self-examination,
+self-denial, watchfulness and <span class="wsnw">prayer;[3]</span> and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p67">[p.&nbsp;67]</span>
+in the practice of all godly exercise and
+<span class="wsnw">duties.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">4:3.</span>
+For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.
+1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:23.</span> And the very God of peace sanctify
+you wholly. 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:1;</span> <span class="wsnw">13:9;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">4:18.</span> The path of the just is as the shining light,
+which shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and
+trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and
+to do of his good pleasure. Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:2;</span>
+2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:18;</span> 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">13:5;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">11:35;</span> <span class="wsnw">9:23;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:41;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> <span class="wsnw">4:30.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> Exercise thyself unto godliness.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xi. perseverance of saints</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that such
+as are truly regenerate, being born of the
+Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish,
+but will endure unto the <span class="wsnw">end;[1]</span> that their
+preservering attachment from Christ is the
+grand mark which distinguishes them from
+superficial <span class="wsnw">professors;[2]</span> that a special Providence
+watches over their <span class="wsnw">welfare;[3]</span> and that
+they are kept by the power of God through
+faith unto <span class="wsnw">salvation.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">8:31.</span> Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word,
+then are ye My disciples indeed. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:27,</span> 28.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:19.</span> They went out from us, but they were not of
+us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued
+with us: but they went out that it might be made manifest
+that they were not all of us.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p68">[p.&nbsp;68]</span>
+[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28.</span> And we know that all things work together for
+good unto them that love God, to them who are the called according
+to His purpose. Matt. <span class="wsnw">6:30</span>&ndash;33; Jer. <span class="wsnw">32:40.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:6.</span> He who hath begun a good work in you will
+perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xii. the law and gospel</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+law of God is the eternal and unchangeable
+rule of his moral <span class="wsnw">government;[1]</span> that it is
+holy, just, and <span class="wsnw">good;[2]</span> and that the inability
+which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men
+to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from
+their sinful <span class="wsnw">nature;[3]</span> to deliver them from
+which, and to restore them through a Mediator
+to unfeigned obedience to the holy law,
+is one great end of the Gospel, and of the
+means of grace connected with the establishment
+of the visible <span class="wsnw">church.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:31.</span> Do we make void the law through faith? God
+forbid. Yea, we establish the law. Matt. <span class="wsnw">5:17;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">16:17;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:20;</span> <span class="wsnw">4:15.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">7:12.</span> The law is holy, and the commandment holy,
+and just, and good. Rom. <span class="wnsw">7:7,</span> 14, 22; Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:21;</span>
+Ps. 119.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:7,</span> 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for
+it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So
+then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:2</span>&ndash;4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
+Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For
+what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
+flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
+and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness
+of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
+but after the Spirit.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p69">[p.&nbsp;69]</span>
+<span class="smcap">xiii. a gospel church</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that a
+visible Church of Christ is a company of
+baptized <span class="wsnw">believers,[1]</span> associated by covenant
+in the faith and fellowship of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[2]</span>
+observing the ordinances of <span class="wnsw">Christ;[3]</span> governed
+by His <span class="wsnw">laws;[4]</span> and exercising the gifts,
+rights, and privileges invested in them by
+His <span class="wsnw">Word;[5]</span> that its only Scriptural officers
+are bishops or pastors, and <span class="wsnw">deacons,[6]</span>
+whose qualifications, claims, and duties are
+defined in the Epistles to Timothy and
+Titus.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word
+were baptized; and the same day there were added to them about
+three thousand souls.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">8:5.</span> They first gave their own selves to the Lord,
+and unto us by the will of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:2.</span> Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember
+me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered
+them to you.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:20.</span> Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
+I have commanded you. John <span class="wsnw">13:15.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">14:12.</span> Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the
+church.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:1.</span> With the bishops and deacons.
+Acts <span class="wsnw">14:23,</span> <span class="wsnw">15:22.</span> 1&nbsp;Tim. 3, Titus 1.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xiv. christian baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that
+Christian baptism is the immersion in water
+<span class="pagenum" id="p70">[p.&nbsp;70]</span>
+of a believer in <span class="wsnw">Christ,[1]</span> into the name of
+the Father, and Son, and Holy <span class="wsnw">Ghost;[2]</span>
+to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
+his faith in the crucified, buried, and
+risen Saviour, with its effect, in His death to
+sin and resurrection to a new <span class="wsnw">life;[3]</span> that it
+is prerequisite to the privileges of a church
+relation, and to the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Supper.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">8:36</span>&ndash;39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water:
+what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou
+believest with all thy heart, thou mayest.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. And they went
+down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
+him. Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:5,</span> 6; John <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;
+<span class="wnsw">4:1,</span> 2; Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wswn">28:19.</span> Baptizing them in the name of the Father
+and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts <span class="wsnw">10:47,</span> 48; Gal.
+<span class="wsnw">3:27,</span> 28.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span> Therefore we are buried with him by baptism
+into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
+glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
+of life. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word
+were baptized, and there were added to them, the same day,
+about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in
+the Apostles&rsquo; doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
+and in prayers. Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19,</span> 20.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xv. the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper is a provision of bread and
+wine, representing Christ&rsquo;s body and blood,
+partaken of by the members of the church
+assembled for that <span class="wsnw">purpose,[1]</span> in commemoration
+of the death of their <span class="wsnw">Lord,[2]</span> showing
+<span class="pagenum" id="p71">[p.&nbsp;71]</span>
+their faith and participation in the merits
+of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him
+for spiritual life and <span class="wsnw">nourishment,[3]</span> and their
+hope of life eternal through His resurrection
+from the dead; its observance to be preceded
+by faithful <span class="wsnw">self-examination.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Luke <span class="wsnw">22:19,</span> 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and
+brake, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is
+given for you; this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the
+cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My
+blood, which is shed for you. Mark <span class="wsnw">14:26</span>&ndash;28;
+Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:27</span>&ndash;30;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:22</span>&ndash;30; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">10:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:26.</span> For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink
+this cup, ye do show the Lord&rsquo;s death until He come. Matt.
+<span class="wsnw">28:20.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">6:35,</span> 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
+of life. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath
+eternal life. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood
+dwelleth in Me, and I in him.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">11:28.</span> But let a man examine himself, and so let
+him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:42,</span> 46;
+<span class="wsnw">20:7,</span> 11.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvi. the lord&rsquo;s day</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+first day of the week is the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Day,[1]</span>
+and is to be kept sacred to religious <span class="wsnw">purposes[2]</span>
+by abstaining from all secular labor,
+except works of mercy and <span class="wnsw">necessity;[3]</span> by
+the devout observance of all the means of
+grace, both private and <span class="wsnw">public;[4]</span> and by
+preparation for that rest that remaineth for
+the people of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p72">[p.&nbsp;72]</span>
+[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">20:7.</span> On the first day of the week, when the disciples
+came together to break bread, Paul preached to them.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">20:8.</span> Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">1:10.</span> I was in the Spirit on the Lord&rsquo;s Day.
+Ps. <span class="wsnw">113:2</span>&ndash;4.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Isa. <span class="wsnw">58:13,</span> 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath,
+from doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the
+Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt
+honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own
+pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight
+thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon
+the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of
+Jacob. Isa. <span class="wsnw">56:2</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Heb. <span class="wsnw">10:24,</span> 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
+together, as the manner of some is. Acts <span class="wsnw">13:44.</span> The next
+Sabbath Day came almost the whole city together to hear the
+Word of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvii. civil government</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that civil
+government is of Divine appointment, for
+the interest and good order of human <span class="wsnw">society;[1]</span>
+and that magistrates are to be prayed
+for, conscientiously honored, and <span class="wsnw">obeyed;[2]</span>
+except only in things opposed to the will of
+our Lord Jesus <span class="wsnw">Christ,[3]</span> who is the only
+Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of
+the kings of the <span class="wsnw">earth.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">13:1</span>&ndash;7. The powers that be are ordained of God.
+For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wsnw">22:21.</span> Render therefore unto C&aelig;sar the things that
+are C&aelig;sar&rsquo;s, and unto God the things that are God&rsquo;s. Titus
+<span class="wsnw">3:1;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:13;</span>
+1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:1</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wnsw">5:29.</span> We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt.
+<span class="wsnw">10:28.</span> Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
+kill the soul. Dan. <span class="wsnw">3:15</span>&ndash;18; <span class="wsnw">6:7,</span> 10;
+Acts <span class="wsnw">4:18</span>&ndash;20.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p73">[p.&nbsp;73]</span>
+[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:10.</span> Ye have one Master, even Christ.
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">19:16.</span>
+And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
+<span class="smcap">King of kings and Lord of lords.</span> Ps. <span class="wnsw">72:11;</span> Ps. 2;
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">14:8</span>&ndash;13.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xviii. righteous and wicked</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there
+is a radical and essential difference between
+the righteous and the <span class="wsnw">wicked;[1]</span> that such only
+as are regenerate, being justified through
+faith in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the
+Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His
+<span class="wsnw">esteem;[2]</span> while all such as continue in impenitence
+and unbelief are, in His sight,
+wicked and under the <span class="wsnw">curse;[3]</span> and this distinction
+holds among men, both in and after
+<span class="wsnw">death.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Mal. <span class="wsnw">3:18.</span> Ye shall discern between the righteous and the
+wicked: between him that serveth God and him that serveth
+him not. Prov. <span class="wsnw">12:26;</span> Isa. <span class="wsnw">5:26;</span>
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">18:23;</span> Jer. <span class="wsnw">15:19;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">10:34,</span> 35; Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:17.</span> The just shall live by faith.
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:29.</span> If
+ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth
+righteousness is born of Him. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:7;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> 22; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:32;</span>
+Prov. <span class="wsnw">11:31;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:17,</span> 18.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> And we know that we are of God, and the
+whole world lieth in wickedness. Gal. <span class="wnsw">3:10.</span> As many as are
+of the works of the law, are under the curse. John <span class="wsnw">3:36;</span> Isa.
+<span class="wsnw">57:21;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">10:4;</span>
+Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:6,</span> 7.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Prov. <span class="wsnw">14:32.</span> The wicked is driven away in his wickedness,
+but the righteous hath hope in his death. Luke <span class="wsnw">16:25.</span>
+Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise
+Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art
+tormented. John <span class="wsnw">8:21</span>&ndash;24;
+Prov. <span class="wsnw">10:24;</span> Luke <span class="wsnw">12:4,</span> 5;
+<span class="wsnw">11:23</span>&ndash;26;
+John <span class="wsnw">12:25,</span> 26; Eccl. <span class="wsnw">3:17.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p74">[p.&nbsp;74]</span>
+<span class="smcap">xix. the world to come</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+end of the world is <span class="wsnw">approaching;[1]</span> that at
+the last day Christ will descend from
+<span class="wsnw">heaven,[2]</span> and raise the dead from the grave
+for final <span class="wsnw">retribution;[3]</span> that a solemn separation
+will then take <span class="wsnw">place;[4]</span> that the wicked
+will be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the
+righteous to endless <span class="wsnw">joy;[5]</span> and that this
+judgment will fix forever the final state of
+men in heaven or hell on principles of <span class="wsnw">righteousness.[6]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> But the end of all things is at hand: be ye
+therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:29</span>&ndash;31; Heb.
+<span class="wsnw">1:10</span>&ndash;12; Matt. <span class="wsnw">24:35.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">1:11.</span> This same Jesus which is taken up from you
+into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him
+go into heaven.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wsnw">24:15.</span> There shall be a resurrection of the dead,
+both of the just and unjust. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">15:12</span>&ndash;58;
+Luke <span class="wsnw">14:14;</span> Dan. <span class="wsnw">12:2.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wnsw">13:49.</span> The angels shall come forth, and sever the
+wicked from among the just. Matt. <span class="wsnw">13:37</span>&ndash;43;
+<span class="wsnw">24:30,</span> 31; <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;33.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Matt. <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;46. And these shall go away into everlasting
+punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:11.</span>
+He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is
+filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him
+be righteous still; and he that is holy; let him be holy still.
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">6:9,</span> 10; Mark <span class="wsnw">9:43</span>&ndash;48.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:6</span>&ndash;12.
+Seeing it is a righteous thing with God
+to recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to
+you who are troubled, rest with us&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. when He shall come to
+be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that
+<span class="pagenum" id="p75">[p.&nbsp;75]</span>
+believe. Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span> 2; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:5;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">17:31;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:2</span>&ndash;16;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">20:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">2:28;</span>
+<span class="wsnw">4:17;</span> 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:11,</span> 12. Seeing
+then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
+persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
+looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">covenant</span></p>
+
+<p>Having been, as we trust, brought by
+Divine grace to embrace the Lord Jesus
+Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him,
+we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant
+with each other <span class="smcap">to walk together in
+Him, with brotherly love,</span> to His glory,
+as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in
+His strength, engage&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>That we will exercise a Christian care
+and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully
+warn, exhort, and admonish each other
+as occasion may require:</p>
+
+<p>That we will not forsake the assembling
+of ourselves together, but will uphold the
+public worship of God and the ordinances
+of His house:</p>
+
+<p>That we will not omit closet and family
+religion at home, nor neglect the great duty
+of religiously training our children, and
+those under our care, for the service of
+Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:</p>
+
+<p>That, as we are the light of the world,
+and the salt of the earth, we will seek Divine
+<span class="pagenum" id="p76">[p.&nbsp;76]</span>
+aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and
+every worldly lust, and to walk circumspectly
+in the world, that we may win the
+souls of men:</p>
+
+<p>That we will cheerfully contribute of our
+property according as God has prospered
+us, for the maintenance of a faithful and
+evangelical ministry among us, for the support
+of the poor, and to spread the Gospel
+over the earth.</p>
+
+<p>That we will in all conditions, even till
+death, strive to live to the glory of Him
+who hath called us out of darkness into His
+marvelous light.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And may the God of peace, who brought
+again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
+great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
+blood of the everlasting covenant, make us
+perfect in every good work to do his will,
+working in us that which is well pleasing
+in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom
+be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch8_fn1"><p><a href="#ch8_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the &ldquo;Baptist
+Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p77">[p.&nbsp;77]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch9">CHAPTER IX</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">optional standing resolutions</span></p>
+
+<p>A Christian church should be the uncompromising
+friend of all virtue, and the
+determined enemy of all vice. Public
+morality and social purity should find in it
+an open and earnest advocate and defender.
+Churches should bear in mind that Christian
+morality, which constitutes their rule
+of life, claims a much higher standard than
+the morality of worldly society about them.
+Therefore their deportment should be such
+as to have a good report of them that are
+without, and command the respect of the
+world. In all this the pastor should be the
+wise but decided and courageous teacher,
+leader and exemplar for his people.</p>
+
+<p>There are certain questions of moral
+reform and social recreation with reference
+to which the churches are often much perplexed,
+but with reference to which they
+should have settled convictions, and hold a
+well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put
+<span class="pagenum" id="p78">[p.&nbsp;78]</span>
+definitions and restrictions touching intemperance,
+card-playing, theater-going, dancing,
+and the like, into covenants or articles
+of faith. A better way is for the church,
+after due consideration, to pass <i>standing
+resolutions</i> on the subject, to be placed on
+its records as a guide to future action.
+Something like the following, to be varied
+at the option of the body, would serve as a
+declaration of principles:</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church expects
+every member to contribute statedly for its
+pecuniary support, according to his ability,
+as God has prospered him, and that a refusal
+to do this will be considered a breach
+of covenant.</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church will entertain
+and contribute statedly to Home and
+Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects
+of Christian benevolence, approved of
+and supported by our denomination.</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>Resolved,</i> That the religious education
+of the young and Bible study as represented
+in Sunday school work commend
+themselves to our confidence, and we will,
+to the extent of our ability, give them our
+sympathy and our aid, by both our personal
+cooperation and contributions and expressed
+<span class="pagenum" id="p79">[p.&nbsp;79]</span>
+appreciation of all their legitimate
+aims and work.</p>
+
+<p>4. <i>Resolved,</i> That in our opinion, the use
+of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and
+also the manufacture and sale of the same
+for such a purpose are contrary to Christian
+morals, injurious to personal piety, and a
+hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons
+so using, making, or selling, are thereby disqualified
+for membership in this church.</p>
+
+<p>5. <i>Resolved,</i> That we emphatically discountenance
+and condemn the practice of
+church-members frequenting theaters and
+other similar places of public amusements,
+as inconsistent with a Christian profession,
+detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious
+in the influence of its example on others.</p>
+
+<p>6. <i>Revolved,</i> That the members of this
+church are earnestly requested not to provide
+for, take part in, or by any means encourage
+dancing or card-playing; but in all
+consistent ways to discountenance the same
+as a hindrance to personal godliness in their
+associations and tendencies, and an offense
+to brethren whom we should not willingly
+grieve.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p80">[p.&nbsp;80]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch10">CHAPTER X</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptism considered</span></p>
+
+<p>What is Christian baptism? This is
+the gravest question which enters into the
+baptismal controversy. Other questions of
+moment there are in connection with it,
+touching the design, the efficacy, and the
+subjects. But it is of primary importance
+to know what constitutes baptism.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists answer the question by saying
+that baptism is the immersion, dipping, or
+burying in water, of a professed believer in
+Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son,
+and the Holy Spirit.</p>
+
+<p>Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and
+Protestant, answer the question by saying
+that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring
+of water upon the candidate, touching
+the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping
+the person wholly into water; in either case
+in the name of the Father, the Son, and
+the Spirit; and that it may be administered
+<span class="pagenum" id="p81">[p.&nbsp;81]</span>
+to a candidate on his profession of faith, or
+to an unconscious infant on the professed
+faith of parents or sponsors. This would
+make four kinds of baptism, and two
+classes of subjects for its reception; and
+would consist rather in the application of
+water to the person, than putting the person
+into water.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance,
+as well as to a oneness of the faith; insisting
+that as there is but one Lord, and one
+faith, so there is but one baptism. And the
+dipping in water of a professed disciple of
+Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling
+a person with water, nor pouring water
+upon him can by any possibility be Christian
+baptism. That this position is the true
+one, we appeal to the New Testament, and
+the best extant historical and philological
+authorities to establish.</p>
+
+<p>Let it be distinctly understood, however,
+that all the eminent names and learned authorities
+hereafter cited are Pedobaptists.
+Baptist authorities are wholly omitted, not
+because they are less accurate or less valuable,
+but because we prefer to allow our
+opponents in this controversy to bear witness
+for us, rather than to testify in our own
+behalf.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p82">[p.&nbsp;82]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the meaning of the word</span></p>
+
+<p>The word <i>baptize</i> is, properly speaking,
+a Greek word (<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo</span>), adapted to the English
+language by a change in its termination.
+This is the word always used by
+Christ and His Apostles to express and define
+the ordinance. What does that word mean
+as originally used? For it is certain that
+our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed
+by believers of all classes, in all
+lands, and through all ages, would use a
+word of positive and definite import, and
+one whose meaning would admit of no
+reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars
+say? How do the Greek lexicons define
+the word?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Scapula</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>dip,</i> to immerse, as
+we do anything for the purpose of dyeing it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Schleusner</span> says: &ldquo;Properly it signifies
+to <i>dip,</i> to immerse, to immerse in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Parkhurst</span> says: &ldquo;To dip, <i>immerse,</i> or
+plunge in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Stevens</span> says: &ldquo;To merge, or <i>immerse,</i>
+to submerge, or bury in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Donnegan</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse</i> repeatedly
+into liquid, to submerge, to soak thoroughly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p83">[p.&nbsp;83]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Robinson</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse,</i> to sink.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Liddell and Scott</span> say: &ldquo;To <i>dip</i> repeatedly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Grimm&rsquo;s Lexicon</span> <i>of the New Testament,</i>
+which in Europe and America stands confessedly
+at the head of Greek lexicography,
+as translated and edited by Professor
+Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines
+<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo:</span> &ldquo;(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse,
+submerge. (2) To cleanse by dipping
+or submerging. (3) To overwhelm.
+In the New Testament it is used particularly
+of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted
+by John the Baptist, afterward by Christ&rsquo;s
+command received by Christians and adjusted
+to the contents and nature of their
+religion, viz., an <i>immersion</i> in water, performed
+as a sign of the removal of sin, and
+administered to those who, impelled by a
+desire for salvation, sought admission to the
+benefits of the Messiah&rsquo;s kingdom. With
+<i>eis</i> to mark the element into which the
+immersion is made; <i>en</i> with the dative or
+the thing in which one is immersed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The noun <span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> the only other word
+used in the New Testament to denote the
+rite, <span class="smcap">Grimm-Thayer</span> thus define: &ldquo;A
+word peculiar to the New Testament and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p84">[p.&nbsp;84]</span>
+ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John&rsquo;s
+baptism; (2) of Christian baptism. This,
+according to the view of the Apostles, is a
+rite of sacred <i>immersion</i> commanded by
+Christ.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Add to those such authorities as Alstidius,
+Passow, Sch&ouml;ttgen, Stockius, Stourdza,
+Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenm&uuml;ller, Wetstein,
+Leigh, Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius,
+Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many
+others who bear the same witness to the
+proper meaning of the word <i>baptize.</i> If
+at any time the word may have a secondary
+meaning, it is strictly in accord with its
+primary meaning&mdash;to dip, or immerse. For
+both classic and sacred Greek the same
+meaning holds.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Prof. Moses Stuart,</span> one of the ablest
+scholars America has produced, declared:
+&ldquo;<span lang="grc-Latn">Baptizo</span> means to dip, plunge, or <i>immerse</i>
+into any liquid. All lexicographers and
+critics of any note are agreed in this.&rdquo;
+<i>Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository,
+1833, p. 298.</i></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All lexicographers and critics, of any
+note, are agreed in this,&rdquo; says one of the
+foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist.
+What a concession!</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p85">[p.&nbsp;85]</span>
+The Greek language is rich in terms for
+the expression of all positive ideas, and all
+varying shades of thought. Why, then, did
+our Lord in commanding, and His Apostles
+in transmitting His command to posterity,
+use <i>always</i> and <i>only</i> the one word <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo,</span>
+to describe the action, and that one word
+<span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> to describe the ordinance to which
+He intended all His followers to submit?
+The word <span lang="grc-Latn">louo</span> means to <i>wash</i> the body, and
+<span lang="grc-Latn">nipto</span> to wash parts of the body; but these
+words are not used, because washing is not
+what Christ meant. <span lang="grc-Latn">Rantizo</span> means to
+<i>sprinkle,</i> and if sprinkling were baptism this
+would have been the word above all others;
+but it was never so used. <span lang="grc-Latn">Cheo</span> means to
+<i>pour:</i> but pouring is not baptism, and so
+this word was never used to describe the
+ordinance. <span lang="grc-Latn">Katharizo</span> means to <i>purify,</i> but
+it is not used for the ordinance. The facts
+are clear and the reasoning conclusive.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Stourdza,</span> the Russian scholar and diplomat,
+says: &ldquo;The church of the West has
+then departed from the example of Jesus
+Christ; she has obliterated the whole sublimity
+of the exterior sign. Baptism and
+immersion are <i>identical.</i> Baptism by <i>aspersion</i>
+is as if one should say <i>immersion</i> by
+<i>aspersion,</i> or any other absurdity of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p86">[p.&nbsp;86]</span>
+same nature.&rdquo; <i>Considerations, Orthodox
+Ch., p. 87.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptism of jesus</span></p>
+
+<p>The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is
+thus described: &ldquo;And Jesus, when He was
+baptized, went up straightway out of the
+water&rdquo; (Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:16).</span> And again, it is
+recorded that Jesus &ldquo;was baptized of John
+in Jordan: and straightway coming up out
+of the water&rdquo; (Mark <span class="wsnw">1:10).</span> He certainly
+would not go down into Jordan to have
+water sprinkled on Him. Nobody believes
+He would. He was baptized <i>in</i> Jordan, not
+<i>with</i> Jordan. Moreover, he was <i>baptized,</i>
+that is, <i>immersed,</i> not <i>rantized,</i> that is,
+<i>sprinkled.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Taylor</span> says: &ldquo;The custom of
+the ancient churches was not sprinkling, but
+<i>immersion,</i> in pursuance of the meaning of
+the word in the commandments and the
+example of our blessed Saviour.&rdquo; <i>Commentary
+on Matthew <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">MacKnight</span> says: &ldquo;Christ submitted to
+be baptized, that is, to be <i>buried</i> under
+water, and to be raised out of it again, as
+an emblem of his future death and resurrection.&rdquo;
+<i>Com. Epis., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p87">[p.&nbsp;87]</span>
+And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot,
+Whitby, Poole, Olshausen, Meyer,
+Alford, and many other commentators and
+scholars. All those whom John baptized
+he buried beneath the waters, and raised
+them up again.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">much water needed</span></p>
+
+<p>It is recorded that &ldquo;John also was baptizing
+in Enon, near to Salim, because there
+was much water there&rdquo; (John <span class="wsnw">3:23).</span>
+Why need much water except for dipping,
+or burying candidates in the act of baptism?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">John Calvin,</span> the great theologian,
+scholar, and commentator, whom Scaliger
+pronounced the most learned man in Europe,
+says: &ldquo;From the words of John (chap. <span class="wsnw">3:23)</span>
+it may be inferred that baptism was
+administered by John and Christ, by <i>plunging</i>
+the whole body under water.&rdquo; <i>Com. on
+John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Poole</span> says: &ldquo;It is apparent that both
+Christ and John baptized by dipping the
+whole body in the water, else they need
+not have sought places where had been
+a great plenty of water.&rdquo; <i>Annot. John
+<span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p88">[p.&nbsp;88]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Whitby</span> says: &ldquo;Because there was much
+water there in which their whole bodies
+might be dipped.&rdquo; <i>Crit. Com. John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>With these agree Bengel, Curc&aelig;lleus,
+Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and others.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">philip and the eunuch</span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And they went down both into the water,
+both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
+him. And when they were come up out of
+the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
+away Philip&rdquo; (Acts <span class="wsnw">8:38).</span> Why go
+down into the water, both, or either of them,
+if not for an immersion?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Venema,</span> the ecclesiastical historian, says:
+&ldquo;It is without controversy, that baptism in
+the primitive church was administered by
+<i>immersion</i> into water, and not by sprinkling;
+seeing that John is said to have baptized
+in Jordan, and where there was much
+water, as Christ also did by His disciples in
+the neighborhood of those places. Philip
+also going down into the water baptized the
+eunuch.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec. 138.</i></p>
+
+<p>To this may be added Calvin, Grotius,
+Towerson, Poole, and others to the same
+effect.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p89">[p.&nbsp;89]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the testimony of scholars</span></p>
+
+<p>Great men are not always wise. Our
+search should be for the <i>truth</i> wherever
+found; and though our final appeal in these
+matters is to the New Testament, still we
+are glad to use the testimony of distinguished
+scholars where it affirms the teachings
+of the Scriptures and confirms our position
+on the baptismal question. Especially
+so, as these scholars are not of our own, but
+of other denominations.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Zanchius,</span> the learned Roman Catholic
+professor of Heidelberg, whose opinion
+De Courcy declared, &ldquo;is worth a thousand
+others,&rdquo; said: &ldquo;The proper signification of
+<i>baptize</i> is to <i>immerse,</i> plunge under, overwhelm
+in water.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. VI., p. 217.
+Geneva, 1619.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Luther,</span> the great German Reformer,
+says: &ldquo;The term <i>baptism</i> is Greek; in Latin
+it may be translated <span lang="la">mersio:</span> since we <i>immerse</i>
+anything into water, that the whole
+may be covered with the water.&rdquo; <i>Works,
+Vol. I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Melanchthon,</span> the most scholarly and able
+co-laborer with Luther, says: &ldquo;Baptism is
+<i>immersion</i> into water, with this admirable
+benediction.&rdquo; <i>Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p90">[p.&nbsp;90]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Cave,</span> in his able work on Christian
+Antiquities, says: &ldquo;The party to be baptized
+was <i>wholly immersed,</i> or put under
+water.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., P. I. Chap. X. p. 320.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Beza,</span> the learned translator of the New
+Testament, says: &ldquo;Christ commanded us
+to be baptized, by which word it is certain
+<i>immersion</i> is signified.&rdquo; <i>Annot. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mede,</span> the distinguished English scholar
+and Divine, says, &ldquo;There was no such thing
+as <i>sprinkling</i> used in the Apostles&rsquo; days, nor
+for many ages after them.&rdquo; <i>Dis. on Titus <span class="wsnw">3:5.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Grotius,</span> who his biographer calls one
+of the most illustrious names in literature,
+politics, and theology says: &ldquo;That baptism
+used to be performed by <i>immersion,</i> and not
+by pouring, appears by the proper signification
+of the word, and by the places chosen
+for the administration of the rite.&rdquo; <i>Annot.
+on Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Adam Clark,</span> the great Methodist commentator,
+says: &ldquo;Alluding to the <i>immersions</i>
+practiced in the case of adults, wherein
+the person appeared to be <i>buried</i> under the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p91">[p.&nbsp;91]</span>
+water as Christ was buried in the heart of
+the earth.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Frederick Meyer,</span> one of the ablest and
+most accurate exegetes of the present age,
+says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> which the word in classic
+Greek and in the New Testament ever
+means.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dean Alford</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism was
+administered by <i>immersion</i> of the whole
+person.&rdquo; <i>Greek Testament, Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet,</span> the celebrated French
+Catholic bishop, orator, and counselor of
+state, says: &ldquo;To baptize, signifies to <i>plunge,</i>
+as is granted by all the world.&rdquo; See <i>Stenett
+ad Russen, p. 174.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff,</span> the well-known church
+historian, says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> and not sprinkling,
+was unquestionably the original form.
+This is shown by the very meaning of the
+words <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo, baptisma,</span> and <span lang="grc-Latn">baptismos</span> used
+to designate the rite.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488.
+Merc. ed., 1851. Also see Noel on
+Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dean Stanley,</span> the distinguished scholar,
+and historian of the Oriental Church,
+says: &ldquo;The practice of the Eastern Church,
+and the meaning of the word, leave no sufficient
+<span class="pagenum" id="p92">[p.&nbsp;92]</span>
+ground for question that the original
+form of baptism was <i>complete immersion</i> in
+the deep baptismal waters.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Eastern
+Church, p. 34.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher,</span> of Yale College, the
+accomplished scholar and historian, says of
+the Apostolic age: &ldquo;The ordinary mode of
+baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.
+Church, p. 41.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Riddle</span> says: &ldquo;There is no
+doubt that the usual mode of administering
+baptism in the early church, was by <i>immersion,</i>
+or plunging the whole body of the
+person baptized under water.&rdquo; <i>Christ. Antiq.,
+p. 502.</i></p>
+
+<p>Add to the above the testimony of Bishops
+Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius, Poole, Vitringa,
+Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark,
+Bloomfield, Scholz, Neander, and many
+others to the same effect, none of whom
+were Baptists.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">apostolical allusions</span></p>
+
+<p>What idea could the Apostle have had as
+to the nature of baptism, when in two of
+his epistles he alludes to it as a <i>burial</i>
+except that it was a dipping or burial in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p93">[p.&nbsp;93]</span>
+water? To the Romans he says: &ldquo;Therefore
+we are <i>buried</i> with him, by baptism,
+into death&rdquo; (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4).</span> To the Colossians,
+in nearly the same language, &ldquo;<i>Buried</i>
+with him in baptism&rdquo; (Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12).</span> No
+one can misunderstand the meaning of these
+words. Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing,
+cleansing&mdash;nothing but a complete submersion&mdash;can
+represent a burial. And no
+candid mind could misunderstand such language,
+unless blinded or biased by prejudice,
+education, or sophistical reasoning
+from others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Tillotson</span> makes this comment:
+&ldquo;Anciently those who were baptized
+were <i>immersed</i> and <i>buried</i> in the water, to
+represent their death to sin; and then did
+rise up out of the water, to signify their
+entrance upon a new life. And to this custom
+the Apostle alludes.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. I., p. 170.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">John Wesley,</span> the celebrated founder of
+Methodism, says: &ldquo;Buried with him, alluding
+to the ancient manner of baptizing by
+<i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Note on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Conybeare</span> says: &ldquo;This passage cannot
+be understood unless it be borne in mind
+that the primitive baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo;
+<span class="pagenum" id="p94">[p.&nbsp;94]</span>
+<i>Life and Epist. St. Paul, Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bloomfield</span> says: &ldquo;Here is a plain allusion
+to the ancient custom of baptizing by
+<i>immersion,</i> and I agree with Koppe and
+Rosenm&uuml;ller, that there is reason to regret
+it should ever have been abandoned in most
+Christian churches; especially as it has so
+evident a reference to the mystical sense of
+baptism.&rdquo; <i>Recens. Synop., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Whitefield</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that
+in the words of our text (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4)</span> there
+is an allusion to the manner of baptizing
+which was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Eighteen Sermons,
+p. 297.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;The candidate says to himself,
+Now I enter into fellowship with the
+death of Christ; I am to be buried with
+Christ in the <i>immersion,</i> and in the <i>emersion</i>
+I rise with Christ to newness of life.&rdquo; <i>Com.
+on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>Add to these the names of Bishop Fell,
+Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark, Estius,
+Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin,
+Zwingli, Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with
+others equally good in authority, and what
+no one ought to question seems to be put
+beyond doubt.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p95">[p.&nbsp;95]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the witness of history</span></p>
+
+<p>Learned and devout men have studied
+with care the early records of Christianity,
+and have written histories of the doctrines
+and customs of the churches, during the
+ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.
+What do they tell us as to the use of
+baptism during the first centuries after
+Christ?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Barnabas,</span> the companion of St. Paul;
+Hermas, writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 95; Justin
+Martyr, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 140; Tertullian, about
+<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 204; Hippolytus, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 225;
+Gregory, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 360; Basil, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>
+360; Ambrose, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Cyril,
+about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Chrysostom, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>
+400; all speak of being <i>dipped,</i> or <i>buried,</i>
+or <i>immersed,</i> or <i>plunged</i> in the water in
+baptism; and none of them make the least
+allusion to any application of water to the
+person for baptism by sprinkling, pouring,
+washing, or any other mode whatsoever.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> whose learned and laborious
+researches in connection with his exhaustive
+work on the <i>History of Infant Baptism</i>
+left little for others to discover in this
+field of scholarship, says: &ldquo;The Greek
+<span class="pagenum" id="p96">[p.&nbsp;96]</span>
+Church in all its branches does still use <i>immersion,</i>
+and so do all other Christians in the
+world, except the Latins. All those nations
+that do now, or formerly did submit to the
+Bishop of Rome, do ordinarily baptize their
+children by pouring or sprinkling. But <i>all
+other Christians in the world,</i> who never
+owned the Pope&rsquo;s usurped power, do and
+ever did <i>dip</i> their infants in the ordinary
+use. All the Christians in Asia, all in Africa,
+and about one-third in Europe are of the
+last sort.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p.
+376, 3d ed.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his <i>Origines,</i> the ablest
+work we have in English on Christian Antiquities,
+says: &ldquo;The ancients thought that
+immersion, or <i>burying under water,</i> did
+more lively represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, as well as our own
+death to sin and rising again unto righteousness.&rdquo;
+<i>Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;In this century (<i>the
+first</i>) baptism was administered in convenient
+places, without the public assemblies,
+and by <i>immersing</i> the candidate wholly in
+water.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch. 4.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;In respect to the form
+of baptism, it was in conformity to the original
+<span class="pagenum" id="p97">[p.&nbsp;97]</span>
+institution, and the original import of
+the symbol, performed by <i>immersion,</i> as a
+sign of entire baptism into the Holy Spirit,
+of being entirely penetrated with the same.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 310.</i> Also, <i>Plant. and
+Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;Finally, so far as it respects
+the mode and manner of outward
+baptizing, there can be no doubt that <i>immersion,</i>
+and not sprinkling was the original
+normal form.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Pressens&eacute;</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism, which was the
+sign of admission into the church, was administered
+by <i>immersion.</i> The convert was
+plunged beneath the water, and as he rose
+from it he received the laying on of hands.&rdquo;
+<i>Early Years of Christianity, p. 374.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kurtz</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism took place by a
+complete <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Church History, p. 41.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kraus</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was performed
+by <i>immersion</i> in the name of the Trinity.&rdquo;
+<i>Church History, p. 56. 1882.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Ellicott</span> says: &ldquo;Jewish ablutions arrived
+at a ceremonial purity in the Levitical sense,
+and had nothing in common with the figurative
+act which portrayed through <i>immersion</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p98">[p.&nbsp;98]</span>
+the complete disappearance of the old nature,
+and by the <i>emerging</i> again, the beginning of
+a totally new life.&rdquo; <i>Life of Christ, p. 110.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">for thirteen centuries</span></p>
+
+<p>It is proved that not only was immersion
+practiced for baptism by Christ and
+His Apostles, but that for many ages after
+nothing else was known as baptism: and
+that for <i>thirteen hundred years</i> it was the
+common and prevailing form over the whole
+Christian world, with only exceptional departures,
+hereafter to be noticed. And that
+though the Latin or Roman Church did
+finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right
+to change ordinances, the Greek and all
+the Oriental churches retained dipping, as
+they do to this day.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Stackhouse</span> says: &ldquo;Several authors
+have shown and proved that this manner
+of <i>immersion</i> continued, as much as
+possible, to be used for <i>thirteen hundred
+years</i> after Christ.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet</span> says: &ldquo;We are able to
+make it appear, by the acts of councils and
+by ancient rituals, that for <i>thirteen hundred
+years</i> baptism was thus administered [by
+<span class="pagenum" id="p99">[p.&nbsp;99]</span>
+immersion] throughout the whole church,
+as far as possible.&rdquo; <i>Cited, Stennet ad
+Russen, p. 176.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;From the <i>thirteenth
+century</i> sprinkling came into more general
+use in the West. The Greek Church, however,
+and the church of Milan still retained
+the practice of <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Doct.
+Vol. II., p. 84, note 1.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Van Oosterzee</span> says: &ldquo;This <i>sprinkling,</i>
+which appears to have first come generally
+into use in the <i>thirteenth century</i> in place of
+the entire <i>immersion</i> of the body, in imitation
+of the previous baptism of the sick,
+has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical
+character of the act is expressed by
+it much less conspicuously than by complete
+immersion and burial under the water.&rdquo;
+<i>Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p. 749.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;The practice of immersion
+continued even until the <i>thirteenth or
+fourteenth</i> century. Indeed, it has never
+been formally abandoned.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12.</i></p>
+
+<p>To the same effect is the testimony of
+Doctors Brenner, Von C&ouml;lln, Winer, Augusti,
+Bingham, and others.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p100">[p.&nbsp;100]</span>
+<span class="smcap">as to the greek church</span></p>
+
+<p>It is a notable fact and worthy of record
+in this discussion, that the Greek Church
+has always retained immersion in baptism.
+This church extends over Greece, Russia,
+Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and
+other Oriental countries. Like the Latin
+Church, it has corrupted the primitive purity
+of Gospel doctrine and practice with many
+absurd glosses and superstitious rites. It
+practices infant baptism, yet it is by <i>dipping,</i>
+even in the severe climate of Siberia;
+and it uses <i>trine</i> immersion, or dipping the
+candidate three times, one to each of the
+names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its
+branches immersion is retained.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Edinburgh Encyclopedia</span> says:
+&ldquo;The Greek Church, as well as the Schismatics
+in the East, retained the custom of
+<i>immersing</i> the whole body; but the Western
+Church adopted, in the <i>thirteenth century,</i>
+the mode of sprinkling, which has been
+continued by the Protestants, Baptists only
+excepted.&rdquo; <i>Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism.</i></p>
+
+<p>These statements are fully confirmed by
+Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius, Buddeus,
+Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman
+<span class="pagenum" id="p101">[p.&nbsp;101]</span>
+and others, who have written on the state
+and history of the Greek Church.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the design of baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>What was baptism intended to represent?
+As a religious rite it meant something, had
+some symbolic force, and represented some
+moral or spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning
+was clearly this: to show forth the
+death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,
+who died for our sins, and rose again for
+our justification. And every believer who
+receives this ordinance, professes thereby to
+have faith in the merits of Christ&rsquo;s death
+as the ground of his own hope of Salvation;
+to have fellowship also with His sufferings,
+and makes a declaration of his own death
+to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ.
+It also typifies the washing of regeneration;
+it further declares the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a
+resurrection from the dead, even as Christ,
+into the likeness of whose death he is
+buried, was raised up by the glory of the
+Father. Chiefly <i>death, burial,</i> and <i>resurrection:</i>
+the great facts of redemptive grace
+are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism
+does teach all this, and immersion alone can
+teach it. Careful students of the New
+<span class="pagenum" id="p102">[p.&nbsp;102]</span>
+Testament have clearly seen this, and very
+generally confessed it, whatever may have
+been their practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Newton</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was
+usually performed by <i>immersion,</i> or dipping
+the whole body under water, to represent
+the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,
+and thereby signify the person&rsquo;s own dying
+to sin, the destruction of its power, and his
+resurrection to a new life.&rdquo; <i>Pract. Expos.
+Cate., p. 297.</i></p>
+
+<p>Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond,
+Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight, Olshausen,
+Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus,
+Frankius, Wall, Towerson, Adam Clark,
+Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony
+as to the design of the ordinance, and how
+it is answered in immersion only.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">a sufficiency of water</span></p>
+
+<p>There have been found persons so ignorant,
+or so weak, or so perverse in their
+opposition to immersion, as to assert that
+the Jordan was a small stream, so nearly
+dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient
+depth of water for the immersion of the
+multitudes of the disciples of John and of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p103">[p.&nbsp;103]</span>
+Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and
+also that Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation
+for the immersion of the thousands
+of converts at the Pentecost, and on
+subsequent occasions. People are becoming
+more intelligent, and more candid, and it is
+possible that such puerile objections are no
+more heard. But it may be well to give
+passing notice to the facts.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dr. Edward Robinson,</span> at that time
+professor in the Union Theological Seminary,
+New York City, in 1840, made a
+careful survey of Palestine, including the
+Jordan valley and river. His published
+statements corroborate those of others previously
+made, as to the abundant supply of
+water, both in the Jordan, and in the city
+of Jerusalem. He cites the published
+statements of earlier explorers, whose works
+are known to the reading public: Seetzen,
+who visited that country in 1806; Burkhardt,
+who explored it in 1812; Irby and
+Mangles, in 1818; and Buckingham, who
+traveled through it about the same time.
+See <i>Robinson&rsquo;s Bib. Researches, Vol. II.,
+Sec. 10, pp. 257-267.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Lieutenant Lynch,</span> of the United
+States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by our
+<span class="pagenum" id="p104">[p.&nbsp;104]</span>
+government in charge of an expedition to
+explore the river Jordan and the Dead Sea.
+Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century
+missionary in Syria and Palestine,
+traversed the land in 1857, and Dean
+Stanley in 1853, and others more recently.
+For a complete refutation of such puerile
+objections as those above mentioned, and a
+confirmation of Baptist claims, see the following
+works: Robinson&rsquo;s &ldquo;Biblical Researches,&rdquo;
+Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267;
+Lynch&rsquo;s &ldquo;Dead Sea Expedition,&rdquo; Ch. 10 and
+11; Thomson&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Land and the Book,&rdquo;
+Vol. II., pp. 445-6; Stanley&rsquo;s &ldquo;Syria and
+Palestine,&rdquo; Ch. 7, pp. 306-7; Barclay&rsquo;s
+&ldquo;The City of the Great Kings,&rdquo; ch. 10; and
+other citations in &ldquo;Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the rise of sprinkling</span></p>
+
+<p>The question will naturally arise and very
+properly, When did sprinkling for baptism
+first come into use? And how came it to
+pass, that a human device superseded and
+took the place of a Divine institution? These
+questions are fully and satisfactorily answered
+by Pedobaptist scholars themselves,
+whose testimony we accept as a justification
+of Baptist views.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p105">[p.&nbsp;105]</span>
+For <i>two hundred and fifty years</i> after
+Christ we have no evidence of any departure
+from the primitive practice of immersion.
+At length the idea came to prevail
+that baptism possessed saving virtue, and
+had power to purify and sanctify the soul,
+making its salvation more secure. It was
+consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized.
+Here was the germ of the pernicious
+dogma of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; the
+foundation alike of infant baptism and of
+sprinkling instead of immersion.</p>
+
+<p>The first authenticated instance of <i>sprinkling</i>
+occurred about the middle of the third
+century, or <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 250. This was the case
+of Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives
+this case, and Doctor Wall in his laborious
+researches could find no earlier instance;
+good evidence that no earlier existed.
+Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing
+himself about to die, was anxious to be
+baptized. The case seemed urgent, and as
+he was thought to be too feeble to be
+<i>immersed,</i> a substitute was resorted to;
+water was poured profusely over him as he
+lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as
+possible a submersion. The word used to
+describe this action (<span lang="la">perichutheis, purfusus</span>)
+has usually been rendered <i>besprinkle;</i> it
+<span class="pagenum" id="p106">[p.&nbsp;106]</span>
+rather means to pour profusely over and
+about one. This it was thought might answer
+the purpose in such an emergency.</p>
+
+<p>From this time onward pouring and sprinkling
+were resorted to at times of extreme
+illness, or feebleness, where persons could
+not leave their beds, and hence was termed
+<i>clinic</i> baptism, from <span lang="la">clina,</span> a couch. But it
+was always regarded as a substitute for baptism,
+rather than baptism itself; and its
+validity was doubted. Novatian himself
+having recovered from his sickness, was
+objected to when his friends proposed to
+make him bishop, because, it was said, he
+had never been properly baptized. It was
+not, however, until the seventeenth century
+that sprinkling became common in Europe,
+in France first, and then extending through
+those countries over which the pope held
+sway. At length, accepted by Calvin and
+the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland,
+by John Knox, and other Scotch
+refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter
+from the persecution to which they had
+been exposed in their native country; then
+into England: and in 1643 it was adopted
+as the exclusive mode of baptism by a
+majority of one of the Westminster Assembly
+of Divines, and sanctioned by Parliament
+<span class="pagenum" id="p107">[p.&nbsp;107]</span>
+the next year. All of which is
+verified by Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius,
+Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,
+&ldquo;Ency. Brit.,&rdquo; &ldquo;Edin. Ency.,&rdquo; and other
+reliable historical
+<span class="wsnw">authorities.<a id="ch10_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch10_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch10_fn1"><p><a href="#ch10_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For more numerous citations on this subject, see the &ldquo;Star
+Book on Christian Baptism,&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p108">[p.&nbsp;108]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch11">CHAPTER XI</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>
+
+<p>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper, called also the
+&ldquo;Eucharist,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Communion,&rdquo; is
+the most sacred act of Christian worship,
+and the highest expression of the mysteries
+of our holy religion. It is a service in
+which bread and wine&mdash;the <i>loaf</i> and the <i>cup</i>&mdash;are
+used to represent the body and the
+blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for
+us. The bread is <i>broken,</i> distributed, and
+eaten; the wine is <i>poured,</i> distributed, and
+drunk by the members of the assembled
+church, to show the sacrifice of Christ, His
+body broken, and His blood shed for their
+redemption; and that by His death they
+have life. Being begotten of God through
+the operation of the Spirit, their new life is
+sustained and nourished by mystically feeding
+on Him who is the Bread of God, which
+came down from heaven to give life to the
+world. He said: &ldquo;This do in remembrance
+of Me.&rdquo; &ldquo;As oft as ye eat this bread
+<span class="pagenum" id="p109">[p.&nbsp;109]</span>
+and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord&rsquo;s
+death, till He come.&rdquo; &ldquo;Except ye eat the
+flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood,
+ye have no life in you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Whoso eateth
+My flesh and drinketh My blood hath
+eternal life.&rdquo; &ldquo;He that eateth My flesh,
+and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me,
+and I in him.&rdquo; It is a Divine reality, though
+a sublime mystery.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">open and close communion</span></p>
+
+<p>The controversy between Baptists and
+other denominations, so far as the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper is concerned, has no reference to its
+nature, the purpose for which it was instituted,
+the manner of its administration, or
+the effect of the elements on the participants.
+It has reference simply to the proper <i>subjects</i>
+for participation in the privilege.
+Who may, and who may not properly and
+of right come to the Lord&rsquo;s Table? On
+the question of what are the Scriptural
+qualifications of participants, Baptist and
+Pedobaptists differ&mdash;differ not as to the
+general rule to be applied, but as to its particular
+application. And this particular
+application leads to the controversy on
+what is called <i>&ldquo;close communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced
+<span class="pagenum" id="p110">[p.&nbsp;110]</span>
+by Baptists, and to what is called
+<i>&ldquo;open communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced by Pedobaptists.</p>
+
+<p><i>What is open communion? Open,</i> free
+or mixed communion is, strictly speaking,
+that which allows any one who desires, and
+believes himself qualified, to come to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Table, without any questions being
+asked, or conditions imposed by the church
+in which the ordinance is observed. But
+ordinarily the term is applied to the practice
+of the greater part of the Pedobaptist
+churches, which hold that <i>sprinkling</i>
+is lawful baptism, and invite, not all
+persons, but members of all evangelical
+churches, whatever be their view of
+church order and ordinances; holding
+them all as being baptized because they
+have been sprinkled.</p>
+
+<p><i>What is close communion? Close,</i> strict,
+or restricted communion is, properly speaking,
+that which does not invite all indiscriminately
+to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, but restricts
+the privilege to a particular class.
+But ordinarily the term is applied to the
+practice of Baptist churches, which invite
+only baptized believers, walking in orderly
+fellowship in their own churches. And by
+baptized believers, they mean, of course,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p111">[p.&nbsp;111]</span>
+immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling
+to be baptism at all.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">one and the same rule</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Observe further:</i> That Baptists and Pedobaptists
+have one and the same rule in
+theory as to the proper qualification for
+participants, namely, they all hold that
+baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized
+persons have no legal right to the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper, and cannot consistently be invited
+to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized
+persons to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, however
+good Christians, since such could not
+become church-members, and the Supper is
+for those within the church, not for the
+outside world. For though there are a few
+churches and a few pastors, who in their
+extreme liberality might be disposed to invite
+everybody to the sacred ordinance yet
+such a course would be contrary to their
+denominational standards, and opposed to
+the usages of their churches generally.</p>
+
+<p><i>Further observe:</i> They all practice a restriction
+since they restrict the privilege
+to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,
+walking in orderly church fellowship.
+But Baptists and Pedobaptists differ
+<span class="pagenum" id="p112">[p.&nbsp;112]</span>
+as to what constitutes <i>baptism,</i> the one rejecting,
+and the other accepting the validity
+of sprinkling. Thus Baptists&rsquo; custom
+is more <i>&ldquo;close,&rdquo;</i> and Pedobaptists&rsquo; is more
+<i>&ldquo;open,&rdquo;</i> by the difference between their
+views of baptism; and by that difference
+only. <i>Therefore,</i> it is manifest that the
+question so called of &ldquo;close&rdquo; and &ldquo;open&rdquo;
+communion is really not a question of
+&ldquo;communion&rdquo; at all, but of what constitutes
+Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled,
+and the controversy as to the restriction
+of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper will cease.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptist position</span></p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold that there are <i>three</i> imperative
+conditions precedent to the privileges
+of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper: 1.&nbsp;<i>Regeneration.</i>
+No unconverted person can with propriety,
+or of right, eat and drink at that
+sacred feast, in commemoration of Christ&rsquo;s
+death. They must be persons dead to sin,
+and alive to God; born again, through the
+operation of the Spirit. 2.&nbsp;<i>Baptism.</i> Buried
+with Christ in baptism on a profession
+of faith in Him. No person, however good,
+and however manifestly regenerate, is prepared
+without baptism, according to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p113">[p.&nbsp;113]</span>
+Divine order, to receive the Supper. Without
+baptism he cannot enter the fellowship
+of the church, where the Supper alone is
+to be enjoyed. 3.&nbsp;<i>An orderly walk is necessary.</i>
+An upright and consistent Christian
+walk, and godly conversation among the
+saints, and before the world. For though
+one may be truly regenerate, and properly
+baptized, yet if he be a disorderly walker,
+violating his covenant obligations, living in
+sin, and bringing reproach on the Christian
+profession, he has no right to sit at the
+Lord&rsquo;s Table.</p>
+
+<p>The ordinances are a sacred trust which
+Christ has committed to the churches as
+custodians, and which they are to watch
+and guard from all profane intrusion, and
+improper use, with the most sedulous
+fidelity. Baptists believe that in order to
+maintain the purity and spirituality of the
+churches, it is necessary to maintain the
+ordinances pure; and especially necessary
+to restrict the Supper to regenerate and
+godly persons, baptized on a profession of
+their faith, into the fellowship of the saints.
+To adopt any other rule, or to allow any
+larger liberty, would break down the distinction
+between the church and the world;
+would bring in a carnal and unconverted
+<span class="pagenum" id="p114">[p.&nbsp;114]</span>
+membership, and transfer the sacred mysteries
+of the body and the blood of Christ
+from the temple of God to the temple
+of Belial. This would be disloyalty to
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p>The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those
+who <i>believed</i> and <i>gladly received the Word,</i>
+were <i>baptized.</i> Then they were <i>added to
+the church.</i> Then they continued steadfastly
+in the <i>Apostles&rsquo; doctrine,</i> and fellowship, and
+in <i>breaking of bread,</i> and in <i>prayer.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Notice,</i> they were not baptized till they
+had received the Word and believed. They
+were not added to the church till they had
+believed and been baptized. They did not
+engage in the breaking of bread (that is,
+the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized,
+and were added to the church. This
+is the Divine order; and this is the order
+which Baptists maintain and defend.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist close communion</span></p>
+
+<p>It has already been shown that Pedobaptists
+themselves practice a restricted or close
+communion, limiting the privilege to baptized
+(as they call them) members of evangelical
+churches, and that their communion
+is more liberal than that of the Baptists
+<span class="pagenum" id="p115">[p.&nbsp;115]</span>
+only, and only by so much as their baptism
+(so-called) is more liberal than that of
+Baptists.</p>
+
+<p>But in some respects Pedobaptists practice
+a &ldquo;close communion,&rdquo; restrictive in its conditions,
+far beyond anything known to Baptists
+whose illiberality they are accustomed
+to magnify. They exclude a large class of
+their own members from the Lord&rsquo;s Table&mdash;namely,
+<i>baptized children!</i> Baptists do not
+deny the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to their own members
+in good standing. If children are suitable
+subjects for baptism, it seems most
+unreasonable and unjust to deny them the
+Supper. If they can be benefited by one ordinance,
+can they not be equally benefited by
+the other? If they can receive the one on
+the faith of sponsors, can they not receive the
+other in the same way? Who has authorized
+parents or ministers to give baptism to
+unconverted and unconscious children, and
+refuse them the Lord&rsquo;s Supper? By denying
+the Supper to baptized children, Pedobaptists
+act contrary to the traditions of the
+ancient churches, which they are accustomed
+to cite with so much assurance, in defense of
+infant baptism. Do they not know that
+those ancient churches (not the primitive
+churches) gave the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to infants
+<span class="pagenum" id="p116">[p.&nbsp;116]</span>
+for many centuries? And the Greek
+Church, through all its branches, continues
+still the same practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;After the general
+introduction of infant baptism, in the
+<i>second and third centuries,</i> the sacrament
+continued to be administered to all who had
+been baptized, whether infants or adults.
+The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for
+this practice was, that age was no impediment.
+Augustine strongly advocates the
+practice. The custom continued for several
+centuries. It is mentioned in the third
+Council of Tours, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 813; and even the
+Council of Trent, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 1545, only decreed
+that it should not be considered essential to
+salvation. It is still scrupulously observed
+by the Greek Church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,
+Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4,
+Sec. 7. Many other writers bear the same
+testimony.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the power of sympathy</span></p>
+
+<p>There is a small class of Baptists who are
+at times inclined to desire, and it may be, to
+seek a wider liberty at the Lord&rsquo;s Table
+than they find accorded in their own
+churches. The one prevailing argument
+with them is <i>sympathy.</i> To them it seems
+<span class="pagenum" id="p117">[p.&nbsp;117]</span>
+kindly and fraternal to invite all who say
+they love our common Lord and Saviour to
+unite in commemorating His death in the
+Supper. Even if they have not been baptized,
+they themselves believe they have, and they
+are good Christian people. &ldquo;Why stand
+upon a technicality?&rdquo; they say. To such
+the service is merely a sentimental service;
+a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,
+rather than an instituted commemoration
+of their dying Lord. They
+have neither Scripture, logic, expediency,
+the scholarship, nor the concurrent practice
+of Christendom, either past or present, to
+sustain their position. But <i>sympathy</i> influences
+them; yet sympathy should not control
+conduct in matters of faith, or in acts
+of conscience. It is a grave perversion
+when affection for his disciples sways us
+more than fidelity to our Lord. We should
+not be so kind to <i>them</i> as to be untrue to
+<i>Him.</i> Sincere Christians will honor those
+who are loyal to Christ, even though they
+differ in opinion.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">three facts explained</span></p>
+
+<p>Baptists give the following reasons in justification
+of their course in the following cases:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p118">[p.&nbsp;118]</span>
+1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper with them, because such persons
+are not baptized, as has been shown,
+they being simply sprinkled. They may
+be true converts, and have the spiritual
+qualifications, but they are destitute of the
+ceremonial qualification&mdash;baptism. The
+&ldquo;buried in baptism&rdquo; comes before the
+&ldquo;breaking of bread.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. They do not accept the invitation of
+Pedobaptist churches to eat at the Lord&rsquo;s
+Table with them, for the same reason; they
+are not baptized Christians. And while
+the appreciate their Christian fellowship,
+they could not accept their church fellowship,
+and sit at the Lord&rsquo;s Table with them,
+without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing
+their baptismal errors.</p>
+
+<p>3. They do not invite immersed members
+of Pedobaptist churches to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper
+with them, because such persons, though
+they may be truly regenerate and properly
+baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining
+in and giving countenance to churches
+which hold and practice serious errors as to
+both the ordinances. These churches use
+sprinkling for baptism and administer the
+ordinance to infants, both of which are unscriptural.
+And yet such persons, by remaining
+<span class="pagenum" id="p119">[p.&nbsp;119]</span>
+in them, encourage and support
+these errors, instead of protesting against
+them by leaving them. They insist on immersion
+for themselves, and yet by a strange
+inconsistency give their fellowship and influence
+to perpetuate and sanction sprinkling
+for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly
+Christian walking; and, therefore, very
+properly, Baptists decline to invite them to
+the Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist witnesses</span></p>
+
+<p>In further proof that the position of
+Baptists as to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper is correct and
+Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with
+baptism, and not with the Supper; and that
+they must still continue to restrict the ordinance
+to baptized believers, or else admit
+that sprinkling is baptism, we cite the
+concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist
+scholars and Divines in evidence on our
+side.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Justin Martyr,</span> one of the early Christian
+Fathers, says of the Supper: &ldquo;This
+food is called by us the Eucharist, of which
+it is not lawful for any one to partake but
+such as believe the things taught by us
+to be true, and have been baptized.&rdquo; <i>Apol.</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p120">[p.&nbsp;120]</span>
+<i>I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff&rsquo;s Church Hist., Ch.
+2. p. 516.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says:
+&ldquo;Neither those doing penance, nor those not
+yet baptized, were allowed to be present at
+the celebration of this ordinance.&rdquo; <i>Eccl.
+Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the great church historian,
+says: &ldquo;At this celebration, as may be easily
+concluded, no one could be present who
+was not a member of the Christian Church,
+and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston,
+1849.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Cave,</span> one of the ablest writers on Christian
+antiquities, says the participants in the
+primitive church were those &ldquo;that had embraced
+the doctrine of the Gospel, and had
+been baptized into the faith of Christ. For,
+looking upon the Lord&rsquo;s Supper as the highest
+and most solemn act of religion, they
+thought they could never take care enough
+in the dispensing of it.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., Part
+I., Ch. 11, p. 333.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his able work on the Antiquities
+of the Christian Church, says of the
+early Christians: &ldquo;As soon as a man was
+<span class="pagenum" id="p121">[p.&nbsp;121]</span>
+baptized he was communicated&rdquo;&mdash;that is,
+admitted to the communion. Baptism,
+therefore, essentially preceded the Supper.&mdash;<i>Christ.
+Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec. 9, B. 15,
+Ch. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> who searched the records
+of antiquity for facts illustrating the history
+of the ordinances, says: &ldquo;No church ever
+gave the communion to any persons before
+they were baptized. Among all the absurdities
+that were ever held, none ever
+maintained that any person should partake
+of the communion before he was baptized.&rdquo;
+<i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Part II., Ch. 9.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says of the early
+churches: &ldquo;None indeed but believers in
+full communion with the church were permitted
+to be present.&rdquo; &ldquo;But agreeably to all
+the laws and customs of the church, baptism
+constituted membership with the
+church. All baptized persons were legitimately
+numbered among the communicants
+as members of the church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;The communion
+was a regular part, and, in fact, the most
+important and solemn part of the Sunday
+worship,&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. in which none but full members
+<span class="pagenum" id="p122">[p.&nbsp;122]</span>
+of the church could engage.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Doddridge</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that
+so far as our knowledge of primitive antiquity
+reaches, no unbaptized person received the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper.&rdquo; <i>Lectures, pp. 511, 512.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dick</span> says: &ldquo;An uncircumcised
+man was not permitted to eat the Passover;
+and an unbaptized man should not be permitted
+to partake of the Eucharist.&rdquo; <i>Theol.,
+Vol. II., p. 220.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Baxter</span> says: &ldquo;What man dares
+go in a way which hath neither precept nor
+example to warrant it, from a way that
+hath full current of both? Yet they that
+will admit members into the visible church
+without baptism do so.&rdquo; <i>Plain Scripture
+Proof, p. 24.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dwight,</span> President of Yale College,
+and author of &ldquo;Systematic Theology,&rdquo;
+says: &ldquo;It is an indispensable qualification for
+this ordinance that the candidate for communion
+be a member of the visible church in
+full standing. By this, I intend that he
+should be a man of piety; that he should
+have made a public profession of religion,
+and that he should have been baptized.&rdquo;
+<i>Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch. 4. Sec. 7.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p123">[p.&nbsp;123]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Griffin,</span> one of the fathers of
+New England Congregationalism, says: &ldquo;I
+agree with the advocates of close communion
+on two points: 1.&nbsp;That baptism is the initiatory
+ordinance which introduces us into the
+visible church; of course, where there is no
+baptism, there are no visible churches.
+2.&nbsp;That we ought not to commune with those
+who are not baptized, and of course not
+church-members, even if we regard them as
+Christians.&rdquo; <i>Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited
+by Curtis on Com., p. 125.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hibbard,</span> a leading Methodist
+scholar and Divine, says: &ldquo;In one principle
+Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree.
+They both agree in rejecting from communion
+at the table of the Lord, and in denying
+the rights of church fellowship to all who
+have not been baptized.&rdquo; And with admirable
+frankness, he adds: &ldquo;The charge of
+<i>close communion</i> is no more applicable to
+the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch
+as the question of church fellowship
+with them is determined by as liberal principles
+as it is with any other Protestant
+churches, so far, I mean, as the present subject
+is concerned&mdash;i.e., <i>it is determined by
+valid baptism.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hibbard on Christ. Bap.,
+P. II., p. 174.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p124">[p.&nbsp;124]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Bullock,</span> another Methodist Divine,
+says: &ldquo;Close communion, as it is generally
+termed, is the only logical and consistent
+course for Baptist churches to pursue.
+If their premises are right, their conclusion
+is surely just as it should be.&rdquo; And he commends
+the firmness of Baptists in not inviting
+to the communion those whom they
+regard as unbaptized. He says: &ldquo;They do
+not feel willing to countenance such laxity
+in Christian discipline. Let us honor
+them for their steadfastness in maintaining
+what they believe to be a Bible precept,
+rather than criticize and censure because
+they differ with us concerning the intent
+and mode of Christian baptism, and believe
+it to be an irrepealable condition of coming
+to the Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo; <i>What Christians
+Believe.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Independent,</span> one of the most
+widely circulated, and perhaps the most influential
+Pedobaptist paper in the country, in
+an editorial, says: &ldquo;Leading writers of all
+denominations declare that converts must be
+baptized before they can be invited to the
+communion table. This is the position
+generally taken. But Baptists regarding
+sprinkling as a nullity&mdash;no baptism at all&mdash;look
+upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p125">[p.&nbsp;125]</span>
+others, as unbaptized persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;The
+other churches cannot urge the Baptists to
+become open communionists till they themselves
+take the position that all who love
+our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as
+well as the baptized, may be invited to
+the communion table.&rdquo; <i>Editorial, July,
+1879.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Congregationalist,</span> the organ of
+the New England Congregational Churches,
+in an editorial, says: &ldquo;Congregationalists
+have uniformly, until here and there an exception
+has arisen of late years, required
+baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite
+of a seat at the table of the Lord.
+It is a part of the false &lsquo;liberality&rsquo; which
+now prevails in certain quarters, to welcome
+everybody &lsquo;who thinks he loves Christ&rsquo; to
+commune in His body and blood. Such a
+course is the first step in breaking down
+that distinction between the church and the
+world, which our Saviour emphasized; and
+it seems to us it is an unwise and mistaken
+act for which no Scriptural warrant exists.&rdquo;
+<i>Editorial, July 9, 1879.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Observer,</span> of New York, the oldest
+and leading Presbyterian journal of this
+country, said: &ldquo;It is not a want of charity
+<span class="pagenum" id="p126">[p.&nbsp;126]</span>
+which compels the Baptist to restrict his
+invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting
+the personal piety of his unimmersed
+brethren. Presbyterians do not invite the
+unbaptized, however pious they may be. It
+is not uncharitable. It is not bigotry on
+the part of Baptists to confine their communion
+to those whom they consider the
+baptized.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Interior,</span> of Chicago, the organ of
+Western Presbyterians, said: &ldquo;The difference
+between our Baptist brethren and ourselves
+is an important difference. We agree
+with them, however, in saying that unbaptized
+persons should not partake of the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper. Their view compels them
+to think that we are not baptized, and shuts
+them up to close communion. Close communion
+is, in our judgment, a more defensible
+position than open communion, which is
+justified on the ground that baptism is not
+a prerequisite to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper. To
+charge Baptists with bigotry because they
+abide by the logical consequences of their
+system is absurd.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Christian Advocate,</span> of New York,
+the leading journal of American Methodists,
+said: &ldquo;The regular Baptist churches in the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p127">[p.&nbsp;127]</span>
+United States may be considered today as
+particularly a unit on <i>three points</i>&mdash;the non-use
+of infant baptism, the immersion of
+believers only upon a profession of faith,
+and the administration of the holy communion
+to such only as have been immersed
+by ministers holding these views. In our
+opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing
+prosperity largely to its adherence to these
+views. In doctrine and government, and
+in other respects, it is the same as Congregationalists.
+In numbers, the regular
+Baptists are more than six times as great as
+the Congregationalists. It is not bigotry
+to adhere to one&rsquo;s convictions, provided
+the spirit of Christian love prevails.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Episcopal Recorder</span> said: &ldquo;The
+close communion of the Baptist churches is
+but the necessary sequence of the fundamental
+idea out of which their existence
+has grown. No Christian Church would
+willingly receive to its communion even the
+humblest and truest believer in Christ who
+had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion
+only is baptism, and they therefore
+of necessity exclude from the Lord&rsquo;s Table
+all who have not been immersed. It is an
+essential part of the system&mdash;the legitimate
+carrying out of the creed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p128">[p.&nbsp;128]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Bishop Coxe,</span> of the Episcopal diocese of
+Western New York, says: &ldquo;The Baptists
+hold that we have never been baptized, and
+they must exclude us from their communion
+table, if we were disposed to go there. Are
+we offended? Do we call it illiberal? No;
+we call it <i>principle,</i> and we respect it. To
+say that we have never become members of
+Christ by baptism seems severe, but it is a
+conscientious adherence to duty, as they regard
+it. I should be the bigot, and not
+they, if I should ask them to violate their
+discipline in this, or in any other particular.&rdquo;
+<i>On Christ. Unity, in &ldquo;Church Union,&rdquo;
+July, 1891.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p129">[p.&nbsp;129]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch12">CHAPTER XII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">infant baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>One of the customs held and upheld by
+Pedobaptist churches, which Baptists seriously
+condemn, is infant baptism. It is
+practiced by both Roman Catholics and
+Protestants as a religious institution; and
+though not held as sacredly, or practiced as
+widely as formerly, it still prevails to a
+wide extent throughout the Christian world.
+And yet it was not instituted by Christ, nor
+practiced by His Apostles, nor known in the
+primitive churches, and has neither sanction
+nor recognition in the Word of God. It is
+for this reason that Baptists utterly reject
+and condemn the custom, as not simply useless
+and without authority, but as a most
+pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious
+both to the child that receives it,
+and to the church which allows it, can be
+easily shown. Baptism before faith, and
+without a profession it, contradicts and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p130">[p.&nbsp;130]</span>
+does violence to all New Testament teaching.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">not of scriptural authority</span></p>
+
+<p>Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural
+authority, and was not known in the
+first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates
+and defenders have with considerable candor
+admitted. Only a few of their historians
+and scholars can be cited here.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dr. William Wall,</span> a learned Divine
+of the English Church, who wrote the &ldquo;History
+of Infant Baptism,&rdquo; a work so able
+that the clergy in convocation assembled
+gave him a vote of thanks for his defense
+of the custom, says: &ldquo;Among all the persons
+that are recorded as baptized by the
+Apostles, there is no express mention of
+any infants.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Intro., pp.
+1, 55.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Thomas Fuller,</span> the historian, says:
+&ldquo;We do freely confess there is neither express
+precept nor precedent in the New
+Testament for the Baptism of Infants.&rdquo;
+<i>Infants&rsquo; Advoc., pp. 71, 150.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Luther</span> says: &ldquo;It cannot be proved by
+the sacred Scriptures that infant baptism
+was instituted by Christ, or begun by the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p131">[p.&nbsp;131]</span>
+first Christians after the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Vanity
+of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was administered
+at first only to adults, as men were
+accustomed to conceive of <i>baptism</i> and <i>faith</i>
+as strictly connected. We have all reason
+for not deriving infant baptism from Apostolic
+institution.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311;
+Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange</span> says: &ldquo;All attempts to
+make out infant baptism from the New Testament
+fail. It is totally opposed to the
+spirit of the Apostolic age, and to the fundamental
+principles of the New Testament.&rdquo;
+<i>Inf. Baptism, p. 101.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;Infant baptism
+was established neither by Christ, nor by
+the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Art. Bap., Kitto&rsquo;s Cycl. Bib.
+Lit.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hanna</span> says: &ldquo;Scripture knows
+nothing of the baptism of infants.&rdquo; <i>North
+Brit. Review, Aug., 1852.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;The passages
+from Scripture cited in favor of infant
+baptism as a usage of the primitive
+church are doubtful and prove nothing.&rdquo;
+<i>Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193.</i></p>
+
+<p>Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p132">[p.&nbsp;132]</span>
+Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many others
+bear similar testimony.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">when did it rise?</span></p>
+
+<p>Since the New Testament knows nothing
+of infant baptism, and since it was neither
+instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His
+Apostles, what was its origin, and when did
+it come into use?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Tertullian</span> is the first who mentions
+the custom, and he opposes it. This was at
+the close of the second century, or about
+<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 200. His opposition to it proves
+two things: <i>First,</i> that it was in occasional use,
+at least. <i>Second,</i> that it was of recent
+origin, since had it been long used some
+earlier record if it could be found. <i>Neander,
+Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham</span> could find no earlier allusion
+to it than that of Tertullian, though he believed
+it arose earlier. It must, therefore,
+as is generally agreed, have had its origin
+about the beginning of the <i>third century.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Curcell&aelig;us</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism of infants
+in the <i>two first</i> centuries after Christ
+was altogether unknown; but in the <i>third</i>
+and <i>fourth</i> was allowed by some few. In
+the <i>fifth</i> and following ages it was generally
+<span class="pagenum" id="p133">[p.&nbsp;133]</span>
+received.&rdquo; <i>Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I.,
+Ch. 12.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;In the <i>first two</i> centuries
+no one was baptized, except, being
+instructed in the faith and acquainted with
+the doctrines of Christ, he was able to profess
+himself a believer.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bapt. Suicer.
+Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136.</i></p>
+
+<p>Such testimony is conclusive, and quite
+sufficient, though much more of a similar
+character might be added.</p>
+
+<p><i>But observe:</i> That when the baptism of
+children began, it was not that of unconscious
+infants at all, as is now practiced, but,
+as Bunsen declares, of &ldquo;little growing children,
+from six to ten years old.&rdquo; And he
+asserts that Tertullian &ldquo;does not say one
+word of new-born infants.&rdquo; Cyprian, an
+African bishop, at the close of the <i>third</i> century,
+urged the baptism of infants proper,
+because of the saving efficacy of the ordinance;
+and he is called the inventor, or
+father, of infant baptism. <i>Bunsen&rsquo;s Hippol.
+and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">why did it rise?</span></p>
+
+<p>There is even less difficulty in tracing the
+cause than in finding the origin of infant
+<span class="pagenum" id="p134">[p.&nbsp;134]</span>
+baptism. It originated in a perversion of
+Christian doctrine, and was itself the perversion
+of a Christian ordinance.</p>
+
+<p>All students of ecclesiastical history know
+that at an early period corruptions perverted
+Christian faith and practice. Among
+these, one of the earliest was that of an
+undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its
+sanctity was so exalted that it was believed
+to have power to wash away sins, and
+cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick
+were supposed to be prepared for death,
+and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.
+Anxious parents therefore desired
+their dying children to be thus prepared&mdash;&ldquo;washed
+in the laver of regeneration,&rdquo; as
+it was termed&mdash;that they might be sure of
+salvation. And here came in that pernicious
+error of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; which
+gave rise to infant baptism, and which has
+through all these ages clung with more or
+less pertinacity to the clergy and laity of all
+churches which have practiced it.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;An opinion prevailed
+that no one could be saved without being
+baptized; and for that reason the custom
+arose of baptizing infants.&rdquo; <i>Epist. Jus.
+Pac. See Booth&rsquo;s Pedo. Exam., Ch. III.,
+Sec. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p135">[p.&nbsp;135]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Venema</span> declares that &ldquo;the ancients connected
+a regenerating power with baptism.&rdquo;
+He cites Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Clemens,
+Tertullian, and Cyprian as holding that
+opinion. <i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,
+3, 4.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Chrysostom,</span> writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 398, as
+cited by Suicerus, says, &ldquo;It is impossible
+without baptism to obtain the kingdom,&rdquo;
+and as cited by Wall he says: &ldquo;If sudden
+death seize us before we are baptized,
+though we have a thousand good qualities,
+there is nothing to be expected but hell.&rdquo;
+<i>Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Waddington,</span> in his Church History,
+says, in reference to the <i>third</i> century: &ldquo;A
+belief was gaining ground among the converts
+and was inculcated among the heathen,
+that the act of baptism gave remission
+of all sins committed previously.&rdquo; <i>Hist.
+of Church, Ch. II., p. 53.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher</span> says: &ldquo;Very early baptism
+was so far identified with regeneration
+as to be designated by that term. This rite
+was considered essential to salvation. A
+virtue was believed to reside in the baptismal
+water itself.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p.
+83.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p136">[p.&nbsp;136]</span>
+Do its advocates and supporters hold
+the same view now? Do parents and ministers
+still believe that the baptism of unconscious
+infants secures, or makes more sure,
+their salvation? If not, why do they practice
+it?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange&rsquo;s</span> words are weighty,
+and should be carefully pondered by Protestant
+defenders of this Papal emanation. He
+says: &ldquo;Would the Protestant Church fulfill
+and attain to its final destiny, the baptism
+of new-born children must of necessity be
+abolished. It has sunk down to a mere formality,
+without any meaning for the child.&rdquo;
+<i>History of Protestantism, p. 34.</i></p>
+
+<p>Many good people, familiar with infant
+baptism and surrounded by its influences,
+have naturally learned to reverence it as of
+Divine appointment, and some of them
+really believe it is taught or sanctioned by
+the New Testament. But Baptists are right
+in rejecting it as something utterly without
+foundation in the Word of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">household baptisms</span></p>
+
+<p>Much stress is laid by some of the advocates
+of infant baptism on that fact that in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p137">[p.&nbsp;137]</span>
+the Acts of the Apostles several cases of
+household baptism are mentioned. And it
+is asked with an air of assurance: &ldquo;If entire
+households were baptized, must there
+not have been children among them? And
+were they not baptized also?&rdquo; To this it
+is sufficient to reply, that nothing is said of
+children, and we have no right to put into
+the Scriptures what we do not find in them.
+All inference that such households contained
+infants, and that such infants were baptized,
+is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian
+institutions could be built on so slight a
+foundation as that, we could bring in all
+the mummeries of the Greek or the Roman
+Church, and all the ceremonies of the Mosaic
+ritual.</p>
+
+<p>One thing is certain: If in those households
+any children were baptized, they were
+old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe
+on Christ, and were thus suitable subjects
+for the ordinance, and for church fellowship.
+For it is said, <i>&ldquo;They believed, and gladly
+received the Word.&rdquo;</i> There are thousands
+of Baptist churches into whose fellowship
+whole households have been baptized&mdash;parents
+and children and perhaps others
+connected with them. But all were old
+enough to <i>believe</i> and to make <i>profession</i> of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p138">[p.&nbsp;138]</span>
+their faith. So evidently it was in these
+households.</p>
+
+<p>The more prominent of these households
+are that of Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16;
+that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also
+in Acts 16; and that of Stephanas, mentioned
+in 1&nbsp;Corinthians 1. Now note what a
+few distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say
+on these cases.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Neander</span> says: &ldquo;We cannot
+prove that the Apostles ordained infant baptism;
+from those places where the baptism
+of a whole family is mentioned, we can draw
+no such conclusion.&rdquo; <i>Planting and Training,
+p. 162, N.&nbsp;Y. Ed., 1865.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;In none of
+these instances has it been proved that there
+were little children among them.&rdquo; <i>Kitto&rsquo;s
+Bib. Cyc., Art. Bap.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;That the baptism
+of children was not in use at that time appears
+evident from 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:14.</span>&rdquo; <i>Comment.
+on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor De Wette</span> says: &ldquo;This passage
+has been adduced in proof of the apostolical
+authority of infant baptism: but there is
+no proof here that any except adults were
+baptized.&rdquo; <i>Com. New Test., Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p139">[p.&nbsp;139]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Olshausen</span> says: &ldquo;There is altogether
+wanting any conclusive proof-text
+for the baptism of infants in the age of the
+apostles.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bloomfield</span> says of the jailer:
+&ldquo;It is taken for granted that his family became
+Christians as well as himself.&rdquo; <i>Com.
+on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other
+commentators declare that in this case the
+household all believed, and therefore were
+baptized and did rejoice. MacKnight considers
+the case of the household of Stephanas
+as giving no countenance to the baptism of
+infants. And with him agree Guise, Hammond,
+Doddridge, and others.</p>
+
+<p>As to the argument used by some, that
+baptism came in the place of circumcision,
+it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched
+and destitute of reason, to claim the serious
+regard of intelligent and candid minds.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p140">[p.&nbsp;140]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch13">CHAPTER XIII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church government</span></p>
+
+<p>A Christian church is a society with a
+corporate life, organized on some definite
+plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which
+it proposes to accomplish. It has, therefore,
+its officers and ordinances, its laws and regulations,
+fitted to administer its government
+and carry out its purposes. The question
+then arises, What is the true and proper
+form of church organization and government?
+We do not care to inquire as to the
+various and contradictory forms, as we see
+them about us in the different denominations,
+but what was the organic form and
+government of the first churches, planted
+by and molded under the hands of Christ&rsquo;s
+inspired Apostles.</p>
+
+<p>There are <i>three</i> special and widely different
+forms of church government which have
+gained prevalence in Christian communities
+during past age, and which are still maintained
+with varied success, each of which
+<span class="pagenum" id="p141">[p.&nbsp;141]</span>
+claims to have been the original primitive
+form:</p>
+
+<p>1. The <i>prelatical,</i> in which the governing
+power resides in prelates, or diocesan
+bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the
+Roman, Greek, English, and most Oriental
+churches.</p>
+
+<p>2. The <i>presbyterian,</i> in which the governing
+power resides in assemblies, synods,
+presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish
+Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian
+churches.</p>
+
+<p>3. The <i>independent,</i> in which the body
+is self-governing, each single and local
+church administering its own government
+by the voice of the majority of its members;
+as among Baptists, Congregationalists,
+Independents, and some other bodies.</p>
+
+<p>Now which of these modes of church
+life and administration is taught in the New
+Testament, if either? or which best accords
+with the constitution and government of the
+Apostolic churches?</p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold that each separate, local
+church is an independent body, governing
+itself according to the laws of Christ, as
+found in the New Testament; that each
+<span class="pagenum" id="p142">[p.&nbsp;142]</span>
+such church is independent of all other
+churches, and of all other persons, so far as
+administration is concerned, owing comity
+and fellowship to all, but allegiance and
+submission to none. The government is
+administered by the body of the members,
+where no one possesses a preeminence of
+authority, but each enjoys an equality of
+rights, and in which, in matters of opinion,
+the majority decides.</p>
+
+<p>That this style of church structure is
+according to the New Testament appears
+evident from a study of the sacred records
+themselves. The Apostles treated the
+churches as independent bodies. Their
+epistles were addressed to the churches
+as such; they reported their doings to
+them; enjoined upon them the duty of
+discipline; exhorted, instructed, and reproved
+them as independent and responsible
+bodies. They recognized the right of the
+churches to elect their own teachers and
+officers, a primary and fundamental right,
+which, when conceded supposes all other
+rights and powers necessary to a self-governing
+community acting under Divinely
+given laws.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the distinguished historian, says
+of the first age: &ldquo;The churches were taught
+<span class="pagenum" id="p143">[p.&nbsp;143]</span>
+to govern themselves.&rdquo; &ldquo;The brethren
+chose their own officers from among themselves.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;In respect to the election of
+church officers, the ancient principle was
+still adhered to: that the consent of the
+community was necessary to the validity of
+every such election, and each one was at
+liberty to offer reasons against it.&rdquo; <i>Introd.
+Coleman&rsquo;s Prim. Christ&rsquo;y, p. 19; Ch.
+Hist., Vol. I., p. 199; Plant. and Train.,
+p. 156.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the first century: &ldquo;In
+those primitive times, each Christian Church
+was composed of the <i>people,</i> the presiding
+<i>officers,</i> and the assistants, or <i>deacons.</i>
+These must be the component parts of every
+society. The principal voice was that of the
+<i>people,</i> or of the whole body of Christians.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;The assembled people, therefore, elected
+their own rulers and teachers.&rdquo; Of the
+second century, he adds: &ldquo;One president,
+or bishop, presides over each church. He
+was created by the common suffrages of the
+people.&rdquo; &ldquo;During a great part of this century,
+all the churches continued to be, as at
+first, <i>independent</i> of each other. Each
+church was a kind of small, independent republic,
+governing itself by its own laws,
+enacted, or at least sanctioned, by the people.&rdquo;
+<span class="pagenum" id="p144">[p.&nbsp;144]</span>
+<i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2, Sec.
+5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;These churches, wherever
+formed, became separate and independent
+bodies, competent to appoint their own
+officers and administer their own government
+without reference or subordination to
+any control, authority or foreign power.
+No fact connected with the history of the
+primitive church is more fully established
+or more generally conceded.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95.</i></p>
+
+<p>Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow,
+Doctor Burton, Doctor Waddington&mdash;all of
+them Church of England Divines&mdash;fully
+agree with this testimony, and confirm the
+evidence cited:</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Geiseler,</span> the historian, says, concerning
+early changes: &ldquo;Country churches, which
+had grown up around some city, seem, with
+their bishops, to have been usually, in a
+certain degree, under the authority of the
+mother church. With this exception, all the
+churches were alike independent, though
+some were especially held in honor, on such
+grounds as their Apostolic origin, or the importance
+of the city in which they were
+situated.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p145">[p.&nbsp;145]</span>
+Further discussion on this subject is not
+needed. The point is proved, and the independent
+form of church government is manifestly
+primitive and apostolic, as advocated
+and practiced by Baptists.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p146">[p.&nbsp;146]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch14">CHAPTER XIV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers</span></p>
+
+<p>How many, and what are the Scriptural
+officers of a Christian church? For a
+church, being a society, must have not only
+laws, but officers to execute them. How
+many orders are there in the ministry?
+These are questions which have at times
+greatly divided the Christian world.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists assert that the officers of a church
+are <i>two,</i>&mdash;and of right, can be no more,&mdash;<i>pastor</i>
+and <i>deacons.</i> In this opinion agree
+some other denominations, while the various
+Episcopal sects insist that there should be
+three sets&mdash;<i>deacons, priests,</i> and <i>bishops,</i> to
+which the Church of England adds archbishops.
+Others add to this number indefinitely;
+and the Romish Church carries
+the list up to ten or twelve, ending with the
+pope. Now it is not so much what this
+church preaches or practices, but on what
+basis were the primitive churches&mdash;the
+churches of inspiration&mdash;organized. Our
+<span class="pagenum" id="p147">[p.&nbsp;147]</span>
+Lord did not live to shape, and model, and
+put in order all things for the full equipment
+of His people, that they might be
+thoroughly furnished unto all good works,
+but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of
+wisdom by which they should be able to do
+all this, and carry out His plans, in the organization
+of His kingdom after He had left
+them. We assume that the first churches
+were organized on the Divine plan, and seek
+to ascertain what that plan was.</p>
+
+<p>In the New Testament, the words <i>bishop,
+presbyter, elder,</i> are used to designate church
+officers. They all, however, designate the
+same office, and therefore officially mean
+the same thing; indeed, they are not infrequently
+applied to the same individual.
+The bishop&mdash;called also the presbyter, or elder&mdash;was
+the <i>pastor,</i> or overseer of the spiritual
+flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it,
+as the shepherd does his sheep. The <i>deacons</i>
+were chosen to attend to the temporal interests
+of the church, as appears by the election
+of the seven, recorded in the sixth chapter
+of Acts. This was done in order that the
+Apostles might be free from the temporal
+cares, and thus able to give their attention
+more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of
+the people. The word <i>deacon</i> means a <i>minister,</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p148">[p.&nbsp;148]</span>
+a <i>servant.</i> It is sometimes applied to
+the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in
+the general sense as one who &ldquo;came, not to
+be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
+give His life a ransom for many.&rdquo; Some of
+the first deacons were also efficient preachers
+of the Gospel, but their work as deacons
+pertained to other services in the churches.
+While, therefore, the deacon is a church
+officer, his office does not constitute an order
+in the ministry at all, its functions belonging
+to temporal concerns, and not to a spiritual
+service. The service usually performed
+by clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be
+presumed, so far as such service was needed
+in the first churches, was devolved on the
+deacons.</p>
+
+<p>Pastors, by whatever name they may
+have been known, had the same service,
+and were of the same grade, dignity, and
+authority. In the first churches there were
+no high orders of clergy placed over lower
+grades, and over the churches ruling with
+superior authority. All were equals among
+equals, and all equally ministered to the
+churches. If in the same church there
+might chance to be several to whom the
+titles <i>bishop, presbyter,</i> or <i>elder</i> were applied,
+they were all of equal rank or authority,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p149">[p.&nbsp;149]</span>
+though one might be selected to serve as
+the pastor of the church, and devote himself
+to its local interests; while the others
+might give themselves to more general missionary
+work.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;The word <i>presbyter,</i> or
+<i>elder,</i> indicates rather the dignity of the
+office, since presbyters among the Jews were
+usually aged and venerable; while <i>bishop,</i>
+or <span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos,</span> designated the nature of their
+work as overseers, or pastors of the
+churches. The former title was used by
+Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the
+synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used
+by the Greek and other Gentile converts, as
+more familiar and expressive to them.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;They were not designed to exercise absolute
+authority, but to act as presiding officers
+and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to
+conduct all things, with the cooperation of
+the communities, as their ministers and not
+as their masters.&rdquo; <i>Introd. to Cole., Prim.
+Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant.
+and Train., p. 147.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;The rulers of the
+churches were denominated sometimes <i>presbyters,</i>
+or <i>elders,</i> a designation borrowed
+from the Jews, and indicative rather of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p150">[p.&nbsp;150]</span>
+wisdom than the age of the persons, and
+sometimes also <i>bishops:</i> for it is most manifest
+that both terms are promiscuously used
+in the New Testament of one and the same
+class of persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;In these primitive
+times, each Christian church was composed
+of the <i>people,</i> the presiding <i>officers,</i> and the
+assistants, or <i>deacons.</i> These must be the
+components of every society.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist.,
+Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Gieseler</span> asserts: &ldquo;The new churches
+everywhere formed themselves on the model
+of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the
+head of each were the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyter,
+bishop</i>), all officially of equal rank, though
+in several instances a peculiar authority
+seems to have been conceded to some one
+individual from personal considerations.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Part 1, Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Waddington</span> declares: &ldquo;It is also true
+that in the earliest government of the first
+Christian society,&mdash;that of Jerusalem,&mdash;not
+the <i>elders</i> only, but the &lsquo;whole church,&rsquo;
+were associated with the Apostles; and it is
+even certain that the terms <i>bishop</i> and <i>elder,</i>
+or <i>presbyter,</i> were in the first instance and
+for a short period, sometimes used synonymously,
+and indiscriminately applied to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p151">[p.&nbsp;151]</span>
+same order in the ministry.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.
+Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Usher</span> says that &ldquo;<i>bishop</i>
+and <i>presbyter</i> differed only in degree, and
+not in order.&rdquo; See <i>Cole., Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Burnett</span> says: &ldquo;As for the
+notion of distinct offices of <i>bishop</i> and <i>presbyter,</i>
+I confess it is not so clear to me.&rdquo;
+<i>Vindic. Ch. of Sects, p. 366.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;It is generally
+admitted by Episcopal writers on this subject,
+that in the New Testament, and in the
+earliest ecclesiastical writings, the terms
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>presbyters,</i> or elders, are synonymous,
+and denote one and the same
+office.&rdquo; &ldquo;The office of <i>presbyter</i> was undeniably
+identical with that of <i>bishop,</i> as has
+been shown above.&rdquo; &ldquo;Only <i>two orders</i> of
+officers are known in the church until the
+close of the second century. Those of the
+first are styled either <i>bishops</i> or <i>presbyters;</i>
+of the second, <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,
+Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5.</i></p>
+
+<p>This author cites many of the early Christian
+Fathers who bore the same testimony,
+among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp,
+Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Jerome,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p152">[p.&nbsp;152]</span>
+Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many
+prelatical writers, besides these above
+quoted, frankly admit the same facts.</p>
+
+<p>The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts <span class="wsnw">20:17,</span> 18),
+called together the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyters</i>)
+of the Ephesian Church. But in verse
+28 he calls these officers <i>overseers</i> (<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span>).
+Here the terms <span lang="grc-Latn">presbuteros</span> and
+<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span> were certainly used interchangeably.</p>
+
+<p>Paul and Timothy, in their address to the
+Philippian Christians, specify three classes
+as evidently constituting the entire body of
+disciples. They say, &ldquo;To all the <i>saints</i> in
+Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; Saints, bishops, and
+deacons embraced the whole church.</p>
+
+<p>Timothy was instructed by Paul as to
+the qualifications of pastors to be placed
+over the churches. (1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:1.)</span> Particular
+directions are given as to both
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons,</i> but no mention is made
+of elders&mdash;clearly because they were the
+same as bishops.</p>
+
+<p>Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors
+for the church in Crete. (Titus <span class="wsnw">1:5,</span> 7.)
+These pastors are called <i>elders</i> in verse
+5 and <i>bishops</i> in verse 7.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p153">[p.&nbsp;153]</span>
+<i>Pastors</i> and <i>deacons,</i> therefore, are two
+orders, and these officers simply were known
+or needed in the Apostolic churches. In
+this, also, the views held by Baptists are in
+harmony with the customs of the churches
+in the first and purest age of Christian history.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p154">[p.&nbsp;154]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch15">CHAPTER XV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptist history</span></p>
+
+<p>It is sometimes asked: &ldquo;When and
+where did the Baptists originate? Who
+were their founders? What is their history?&rdquo;
+These are questions of interest;
+but a more important one would be: &ldquo;Are
+they right? Is their faith according to the
+teachings of the New Testament?&rdquo; Many
+things which are old are not true. Creeds
+and sects may boast a venerable antiquity,
+while the Word of God utterly condemns
+them. Any organization that cannot reasonably
+claim Christ for its founder has
+small right to the name of a Christian
+church, no matter how old it may be.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists claim to be built on the foundation
+of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus
+Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone.
+If this claim be well founded, whether they
+have a written history of one century or of
+twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the
+past belongs to any, it may be well to know.
+<span class="pagenum" id="p155">[p.&nbsp;155]</span>
+Any Baptist history constitutes one of the
+most interesting chapters in the records of
+Christianity.</p>
+
+<p>During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines
+of the Gospel became corrupted, and
+its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and
+Gentile converts brought into the churches
+many of their old religious notions, and
+incorporated them with the faith of Christ.
+These, together with the many philosophical
+ideas of the times and the perversions to
+which the truth is always exposed from the
+ignorance and selfishness of men, very early
+turned the churches aside from the faith
+once delivered to the saints. Still there
+were many who in simplicity and humility
+maintained the doctrines and customs in
+their original purity. Those churches which
+were strongest and most prosperous were
+most exposed to corruption by alliances with
+the world.</p>
+
+<p>When at length the period of martyrdom
+and persecution terminated; when a nominal
+Christianity took possession of a throne,
+and Church and State became united, then
+religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its simplicity,
+its spirituality, and its power, and a
+temporal hierarchy took the place of the
+church of Christ. This was the great apostasy
+<span class="pagenum" id="p156">[p.&nbsp;156]</span>
+of the early times. But all the churches
+and all disciples did not follow in the wake
+of this sad departure from the truth. Many
+congregations and communities of true worshipers
+kept the doctrines of the Gospel, and
+practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in
+their primitive purity. And this they continued
+to do through all the ages of darkness
+and corruption which followed. They
+were never identified with the Roman or
+Greek churches; they never were in alliance
+with States; never formed hierarchies. As
+independent congregations, or small communities,
+with no other bond of union than a
+common faith, fellowship, and sympathy,
+often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the
+Word of God as their guide, they sought to
+realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a
+spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.</p>
+
+<p>These religious communities were by the
+dominant hierarchies called <i>sects,</i> and stigmatized
+as <i>heretics.</i> As such they were
+traduced and persecuted continually. And
+though they may have had their errors,
+they were the best and purest defenders of
+the Christian faith, and the truest representatives
+of the first disciples of Christ then
+existing. The State churches were the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p157">[p.&nbsp;157]</span>
+heretics; while those so-called sects were the
+true successors of the first Christians.</p>
+
+<p>They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated
+and martyred because they bore
+witness to the truth of God and testified
+against the errors and vices of the so-called
+churches. History has never done them
+justice, and perhaps never will; because
+history has been too much written in the
+interest of their enemies, or from their
+standpoint. Tortured and tormented by
+those who should have been their defenders,
+crowns and miters alike pledged to their
+destruction, they could do nothing but
+suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ&rsquo;s
+faithful witnesses. They were known by
+various names in different ages and in different
+lands, but retained the same general
+characteristics.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>first</i> and <i>second</i> centuries, Messalians,
+Montanists, Euchites, were terms
+which distinguished some of these sects.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>third, fourth,</i> and <i>fifth</i> centuries
+arose the Novatians. Increasing with exceeding
+rapidity, they quite overspread the
+Roman empire, in spite of the cruel and
+destructive persecutions which they suffered.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>fourth</i> century the Donatists appeared,
+as a new form of existing sects, or
+<span class="pagenum" id="p158">[p.&nbsp;158]</span>
+a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied
+rapidly, spread extensively, and long
+survived.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>seventh</i> century appeared the Paulicians,
+attracting much attention, and calling
+down upon themselves the wrath of the
+Romish Church. Still they increased
+greatly, notwithstanding their many persecutions.</p>
+
+<p>That these Christian communities should
+have been faultless could not be supposed.
+But they were the best of the ages in which
+they lived, and maintained the purest forms
+of Gospel truth and practice. Without
+the advantage of organization and association,
+they differed somewhat among themselves.</p>
+
+<p>But in general they all professed to take
+the New Testament as the rule of their
+faith and practice. They held to a spiritual
+church-membership, and received only professedly
+regenerated persons to the ordinances.
+Denying the orthodoxy of the
+Romish Church, they rebaptized persons
+received from that body, and hence were
+called <i>Anabaptists.</i> Infant baptism they
+rejected, according to Allix, Mosheim, Robinson,
+and other historians. Baptism they
+administered by immersion, as indeed did
+<span class="pagenum" id="p159">[p.&nbsp;159]</span>
+all Christians during those ages. Robinson
+calls them &ldquo;Trinitarian Baptists.&rdquo; It is
+said that the Empress Theodora, after
+having confiscated their property, caused
+to be cruelly put to death no less than
+one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no
+other fault or offense than their religious
+faith.</p>
+
+<p>About the close of the <i>tenth</i> century appeared
+the Paterines; substantially the
+same people, no doubt as had previously
+existed under other names. They too rejected
+infant baptism, and protested against
+the corruptions of the Romish Church; in
+consequence of which they suffered long and
+severe persecution.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>eleventh</i> century, and the ages following,
+were the Waldenses, Albigenses,
+Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons.
+These were new names, and names usually
+given by their enemies. They increased,
+even under their persecutions, to a wonderful
+extent, and attracted the notice, if not
+the sympathy, of all Europe.</p>
+
+<p>It is not pretended that these ancient
+sects were known by the name as Baptists; but
+in general they held the more prominent
+and distinctive principles which have always
+characterized the Baptists; thus: 1.&nbsp;They
+<span class="pagenum" id="p160">[p.&nbsp;160]</span>
+declared and defended the rights of faith
+and conscience and the freedom of worship.
+2.&nbsp;They denied the authority of popes and
+the right of kings and States to interfere
+with the people in matters of religion.
+3.&nbsp;They rejected infant baptism. 4.&nbsp;They baptized
+by dipping. 5.&nbsp;They held the Bible to
+be the only rule and authority in concerns of
+religious faith and practice. 6.&nbsp;They admitted
+to the churches none except such as
+professed to be regenerated and godly persons.</p>
+
+<p>Now it is conceded by all historians of
+note that such churches and communities
+did exist, separate from and persecuted by,
+the prevailing State churches and civil
+authorities during all the ages from the
+Apostles to the Reformation.</p>
+
+<p>When the Reformation under Luther and
+his coadjutors broke out, these sects to a
+great extent fraternized with, and were lost
+in, the multitude of the reformers. Such as
+continued their separate existence, as the
+Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence
+of the reformers, did from sympathy
+what the persecutions of the Papists had
+never been able to compel them to do&mdash;abandon
+dipping for sprinkling in baptism,
+adopted infant baptism, and took the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p161">[p.&nbsp;161]</span>
+general forms of religious life, into which
+Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the welsh baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>Few denominations have a better claim
+to antiquity than the Welsh Baptists. They
+trace their descent directly from the
+Apostles and urge in favor of their claim
+arguments which have never been confuted.</p>
+
+<p>When Austin, the Romish monk and
+missionary, visited Wales, at the close of
+the <i>sixth</i> century, he found a community of
+more than two thousand Christians, quietly
+living in their mountain homes. They
+were independent of the Romish See, and
+wholly rejected its authority. Austin
+labored hard to convert them&mdash;that is, to
+bring them under the Papal yoke; but entirely
+failed in the effort. Yielding things
+in general, he reduced his demand upon
+them to three particulars: 1.&nbsp;That they
+should observe Easter in due form, as ordered
+by the Church. 2.&nbsp;That they should
+give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.
+3.&nbsp;That they should preach to the
+English the Word of God, as
+<span class="wsnw">directed.<a id="ch15_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p162">[p.&nbsp;162]</span>
+These demands of Austin prove that they
+neither observed the Popish ordinance of
+Easter, nor baptized their children. They,
+however, rejected all his overtures, whereupon
+he left them with threats of war and
+wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was
+invaded by the Saxons, and many of these
+inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as
+was believed, at the instigation of this
+bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the dutch baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>The Baptists of Holland have a history
+that reaches back to a very remote period,
+if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently
+assert. And this antiquity is conceded
+by historians who have no sympathy
+with their denominational sentiments.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says,
+&ldquo;The true origin of that sect which
+acquired the name Anabaptist <i>is hid in the
+remote depths of antiquity,</i> and is consequently
+extremely difficult to be ascertained.&rdquo;
+<i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427,
+Mac. Ed., 1811.</i> See <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Zwingli,</span> the Swiss Reformer, contemporary
+<span class="pagenum" id="p163">[p.&nbsp;163]</span>
+with Luther, declares: &ldquo;The institution
+of Anabaptism is no novelty but for
+<i>thirteen hundred years</i> has caused great disturbance
+in the church.&rdquo; <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i> Thirteen hundred years
+before his time would have carried it back
+to within two centuries of the death of
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dermont,</span> chaplain to the king
+of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij, professor of
+theology at Groningen, a few years since
+received a royal commission to prepare a
+history of the Reformed Dutch Church.
+That history, prepared under royal sanction,
+and officially published, contains the following
+manly and generous testimony to the
+antiquity and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists.
+&ldquo;We have now seen that the Baptists,
+who were formerly called Anabaptists, and
+in later times Mennonites, were the original
+Waldenses, and have long in the history of
+the church received the honor of that origin.
+On this account, <i>the Baptists may be considered
+the only Christian community which has
+stood since the Apostles, and as a Christian
+society, which has preserved pure the doctrines
+of the Gospel through all ages.&rdquo; Hist.
+Ref. Dutch Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819.</i> See
+<i>Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p164">[p.&nbsp;164]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the persecutions of this
+people in the sixteenth century, &ldquo;Vast
+numbers of these people, in nearly all the
+countries of Europe, would rather perish
+miserably by drowning, hanging, burning,
+or decapitation, than renounce the opinions
+they had embraced.&rdquo; And their
+innocency he vindicates thus: &ldquo;It is
+indeed true that many Anabaptists were
+put to death, not as being bad citizens,
+or injurious members of civil society,
+but as being incurable <i>heretics,</i> who were
+condemned by the old canon laws. For
+the error of <i>adult baptism</i> was in that
+age looked upon as a horrible offense.&rdquo;
+That was their only crime. <i>Eccl. Hist.,
+Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller&rsquo;s
+Ch. Hist., B. 4.</i></p>
+
+<p>This testimony is all the more welcome,
+because it comes from those who have no
+ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but
+who, in fidelity to history, bear honest testimony
+to the truth which history teaches.
+The circumstances under which their evidence
+was produced give it additional
+force.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Cardinal Hossius,</span> chairman of the
+council at Trent, says: &ldquo;If the truth of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p165">[p.&nbsp;165]</span>
+religion were to be judged of by the readiness
+and cheerfulness which a man of any
+sect shows in suffering, then the opinions
+and persuasions of no sect can be truer or
+surer, than those of the <i>Anabaptists;</i> since
+there have been none, for these <i>twelve hundred
+years past,</i> that have been more grievously
+punished.&rdquo; <i>Orchard&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.,
+Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364.</i></p>
+
+<p>Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists,
+called Anabaptists, and Mennonites, miserably
+perished by the hands of their cruel
+persecutors, for no crime but their refusal
+to conform to established
+<span class="wsnw">churches.<a id="ch15_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the english baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>At what time the Baptists appeared in
+England in definite denominational form, it
+is impossible to say. But from the <i>twelfth</i>
+to the <i>seventeenth</i> century, many of them
+suffered cruel persecutions, and death by
+burning, drowning, and beheading, besides
+many other, and sometimes most inhuman
+tortures. And this they suffered both from
+Papists and Protestants, condemned by both
+civil and ecclesiastical tribunals, only because
+<span class="pagenum" id="p166">[p.&nbsp;166]</span>
+they persisted in worshiping God, according
+to the dictates of their consciences,
+and because they would not submit their religious
+faith and worship to the dictates of
+popes and <span class="wsnw">princes.<a id="ch15_fna3"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn3">[3]</a></span>
+In 1538, royal edicts
+were issued against them, and several were
+burnt at the stake in Smithfield.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Brande</span> writes that: &ldquo;In the year 1538,
+thirty-one Baptists, that fled from England,
+were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the
+men were beheaded, the women were
+drowned.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Reformers.</i> See <i>Benedict&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,
+Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol. II, p. 355,
+Sup.</i> What crime had they committed to
+merit such treatment as this?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Latimer</span> declares that, &ldquo;The
+Baptists that were burnt in different parts
+of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and
+without any fear, during the time of Henry
+VIII.&rdquo; <i>Lent Sermons. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Purit.,
+Vol. II, p. 356.</i></p>
+
+<p>Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they
+suffered perhaps no more than under that of
+the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign
+of the latter a congregation of Baptists was
+<span class="pagenum" id="p167">[p.&nbsp;167]</span>
+discovered in London, whereupon several
+were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned,
+and two burnt at
+<span class="wsnw">Smithfield.<a id="ch15_fna4"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn4">[4]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Featley,</span> one of their bitter enemies,
+wrote of them, in 1633: &ldquo;This sect,
+among others, hath so far presumed upon
+the patience of the State, that it hath held
+weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds
+of men and women together in the twilight,
+in rivulets and in some arms of the
+Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all
+over head and ears. It hath printed divers
+pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea,
+and challenged some of our preachers to disputation.&rdquo;
+<i>Eng. Bapt. Jubilee Memor.,
+Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bapt., p. 304.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bailey</span> wrote, in 1639, that: &ldquo;Under
+the shadow of independency they have lifted
+up their heads, and increased their numbers
+above all sects in the land. They have
+<i>forty-six churches</i> in and about London.
+They are a people very fond of religious
+liberty, and very unwilling to be brought
+under bondage of the judgment of others.&rdquo;
+<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History, p. 304.</i></p>
+
+<p>The first book published in the English
+<span class="pagenum" id="p168">[p.&nbsp;168]</span>
+language on the subject of baptism was
+translated from the Dutch, and bears date
+1618. From this time they multiplied
+rapidly through all parts of the kingdom.
+The first regularly organized church among
+them, known as such in England, dates
+from 1607, and was formed in London by
+a Mr. Smyth, previously a clergyman of
+the Established Church.</p>
+
+<p>In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called,
+held a convention in London, in which more
+than one hundred congregations were represented,
+and which issued a confession of
+faith, still in use and highly esteemed.</p>
+
+<p>The last Baptist martyr in England was
+Edward Wightman, of Burton upon Trent,
+condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and
+burnt at Litchfield, April 11,
+<span class="wsnw">1612.<a id="ch15_fna5"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn5">[5]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">american baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>The history of American Baptists runs
+back a little more than two and a quarter
+centuries. In this country, as elsewhere,
+they were cradled amidst persecution, and
+nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This
+has been their fortune in every age, and in
+every land.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p169">[p.&nbsp;169]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Roger Williams,</span> a distinguished and
+an honored name, was identified with the
+rise of the denomination in America. He
+has been called their founder, because he organized
+the first church, and was intimately
+connected with their early history. Williams
+was born in Wales, 1598, educated at
+Oxford, England, came to America in 1630,
+and settled as minister of the Puritan church
+in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after, he
+adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church
+order, on account of which he was banished
+by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of
+Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous
+winter, in a new and inhospitable country.
+Having wandered far and suffered much,
+finding the savage Indians more generous
+and hospitable than his fellow Christians,
+he finally reached and fixed his future home
+at what is now Providence, R.&nbsp;I. Here,
+with a few associates of like faith, he founded
+a new colony, calling both the city and the
+colony <i>Providence,</i> in recognition of the
+Divine guidance and protection, which he
+had in so remarkable a manner experienced.</p>
+
+<p>In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism
+from one of his associates, there being no
+minister to perform that service. He in
+turn baptized his associates, and a church
+<span class="pagenum" id="p170">[p.&nbsp;170]</span>
+was organized, of which he was chosen
+pastor. He was also appointed first Governor
+of Rhode Island. Full liberty was
+granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger
+Williams became the first ruler, and Rhode
+Island the first State which ever gave entire
+freedom to all persons to worship God,
+according to their own choice, without dictation
+or interference from civil or ecclesiastical
+authorities.</p>
+
+<p>On account of this unrestricted liberty
+many Baptists, as well as other persecuted
+religionists from other colonies, and from
+Europe, collected in considerable numbers
+at Providence, and spread through the
+colony.</p>
+
+<p>It is a mistake to suppose that all the
+Baptist churches in America grew out of the
+one which Roger Williams founded. It is
+even doubtful whether any single church
+arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration
+increased, other churches grew up,
+having no connection with that; and with
+considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists
+spread into adjoining colonies, particularly
+west and south. For a long time,
+however, they were sorely persecuted, especially
+in Massachusetts and Connecticut;
+persecuted even by those who had themselves
+<span class="pagenum" id="p171">[p.&nbsp;171]</span>
+fled from persecution in their native
+land, to find freedom and refuge in these
+distant wilds.</p>
+
+<p>In 1644, the present First Church in
+Newport, R.&nbsp;I., was organized. But
+whether the present First Church in Providence
+was constituted before this date is
+still a disputed point. Both claim priority.
+In 1656, the Second Church, Newport, was
+formed. Then followed in order of time
+the church in Swansea, Massachusetts,
+1663; First, Boston, 1665; North Kingstone,
+R.&nbsp;I., 1665; Seventh Day Church,
+Newport, 1671; South Kingstone, R.&nbsp;I.,
+1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown,
+N.&nbsp;J., 1688; Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689;
+Charleston, S.&nbsp;C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,
+1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton,
+Ct., 1705. Others, not mentioned, arose
+within this period in these and other colonies.
+With the increase of population, Baptists
+rapidly increased and widely spread
+over the country.</p>
+
+<p><i>Edward&rsquo;s Tables</i> gives the number of
+American Baptist Churches in 1768, as
+only 137.</p>
+
+<p><i>Asplund&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1790, reported
+872 churches, 722 ordained ministers, with
+64,975 members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p172">[p.&nbsp;172]</span>
+<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History</i> states that in 1812,
+there were 2,633 churches, 2,143 ordained
+ministers, and 204,185 members.</p>
+
+<p><i>Allen&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1836, puts them at
+7,299 churches, 4.075 ordained ministers,
+and 517,523 members.</p>
+
+<p><i>The Baptist Year-Book</i> gives the following
+figures:</p>
+
+<table>
+<tr><th>Date</th><th>Churches</th><th>Ministers</th><th>Members</th></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1840</td><td class="tdr">7,771</td><td class="tdr">5,208</td><td class="tdr">571,291</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1860</td><td class="tdr">12,279</td><td class="tdr">7,773</td><td class="tdr">1,016,134</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1880</td><td class="tdr">26,080</td><td class="tdr">16,569</td><td class="tdr">2,296,327</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1890</td><td class="tdr">33,588</td><td class="tdr">21,175</td><td class="tdr">3,070,047</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1900</td><td class="tdr">43,427</td><td class="tdr">29,473</td><td class="tdr">4,181,086</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1910</td><td class="tdr">49,045</td><td class="tdr">33,909</td><td class="tdr">5,266,369</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1920</td><td class="tdr">53,866</td><td class="tdr">42,121</td><td class="tdr">7,504,447</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1930</td><td class="tdr">53,888</td><td class="tdr">49,907</td><td class="tdr">8,915,785</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><i>The Year-Book</i> gives the Sunday school
+statistics for 1930, as follows: For the
+United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment
+5,143,056.</p>
+
+<p>The figures given in all these cases are
+probably less than the actual facts warrant,
+since full reports from associations,
+churches, and schools can never be obtained.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">other baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood,
+there are in the United States very many
+<span class="pagenum" id="p173">[p.&nbsp;173]</span>
+other and smaller denominations, which
+practice immersion, but are not in fellowship
+with, or reckoned as a part of, the great
+Baptist family.</p>
+
+<p>The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on
+account of their observing Saturday, or the
+seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath,
+on the ground that the Jewish Sabbath was
+never abrogated. They are estimated at
+about 7,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Free Will Baptists, who take their
+name from their views as to the freedom
+of the human will and practice open communion,
+number about 66,000. In the North
+the Free Will Baptist churches have generally
+united with the Northern Convention,
+and their membership is reckoned with that
+of the regular Baptist body.</p>
+
+<p>The Six Principle Baptists, so called because
+their doctrinal confession is based on
+the six points mentioned in Hebrews <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span>
+2, are estimated at about 300.</p>
+
+<p>The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather
+Primitive Baptists, found chiefly in the
+Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday
+schools, or other reform movements lest
+they should seem to interfere with the Divine
+decrees. They are said to number
+43,000.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p174">[p.&nbsp;174]</span>
+The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called
+Campbellites, or Christians, number about
+1,200,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership
+of the Churches of God in North
+America, are estimated at about 30,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups
+number about 126,000, and the United
+Brethren, about 330,000.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">baptists elsewhere</span></p>
+
+<p>In North America, aside from the United
+States, but including the provinces of British
+America, Central America, Mexico, and the
+West Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930
+about 249,809.</p>
+
+<p>In Europe there were in 1930 about
+1,639,656.</p>
+
+<p>In Asia, about 361,800.</p>
+
+<p>In Australasia, about 35,113.</p>
+
+<p>In Africa, about 83,041.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn1"><p><a href="#ch15_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+See Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn2"><p><a href="#ch15_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>
+Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,
+Vol. II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller&rsquo;s Ch. Hist., B. 4.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn3"><p><a href="#ch15_fna3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>
+See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and Benedict.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn4"><p><a href="#ch15_fna4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>
+Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II., p. 358. Supplement.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn5"><p><a href="#ch15_fna5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>
+Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div id="DTN" class="trans_notes">
+<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>
+<div class="smaller">
+<ul>
+<li>The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word
+&ldquo;missionaries&rdquo;: mission|aries. In this and all subsequent
+cases, the whole word was moved to the earlier page.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word &ldquo;thousand&rdquo;:
+thou|sand.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word &ldquo;admitted&rdquo;:
+ad|mitted.</li>
+<li>Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word &ldquo;general&rdquo;:
+gen|eral.</li>
+<li>Page 10, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 11, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo;, &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;His Gospel,&rdquo; and &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 12, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice); change
+&ldquo;fulfil&rdquo; to &ldquo;fulfill&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Him&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change &ldquo;fulfils&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;fulfills&rdquo; and &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His Word&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His&rdquo;; change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 15, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 18, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 19, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;Me&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;
+Note 7, apply RC to &ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word
+&ldquo;baptismal&rdquo;: bap|tismal.</li>
+<li>Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 23, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 24, Note 2, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word
+&ldquo;possibly&rdquo;: pos|sibly.</li>
+<li>Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word
+&ldquo;ecclesiastical&rdquo;: ecclesias|tical.</li>
+<li>Page 46, Voting, point 1, change &ldquo;deliberatively&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;deliberately.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word
+&ldquo;services&rdquo;: ser|vices.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word
+&ldquo;importance&rdquo;: impor|tance.</li>
+<li>Page 56, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 57, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 58, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; add
+comma to &ldquo;Britain Baptists&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 59, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;
+Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My.&rdquo; Section II, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Persons&rdquo; and &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Thee.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 60, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; apply RC to
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 61, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Himself&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 5, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 62, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC
+to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;One.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 63, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice). Note 3, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Me.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 64, note 1, change &ldquo;Rev. 8:7&ndash;9&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.
+3:7&ndash;9.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;Eph. 8:14&ndash;21&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Eph. 5:14&ndash;21.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Prophet,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Priest,&rdquo; &ldquo;King,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 65, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change
+&ldquo;Eph. 2:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;Eph. 2:8&rdquo; and change &ldquo;ye
+are&rdquo; to &ldquo;are ye&rdquo; to match the quotation. Note 2,
+change &ldquo;Acts 11:38&rdquo; to &ldquo;Acts 2:38&rdquo; to match the
+quotation. Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Point IX, apply RC to
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 66, note 1, change &ldquo;a holy calling&rdquo; to &ldquo;an holy
+calling.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;elects sake&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;elect&rsquo;s sakes&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chris&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Christ.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:10&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 1:4.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 67, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note
+1, change &ldquo;Thess 4:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:3.&rdquo; Note
+3, change &ldquo;Phil. 1:12, 13&rdquo; to &ldquo;Phil. 2:12, 13&rdquo; to
+match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo;
+(twice). Note 2, change &ldquo;John 2:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;John
+2:19&rdquo; to match the quotation.</li>
+<li>Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Section XII, apply RC
+to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;Rom. 8:2, 4&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Rom. 8:2&ndash;4&rdquo; to match the quotation; apply RC to
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 69, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Scriptural.&rdquo; Note 4, change
+&ldquo;John 1#:15&rdquo; (where # represents a poorly printed sort), to
+&ldquo;John 13:15.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 70, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, change &ldquo;Matt.
+18:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 28:19&rdquo; to match quotation. Note 3,
+change &ldquo;raised from the dead&ldquo; to &ldquo;raised up from the
+dead.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 71, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;My,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and &ldquo;My&rdquo;; change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor.
+11:27&ndash;30&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor. 11:22&ndash;30.&rdquo; Note 2,
+apply RC to &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; (four
+times) and &ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 72, note 2, change &ldquo;Ps. 113:24&rdquo; to &ldquo;Ps.
+113:2&ndash;4.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him&rdquo;; change &ldquo;then shall thou delight&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;then shalt thou delight.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Point XVII, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 73, note 4, change &ldquo;Rev. 19:14&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.
+19:16&rdquo; to match quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;
+(twice). Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 74, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 5, change
+&ldquo;Matt. 25:35&ndash;41&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 25:31&ndash;46.&rdquo;
+Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 75, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice), &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 76, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word
+&ldquo;expressed&rdquo;: ex|pressed.</li>
+<li>Page 79, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 82, apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 85, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 86, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 88, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 89, change &ldquo;Malancthon&rdquo; to &ldquo;Malanchthon&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;colaborer&rdquo; to &ldquo;co-laborer.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 90, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a churchman.
+Change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 91, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word
+&ldquo;sufficient&rdquo;: suf|ficient.</li>
+<li>Page 92, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word
+&ldquo;immersion&rdquo;: immer|sion.</li>
+<li>Page 95, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word
+&ldquo;original&rdquo;: origi|nal.</li>
+<li>Page 98, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practised&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 99, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(twice).</li>
+<li>Page 100, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 101, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 102, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 104, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 105, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word
+&ldquo;Parliament&rdquo;: Par|liament.</li>
+<li>Page 108, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice) and
+&ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 109, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;My&rdquo; (four times), &ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word
+&ldquo;practiced&rdquo; (changed from &ldquo;practised&rdquo;):
+prac|ticed.</li>
+<li>Page 110, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 111, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 112, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 113, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 114, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 115, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word
+&ldquo;infants&rdquo;: in|fants.</li>
+<li>Page 116, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(thrice).</li>
+<li>Page 117, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;;  change &ldquo;practise&rdquo;
+to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 118, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word
+&ldquo;remaining&rdquo;: re|maining.</li>
+<li>Page 119, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen.</li>
+<li>Page 120, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring
+to a churchman.</li>
+<li>Page 124, apply RC to &ldquo;Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 125, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 129, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo;
+(thrice). Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 130, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a
+churchman; apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 131, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 132, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;
+Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 133, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 134, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 136, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;
+Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 137, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 138, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 140, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 141, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 142, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word
+&ldquo;people&rdquo;: peo|ple.</li>
+<li>Page 144, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen;
+apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo; Add &ldquo;Ch. Hist.&rdquo; to the
+Geiseler citation.</li>
+<li>Page 145, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 146, change &ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 147, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His
+Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word
+&ldquo;minister&rdquo;: min|ister.</li>
+<li>Page 148, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word
+&ldquo;authority&rdquo;: author|ity.</li>
+<li>Page 149, change &ldquo;later&rdquo; to &ldquo;latter.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 150, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 152, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle&rdquo;; change
+<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopous&rdquo;</span> to
+<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopos&rdquo;</span> for consistency.</li>
+<li>Page 153, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 154, apply RC to &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Himself.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 155, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word
+&ldquo;apostasy&rdquo;: apos|tasy.</li>
+<li>Page 156, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo;; change
+&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Word&rdquo; and &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 158, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 160, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 161, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word
+&ldquo;contemporary&rdquo;: contempo|rary.</li>
+<li>Page 163, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 164, change &ldquo;offence&rdquo; to &ldquo;offense.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word
+&ldquo;because&rdquo;: be|cause.</li>
+<li>Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after
+&ldquo;Smithfield&rdquo;; change &ldquo;suffered perhaps more&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;suffered perhaps no more.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 167, change &ldquo;defence&rdquo; to &ldquo;defense.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 169, add comma to &ldquo;after he&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word
+&ldquo;themselves&rdquo;: them|selves.</li>
+<li>Page 173, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(twice); apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 61084 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, by 
+Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches
+
+Author: Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61084]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STANDARD MANUAL FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by John Hagerson and Mrs. Faith Ball
+
+
+
+
++Transcriber's Notes+
+
+ - This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to
+   discuss their history, organization, polity, and operations. The
+   book itself has a small form factor, suitable to be carried in a
+   suit coat pocket.
+ - The author's perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are
+   introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against
+   alternatives.
+ - Detailed information on the Transcriber's changes are listed after
+   the text.
+
+THE
+
+STANDARD MANUAL
+
+FOR
+
+BAPTIST CHURCHES
+
+_By_
+
+EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.
+
+Author of
+"The Baptist's Short Method," "Star Book for Ministers,"
+"The Star Book Series," "Pastors' Manual," etc.
+
+PHILADELPHIA
+
+THE AMERICAN BAPITST
+PUBLICATION SOCIETY
+
+CHICAGO   KANSAS CITY   LOS ANGELES   SEATTLE
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by
+THE AMERICAN BAPITST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
+In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington
+------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PRINTED IN U.S.A.
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+It is now thirty years since the "Baptist Church Directory," prepared
+by the writer, was first published. That work was designed to be
+somewhat of a _consensus_ of the opinions of those best able to judge
+in matters of Baptist church polity and usage, especially as to what
+concerns administration and discipline. It might thus prove a help to
+both pastors and members, particularly in perplexing cases liable to
+arise. Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify the order and customs
+of our churches through our widely extended ranks. This hope has been
+realized. More than fifty thousand copies of that book have been
+circulated in this country. It has also been translated, more or less
+fully, into six or seven different languages by our missionaries, for
+use in our missions and foreign fields.
+
+But many of the churches desired a smaller and less expensive manual,
+which they could put into the hands of all their members. To meet this
+want, sixteen years ago, the writer prepared the little "Star Book on
+Baptist Church Polity," which many churches have adopted, furnishing
+their members and candidates for membership with them freely. This has
+had a circulation of over thirty thousand copies; and both this and the
+"Directory" are in as great demand as at any previous time.
+
+It is something more than twenty years since the "Baptist Short
+Method," by the same author was published. The purpose of this manual
+was to give a concise view of those distinctive features which mark the
+difference between Baptists and other denominations, especially as to
+the ordinances and church order; and also to furnish the proofs by
+which our position in these respects is justified. About ten thousand
+copies of this book have found their way into circulation.
+
+The preparation of the present manual was undertaken at the request of,
+and by an arrangement with the pastor, R. S. MacArthur, D.D., on behalf
+of Calvary Baptist Church, New York City, for the special use of that
+church. Something was desired smaller than the "Directory," and more
+full than the "Star Book," embracing certain features of the "Short
+Method." When completed, it was thought to be, on the whole, so much
+superior to anything ever before prepared, as a manual for general use
+in Baptist churches, that by mutual consent, it was decided to have it
+published for general circulation, rather than confine it to the use of
+a single church.
+
+To both ministers and members, such a manual, it is hoped, will prove a
+valuable helper in the interest of church order, and of denominational
+unity and prosperity. Especially for the younger members, so many
+thousands of whom are yearly admitted to the fellowship of the
+churches, with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly instructed
+as to either doctrines or order, it should prove a most valuable
+assistant. Concise and accurate in statement of facts, transparent in
+arrangement of matters, convenient in form, and cheap in cost, pastors
+will find it to their own advantage, as well as to that of their
+members, to see that their churches are liberally supplied with copies.
+The pastor of one of our very largest and most prosperous churches, for
+whose use its preparation was undertaken, shows his estimate of its
+value, and sets other pastors a wise and worthy example, by ordering in
+advance of publication, _one thousand copies_ for his church.
+
+May the Divine blessing make this, as other works have been made, a
+means of furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and efficient
+service for Christ, in the churches for which it is designed.
+
+E. T. H.
+MOUNT VERNON, N. Y.
+January 24, 1890.
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+CHAPTER I
+A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
+
+CHAPTER II
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+CHAPTER III
+CHURCH ORDINANCES
+
+CHAPTER IV
+CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP
+
+CHAPTER V
+CHURCH DISCIPLINE
+
+CHAPTER VI
+CASES OF APPEAL
+
+CHAPTER VII
+CHURCH BUSINESS
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
+
+CHAPTER IX
+OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS
+
+CHAPTER X
+BAPTISM CONSIDERED
+
+CHAPTER XI
+THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+CHAPTER XII
+INFANT BAPTISM
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+CHURCH GOVERNMENT
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+CHAPTER XV
+BAPTIST HISTORY
+
+
++STANDARD MANUAL FOR
+BAPTIST CHURCHES+
+
++CHAPTER I+
+
+A CHRISTIAN CHURCH
+
+The word "church" is, in common language, used with large latitude of
+meaning. It is applied to a building used for Christian worship, to a
+congregation of Christian worshipers, to a religious establishment, to
+a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the aggregate of all Christian
+believers, and to a local company of Christian disciples associated in
+covenant for religious purposes. The latter is its common use in the
+New Testament.
+
+The Greek word _ekklesia,_ rendered "church," is derived from a word
+meaning "called out," and is used to indicate a company called out from
+a larger and more general assembly or concourse of people. In the free
+Greek cities, it designated a company of persons possessed of the
+rights of citizenship, and charged with certain important functions of
+administration in public affairs, summoned, or called out, from the
+common mass of the people. In the New Testament, the _ekklesia_ is a
+company of persons called out and separated from the common multitude
+by a Divine calling, chosen to be saints, invested with the privileges,
+and charged with the duties of citizenship in the kingdom of Christ.
+
+A Christian Church, therefore, according to the New Testament idea, is
+a company of persons Divinely called and separated from the world,
+baptized on a profession of their faith in Christ, united in covenant
+for worship and Christian service, under the supreme authority of
+Christ, whose Word is their only law and rule of life in all matters of
+religious faith and practice.
+
+Some Christian denominations include all their congregations in one
+comprehensive society, or ecclesiastical system, under some central
+authority, which legislates for and controls the whole. This
+comprehensive society they call the church. Thus we speak of the Roman
+Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church--where
+the word "church" stands for the aggregate of all their local
+societies. With Baptists it is different. They speak of Baptist
+churches, but not of the Baptist Church, when the entire denomination
+is meant. The Baptist Church would mean some one local congregation of
+baptized believers.
+
+Thus was it in Apostolic times. There was "the church in Jerusalem,"
+"the church of the Thessalonians," "the church of Babylon," "the church
+of the Laodiceans"; but "the churches of Macedonia," "the churches of
+Asia," "the churches of Judea." A church, therefore, is not a system of
+congregations confederated under a general government, but a single
+local congregation of Christian disciples associated in covenant and
+meeting together for worship. In this sense the word is commonly,
+almost uniformly, used in the New Testament.
+
+Churches are Divinely instituted to be "the light of the world" and
+"the salt of the earth." They are ordained for the glory of God, as
+"the ground and pillar of the truth," in the proclamation of His Gospel
+and the establishment of His kingdom in the world. They are
+commissioned to preach the Gospel to men, and to live the Gospel before
+men, that Christ may be honored and sinners saved. They should,
+therefore, be constantly striving to realize the grand purpose of their
+existence and fulfill the mission of their high calling. That church
+which does the most to honor Christ and save man will be the most
+honored by Him, and the most influential and prosperous in all that
+pertains to the true functions of a church. And since a church, as a
+body, is what its individual members are in their religious life and
+influence, therefore each member should strive to become in holy living
+what He desires the church to be.
+
+NOTE 1.--A body of Christian disciples may fail to meet some of the
+requirements of the Gospel, and still be a true church of Christ,
+providing it fulfills the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith
+and practice.
+
+NOTE 2.--But when a body ceases to acknowledge and submit to Christ as
+its Supreme Ruler, and to receive His Word as its supreme law, then it
+ceases to be a true church, and is simply a religious society, though
+it may still accept some of His doctrines and practice some of His
+precepts.
+
+NOTE 3.--A church is not a legislative, but an executive body. It
+cannot make laws, but only obey and administer those which Christ has
+given in the New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.
+
+NOTE 4.--But in matters pertaining to order and methods of
+administration, merely optional and discretionary, not involving
+fundamental principles, the church is to exercise its liberty, so long
+as it does not contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights of
+its members.
+
+NOTE 5.--And still further, while a church cannot become an
+authoritative expounder of either truth or duty, to bind the
+consciences even of its members, yet it does possess a judicial
+function for the interpretation and the enforcement of the laws of
+Christ for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members, so far as
+their relation to the compact is concerned.
+
+NOTE 6.--Each church owes courtesy and comity, fellowship and
+fraternity, to all others; but it owes subjection and allegiance to
+none, and is under authority to Christ alone.
+
+NOTE 7.--In matters of business and in the exercise of its authority in
+administration, the will of the church is expressed by a majority vote
+of its members. But the nearer that majority approaches to unanimity,
+the more satisfactory and emphatic are its decisions.
+
+NOTE 8.--Councils may be called, presbyteries convened, or committees
+of reference chosen for advice in cases of moment, but they are all
+_advisory_ only, and in no case authoritative. There is no higher, and
+no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs, than the individual
+church.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER II+
+
+CHURCH OFFICERS[1]
+
+The Scriptural officers of a church are _bishops_ and _deacons._
+Bishops are in the New Testament also called "presbyters," "elders,"
+and "overseers." Their duties and services have mainly reference to the
+spiritual interests of the body, though they properly have the
+oversight of all its concerns. The deacons have principal charge of the
+temporalities of the church, so as to relieve the pastor in that
+department of labor. They are, however, to be counselors and helpers of
+the pastor in all departments of his work. The qualifications for both
+offices are set forth in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
+
+NOTE 1.--Pastors and deacons, as teachers and leaders of the flock,
+cannot be selected for and imposed upon the churches by any external
+authority whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected and
+chosen by the free suffrages of the members, without compulsion or
+restraint, from among themselves, or those who are to become identified
+with them in fellowship.
+
+NOTE 2.--In the election of either a pastor or deacon, notice of such
+election should be given from the pulpit for at least two Sundays
+preceding the time for the same. The election should be by ballot, and
+at least _three-quarters_ of the votes cast should be necessary for the
+election of a pastor, and _two-thirds_ for the election of a deacon.
+Such election should be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and
+conducted without partisan devices or personal strife.
+
+NOTE 3.--Both pastors and deacons are properly elected for unlimited
+terms of service, the relation to continue so long as there shall be
+mutual satisfaction. Such a course tends less to depreciate and make
+servile the officers and their duties in the estimation of the people,
+and of those who bear them, than a limited and specified time, though
+deacons are sometimes, and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term
+of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the church.
+
+NOTE 4.--The church is to fix on the amount of salary necessary to a
+generous support of the pastor, and hold itself obligated by every
+consideration of Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment of
+the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the church as it is
+unjust and vexatious to the pastor.
+
+NOTE 5.--The call to a pastor issues from the _church_ as a body, which
+also designates the amount of salary to be paid. It is in some sections
+usual, though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting of the
+entire congregation or society to approve or confirm the call. In some
+States it is necessary for the trustees, as the legal representatives
+of the corporation, to confirm the action officially, so far as the
+salary is concerned, before it can become legal.
+
+NOTE 6.--The number of deacons is optional with the church. It is
+usually from _three_ to _seven._ Let it be so many as the church needs
+and can find suitable as candidates for the office. But they should
+never be elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they be
+persons whose fitness for the office is generally conceded.
+
+NOTE 7.--The relations between pastor and the church may be dissolved
+at the option of either, by giving _three months'_ notice; or
+otherwise, by mutual consent. Between the deacons and the church, the
+relations may be dissolved at the option of either without previous
+notice.
+
+NOTE 8.--A church _clerk_ is elected annually, at a business meeting,
+by a majority vote. It is an office of convenience, for keeping the
+minutes and preserving the records of the body. Also _trustees_ are
+elected by the church, or if the law so requires, by a _society._ Their
+duties are the care of the property and the management of finances. But
+these are not considered Scriptural church officers; deacons might
+properly discharge all the functions of these offices.[2]
+
+NOTE 9.--The offices of trust and service in a church should be as
+widely distributed among the members as possible, consistently with the
+welfare of the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded. No one man
+should hold more than one office at the same time, unless the interests
+of the body absolutely demand it. If offices are honors, they should be
+widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly should be. For
+the same man to hold two or three offices is as unjust to him as it is
+to his brethren.
+
+NOTE 10.--A church cannot unite in any corporate capacity with other
+organizations for religious, benevolent, moral reform, or other
+purposes; but it may cooperate with these for any good object, and give
+to such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary aid.
+
+NOTE 11.--But members of churches can, as individuals, unite with
+outside organizations, for any purpose, not inconsistent with their
+profession as Christians, and not injurious to their church relations
+and duties.
+
+NOTE 12.--Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities, nor delegate
+their authority to any man, or to any body of men, to act officially
+for them. But they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to perform
+services for them, under instruction, and to report their action to the
+body.
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] This and several of the following sections are consistent
+    with the "Star Book on Baptist Church Polity," on the same topics.
+
+[2] In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that being a
+    spiritual body, but incorporate a _society,_ as it is called,
+    consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support the
+    worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs of the
+    church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts its
+    secular concerns. It elects a specified number of _trustees,_ as
+    provided for by law, who are the legal representatives of the
+    corporation. The members of the society, and the trustees elected,
+    may or may not be members of the church. This whole society
+    arrangement is a relic of the old New England parish system of the
+    standing order, and is inconsistent with the freedom of church
+    action, and antagonistic to Baptist Church independence. It is
+    anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural. A church should be allowed to
+    manage its own affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be
+    protected by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated
+    in most of the States.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER III+
+
+CHURCH ORDINANCES
+
+Christian ordinances, in the largest sense, are any institutions, or
+regulations of Divine appointment, established as means of grace for
+the good of men, or as acts of worship for the honor of God. In that
+sense, not only are baptism and the Lord's Supper ordinances, but
+preaching, prayer, hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving are also
+ordinances, since all are of Divine appointment. But, in a narrower
+sense, it is common to say that _baptism_ and the _Lord's Supper_ are
+the only ordinances appointed by Christ to be observed by His churches.
+These are the only emblematic and commemorative rites enjoined upon His
+disciples, by which they are to be distinguished, and He is to be
+honored. They are the two symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,
+the two monuments of the New Dispensation.
+
+_Baptism_ is the immersion, or dipping, of a candidate in water, on a
+profession of his faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration; the
+baptism to be ministered in, or into, the name of the Father, the Son,
+and Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and resurrection of Christ,
+and in a figure declares the candidate's death to sin and the world,
+and his rising to a new life. It also proclaims the washing of
+regeneration, and professes the candidate's hope of a resurrection from
+the dead, through Him into the likeness of whose death he is buried in
+baptism.
+
+_The Lord's Supper_ is a provision of bread and wine, used to represent
+the body and the blood of Christ, partaken of by members of the church
+assembled for that purpose; in which service they commemorate the love
+of Christ exhibited in His death for them, and profess their faith and
+participation in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only ground of
+their hope of eternal life.
+
+NOTE 1.--No person can rightfully or properly become a church-member
+except he be first baptized, as the distinguishing mark and profession
+of his discipleship.
+
+NOTE 2.--The Supper is a church ordinance, and therefore is the
+privilege of church-members only. Therefore, also, since baptism
+precedes church-membership, it must precede and be prerequisite to the
+Lord's Supper.
+
+NOTE 3.--Since the Supper is distinctively a church ordinance, it is to
+be observed by churches only, and not by individuals; neither in
+private places, nor in sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by
+companies of disciples other than churches. But a church may by
+appointment, and in its official capacity, meet in a private house, a
+sick-room, or wherever it may elect, and there observe the Supper.
+
+NOTE 4.--Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly administered by
+ordained and accredited ministers; but both would be equally valid if
+administered by unordained persons, should occasion require and the
+church so direct. As to the qualifications of the administrator, the
+New Testament is silent, except that he should be a disciple.
+
+NOTE 5.--As to the time, place, and frequency of the ordinances, no
+Scriptural directions are given. These are left optional with the
+churches. They are usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily. As
+to the Supper, our churches have very generally come to observe it on
+the first Sunday of each month.
+
+NOTE 6.--The participation of the elements in the Supper should be done
+according to the special direction of Christ, the Head of the body.
+"This do in remembrance of _Me._" It is not, therefore, a test or token
+of Christian fellowship, except incidentally. All thought and sympathy
+in the service should be centered on Him who is "the living bread," and
+not fixed on others.
+
+NOTE 7.--The ordinances are not _sacraments,_ as taught by some,
+conveying effectual grace to the soul and imparting spiritual life. But
+as Divinely appointed means of grace, their importance must not be
+undervalued. They cannot be neglected without suffering serious harm
+and incurring the gravest responsibility.
+
+NOTE 8.--Baptism is not essential to salvation, for our churches
+utterly repudiate the dogma of "baptismal regeneration"; but it is
+essential to obedience, since Christ has commanded it. It is also
+essential to a public confession of Christ before the world, and to
+membership in the church which is His body. And no true lover of his
+Lord will refuse these acts of obedience and tokens of affection.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER IV+
+
+CHURCH-MEMBERSHIP
+
+It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but "one
+Lord, one faith, and one baptism," and no differing denominations
+existed, the baptism of a convert by that very act constituted him a
+member of the church, and at once endowed him with all the rights and
+privileges of full membership. In that sense, "baptism was the door
+into the church." Now, it is different; and while the churches are
+desirous of receiving members, they are wary and cautious that they do
+not receive unworthy persons. The churches therefore have candidates
+come before them, make their statement, give their "experience," and
+then their reception is decided by a vote of the members. And while
+they cannot become members without baptism, yet it is the vote of the
+body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.
+
+There are _three classes_ of candidates, and modes of reception to
+membership.
+
+1. _By baptism._--The church having listened to the religious
+experience of the candidate, and being satisfied with the same, and
+with his Christian deportment, votes to receive him to its fellowship,
+"on being baptized."
+
+2. _By letter._--The candidate presents a letter of dismission and
+recommendation from some other Baptist church with which he has been
+connected, for the purpose of transferring his membership to this. The
+church, being satisfied, votes to receive him into fellowship.
+
+3. _By experience._--Persons having been baptized, but for some reason
+being without membership in any church, wish to be received. They,
+giving satisfactory evidence of Christian character, and substantial
+agreement in matters of faith and practice, are received by vote, as in
+other cases.
+
+NOTE 1.--Persons cannot be received to membership on the credit of
+letters from other denominations. Such letters are, however, accepted,
+as certificates of Christian character, and of church standing.
+
+NOTE 2.--While the churches do not require candidates to sign any
+creed, confession, or articles of faith, yet they do expect a
+substantial agreement in matters of faith and practice on their part as
+essential both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony of the
+body.
+
+NOTE 3.--Should any member object to the reception of a candidate, such
+reception should be deferred, in order to consider the reasons for the
+objection. Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should not
+prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet no one should be
+received except by a unanimous or nearly unanimous vote.
+
+NOTE 4.--It is customary for candidates, after their experience or
+letters have been presented, to retire while the church deliberates and
+acts upon their case.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any member in good standing, is entitled, at any time, to a
+letter of dismission, in the usual form, with which to unite with
+another church of the same faith and order.
+
+NOTE 6.--Letters are usually made valid for _six months_ only, during
+which time they must be used, if used at all. But if held longer, they
+may be renewed by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for
+their non-use.
+
+NOTE 7.--Each one receiving a letter is still a member of the church,
+and under its watchcare and discipline, until his letter is actually
+received by another church.
+
+NOTE 8.--Letters cannot be given to members for the purpose of uniting
+with churches with which we are not in fellowship. But any member is
+entitled, at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and
+Christian character.
+
+NOTE 9.--No member can _withdraw_ from the church, or have his name
+_dropped,_ or at his own request be _excluded_ from the fellowship of
+the body without due process of discipline.
+
+NOTE 10.--Nor can a member have a letter voted and forced upon him
+without his wish and consent. Such would be a virtual expulsion from
+the body. If worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of the
+church against his will.
+
+NOTE 11.--Members living remote from the church are expected to unite
+with some Baptist church near their residence; or give satisfactory
+reasons for not doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected
+to report themselves to the church at least _once each year,_ and
+contribute to its support, till they cease to be members.
+
+NOTE 12.--Letters of dismission may be revoked, at any time before
+being used, if, in the judgment of the church, there be sufficient
+cause for such action.
+
+NOTE 13.--Church fellowship will be withdrawn from members who unite
+with other denominations; because, however excellent their character,
+or sincere their intentions, they have broken covenant with the church,
+and by such act have placed themselves beyond the limits of its
+fellowship.
+
+NOTE 14.--Persons excluded from other churches are not to be received
+to membership, except after the most careful investigation of all the
+facts in the case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion was
+unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently refuses to do
+justice to the excluded member.
+
+NOTE 15.--A letter is usually asked for and addressed to the particular
+church. This is proper, but not always necessary. It may in certain
+cases be asked for, and given "to the church of the same faith and
+order." Or if directed to one, it may be presented to, and received by
+another.
+
+NOTE 16.--It is expected that all pecuniary liability to the church
+will be canceled, and all personal difficulties in the church will be
+settled by a member, should such exist, before he shall receive a
+letter of dismission.
+
+NOTE 17.--Each member, without exception, is expected to fill his place
+in the church, by attendance on its appointments, as Providence may
+allow, and also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary support of
+the body, according to his ability. If in either of these respects he
+fails, and refuses, he becomes a covenant-breaker, and is subject to
+the discipline of the body.
+
+NOTE 18.--Persons excluded from the church may be again received to its
+fellowship on satisfactory evidence of fitness. This is called
+reception by _restoration,_ and is usually so entered on the records,
+and in associational reports.
+
+NOTE 19.--It is neither a Christian nor an honorable course for a
+church to grant an unworthy member a valid letter, and send him to
+another church as one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid
+of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of a course of
+discipline.
+
+NOTE 20.--No church is _obliged_ to receive a person to membership,
+simply because he brings a valid letter from another church. Each
+church is to be sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be
+received to its fellowship.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER V+
+
+CHURCH DISCIPLINE
+
+Church-members are supposed to be regenerate persons bearing the image
+and cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the peace of God rules,
+and who walk and work in "the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of
+peace." But unhappily, even the saints are sanctified only in part, and
+troubles sometimes arise among brethren. The evil passions of even good
+men may triumph over piety, and partisan strife may destroy the peace
+and the prosperity of the body of Christ. All this should, if possible,
+be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks to heal offenses; but it is
+better to _prevent_ them, than to _heal_ them. It is, however, better
+to heal and remove, than to endure them.
+
+Now these offenses and occasions of dissension in the churches arise
+from various causes, and are largely preventable. Most frequently they
+come by the following means:
+
+1. Because of the too suspicious and sensitive disposition of some who
+imagine themselves wronged, neglected, or in some way injured; the
+matter being chiefly imaginary, and without any real foundation in fact.
+
+2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential members do not
+carefully and constantly enough watch the beginnings of strife, and
+rectify the evil before it becomes serious.
+
+3. Because evil-doers by delay become more persistent in evil, while
+others are drawn into the strife, and contentious parties insensibly
+are formed, which tend to divide the church into hostile factions.
+
+4. Because that when the difficulty becomes chronic and deep-seated,
+the church is likely to undertake the discipline with judicial
+severity, and not in the spirit of meekness, in which the spiritual
+should restore the erring.
+
+5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken under excitement is
+almost certain to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result reached be
+just and right, the method by which it is reached is likely to be
+unwise, unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly producing more
+serious and more lasting evils than it has removed.
+
+_Offenses_ calling for discipline are usually considered as of _two_
+classes: _private_ or personal, and _public_ or general. These terms do
+not very accurately express the nature of the offenses, but they are in
+common use, and capable of being understood. In the administration of
+_corrective discipline,_ the following rules and principles constitute
+a correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:
+
+
+PRIVATE OFFENSES
+
+_Private offenses_ pertain to personal difficulties between
+individuals, having no direct reference to the church as a body, and
+not involving the Christian profession at large. In such cases, the
+course prescribed by our Saviour (Matt. 18:15-17) is to be strictly
+followed, without question or deviation.
+
+1. _First step._--The member who considers himself injured must go to
+the offender, tell him his grief, and between themselves alone, if
+possible, adjust and settle the difficulty. "If thy brother shall
+trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him
+alone." This must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or condemn the
+offender, but to win him. "If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
+brother."
+
+2. _Second step._--If this shall fail, then the offended member must
+take one or two of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek an
+interview with the offender, and, if possible, by their united wisdom
+and piety, remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty. "But if he
+will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the
+mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established."
+
+3. _Third step._--If this step should prove unavailing, then the
+offended member must tell the whole matter to the _church,_ and leave
+it in their hands to be disposed of, as to them may seem wisest and
+best. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church." He
+has done his duty and must abide by the decision of the body which
+assumes this responsibility.
+
+4. _The result._--If this course of kindly Christian labor proves
+finally ineffectual, and the offender shows himself incorrigible,
+excision must follow. He must be cut off from fellowship in the church
+whose covenant he has broken, and whose authority he disregards. "And
+if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen
+man, and a publican." However painful the act, the church must be
+faithful to its duty, and to its God.
+
+NOTE 1.--While this Divine rule makes it obligatory on the offended
+member to go to the offender and seek a reconciliation, yet much more
+is it obligatory on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved
+with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the difficulty.
+
+NOTE 2.--The matter is not to be made public until these three steps
+have been fully taken, and have failed; and then to be made public only
+by telling the church, and no others.
+
+NOTE 3.--When the case comes before the church, it must not be
+neglected nor dropped, but judiciously pursued until the difficulty be
+adjusted, the offense removed, or else the offender be
+disfellowshipped, and put away.
+
+
+PUBLIC OFFENSES
+
+_Public offenses_ are not against any one person more than another, but
+are such as are supposed to be a dishonor to the church of which the
+offender is a member, and a reproach to the Christian profession. They
+constitute a violation of the code of Christian morals, if not of our
+common worldly morals.
+
+The more common causes of this class of offenses are the following:
+False doctrine (Gal. 1:9, 2 John 10), disregard of authority (Matt.
+18:17; 1 Thess. 5:14), contention and strife (Rom. 16:17), immoral
+conduct (1 Cor. 5:11), disorderly walk (2 Thess. 3:6, 9), covetous
+spirit (Eph. 5:5; 1 Cor. 5:11), arrogant conduct (3 John 9), going to
+law (1 Cor. 6:6).
+
+The following constitutes a proper and Scriptural course of treatment
+for such cases:
+
+1. The first member who has knowledge of the offense should, as in the
+case of private offenses, seek the offender, ascertain the facts, and
+attempt to reconcile or remove the difficulty. Not till he has done
+this should he make it public, or bring it before the church.
+
+2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this course of personal effort,
+or if such a course proves unsuccessful, then any member having
+knowledge of the facts should confer with the pastor and deacons as to
+the best course to be pursued.
+
+3. The pastor and deacons should, by the best method they are capable
+of devising, labor to adjust the matter without bringing it into the
+church, or otherwise making it public.
+
+4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case be already public, and a
+reproach and scandal to religion, then they should bring it to the
+church, and it should direct a proper course of discipline.
+
+5. The church, thus having the case before it, should either appoint a
+committee to visit the offender, or cite him before the body to answer
+the charge. He should be allowed to hear the evidence against him, know
+the witnesses, and be permitted to answer for himself.
+
+6. If the accused disproves the charges, or if he confesses the wrong,
+makes suitable acknowledgment, and, so far as possible, reparation,
+with promise of amendment, in all ordinary cases, this should be deemed
+satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.
+
+7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and prayerful labor, all efforts
+fail to reclaim the offender, then, however painful the necessity, the
+church must withdraw its fellowship from him, and put him away from
+them.
+
+8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality, by which the reputation
+of the body is compromised and the Christian name scandalized, on being
+proved or confessed, the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn
+from the offender, notwithstanding any confessions and promises of
+amendment; but not without a trial.
+
+The church's good name and the honor of religion demand this testimony
+against evil. He may be subsequently restored, if suitably penitent.
+
+NOTE 1.--All discipline should be conducted in the spirit of Christian
+meekness and love, with a desire to remove offenses and win offenders.
+It must also be done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain
+the honor of Christ's name, the purity of His church, and the integrity
+of His truth.
+
+NOTE 2.--If any member shall persist in bringing a private grievance
+before the church, or otherwise make it public before he has pursued
+the course prescribed in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he becomes
+himself an offender, and subject to the discipline of the body.
+
+NOTE 3.--When private difficulties exist among members which they
+cannot, or will not settle, the church should consider them as public
+offenses, and as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual
+injury which they inflict.
+
+Note 4.--When a member refers to the church any private difficulty,
+which he has been unable to settle, he must submit it wholly to the
+disposition of the body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to
+revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the church, he becomes
+an offender, and subject to discipline.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any member tried by the church has the right to receive copies
+of all charges against him, the names of his accusers, and the
+witnesses, both of whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face to
+face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses on his side, and
+answering for himself before the body.
+
+NOTE 6.--Every member on trial or excluded, shall have furnished at his
+request, authentic copies of all proceedings had by the church in his
+case, officially certified.
+
+NOTE 7.--No member under discipline can have the right to bring any
+person, not a member, before the church as his advocate, except by
+consent of the body.
+
+NOTE 8.--In every case of exclusion, the charges against the member,
+and the reasons for his exclusion, should be accurately entered on the
+records of the church.
+
+NOTE 9.--If at any time it shall become apparent, or seem probable to
+the church that it has for any reason dealt unjustly with a member, or
+excluded him without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without
+request by concession and restoration, so far as possible, repair the
+injury it has done him.
+
+NOTE 10.--The church should hold itself bound to restore to its
+fellowship an excluded member when, ever he gives satisfactory evidence
+of repentance and reformation consistent with godliness.
+
+NOTE 11.--The church will exercise is legitimate authority, and
+vindicate its honor and rectitude in the administration of discipline,
+even though the member should regard such discipline as unjust or
+oppressive.
+
+NOTE 12.--Nothing can be considered a just and reasonable cause for
+discipline, except what is forbidden by the letter of the spirit of
+Scripture. And nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for
+disfellowship and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary to
+Scripture, and what would have prevented the reception of the person
+into the church, had it been known to exist at the time of his
+reception.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VI+
+
+CASES OF APPEAL
+
+Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes occur, so aggravated in
+their nature or so complicated in their treatment that it is found
+impossible to make a satisfactory settlement by ordinary methods;
+especially so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The excluded member
+will be almost sure to think he has been dealt with unjustly, and will
+wish for some redress; and if the case has been of long standing and
+much complicated, he will be equally sure to have others sympathize
+with him and condemn the action of the church. Now, although the
+_presumption_ is that the church has done right, and is justified in
+its action, the _possibility_ is that the church has done wrong, and is
+censurable for its action.
+
+What can be done in such a case?
+
+NOTE 1.--On the New Testament theory of church government, the action
+of this individual local church is final. There is no power either
+civil or ecclesiastical, that can reverse its decision or punish it for
+wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human tribunal has authority
+to compel it to confess or correct them.
+
+NOTE 2.--Councils, if appealed to for redress, have _no authority;_
+they are simply, always, and everywhere _advisory_--that, and nothing
+more. They can express an opinion, and give advice; but they have no
+authority to issue decrees, and would have no power to enforce them if
+they should.[1]
+
+NOTE 3.--Any person who believes himself wronged by church action has
+the inalienable right to appeal to the church for a new hearing, and,
+failing in this, to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he
+see fit to do so.
+
+_Now observe_--If an excluded member believes himself unjustly dealt
+by, and wishes redress the following is the proper course for him to
+pursue:
+
+1. Apply to the church which excluded, and ask a rehearing. State to
+them the grounds of his complaint and the evidence on which he thinks
+he can satisfy them, if a fair opportunity for being heard be given him.
+
+2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let him appeal to them to unite with
+him in calling a _mutual council,_ before which the whole case shall be
+placed, all parties to abide by its decision.
+
+3. If a mutual council be declined by the church, he would be fully
+justified, should he feel so inclined, in calling an _ex-parte_
+council, before which he should place the facts and seek its advice.
+
+4. Or, instead of calling an _ex-parte_ council, he could apply to some
+other church to be received to its fellowship, on the ground that he
+had been unjustly excluded. Should he be received to another church,
+that would give him church standing and fellowship again, and vindicate
+him so far as any ecclesiastical action could vindicate him.
+
+5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing left but for him to wait
+patiently, and bear the burden of his wrong until Providence opens the
+way for his deliverance. He may, after all, conclude that he himself
+was more in fault than he at first supposed, and the church less so.
+
+NOTE 4.--An _ex-parte_ council should not be called in such a case of
+difficulty until all efforts have failed to secure a _mutual_ council;
+as such a council, if called, would probably do nothing more than
+advise a mutual council and adjourn.
+
+NOTE 5.--Any church can well afford to grant a rehearing to an excluded
+member. It would be in the interest of peace, justice, and
+reconciliation. If the church be right, it can afford to be generous.
+
+NOTE 6.--Any church has the right to receive a member excluded, from
+another church, since each church is sole judge of the qualification of
+persons received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed to would
+use great caution, and with due regard to its own peace and purity,
+ascertain all the facts in the case before taking such action.
+
+NOTE 7.--If a mutual council be called, one-half the messengers and
+members are to be chosen by the church and one-half by the aggrieved
+party; but the _letters missive_ calling the council are to be sent out
+by and in the name of the church, and not of the aggrieved party. But
+these facts, as to the mutual call, are to be stated in the letters.
+
+NOTE 8.--A church excluding a member has no just cause of complaint
+against another church for receiving such an excluded member, since the
+one church is just as independent to receive one whom it judges worthy
+of fellowship, as the other is to exclude one whom it judged unworthy
+of fellowship.
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For a more comprehensive discussion of councils--what they can,
+    and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use them--see the
+    "Star Book on Baptist Councils."
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VII+
+
+CHURCH BUSINESS
+
+The business meetings of a church should be conducted as much as
+possible in the spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the propriety
+and sanctity which attaches to all the interests of the kingdom of
+Christ. Meetings for business should not be needlessly multiplied, nor
+should they be unwisely neglected. It may not be wise to insist too
+rigidly on the observance of parliamentary rules, yet it is still worse
+to drift into a loose unbusinesslike way, which wastes time,
+accomplishes little, and does wrongly much that is done.
+
+
+ORDER OF BUSINESS
+
+1. The meetings to be opened with reading the Scriptures, singing, and
+prayer.
+
+2. The reading, correction, and approval of the minutes of the
+preceding meeting.
+
+3. Unfinished business, or such as the minutes present, including
+reports of committees taken in order.
+
+4. New business will next be taken up. Any member may call up new
+business. But important matters should not be presented, except on
+previous consultation with the pastor and deacons.
+
+NOTE 1.--The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator of all
+church business meetings. If he be not present, or do not wish to
+serve, any one may be elected to take the place.
+
+NOTE 2.--All business meetings, both regular and special, should be
+announced from the pulpit one Sunday, at least, before they are held.
+
+NOTE 3.--Special meetings for business may be called at any time, by
+consent of the pastor and deacons, or by such other methods as the
+church itself may direct.
+
+NOTE 4.--Though a majority usually decides questions, yet in all
+matters of special importance a unanimous, or nearly unanimous, vote
+should be secured.
+
+NOTE 5.--Members may be received, and letters of dismission granted,
+either at the business church meeting, the covenant meeting, or the
+regular weekly prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed
+method should be observed.
+
+NOTE 6.--Candidates for admission to membership will be expected to
+retire from the meeting when action is taken on their reception.
+
+NOTE 7.--No persons, except members, will be present during the
+transaction of church business. If present, they may be asked to retire.
+
+NOTE 8.--Although the church should endeavor to do nothing which its
+members will be ashamed or afraid to have known by others, yet every
+member is bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish abroad,
+nor disclose to those without, the private affairs and business
+transactions of the body.
+
+
+RULES OF ORDER
+
+The following constitute the generally accepted rules of order for
+churches and other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:
+
+
+_Motions_
+
+1. All business shall be presented by a _motion,_ made by one member,
+and seconded by another, and presented in writing by the mover, if so
+required.
+
+2. No discussion can properly be had until the motion is made,
+seconded, and stated by the chairman.
+
+3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after it has been discussed, except by
+the unanimous consent of the body.
+
+4. A motion having been discussed, must be put to vote, unless
+withdrawn, laid on the table, referred, or postponed.
+
+5. A motion lost should not be recorded, except so ordered by the body
+at the time.
+
+6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the same meeting, except by
+unanimous consent.
+
+7. A motion should contain but one distinct proposition. If it contains
+more, it must be divided at the request of any member, and the
+propositions acted on separately.
+
+8. Only one question can properly be before the meeting at any one
+time. No second motion can be allowed to interrupt one already under
+debate, except a motion to _amend,_ to _substitute,_ to _commit,_ to
+_postpone,_ to _lay on the table,_ for _the previous question,_ or to
+_adjourn._
+
+9. These subsidiary motions just named cannot be interrupted by any
+other motion; nor can any other motion be applied to them except that
+to _amend,_ which may be done by specifying some _time, place,_ or
+_purpose._
+
+10. Nor can these motions interrupt or supersede each other; only that
+a motion to _adjourn_ is always in order, except while a member has the
+floor, or a question is being taken, and in some bodies even then.
+
+
+_Amendments_
+
+1. Amendments to resolutions may be made in three ways: By _omitting,_
+by _adding,_ or by _substituting_ words or sentences.
+
+2. An amendment to an amendment may be made, but is seldom necessary,
+and should be avoided.
+
+3. No amendment should be made which essentially changes the meaning or
+design of the original resolution.
+
+4. But a _substitute_ may be offered, which may change entirely the
+meaning of the resolution under debate.
+
+5. The amendment must first be discussed and acted on, and then the
+original resolution as amended.
+
+
+_Speaking_
+
+1. Any member desiring to speak on a question should rise in his place
+and address the moderator, confine his remarks to the question, and
+avoid all unkind and disrespectful language.
+
+2. A speaker using improper language, introducing improper subjects, or
+otherwise out of order, should be called to order by the chairman, or
+any member, and must either conform to the regulations of the body, or
+take his seat.
+
+3. A member while speaking can allow others to ask questions, or make
+explanations; but if he yields the floor to another, he cannot claim it
+again as his right.
+
+4. If two members rise to speak at the same time, preference is usually
+given to the one farthest from the chair, or to the one opposing the
+question under discussion.
+
+5. The fact that a person has several times arisen, and attempted to
+get the floor, gives him no claim or right to be heard. Nor does a call
+for the question deprive a member of his right to speak.
+
+
+_Voting_
+
+1. A question is put to vote by the chairman having first distinctly
+restated it, that all may vote intelligently. First, the _affirmative,_
+then the _negative_ is called; each so deliberately as to give all an
+opportunity of voting. He then distinctly announces whether the motion
+is _carried,_ or _lost._
+
+2. Voting is usually done by "aye" and "no," or by raising the hand. In
+a doubtful case by standing and being counted. On certain questions by
+ballot.
+
+3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman, is doubted, it is called
+again, usually by standing to be counted.
+
+4. All members should vote, unless for reasons excused; or unless under
+discipline, in which case they should take no part in the business.
+
+5. The moderator does not usually vote, except the question be taken by
+ballot; but when the meeting is equally divided, he is expected, but is
+not obligated to give the casting vote.
+
+6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot, the chairman appoints
+_tellers,_ to distribute, collect, and count the ballots.
+
+
+_Committees_
+
+1. Committees are nominated by the chairman, if so directed by the
+body, or by any member; and the nomination is confirmed by a vote of
+the body. More commonly the body directs that all committees shall be
+_appointed_ by the chairman, in which case no vote is needed to confirm.
+
+2. Any matter of business, or subject under debate, may be _referred_
+to a committee, with or without instructions. The committee make their
+_report,_ which is the result of their deliberations. The body then
+takes action on the report, and on any recommendations it may contain.
+
+3. The report of a committee is _accepted_ by a vote, which
+acknowledges their services, and takes the report before the body for
+its action. Afterward, any distinct _recommendation_ contained in the
+report is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.
+
+4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations of the committee are
+of a trifling moment or likely to be generally acceptable, the report
+is _accepted_ and _adopted_ by the same vote.
+
+5. A report may be _recommitted_ to the committee, with or without
+instructions; or that committee discharged, and the matter referred to
+a new one, for further consideration, so as to present it in a form
+more likely to meet the general concurrence of the body.
+
+6. A committee may be appointed _with power_ for a specific purpose.
+This gives them power to dispose conclusively of the matter, without
+further reference to the body.
+
+7. The first named in the appointment of a committee is by courtesy
+considered the _chairman._ But the committee has the right to name its
+own chairman.
+
+8. The member who moves the appointment of a committee is usually,
+though not necessarily, named its chairman.
+
+9. Committees of arrangement, or for other protracted service, _report
+progress_ from time to time, and are continued until their final
+report, or until their appointment expires by limitation.
+
+10. A committee is _discharged_ by a vote, when its business is done,
+and its report accepted. But usually, in routine business, a committee
+is considered discharged by the acceptance of its report.
+
+
+_Standing Committee_
+
+A committee appointed to act for a given period or during the recess of
+the body is called a _standing committee._ It has charge of a given
+department of business assigned by the body, and acts either with
+power, under instructions, or at discretion, as may be ordered. A
+standing committee is substantially a minor board, and has its own
+chairman, secretary, records, and times of meeting.
+
+
+_Appeal_
+
+The moderator announces all votes, and decides all questions as to
+rules of proceeding, and order of debate. But any member who is
+dissatisfied with his decisions may _appeal_ from them to the body. The
+moderator then puts the question, _"Shall the decision of the chair be
+sustained?"_ The vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative, is
+final. The right of appeal is undeniable, but should not be resorted to
+on trivial occasions.
+
+
+_Previous Question_
+
+Debate may be cut short by a vote to take the _previous question._ This
+means that the original, or main, question under discussion be
+immediately voted on, regardless of amendments and secondary questions
+and without further debate. Usually a _two-thirds_ vote is necessary to
+order the previous question.
+
+1. If the motion for the previous question be _carried,_ then the main
+question must be immediately taken, without further debate.
+
+2. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ the debate
+proceeds, as though no such motion had been made.
+
+3. If the motion for the previous question be _lost,_ it cannot be
+renewed with reference to the same question, during the same session.
+
+
+_To Lay on the Table_
+
+Immediate and decisive action on any question under discussion may be
+deferred, by a vote to _lay on the table_ the resolution pending. This
+disposes of the whole subject for the present, and ordinarily is in
+effect a final dismissal of it. But any member has the right
+subsequently to call it up; and the body will decide by vote whether,
+or not, it shall be taken from the table.
+
+1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is laid on the table for the
+present, or until a specified time, to give place to other business.
+
+2. A motion to lay on the table must apply to a resolution, or other
+papers. An abstract subject cannot be disposed of in this way.
+
+
+_Postponement_
+
+A simple _postponement_ is for a specified time or purpose, the
+business to be resumed when the time or purpose is reached. But a
+question _indefinitely postponed_ is considered as finally dismissed.
+
+
+_Not Debatable_
+
+Certain motions, by established usage, are _not debatable,_ but when
+once before the body, must be taken without discussion.
+
+These are: The _previous question,_ for _indefinite postponement,_ to
+_commit,_ to _lay on the table,_ to _adjourn._
+
+But when these motions are modified by some condition of _time, place,_
+or _purpose,_ they become debatable, and subject to the rules of other
+motions; but debatable only in respect to the time, place, or purpose
+which brings them within the province of debate.
+
+A body is, however, competent, by a vote, to allow debate on all
+motions.
+
+
+_To Reconsider_
+
+A motion to _reconsider_ a motion previously passed must be made by one
+who voted _for_ the motion when it passed.
+
+If the body votes to reconsider, then the motion or resolution being
+reconsidered, stands before them as previous to its passage, and may be
+discussed, adopted, or rejected.
+
+A vote to reconsider should be taken at the same session at which the
+vote reconsidered was passed, and when there are as many members
+present.
+
+
+_Be Discussed_
+
+If, when a question is introduced, any member objects to its
+discussion, as foreign, profitless, or contentious, the moderator
+should at once put the question, _"Shall this motion be discussed?"_ If
+this question be decided in the negative, the subject must be dismissed.
+
+
+_Order of the Day_
+
+The body may decide to take up some definite business at a specified
+time. That business therefore becomes the _order of the day,_ for that
+hour. When the time mentioned arrives, the chairman calls the business,
+or any member may demand it, with or without a vote: and all pending
+questions are postponed in consequence.
+
+
+_Point of Order_
+
+Any member who believes that a speaker is out of order, or that
+discussion is proceeding improperly, may at any time _rise to a point
+of order._ He must distinctly state his question or objection, which
+the moderator will decide.
+
+
+_Privileges_
+
+Questions relating to the _rights_ and _privileges_ of members are of
+primary importance, and, until disposed of, take precedence of all
+other business, and supersede all other motions, except that of
+adjournment.
+
+
+_Rule Suspended_
+
+A rule of order may be _suspended_ by a vote of the body, to allow the
+transaction of business necessary, but which could not otherwise be
+done without a violation of such rule.
+
+
+_Filling Blanks_
+
+Where different members are suggested for filling blanks, the _highest
+number, greatest distance,_ and _longest time_ are usually voted on
+first.
+
+
+_Adjournment_
+
+1. A simple motion _to adjourn_ is always in order, except while a
+member is speaking, or when taking a vote. It takes precedence of all
+other motions, and is not debatable.
+
+2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion to adjourn is in order while a
+speaker has the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business to stand,
+on reassembling, precisely as when adjournment took place.
+
+3. A body may adjourn to a specific time; but if no time be mentioned,
+the fixed, or usual time of meeting, is understood. If there be no
+fixed, or usual time of meeting, then an adjournment without date is
+equivalent to a dissolution.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER VIII+
+
+CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
+
+All evangelical churches profess to take the Holy Scriptures as their
+only and sufficient guide in matters of religious faith and practice.
+Baptists, especially, claim to have no authoritative creed except the
+New Testament. It is common, however, for the churches to have
+formulated statements of what are understood to be the leading
+Christian doctrines, printed and circulated among their members. These
+are not uniform among the churches, but are in substantial agreement as
+to the doctrines taught. Indeed, each church is at liberty to prepare
+its own confession, or have none at all; no one form being held as
+binding and obligatory on the churches to adopt. Members, on being
+received to fellowship, are not required to subscribe or pledge
+conformity to any creed-form, but are expected to yield substantial
+agreement to that which the church with which they unite has adopted.
+
+There are two Confessions which have gained more general acceptance
+than any others, and are now being widely adopted by the churches over
+the country. As to substance of doctrine, they do not essentially
+differ. That known as the New Hampshire Confession is commonly used by
+the churches North, East, and West; while that known as the
+Philadelphia Confession, is very generally in use in the South and
+Southwest. The former is much more brief and for that reason preferred
+by many. The other is substantially the London Confession of Faith,
+published by English Baptists in 1689. It is much more full in
+statement than the other, and is higher in its tone as to the doctrines
+of grace.
+
+American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic as to substance of
+doctrine, but moderately so, being midway between the extremes of
+Arminianism and Antinomianism. Though diversities of opinion may
+incline to either extreme, the "general atonement" view is for the most
+part held, while the "particular atonement" theory is maintained by not
+a few. The freedom of the human will is declared, while the sovereignty
+of Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of the Spirit's work in
+faith and salvation are maintained. They practice "strict communion,"
+as do their mission churches in foreign lands. In Great Britain,
+Baptists are sharply divided between "strict and free communion," and
+between the particular and the general atonement theories.
+
+The New Hampshire Confession, with a few verbal changes, is here
+inserted. But some of the proof-texts usually accompanying these
+articles are, for want of space, omitted.[1]
+
+
+ARTICLES OF FAITH
+
+I. THE SCRIPTURES
+
+We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men Divinely inspired,
+and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction;[1] that it has God
+for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of
+error for its matter;[2] that it reveals the principles by which God
+will judge us;[3] and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the
+world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by
+which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
+
+[1] 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
+is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
+instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect,
+thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Sam.
+23:2; Acts 1:16.
+
+[2] Prov. 30:5, 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not unto His
+words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Also, John
+17:17; Rev. 22:18, 19; Rom. 3:4.
+
+[3] Rom. 2:12. As many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by
+the law. John 12:47, 48. If any man hear My words--the word that I have
+spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Also, 1 Cor. 4:3, 4;
+Luke 10:10-16; 12:47, 48.
+
+
+II. THE TRUE GOD
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one, and only one, living
+and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH,
+the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth:[1] inexpressibly
+glorious in holiness,[2] and worthy of all possible honor, confidence,
+and love;[3] that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy  Ghost;[4] equal in every Divine
+perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great
+work of redemption.
+
+[1] John 4:24. God is a spirit. Ps. 147:5. His understanding is
+infinite. Ps. 83:18. Thou whose name alone is JEHOVAH art the Most High
+over all the earth. Heb. 3:4; Rom. 1:20; Jer. 10:10.
+
+[2] Exod. 15:11. Who is like unto Thee--glorious in holiness? Isa. 6:3;
+1 Peter 1:15, 16; Rev. 4:6-8.
+
+[3] Mark 12:30. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
+and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
+strength. Rev. 4:11. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and
+honour, and power. Matt. 10:37; Jer. 2:12, 13.
+
+[4] Matt. 28:19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them
+in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. John
+15:26; 1 Cor. 12:4-6.
+
+
+III. THE FALL OF MAN
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created in holiness, under
+the law of his Maker;[1] but by voluntary transgression fell from that
+holy and happy state;[2] in consequence of which all mankind are now
+sinners[3] not by constraint but choice; being by nature utterly void
+of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to
+evil; and therefore under just condemnation,[4] without defense or
+excuse.[5]
+
+[1] Gen. 1:27. God created man in His own image. Gen. 1:31. And God saw
+everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Eccl. 7:29;
+Acts 17:26; Gen. 2:16.
+
+[2] Gen. 3:6-24. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for
+food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
+make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave
+unto her husband with her, and he did eat. Rom. 5:12.
+
+[3] Rom. 5:19. By one man's disobedience many were made sinners. John
+3:6; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:15-19; 8:7.
+
+[4] Eph. 2:3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past
+in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
+the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.
+
+[5] Ezek. 18:19, 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die. Rom. 1:20. So
+that they are without excuse. Rom. 3:19. That every mouth may be
+stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Gal. 3:22.
+
+
+IV. THE WAY OF SALVATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is wholly
+of grace;[1] through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God;[2] who
+according to the will of the Father, became man, yet without sin;[3]
+honored the Divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death made
+a full atonement for our sins;[4] that having risen from the dead, He
+is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting in His wonderful person the
+tenderest sympathies with Divine perfections, He is every way qualified
+to be a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.[5]
+
+[1] Eph. 2:5. By grace ye are saved. Matt. 18:11; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor.
+3:5-7; Acts 15:11.
+
+[2] John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
+begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
+have everlasting life.
+
+[3] Phil. 2:6-7. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to
+be equal with God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took on Him
+the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.
+
+[4] Isa. 53:4, 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
+for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
+with His stripes we are healed.
+
+[5] Heb. 7:25. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost
+that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession
+for them. Col. 2:9. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
+bodily.
+
+
+V. JUSTIFICATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the great Gospel blessing which
+Christ[1] secures to such as believe in Him is justification;[2] that
+justification includes the pardon of sin,[3] and the gift of eternal
+life on principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in
+consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but
+solely through faith in Christ; by means of which faith His perfect
+righteousness is freely imputed to us by God;[4] that it brings us into
+a state of most blessed peace and favor with God, and secures every
+other blessing needful for time and eternity.[5]
+
+[1] John 1:16. Of His fulness have all we received. Eph. 3:8.
+
+[2] Acts 13:39. By Him all that believe are justified from all things.
+Isa. 3:11, 12; Rom. 5:1.
+
+[3] Rom. 5:9. Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from
+wrath through Him. Zech. 13:1; Matt. 9:6; Acts 10:43.
+
+[4] Rom. 5:19. By the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.
+Rom. 3:24-26; 4:23-25; 1 John 2:12.
+
+[5] Rom. 5:1, 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God,
+through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith
+into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of
+God.
+
+
+VI. THE FREENESS OF SALVATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the blessings of salvation are
+made free to all by the Gospel:[1] that it is the immediate duty of all
+to accept them by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith;[2] and that
+nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his
+own determined depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel;[3]
+which rejection involves him in an aggravated condemnation.[4]
+
+[1] Isa. 55:1. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the waters.
+Rev. 22:17. Whosoever will; let him take the water of life freely.
+
+[2] Acts 17:30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now
+commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Rom. 16:26; Mark 1:15; Rom.
+1:15-17.
+
+[3] John 5:40. Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. Matt.
+23:37; Rom. 9:32.
+
+[4] John 3:19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into
+the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds
+were evil. Matt. 11:20; Luke 19:27; 2 Thess. 1:8.
+
+
+VII. REGENERATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that in order to be saved, men must be
+regenerated, or born again;[1] that regeneration consists in giving a
+holy disposition to the mind;[2] that it is effected in a manner above
+our comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection with Divine
+truth,[3] so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel;[4] and
+that its proper evidence appears in the holy fruits of repentance,
+faith, and newness of life.[5]
+
+[1] John 3:3. Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born
+again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:6, 7; 1 Cor. 1:14; Rev.
+3:7-9; Rev. 21:27.
+
+[2] 2 Cor. 5:17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Ezek.
+36:26; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 2:28, 29.
+
+[3] John 3:8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
+sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
+goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 1:13; James
+1:16-18; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 2:13.
+
+[4] 1 Peter 1:22-25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
+through the Spirit. 1 John 5:1; Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:6-11.
+
+[5] Eph. 5:9. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
+righteousness, and truth. Rom. 8:9; Gal. 5:18-23; Eph. 5:14-21; Matt.
+3:8-10, 7:20; 1 John 5:4, 18.
+
+
+VIII. REPENTANCE AND FAITH
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance and faith are sacred
+duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul by the
+regenerating Spirit of God;[1] whereby being deeply convinced of our
+guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by
+Christ,[2] we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and
+supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord
+Jesus as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone as the
+only and all-sufficient Saviour.[3]
+
+[1] Mark 1:15. Repent ye, and believe the gospel. Acts 11:18. Then hath
+God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Eph. 2:8. By
+grace are ye saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is
+the gift of God. 1 John 3:1.
+
+[2] John 16:8. He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
+and of judgment. Acts 2:38. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be
+baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
+of sins. Acts 16:30, 31.
+
+[3] Romans 10:9-11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
+Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the
+dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts 3:22, 23; Heb. 4:14.
+
+
+IX. GOD'S PURPOSE OF GRACE
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the eternal purpose of
+God, according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and
+saves sinners;[1] that being perfectly consistent with the free agency
+of man, it comprehends all the means in connection with the end;[2]
+that it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness;[3] that
+it utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility;[4] that it
+encourages the use of means; that it may be ascertained by its effects
+in all who truly accept of Christ;[5] that it is the foundation of
+Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with regard to ourselves
+demands and deserves the utmost diligence.[6]
+
+[1] 2 Tim. 1:8, 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the
+gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and called us
+with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
+own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
+world began.
+
+[2] 2 Thess. 2:13, 14. But we are bound to give thanks always to God
+for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
+beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit
+and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the
+obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
+
+[3] 1 Cor. 4:7. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what
+hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it,
+why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Cor. 1:26-31;
+Rom. 3:27.
+
+[4] 2 Tim. 2:10. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes,
+that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
+eternal glory. 1 Cor. 9:22; Rom. 8:28-30.
+
+[5] 1 Thess. 1:4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
+
+[6] 2 Peter 1:10, 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
+make your calling and election sure. Phil. 3:12; Heb. 6:11.
+
+
+X. SANCTIFICATION
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification is the process by
+which, according to the will of God, we are made partakers of His
+holiness;[1] that it is a progressive work;[2] that it is begun in
+regeneration; that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the
+presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the
+continual use of the appointed means--especially the Word of
+God--self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer;[3] and in
+the practice of all godly exercise and duties.[4]
+
+[1] 1 Thess. 4:3. For this is the will of God, even your
+sanctification. 1 Thess. 5:23. And the very God of peace sanctify you
+wholly. 2 Cor. 7:1; 13:9; Eph. 1:4.
+
+[2] Prov. 4:18. The path of the just is as the shining light, which
+shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.
+
+[3] Phil. 2:12, 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and
+trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of
+his good pleasure. Eph. 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Cor.
+13:5; Luke 11:35; 9:23; Matt. 26:41; Eph. 6:18, 4:30.
+
+[4] 1 Tim. 4:7. Exercise thyself unto godliness.
+
+
+XI. PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate,
+being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish, but
+will endure unto the end;[1] that their preservering attachment from
+Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial
+professors;[2] that a special Providence watches over their welfare;[3]
+and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto
+salvation.[4]
+
+[1] John 8:31. Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word, then are ye
+My disciples indeed. 1 John 2:27, 28.
+
+[2] 1 John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if
+they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
+they went out that it might be made manifest that they were not all of
+us.
+
+[3] Rom. 8:28. And we know that all things work together for good unto
+them that love God, to them who are the called according to His
+purpose. Matt. 6:30-33; Jer. 32:40.
+
+[4] Phil. 1:6. He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it
+until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 2:12, 13.
+
+
+XII. THE LAW AND GOSPEL
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the law of God is the eternal and
+unchangeable rule of his moral government;[1] that it is holy, just,
+and good;[2] and that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to
+fallen men to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from their sinful
+nature;[3] to deliver them from which, and to restore them through a
+Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one great end of
+the Gospel, and of the means of grace connected with the establishment
+of the visible church.[4]
+
+[1] Rom. 3:31. Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea,
+we establish the law. Matt. 5:17; Luke 16:17; Rom. 3:20; 4:15.
+
+[2] Rom. 7:12. The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
+good. Rom. 7:7, 14, 22; Gal. 3:21; Ps. 119.
+
+[3] Rom. 8:7, 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
+subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
+in the flesh cannot please God.
+
+[4] Rom. 8:2-4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
+made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not
+do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
+the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh;
+that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
+not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
+
+
+XIII. A GOSPEL CHURCH
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that a visible Church of Christ is a
+company of baptized believers,[1] associated by covenant in the faith
+and fellowship of the Gospel;[2] observing the ordinances of Christ;[3]
+governed by His laws;[4] and exercising the gifts, rights, and
+privileges invested in them by His Word;[5] that its only Scriptural
+officers are bishops or pastors, and deacons,[6] whose qualifications,
+claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
+
+[1] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were
+baptized; and the same day there were added to them about three
+thousand souls.
+
+[2] 2 Cor. 8:5. They first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto
+us by the will of God.
+
+[3] 1 Cor. 11:2. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all
+things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you.
+
+[4] Matt. 28:20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
+commanded you. John 13:15.
+
+[5] 1 Cor. 14:12. Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
+
+[6] Phil. 1:1. With the bishops and deacons. Acts 14:23, 15:22. 1 Tim.
+3, Titus 1.
+
+
+XIV. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism is the immersion
+in water of a believer in Christ,[1] into the name of the Father, and
+Son, and Holy Ghost;[2] to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
+his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect,
+in His death to sin and resurrection to a new life;[3] that it is
+prerequisite to the privileges of a church relation, and to the Lord's
+Supper.[4]
+
+[1] Acts 8:36-39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water: what doth
+hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all
+thy heart, thou mayest. . . . And they went down into the water, both
+Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. Matt. 3:5, 6; John 3:22,
+23; 4:1, 2; Matt. 28:19.
+
+[2] Matt. 28:19. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
+Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 10:47, 48; Gal. 3:27, 28.
+
+[3] Rom. 6:4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death;
+that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
+Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Col. 2:12.
+
+[4] Acts 2:41, 42. Then they that gladly received his word were
+baptized, and there were added to them, the same day, about three
+thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles'
+doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
+Matt. 28:19, 20.
+
+
+XV. THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord's Supper is a provision
+of bread and wine, representing Christ's body and blood, partaken of by
+the members of the church assembled for that purpose,[1] in
+commemoration of the death of their Lord,[2] showing their faith and
+participation in the merits of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him
+for spiritual life and nourishment,[3] and their hope of life eternal
+through His resurrection from the dead; its observance to be preceded
+by faithful self-examination.[4]
+
+[1] Luke 22:19, 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake, and
+gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is given for you; this
+do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, This
+cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you. Mark
+14:26-28; Matt. 26:27-30; 1 Cor. 11:22-30; 1 Cor. 10:16.
+
+[2] 1 Cor. 11:26. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
+ye do show the Lord's death until He come. Matt. 28:20.
+
+[3] John 6:35, 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.
+Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life. He that
+eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me, and I in him.
+
+[4] 1 Cor. 11:28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of
+that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11.
+
+
+XVI. THE LORD'S DAY
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the first day of the week is the
+Lord's Day,[1] and is to be kept sacred to religious purposes[2] by
+abstaining from all secular labor, except works of mercy and
+necessity;[3] by the devout observance of all the means of grace, both
+private and public;[4] and by preparation for that rest that remaineth
+for the people of God.
+
+[1] Acts 20:7. On the first day of the week, when the disciples came
+together to break bread, Paul preached to them.
+
+[2] Exod. 20:8. Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Rev. 1:10. I
+was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Ps. 113:2-4.
+
+[3] Isa. 58:13, 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from
+doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the Sabbath a delight, the
+holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own
+ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words;
+then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to
+ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage
+of Jacob. Isa. 56:2-8.
+
+[4] Heb. 10:24, 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
+together, as the manner of some is. Acts 13:44. The next Sabbath Day
+came almost the whole city together to hear the Word of God.
+
+
+XVII. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government is of Divine
+appointment, for the interest and good order of human society;[1] and
+that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and
+obeyed;[2] except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus
+Christ,[3] who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of
+the kings of the earth.[4]
+
+[1] Rom. 13:1-7. The powers that be are ordained of God. For rulers are
+not a terror to good works, but to the evil.
+
+[2] Matt. 22:21. Render therefore unto Cæsar the things that are
+Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Titus 3:1; 1 Peter
+2:13; 1 Tim. 2:1-8.
+
+[3] Acts 5:29. We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt. 10:28. Fear
+not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Dan.
+3:15-18; 6:7, 10; Acts 4:18-20.
+
+[4] Matt. 23:10. Ye have one Master, even Christ. Rev. 19:16. And he
+hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND
+LORD OF LORDS. Ps. 72:11; Ps. 2; Rom. 14:8-13.
+
+
+XVIII. RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical and essential
+difference between the righteous and the wicked;[1] that such only as
+are regenerate, being justified through faith in Jesus Christ and
+sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His esteem;[2]
+while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are, in His
+sight, wicked and under the curse;[3] and this distinction holds among
+men, both in and after death.[4]
+
+[1] Mal. 3:18. Ye shall discern between the righteous and the wicked:
+between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Prov. 12:26;
+Isa. 5:26; Gen. 18:23; Jer. 15:19; Acts 10:34, 35; Rom. 6:16.
+
+[2] Rom. 1:17. The just shall live by faith. 1 John 2:29. If ye know
+that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness
+is born of Him. 1 John 3:7; Rom. 6:18, 22; 1 Cor. 11:32; Prov. 11:31; 1
+Peter 4:17, 18.
+
+[3] 1 John 5:19. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world
+lieth in wickedness. Gal. 3:10. As many as are of the works of the law,
+are under the curse. John 3:36; Isa. 57:21; Ps. 10:4; Isa. 55:6, 7.
+
+[4] Prov. 14:32. The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the
+righteous hath hope in his death. Luke 16:25. Thou in thy lifetime
+receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now
+he is comforted, and thou art tormented. John 8:21-24; Prov. 10:24;
+Luke 12:4, 5; 11:23-26; John 12:25, 26; Eccl. 3:17.
+
+
+XIX. THE WORLD TO COME
+
+We believe the Scriptures teach that the end of the world is
+approaching;[1] that at the last day Christ will descend from
+heaven,[2] and raise the dead from the grave for final retribution;[3]
+that a solemn separation will then take place;[4] that the wicked will
+be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the righteous to endless joy;[5] and
+that this judgment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or
+hell on principles of righteousness.[6]
+
+[1] 1 Peter 4:7. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore
+sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Cor. 7:29-31; Heb. 1:10-12; Matt. 24:35.
+
+[2] Acts 1:11. This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven,
+shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.
+
+[3] Acts 24:15. There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the
+just and unjust. 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 14:14; Dan. 12:2.
+
+[4] Matt. 13:49. The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from
+among the just. Matt. 13:37-43; 24:30, 31; 25:31-33.
+
+[5] Matt. 25:31-46. And these shall go away into everlasting
+punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. 22:11. He that is
+unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be
+filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and
+he that is holy; let him be holy still. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Mark 9:43-48.
+
+[6] 2 Thess. 1:6-12. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to
+recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to you who are
+troubled, rest with us . . . when He shall come to be glorified in His
+saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. Heb. 6:1, 2; 1 Cor.
+4:5; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:2-16; Rev. 20:11, 12; 1 John 2:28; 4:17;
+2 Peter 3:11, 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
+what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
+godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?
+
+
+COVENANT
+
+Having been, as we trust, brought by Divine grace to embrace the Lord
+Jesus Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him, we do now solemnly
+and joyfully covenant with each other TO WALK TOGETHER IN HIM, WITH
+BROTHERLY LOVE, to His glory, as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in
+His strength, engage--
+
+That we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each
+other, and faithfully warn, exhort, and admonish each other as occasion
+may require:
+
+That we will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but will
+uphold the public worship of God and the ordinances of His house:
+
+That we will not omit closet and family religion at home, nor neglect
+the great duty of religiously training our children, and those under
+our care, for the service of Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:
+
+That, as we are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth, we
+will seek Divine aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and every worldly
+lust, and to walk circumspectly in the world, that we may win the souls
+of men:
+
+That we will cheerfully contribute of our property according as God has
+prospered us, for the maintenance of a faithful and evangelical
+ministry among us, for the support of the poor, and to spread the
+Gospel over the earth.
+
+That we will in all conditions, even till death, strive to live to the
+glory of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous
+light.
+
+"And may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord
+Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
+everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his
+will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight through
+Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the "Baptist Church
+    Directory."
+
+
+
++CHAPTER IX+
+
+OPTIONAL STANDING RESOLUTIONS
+
+A Christian church should be the uncompromising friend of all virtue,
+and the determined enemy of all vice. Public morality and social purity
+should find in it an open and earnest advocate and defender. Churches
+should bear in mind that Christian morality, which constitutes their
+rule of life, claims a much higher standard than the morality of
+worldly society about them. Therefore their deportment should be such
+as to have a good report of them that are without, and command the
+respect of the world. In all this the pastor should be the wise but
+decided and courageous teacher, leader and exemplar for his people.
+
+There are certain questions of moral reform and social recreation with
+reference to which the churches are often much perplexed, but with
+reference to which they should have settled convictions, and hold a
+well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put definitions and
+restrictions touching intemperance, card-playing, theater-going,
+dancing, and the like, into covenants or articles of faith. A better
+way is for the church, after due consideration, to pass _standing
+resolutions_ on the subject, to be placed on its records as a guide to
+future action. Something like the following, to be varied at the option
+of the body, would serve as a declaration of principles:
+
+1. _Resolved,_ That this church expects every member to contribute
+statedly for its pecuniary support, according to his ability, as God
+has prospered him, and that a refusal to do this will be considered a
+breach of covenant.
+
+2. _Resolved,_ That this church will entertain and contribute statedly
+to Home and Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects of Christian
+benevolence, approved of and supported by our denomination.
+
+3. _Resolved,_ That the religious education of the young and Bible
+study as represented in Sunday school work commend themselves to our
+confidence, and we will, to the extent of our ability, give them our
+sympathy and our aid, by both our personal cooperation and
+contributions and expressed appreciation of all their legitimate aims
+and work.
+
+4. _Resolved,_ That in our opinion, the use of intoxicating drinks as a
+beverage, and also the manufacture and sale of the same for such a
+purpose are contrary to Christian morals, injurious to personal piety,
+and a hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons so using, making, or
+selling, are thereby disqualified for membership in this church.
+
+5. _Resolved,_ That we emphatically discountenance and condemn the
+practice of church-members frequenting theaters and other similar
+places of public amusements, as inconsistent with a Christian
+profession, detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious in the
+influence of its example on others.
+
+6. _Revolved,_ That the members of this church are earnestly requested
+not to provide for, take part in, or by any means encourage dancing or
+card-playing; but in all consistent ways to discountenance the same as
+a hindrance to personal godliness in their associations and tendencies,
+and an offense to brethren whom we should not willingly grieve.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER X+
+
+BAPTISM CONSIDERED
+
+What is Christian baptism? This is the gravest question which enters
+into the baptismal controversy. Other questions of moment there are in
+connection with it, touching the design, the efficacy, and the
+subjects. But it is of primary importance to know what constitutes
+baptism.
+
+Baptists answer the question by saying that baptism is the immersion,
+dipping, or burying in water, of a professed believer in Christ, in the
+name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
+
+Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, answer the question
+by saying that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring of water
+upon the candidate, touching the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping
+the person wholly into water; in either case in the name of the Father,
+the Son, and the Spirit; and that it may be administered to a candidate
+on his profession of faith, or to an unconscious infant on the
+professed faith of parents or sponsors. This would make four kinds of
+baptism, and two classes of subjects for its reception; and would
+consist rather in the application of water to the person, than putting
+the person into water.
+
+Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance, as well as to a oneness of
+the faith; insisting that as there is but one Lord, and one faith, so
+there is but one baptism. And the dipping in water of a professed
+disciple of Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling a person
+with water, nor pouring water upon him can by any possibility be
+Christian baptism. That this position is the true one, we appeal to the
+New Testament, and the best extant historical and philological
+authorities to establish.
+
+Let it be distinctly understood, however, that all the eminent names
+and learned authorities hereafter cited are Pedobaptists. Baptist
+authorities are wholly omitted, not because they are less accurate or
+less valuable, but because we prefer to allow our opponents in this
+controversy to bear witness for us, rather than to testify in our own
+behalf.
+
+
+THE MEANING OF THE WORD
+
+The word _baptize_ is, properly speaking, a Greek word (_baptizo_),
+adapted to the English language by a change in its termination. This is
+the word always used by Christ and His Apostles to express and define
+the ordinance. What does that word mean as originally used? For it is
+certain that our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed by believers
+of all classes, in all lands, and through all ages, would use a word of
+positive and definite import, and one whose meaning would admit of no
+reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars say? How do the Greek lexicons
+define the word?
+
+SCAPULA says: "To _dip,_ to immerse, as we do anything for the purpose
+of dyeing it."
+
+SCHLEUSNER says: "Properly it signifies to _dip,_ to immerse, to
+immerse in water."
+
+PARKHURST says: "To dip, _immerse,_ or plunge in water."
+
+STEVENS says: "To merge, or _immerse,_ to submerge, or bury in water."
+
+DONNEGAN says: "To _immerse_ repeatedly into liquid, to submerge, to
+soak thoroughly."
+
+ROBINSON says: "To _immerse,_ to sink."
+
+LIDDELL AND SCOTT say: "To _dip_ repeatedly."
+
+GRIMM'S LEXICON _of the New Testament,_ which in Europe and America
+stands confessedly at the head of Greek lexicography, as translated and
+edited by Professor Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines
+_baptizo:_ "(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse, submerge. (2) To cleanse
+by dipping or submerging. (3) To overwhelm. In the New Testament it is
+used particularly of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted by
+John the Baptist, afterward by Christ's command received by Christians
+and adjusted to the contents and nature of their religion, viz., an
+_immersion_ in water, performed as a sign of the removal of sin, and
+administered to those who, impelled by a desire for salvation, sought
+admission to the benefits of the Messiah's kingdom. With _eis_ to mark
+the element into which the immersion is made; _en_ with the dative or
+the thing in which one is immersed."
+
+The noun _baptisma,_ the only other word used in the New Testament to
+denote the rite, GRIMM-THAYER thus define: "A word peculiar to the New
+Testament and ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John's baptism; (2)
+of Christian baptism. This, according to the view of the Apostles, is a
+rite of sacred _immersion_ commanded by Christ."
+
+Add to those such authorities as Alstidius, Passow, Schöttgen,
+Stockius, Stourdza, Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenmüller, Wetstein, Leigh,
+Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius, Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many
+others who bear the same witness to the proper meaning of the word
+_baptize._ If at any time the word may have a secondary meaning, it is
+strictly in accord with its primary meaning--to dip, or immerse. For
+both classic and sacred Greek the same meaning holds.
+
+PROF. MOSES STUART, one of the ablest scholars America has produced,
+declared: "_Baptizo_ means to dip, plunge, or _immerse_ into any
+liquid. All lexicographers and critics of any note are agreed in this."
+_Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository, 1833, p. 298._
+
+"All lexicographers and critics, of any note, are agreed in this," says
+one of the foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist. What a
+concession!
+
+The Greek language is rich in terms for the expression of all positive
+ideas, and all varying shades of thought. Why, then, did our Lord in
+commanding, and His Apostles in transmitting His command to posterity,
+use _always_ and _only_ the one word _baptizo,_ to describe the action,
+and that one word _baptisma,_ to describe the ordinance to which He
+intended all His followers to submit? The word _louo_ means to _wash_
+the body, and _nipto_ to wash parts of the body; but these words are
+not used, because washing is not what Christ meant. _Rantizo_ means to
+_sprinkle,_ and if sprinkling were baptism this would have been the
+word above all others; but it was never so used. _Cheo_ means to
+_pour:_ but pouring is not baptism, and so this word was never used to
+describe the ordinance. _Katharizo_ means to _purify,_ but it is not
+used for the ordinance. The facts are clear and the reasoning
+conclusive.
+
+STOURDZA, the Russian scholar and diplomat, says: "The church of the
+West has then departed from the example of Jesus Christ; she has
+obliterated the whole sublimity of the exterior sign. Baptism and
+immersion are _identical._ Baptism by _aspersion_ is as if one should
+say _immersion_ by _aspersion,_ or any other absurdity of the same
+nature." _Considerations, Orthodox Ch., p. 87._
+
+
+THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
+
+The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is thus described: "And Jesus, when
+He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water" (Matt. 3:16).
+And again, it is recorded that Jesus "was baptized of John in Jordan:
+and straightway coming up out of the water" (Mark 1:10). He certainly
+would not go down into Jordan to have water sprinkled on Him. Nobody
+believes He would. He was baptized _in_ Jordan, not _with_ Jordan.
+Moreover, he was _baptized,_ that is, _immersed,_ not _rantized,_ that
+is, _sprinkled._
+
+BISHOP TAYLOR says: "The custom of the ancient churches was not
+sprinkling, but _immersion,_ in pursuance of the meaning of the word in
+the commandments and the example of our blessed Saviour." _Commentary
+on Matthew 3:16._
+
+MACKNIGHT says: "Christ submitted to be baptized, that is, to be
+_buried_ under water, and to be raised out of it again, as an emblem of
+his future death and resurrection." _Com. Epis., Rom. 6:4._
+
+And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot, Whitby, Poole, Olshausen,
+Meyer, Alford, and many other commentators and scholars. All those whom
+John baptized he buried beneath the waters, and raised them up again.
+
+
+MUCH WATER NEEDED
+
+It is recorded that "John also was baptizing in Enon, near to Salim,
+because there was much water there" (John 3:23). Why need much water
+except for dipping, or burying candidates in the act of baptism?
+
+JOHN CALVIN, the great theologian, scholar, and commentator, whom
+Scaliger pronounced the most learned man in Europe, says: "From the
+words of John (chap. 3:23) it may be inferred that baptism was
+administered by John and Christ, by _plunging_ the whole body under
+water." _Com. on John 3:23._
+
+POOLE says: "It is apparent that both Christ and John baptized by
+dipping the whole body in the water, else they need not have sought
+places where had been a great plenty of water." _Annot. John 3:23._
+
+WHITBY says: "Because there was much water there in which their whole
+bodies might be dipped." _Crit. Com. John 3:23._
+
+With these agree Bengel, Curcælleus, Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and
+others.
+
+
+PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH
+
+"And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch,
+and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the
+Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (Acts 8:38). Why go down into
+the water, both, or either of them, if not for an immersion?
+
+VENEMA, the ecclesiastical historian, says: "It is without controversy,
+that baptism in the primitive church was administered by _immersion_
+into water, and not by sprinkling; seeing that John is said to have
+baptized in Jordan, and where there was much water, as Christ also did
+by His disciples in the neighborhood of those places. Philip also going
+down into the water baptized the eunuch." _Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec.
+138._
+
+To this may be added Calvin, Grotius, Towerson, Poole, and others to
+the same effect.
+
+
+THE TESTIMONY OF SCHOLARS
+
+Great men are not always wise. Our search should be for the _truth_
+wherever found; and though our final appeal in these matters is to the
+New Testament, still we are glad to use the testimony of distinguished
+scholars where it affirms the teachings of the Scriptures and confirms
+our position on the baptismal question. Especially so, as these
+scholars are not of our own, but of other denominations.
+
+ZANCHIUS, the learned Roman Catholic professor of Heidelberg, whose
+opinion De Courcy declared, "is worth a thousand others," said: "The
+proper signification of _baptize_ is to _immerse,_ plunge under,
+overwhelm in water." _Works, Vol. VI., p. 217. Geneva, 1619._
+
+LUTHER, the great German Reformer, says: "The term _baptism_ is Greek;
+in Latin it may be translated _mersio:_ since we _immerse_ anything
+into water, that the whole may be covered with the water." _Works, Vol.
+I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582._
+
+MELANCHTHON, the most scholarly and able co-laborer with Luther, says:
+"Baptism is _immersion_ into water, with this admirable benediction."
+_Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580._
+
+CAVE, in his able work on Christian Antiquities, says: "The party to be
+baptized was _wholly immersed,_ or put under water." _Prim. Christ., P.
+I. Chap. X. p. 320._
+
+BEZA, the learned translator of the New Testament, says: "Christ
+commanded us to be baptized, by which word it is certain _immersion_ is
+signified." _Annot. on Mark 7:4._
+
+MEDE, the distinguished English scholar and Divine, says, "There was no
+such thing as _sprinkling_ used in the Apostles' days, nor for many
+ages after them." _Dis. on Titus 3:5._
+
+GROTIUS, who his biographer calls one of the most illustrious names in
+literature, politics, and theology says: "That baptism used to be
+performed by _immersion,_ and not by pouring, appears by the proper
+signification of the word, and by the places chosen for the
+administration of the rite." _Annot. on Matt. 3:6; John 3:23._
+
+ADAM CLARK, the great Methodist commentator, says: "Alluding to the
+_immersions_ practiced in the case of adults, wherein the person
+appeared to be _buried_ under the water as Christ was buried in the
+heart of the earth." _Com. on Col. 2:12._
+
+FREDERICK MEYER, one of the ablest and most accurate exegetes of the
+present age, says: "_Immersion,_ which the word in classic Greek and in
+the New Testament ever means." _Com. on Mark 7:4._
+
+DEAN ALFORD says: "The baptism was administered by _immersion_ of the
+whole person." _Greek Testament, Matt. 3:6._
+
+BISHOP BOSSUET, the celebrated French Catholic bishop, orator, and
+counselor of state, says: "To baptize, signifies to _plunge,_ as is
+granted by all the world." See _Stenett ad Russen, p. 174._
+
+DOCTOR SCHAFF, the well-known church historian, says: "_Immersion,_ and
+not sprinkling, was unquestionably the original form. This is shown by
+the very meaning of the words _baptizo, baptisma,_ and _baptismos_ used
+to designate the rite." _Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488. Merc. ed., 1851. Also
+see Noel on Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8._
+
+DEAN STANLEY, the distinguished scholar, and historian of the Oriental
+Church, says: "The practice of the Eastern Church, and the meaning of
+the word, leave no sufficient ground for question that the original
+form of baptism was _complete immersion_ in the deep baptismal waters."
+_Hist. Eastern Church, p. 34._
+
+PROFESSOR FISHER, of Yale College, the accomplished scholar and
+historian, says of the Apostolic age: "The ordinary mode of baptism was
+by _immersion._" _Hist. Christ. Church, p. 41._
+
+PROFESSOR RIDDLE says: "There is no doubt that the usual mode of
+administering baptism in the early church, was by _immersion,_ or
+plunging the whole body of the person baptized under water." _Christ.
+Antiq., p. 502._
+
+Add to the above the testimony of Bishops Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius,
+Poole, Vitringa, Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark, Bloomfield, Scholz,
+Neander, and many others to the same effect, none of whom were Baptists.
+
+
+APOSTOLICAL ALLUSIONS
+
+What idea could the Apostle have had as to the nature of baptism, when
+in two of his epistles he alludes to it as a _burial_ except that it
+was a dipping or burial in water? To the Romans he says: "Therefore we
+are _buried_ with him, by baptism, into death" (Rom. 6:4). To the
+Colossians, in nearly the same language, "_Buried_ with him in baptism"
+(Col. 2:12). No one can misunderstand the meaning of these words.
+Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing, cleansing--nothing but a complete
+submersion--can represent a burial. And no candid mind could
+misunderstand such language, unless blinded or biased by prejudice,
+education, or sophistical reasoning from others.
+
+ARCHBISHOP TILLOTSON makes this comment: "Anciently those who were
+baptized were _immersed_ and _buried_ in the water, to represent their
+death to sin; and then did rise up out of the water, to signify their
+entrance upon a new life. And to this custom the Apostle alludes."
+_Works, Vol. I., p. 170._
+
+JOHN WESLEY, the celebrated founder of Methodism, says: "Buried with
+him, alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by _immersion._" _Note
+on Rom. 6:4._
+
+CONYBEARE says: "This passage cannot be understood unless it be borne
+in mind that the primitive baptism was by _immersion._" _Life and
+Epist. St. Paul, Rom. 6:4._
+
+BLOOMFIELD says: "Here is a plain allusion to the ancient custom of
+baptizing by _immersion,_ and I agree with Koppe and Rosenmüller, that
+there is reason to regret it should ever have been abandoned in most
+Christian churches; especially as it has so evident a reference to the
+mystical sense of baptism." _Recens. Synop., Rom. 6:4._
+
+WHITEFIELD says: "It is certain that in the words of our text (Rom.
+6:4) there is an allusion to the manner of baptizing which was by
+_immersion._" _Eighteen Sermons, p. 297._
+
+MEYER says: "The candidate says to himself, Now I enter into fellowship
+with the death of Christ; I am to be buried with Christ in the
+_immersion,_ and in the _emersion_ I rise with Christ to newness of
+life." _Com. on Rom. 6:4._
+
+Add to these the names of Bishop Fell, Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark,
+Estius, Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin, Zwingli,
+Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with others equally good in authority, and what
+no one ought to question seems to be put beyond doubt.
+
+
+THE WITNESS OF HISTORY
+
+Learned and devout men have studied with care the early records of
+Christianity, and have written histories of the doctrines and customs
+of the churches, during the ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.
+What do they tell us as to the use of baptism during the first
+centuries after Christ?
+
+BARNABAS, the companion of St. Paul; Hermas, writing about A. D. 95;
+Justin Martyr, about A. D. 140; Tertullian, about A. D. 204;
+Hippolytus, about A. D. 225; Gregory, about A. D. 360; Basil, about
+A. D. 360; Ambrose, about A. D. 374; Cyril, about A. D. 374;
+Chrysostom, about A. D. 400; all speak of being _dipped,_ or _buried,_
+or _immersed,_ or _plunged_ in the water in baptism; and none of them
+make the least allusion to any application of water to the person for
+baptism by sprinkling, pouring, washing, or any other mode whatsoever.
+
+DOCTOR WALL, whose learned and laborious researches in connection with
+his exhaustive work on the _History of Infant Baptism_ left little for
+others to discover in this field of scholarship, says: "The Greek
+Church in all its branches does still use _immersion,_ and so do all
+other Christians in the world, except the Latins. All those nations
+that do now, or formerly did submit to the Bishop of Rome, do
+ordinarily baptize their children by pouring or sprinkling. But _all
+other Christians in the world,_ who never owned the Pope's usurped
+power, do and ever did _dip_ their infants in the ordinary use. All the
+Christians in Asia, all in Africa, and about one-third in Europe are of
+the last sort." _Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p. 376, 3d ed._
+
+BINGHAM, in his _Origines,_ the ablest work we have in English on
+Christian Antiquities, says: "The ancients thought that immersion, or
+_burying under water,_ did more lively represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, as well as our own death to sin and rising
+again unto righteousness." _Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI._
+
+MOSHEIM says: "In this century (_the first_) baptism was administered
+in convenient places, without the public assemblies, and by _immersing_
+the candidate wholly in water." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch.
+4._
+
+NEANDER says: "In respect to the form of baptism, it was in conformity
+to the original institution, and the original import of the symbol,
+performed by _immersion,_ as a sign of entire baptism into the Holy
+Spirit, of being entirely penetrated with the same." _Ch. Hist., Vol.
+I., p. 310._ Also, _Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222._
+
+SCHAFF says: "Finally, so far as it respects the mode and manner of
+outward baptizing, there can be no doubt that _immersion,_ and not
+sprinkling was the original normal form." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488._
+
+PRESSENSÉ says: "Baptism, which was the sign of admission into the
+church, was administered by _immersion._ The convert was plunged
+beneath the water, and as he rose from it he received the laying on of
+hands." _Early Years of Christianity, p. 374._
+
+KURTZ says: "Baptism took place by a complete _immersion._" _Church
+History, p. 41._
+
+KRAUS says: "Baptism was performed by _immersion_ in the name of the
+Trinity." _Church History, p. 56. 1882._
+
+ELLICOTT says: "Jewish ablutions arrived at a ceremonial purity in the
+Levitical sense, and had nothing in common with the figurative act
+which portrayed through _immersion_ the complete disappearance of the
+old nature, and by the _emerging_ again, the beginning of a totally new
+life." _Life of Christ, p. 110._
+
+
+FOR THIRTEEN CENTURIES
+
+It is proved that not only was immersion practiced for baptism by
+Christ and His Apostles, but that for many ages after nothing else was
+known as baptism: and that for _thirteen hundred years_ it was the
+common and prevailing form over the whole Christian world, with only
+exceptional departures, hereafter to be noticed. And that though the
+Latin or Roman Church did finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right
+to change ordinances, the Greek and all the Oriental churches retained
+dipping, as they do to this day.
+
+DOCTOR STACKHOUSE says: "Several authors have shown and proved that
+this manner of _immersion_ continued, as much as possible, to be used
+for _thirteen hundred years_ after Christ." _Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1._
+
+BISHOP BOSSUET says: "We are able to make it appear, by the acts of
+councils and by ancient rituals, that for _thirteen hundred years_
+baptism was thus administered [by immersion] throughout the whole
+church, as far as possible." _Cited, Stennet ad Russen, p. 176._
+
+HAGENBACH says: "From the _thirteenth century_ sprinkling came into
+more general use in the West. The Greek Church, however, and the church
+of Milan still retained the practice of _immersion._" _Hist. Doct. Vol.
+II., p. 84, note 1._
+
+VAN OOSTERZEE says: "This _sprinkling,_ which appears to have first
+come generally into use in the _thirteenth century_ in place of the
+entire _immersion_ of the body, in imitation of the previous baptism of
+the sick, has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical character
+of the act is expressed by it much less conspicuously than by complete
+immersion and burial under the water." _Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p.
+749._
+
+COLEMAN says: "The practice of immersion continued even until the
+_thirteenth or fourteenth_ century. Indeed, it has never been formally
+abandoned." _Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12._
+
+To the same effect is the testimony of Doctors Brenner, Von Cölln,
+Winer, Augusti, Bingham, and others.
+
+
+AS TO THE GREEK CHURCH
+
+It is a notable fact and worthy of record in this discussion, that the
+Greek Church has always retained immersion in baptism. This church
+extends over Greece, Russia, Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and
+other Oriental countries. Like the Latin Church, it has corrupted the
+primitive purity of Gospel doctrine and practice with many absurd
+glosses and superstitious rites. It practices infant baptism, yet it is
+by _dipping,_ even in the severe climate of Siberia; and it uses
+_trine_ immersion, or dipping the candidate three times, one to each of
+the names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its branches immersion is
+retained.
+
+THE EDINBURGH ENCYCLOPEDIA says: "The Greek Church, as well as the
+Schismatics in the East, retained the custom of _immersing_ the whole
+body; but the Western Church adopted, in the _thirteenth century,_ the
+mode of sprinkling, which has been continued by the Protestants,
+Baptists only excepted." _Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism._
+
+These statements are fully confirmed by Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius,
+Buddeus, Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman and others, who have
+written on the state and history of the Greek Church.
+
+
+THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM
+
+What was baptism intended to represent? As a religious rite it meant
+something, had some symbolic force, and represented some moral or
+spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning was clearly this: to show forth
+the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, who died for our sins,
+and rose again for our justification. And every believer who receives
+this ordinance, professes thereby to have faith in the merits of
+Christ's death as the ground of his own hope of Salvation; to have
+fellowship also with His sufferings, and makes a declaration of his own
+death to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ. It also typifies the
+washing of regeneration; it further declares the candidate's hope of a
+resurrection from the dead, even as Christ, into the likeness of whose
+death he is buried, was raised up by the glory of the Father. Chiefly
+_death, burial,_ and _resurrection:_ the great facts of redemptive
+grace are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism does teach all this,
+and immersion alone can teach it. Careful students of the New Testament
+have clearly seen this, and very generally confessed it, whatever may
+have been their practice.
+
+BISHOP NEWTON says: "Baptism was usually performed by _immersion,_ or
+dipping the whole body under water, to represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, and thereby signify the person's own dying to
+sin, the destruction of its power, and his resurrection to a new life."
+_Pract. Expos. Cate., p. 297._
+
+Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond, Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight,
+Olshausen, Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus, Frankius, Wall,
+Towerson, Adam Clark, Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony as to
+the design of the ordinance, and how it is answered in immersion only.
+
+
+A SUFFICIENCY OF WATER
+
+There have been found persons so ignorant, or so weak, or so perverse
+in their opposition to immersion, as to assert that the Jordan was a
+small stream, so nearly dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient
+depth of water for the immersion of the multitudes of the disciples of
+John and of Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and also that
+Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation for the immersion of the
+thousands of converts at the Pentecost, and on subsequent occasions.
+People are becoming more intelligent, and more candid, and it is
+possible that such puerile objections are no more heard. But it may be
+well to give passing notice to the facts.
+
+DR. EDWARD ROBINSON, at that time professor in the Union Theological
+Seminary, New York City, in 1840, made a careful survey of Palestine,
+including the Jordan valley and river. His published statements
+corroborate those of others previously made, as to the abundant supply
+of water, both in the Jordan, and in the city of Jerusalem. He cites
+the published statements of earlier explorers, whose works are known to
+the reading public: Seetzen, who visited that country in 1806;
+Burkhardt, who explored it in 1812; Irby and Mangles, in 1818; and
+Buckingham, who traveled through it about the same time. See
+_Robinson's Bib. Researches, Vol. II., Sec. 10, pp. 257-267._
+
+LIEUTENANT LYNCH, of the United States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by
+our government in charge of an expedition to explore the river Jordan
+and the Dead Sea. Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century missionary
+in Syria and Palestine, traversed the land in 1857, and Dean Stanley in
+1853, and others more recently. For a complete refutation of such
+puerile objections as those above mentioned, and a confirmation of
+Baptist claims, see the following works: Robinson's "Biblical
+Researches," Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267; Lynch's "Dead Sea
+Expedition," Ch. 10 and 11; Thomson's "The Land and the Book," Vol.
+II., pp. 445-6; Stanley's "Syria and Palestine," Ch. 7, pp. 306-7;
+Barclay's "The City of the Great Kings," ch. 10; and other citations in
+"Baptist Church Directory."
+
+
+THE RISE OF SPRINKLING
+
+The question will naturally arise and very properly, When did
+sprinkling for baptism first come into use? And how came it to pass,
+that a human device superseded and took the place of a Divine
+institution? These questions are fully and satisfactorily answered by
+Pedobaptist scholars themselves, whose testimony we accept as a
+justification of Baptist views.
+
+For _two hundred and fifty years_ after Christ we have no evidence of
+any departure from the primitive practice of immersion. At length the
+idea came to prevail that baptism possessed saving virtue, and had
+power to purify and sanctify the soul, making its salvation more
+secure. It was consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized. Here was
+the germ of the pernicious dogma of "baptismal regeneration," the
+foundation alike of infant baptism and of sprinkling instead of
+immersion.
+
+The first authenticated instance of _sprinkling_ occurred about the
+middle of the third century, or A. D. 250. This was the case of
+Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives this case, and Doctor Wall in
+his laborious researches could find no earlier instance; good evidence
+that no earlier existed. Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing
+himself about to die, was anxious to be baptized. The case seemed
+urgent, and as he was thought to be too feeble to be _immersed,_ a
+substitute was resorted to; water was poured profusely over him as he
+lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as possible a submersion. The
+word used to describe this action (_perichutheis, purfusus_) has
+usually been rendered _besprinkle;_ it rather means to pour profusely
+over and about one. This it was thought might answer the purpose in
+such an emergency.
+
+From this time onward pouring and sprinkling were resorted to at times
+of extreme illness, or feebleness, where persons could not leave their
+beds, and hence was termed _clinic_ baptism, from _clina,_ a couch. But
+it was always regarded as a substitute for baptism, rather than baptism
+itself; and its validity was doubted. Novatian himself having recovered
+from his sickness, was objected to when his friends proposed to make
+him bishop, because, it was said, he had never been properly baptized.
+It was not, however, until the seventeenth century that sprinkling
+became common in Europe, in France first, and then extending through
+those countries over which the pope held sway. At length, accepted by
+Calvin and the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland, by John Knox,
+and other Scotch refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter from the
+persecution to which they had been exposed in their native country;
+then into England: and in 1643 it was adopted as the exclusive mode of
+baptism by a majority of one of the Westminster Assembly of Divines,
+and sanctioned by Parliament the next year. All of which is verified by
+Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius, Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,
+"Ency. Brit.," "Edin. Ency.," and other reliable historical
+authorities.[1]
+
++FOOTNOTES:+
+
+[1] For more numerous citations on this subject, see the "Star Book
+    on Christian Baptism," and "The Baptist Church Directory."
+
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XI+
+
+THE LORD'S SUPPER
+
+The Lord's Supper, called also the "Eucharist," and the "Communion," is
+the most sacred act of Christian worship, and the highest expression of
+the mysteries of our holy religion. It is a service in which bread and
+wine--the _loaf_ and the _cup_--are used to represent the body and the
+blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for us. The bread is _broken,_
+distributed, and eaten; the wine is _poured,_ distributed, and drunk by
+the members of the assembled church, to show the sacrifice of Christ,
+His body broken, and His blood shed for their redemption; and that by
+His death they have life. Being begotten of God through the operation
+of the Spirit, their new life is sustained and nourished by mystically
+feeding on Him who is the Bread of God, which came down from heaven to
+give life to the world. He said: "This do in remembrance of Me." "As
+oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord's
+death, till He come." "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
+drink His blood, ye have no life in you." "Whoso eateth My flesh and
+drinketh My blood hath eternal life." "He that eateth My flesh, and
+drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him." It is a Divine
+reality, though a sublime mystery.
+
+
+OPEN AND CLOSE COMMUNION
+
+The controversy between Baptists and other denominations, so far as the
+Lord's Supper is concerned, has no reference to its nature, the purpose
+for which it was instituted, the manner of its administration, or the
+effect of the elements on the participants. It has reference simply to
+the proper _subjects_ for participation in the privilege. Who may, and
+who may not properly and of right come to the Lord's Table? On the
+question of what are the Scriptural qualifications of participants,
+Baptist and Pedobaptists differ--differ not as to the general rule to
+be applied, but as to its particular application. And this particular
+application leads to the controversy on what is called _"close
+communion,"_ as practiced by Baptists, and to what is called _"open
+communion,"_ as practiced by Pedobaptists.
+
+_What is open communion? Open,_ free or mixed communion is, strictly
+speaking, that which allows any one who desires, and believes himself
+qualified, to come to the Lord's Table, without any questions being
+asked, or conditions imposed by the church in which the ordinance is
+observed. But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of the
+greater part of the Pedobaptist churches, which hold that _sprinkling_
+is lawful baptism, and invite, not all persons, but members of all
+evangelical churches, whatever be their view of church order and
+ordinances; holding them all as being baptized because they have been
+sprinkled.
+
+_What is close communion? Close,_ strict, or restricted communion is,
+properly speaking, that which does not invite all indiscriminately to
+the Lord's Table, but restricts the privilege to a particular class.
+But ordinarily the term is applied to the practice of Baptist churches,
+which invite only baptized believers, walking in orderly fellowship in
+their own churches. And by baptized believers, they mean, of course,
+immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling to be baptism at all.
+
+
+ONE AND THE SAME RULE
+
+_Observe further:_ That Baptists and Pedobaptists have one and the same
+rule in theory as to the proper qualification for participants, namely,
+they all hold that baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized persons
+have no legal right to the Lord's Supper, and cannot consistently be
+invited  to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized persons to the
+Lord's Table, however good Christians, since such could not become
+church-members, and the Supper is for those within the church, not for
+the outside world. For though there are a few churches and a few
+pastors, who in their extreme liberality might be disposed to invite
+everybody to the sacred ordinance yet such a course would be contrary
+to their denominational standards, and opposed to the usages of their
+churches generally.
+
+_Further observe:_ They all practice a restriction since they restrict
+the privilege to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,
+walking in orderly church fellowship. But Baptists and Pedobaptists
+differ as to what constitutes _baptism,_ the one rejecting, and the
+other accepting the validity of sprinkling. Thus Baptists' custom is
+more _"close,"_ and Pedobaptists' is more _"open,"_ by the difference
+between their views of baptism; and by that difference only.
+_Therefore,_ it is manifest that the question so called of "close" and
+"open" communion is really not a question of "communion" at all, but of
+what constitutes Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled, and the
+controversy as to the restriction of the Lord's Supper will cease.
+
+
+THE BAPTIST POSITION
+
+Baptists hold that there are _three_ imperative conditions precedent to
+the privileges of the Lord's Supper: 1. _Regeneration._ No unconverted
+person can with propriety, or of right, eat and drink at that sacred
+feast, in commemoration of Christ's death. They must be persons dead to
+sin, and alive to God; born again, through the operation of the Spirit.
+2. _Baptism._ Buried with Christ in baptism on a profession of faith in
+Him. No person, however good, and however manifestly regenerate, is
+prepared without baptism, according to the Divine order, to receive the
+Supper. Without baptism he cannot enter the fellowship of the church,
+where the Supper alone is to be enjoyed. 3. _An orderly walk is
+necessary._ An upright and consistent Christian walk, and godly
+conversation among the saints, and before the world. For though one may
+be truly regenerate, and properly baptized, yet if he be a disorderly
+walker, violating his covenant obligations, living in sin, and bringing
+reproach on the Christian profession, he has no right to sit at the
+Lord's Table.
+
+The ordinances are a sacred trust which Christ has committed to the
+churches as custodians, and which they are to watch and guard from all
+profane intrusion, and improper use, with the most sedulous fidelity.
+Baptists believe that in order to maintain the purity and spirituality
+of the churches, it is necessary to maintain the ordinances pure; and
+especially necessary to restrict the Supper to regenerate and godly
+persons, baptized on a profession of their faith, into the fellowship
+of the saints. To adopt any other rule, or to allow any larger liberty,
+would break down the distinction between the church and the world;
+would bring in a carnal and unconverted membership, and transfer the
+sacred mysteries of the body and the blood of Christ from the temple of
+God to the temple of Belial. This would be disloyalty to Christ.
+
+The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those who _believed_ and _gladly
+received the Word,_ were _baptized._ Then they were _added to the
+church._ Then they continued steadfastly in the _Apostles' doctrine,_
+and fellowship, and in _breaking of bread,_ and in _prayer._
+
+_Notice,_ they were not baptized till they had received the Word and
+believed. They were not added to the church till they had believed and
+been baptized. They did not engage in the breaking of bread (that is,
+the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized, and were added to
+the church. This is the Divine order; and this is the order which
+Baptists maintain and defend.
+
+
+PEDOBAPTIST CLOSE COMMUNION
+
+It has already been shown that Pedobaptists themselves practice a
+restricted or close communion, limiting the privilege to baptized (as
+they call them) members of evangelical churches, and that their
+communion is more liberal than that of the Baptists only, and only by
+so much as their baptism (so-called) is more liberal than that of
+Baptists.
+
+But in some respects Pedobaptists practice a "close communion,"
+restrictive in its conditions, far beyond anything known to Baptists
+whose illiberality they are accustomed to magnify. They exclude a large
+class of their own members from the Lord's Table--namely, _baptized
+children!_ Baptists do not deny the Lord's Supper to their own members
+in good standing. If children are suitable subjects for baptism, it
+seems most unreasonable and unjust to deny them the Supper. If they can
+be benefited by one ordinance, can they not be equally benefited by the
+other? If they can receive the one on the faith of sponsors, can they
+not receive the other in the same way? Who has authorized parents or
+ministers to give baptism to unconverted and unconscious children, and
+refuse them the Lord's Supper? By denying the Supper to baptized
+children, Pedobaptists act contrary to the traditions of the ancient
+churches, which they are accustomed to cite with so much assurance, in
+defense of infant baptism. Do they not know that those ancient churches
+(not the primitive churches) gave the Lord's Supper to infants for many
+centuries? And the Greek Church, through all its branches, continues
+still the same practice.
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "After the general introduction of infant baptism,
+in the _second and third centuries,_ the sacrament continued to be
+administered to all who had been baptized, whether infants or adults.
+The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for this practice was, that
+age was no impediment. Augustine strongly advocates the practice. The
+custom continued for several centuries. It is mentioned in the third
+Council of Tours, A. D. 813; and even the Council of Trent, A. D. 1545,
+only decreed that it should not be considered essential to salvation.
+It is still scrupulously observed by the Greek Church." _Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4, Sec. 7. Many other
+writers bear the same testimony._
+
+
+THE POWER OF SYMPATHY
+
+There is a small class of Baptists who are at times inclined to desire,
+and it may be, to seek a wider liberty at the Lord's Table than they
+find accorded in their own churches. The one prevailing argument with
+them is _sympathy._ To them it seems kindly and fraternal to invite all
+who say they love our common Lord and Saviour to unite in commemorating
+His death in the Supper. Even if they have not been baptized, they
+themselves believe they have, and they are good Christian people. "Why
+stand upon a technicality?" they say. To such the service is merely a
+sentimental service; a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,
+rather than an instituted commemoration of their dying Lord. They have
+neither Scripture, logic, expediency, the scholarship, nor the
+concurrent practice of Christendom, either past or present, to sustain
+their position. But _sympathy_ influences them; yet sympathy should not
+control conduct in matters of faith, or in acts of conscience. It is a
+grave perversion when affection for his disciples sways us more than
+fidelity to our Lord. We should not be so kind to _them_ as to be
+untrue to _Him._ Sincere Christians will honor those who are loyal to
+Christ, even though they differ in opinion.
+
+
+THREE FACTS EXPLAINED
+
+Baptists give the following reasons in justification of their course in
+the following cases:
+
+1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the Lord's Supper with them,
+because such persons are not baptized, as has been shown, they being
+simply sprinkled. They may be true converts, and have the spiritual
+qualifications, but they are destitute of the ceremonial
+qualification--baptism. The "buried in baptism" comes before the
+"breaking of bread."
+
+2. They do not accept the invitation of Pedobaptist churches to eat at
+the Lord's Table with them, for the same reason; they are not baptized
+Christians. And while the appreciate their Christian fellowship, they
+could not accept their church fellowship, and sit at the Lord's Table
+with them, without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing their
+baptismal errors.
+
+3. They do not invite immersed members of Pedobaptist churches to the
+Lord's Supper with them, because such persons, though they may be truly
+regenerate and properly baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining
+in and giving countenance to churches which hold and practice serious
+errors as to both the ordinances. These churches use sprinkling for
+baptism and administer the ordinance to infants, both of which are
+unscriptural. And yet such persons, by remaining in them, encourage and
+support these errors, instead of protesting against them by leaving
+them. They insist on immersion for themselves, and yet by a strange
+inconsistency give their fellowship and influence to perpetuate and
+sanction sprinkling for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly
+Christian walking; and, therefore, very properly, Baptists decline to
+invite them to the Lord's Supper.
+
+
+PEDOBAPTIST WITNESSES
+
+In further proof that the position of Baptists as to the Lord's Supper
+is correct and Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with baptism, and
+not with the Supper; and that they must still continue to restrict the
+ordinance to baptized believers, or else admit that sprinkling is
+baptism, we cite the concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist scholars
+and Divines in evidence on our side.
+
+JUSTIN MARTYR, one of the early Christian Fathers, says of the Supper:
+"This food is called by us the Eucharist, of which it is not lawful for
+any one to partake but such as believe the things taught by us to be
+true, and have been baptized." _Apol. I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff's Church
+Hist., Ch. 2. p. 516._
+
+MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says: "Neither those doing penance, nor
+those not yet baptized, were allowed to be present at the celebration
+of this ordinance." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3._
+
+NEANDER, the great church historian, says: "At this celebration, as may
+be easily concluded, no one could be present who was not a member of
+the Christian Church, and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism."
+_Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston, 1849._
+
+CAVE, one of the ablest writers on Christian antiquities, says the
+participants in the primitive church were those "that had embraced the
+doctrine of the Gospel, and had been baptized into the faith of Christ.
+For, looking upon the Lord's Supper as the highest and most solemn act
+of religion, they thought they could never take care enough in the
+dispensing of it." _Prim. Christ., Part I., Ch. 11, p. 333._
+
+BINGHAM, in his able work on the Antiquities of the Christian Church,
+says of the early Christians: "As soon as a man was baptized he was
+communicated"--that is, admitted to the communion. Baptism, therefore,
+essentially preceded the Supper.--_Christ. Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec.
+9, B. 15, Ch. 3._
+
+DOCTOR WALL, who searched the records of antiquity for facts
+illustrating the history of the ordinances, says: "No church ever gave
+the communion to any persons before they were baptized. Among all the
+absurdities that were ever held, none ever maintained that any person
+should partake of the communion before he was baptized." _Hist. Inf.
+Bap., Part II., Ch. 9._
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says of the early churches: "None indeed but believers
+in full communion with the church were permitted to be present." "But
+agreeably to all the laws and customs of the church, baptism
+constituted membership with the church. All baptized persons were
+legitimately numbered among the communicants as members of the church."
+_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8._
+
+DOCTOR SCHAFF says: "The communion was a regular part, and, in fact,
+the most important and solemn part of the Sunday worship, . . . in
+which none but full members of the church could engage." _Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871._
+
+DOCTOR DODDRIDGE says: "It is certain that so far as our knowledge of
+primitive antiquity reaches, no unbaptized person received the Lord's
+Supper." _Lectures, pp. 511, 512._
+
+DOCTOR DICK says: "An uncircumcised man was not permitted to eat the
+Passover; and an unbaptized man should not be permitted to partake of
+the Eucharist." _Theol., Vol. II., p. 220._
+
+DOCTOR BAXTER says: "What man dares go in a way which hath neither
+precept nor example to warrant it, from a way that hath full current of
+both? Yet they that will admit members into the visible church without
+baptism do so." _Plain Scripture Proof, p. 24._
+
+DOCTOR DWIGHT, President of Yale College, and author of "Systematic
+Theology," says: "It is an indispensable qualification for this
+ordinance that the candidate for communion be a member of the visible
+church in full standing. By this, I intend that he should be a man of
+piety; that he should have made a public profession of religion, and
+that he should have been baptized." _Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch.
+4. Sec. 7._
+
+DOCTOR GRIFFIN, one of the fathers of New England Congregationalism,
+says: "I agree with the advocates of close communion on two points:
+1. That baptism is the initiatory ordinance which introduces us into
+the visible church; of course, where there is no baptism, there are no
+visible churches. 2. That we ought not to commune with those who are
+not baptized, and of course not church-members, even if we regard them
+as Christians." _Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited by Curtis on Com., p.
+125._
+
+DOCTOR HIBBARD, a leading Methodist scholar and Divine, says: "In one
+principle Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree. They both agree in
+rejecting from communion at the table of the Lord, and in denying the
+rights of church fellowship to all who have not been baptized." And
+with admirable frankness, he adds: "The charge of _close communion_ is
+no more applicable to the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch
+as the question of church fellowship with them is determined by as
+liberal principles as it is with any other Protestant churches, so far,
+I mean, as the present subject is concerned--i.e., _it is determined by
+valid baptism._" _Hibbard on Christ. Bap., P. II., p. 174._
+
+DOCTOR BULLOCK, another Methodist Divine, says: "Close communion, as it
+is generally termed, is the only logical and consistent course for
+Baptist churches to pursue. If their premises are right, their
+conclusion is surely just as it should be." And he commends the
+firmness of Baptists in not inviting to the communion those whom they
+regard as unbaptized. He says: "They do not feel willing to countenance
+such laxity in Christian discipline. Let us honor them for their
+steadfastness in maintaining what they believe to be a Bible precept,
+rather than criticize and censure because they differ with us
+concerning the intent and mode of Christian baptism, and believe it to
+be an irrepealable condition of coming to the Lord's Table." _What
+Christians Believe._
+
+THE INDEPENDENT, one of the most widely circulated, and perhaps the
+most influential Pedobaptist paper in the country, in an editorial,
+says: "Leading writers of all denominations declare that converts must
+be baptized before they can be invited to the communion table. This is
+the position generally taken. But Baptists regarding sprinkling as a
+nullity--no baptism at all--look upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and
+others, as unbaptized persons." "The other churches cannot urge the
+Baptists to become open communionists till they themselves take the
+position that all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as
+well as the baptized, may be invited to the communion table."
+_Editorial, July, 1879._
+
+THE CONGREGATIONALIST, the organ of the New England Congregational
+Churches, in an editorial, says: "Congregationalists have uniformly,
+until here and there an exception has arisen of late years, required
+baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite of a seat at the
+table of the Lord. It is a part of the false 'liberality' which now
+prevails in certain quarters, to welcome everybody 'who thinks he loves
+Christ' to commune in His body and blood. Such a course is the first
+step in breaking down that distinction between the church and the
+world, which our Saviour emphasized; and it seems to us it is an unwise
+and mistaken act for which no Scriptural warrant exists." _Editorial,
+July 9, 1879._
+
+THE OBSERVER, of New York, the oldest and leading Presbyterian journal
+of this country, said: "It is not a want of charity which compels the
+Baptist to restrict his invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting
+the personal piety of his unimmersed brethren. Presbyterians do not
+invite the unbaptized, however pious they may be. It is not
+uncharitable. It is not bigotry on the part of Baptists to confine
+their communion to those whom they consider the baptized."
+
+THE INTERIOR, of Chicago, the organ of Western Presbyterians, said:
+"The difference between our Baptist brethren and ourselves is an
+important difference. We agree with them, however, in saying that
+unbaptized persons should not partake of the Lord's Supper. Their view
+compels them to think that we are not baptized, and shuts them up to
+close communion. Close communion is, in our judgment, a more defensible
+position than open communion, which is justified on the ground that
+baptism is not a prerequisite to the Lord's Supper. To charge Baptists
+with bigotry because they abide by the logical consequences of their
+system is absurd."
+
+THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, of New York, the leading journal of American
+Methodists, said: "The regular Baptist churches in the United States
+may be considered today as particularly a unit on _three points_--the
+non-use of infant baptism, the immersion of believers only upon a
+profession of faith, and the administration of the holy communion to
+such only as have been immersed by ministers holding these views. In
+our opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing prosperity largely to
+its adherence to these views. In doctrine and government, and in other
+respects, it is the same as Congregationalists. In numbers, the regular
+Baptists are more than six times as great as the Congregationalists. It
+is not bigotry to adhere to one's convictions, provided the spirit of
+Christian love prevails."
+
+THE EPISCOPAL RECORDER said: "The close communion of the Baptist
+churches is but the necessary sequence of the fundamental idea out of
+which their existence has grown. No Christian Church would willingly
+receive to its communion even the humblest and truest believer in
+Christ who had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion only is
+baptism, and they therefore of necessity exclude from the Lord's Table
+all who have not been immersed. It is an essential part of the
+system--the legitimate carrying out of the creed."
+
+BISHOP COXE, of the Episcopal diocese of Western New York, says: "The
+Baptists hold that we have never been baptized, and they must exclude
+us from their communion table, if we were disposed to go there. Are we
+offended? Do we call it illiberal? No; we call it _principle,_ and we
+respect it. To say that we have never become members of Christ by
+baptism seems severe, but it is a conscientious adherence to duty, as
+they regard it. I should be the bigot, and not they, if I should ask
+them to violate their discipline in this, or in any other particular."
+_On Christ. Unity, in "Church Union," July, 1891._
+
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XII+
+
+INFANT BAPTISM
+
+One of the customs held and upheld by Pedobaptist churches, which
+Baptists seriously condemn, is infant baptism. It is practiced by both
+Roman Catholics and Protestants as a religious institution; and though
+not held as sacredly, or practiced as widely as formerly, it still
+prevails to a wide extent throughout the Christian world. And yet it
+was not instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, nor known
+in the primitive churches, and has neither sanction nor recognition in
+the Word of God. It is for this reason that Baptists utterly reject and
+condemn the custom, as not simply useless and without authority, but as
+a most pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious both to the
+child that receives it, and to the church which allows it, can be
+easily shown. Baptism before faith, and without a profession it,
+contradicts and does violence to all New Testament teaching.
+
+
+NOT OF SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY
+
+Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural authority, and was not
+known in the first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates and
+defenders have with considerable candor admitted. Only a few of their
+historians and scholars can be cited here.
+
+DR. WILLIAM WALL, a learned Divine of the English Church, who wrote the
+"History of Infant Baptism," a work so able that the clergy in
+convocation assembled gave him a vote of thanks for his defense of the
+custom, says: "Among all the persons that are recorded as baptized by
+the Apostles, there is no express mention of any infants." _Hist. Inf.
+Bap., Intro., pp. 1, 55._
+
+THOMAS FULLER, the historian, says: "We do freely confess there is
+neither express precept nor precedent in the New Testament for the
+Baptism of Infants." _Infants' Advoc., pp. 71, 150._
+
+LUTHER says: "It cannot be proved by the sacred Scriptures that infant
+baptism was instituted by Christ, or begun by the first Christians
+after the Apostles." _Vanity of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8._
+
+NEANDER says: "Baptism was administered at first only to adults, as men
+were accustomed to conceive of _baptism_ and _faith_ as strictly
+connected. We have all reason for not deriving infant baptism from
+Apostolic institution." _Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311; Plant. and Train.,
+Vol. I., p. 222._
+
+PROFESSOR LANGE says: "All attempts to make out infant baptism from the
+New Testament fail. It is totally opposed to the spirit of the
+Apostolic age, and to the fundamental principles of the New Testament."
+_Inf. Baptism, p. 101._
+
+PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "Infant baptism was established neither by
+Christ, nor by the Apostles." _Art. Bap., Kitto's Cycl. Bib. Lit._
+
+DOCTOR HANNA says: "Scripture knows nothing of the baptism of infants."
+_North Brit. Review, Aug., 1852._
+
+PROFESSOR HAGENBACH says: "The passages from Scripture cited in favor
+of infant baptism as a usage of the primitive church are doubtful and
+prove nothing." _Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193._
+
+Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin, Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many
+others bear similar testimony.
+
+
+WHEN DID IT RISE?
+
+Since the New Testament knows nothing of infant baptism, and since it
+was neither instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His Apostles, what
+was its origin, and when did it come into use?
+
+TERTULLIAN is the first who mentions the custom, and he opposes it.
+This was at the close of the second century, or about A. D. 200. His
+opposition to it proves two things: _First,_ that it was in occasional
+use, at least. _Second,_ that it was of recent origin, since had it
+been long used some earlier record if it could be found. _Neander, Ch.
+Hist., Vol. I., p. 311._
+
+BINGHAM could find no earlier allusion to it than that of Tertullian,
+though he believed it arose earlier. It must, therefore, as is
+generally agreed, have had its origin about the beginning of the _third
+century._
+
+CURCELLÆUS says: "The baptism of infants in the _two first_ centuries
+after Christ was altogether unknown; but in the _third_ and _fourth_
+was allowed by some few. In the _fifth_ and following ages it was
+generally received." _Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I., Ch. 12._
+
+SALMASIUS says: "In the _first two_ centuries no one was baptized,
+except, being instructed in the faith and acquainted with the doctrines
+of Christ, he was able to profess himself a believer." _Hist. Bapt.
+Suicer. Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136._
+
+Such testimony is conclusive, and quite sufficient, though much more of
+a similar character might be added.
+
+_But observe:_ That when the baptism of children began, it was not that
+of unconscious infants at all, as is now practiced, but, as Bunsen
+declares, of "little growing children, from six to ten years old." And
+he asserts that Tertullian "does not say one word of new-born infants."
+Cyprian, an African bishop, at the close of the _third_ century, urged
+the baptism of infants proper, because of the saving efficacy of the
+ordinance; and he is called the inventor, or father, of infant baptism.
+_Bunsen's Hippol. and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5._
+
+
+WHY DID IT RISE?
+
+There is even less difficulty in tracing the cause than in finding the
+origin of infant baptism. It originated in a perversion of Christian
+doctrine, and was itself the perversion of a Christian ordinance.
+
+All students of ecclesiastical history know that at an early period
+corruptions perverted Christian faith and practice. Among these, one of
+the earliest was that of an undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its
+sanctity was so exalted that it was believed to have power to wash away
+sins, and cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick were supposed to
+be prepared for death, and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.
+Anxious parents therefore desired their dying children to be thus
+prepared--"washed in the laver of regeneration," as it was termed--that
+they might be sure of salvation. And here came in that pernicious error
+of "baptismal regeneration," which gave rise to infant baptism, and
+which has through all these ages clung with more or less pertinacity to
+the clergy and laity of all churches which have practiced it.
+
+SALMASIUS says: "An opinion prevailed that no one could be saved
+without being baptized; and for that reason the custom arose of
+baptizing infants." _Epist. Jus. Pac. See Booth's Pedo. Exam., Ch.
+III., Sec. 3._
+
+VENEMA declares that "the ancients connected a regenerating power with
+baptism." He cites Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Clemens, Tertullian, and
+Cyprian as holding that opinion. _Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,
+3, 4._
+
+CHRYSOSTOM, writing about A. D. 398, as cited by Suicerus, says, "It is
+impossible without baptism to obtain the kingdom," and as cited by Wall
+he says: "If sudden death seize us before we are baptized, though we
+have a thousand good qualities, there is nothing to be expected but
+hell." _Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3._
+
+WADDINGTON, in his Church History, says, in reference to the _third_
+century: "A belief was gaining ground among the converts and was
+inculcated among the heathen, that the act of baptism gave remission of
+all sins committed previously." _Hist. of Church, Ch. II., p. 53._
+
+PROFESSOR FISHER says: "Very early baptism was so far identified with
+regeneration as to be designated by that term. This rite was considered
+essential to salvation. A virtue was believed to reside in the
+baptismal water itself." _Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 83._
+
+Do its advocates and supporters hold the same view now? Do parents and
+ministers still believe that the baptism of unconscious infants
+secures, or makes more sure, their salvation? If not, why do they
+practice it?
+
+PROFESSOR LANGE'S words are weighty, and should be carefully pondered
+by Protestant defenders of this Papal emanation. He says: "Would the
+Protestant Church fulfill and attain to its final destiny, the baptism
+of new-born children must of necessity be abolished. It has sunk down
+to a mere formality, without any meaning for the child." _History of
+Protestantism, p. 34._
+
+Many good people, familiar with infant baptism and surrounded by its
+influences, have naturally learned to reverence it as of Divine
+appointment, and some of them really believe it is taught or sanctioned
+by the New Testament. But Baptists are right in rejecting it as
+something utterly without foundation in the Word of God.
+
+
+HOUSEHOLD BAPTISMS
+
+Much stress is laid by some of the advocates of infant baptism on that
+fact that in the Acts of the Apostles several cases of household
+baptism are mentioned. And it is asked with an air of assurance: "If
+entire households were baptized, must there not have been children
+among them? And were they not baptized also?" To this it is sufficient
+to reply, that nothing is said of children, and we have no right to put
+into the Scriptures what we do not find in them. All inference that
+such households contained infants, and that such infants were baptized,
+is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian institutions could be
+built on so slight a foundation as that, we could bring in all the
+mummeries of the Greek or the Roman Church, and all the ceremonies of
+the Mosaic ritual.
+
+One thing is certain: If in those households any children were
+baptized, they were old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe on
+Christ, and were thus suitable subjects for the ordinance, and for
+church fellowship. For it is said, _"They believed, and gladly received
+the Word."_ There are thousands of Baptist churches into whose
+fellowship whole households have been baptized--parents and children
+and perhaps others connected with them. But all were old enough to
+_believe_ and to make _profession_ of their faith. So evidently it was
+in these households.
+
+The more prominent of these households are that of Lydia, mentioned in
+Acts 16; that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also in Acts 16; and
+that of Stephanas, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1. Now note what a few
+distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say on these cases.
+
+DOCTOR NEANDER says: "We cannot prove that the Apostles ordained infant
+baptism; from those places where the baptism of a whole family is
+mentioned, we can draw no such conclusion." _Planting and Training, p.
+162, N. Y. Ed., 1865._
+
+PROFESSOR JACOBI says: "In none of these instances has it been proved
+that there were little children among them." _Kitto's Bib. Cyc., Art.
+Bap._
+
+DOCTOR MEYER says: "That the baptism of children was not in use at that
+time appears evident from 1 Cor. 7:14." _Comment. on Acts 16:15._
+
+DOCTOR DE WETTE says: "This passage has been adduced in proof of the
+apostolical authority of infant baptism: but there is no proof here
+that any except adults were baptized." _Com. New Test., Acts 16:15._
+
+DOCTOR OLSHAUSEN says: "There is altogether wanting any conclusive
+proof-text for the baptism of infants in the age of the apostles."
+_Com. on Acts 16:15._
+
+BISHOP BLOOMFIELD says of the jailer: "It is taken for granted that his
+family became Christians as well as himself." _Com. on Acts 16:15._
+
+Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other commentators declare that in this
+case the household all believed, and therefore were baptized and did
+rejoice. MacKnight considers the case of the household of Stephanas as
+giving no countenance to the baptism of infants. And with him agree
+Guise, Hammond, Doddridge, and others.
+
+As to the argument used by some, that baptism came in the place of
+circumcision, it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched and destitute
+of reason, to claim the serious regard of intelligent and candid minds.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XIII+
+
+CHURCH GOVERNMENT
+
+A Christian church is a society with a corporate life, organized on
+some definite plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which it proposes
+to accomplish. It has, therefore, its officers and ordinances, its laws
+and regulations, fitted to administer its government and carry out its
+purposes. The question then arises, What is the true and proper form of
+church organization and government? We do not care to inquire as to the
+various and contradictory forms, as we see them about us in the
+different denominations, but what was the organic form and government
+of the first churches, planted by and molded under the hands of
+Christ's inspired Apostles.
+
+There are _three_ special and widely different forms of church
+government which have gained prevalence in Christian communities during
+past age, and which are still maintained with varied success, each of
+which claims to have been the original primitive form:
+
+1. The _prelatical,_ in which the governing power resides in prelates,
+or diocesan bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the Roman, Greek,
+English, and most Oriental churches.
+
+2. The _presbyterian,_ in which the governing power resides in
+assemblies, synods, presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish
+Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian churches.
+
+3. The _independent,_ in which the body is self-governing, each single
+and local church administering its own government by the voice of the
+majority of its members; as among Baptists, Congregationalists,
+Independents, and some other bodies.
+
+Now which of these modes of church life and administration is taught in
+the New Testament, if either? or which best accords with the
+constitution and government of the Apostolic churches?
+
+Baptists hold that each separate, local church is an independent body,
+governing itself according to the laws of Christ, as found in the New
+Testament; that each such church is independent of all other churches,
+and of all other persons, so far as administration is concerned, owing
+comity and fellowship to all, but allegiance and submission to none.
+The government is administered by the body of the members, where no one
+possesses a preeminence of authority, but each enjoys an equality of
+rights, and in which, in matters of opinion, the majority decides.
+
+That this style of church structure is according to the New Testament
+appears evident from a study of the sacred records themselves. The
+Apostles treated the churches as independent bodies. Their epistles
+were addressed to the churches as such; they reported their doings to
+them; enjoined upon them the duty of discipline; exhorted, instructed,
+and reproved them as independent and responsible bodies. They
+recognized the right of the churches to elect their own teachers and
+officers, a primary and fundamental right, which, when conceded
+supposes all other rights and powers necessary to a self-governing
+community acting under Divinely given laws.
+
+NEANDER, the distinguished historian, says of the first age: "The
+churches were taught to govern themselves." "The brethren chose their
+own officers from among themselves." "In respect to the election of
+church officers, the ancient principle was still adhered to: that the
+consent of the community was necessary to the validity of every such
+election, and each one was at liberty to offer reasons against it."
+_Introd. Coleman's Prim. Christ'y, p. 19; Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 199;
+Plant. and Train., p. 156._
+
+MOSHEIM says of the first century: "In those primitive times, each
+Christian Church was composed of the _people,_ the presiding
+_officers,_ and the assistants, or _deacons._ These must be the
+component parts of every society. The principal voice was that of the
+_people,_ or of the whole body of Christians." "The assembled people,
+therefore, elected their own rulers and teachers." Of the second
+century, he adds: "One president, or bishop, presides over each church.
+He was created by the common suffrages of the people." "During a great
+part of this century, all the churches continued to be, as at first,
+_independent_ of each other. Each church was a kind of small,
+independent republic, governing itself by its own laws, enacted, or at
+least sanctioned, by the people." _Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2,
+Sec. 5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2._
+
+COLEMAN says: "These churches, wherever formed, became separate and
+independent bodies, competent to appoint their own officers and
+administer their own government without reference or subordination to
+any control, authority or foreign power. No fact connected with the
+history of the primitive church is more fully established or more
+generally conceded." _Prim. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95._
+
+Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow, Doctor Burton, Doctor
+Waddington--all of them Church of England Divines--fully agree with
+this testimony, and confirm the evidence cited:
+
+GEISELER, the historian, says, concerning early changes: "Country
+churches, which had grown up around some city, seem, with their
+bishops, to have been usually, in a certain degree, under the authority
+of the mother church. With this exception, all the churches were alike
+independent, though some were especially held in honor, on such grounds
+as their Apostolic origin, or the importance of the city in which they
+were situated." _Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52._
+
+Further discussion on this subject is not needed. The point is proved,
+and the independent form of church government is manifestly primitive
+and apostolic, as advocated and practiced by Baptists.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XIV+
+
+CHURCH OFFICERS
+
+How many, and what are the Scriptural officers of a Christian church?
+For a church, being a society, must have not only laws, but officers to
+execute them. How many orders are there in the ministry? These are
+questions which have at times greatly divided the Christian world.
+
+Baptists assert that the officers of a church are _two,_--and of right,
+can be no more,--_pastor_ and _deacons._ In this opinion agree some
+other denominations, while the various Episcopal sects insist that
+there should be three sets--_deacons, priests,_ and _bishops,_ to which
+the Church of England adds archbishops. Others add to this number
+indefinitely; and the Romish Church carries the list up to ten or
+twelve, ending with the pope. Now it is not so much what this church
+preaches or practices, but on what basis were the primitive
+churches--the churches of inspiration--organized. Our Lord did not live
+to shape, and model, and put in order all things for the full equipment
+of His people, that they might be thoroughly furnished unto all good
+works, but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of wisdom by which they
+should be able to do all this, and carry out His plans, in the
+organization of His kingdom after He had left them. We assume that the
+first churches were organized on the Divine plan, and seek to ascertain
+what that plan was.
+
+In the New Testament, the words _bishop, presbyter, elder,_ are used to
+designate church officers. They all, however, designate the same
+office, and therefore officially mean the same thing; indeed, they are
+not infrequently applied to the same individual. The bishop--called
+also the presbyter, or elder--was the _pastor,_ or overseer of the
+spiritual flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it, as the shepherd
+does his sheep. The _deacons_ were chosen to attend to the temporal
+interests of the church, as appears by the election of the seven,
+recorded in the sixth chapter of Acts. This was done in order that the
+Apostles might be free from the temporal cares, and thus able to give
+their attention more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of the
+people. The word _deacon_ means a _minister,_ a _servant._ It is
+sometimes applied to the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in the
+general sense as one who "came, not to be ministered unto, but to
+minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Some of the first
+deacons were also efficient preachers of the Gospel, but their work as
+deacons pertained to other services in the churches. While, therefore,
+the deacon is a church officer, his office does not constitute an order
+in the ministry at all, its functions belonging to temporal concerns,
+and not to a spiritual service. The service usually performed by
+clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be presumed, so far as such
+service was needed in the first churches, was devolved on the deacons.
+
+Pastors, by whatever name they may have been known, had the same
+service, and were of the same grade, dignity, and authority. In the
+first churches there were no high orders of clergy placed over lower
+grades, and over the churches ruling with superior authority. All were
+equals among equals, and all equally ministered to the churches. If in
+the same church there might chance to be several to whom the titles
+_bishop, presbyter,_ or _elder_ were applied, they were all of equal
+rank or authority, though one might be selected to serve as the pastor
+of the church, and devote himself to its local interests; while the
+others might give themselves to more general missionary work.
+
+NEANDER says: "The word _presbyter,_ or _elder,_ indicates rather the
+dignity of the office, since presbyters among the Jews were usually
+aged and venerable; while _bishop,_ or _episcopos,_ designated the
+nature of their work as overseers, or pastors of the churches. The
+former title was used by Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the
+synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used by the Greek and other
+Gentile converts, as more familiar and expressive to them." "They were
+not designed to exercise absolute authority, but to act as presiding
+officers and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to conduct all
+things, with the cooperation of the communities, as their ministers and
+not as their masters." _Introd. to Cole., Prim. Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant. and Train., p. 147._
+
+MOSHEIM says: "The rulers of the churches were denominated sometimes
+_presbyters,_ or _elders,_ a designation borrowed from the Jews, and
+indicative rather of the wisdom than the age of the persons, and
+sometimes also _bishops:_ for it is most manifest that both terms are
+promiscuously used in the New Testament of one and the same class of
+persons." "In these primitive times, each Christian church was composed
+of the _people,_ the presiding _officers,_ and the assistants, or
+_deacons._ These must be the components of every society." _Eccl.
+Hist., Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8._
+
+GIESELER asserts: "The new churches everywhere formed themselves on the
+model of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the head of each were the
+_elders_ (_presbyter, bishop_), all officially of equal rank, though in
+several instances a peculiar authority seems to have been conceded to
+some one individual from personal considerations." _Ch. Hist., Part 1,
+Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29._
+
+WADDINGTON declares: "It is also true that in the earliest government
+of the first Christian society,--that of Jerusalem,--not the _elders_
+only, but the 'whole church,' were associated with the Apostles; and it
+is even certain that the terms _bishop_ and _elder,_ or _presbyter,_
+were in the first instance and for a short period, sometimes used
+synonymously, and indiscriminately applied to the same order in the
+ministry." _Hist. Christ. Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2._
+
+ARCHBISHOP USHER says that "_bishop_ and _presbyter_ differed only in
+degree, and not in order." See _Cole., Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec.
+6._
+
+BISHOP BURNETT says: "As for the notion of distinct offices of _bishop_
+and _presbyter,_ I confess it is not so clear to me." _Vindic. Ch. of
+Sects, p. 366._
+
+DOCTOR COLEMAN says: "It is generally admitted by Episcopal writers on
+this subject, that in the New Testament, and in the earliest
+ecclesiastical writings, the terms _bishops_ and _presbyters,_ or
+elders, are synonymous, and denote one and the same office." "The
+office of _presbyter_ was undeniably identical with that of _bishop,_
+as has been shown above." "Only _two orders_ of officers are known in
+the church until the close of the second century. Those of the first
+are styled either _bishops_ or _presbyters;_ of the second, _deacons._"
+_Anc. Christ. Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5._
+
+This author cites many of the early Christian Fathers who bore the same
+testimony, among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Justin Martyr,
+Irenæus, Jerome, Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many prelatical
+writers, besides these above quoted, frankly admit the same facts.
+
+The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts 20:17, 18), called together the
+_elders_ (_presbyters_) of the Ephesian Church. But in verse 28 he
+calls these officers _overseers_ (_episcopos_). Here the terms
+_presbuteros_ and _episcopos_ were certainly used interchangeably.
+
+Paul and Timothy, in their address to the Philippian Christians,
+specify three classes as evidently constituting the entire body of
+disciples. They say, "To all the _saints_ in Christ Jesus, which are at
+Philippi, with the _bishops_ and _deacons._" Saints, bishops, and
+deacons embraced the whole church.
+
+Timothy was instructed by Paul as to the qualifications of pastors to
+be placed over the churches. (1 Tim. 3:1.) Particular directions are
+given as to both _bishops_ and _deacons,_ but no mention is made of
+elders--clearly because they were the same as bishops.
+
+Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors for the church in Crete.
+(Titus 1:5, 7.) These pastors are called _elders_ in verse 5 and
+_bishops_ in verse 7.
+
+_Pastors_ and _deacons,_ therefore, are two orders, and these officers
+simply were known or needed in the Apostolic churches. In this, also,
+the views held by Baptists are in harmony with the customs of the
+churches in the first and purest age of Christian history.
+
+
+
++CHAPTER XV+
+
+BAPTIST HISTORY
+
+It is sometimes asked: "When and where did the Baptists originate? Who
+were their founders? What is their history?" These are questions of
+interest; but a more important one would be: "Are they right? Is their
+faith according to the teachings of the New Testament?" Many things
+which are old are not true. Creeds and sects may boast a venerable
+antiquity, while the Word of God utterly condemns them. Any
+organization that cannot reasonably claim Christ for its founder has
+small right to the name of a Christian church, no matter how old it may
+be.
+
+Baptists claim to be built on the foundation of the Apostles and
+prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone. If this
+claim be well founded, whether they have a written history of one
+century or of twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the past belongs
+to any, it may be well to know. Any Baptist history constitutes one of
+the most interesting chapters in the records of Christianity.
+
+During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines of the Gospel became
+corrupted, and its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and Gentile
+converts brought into the churches many of their old religious notions,
+and incorporated them with the faith of Christ. These, together with
+the many philosophical ideas of the times and the perversions to which
+the truth is always exposed from the ignorance and selfishness of men,
+very early turned the churches aside from the faith once delivered to
+the saints. Still there were many who in simplicity and humility
+maintained the doctrines and customs in their original purity. Those
+churches which were strongest and most prosperous were most exposed to
+corruption by alliances with the world.
+
+When at length the period of martyrdom and persecution terminated; when
+a nominal Christianity took possession of a throne, and Church and
+State became united, then religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its
+simplicity, its spirituality, and its power, and a temporal hierarchy
+took the place of the church of Christ. This was the great apostasy of
+the early times. But all the churches and all disciples did not follow
+in the wake of this sad departure from the truth. Many congregations
+and communities of true worshipers kept the doctrines of the Gospel,
+and practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in their primitive
+purity. And this they continued to do through all the ages of darkness
+and corruption which followed. They were never identified with the
+Roman or Greek churches; they never were in alliance with States; never
+formed hierarchies. As independent congregations, or small communities,
+with no other bond of union than a common faith, fellowship, and
+sympathy, often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the Word of God as
+their guide, they sought to realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a
+spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.
+
+These religious communities were by the dominant hierarchies called
+_sects,_ and stigmatized as _heretics._ As such they were traduced and
+persecuted continually. And though they may have had their errors, they
+were the best and purest defenders of the Christian faith, and the
+truest representatives of the first disciples of Christ then existing.
+The State churches were the heretics; while those so-called sects were
+the true successors of the first Christians.
+
+They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated and martyred because they
+bore witness to the truth of God and testified against the errors and
+vices of the so-called churches. History has never done them justice,
+and perhaps never will; because history has been too much written in
+the interest of their enemies, or from their standpoint. Tortured and
+tormented by those who should have been their defenders, crowns and
+miters alike pledged to their destruction, they could do nothing but
+suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ's faithful witnesses. They
+were known by various names in different ages and in different lands,
+but retained the same general characteristics.
+
+In the _first_ and _second_ centuries, Messalians, Montanists,
+Euchites, were terms which distinguished some of these sects.
+
+In the _third, fourth,_ and _fifth_ centuries arose the Novatians.
+Increasing with exceeding rapidity, they quite overspread the Roman
+empire, in spite of the cruel and destructive persecutions which they
+suffered.
+
+In the _fourth_ century the Donatists appeared, as a new form of
+existing sects, or a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied
+rapidly, spread extensively, and long survived.
+
+In the _seventh_ century appeared the Paulicians, attracting much
+attention, and calling down upon themselves the wrath of the Romish
+Church. Still they increased greatly, notwithstanding their many
+persecutions.
+
+That these Christian communities should have been faultless could not
+be supposed. But they were the best of the ages in which they lived,
+and maintained the purest forms of Gospel truth and practice. Without
+the advantage of organization and association, they differed somewhat
+among themselves.
+
+But in general they all professed to take the New Testament as the rule
+of their faith and practice. They held to a spiritual
+church-membership, and received only professedly regenerated persons to
+the ordinances. Denying the orthodoxy of the Romish Church, they
+rebaptized persons received from that body, and hence were called
+_Anabaptists._ Infant baptism they rejected, according to Allix,
+Mosheim, Robinson, and other historians. Baptism they administered by
+immersion, as indeed did all Christians during those ages. Robinson
+calls them "Trinitarian Baptists." It is said that the Empress
+Theodora, after having confiscated their property, caused to be cruelly
+put to death no less than one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no other
+fault or offense than their religious faith.
+
+About the close of the _tenth_ century appeared the Paterines;
+substantially the same people, no doubt as had previously existed under
+other names. They too rejected infant baptism, and protested against
+the corruptions of the Romish Church; in consequence of which they
+suffered long and severe persecution.
+
+In the _eleventh_ century, and the ages following, were the Waldenses,
+Albigenses, Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons. These were new
+names, and names usually given by their enemies. They increased, even
+under their persecutions, to a wonderful extent, and attracted the
+notice, if not the sympathy, of all Europe.
+
+It is not pretended that these ancient sects were known by the name as
+Baptists; but in general they held the more prominent and distinctive
+principles which have always characterized the Baptists; thus: 1. They
+declared and defended the rights of faith and conscience and the
+freedom of worship. 2. They denied the authority of popes and the right
+of kings and States to interfere with the people in matters of
+religion. 3. They rejected infant baptism. 4. They baptized by dipping.
+5. They held the Bible to be the only rule and authority in concerns of
+religious faith and practice. 6. They admitted to the churches none
+except such as professed to be regenerated and godly persons.
+
+Now it is conceded by all historians of note that such churches and
+communities did exist, separate from and persecuted by, the prevailing
+State churches and civil authorities during all the ages from the
+Apostles to the Reformation.
+
+When the Reformation under Luther and his coadjutors broke out, these
+sects to a great extent fraternized with, and were lost in, the
+multitude of the reformers. Such as continued their separate existence,
+as the Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence of the
+reformers, did from sympathy what the persecutions of the Papists had
+never been able to compel them to do--abandon dipping for sprinkling in
+baptism, adopted infant baptism, and took the general forms of
+religious life, into which Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.
+
+
+THE WELSH BAPTISTS
+
+Few denominations have a better claim to antiquity than the Welsh
+Baptists. They trace their descent directly from the Apostles and urge
+in favor of their claim arguments which have never been confuted.
+
+When Austin, the Romish monk and missionary, visited Wales, at the
+close of the _sixth_ century, he found a community of more than two
+thousand Christians, quietly living in their mountain homes. They were
+independent of the Romish See, and wholly rejected its authority.
+Austin labored hard to convert them--that is, to bring them under the
+Papal yoke; but entirely failed in the effort. Yielding things in
+general, he reduced his demand upon them to three particulars: 1. That
+they should observe Easter in due form, as ordered by the Church.
+2. That they should give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.
+3. That they should preach to the English the Word of God, as
+directed.[1]
+
+These demands of Austin prove that they neither observed the Popish
+ordinance of Easter, nor baptized their children. They, however,
+rejected all his overtures, whereupon he left them with threats of war
+and wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was invaded by the Saxons, and
+many of these inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as was believed,
+at the instigation of this bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.
+
+
+THE DUTCH BAPTISTS
+
+The Baptists of Holland have a history that reaches back to a very
+remote period, if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently assert.
+And this antiquity is conceded by historians who have no sympathy with
+their denominational sentiments.
+
+MOSHEIM, in his Church History, says, "The true origin of that sect
+which acquired the name Anabaptist _is hid in the remote depths of
+antiquity,_ and is consequently extremely difficult to be ascertained."
+_Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427, Mac. Ed., 1811._ See _Introd. Orchard's
+Hist. Bap., p. 17._
+
+ZWINGLI, the Swiss Reformer, contemporary with Luther, declares: "The
+institution of Anabaptism is no novelty but for _thirteen hundred
+years_ has caused great disturbance in the church." _Introd. Orchard's
+Hist. Bap., p. 17._ Thirteen hundred years before his time would have
+carried it back to within two centuries of the death of Christ.
+
+DOCTOR DERMONT, chaplain to the king of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij,
+professor of theology at Groningen, a few years since received a royal
+commission to prepare a history of the Reformed Dutch Church. That
+history, prepared under royal sanction, and officially published,
+contains the following manly and generous testimony to the antiquity
+and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists. "We have now seen that the
+Baptists, who were formerly called Anabaptists, and in later times
+Mennonites, were the original Waldenses, and have long in the history
+of the church received the honor of that origin. On this account, _the
+Baptists may be considered the only Christian community which has stood
+since the Apostles, and as a Christian society, which has preserved
+pure the doctrines of the Gospel through all ages." Hist. Ref. Dutch
+Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819._ See _Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites._
+
+MOSHEIM says of the persecutions of this people in the sixteenth
+century, "Vast numbers of these people, in nearly all the countries of
+Europe, would rather perish miserably by drowning, hanging, burning, or
+decapitation, than renounce the opinions they had embraced." And their
+innocency he vindicates thus: "It is indeed true that many Anabaptists
+were put to death, not as being bad citizens, or injurious members of
+civil society, but as being incurable _heretics,_ who were condemned by
+the old canon laws. For the error of _adult baptism_ was in that age
+looked upon as a horrible offense." That was their only crime. _Eccl.
+Hist., Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4._
+
+This testimony is all the more welcome, because it comes from those who
+have no ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but who, in fidelity
+to history, bear honest testimony to the truth which history teaches.
+The circumstances under which their evidence was produced give it
+additional force.
+
+CARDINAL HOSSIUS, chairman of the council at Trent, says: "If the truth
+of religion were to be judged of by the readiness and cheerfulness
+which a man of any sect shows in suffering, then the opinions and
+persuasions of no sect can be truer or surer, than those of the
+_Anabaptists;_ since there have been none, for these _twelve hundred
+years past,_ that have been more grievously punished." _Orchard's Hist.
+Bap., Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364._
+
+Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists, called Anabaptists, and
+Mennonites, miserably perished by the hands of their cruel persecutors,
+for no crime but their refusal to conform to established churches.[2]
+
+
+THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS
+
+At what time the Baptists appeared in England in definite
+denominational form, it is impossible to say. But from the _twelfth_ to
+the _seventeenth_ century, many of them suffered cruel persecutions,
+and death by burning, drowning, and beheading, besides many other, and
+sometimes most inhuman tortures. And this they suffered both from
+Papists and Protestants, condemned by both civil and ecclesiastical
+tribunals, only because they persisted in worshiping God, according to
+the dictates of their consciences, and because they would not submit
+their religious faith and worship to the dictates of popes and
+princes.[3] In 1538, royal edicts were issued against them, and several
+were burnt at the stake in Smithfield.
+
+BRANDE writes that: "In the year 1538, thirty-one Baptists, that fled
+from England, were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the men were
+beheaded, the women were drowned." _Hist. Reformers._ See _Benedict's
+Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol.
+II, p. 355, Sup._ What crime had they committed to merit such treatment
+as this?
+
+BISHOP LATIMER declares that, "The Baptists that were burnt in
+different parts of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and without
+any fear, during the time of Henry VIII." _Lent Sermons. Neal's Hist.
+Purit., Vol. II, p. 356._
+
+Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they suffered perhaps no more than
+under that of the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign of the latter
+a congregation of Baptists was discovered in London, whereupon several
+were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned, and two burnt at Smithfield.[4]
+
+DOCTOR FEATLEY, one of their bitter enemies, wrote of them, in 1633:
+"This sect, among others, hath so far presumed upon the patience of the
+State, that it hath held weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds of
+men and women together in the twilight, in rivulets and in some arms of
+the Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all over head and ears. It hath
+printed divers pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea, and
+challenged some of our preachers to disputation." _Eng. Bapt. Jubilee
+Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bapt., p. 304._
+
+BAILEY wrote, in 1639, that: "Under the shadow of independency they
+have lifted up their heads, and increased their numbers above all sects
+in the land. They have _forty-six churches_ in and about London. They
+are a people very fond of religious liberty, and very unwilling to be
+brought under bondage of the judgment of others." _Benedict's History,
+p. 304._
+
+The first book published in the English language on the subject of
+baptism was translated from the Dutch, and bears date 1618. From this
+time they multiplied rapidly through all parts of the kingdom. The
+first regularly organized church among them, known as such in England,
+dates from 1607, and was formed in London by a Mr. Smyth, previously a
+clergyman of the Established Church.
+
+In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called, held a convention in
+London, in which more than one hundred congregations were represented,
+and which issued a confession of faith, still in use and highly
+esteemed.
+
+The last Baptist martyr in England was Edward Wightman, of Burton upon
+Trent, condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and burnt at Litchfield,
+April 11, 1612.[5]
+
+
+AMERICAN BAPTISTS
+
+The history of American Baptists runs back a little more than two and a
+quarter centuries. In this country, as elsewhere, they were cradled
+amidst persecution, and nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This has
+been their fortune in every age, and in every land.
+
+ROGER WILLIAMS, a distinguished and an honored name, was identified
+with the rise of the denomination in America. He has been called their
+founder, because he organized the first church, and was intimately
+connected with their early history. Williams was born in Wales, 1598,
+educated at Oxford, England, came to America in 1630, and settled as
+minister of the Puritan church in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after,
+he adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church order, on account of
+which he was banished by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of
+Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous winter, in a new and
+inhospitable country. Having wandered far and suffered much, finding
+the savage Indians more generous and hospitable than his fellow
+Christians, he finally reached and fixed his future home at what is now
+Providence, R. I. Here, with a few associates of like faith, he founded
+a new colony, calling both the city and the colony _Providence,_ in
+recognition of the Divine guidance and protection, which he had in so
+remarkable a manner experienced.
+
+In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism from one of his associates,
+there being no minister to perform that service. He in turn baptized
+his associates, and a church was organized, of which he was chosen
+pastor. He was also appointed first Governor of Rhode Island. Full
+liberty was granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger Williams became
+the first ruler, and Rhode Island the first State which ever gave
+entire freedom to all persons to worship God, according to their own
+choice, without dictation or interference from civil or ecclesiastical
+authorities.
+
+On account of this unrestricted liberty many Baptists, as well as other
+persecuted religionists from other colonies, and from Europe, collected
+in considerable numbers at Providence, and spread through the colony.
+
+It is a mistake to suppose that all the Baptist churches in America
+grew out of the one which Roger Williams founded. It is even doubtful
+whether any single church arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration
+increased, other churches grew up, having no connection with that; and
+with considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists spread into
+adjoining colonies, particularly west and south. For a long time,
+however, they were sorely persecuted, especially in Massachusetts and
+Connecticut; persecuted even by those who had themselves fled from
+persecution in their native land, to find freedom and refuge in these
+distant wilds.
+
+In 1644, the present First Church in Newport, R. I., was organized. But
+whether the present First Church in Providence was constituted before
+this date is still a disputed point. Both claim priority. In 1656, the
+Second Church, Newport, was formed. Then followed in order of time the
+church in Swansea, Massachusetts, 1663; First, Boston, 1665; North
+Kingstone, R. I., 1665; Seventh Day Church, Newport, 1671; South
+Kingstone, R. I., 1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown, N. J., 1688;
+Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689; Charleston, S. C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,
+1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton, Ct., 1705. Others, not
+mentioned, arose within this period in these and other colonies. With
+the increase of population, Baptists rapidly increased and widely
+spread over the country.
+
+_Edward's Tables_ gives the number of American Baptist Churches in
+1768, as only 137.
+
+_Asplund's Register_ for 1790, reported 872 churches, 722 ordained
+ministers, with 64,975 members.
+
+_Benedict's History_ states that in 1812, there were 2,633 churches,
+2,143 ordained ministers, and 204,185 members.
+
+_Allen's Register_ for 1836, puts them at 7,299 churches, 4.075
+ordained ministers, and 517,523 members.
+
+_The Baptist Year-Book_ gives the following figures:
+
+Date Churches Ministers   Members
+1840    7,771     5,208   571,291
+1860   12,279     7,773 1,016,134
+1880   26,080    16,569 2,296,327
+1890   33,588    21,175 3,070,047
+1900   43,427    29,473 4,181,086
+1910   49,045    33,909 5,266,369
+1920   53,866    42,121 7,504,447
+1930   53,888    49,907 8,915,785
+
+_The Year-Book_ gives the Sunday school statistics for 1930, as
+follows: For the United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment
+5,143,056.
+
+The figures given in all these cases are probably less than the actual
+facts warrant, since full reports from associations, churches, and
+schools can never be obtained.
+
+
+OTHER BAPTISTS
+
+Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood, there are in the United States
+very many other and smaller denominations, which practice immersion,
+but are not in fellowship with, or reckoned as a part of, the great
+Baptist family.
+
+The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on account of their observing
+Saturday, or the seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath, on the
+ground that the Jewish Sabbath was never abrogated. They are estimated
+at about 7,000.
+
+The Free Will Baptists, who take their name from their views as to the
+freedom of the human will and practice open communion, number about
+66,000. In the North the Free Will Baptist churches have generally
+united with the Northern Convention, and their membership is reckoned
+with that of the regular Baptist body.
+
+The Six Principle Baptists, so called because their doctrinal
+confession is based on the six points mentioned in Hebrews 6:1, 2, are
+estimated at about 300.
+
+The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather Primitive Baptists, found chiefly
+in the Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday schools, or other
+reform movements lest they should seem to interfere with the Divine
+decrees. They are said to number 43,000.
+
+The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called Campbellites, or Christians,
+number about 1,200,000.
+
+The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership of the Churches of God in
+North America, are estimated at about 30,000.
+
+The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups number about 126,000, and the
+United Brethren, about 330,000.
+
+
+BAPTISTS ELSEWHERE
+
+In North America, aside from the United States, but including the
+provinces of British America, Central America, Mexico, and the West
+Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930 about 249,809.
+
+In Europe there were in 1930 about 1,639,656.
+
+In Asia, about 361,800.
+
+In Australasia, about 35,113.
+
+In Africa, about 83,041.
+
++FOOTNOTES:
+
+[1] See Benedict's Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.
+
+[2] Benedict's Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal's Hist. Puritans, Vol.
+    II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller's Ch. Hist., B. 4.
+
+[3] See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and
+    Benedict.
+
+[4] Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II.,
+    p. 358. Supplement.
+
+[5] Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict's Hist. Bap.
+
+
+
++Transcriber's Notes+
+
+ - The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word "missionaries":
+   mission|aries. In this and all subsequent cases, the whole word
+   was moved to the earlier page.
+ - The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word "thousand":
+   thou|sand.
+ - The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word "admitted":
+   ad|mitted.
+ - Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word "general":
+   gen|eral.
+ - Page 10, apply RC to "Divine," "Divinely," and "Word." Change
+   "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 11, apply RC to "Apostolic,", "Divinely," "His Gospel," and
+   "His."
+ - Page 12, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice); change "fulfil" to
+   "fulfill"; apply RC to "Him" and "He." Note 1, apply RC to
+   "Gospel"; change "fulfils" to "fulfills" and "practise" to
+   "practice." Note 2, apply RC to "His Word" and "His"; change
+   "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 15, note 2, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 18, apply RC to "Divine," "Word," "Divine," "His" (twice),
+   and "He."
+ - Page 19, apply RC to "His" (twice).
+ - Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to "Me" and "Him." Note 7, apply RC to
+   "Divinely."
+ - The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word "baptismal":
+   bap|tismal.
+ - Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 23, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 24, Note 2, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word "possibly":
+   pos|sibly.
+ - Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to "His" (twice).
+ - The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word
+   "ecclesiastical": ecclesias|tical.
+ - Page 46, Voting, point 1, change "deliberatively" to
+   "deliberately."
+ - The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word "services":
+   ser|vices.
+ - The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word "importance":
+   impor|tance.
+ - Page 56, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 57, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 58, change "practise" to "practice"; add comma to "Britain
+   Baptists"; apply RC to "Divinely."
+ - Page 59, note 2, apply RC to "His" and "He." Note 3, apply RC to
+   "My." Section II, apply RC to "Persons" and "Divine." Note 2,
+   apply RC to "Thee."
+ - Page 60, note 1, apply RC to "His" apply RC to "He."
+ - Page 61, apply RC to "Divine," "His" (twice), "He," "His,"
+   "Divine," and "He." Note 2, apply RC to "He," "His," and "Him."
+   Note 3, apply RC to "Himself" and "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "He,"
+   "Him," and "His." Note 5, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He," and
+   "Him."
+ - Page 62, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC
+   to "His." Note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 3, apply RC to "His" and
+   "Him." Note 4, apply RC to "One."
+ - Page 63, apply RC to "Gospel" (twice). Note 3, apply RC to "Me."
+   Apply RC to "Divine" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 64, note 1, change "Rev. 8:7-9" to "Rev. 3:7-9." Note 5,
+   change "Eph. 8:14-21" to "Eph. 5:14-21." Apply RC to "Prophet,"
+   "Priest," "King," and "Him."
+ - Page 65, note 1, apply RC to "Gospel"; change "Eph. 2:3" to "Eph.
+   2:8" and change "ye are" to "are ye" to match the quotation. Note
+   2, change "Acts 11:38" to "Acts 2:38" to match the quotation. Note
+   3, apply RC to "Him." Point IX, apply RC to "He." Note 1, apply RC
+   to "Gospel."
+ - Page 66, note 1, change "a holy calling" to "an holy calling."
+   Note 2, apply RC to "He" and "Gospel." Note 4, change "elects
+   sake" to "elect's sakes" and "Chris" to "Christ." Note 5, change
+   "1 Thess. 4:10" to "1 Thess. 1:4." Apply RC to "His" and "Word."
+ - Page 67, change "practise" to "practice." Note 1, change "Thess
+   4:3" to "1 Thess. 4:3." Note 3, change "Phil. 1:12, 13" to "Phil.
+   2:12, 13" to match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to
+   "My" (twice). Note 2, change "John 2:19" to "1 John 2:19" to match
+   the quotation.
+ - Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to "His." Section XII, apply RC to
+   "Gospel." Note 4, change "Rom. 8:2, 4" to "Rom. 8:2-4" to match
+   the quotation; apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 69, apply RC to "Gospel," "His" (twice), "Word," and
+   "Scriptural." Note 4, change "John 1#:15" (where # represents a
+   poorly printed sort), to "John 13:15."
+ - Page 70, apply RC to "His." Note 2, change "Matt. 18:19" to "Matt.
+   28:19" to match quotation. Note 3, change "raised from the dead"
+   to "raised up from the dead." Note 4, apply RC to "Apostles'."
+ - Page 71, apply RC to "His," "Him," and "His." Note 1, apply RC to
+   "He," "My," "Me," and "My"; change "1 Cor. 11:27-30" to "1 Cor.
+   11:22-30." Note 2, apply RC to "He." Note 3, apply RC to "My"
+   (four times) and "Me."
+ - Page 72, note 2, change "Ps. 113:24" to "Ps. 113:2-4." Note 3,
+   apply RC to "My" and "Him"; change "then shall thou delight" to
+   "then shalt thou delight." Note 4, apply RC to "Word." Point XVII,
+   apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 73, note 4, change "Rev. 19:14" to "Rev. 19:16" to match
+   quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to "His" (twice). Note 2, apply
+   RC to "He" and "Him."
+ - Page 74, note 2, apply RC to "Him." Note 5, change "Matt.
+   25:35-41" to "Matt. 25:31-46." Note 6, apply RC to "He" and "Him."
+ - Page 75, apply RC to "Divine," "Him" (twice), "His" (thrice),
+   "Divine."
+ - Page 76, apply RC to "Gospel," "Him," and "His."
+ - The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word "expressed":
+   ex|pressed.
+ - Page 79, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 82, apply RC to "His Apostles."
+ - Page 85, apply RC to "His" (twice), "He," and "His."
+ - Page 86, apply RC to "He," "Him," and "He."
+ - Page 88, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 89, change "Malancthon" to "Malanchthon" and "colaborer" to
+   "co-laborer."
+ - Page 90, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman. Change
+   "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 91, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word "sufficient":
+   suf|ficient.
+ - Page 92, apply RC to "Apostle."
+ - The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word "immersion":
+   immer|sion.
+ - Page 95, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word "original":
+   origi|nal.
+ - Page 98, change "practised" to "practised"; apply RC to "His
+   Apostles."
+ - Page 99, change "practise" to "practice" (twice).
+ - Page 100, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"
+   and "practises" to "practices."
+ - Page 101, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 102, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 104, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 105, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word "Parliament":
+   Par|liament.
+ - Page 108, apply RC to "His" (thrice) and "Me."
+ - Page 109, apply RC to "He," "His," "My" (four times), "Me," and
+   "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word "practiced"
+   (changed from "practised"): prac|ticed.
+ - Page 110, change "practised" to "practiced" and "practise" to
+   "practice" (twice).
+ - Page 111, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 112, apply RC to "Him."
+ - Page 113, apply RC to "Divine."
+ - Page 114, apply RC to "Apostolic," "Word," "Apostles'," "Word,"
+   and "Divine." Change "practise" to "practice."
+ - Page 115, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word "infants":
+   in|fants.
+ - Page 116, change "practise" to "practice" (thrice).
+ - Page 117, apply RC to "His";  change "practise" to "practice";
+   apply RC to "Him."
+ - Page 118, change "practise" to "practice."
+ - The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word "remaining":
+   re|maining.
+ - Page 119, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen.
+ - Page 120, apply RC to "Gospel."
+ - Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a
+   churchman.
+ - Page 124, apply RC to "Lord's Table."
+ - Page 125, apply RC to "His."
+ - Page 129, change "practised" to "practiced" (thrice). Apply RC to
+   "His Apostles" and "Word."
+ - Page 130, capitalize "Divine" as referring to a churchman; apply
+   RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 131, apply RC to "Apostolic" and "Apostles."
+ - Page 132, change "practised" to "practiced." Apply RC to "His
+   Apostles."
+ - Page 133, change "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 134, change "practise" to "practice" and "practised" to
+   "practiced."
+ - Page 136, change "practise" to "practice." Apply RC to "Divine"
+   and "Word."
+ - Page 137, apply RC to "Gospel" and "Word."
+ - Page 138, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 140, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 141, apply RC to "Apostolic."
+ - Page 142, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Divinely."
+ - The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word "people":
+    peo|ple.
+ - Page 144, capitalize "Divines" as referring to churchmen; apply RC
+   to "Apostolic." Add "Ch. Hist." to the Geiseler citation.
+ - Page 145, change "practised" to "practiced."
+ - Page 146, change "practises" to "practices."
+ - Page 147, apply RC to "His," "He," "His Apostles," "His" (twice),
+   "He," "Divine," and "Apostles."
+ - The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word "minister":
+   min|ister.
+ - Page 148, apply RC to "Apostles," "His," and "Gospel."
+ - The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word "authority":
+   author|ity.
+ - Page 149, change "later" to "latter."
+ - Page 150, apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 152, apply RC to "Apostle"; change _"episcopous"_ to
+   _"episcopos"_ for consistency.
+ - Page 153, apply RC to "Apostolic."
+ - Page 154, apply RC to "Word," "Apostles," and "Himself."
+ - Page 155, apply RC to "Gospel."
+ - The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word "apostasy":
+   apos|tasy.
+ - Page 156, apply RC to "Gospel,"; change "practised" to "practiced"
+   apply RC to "Word" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 158, apply RC to "Gospel." Change "practise" to "practice"
+   (twice).
+ - Page 160, change "practise" to "practice"; apply RC to "Apostles."
+ - Page 161, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Word."
+ - The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word "contemporary":
+   contempo|rary.
+ - Page 163, apply RC to "Apostles" and "Gospel."
+ - Page 164, change "offence" to "offense."
+ - The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word "because":
+   be|cause.
+ - Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after
+   "Smithfield"; change "suffered perhaps more" to "suffered perhaps
+   no more."
+ - Page 167, change "defence" to "defense."
+ - Page 169, add comma to "after he"; apply RC to "Divine."
+ - The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word "themselves":
+   them|selves.
+ - Page 173, change "practise" to "practice" (twice); apply RC to
+   "Divine."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist
+Churches, by Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STANDARD MANUAL FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES ***
+
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, by 
+Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of
+the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org.  If you are not located in the United States, you'll have
+to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook.
+
+Title: The Standard Manual for Baptist Churches
+
+Author: Edward Thurston Hiscox
+
+Release Date: January 2, 2020 [EBook #61084]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STANDARD MANUAL FOR BAPTIST CHURCHES ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by John Hagerson and Mrs. Faith Ball
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<div class="trans_notes">
+<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>
+<ul>
+<li>This book is set forth as a reference for Baptist churches to discuss their
+history, organization, polity, and operations. The book itself has a small form
+factor, suitable to be carried in a suit coat pocket.</li>
+<li>The author&rsquo;s perspective is quite partisan; many arguments are
+introduced in favor of his preferred methods and against alternatives.</li>
+<li>Detailed information on the Transcriber&rsquo;s changes are listed after
+the text. <a href="#DTN">Details.</a></li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="pagenum" id="ptp">[title&nbsp;page]</span>THE</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">STANDARD MANUAL</span></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">FOR</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="mlarger">BAPTIST CHURCHES</span></p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="tdc"><i>By</i></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">EDWARD T. HISCOX, D.D.</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smaller">Author of<br />
+&ldquo;The Baptist&rsquo;s Short Method,&rdquo; &ldquo;Star Book for Ministers,&rdquo;<br />
+&ldquo;The Star Book Series,&rdquo; &ldquo;Pastors&rsquo; Manual,&rdquo; etc.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p class="tdc">PHILADELPHIA</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="larger">THE AMERICAN BAPITST<br />
+PUBLICATION SOCIETY</span></p>
+
+<p class="tdc">CHICAGO&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;KANSAS CITY&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;LOS ANGELES&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SEATTLE</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="pverso">[verso]</span></p>
+<hr />
+<p class="tdc">Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, by<br />
+<span class="smcap">the american bapitst publication society</span><br />
+In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington</p>
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Printed in U.S.A.</span></p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p3">[p.&nbsp;3]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc">PREFACE</h3>
+
+<p>It is now thirty years since the &ldquo;Baptist
+Church Directory,&ldquo; prepared by the writer,
+was first published. That work was designed
+to be somewhat of a <i>consensus</i> of
+the opinions of those best able to judge in
+matters of Baptist church polity and usage,
+especially as to what concerns administration
+and discipline. It might thus prove a
+help to both pastors and members, particularly
+in perplexing cases liable to arise.
+Thus it was hoped it might help to rectify
+the order and customs of our churches
+through our widely extended ranks. This
+hope has been realized. More than fifty
+thousand copies of that book have been circulated
+in this country. It has also been
+translated, more or less fully, into six or
+seven different languages by our missionaries,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p4">[p.&nbsp;4]</span>
+for use in our missions and foreign
+fields.</p>
+
+<p>But many of the churches desired a
+smaller and less expensive manual, which
+they could put into the hands of all their
+members. To meet this want, sixteen years
+ago, the writer prepared the little &ldquo;Star
+Book on Baptist Church Polity,&rdquo; which
+many churches have adopted, furnishing
+their members and candidates for membership
+with them freely. This has had a circulation
+of over thirty thousand copies; and
+both this and the &ldquo;Directory&ldquo; are in as
+great demand as at any previous time.</p>
+
+<p>It is something more than twenty years
+since the &ldquo;Baptist Short Method,&rdquo; by the
+same author was published. The purpose
+of this manual was to give a concise view
+of those distinctive features which mark
+the difference between Baptists and other
+denominations, especially as to the ordinances
+and church order; and also to furnish
+the proofs by which our position in
+these respects is justified. About ten thousand
+<span class="pagenum" id="p5">[p.&nbsp;5]</span>
+copies of this book have found their
+way into circulation.</p>
+
+<p>The preparation of the present manual
+was undertaken at the request of, and by
+an arrangement with the pastor, R.&nbsp;S. MacArthur,
+D.D., on behalf of Calvary
+Baptist Church, New York City, for the
+special use of that church. Something was
+desired smaller than the &ldquo;Directory,&rdquo; and
+more full than the &ldquo;Star Book,&rdquo; embracing
+certain features of the &ldquo;Short Method.&rdquo;
+When completed, it was thought to be, on
+the whole, so much superior to anything
+ever before prepared, as a manual for general
+use in Baptist churches, that by mutual
+consent, it was decided to have it published
+for general circulation, rather than confine
+it to the use of a single church.</p>
+
+<p>To both ministers and members, such a
+manual, it is hoped, will prove a valuable
+helper in the interest of church order, and
+of denominational unity and prosperity.
+Especially for the younger members, so
+many thousands of whom are yearly admitted
+<span class="pagenum" id="p6">[p.&nbsp;6]</span>
+to the fellowship of the churches,
+with an unlimited franchise, while but imperfectly
+instructed as to either doctrines or
+order, it should prove a most valuable assistant.
+Concise and accurate in statement of
+facts, transparent in arrangement of matters,
+convenient in form, and cheap in cost,
+pastors will find it to their own advantage,
+as well as to that of their members, to see
+that their churches are liberally supplied
+with copies. The pastor of one of our
+very largest and most prosperous churches,
+for whose use its preparation was undertaken,
+shows his estimate of its value, and
+sets other pastors a wise and worthy example,
+by ordering in advance of publication,
+<i>one thousand copies</i> for his church.</p>
+
+<p>May the Divine blessing make this, as
+other works have been made, a means of
+furthering good order, spiritual vitality, and
+efficient service for Christ, in the churches
+for which it is designed.</p>
+
+<p class="tdr">E.&nbsp;T.&nbsp;H.</p>
+<p><span class="smcap">Mount Vernon, N.&nbsp;Y.<br />
+January 24, 1890.</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p7">[p.&nbsp;7]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc">CONTENTS</h3>
+
+<table>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch1">CHAPTER I</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">A Christian Church</span></td><td class="tdr">9</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch2">CHAPTER II</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">14</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch3">CHAPTER III</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Ordinances</span></td><td class="tdr">18</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch4">CHAPTER IV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church-membership</span></td><td class="tdr">22</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch5">CHAPTER V</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Discipline</span></td><td class="tdr">27</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch6">CHAPTER VI</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Cases of Appeal</span></td><td class="tdr">37</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2" class="tdc"><a href="#ch7">CHAPTER VII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Business</span></td><td class="tdr">41</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><span class="pagenum" id="p8">[p.&nbsp;8]</span>
+<a href="#ch8">CHAPTER VIII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Christian Doctrine</span></td><td class="tdr">56</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch9">CHAPTER IX</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Optional Standing Resolutions</span></td><td class="tdr">77</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch10">CHAPTER X</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptism Considered</span></td><td class="tdr">80</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch11">CHAPTER XI</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</span></td><td class="tdr">108</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch12">CHAPTER XII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Infant Baptism</span></td><td class="tdr">129</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch13">CHAPTER XIII</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Government</span></td><td class="tdr">140</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch14">CHAPTER XIV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Church Officers</span></td><td class="tdr">146</td></tr>
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#ch15">CHAPTER XV</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td><span class="smcap">Baptist History</span></td><td class="tdr">154</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p9">[p.&nbsp;9]</span></p>
+<h2 class="tdc">STANDARD MANUAL FOR<br />
+BAPTIST CHURCHES</h2>
+
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch1">CHAPTER I</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">a christian church</span></p>
+
+<p>The word &ldquo;church&rdquo; is, in common language,
+used with large latitude of meaning.
+It is applied to a building used for Christian
+worship, to a congregation of Christian
+worshipers, to a religious establishment, to
+a given form of ecclesiastical order, to the
+aggregate of all Christian believers, and to
+a local company of Christian disciples associated
+in covenant for religious purposes.
+The latter is its common use in the New
+Testament.</p>
+
+<p>The Greek word <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia,</span> rendered
+&ldquo;church,&rdquo; is derived from a word meaning
+&ldquo;called out,&rdquo; and is used to indicate a company
+called out from a larger and more general
+<span class="pagenum" id="p10">[p.&nbsp;10]</span>
+assembly or concourse of people. In the
+free Greek cities, it designated a company
+of persons possessed of the rights of citizenship,
+and charged with certain important
+functions of administration in public affairs,
+summoned, or called out, from the common
+mass of the people. In the New Testament,
+the <span lang="grc-Latn">ekklesia</span> is a company of persons
+called out and separated from the common
+multitude by a Divine calling, chosen to be
+saints, invested with the privileges, and
+charged with the duties of citizenship in the
+kingdom of Christ.</p>
+
+<p>A Christian Church, therefore, according
+to the New Testament idea, is a company
+of persons Divinely called and separated
+from the world, baptized on a profession of
+their faith in Christ, united in covenant for
+worship and Christian service, under the
+supreme authority of Christ, whose Word is
+their only law and rule of life in all matters
+of religious faith and practice.</p>
+
+<p>Some Christian denominations include all
+their congregations in one comprehensive
+society, or ecclesiastical system, under some
+central authority, which legislates for and
+controls the whole. This comprehensive
+society they call the church. Thus we
+speak of the Roman Catholic Church, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p11">[p.&nbsp;11]</span>
+Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church&mdash;where
+the word &ldquo;church&rdquo; stands for the
+aggregate of all their local societies. With
+Baptists it is different. They speak of
+Baptist churches, but not of the Baptist
+Church, when the entire denomination is
+meant. The Baptist Church would mean
+some one local congregation of baptized
+believers.</p>
+
+<p>Thus was it in Apostolic times. There
+was &ldquo;the church in Jerusalem,&rdquo; &ldquo;the
+church of the Thessalonians,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church
+of Babylon,&rdquo; &ldquo;the church of the Laodiceans&rdquo;;
+but &ldquo;the churches of Macedonia,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;the churches of Asia,&rdquo; &ldquo;the churches of
+Judea.&rdquo; A church, therefore, is not a
+system of congregations confederated under
+a general government, but a single local
+congregation of Christian disciples associated
+in covenant and meeting together for
+worship. In this sense the word is commonly,
+almost uniformly, used in the New
+Testament.</p>
+
+<p>Churches are Divinely instituted to be
+&ldquo;the light of the world&rdquo; and &ldquo;the salt of
+the earth.&rdquo; They are ordained for the
+glory of God, as &ldquo;the ground and pillar of
+the truth,&rdquo; in the proclamation of His Gospel
+and the establishment of His kingdom
+<span class="pagenum" id="p12">[p.&nbsp;12]</span>
+in the world. They are commissioned to
+preach the Gospel to men, and to live the
+Gospel before men, that Christ may be
+honored and sinners saved. They should,
+therefore, be constantly striving to realize
+the grand purpose of their existence and
+fulfill the mission of their high calling.
+That church which does the most to honor
+Christ and save man will be the most
+honored by Him, and the most influential
+and prosperous in all that pertains to the
+true functions of a church. And since a
+church, as a body, is what its individual
+members are in their religious life and influence,
+therefore each member should strive
+to become in holy living what He desires the
+church to be.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;A body of Christian disciples may fail to
+meet some of the requirements of the Gospel, and
+still be a true church of Christ, providing it fulfills
+the fundamental conditions of a Scriptural faith and
+practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;But when a body ceases to acknowledge
+and submit to Christ as its Supreme Ruler, and to
+receive His Word as its supreme law, then it ceases to
+be a true church, and is simply a religious society,
+though it may still accept some of His doctrines and
+practice some of His precepts.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;A church is not a legislative, but an
+executive body. It cannot make laws, but only obey
+and administer those which Christ has given in the
+New Testament. He is the only Lawmaker in Zion.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p13">[p.&nbsp;13]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;But in matters pertaining to order and
+methods of administration, merely optional and discretionary,
+not involving fundamental principles, the
+church is to exercise its liberty, so long as it does not
+contravene Scriptural teaching or infringe the rights
+of its members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;And still further, while a church cannot
+become an authoritative expounder of either truth or
+duty, to bind the consciences even of its members,
+yet it does possess a judicial function for the interpretation
+and the enforcement of the laws of Christ
+for itself as a body, and, therefore, for its members,
+so far as their relation to the compact is concerned.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Each church owes courtesy and comity,
+fellowship and fraternity, to all others; but it owes
+subjection and allegiance to none, and is under authority
+to Christ alone.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;In matters of business and in the exercise
+of its authority in administration, the will of the
+church is expressed by a majority vote of its members.
+But the nearer that majority approaches to
+unanimity, the more satisfactory and emphatic are
+its decisions.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Councils may be called, presbyteries convened,
+or committees of reference chosen for advice
+in cases of moment, but they are all <i>advisory</i> only,
+and in no case authoritative. There is no higher,
+and no other court of appeal in ecclesiastical affairs,
+than the individual church.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p14">[p.&nbsp;14]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch2">CHAPTER II</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers<a id="ch2_fna1"></a>
+<a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The Scriptural officers of a church are
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i> Bishops are in the
+New Testament also called &ldquo;presbyters,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;elders,&rdquo; and &ldquo;overseers.&rdquo; Their duties
+and services have mainly reference to the
+spiritual interests of the body, though they
+properly have the oversight of all its concerns.
+The deacons have principal charge
+of the temporalities of the church, so as to
+relieve the pastor in that department of
+labor. They are, however, to be counselors
+and helpers of the pastor in all departments
+of his work. The qualifications for both
+offices are set forth in the Epistles to
+Timothy and Titus.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Pastors and deacons, as teachers and
+leaders of the flock, cannot be selected for and imposed
+upon the churches by any external authority
+whatever, either civic or religious; but are elected
+<span class="pagenum" id="p15">[p.&nbsp;15]</span>
+and chosen by the free suffrages of the members,
+without compulsion or restraint, from among themselves,
+or those who are to become identified with
+them in fellowship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;In the election of either a pastor or
+deacon, notice of such election should be given from
+the pulpit for at least two Sundays preceding the
+time for the same. The election should be by ballot,
+and at least <i>three-quarters</i> of the votes cast should be
+necessary for the election of a pastor, and <i>two-thirds</i>
+for the election of a deacon. Such election should
+be preceded by prayer for Divine direction, and conducted
+without partisan devices or personal strife.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Both pastors and deacons are properly
+elected for unlimited terms of service, the relation to
+continue so long as there shall be mutual satisfaction.
+Such a course tends less to depreciate and make
+servile the officers and their duties in the estimation
+of the people, and of those who bear them, than a
+limited and specified time, though deacons are sometimes,
+and perhaps properly, chosen for a limited term
+of service, subject to reelection, at the option of the
+church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;The church is to fix on the amount of
+salary necessary to a generous support of the pastor,
+and hold itself obligated by every consideration of
+Christian honor for the prompt and regular payment
+of the same. To fail in this is as dishonorable to the
+church as it is unjust and vexatious to the pastor.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;The call to a pastor issues from the
+<i>church</i> as a body, which also designates the amount
+of salary to be paid. It is in some sections usual,
+though not essential, to have subsequently a meeting
+of the entire congregation or society to approve or
+confirm the call. In some States it is necessary for
+the trustees, as the legal representatives of the corporation,
+to confirm the action officially, so far as the
+salary is concerned, before it can become legal.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p16">[p.&nbsp;16]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The number of deacons is optional with
+the church. It is usually from <i>three</i> to <i>seven.</i> Let it
+be so many as the church needs and can find suitable
+as candidates for the office. But they should never be
+elected simply to fill the office, and never unless they
+be persons whose fitness for the office is generally
+conceded.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The relations between pastor and the
+church may be dissolved at the option of either, by
+giving <i>three months&rsquo;</i> notice; or otherwise, by mutual
+consent. Between the deacons and the church, the
+relations may be dissolved at the option of either
+without previous notice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church <i>clerk</i> is elected annually, at a
+business meeting, by a majority vote. It is an office
+of convenience, for keeping the minutes and preserving
+the records of the body. Also <i>trustees</i> are elected
+by the church, or if the law so requires, by a <i>society.</i>
+Their duties are the care of the property and the
+management of finances. But these are not considered
+Scriptural church officers; deacons might properly
+discharge all the functions of these
+<span class="wsnw">offices.<a id="ch2_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch2_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;The offices of trust and service in a
+church should be as widely distributed among the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p17">[p.&nbsp;17]</span>
+members as possible, consistently with the welfare of
+the body. This rule should seldom be disregarded.
+No one man should hold more than one office at the
+same time, unless the interests of the body absolutely
+demand it. If offices are honors, they should be
+widely dispensed; if they are burdens, they certainly
+should be. For the same man to hold two or three
+offices is as unjust to him as it is to his brethren.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;A church cannot unite in any corporate
+capacity with other organizations for religious, benevolent,
+moral reform, or other purposes; but it may
+cooperate with these for any good object, and give to
+such societies its moral support, sympathy, and pecuniary
+aid.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;But members of churches can, as individuals,
+unite with outside organizations, for any
+purpose, not inconsistent with their profession as
+Christians, and not injurious to their church relations
+and duties.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Churches cannot alienate their responsibilities,
+nor delegate their authority to any man, or
+to any body of men, to act officially for them. But
+they can appoint persons to bear messages, and to
+perform services for them, under instruction, and to
+report their action to the body.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn1"><p><a href="#ch2_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+This and several of the following sections are consistent
+with the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Church Polity,&ldquo; on the same
+topics.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch2_fn2"><p><a href="#ch2_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>
+In some States the laws do not recognize the church, that
+being a spiritual body, but incorporate a <i>society,</i> as it is called,
+consisting of all persons of full age who attend and support
+the worship. This society has charge of the financial affairs
+of the church, holds and keeps in repair its property, and conducts
+its secular concerns. It elects a specified number of
+<i>trustees,</i> as provided for by law, who are the legal representatives
+of the corporation. The members of the society, and the
+trustees elected, may or may not be members of the church.
+This whole society arrangement is a relic of the old New
+England parish system of the standing order, and is inconsistent
+with the freedom of church action, and antagonistic to
+Baptist Church independence. It is anti-Baptistic and anti-Scriptural.
+A church should be allowed to manage its own
+affairs, both temporal and spiritual: and should be protected
+by law in doing so. The society system has been abrogated in
+most of the States.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p18">[p.&nbsp;18]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch3" class="tdc">CHAPTER III</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church ordinances</span></p>
+
+<p>Christian ordinances, in the largest
+sense, are any institutions, or regulations of
+Divine appointment, established as means of
+grace for the good of men, or as acts of
+worship for the honor of God. In that
+sense, not only are baptism and the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper ordinances, but preaching, prayer,
+hearing the Word, fasting, and thanksgiving
+are also ordinances, since all are of Divine
+appointment. But, in a narrower sense, it is
+common to say that <i>baptism</i> and the <i>Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper</i> are the only ordinances appointed
+by Christ to be observed by His churches.
+These are the only emblematic and commemorative
+rites enjoined upon His disciples,
+by which they are to be distinguished, and
+He is to be honored. They are the two
+symbols and witnesses of the New Covenant,
+the two monuments of the New Dispensation.</p>
+
+<p><i>Baptism</i> is the immersion, or dipping, of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p19">[p.&nbsp;19]</span>
+a candidate in water, on a profession of his
+faith in Christ and on evidence of regeneration;
+the baptism to be ministered in, or
+into, the name of the Father, the Son, and
+Holy Spirit. It represents the burial and
+resurrection of Christ, and in a figure declares
+the candidate&rsquo;s death to sin and the
+world, and his rising to a new life. It also
+proclaims the washing of regeneration, and
+professes the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a resurrection
+from the dead, through Him into the
+likeness of whose death he is buried in baptism.</p>
+
+<p><i>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper</i> is a provision of bread
+and wine, used to represent the body and
+the blood of Christ, partaken of by members
+of the church assembled for that purpose;
+in which service they commemorate
+the love of Christ exhibited in His death for
+them, and profess their faith and participation
+in the merits of His sacrifice, as the only
+ground of their hope of eternal life.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;No person can rightfully or properly become
+a church-member except he be first baptized, as
+the distinguishing mark and profession of his discipleship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The Supper is a church ordinance, and
+therefore is the privilege of church-members only.
+Therefore, also, since baptism precedes church-membership,
+it must precede and be prerequisite to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p20">[p.&nbsp;20]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Since the Supper is distinctively a church
+ordinance, it is to be observed by churches only, and
+not by individuals; neither in private places, nor in
+sick-rooms, nor on social occasions, and not by companies
+of disciples other than churches. But a church
+may by appointment, and in its official capacity, meet
+in a private house, a sick-room, or wherever it may
+elect, and there observe the Supper.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Both ordinances are ordinarily and properly
+administered by ordained and accredited ministers;
+but both would be equally valid if administered
+by unordained persons, should occasion require and
+the church so direct. As to the qualifications of the
+administrator, the New Testament is silent, except
+that he should be a disciple.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;As to the time, place, and frequency of
+the ordinances, no Scriptural directions are given.
+These are left optional with the churches. They are
+usually observed on Sundays, but not necessarily.
+As to the Supper, our churches have very generally
+come to observe it on the first Sunday of each month.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;The participation of the elements in the
+Supper should be done according to the special direction
+of Christ, the Head of the body. &ldquo;This do in
+remembrance of <i>Me.</i>&rdquo; It is not, therefore, a test or
+token of Christian fellowship, except incidentally.
+All thought and sympathy in the service should be
+centered on Him who is &ldquo;the living bread,&rdquo; and not
+fixed on others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;The ordinances are not <i>sacraments,</i> as
+taught by some, conveying effectual grace to the soul
+and imparting spiritual life. But as Divinely appointed
+means of grace, their importance must not
+be undervalued. They cannot be neglected without
+suffering serious harm and incurring the gravest responsibility.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Baptism is not essential to salvation, for
+our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of &ldquo;baptismal
+<span class="pagenum" id="p21">[p.&nbsp;21]</span>
+regeneration&rdquo;; but it is essential to obedience,
+since Christ has commanded it. It is also essential to
+a public confession of Christ before the world, and to
+membership in the church which is His body. And no
+true lover of his Lord will refuse these acts of
+obedience and tokens of affection.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p22">[p.&nbsp;22]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch4">CHAPTER IV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church-membership</span></p>
+
+<p>It is most likely that in the Apostolic age
+when there was but &ldquo;one Lord, one faith,
+and one baptism,&rdquo; and no differing denominations
+existed, the baptism of a convert
+by that very act constituted him a member
+of the church, and at once endowed him
+with all the rights and privileges of full
+membership. In that sense, &ldquo;baptism was
+the door into the church.&rdquo; Now, it is
+different; and while the churches are desirous
+of receiving members, they are wary
+and cautious that they do not receive unworthy
+persons. The churches therefore
+have candidates come before them, make
+their statement, give their &ldquo;experience,&rdquo;
+and then their reception is decided by a
+vote of the members. And while they cannot
+become members without baptism, yet
+it is the vote of the body which admits
+them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p23">[p.&nbsp;23]</span>
+There are <i>three classes</i> of candidates, and
+modes of reception to membership.</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>By baptism.</i>&mdash;The church having listened
+to the religious experience of the candidate,
+and being satisfied with the same,
+and with his Christian deportment, votes to
+receive him to its fellowship, &ldquo;on being
+baptized.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>By letter.</i>&mdash;The candidate presents a
+letter of dismission and recommendation
+from some other Baptist church with which
+he has been connected, for the purpose of
+transferring his membership to this. The
+church, being satisfied, votes to receive him
+into fellowship.</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>By experience.</i>&mdash;Persons having been
+baptized, but for some reason being without
+membership in any church, wish to be
+received. They, giving satisfactory evidence
+of Christian character, and substantial
+agreement in matters of faith and practice,
+are received by vote, as in other cases.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;Persons cannot be received to membership
+on the credit of letters from other denominations.
+Such letters are, however, accepted, as
+certificates of Christian character, and of church
+standing.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;While the churches do not require candidates
+to sign any creed, confession, or articles of
+faith, yet they do expect a substantial agreement in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p24">[p.&nbsp;24]</span>
+matters of faith and practice on their part as essential
+both to the comfort of the individual, and the harmony
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Should any member object to the reception
+of a candidate, such reception should be deferred,
+in order to consider the reasons for the objection.
+Objections judged groundless or unreasonable should
+not prevent the reception of a suitable candidate; yet
+no one should be received except by a unanimous or
+nearly unanimous vote.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;It is customary for candidates, after their
+experience or letters have been presented, to retire
+while the church deliberates and acts upon their case.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member in good standing, is entitled,
+at any time, to a letter of dismission, in the usual
+form, with which to unite with another church of the
+same faith and order.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Letters are usually made valid for <i>six
+months</i> only, during which time they must be used, if
+used at all. But if held longer, they may be renewed
+by the church, if satisfactory reasons are given for
+their non-use.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;Each one receiving a letter is still a
+member of the church, and under its watchcare and
+discipline, until his letter is actually received by
+another church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Letters cannot be given to members for
+the purpose of uniting with churches with which we
+are not in fellowship. But any member is entitled,
+at any time, to receive a certificate of standing, and
+Christian character.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;No member can <i>withdraw</i> from the
+church, or have his name <i>dropped,</i> or at his own
+request be <i>excluded</i> from the fellowship of the body
+without due process of discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;Nor can a member have a letter voted
+and forced upon him without his wish and consent.
+<span class="pagenum" id="p25">[p.&nbsp;25]</span>
+Such would be a virtual expulsion from the body. If
+worthy to receive a letter, he cannot be forced out of
+the church against his will.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;Members living remote from the church
+are expected to unite with some Baptist church near
+their residence; or give satisfactory reasons for not
+doing so. When they cannot so unite, they are expected
+to report themselves to the church at least
+<i>once each year,</i> and contribute to its support, till they
+cease to be members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Letters of dismission may be revoked,
+at any time before being used, if, in the judgment of
+the church, there be sufficient cause for such action.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 13.&mdash;Church fellowship will be withdrawn
+from members who unite with other denominations;
+because, however excellent their character, or sincere
+their intentions, they have broken covenant with the
+church, and by such act have placed themselves beyond
+the limits of its fellowship.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 14.&mdash;Persons excluded from other churches
+are not to be received to membership, except after the
+most careful investigation of all the facts in the
+case, and not unless it be manifest that the exclusion
+was unjustifiable, and that the church excluding persistently
+refuses to do justice to the excluded member.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 15.&mdash;A letter is usually asked for and addressed
+to the particular church. This is proper, but
+not always necessary. It may in certain cases be
+asked for, and given &ldquo;to the church of the same
+faith and order.&rdquo; Or if directed to one, it may be
+presented to, and received by another.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 16.&mdash;It is expected that all pecuniary liability
+to the church will be canceled, and all personal difficulties
+in the church will be settled by a member,
+should such exist, before he shall receive a letter of
+dismission.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 17.&mdash;Each member, without exception, is expected
+to fill his place in the church, by attendance
+<span class="pagenum" id="p26">[p.&nbsp;26]</span>
+on its appointments, as Providence may allow, and
+also to contribute of his means for the pecuniary
+support of the body, according to his ability. If in
+either of these respects he fails, and refuses, he becomes
+a covenant-breaker, and is subject to the discipline
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 18.&mdash;Persons excluded from the church may
+be again received to its fellowship on satisfactory
+evidence of fitness. This is called reception by <i>restoration,</i>
+and is usually so entered on the records, and
+in associational reports.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 19.&mdash;It is neither a Christian nor an honorable
+course for a church to grant an unworthy member
+a valid letter, and send him to another church as
+one in good and regular standing, in order to be rid
+of a disturber of the peace, or to avoid the trouble of
+a course of discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 20.&mdash;No church is <i>obliged</i> to receive a person
+to membership, simply because he brings a valid
+letter from another church. Each church is to be
+sole judge of the qualifications of persons to be
+received to its fellowship.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p27">[p.&nbsp;27]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch5" class="tdc">CHAPTER V</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church discipline</span></p>
+
+<p>Church-members are supposed to be regenerate
+persons bearing the image and
+cherishing the spirit of Christ, in whom the
+peace of God rules, and who walk and
+work in &ldquo;the unity of the Spirit, and the
+bond of peace.&rdquo; But unhappily, even the
+saints are sanctified only in part, and
+troubles sometimes arise among brethren.
+The evil passions of even good men may
+triumph over piety, and partisan strife may
+destroy the peace and the prosperity of the
+body of Christ. All this should, if possible,
+be avoided. Corrective discipline seeks
+to heal offenses; but it is better to <i>prevent</i>
+them, than to <i>heal</i> them. It is, however,
+better to heal and remove, than to endure
+them.</p>
+
+<p>Now these offenses and occasions of dissension
+in the churches arise from various
+causes, and are largely preventable. Most
+frequently they come by the following
+means:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p28">[p.&nbsp;28]</span>
+1. Because of the too suspicious and
+sensitive disposition of some who imagine
+themselves wronged, neglected, or in some
+way injured; the matter being chiefly imaginary,
+and without any real foundation in
+fact.</p>
+
+<p>2. Because the pastor, deacons, and influential
+members do not carefully and constantly
+enough watch the beginnings of
+strife, and rectify the evil before it becomes
+serious.</p>
+
+<p>3. Because evil-doers by delay become
+more persistent in evil, while others are
+drawn into the strife, and contentious parties
+insensibly are formed, which tend to divide
+the church into hostile factions.</p>
+
+<p>4. Because that when the difficulty becomes
+chronic and deep-seated, the church
+is likely to undertake the discipline with
+judicial severity, and not in the spirit of
+meekness, in which the spiritual should restore
+the erring.</p>
+
+<p>5. Because that a case of discipline undertaken
+under excitement is almost certain
+to be wrongly conducted. Even if the result
+reached be just and right, the method by
+which it is reached is likely to be unwise,
+unjust, and oppressive to individuals, possibly
+<span class="pagenum" id="p29">[p.&nbsp;29]</span>
+producing more serious and more lasting
+evils than it has removed.</p>
+
+<p><i>Offenses</i> calling for discipline are usually
+considered as of <i>two</i> classes: <i>private</i> or personal,
+and <i>public</i> or general. These terms
+do not very accurately express the nature of
+the offenses, but they are in common use,
+and capable of being understood. In the
+administration of <i>corrective discipline,</i> the
+following rules and principles constitute a
+correct and Scriptural course of proceeding:</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">private offenses</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Private offenses</i> pertain to personal difficulties
+between individuals, having no direct
+reference to the church as a body, and not
+involving the Christian profession at large.
+In such cases, the course prescribed by
+our Saviour (Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:15</span>&ndash;17) is to be
+strictly followed, without question or deviation.</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>First step.</i>&mdash;The member who considers
+himself injured must go to the
+offender, tell him his grief, and between
+themselves alone, if possible, adjust and
+settle the difficulty. &ldquo;If thy brother shall
+trespass against thee, go and tell him his
+fault, between thee and him alone.&rdquo; This
+<span class="pagenum" id="p30">[p.&nbsp;30]</span>
+must be done, not to charge, upbraid, or
+condemn the offender, but to win him. &ldquo;If
+he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
+brother.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>Second step.</i>&mdash;If this shall fail, then
+the offended member must take one or two
+of the brethren with him as witnesses, seek
+an interview with the offender, and, if possible,
+by their united wisdom and piety,
+remove the offense and harmonize the difficulty.
+&ldquo;But if he will not hear thee, then
+take with thee one or two more, that in the
+mouth of two or three witnesses, every word
+may be established.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>Third step.</i>&mdash;If this step should prove
+unavailing, then the offended member must
+tell the whole matter to the <i>church,</i> and
+leave it in their hands to be disposed of, as
+to them may seem wisest and best. &ldquo;And
+if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to
+the church.&rdquo; He has done his duty and
+must abide by the decision of the body
+which assumes this responsibility.</p>
+
+<p>4. <i>The result.</i>&mdash;If this course of kindly
+Christian labor proves finally ineffectual,
+and the offender shows himself incorrigible,
+excision must follow. He must be cut off
+from fellowship in the church whose covenant
+he has broken, and whose authority
+<span class="pagenum" id="p31">[p.&nbsp;31]</span>
+he disregards. &ldquo;And if he neglect to hear
+the church, let him be unto thee as an
+heathen man, and a publican.&rdquo; However
+painful the act, the church must be faithful
+to its duty, and to its God.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;While this Divine rule makes it obligatory
+on the offended member to go to the offender and
+seek a reconciliation, yet much more is it obligatory
+on the offender who knows that a brother is grieved
+with him, to seek such an one, and try to remove the
+difficulty.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;The matter is not to be made public until
+these three steps have been fully taken, and have
+failed; and then to be made public only by telling
+the church, and no others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When the case comes before the church,
+it must not be neglected nor dropped, but judiciously
+pursued until the difficulty be adjusted, the offense
+removed, or else the offender be disfellowshipped,
+and put away.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">public offenses</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Public offenses</i> are not against any one
+person more than another, but are such as
+are supposed to be a dishonor to the church
+of which the offender is a member, and a
+reproach to the Christian profession. They
+constitute a violation of the code of Christian
+morals, if not of our common worldly
+morals.</p>
+
+<p>The more common causes of this class of
+offenses are the following: False doctrine
+<span class="pagenum" id="p32">[p.&nbsp;32]</span>
+(Gal. <span class="wsnw">1:9,</span> 2&nbsp;John 10), disregard of authority
+(Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:17;</span> 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:14),</span>
+contention and strife (Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:17),</span> immoral
+conduct (1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> disorderly
+walk (2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 9), covetous spirit
+(Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:5;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:11),</span> arrogant
+conduct (3&nbsp;John 9), going to law (1&nbsp;Cor.
+<span class="wsnw">6:6).</span></p>
+
+<p>The following constitutes a proper and
+Scriptural course of treatment for such
+cases:</p>
+
+<p>1. The first member who has knowledge
+of the offense should, as in the case of private
+offenses, seek the offender, ascertain
+the facts, and attempt to reconcile or remove
+the difficulty. Not till he has done this
+should he make it public, or bring it before
+the church.</p>
+
+<p>2. But if no one will, or can, pursue this
+course of personal effort, or if such a course
+proves unsuccessful, then any member having
+knowledge of the facts should confer
+with the pastor and deacons as to the best
+course to be pursued.</p>
+
+<p>3. The pastor and deacons should, by the
+best method they are capable of devising,
+labor to adjust the matter without bringing
+it into the church, or otherwise making it
+public.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p33">[p.&nbsp;33]</span>
+4. But if their efforts fail, or if the case
+be already public, and a reproach and scandal
+to religion, then they should bring it to
+the church, and it should direct a proper
+course of discipline.</p>
+
+<p>5. The church, thus having the case before
+it, should either appoint a committee
+to visit the offender, or cite him before the
+body to answer the charge. He should be
+allowed to hear the evidence against him,
+know the witnesses, and be permitted to answer
+for himself.</p>
+
+<p>6. If the accused disproves the charges,
+or if he confesses the wrong, makes suitable
+acknowledgment, and, so far as possible,
+reparation, with promise of amendment,
+in all ordinary cases, this should be
+deemed satisfactory, and the case be dismissed.</p>
+
+<p>7. But if, after patient, deliberate, and
+prayerful labor, all efforts fail to reclaim
+the offender, then, however painful the necessity,
+the church must withdraw its fellowship
+from him, and put him away from
+them.</p>
+
+<p>8. If the case be one of flagrant immorality,
+by which the reputation of the body
+is compromised and the Christian name
+scandalized, on being proved or confessed,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p34">[p.&nbsp;34]</span>
+the hand of fellowship may be at once withdrawn
+from the offender, notwithstanding
+any confessions and promises of amendment;
+but not without a trial.</p>
+
+<p>The church&rsquo;s good name and the honor
+of religion demand this testimony against
+evil. He may be subsequently restored, if
+suitably penitent.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;All discipline should be conducted in the
+spirit of Christian meekness and love, with a desire
+to remove offenses and win offenders. It must also be
+done under a deep sense of responsibility to maintain
+the honor of Christ&rsquo;s name, the purity of His church,
+and the integrity of His truth.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;If any member shall persist in bringing a
+private grievance before the church, or otherwise
+make it public before he has pursued the course prescribed
+in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, he
+becomes himself an offender, and subject to the discipline
+of the body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;When private difficulties exist among
+members which they cannot, or will not settle, the
+church should consider them as public offenses, and
+as such dispose of them, rather than suffer the perpetual
+injury which they inflict.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;When a member refers to the church any
+private difficulty, which he has been unable to settle,
+he must submit it wholly to the disposition of the
+body, and abide by its decision. If he attempts to
+revive and prosecute it beyond the decision of the
+church, he becomes an offender, and subject to discipline.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any member tried by the church has the
+right to receive copies of all charges against him, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p35">[p.&nbsp;35]</span>
+names of his accusers, and the witnesses, both of
+whom he shall have the privilege of meeting face
+to face, hearing their statements, bringing witnesses
+on his side, and answering for himself before the
+body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Every member on trial or excluded, shall
+have furnished at his request, authentic copies of all
+proceedings had by the church in his case, officially
+certified.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No member under discipline can have
+the right to bring any person, not a member, before
+the church as his advocate, except by consent of the
+body.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;In every case of exclusion, the charges
+against the member, and the reasons for his exclusion,
+should be accurately entered on the records of
+the church.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 9.&mdash;If at any time it shall become apparent,
+or seem probable to the church that it has for any
+reason dealt unjustly with a member, or excluded him
+without sufficient cause, it should at once, and without
+request by concession and restoration, so far as
+possible, repair the injury it has done him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 10.&mdash;The church should hold itself bound to
+restore to its fellowship an excluded member when,
+ever he gives satisfactory evidence of repentance and
+reformation consistent with godliness.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 11.&mdash;The church will exercise is legitimate
+authority, and vindicate its honor and rectitude in
+the administration of discipline, even though the
+member should regard such discipline as unjust or
+oppressive.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 12.&mdash;Nothing can be considered a just and
+reasonable cause for discipline, except what is forbidden
+by the letter of the spirit of Scripture. And
+<span class="pagenum" id="p36">[p.&nbsp;36]</span>
+nothing can be considered a sufficient cause for disfellowship
+and exclusion, except what is clearly contrary
+to Scripture, and what would have prevented
+the reception of the person into the church, had it
+been known to exist at the time of his reception.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p37">[p.&nbsp;37]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch6" class="tdc">CHAPTER VI</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">cases of appeal</span></p>
+
+<p>Cases of difficulty and discipline do sometimes
+occur, so aggravated in their nature
+or so complicated in their treatment that it
+is found impossible to make a satisfactory
+settlement by ordinary methods; especially
+so if discipline has ended in exclusion. The
+excluded member will be almost sure to
+think he has been dealt with unjustly, and
+will wish for some redress; and if the case
+has been of long standing and much complicated,
+he will be equally sure to have
+others sympathize with him and condemn
+the action of the church. Now, although
+the <i>presumption</i> is that the church has done
+right, and is justified in its action, the <i>possibility</i>
+is that the church has done wrong,
+and is censurable for its action.</p>
+
+<p>What can be done in such a case?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;On the New Testament theory of church
+government, the action of this individual local church
+is final. There is no power either civil or ecclesiastical,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p38">[p.&nbsp;38]</span>
+that can reverse its decision or punish it for
+wrong-doing. It may make mistakes, but no human
+tribunal has authority to compel it to confess or correct
+them.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;Councils, if appealed to for redress, have
+<i>no authority;</i> they are simply, always, and everywhere
+<i>advisory</i>&mdash;that, and nothing more. They can
+express an opinion, and give advice; but they have
+no authority to issue decrees, and would have no
+power to enforce them if they should.<a id="ch6_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch6_fn1">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Any person who believes himself wronged
+by church action has the inalienable right to appeal
+to the church for a new hearing, and, failing in this,
+to ask the counsel and advice of brethren, should he
+see fit to do so.</p>
+
+<p><i>Now observe</i>&mdash;If an excluded member
+believes himself unjustly dealt by, and
+wishes redress the following is the proper
+course for him to pursue:</p>
+
+<p>1. Apply to the church which excluded,
+and ask a rehearing. State to them the
+grounds of his complaint and the evidence
+on which he thinks he can satisfy them, if
+a fair opportunity for being heard be given
+him.</p>
+
+<p>2. If they refuse him a rehearing, let
+him appeal to them to unite with him in
+calling a <i>mutual council,</i> before which the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p39">[p.&nbsp;39]</span>
+whole case shall be placed, all parties to
+abide by its decision.</p>
+
+<p>3. If a mutual council be declined by
+the church, he would be fully justified,
+should he feel so inclined, in calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span>
+council, before which he should place
+the facts and seek its advice.</p>
+
+<p>4. Or, instead of calling an <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council,
+he could apply to some other church to
+be received to its fellowship, on the ground
+that he had been unjustly excluded. Should
+he be received to another church, that would
+give him church standing and fellowship
+again, and vindicate him so far as any ecclesiastical
+action could vindicate him.</p>
+
+<p>5. If all these resorts fail, there is nothing
+left but for him to wait patiently, and
+bear the burden of his wrong until Providence
+opens the way for his deliverance.
+He may, after all, conclude that he himself
+was more in fault than he at first supposed,
+and the church less so.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;An <span lang="la">ex-parte</span> council should not be called
+in such a case of difficulty until all efforts have failed
+to secure a <i>mutual</i> council; as such a council, if
+called, would probably do nothing more than advise
+a mutual council and adjourn.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Any church can well afford to grant a
+rehearing to an excluded member. It would be in
+the interest of peace, justice, and reconciliation. If
+the church be right, it can afford to be generous.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p40">[p.&nbsp;40]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Any church has the right to receive a
+member excluded, from another church, since each
+church is sole judge of the qualification of persons
+received to its fellowship. But any church so appealed
+to would use great caution, and with due
+regard to its own peace and purity, ascertain all the
+facts in the case before taking such action.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;If a mutual council be called, one-half
+the messengers and members are to be chosen by the
+church and one-half by the aggrieved party; but the
+<i>letters missive</i> calling the council are to be sent out
+by and in the name of the church, and not of the
+aggrieved party. But these facts, as to the mutual
+call, are to be stated in the letters.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;A church excluding a member has no
+just cause of complaint against another church for
+receiving such an excluded member, since the one
+church is just as independent to receive one whom it
+judges worthy of fellowship, as the other is to exclude
+one whom it judged unworthy of fellowship.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch6_fn1"><p><a href="#ch6_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For a more comprehensive discussion of councils&mdash;what they
+can, and what they cannot do, how to call, and how to use
+them&mdash;see the &ldquo;Star Book on Baptist Councils.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p41">[p.&nbsp;41]</span></p>
+<h3 id="ch7" class="tdc">CHAPTER VII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church business</span></p>
+
+<p>The business meetings of a church should
+be conducted as much as possible in the
+spirit of devotion, and under a sense of the
+propriety and sanctity which attaches to all
+the interests of the kingdom of Christ.
+Meetings for business should not be needlessly
+multiplied, nor should they be unwisely
+neglected. It may not be wise to
+insist too rigidly on the observance of parliamentary
+rules, yet it is still worse to drift
+into a loose unbusinesslike way, which
+wastes time, accomplishes little, and does
+wrongly much that is done.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">order of business</span></p>
+
+<p>1. The meetings to be opened with reading
+the Scriptures, singing, and prayer.</p>
+
+<p>2. The reading, correction, and approval
+of the minutes of the preceding meeting.</p>
+
+<p>3. Unfinished business, or such as the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p42">[p.&nbsp;42]</span>
+minutes present, including reports of committees
+taken in order.</p>
+
+<p>4. New business will next be taken up.
+Any member may call up new business.
+But important matters should not be presented,
+except on previous consultation with
+the pastor and deacons.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 1.&mdash;The pastor is, by virtue of his office, moderator
+of all church business meetings. If he be not
+present, or do not wish to serve, any one may be
+elected to take the place.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 2.&mdash;All business meetings, both regular and
+special, should be announced from the pulpit one
+Sunday, at least, before they are held.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 3.&mdash;Special meetings for business may be
+called at any time, by consent of the pastor and deacons,
+or by such other methods as the church itself
+may direct.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 4.&mdash;Though a majority usually decides questions,
+yet in all matters of special importance a unanimous,
+or nearly unanimous, vote should be secured.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 5.&mdash;Members may be received, and letters of
+dismission granted, either at the business church
+meeting, the covenant meeting, or the regular weekly
+prayer meeting, the church so directing. Some fixed method
+should be observed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 6.&mdash;Candidates for admission to membership
+will be expected to retire from the meeting
+when action is taken on their reception.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Note</span> 7.&mdash;No persons, except members, will be
+present during the transaction of church business. If
+present, they may be asked to retire.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p43">[p.&nbsp;43]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Note</span> 8.&mdash;Although the church should endeavor to
+do nothing which its members will be ashamed or
+afraid to have known by others, yet every member is
+bound, by the honor of a Christian, not to publish
+abroad, nor disclose to those without, the private
+affairs and business transactions of the body.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">rules of order</span></p>
+
+<p>The following constitute the generally
+accepted rules of order for churches and
+other deliberative bodies in business proceedings:</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Motions</i></p>
+
+<p>1. All business shall be presented by a
+<i>motion,</i> made by one member, and seconded
+by another, and presented in writing by the
+mover, if so required.</p>
+
+<p>2. No discussion can properly be had until
+the motion is made, seconded, and stated by
+the chairman.</p>
+
+<p>3. A motion cannot be withdrawn after
+it has been discussed, except by the unanimous
+consent of the body.</p>
+
+<p>4. A motion having been discussed, must
+be put to vote, unless withdrawn, laid on
+the table, referred, or postponed.</p>
+
+<p>5. A motion lost should not be recorded,
+except so ordered by the body at the time.</p>
+
+<p>6. A motion lost cannot be renewed at the
+same meeting, except by unanimous consent.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p44">[p.&nbsp;44]</span>
+7. A motion should contain but one distinct
+proposition. If it contains more, it
+must be divided at the request of any member,
+and the propositions acted on separately.</p>
+
+<p>8. Only one question can properly be before
+the meeting at any one time. No second
+motion can be allowed to interrupt one
+already under debate, except a motion to
+<i>amend,</i> to <i>substitute,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>postpone,</i>
+to <i>lay on the table,</i> for <i>the previous question,</i>
+or to <i>adjourn.</i></p>
+
+<p>9. These subsidiary motions just named
+cannot be interrupted by any other motion;
+nor can any other motion be applied to
+them except that to <i>amend,</i> which may be
+done by specifying some <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose.</i></p>
+
+<p>10. Nor can these motions interrupt or
+supersede each other; only that a motion to
+<i>adjourn</i> is always in order, except while a
+member has the floor, or a question is being
+taken, and in some bodies even then.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Amendments</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Amendments to resolutions may be
+made in three ways: By <i>omitting,</i> by <i>adding,</i>
+or by <i>substituting</i> words or sentences.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p45">[p.&nbsp;45]</span>
+2. An amendment to an amendment may
+be made, but is seldom necessary, and should
+be avoided.</p>
+
+<p>3. No amendment should be made which
+essentially changes the meaning or design
+of the original resolution.</p>
+
+<p>4. But a <i>substitute</i> may be offered, which
+may change entirely the meaning of the
+resolution under debate.</p>
+
+<p>5. The amendment must first be discussed
+and acted on, and then the original resolution
+as amended.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Speaking</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Any member desiring to speak on a
+question should rise in his place and address
+the moderator, confine his remarks to the
+question, and avoid all unkind and disrespectful
+language.</p>
+
+<p>2. A speaker using improper language,
+introducing improper subjects, or otherwise
+out of order, should be called to order by
+the chairman, or any member, and must
+either conform to the regulations of the
+body, or take his seat.</p>
+
+<p>3. A member while speaking can allow
+others to ask questions, or make explanations;
+but if he yields the floor to another,
+he cannot claim it again as his right.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p46">[p.&nbsp;46]</span>
+4. If two members rise to speak at the
+same time, preference is usually given
+to the one farthest from the chair, or to
+the one opposing the question under discussion.</p>
+
+<p>5. The fact that a person has several
+times arisen, and attempted to get the floor,
+gives him no claim or right to be heard.
+Nor does a call for the question deprive a
+member of his right to speak.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Voting</i></p>
+
+<p>1. A question is put to vote by the chairman
+having first distinctly restated it, that
+all may vote intelligently. First, the <i>affirmative,</i>
+then the <i>negative</i> is called; each so
+deliberately as to give all an opportunity
+of voting. He then distinctly announces
+whether the motion is <i>carried,</i> or <i>lost.</i></p>
+
+<p>2. Voting is usually done by &ldquo;aye&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;no,&rdquo; or by raising the hand. In a doubtful
+case by standing and being counted. On
+certain questions by ballot.</p>
+
+<p>3. If the vote, as announced by the chairman,
+is doubted, it is called again, usually
+by standing to be counted.</p>
+
+<p>4. All members should vote, unless for
+reasons excused; or unless under discipline,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p47">[p.&nbsp;47]</span>
+in which case they should take no part in
+the business.</p>
+
+<p>5. The moderator does not usually vote,
+except the question be taken by ballot; but
+when the meeting is equally divided, he is
+expected, but is not obligated to give the
+casting vote.</p>
+
+<p>6. When the vote is to be taken by ballot,
+the chairman appoints <i>tellers,</i> to distribute,
+collect, and count the ballots.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Committees</i></p>
+
+<p>1. Committees are nominated by the
+chairman, if so directed by the body, or by
+any member; and the nomination is confirmed
+by a vote of the body. More commonly
+the body directs that all committees
+shall be <i>appointed</i> by the chairman, in which
+case no vote is needed to confirm.</p>
+
+<p>2. Any matter of business, or subject
+under debate, may be <i>referred</i> to a committee,
+with or without instructions. The
+committee make their <i>report,</i> which is the
+result of their deliberations. The body then
+takes action on the report, and on any
+recommendations it may contain.</p>
+
+<p>3. The report of a committee is <i>accepted</i>
+by a vote, which acknowledges their services,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p48">[p.&nbsp;48]</span>
+and takes the report before the body
+for its action. Afterward, any distinct
+<i>recommendation</i> contained in the report
+is acted on, and may be adopted or rejected.</p>
+
+<p>4. Frequently, however, when the recommendations
+of the committee are of a trifling
+moment or likely to be generally acceptable,
+the report is <i>accepted</i> and <i>adopted</i> by the
+same vote.</p>
+
+<p>5. A report may be <i>recommitted</i> to the
+committee, with or without instructions; or
+that committee discharged, and the matter
+referred to a new one, for further consideration,
+so as to present it in a form more
+likely to meet the general concurrence of
+the body.</p>
+
+<p>6. A committee may be appointed <i>with
+power</i> for a specific purpose. This gives
+them power to dispose conclusively of the
+matter, without further reference to the
+body.</p>
+
+<p>7. The first named in the appointment
+of a committee is by courtesy considered
+the <i>chairman.</i> But the committee has the
+right to name its own chairman.</p>
+
+<p>8. The member who moves the appointment
+of a committee is usually, though not
+necessarily, named its chairman.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p49">[p.&nbsp;49]</span>
+9. Committees of arrangement, or for
+other protracted service, <i>report progress</i>
+from time to time, and are continued until
+their final report, or until their appointment
+expires by limitation.</p>
+
+<p>10. A committee is <i>discharged</i> by a vote,
+when its business is done, and its report accepted.
+But usually, in routine business, a
+committee is considered discharged by the
+acceptance of its report.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Standing Committee</i></p>
+
+<p>A committee appointed to act for a given
+period or during the recess of the body is
+called a <i>standing committee.</i> It has charge
+of a given department of business assigned
+by the body, and acts either with power,
+under instructions, or at discretion, as may
+be ordered. A standing committee is substantially
+a minor board, and has its own
+chairman, secretary, records, and times of
+meeting.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Appeal</i></p>
+
+<p>The moderator announces all votes, and
+decides all questions as to rules of proceeding,
+and order of debate. But any member
+who is dissatisfied with his decisions may
+<span class="pagenum" id="p50">[p.&nbsp;50]</span>
+<i>appeal</i> from them to the body. The moderator
+then puts the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall the
+decision of the chair be sustained?&rdquo;</i> The
+vote of the body, whether negative or affirmative,
+is final. The right of appeal is
+undeniable, but should not be resorted to
+on trivial occasions.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Previous Question</i></p>
+
+<p>Debate may be cut short by a vote to
+take the <i>previous question.</i> This means that
+the original, or main, question under discussion
+be immediately voted on, regardless of
+amendments and secondary questions and
+without further debate. Usually a <i>two-thirds</i>
+vote is necessary to order the previous
+question.</p>
+
+<p>1. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>carried,</i> then the main question must
+be immediately taken, without further debate.</p>
+
+<p>2. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>lost,</i> the debate proceeds, as though
+no such motion had been made.</p>
+
+<p>3. If the motion for the previous question
+be <i>lost,</i> it cannot be renewed with reference
+to the same question, during the same
+session.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p51">[p.&nbsp;51]</span><i>To Lay on the Table</i></p>
+
+<p>Immediate and decisive action on any
+question under discussion may be deferred,
+by a vote to <i>lay on the table</i> the resolution
+pending. This disposes of the whole subject
+for the present, and ordinarily is in
+effect a final dismissal of it. But any member
+has the right subsequently to call it up;
+and the body will decide by vote whether,
+or not, it shall be taken from the table.</p>
+
+<p>1. Sometimes, however, a resolution is
+laid on the table for the present, or until a
+specified time, to give place to other business.</p>
+
+<p>2. A motion to lay on the table must
+apply to a resolution, or other papers. An
+abstract subject cannot be disposed of in
+this way.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Postponement</i></p>
+
+<p>A simple <i>postponement</i> is for a specified
+time or purpose, the business to be resumed
+when the time or purpose is reached. But
+a question <i>indefinitely postponed</i> is considered
+as finally dismissed.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Not Debatable</i></p>
+
+<p>Certain motions, by established usage, are
+<i>not debatable,</i> but when once before the
+body, must be taken without discussion.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p52">[p.&nbsp;52]</span>
+These are: The <i>previous question,</i> for <i>indefinite
+postponement,</i> to <i>commit,</i> to <i>lay on
+the table,</i> to <i>adjourn.</i></p>
+
+<p>But when these motions are modified by
+some condition of <i>time, place,</i> or <i>purpose,</i>
+they become debatable, and subject to the
+rules of other motions; but debatable only in
+respect to the time, place, or purpose which
+brings them within the province of debate.</p>
+
+<p>A body is, however, competent, by a vote,
+to allow debate on all motions.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>To Reconsider</i></p>
+
+<p>A motion to <i>reconsider</i> a motion previously
+passed must be made by one who
+voted <i>for</i> the motion when it passed.</p>
+
+<p>If the body votes to reconsider, then the
+motion or resolution being reconsidered,
+stands before them as previous to its passage,
+and may be discussed, adopted, or rejected.</p>
+
+<p>A vote to reconsider should be taken at
+the same session at which the vote reconsidered
+was passed, and when there are as
+many members present.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Be Discussed</i></p>
+
+<p>If, when a question is introduced, any
+member objects to its discussion, as foreign,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p53">[p.&nbsp;53]</span>
+profitless, or contentious, the moderator
+should at once put the question, <i>&ldquo;Shall this
+motion be discussed?&rdquo;</i> If this question be
+decided in the negative, the subject must be
+dismissed.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Order of the Day</i></p>
+
+<p>The body may decide to take up some
+definite business at a specified time. That
+business therefore becomes the <i>order of the
+day,</i> for that hour. When the time mentioned
+arrives, the chairman calls the business,
+or any member may demand it, with
+or without a vote: and all pending questions
+are postponed in consequence.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Point of Order</i></p>
+
+<p>Any member who believes that a speaker
+is out of order, or that discussion is proceeding
+improperly, may at any time <i>rise to
+a point of order.</i> He must distinctly state
+his question or objection, which the moderator
+will decide.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Privileges</i></p>
+
+<p>Questions relating to the <i>rights</i> and <i>privileges</i>
+of members are of primary importance,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p54">[p.&nbsp;54]</span>
+and, until disposed of, take precedence
+of all other business, and supersede all other
+motions, except that of adjournment.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Rule Suspended</i></p>
+
+<p>A rule of order may be <i>suspended</i> by a
+vote of the body, to allow the transaction
+of business necessary, but which could not
+otherwise be done without a violation of
+such rule.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Filling Blanks</i></p>
+
+<p>Where different members are suggested
+for filling blanks, the <i>highest number, greatest
+distance,</i> and <i>longest time</i> are usually
+voted on first.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><i>Adjournment</i></p>
+
+<p>1. A simple motion <i>to adjourn</i> is always
+in order, except while a member is speaking,
+or when taking a vote. It takes precedence
+of all other motions, and is not
+debatable.</p>
+
+<p>2, In some deliberative bodies, a motion
+to adjourn is in order while a speaker has
+the floor, or a vote is being taken, the business
+to stand, on reassembling, precisely as
+when adjournment took place.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p55">[p.&nbsp;55]</span>
+3. A body may adjourn to a specific time;
+but if no time be mentioned, the fixed, or
+usual time of meeting, is understood. If
+there be no fixed, or usual time of meeting,
+then an adjournment without date is equivalent
+to a dissolution.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p56">[p.&nbsp;56]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch8">CHAPTER VIII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">christian doctrine</span></p>
+
+<p>All evangelical churches profess to take
+the Holy Scriptures as their only and sufficient
+guide in matters of religious faith
+and practice. Baptists, especially, claim to
+have no authoritative creed except the New
+Testament. It is common, however, for the
+churches to have formulated statements of
+what are understood to be the leading Christian
+doctrines, printed and circulated among
+their members. These are not uniform
+among the churches, but are in substantial
+agreement as to the doctrines taught. Indeed,
+each church is at liberty to prepare its
+own confession, or have none at all; no one
+form being held as binding and obligatory
+on the churches to adopt. Members, on
+being received to fellowship, are not required
+to subscribe or pledge conformity
+to any creed-form, but are expected to yield
+substantial agreement to that which the
+church with which they unite has adopted.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p57">[p.&nbsp;57]</span>
+There are two Confessions which have
+gained more general acceptance than any
+others, and are now being widely adopted
+by the churches over the country. As to
+substance of doctrine, they do not essentially
+differ. That known as the New Hampshire
+Confession is commonly used by the churches
+North, East, and West; while that known
+as the Philadelphia Confession, is very generally
+in use in the South and Southwest.
+The former is much more brief and for that
+reason preferred by many. The other is
+substantially the London Confession of
+Faith, published by English Baptists in
+1689. It is much more full in statement
+than the other, and is higher in its tone as
+to the doctrines of grace.</p>
+
+<p>American Baptists are decidedly Calvinistic
+as to substance of doctrine, but moderately
+so, being midway between the extremes
+of Arminianism and Antinomianism.
+Though diversities of opinion may incline to
+either extreme, the &ldquo;general atonement&rdquo;
+view is for the most part held, while the
+&ldquo;particular atonement&rdquo; theory is maintained
+by not a few. The freedom of the human
+will is declared, while the sovereignty of
+Divine grace, and the absolute necessity of
+the Spirit&rsquo;s work in faith and salvation are
+<span class="pagenum" id="p58">[p.&nbsp;58]</span>
+maintained. They practice &ldquo;strict communion,&rdquo;
+as do their mission churches in
+foreign lands. In Great Britain, Baptists
+are sharply divided between &ldquo;strict and free
+communion,&rdquo; and between the particular and
+the general atonement theories.</p>
+
+<p>The New Hampshire Confession, with a
+few verbal changes, is here inserted. But
+some of the proof-texts usually accompanying
+these articles are, for want of space,
+omitted.<a id="ch8_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch8_fn1">[1]</a></p>
+
+<p class="cgap">ARTICLES OF FAITH</p>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">i. the scriptures</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe that the Holy Bible was written
+by men Divinely inspired, and is a perfect
+treasure of heavenly <span class="wsnw">instruction;[1]</span> that it has
+God for its author, salvation for its end, and
+truth without any mixture of error for its
+<span class="wsnw">matter;[2]</span> that it reveals the principles by
+which God will judge <span class="wsnw">us;[3]</span> and therefore is,
+and shall remain to the end of the world,
+the true center of Christian union, and the
+supreme standard by which all human
+conduct, creeds and opinions should be
+tried.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p59">[p.&nbsp;59]</span>
+[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:16,</span> 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of
+God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
+for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be
+perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Also, 2&nbsp;Peter
+<span class="wsnw">1:21;</span> 2&nbsp;Sam. <span class="wsnw">23:2;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">30:5,</span> 6. Every word of God is pure. Add thou not
+unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
+Also, John <span class="wsnw">17:17;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:18,</span> 19;
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:4.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span> As many as have sinned in the law, shall be
+judged by the law. John <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48. If any man hear My
+words&mdash;the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
+him in the last day. Also, 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:3,</span> 4;
+Luke <span class="wsnw">10:10</span>&ndash;16; <span class="wsnw">12:47,</span> 48.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ii. the true god</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there
+is one, and only one, living and true God,
+an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is
+<span class="smcap">Jehovah,</span> the Maker and Supreme Ruler
+of Heaven and <span class="wsnw">Earth:[1]</span> inexpressibly glorious
+in <span class="wsnw">holiness,[2]</span> and worthy of all possible
+honor, confidence, and <span class="wsnw">love;[3]</span> that in the
+unity of the Godhead there are three Persons,
+the Father, the Son, and the Holy
+<span class="wsnw">Ghost;[4]</span> equal in every Divine perfection,
+and executing distinct but harmonious offices
+in the great work of redemption.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">4:24.</span> God is a spirit.
+Ps. <span class="wsnw">147:5.</span> His understanding
+is infinite. Ps. <span class="wsnw">83:18.</span> Thou whose name alone is <span class="smcap">Jehovah</span>
+art the Most High over all the earth. Heb. <span class="wsnw">3:4;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20;</span>
+Jer. <span class="wsnw">10:10.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span> Who is like unto Thee&mdash;glorious in holiness?
+Isa. <span class="wsnw">6:3;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:15,</span> 16;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:6</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Mark <span class="wsnw">12:30.</span> Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
+thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p60">[p.&nbsp;60]</span>
+with all thy strength. Rev. <span class="wsnw">4:11.</span> Thou art worthy, O Lord,
+to receive glory, and honour, and power. Matt. <span class="wsnw">10:37;</span>
+Jer. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span> Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing
+them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
+Holy Ghost. John <span class="wsnw">15:26;</span> 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">12:4</span>&ndash;6.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">iii. the fall of man</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that man
+was created in holiness, under the law of his
+<span class="wsnw">Maker;[1]</span> but by voluntary transgression fell
+from that holy and happy <span class="wsnw">state;[2]</span> in consequence
+of which all mankind are now <span class="wsnw">sinners[3]</span>
+not by constraint but choice; being
+by nature utterly void of that holiness required
+by the law of God, positively inclined
+to evil; and therefore under just <span class="wsnw">condemnation,[4]</span>
+without defense or <span class="wsnw">excuse.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:27.</span> God created man in His own image.
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">1:31.</span>
+And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was
+very good. Eccl. <span class="wsnw">7:29;</span> Acts <span class="wsnw">17:26;</span>
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">2:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Gen. <span class="wnsw">3:6</span>&ndash;24. And when the woman saw that the tree was
+good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
+to be desired to make one wise; she took of the fruit thereof,
+and did eat; and gave unto her husband with her, and he
+did eat. Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By one man&rsquo;s disobedience many were made
+sinners. John <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">51:5;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wnsw">5:15</span>&ndash;19; <span class="wsnw">8:7.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:3.</span> Among whom also we all had our conversation in
+times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the
+flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath
+even as others.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Ezek. <span class="wsnw">18:19,</span> 20. The soul that sinneth it shall die.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:20.</span> So that they are without excuse.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
+guilty before God. Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:22.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p61">[p.&nbsp;61]</span>
+<span class="smcap">iv. the way of salvation</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+salvation of sinners is wholly of <span class="wsnw">grace;[1]</span>
+through the mediatorial offices of the Son
+of <span class="wsnw">God;[2]</span> who according to the will of the
+Father, became man, yet without <span class="wsnw">sin;[3]</span>
+honored the Divine law by His personal
+obedience, and by His death made a full
+atonement for our <span class="wsnw">sins;[4]</span> that having risen
+from the dead, He is now enthroned in
+heaven; and uniting in His wonderful
+person the tenderest sympathies with Divine
+perfections, He is every way qualified to be
+a suitable, a compassionate and all-sufficient
+<span class="wsnw">Saviour.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:5.</span> By grace ye are saved.
+Matt. <span class="wsnw">18:11;</span>
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">4:10;</span>
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">3:5</span>&ndash;7; Acts <span class="wsnw">15:11.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span> For God so loved the world that He gave His
+only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
+perish, but have everlasting life.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:6</span>&ndash;7. Who being in the form of God thought it
+not robbery to be equal with God; but made Himself of no
+reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant, and was
+made in the likeness of men.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Isa. <span class="wsnw">53:4,</span> 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, He
+was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace
+was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Heb. <span class="wsnw">7:25.</span> Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
+uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to
+make intercession for them. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:9.</span> For in Him dwelleth
+all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p62">[p.&nbsp;62]</span>
+<span class="smcap">v. justification</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+great Gospel blessing which <span class="wsnw">Christ[1]</span> secures
+to such as believe in Him is <span class="wsnw">justification;[2]</span>
+that justification includes the pardon of
+<span class="wsnw">sin,[3]</span> and the gift of eternal life on principles
+of righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in
+consideration of any works of righteousness
+which we have done, but solely through
+faith in Christ; by means of which faith
+His perfect righteousness is freely imputed
+to us by <span class="wsnw">God;[4]</span> that it brings us into a
+state of most blessed peace and favor with
+God, and secures every other blessing needful
+for time and <span class="wsnw">eternity.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">1:16.</span> Of His fulness have all we received.
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">13:39.</span> By Him all that believe are justified from all
+things. Isa. <span class="wnsw">3:11,</span> 12; Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> Being justified by His blood, we shall be saved
+from wrath through Him. Zech. <span class="wsnw">13:1;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">9:6;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">10:43.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> By the obedience of One shall many be made
+righteous. Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:24</span>&ndash;26; <span class="wsnw">4:23</span>&ndash;25;
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Rom. <span class="wsnw">5:1,</span> 2. Being justified by faith, we have peace with
+God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have
+access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in
+hope of the glory of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vi. the freeness of salvation</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+blessings of salvation are made free to all
+<span class="pagenum" id="p63">[p.&nbsp;63]</span>
+by the <span class="wsnw">Gospel:[1]</span> that it is the immediate
+duty of all to accept them by a cordial,
+penitent, and obedient <span class="wsnw">faith;[2]</span> and that nothing
+prevents the salvation of the greatest
+sinner on earth but his own determined depravity
+and voluntary rejection of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[3]</span>
+which rejection involves him in an
+aggravated <span class="wsnw">condemnation.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:1.</span> Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye in the
+waters. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:17.</span> Whosoever will; let him take the water
+of life freely.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">17:30.</span> And the times of this ignorance God winked
+at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">16:26;</span> Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:15</span>&ndash;17.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">5:40.</span> Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have
+life. Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:37;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">9:32.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] John <span class="wsnw">3:19.</span> And this is the condemnation, that light is
+come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
+light because their deeds were evil. Matt. <span class="wsnw">11:20;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">19:27;</span> 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:8.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">vii. regeneration</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that in
+order to be saved, men must be regenerated,
+or born <span class="wsnw">again;[1]</span> that regeneration consists
+in giving a holy disposition to the <span class="wsnw">mind;[2]</span>
+that it is effected in a manner above our
+comprehension by the Holy Spirit, in connection
+with Divine <span class="wsnw">truth,[3]</span> so as to secure
+our voluntary obedience to the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[4]</span>
+and that its proper evidence appears in the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p64">[p.&nbsp;64]</span>
+holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness
+of <span class="wsnw">life.[5]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">3:3.</span> Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man
+be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John <span class="wsnw">3:6,</span> 7;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:14;</span> Rev. <span class="wsnw">3:7</span>&ndash;9;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">21:27.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">5:17.</span> If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.
+Ezek. <span class="wsnw">36:26;</span> Deut. <span class="wsnw">30:6;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:28,</span> 29.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">3:8.</span> The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
+hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh,
+and whither it goeth, so is every one that is born of the
+Spirit. John <span class="wsnw">1:13;</span> James <span class="wsnw">1:16</span>&ndash;18;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:30;</span> Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:13.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:22</span>&ndash;25. Ye have purified your souls in obeying
+the truth through the Spirit. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:1;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:20</span>&ndash;24; Col. <span class="wsnw">3:6</span>&ndash;11.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:9.</span> The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
+righteousness, and truth. Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:9;</span> Gal. <span class="wsnw">5:18</span>&ndash;23;
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">5:14</span>&ndash;21; Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:8</span>&ndash;10,
+<span class="wsnw">7:20;</span> 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:4,</span> 18.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">viii. repentance and faith</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that repentance
+and faith are sacred duties, and
+also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul
+by the regenerating Spirit of <span class="wsnw">God;[1]</span> whereby
+being deeply convinced of our guilt,
+danger, and helplessness, and of the way of
+salvation by <span class="wsnw">Christ,[2]</span> we turn to God with
+unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication
+for mercy; at the same time heartily
+receiving the Lord Jesus as our Prophet,
+Priest, and King, and relying on Him alone
+as the only and all-sufficient <span class="wsnw">Saviour.[3]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p65">[p.&nbsp;65]</span>
+[1] Mark <span class="wsnw">1:15.</span> Repent ye, and believe the Gospel. Acts <span class="wsnw">11:18.</span>
+Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance
+unto life. Eph. <span class="wsnw">2:8.</span> By grace are ye saved, through faith:
+and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:1.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] John <span class="wsnw">16:8.</span> He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
+and of judgment. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:38.</span> Then Peter said unto
+them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name
+of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Acts <span class="wsnw">16:30,</span> 31.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Romans <span class="wsnw">10:9</span>&ndash;11. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth
+the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath
+raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Acts <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;
+Heb. <span class="wsnw">4:14.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">ix. god&rsquo;s purpose of grace</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that election
+is the eternal purpose of God, according
+to which He graciously regenerates,
+sanctifies, and saves <span class="wsnw">sinners;[1]</span> that being
+perfectly consistent with the free agency of
+man, it comprehends all the means in connection
+with the <span class="wsnw">end;[2]</span> that it is a most
+glorious display of God&rsquo;s sovereign <span class="wsnw">goodness;[3]</span>
+that it utterly excludes boasting, and
+promotes <span class="wsnw">humility;[4]</span> that it encourages the
+use of means; that it may be ascertained
+by its effects in all who truly accept of
+<span class="wsnw">Christ;[5]</span> that it is the foundation of Christian
+assurance; and that to ascertain it with
+regard to ourselves demands and deserves
+the utmost <span class="wsnw">diligence.[6]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">1:8,</span> 9. But be thou partaker of the afflictions of the
+Gospel, according to the power of God: who hath saved us and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p66">[p.&nbsp;66]</span>
+called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
+according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in
+Christ Jesus before the world began.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">2:13,</span> 14. But we are bound to give thanks always
+to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
+hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through
+sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth; whereunto
+He called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our
+Lord Jesus Christ.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> For who maketh thee to differ from another?
+and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou
+didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received
+it? 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">1:26</span>&ndash;31; Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:27.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 2&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:10.</span> Therefore I endure all things for the elect&rsquo;s
+sakes, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ
+Jesus with eternal glory. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">9:22;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28</span>&ndash;30.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span> Knowing, brethren beloved, your election
+of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">1:10,</span> 11. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence
+to make your calling and election sure. Phil. <span class="wsnw">3:12;</span>
+Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:11.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">x. sanctification</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that sanctification
+is the process by which, according
+to the will of God, we are made partakers
+of His <span class="wsnw">holiness;[1]</span> that it is a progressive
+<span class="wsnw">work;[2]</span> that it is begun in regeneration;
+that it is carried on in the hearts of believers
+by the presence and power of the Holy
+Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter, in the continual
+use of the appointed means&mdash;especially
+the Word of God&mdash;self-examination,
+self-denial, watchfulness and <span class="wsnw">prayer;[3]</span> and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p67">[p.&nbsp;67]</span>
+in the practice of all godly exercise and
+<span class="wsnw">duties.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">4:3.</span>
+For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.
+1&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">5:23.</span> And the very God of peace sanctify
+you wholly. 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:1;</span> <span class="wsnw">13:9;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">1:4.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Prov. <span class="wsnw">4:18.</span> The path of the just is as the shining light,
+which shineth more and more, unto the perfect day.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13. Work out your own salvation with fear and
+trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and
+to do of his good pleasure. Eph. <span class="wsnw">4:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:2;</span>
+2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:18;</span> 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">13:5;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">11:35;</span> <span class="wsnw">9:23;</span> Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:41;</span>
+Eph. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> <span class="wsnw">4:30.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> Exercise thyself unto godliness.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xi. perseverance of saints</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that such
+as are truly regenerate, being born of the
+Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish,
+but will endure unto the <span class="wsnw">end;[1]</span> that their
+preservering attachment from Christ is the
+grand mark which distinguishes them from
+superficial <span class="wsnw">professors;[2]</span> that a special Providence
+watches over their <span class="wsnw">welfare;[3]</span> and that
+they are kept by the power of God through
+faith unto <span class="wsnw">salvation.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] John <span class="wsnw">8:31.</span> Then said Jesus, If ye continue in My word,
+then are ye My disciples indeed. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:27,</span> 28.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:19.</span> They went out from us, but they were not of
+us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued
+with us: but they went out that it might be made manifest
+that they were not all of us.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p68">[p.&nbsp;68]</span>
+[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:28.</span> And we know that all things work together for
+good unto them that love God, to them who are the called according
+to His purpose. Matt. <span class="wsnw">6:30</span>&ndash;33; Jer. <span class="wsnw">32:40.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:6.</span> He who hath begun a good work in you will
+perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. <span class="wsnw">2:12,</span> 13.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xii. the law and gospel</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+law of God is the eternal and unchangeable
+rule of his moral <span class="wsnw">government;[1]</span> that it is
+holy, just, and <span class="wsnw">good;[2]</span> and that the inability
+which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men
+to fulfill its precepts arises entirely from
+their sinful <span class="wsnw">nature;[3]</span> to deliver them from
+which, and to restore them through a Mediator
+to unfeigned obedience to the holy law,
+is one great end of the Gospel, and of the
+means of grace connected with the establishment
+of the visible <span class="wsnw">church.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:31.</span> Do we make void the law through faith? God
+forbid. Yea, we establish the law. Matt. <span class="wsnw">5:17;</span>
+Luke <span class="wsnw">16:17;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">3:20;</span> <span class="wsnw">4:15.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">7:12.</span> The law is holy, and the commandment holy,
+and just, and good. Rom. <span class="wnsw">7:7,</span> 14, 22; Gal. <span class="wsnw">3:21;</span>
+Ps. 119.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:7,</span> 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God: for
+it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So
+then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Rom. <span class="wsnw">8:2</span>&ndash;4. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
+Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For
+what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
+flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
+and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness
+of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh,
+but after the Spirit.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p69">[p.&nbsp;69]</span>
+<span class="smcap">xiii. a gospel church</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that a
+visible Church of Christ is a company of
+baptized <span class="wsnw">believers,[1]</span> associated by covenant
+in the faith and fellowship of the <span class="wsnw">Gospel;[2]</span>
+observing the ordinances of <span class="wnsw">Christ;[3]</span> governed
+by His <span class="wsnw">laws;[4]</span> and exercising the gifts,
+rights, and privileges invested in them by
+His <span class="wsnw">Word;[5]</span> that its only Scriptural officers
+are bishops or pastors, and <span class="wsnw">deacons,[6]</span>
+whose qualifications, claims, and duties are
+defined in the Epistles to Timothy and
+Titus.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word
+were baptized; and the same day there were added to them about
+three thousand souls.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 2&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">8:5.</span> They first gave their own selves to the Lord,
+and unto us by the will of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:2.</span> Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember
+me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I delivered
+them to you.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:20.</span> Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever
+I have commanded you. John <span class="wsnw">13:15.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">14:12.</span> Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the
+church.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] Phil. <span class="wsnw">1:1.</span> With the bishops and deacons.
+Acts <span class="wsnw">14:23,</span> <span class="wsnw">15:22.</span> 1&nbsp;Tim. 3, Titus 1.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xiv. christian baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that
+Christian baptism is the immersion in water
+<span class="pagenum" id="p70">[p.&nbsp;70]</span>
+of a believer in <span class="wsnw">Christ,[1]</span> into the name of
+the Father, and Son, and Holy <span class="wsnw">Ghost;[2]</span>
+to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem
+his faith in the crucified, buried, and
+risen Saviour, with its effect, in His death to
+sin and resurrection to a new <span class="wsnw">life;[3]</span> that it
+is prerequisite to the privileges of a church
+relation, and to the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Supper.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">8:36</span>&ndash;39. And the eunuch said, See, here is water:
+what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou
+believest with all thy heart, thou mayest.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. And they went
+down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
+him. Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:5,</span> 6; John <span class="wsnw">3:22,</span> 23;
+<span class="wnsw">4:1,</span> 2; Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wswn">28:19.</span> Baptizing them in the name of the Father
+and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts <span class="wsnw">10:47,</span> 48; Gal.
+<span class="wsnw">3:27,</span> 28.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span> Therefore we are buried with him by baptism
+into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
+glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness
+of life. Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Acts <span class="wsnw">2:41,</span> 42. Then they that gladly received his word
+were baptized, and there were added to them, the same day,
+about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in
+the Apostles&rsquo; doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
+and in prayers. Matt. <span class="wsnw">28:19,</span> 20.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xv. the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper is a provision of bread and
+wine, representing Christ&rsquo;s body and blood,
+partaken of by the members of the church
+assembled for that <span class="wsnw">purpose,[1]</span> in commemoration
+of the death of their <span class="wsnw">Lord,[2]</span> showing
+<span class="pagenum" id="p71">[p.&nbsp;71]</span>
+their faith and participation in the merits
+of His sacrifice, their dependence on Him
+for spiritual life and <span class="wsnw">nourishment,[3]</span> and their
+hope of life eternal through His resurrection
+from the dead; its observance to be preceded
+by faithful <span class="wsnw">self-examination.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Luke <span class="wsnw">22:19,</span> 20. And He took bread, and gave thanks, and
+brake, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body, which is
+given for you; this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise the
+cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My
+blood, which is shed for you. Mark <span class="wsnw">14:26</span>&ndash;28;
+Matt. <span class="wsnw">26:27</span>&ndash;30;
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:22</span>&ndash;30; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">10:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:26.</span> For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink
+this cup, ye do show the Lord&rsquo;s death until He come. Matt.
+<span class="wsnw">28:20.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] John <span class="wsnw">6:35,</span> 54, 56. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
+of life. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath
+eternal life. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood
+dwelleth in Me, and I in him.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">11:28.</span> But let a man examine himself, and so let
+him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Acts <span class="wsnw">2:42,</span> 46;
+<span class="wsnw">20:7,</span> 11.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvi. the lord&rsquo;s day</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+first day of the week is the Lord&rsquo;s <span class="wsnw">Day,[1]</span>
+and is to be kept sacred to religious <span class="wsnw">purposes[2]</span>
+by abstaining from all secular labor,
+except works of mercy and <span class="wnsw">necessity;[3]</span> by
+the devout observance of all the means of
+grace, both private and <span class="wsnw">public;[4]</span> and by
+preparation for that rest that remaineth for
+the people of God.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p72">[p.&nbsp;72]</span>
+[1] Acts <span class="wsnw">20:7.</span> On the first day of the week, when the disciples
+came together to break bread, Paul preached to them.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Exod. <span class="wsnw">20:8.</span> Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">1:10.</span> I was in the Spirit on the Lord&rsquo;s Day.
+Ps. <span class="wsnw">113:2</span>&ndash;4.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Isa. <span class="wsnw">58:13,</span> 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath,
+from doing thy pleasure on My holy day: and call the
+Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt
+honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own
+pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight
+thyself in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon
+the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of
+Jacob. Isa. <span class="wsnw">56:2</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Heb. <span class="wsnw">10:24,</span> 25. Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves
+together, as the manner of some is. Acts <span class="wsnw">13:44.</span> The next
+Sabbath Day came almost the whole city together to hear the
+Word of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xvii. civil government</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that civil
+government is of Divine appointment, for
+the interest and good order of human <span class="wsnw">society;[1]</span>
+and that magistrates are to be prayed
+for, conscientiously honored, and <span class="wsnw">obeyed;[2]</span>
+except only in things opposed to the will of
+our Lord Jesus <span class="wsnw">Christ,[3]</span> who is the only
+Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of
+the kings of the <span class="wsnw">earth.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Rom. <span class="wsnw">13:1</span>&ndash;7. The powers that be are ordained of God.
+For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Matt. <span class="wsnw">22:21.</span> Render therefore unto C&aelig;sar the things that
+are C&aelig;sar&rsquo;s, and unto God the things that are God&rsquo;s. Titus
+<span class="wsnw">3:1;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">2:13;</span>
+1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">2:1</span>&ndash;8.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wnsw">5:29.</span> We ought to obey God rather than man. Matt.
+<span class="wsnw">10:28.</span> Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
+kill the soul. Dan. <span class="wsnw">3:15</span>&ndash;18; <span class="wsnw">6:7,</span> 10;
+Acts <span class="wsnw">4:18</span>&ndash;20.</p>
+
+<p class="bq"><span class="pagenum" id="p73">[p.&nbsp;73]</span>
+[4] Matt. <span class="wsnw">23:10.</span> Ye have one Master, even Christ.
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">19:16.</span>
+And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
+<span class="smcap">King of kings and Lord of lords.</span> Ps. <span class="wnsw">72:11;</span> Ps. 2;
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">14:8</span>&ndash;13.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">xviii. righteous and wicked</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that there
+is a radical and essential difference between
+the righteous and the <span class="wsnw">wicked;[1]</span> that such only
+as are regenerate, being justified through
+faith in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the
+Spirit of God, are truly righteous in His
+<span class="wsnw">esteem;[2]</span> while all such as continue in impenitence
+and unbelief are, in His sight,
+wicked and under the <span class="wsnw">curse;[3]</span> and this distinction
+holds among men, both in and after
+<span class="wsnw">death.[4]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] Mal. <span class="wsnw">3:18.</span> Ye shall discern between the righteous and the
+wicked: between him that serveth God and him that serveth
+him not. Prov. <span class="wsnw">12:26;</span> Isa. <span class="wsnw">5:26;</span>
+Gen. <span class="wsnw">18:23;</span> Jer. <span class="wsnw">15:19;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">10:34,</span> 35; Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:16.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Rom. <span class="wsnw">1:17.</span> The just shall live by faith.
+1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">2:29.</span> If
+ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth
+righteousness is born of Him. 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">3:7;</span>
+Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:18,</span> 22; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">11:32;</span>
+Prov. <span class="wsnw">11:31;</span> 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:17,</span> 18.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] 1&nbsp;John <span class="wsnw">5:19.</span> And we know that we are of God, and the
+whole world lieth in wickedness. Gal. <span class="wnsw">3:10.</span> As many as are
+of the works of the law, are under the curse. John <span class="wsnw">3:36;</span> Isa.
+<span class="wsnw">57:21;</span> Ps. <span class="wsnw">10:4;</span>
+Isa. <span class="wsnw">55:6,</span> 7.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Prov. <span class="wsnw">14:32.</span> The wicked is driven away in his wickedness,
+but the righteous hath hope in his death. Luke <span class="wsnw">16:25.</span>
+Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise
+Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art
+tormented. John <span class="wsnw">8:21</span>&ndash;24;
+Prov. <span class="wsnw">10:24;</span> Luke <span class="wsnw">12:4,</span> 5;
+<span class="wsnw">11:23</span>&ndash;26;
+John <span class="wsnw">12:25,</span> 26; Eccl. <span class="wsnw">3:17.</span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p74">[p.&nbsp;74]</span>
+<span class="smcap">xix. the world to come</span></p>
+
+<p>We believe the Scriptures teach that the
+end of the world is <span class="wsnw">approaching;[1]</span> that at
+the last day Christ will descend from
+<span class="wsnw">heaven,[2]</span> and raise the dead from the grave
+for final <span class="wsnw">retribution;[3]</span> that a solemn separation
+will then take <span class="wsnw">place;[4]</span> that the wicked
+will be adjudged to endless sorrow, and the
+righteous to endless <span class="wsnw">joy;[5]</span> and that this
+judgment will fix forever the final state of
+men in heaven or hell on principles of <span class="wsnw">righteousness.[6]</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[1] 1&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">4:7.</span> But the end of all things is at hand: be ye
+therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:29</span>&ndash;31; Heb.
+<span class="wsnw">1:10</span>&ndash;12; Matt. <span class="wsnw">24:35.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[2] Acts <span class="wsnw">1:11.</span> This same Jesus which is taken up from you
+into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him
+go into heaven.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[3] Acts <span class="wsnw">24:15.</span> There shall be a resurrection of the dead,
+both of the just and unjust. 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">15:12</span>&ndash;58;
+Luke <span class="wsnw">14:14;</span> Dan. <span class="wsnw">12:2.</span></p>
+
+<p class="bq">[4] Matt. <span class="wnsw">13:49.</span> The angels shall come forth, and sever the
+wicked from among the just. Matt. <span class="wsnw">13:37</span>&ndash;43;
+<span class="wsnw">24:30,</span> 31; <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;33.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[5] Matt. <span class="wsnw">25:31</span>&ndash;46. And these shall go away into everlasting
+punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. Rev. <span class="wsnw">22:11.</span>
+He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is
+filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him
+be righteous still; and he that is holy; let him be holy still.
+1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wnsw">6:9,</span> 10; Mark <span class="wsnw">9:43</span>&ndash;48.</p>
+
+<p class="bq">[6] 2&nbsp;Thess. <span class="wsnw">1:6</span>&ndash;12.
+Seeing it is a righteous thing with God
+to recompense tribulation to them who trouble you and to
+you who are troubled, rest with us&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. when He shall come to
+be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that
+<span class="pagenum" id="p75">[p.&nbsp;75]</span>
+believe. Heb. <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span> 2; 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">4:5;</span>
+Acts <span class="wsnw">17:31;</span> Rom. <span class="wsnw">2:2</span>&ndash;16;
+Rev. <span class="wsnw">20:11,</span> 12; 1&nbsp;John <span class="wnsw">2:28;</span>
+<span class="wsnw">4:17;</span> 2&nbsp;Peter <span class="wsnw">3:11,</span> 12. Seeing
+then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of
+persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
+looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">covenant</span></p>
+
+<p>Having been, as we trust, brought by
+Divine grace to embrace the Lord Jesus
+Christ, and to give ourselves wholly to Him,
+we do now solemnly and joyfully covenant
+with each other <span class="smcap">to walk together in
+Him, with brotherly love,</span> to His glory,
+as our common Lord. We do, therefore, in
+His strength, engage&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>That we will exercise a Christian care
+and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully
+warn, exhort, and admonish each other
+as occasion may require:</p>
+
+<p>That we will not forsake the assembling
+of ourselves together, but will uphold the
+public worship of God and the ordinances
+of His house:</p>
+
+<p>That we will not omit closet and family
+religion at home, nor neglect the great duty
+of religiously training our children, and
+those under our care, for the service of
+Christ and the enjoyment of heaven:</p>
+
+<p>That, as we are the light of the world,
+and the salt of the earth, we will seek Divine
+<span class="pagenum" id="p76">[p.&nbsp;76]</span>
+aid to enable us to deny ungodliness and
+every worldly lust, and to walk circumspectly
+in the world, that we may win the
+souls of men:</p>
+
+<p>That we will cheerfully contribute of our
+property according as God has prospered
+us, for the maintenance of a faithful and
+evangelical ministry among us, for the support
+of the poor, and to spread the Gospel
+over the earth.</p>
+
+<p>That we will in all conditions, even till
+death, strive to live to the glory of Him
+who hath called us out of darkness into His
+marvelous light.</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And may the God of peace, who brought
+again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
+great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
+blood of the everlasting covenant, make us
+perfect in every good work to do his will,
+working in us that which is well pleasing
+in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom
+be glory, for ever and ever. Amen.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch8_fn1"><p><a href="#ch8_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For a fuller account of these Confessions, see the &ldquo;Baptist
+Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p77">[p.&nbsp;77]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch9">CHAPTER IX</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">optional standing resolutions</span></p>
+
+<p>A Christian church should be the uncompromising
+friend of all virtue, and the
+determined enemy of all vice. Public
+morality and social purity should find in it
+an open and earnest advocate and defender.
+Churches should bear in mind that Christian
+morality, which constitutes their rule
+of life, claims a much higher standard than
+the morality of worldly society about them.
+Therefore their deportment should be such
+as to have a good report of them that are
+without, and command the respect of the
+world. In all this the pastor should be the
+wise but decided and courageous teacher,
+leader and exemplar for his people.</p>
+
+<p>There are certain questions of moral
+reform and social recreation with reference
+to which the churches are often much perplexed,
+but with reference to which they
+should have settled convictions, and hold a
+well-defined attitude. It is not wise to put
+<span class="pagenum" id="p78">[p.&nbsp;78]</span>
+definitions and restrictions touching intemperance,
+card-playing, theater-going, dancing,
+and the like, into covenants or articles
+of faith. A better way is for the church,
+after due consideration, to pass <i>standing
+resolutions</i> on the subject, to be placed on
+its records as a guide to future action.
+Something like the following, to be varied
+at the option of the body, would serve as a
+declaration of principles:</p>
+
+<p>1. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church expects
+every member to contribute statedly for its
+pecuniary support, according to his ability,
+as God has prospered him, and that a refusal
+to do this will be considered a breach
+of covenant.</p>
+
+<p>2. <i>Resolved,</i> That this church will entertain
+and contribute statedly to Home and
+Foreign Missions, and to other leading objects
+of Christian benevolence, approved of
+and supported by our denomination.</p>
+
+<p>3. <i>Resolved,</i> That the religious education
+of the young and Bible study as represented
+in Sunday school work commend
+themselves to our confidence, and we will,
+to the extent of our ability, give them our
+sympathy and our aid, by both our personal
+cooperation and contributions and expressed
+<span class="pagenum" id="p79">[p.&nbsp;79]</span>
+appreciation of all their legitimate
+aims and work.</p>
+
+<p>4. <i>Resolved,</i> That in our opinion, the use
+of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and
+also the manufacture and sale of the same
+for such a purpose are contrary to Christian
+morals, injurious to personal piety, and a
+hindrance to Gospel truth, and that persons
+so using, making, or selling, are thereby disqualified
+for membership in this church.</p>
+
+<p>5. <i>Resolved,</i> That we emphatically discountenance
+and condemn the practice of
+church-members frequenting theaters and
+other similar places of public amusements,
+as inconsistent with a Christian profession,
+detrimental to personal piety, and pernicious
+in the influence of its example on others.</p>
+
+<p>6. <i>Revolved,</i> That the members of this
+church are earnestly requested not to provide
+for, take part in, or by any means encourage
+dancing or card-playing; but in all
+consistent ways to discountenance the same
+as a hindrance to personal godliness in their
+associations and tendencies, and an offense
+to brethren whom we should not willingly
+grieve.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p80">[p.&nbsp;80]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch10">CHAPTER X</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptism considered</span></p>
+
+<p>What is Christian baptism? This is
+the gravest question which enters into the
+baptismal controversy. Other questions of
+moment there are in connection with it,
+touching the design, the efficacy, and the
+subjects. But it is of primary importance
+to know what constitutes baptism.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists answer the question by saying
+that baptism is the immersion, dipping, or
+burying in water, of a professed believer in
+Christ, in the name of the Father, the Son,
+and the Holy Spirit.</p>
+
+<p>Pedobaptists, both Roman Catholic and
+Protestant, answer the question by saying
+that baptism is either the sprinkling or pouring
+of water upon the candidate, touching
+the forehead with wet fingers, or dipping
+the person wholly into water; in either case
+in the name of the Father, the Son, and
+the Spirit; and that it may be administered
+<span class="pagenum" id="p81">[p.&nbsp;81]</span>
+to a candidate on his profession of faith, or
+to an unconscious infant on the professed
+faith of parents or sponsors. This would
+make four kinds of baptism, and two
+classes of subjects for its reception; and
+would consist rather in the application of
+water to the person, than putting the person
+into water.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold to a unity of the ordinance,
+as well as to a oneness of the faith; insisting
+that as there is but one Lord, and one
+faith, so there is but one baptism. And the
+dipping in water of a professed disciple of
+Christ is that one baptism. Neither sprinkling
+a person with water, nor pouring water
+upon him can by any possibility be Christian
+baptism. That this position is the true
+one, we appeal to the New Testament, and
+the best extant historical and philological
+authorities to establish.</p>
+
+<p>Let it be distinctly understood, however,
+that all the eminent names and learned authorities
+hereafter cited are Pedobaptists.
+Baptist authorities are wholly omitted, not
+because they are less accurate or less valuable,
+but because we prefer to allow our
+opponents in this controversy to bear witness
+for us, rather than to testify in our own
+behalf.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p82">[p.&nbsp;82]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the meaning of the word</span></p>
+
+<p>The word <i>baptize</i> is, properly speaking,
+a Greek word (<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo</span>), adapted to the English
+language by a change in its termination.
+This is the word always used by
+Christ and His Apostles to express and define
+the ordinance. What does that word mean
+as originally used? For it is certain that
+our Lord, in commanding a rite to be observed
+by believers of all classes, in all
+lands, and through all ages, would use a
+word of positive and definite import, and
+one whose meaning would admit of no
+reasonable doubt. What do Greek scholars
+say? How do the Greek lexicons define
+the word?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Scapula</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>dip,</i> to immerse, as
+we do anything for the purpose of dyeing it.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Schleusner</span> says: &ldquo;Properly it signifies
+to <i>dip,</i> to immerse, to immerse in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Parkhurst</span> says: &ldquo;To dip, <i>immerse,</i> or
+plunge in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Stevens</span> says: &ldquo;To merge, or <i>immerse,</i>
+to submerge, or bury in water.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Donnegan</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse</i> repeatedly
+into liquid, to submerge, to soak thoroughly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p83">[p.&nbsp;83]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Robinson</span> says: &ldquo;To <i>immerse,</i> to sink.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Liddell and Scott</span> say: &ldquo;To <i>dip</i> repeatedly.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Grimm&rsquo;s Lexicon</span> <i>of the New Testament,</i>
+which in Europe and America stands confessedly
+at the head of Greek lexicography,
+as translated and edited by Professor
+Thayer, of Harvard University, thus defines
+<span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo:</span> &ldquo;(1) To dip repeatedly, to immerse,
+submerge. (2) To cleanse by dipping
+or submerging. (3) To overwhelm.
+In the New Testament it is used particularly
+of the rite of sacred ablution; first instituted
+by John the Baptist, afterward by Christ&rsquo;s
+command received by Christians and adjusted
+to the contents and nature of their
+religion, viz., an <i>immersion</i> in water, performed
+as a sign of the removal of sin, and
+administered to those who, impelled by a
+desire for salvation, sought admission to the
+benefits of the Messiah&rsquo;s kingdom. With
+<i>eis</i> to mark the element into which the
+immersion is made; <i>en</i> with the dative or
+the thing in which one is immersed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>The noun <span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> the only other word
+used in the New Testament to denote the
+rite, <span class="smcap">Grimm-Thayer</span> thus define: &ldquo;A
+word peculiar to the New Testament and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p84">[p.&nbsp;84]</span>
+ecclesiastical writers: used (1) of John&rsquo;s
+baptism; (2) of Christian baptism. This,
+according to the view of the Apostles, is a
+rite of sacred <i>immersion</i> commanded by
+Christ.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>Add to those such authorities as Alstidius,
+Passow, Sch&ouml;ttgen, Stockius, Stourdza,
+Sophocles, Anthon, Rosenm&uuml;ller, Wetstein,
+Leigh, Turretin, Beza, Calvin, Witsius,
+Luther, Vossius, Campbell, and many
+others who bear the same witness to the
+proper meaning of the word <i>baptize.</i> If
+at any time the word may have a secondary
+meaning, it is strictly in accord with its
+primary meaning&mdash;to dip, or immerse. For
+both classic and sacred Greek the same
+meaning holds.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Prof. Moses Stuart,</span> one of the ablest
+scholars America has produced, declared:
+&ldquo;<span lang="grc-Latn">Baptizo</span> means to dip, plunge, or <i>immerse</i>
+into any liquid. All lexicographers and
+critics of any note are agreed in this.&rdquo;
+<i>Essay on Baptism, p. 51; Biblical Repository,
+1833, p. 298.</i></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;All lexicographers and critics, of any
+note, are agreed in this,&rdquo; says one of the
+foremost scholars of the age, and he a Pedobaptist.
+What a concession!</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p85">[p.&nbsp;85]</span>
+The Greek language is rich in terms for
+the expression of all positive ideas, and all
+varying shades of thought. Why, then, did
+our Lord in commanding, and His Apostles
+in transmitting His command to posterity,
+use <i>always</i> and <i>only</i> the one word <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo,</span>
+to describe the action, and that one word
+<span lang="grc-Latn">baptisma,</span> to describe the ordinance to which
+He intended all His followers to submit?
+The word <span lang="grc-Latn">louo</span> means to <i>wash</i> the body, and
+<span lang="grc-Latn">nipto</span> to wash parts of the body; but these
+words are not used, because washing is not
+what Christ meant. <span lang="grc-Latn">Rantizo</span> means to
+<i>sprinkle,</i> and if sprinkling were baptism this
+would have been the word above all others;
+but it was never so used. <span lang="grc-Latn">Cheo</span> means to
+<i>pour:</i> but pouring is not baptism, and so
+this word was never used to describe the
+ordinance. <span lang="grc-Latn">Katharizo</span> means to <i>purify,</i> but
+it is not used for the ordinance. The facts
+are clear and the reasoning conclusive.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Stourdza,</span> the Russian scholar and diplomat,
+says: &ldquo;The church of the West has
+then departed from the example of Jesus
+Christ; she has obliterated the whole sublimity
+of the exterior sign. Baptism and
+immersion are <i>identical.</i> Baptism by <i>aspersion</i>
+is as if one should say <i>immersion</i> by
+<i>aspersion,</i> or any other absurdity of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p86">[p.&nbsp;86]</span>
+same nature.&rdquo; <i>Considerations, Orthodox
+Ch., p. 87.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptism of jesus</span></p>
+
+<p>The baptism of Jesus in the Jordan is
+thus described: &ldquo;And Jesus, when He was
+baptized, went up straightway out of the
+water&rdquo; (Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:16).</span> And again, it is
+recorded that Jesus &ldquo;was baptized of John
+in Jordan: and straightway coming up out
+of the water&rdquo; (Mark <span class="wsnw">1:10).</span> He certainly
+would not go down into Jordan to have
+water sprinkled on Him. Nobody believes
+He would. He was baptized <i>in</i> Jordan, not
+<i>with</i> Jordan. Moreover, he was <i>baptized,</i>
+that is, <i>immersed,</i> not <i>rantized,</i> that is,
+<i>sprinkled.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Taylor</span> says: &ldquo;The custom of
+the ancient churches was not sprinkling, but
+<i>immersion,</i> in pursuance of the meaning of
+the word in the commandments and the
+example of our blessed Saviour.&rdquo; <i>Commentary
+on Matthew <span class="wsnw">3:16.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">MacKnight</span> says: &ldquo;Christ submitted to
+be baptized, that is, to be <i>buried</i> under
+water, and to be raised out of it again, as
+an emblem of his future death and resurrection.&rdquo;
+<i>Com. Epis., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p87">[p.&nbsp;87]</span>
+And with these agree Campbell, Lightfoot,
+Whitby, Poole, Olshausen, Meyer,
+Alford, and many other commentators and
+scholars. All those whom John baptized
+he buried beneath the waters, and raised
+them up again.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">much water needed</span></p>
+
+<p>It is recorded that &ldquo;John also was baptizing
+in Enon, near to Salim, because there
+was much water there&rdquo; (John <span class="wsnw">3:23).</span>
+Why need much water except for dipping,
+or burying candidates in the act of baptism?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">John Calvin,</span> the great theologian,
+scholar, and commentator, whom Scaliger
+pronounced the most learned man in Europe,
+says: &ldquo;From the words of John (chap. <span class="wsnw">3:23)</span>
+it may be inferred that baptism was
+administered by John and Christ, by <i>plunging</i>
+the whole body under water.&rdquo; <i>Com. on
+John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Poole</span> says: &ldquo;It is apparent that both
+Christ and John baptized by dipping the
+whole body in the water, else they need
+not have sought places where had been
+a great plenty of water.&rdquo; <i>Annot. John
+<span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p88">[p.&nbsp;88]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Whitby</span> says: &ldquo;Because there was much
+water there in which their whole bodies
+might be dipped.&rdquo; <i>Crit. Com. John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>With these agree Bengel, Curc&aelig;lleus,
+Adam Clarke, Geikie, Stanley, and others.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">philip and the eunuch</span></p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;And they went down both into the water,
+both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
+him. And when they were come up out of
+the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
+away Philip&rdquo; (Acts <span class="wsnw">8:38).</span> Why go
+down into the water, both, or either of them,
+if not for an immersion?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Venema,</span> the ecclesiastical historian, says:
+&ldquo;It is without controversy, that baptism in
+the primitive church was administered by
+<i>immersion</i> into water, and not by sprinkling;
+seeing that John is said to have baptized
+in Jordan, and where there was much
+water, as Christ also did by His disciples in
+the neighborhood of those places. Philip
+also going down into the water baptized the
+eunuch.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., chap. I., sec. 138.</i></p>
+
+<p>To this may be added Calvin, Grotius,
+Towerson, Poole, and others to the same
+effect.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p89">[p.&nbsp;89]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the testimony of scholars</span></p>
+
+<p>Great men are not always wise. Our
+search should be for the <i>truth</i> wherever
+found; and though our final appeal in these
+matters is to the New Testament, still we
+are glad to use the testimony of distinguished
+scholars where it affirms the teachings
+of the Scriptures and confirms our position
+on the baptismal question. Especially
+so, as these scholars are not of our own, but
+of other denominations.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Zanchius,</span> the learned Roman Catholic
+professor of Heidelberg, whose opinion
+De Courcy declared, &ldquo;is worth a thousand
+others,&rdquo; said: &ldquo;The proper signification of
+<i>baptize</i> is to <i>immerse,</i> plunge under, overwhelm
+in water.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. VI., p. 217.
+Geneva, 1619.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Luther,</span> the great German Reformer,
+says: &ldquo;The term <i>baptism</i> is Greek; in Latin
+it may be translated <span lang="la">mersio:</span> since we <i>immerse</i>
+anything into water, that the whole
+may be covered with the water.&rdquo; <i>Works,
+Vol. I., p. 71. Wit. ed., 1582.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Melanchthon,</span> the most scholarly and able
+co-laborer with Luther, says: &ldquo;Baptism is
+<i>immersion</i> into water, with this admirable
+benediction.&rdquo; <i>Melanc. Catec. Wit., 1580.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p90">[p.&nbsp;90]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Cave,</span> in his able work on Christian
+Antiquities, says: &ldquo;The party to be baptized
+was <i>wholly immersed,</i> or put under
+water.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., P. I. Chap. X. p. 320.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Beza,</span> the learned translator of the New
+Testament, says: &ldquo;Christ commanded us
+to be baptized, by which word it is certain
+<i>immersion</i> is signified.&rdquo; <i>Annot. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mede,</span> the distinguished English scholar
+and Divine, says, &ldquo;There was no such thing
+as <i>sprinkling</i> used in the Apostles&rsquo; days, nor
+for many ages after them.&rdquo; <i>Dis. on Titus <span class="wsnw">3:5.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Grotius,</span> who his biographer calls one
+of the most illustrious names in literature,
+politics, and theology says: &ldquo;That baptism
+used to be performed by <i>immersion,</i> and not
+by pouring, appears by the proper signification
+of the word, and by the places chosen
+for the administration of the rite.&rdquo; <i>Annot.
+on Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6;</span> John <span class="wsnw">3:23.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Adam Clark,</span> the great Methodist commentator,
+says: &ldquo;Alluding to the <i>immersions</i>
+practiced in the case of adults, wherein
+the person appeared to be <i>buried</i> under the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p91">[p.&nbsp;91]</span>
+water as Christ was buried in the heart of
+the earth.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Frederick Meyer,</span> one of the ablest and
+most accurate exegetes of the present age,
+says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> which the word in classic
+Greek and in the New Testament ever
+means.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Mark <span class="wsnw">7:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dean Alford</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism was
+administered by <i>immersion</i> of the whole
+person.&rdquo; <i>Greek Testament, Matt. <span class="wsnw">3:6.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet,</span> the celebrated French
+Catholic bishop, orator, and counselor of
+state, says: &ldquo;To baptize, signifies to <i>plunge,</i>
+as is granted by all the world.&rdquo; See <i>Stenett
+ad Russen, p. 174.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff,</span> the well-known church
+historian, says: &ldquo;<i>Immersion,</i> and not sprinkling,
+was unquestionably the original form.
+This is shown by the very meaning of the
+words <span lang="grc-Latn">baptizo, baptisma,</span> and <span lang="grc-Latn">baptismos</span> used
+to designate the rite.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Apos. Ch., p. 488.
+Merc. ed., 1851. Also see Noel on
+Bap., Ch. 3, sec. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dean Stanley,</span> the distinguished scholar,
+and historian of the Oriental Church,
+says: &ldquo;The practice of the Eastern Church,
+and the meaning of the word, leave no sufficient
+<span class="pagenum" id="p92">[p.&nbsp;92]</span>
+ground for question that the original
+form of baptism was <i>complete immersion</i> in
+the deep baptismal waters.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Eastern
+Church, p. 34.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher,</span> of Yale College, the
+accomplished scholar and historian, says of
+the Apostolic age: &ldquo;The ordinary mode of
+baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.
+Church, p. 41.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Riddle</span> says: &ldquo;There is no
+doubt that the usual mode of administering
+baptism in the early church, was by <i>immersion,</i>
+or plunging the whole body of the
+person baptized under water.&rdquo; <i>Christ. Antiq.,
+p. 502.</i></p>
+
+<p>Add to the above the testimony of Bishops
+Taylor and Sherlock, Witsius, Poole, Vitringa,
+Diodati, Calvin, Samuel Clark,
+Bloomfield, Scholz, Neander, and many
+others to the same effect, none of whom
+were Baptists.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">apostolical allusions</span></p>
+
+<p>What idea could the Apostle have had as
+to the nature of baptism, when in two of
+his epistles he alludes to it as a <i>burial</i>
+except that it was a dipping or burial in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p93">[p.&nbsp;93]</span>
+water? To the Romans he says: &ldquo;Therefore
+we are <i>buried</i> with him, by baptism,
+into death&rdquo; (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4).</span> To the Colossians,
+in nearly the same language, &ldquo;<i>Buried</i>
+with him in baptism&rdquo; (Col. <span class="wsnw">2:12).</span> No
+one can misunderstand the meaning of these
+words. Neither sprinkling, pouring, washing,
+cleansing&mdash;nothing but a complete submersion&mdash;can
+represent a burial. And no
+candid mind could misunderstand such language,
+unless blinded or biased by prejudice,
+education, or sophistical reasoning
+from others.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Tillotson</span> makes this comment:
+&ldquo;Anciently those who were baptized
+were <i>immersed</i> and <i>buried</i> in the water, to
+represent their death to sin; and then did
+rise up out of the water, to signify their
+entrance upon a new life. And to this custom
+the Apostle alludes.&rdquo; <i>Works, Vol. I., p. 170.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">John Wesley,</span> the celebrated founder of
+Methodism, says: &ldquo;Buried with him, alluding
+to the ancient manner of baptizing by
+<i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Note on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Conybeare</span> says: &ldquo;This passage cannot
+be understood unless it be borne in mind
+that the primitive baptism was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo;
+<span class="pagenum" id="p94">[p.&nbsp;94]</span>
+<i>Life and Epist. St. Paul, Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bloomfield</span> says: &ldquo;Here is a plain allusion
+to the ancient custom of baptizing by
+<i>immersion,</i> and I agree with Koppe and
+Rosenm&uuml;ller, that there is reason to regret
+it should ever have been abandoned in most
+Christian churches; especially as it has so
+evident a reference to the mystical sense of
+baptism.&rdquo; <i>Recens. Synop., Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Whitefield</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that
+in the words of our text (Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4)</span> there
+is an allusion to the manner of baptizing
+which was by <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Eighteen Sermons,
+p. 297.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;The candidate says to himself,
+Now I enter into fellowship with the
+death of Christ; I am to be buried with
+Christ in the <i>immersion,</i> and in the <i>emersion</i>
+I rise with Christ to newness of life.&rdquo; <i>Com.
+on Rom. <span class="wsnw">6:4.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>Add to these the names of Bishop Fell,
+Doctor Doddridge, Adam Clark, Estius,
+Maldonatus, Fritsche, Benson, Diodati, Turretin,
+Zwingli, Whitby, Samuel Clarke, with
+others equally good in authority, and what
+no one ought to question seems to be put
+beyond doubt.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p95">[p.&nbsp;95]</span>
+<span class="smcap">the witness of history</span></p>
+
+<p>Learned and devout men have studied
+with care the early records of Christianity,
+and have written histories of the doctrines
+and customs of the churches, during the
+ages immediately succeeding the Apostles.
+What do they tell us as to the use of
+baptism during the first centuries after
+Christ?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Barnabas,</span> the companion of St. Paul;
+Hermas, writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 95; Justin
+Martyr, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 140; Tertullian, about
+<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 204; Hippolytus, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 225;
+Gregory, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 360; Basil, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>
+360; Ambrose, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Cyril,
+about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 374; Chrysostom, about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span>
+400; all speak of being <i>dipped,</i> or <i>buried,</i>
+or <i>immersed,</i> or <i>plunged</i> in the water in
+baptism; and none of them make the least
+allusion to any application of water to the
+person for baptism by sprinkling, pouring,
+washing, or any other mode whatsoever.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> whose learned and laborious
+researches in connection with his exhaustive
+work on the <i>History of Infant Baptism</i>
+left little for others to discover in this
+field of scholarship, says: &ldquo;The Greek
+<span class="pagenum" id="p96">[p.&nbsp;96]</span>
+Church in all its branches does still use <i>immersion,</i>
+and so do all other Christians in the
+world, except the Latins. All those nations
+that do now, or formerly did submit to the
+Bishop of Rome, do ordinarily baptize their
+children by pouring or sprinkling. But <i>all
+other Christians in the world,</i> who never
+owned the Pope&rsquo;s usurped power, do and
+ever did <i>dip</i> their infants in the ordinary
+use. All the Christians in Asia, all in Africa,
+and about one-third in Europe are of the
+last sort.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Vol. II., p.
+376, 3d ed.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his <i>Origines,</i> the ablest
+work we have in English on Christian Antiquities,
+says: &ldquo;The ancients thought that
+immersion, or <i>burying under water,</i> did
+more lively represent the death, burial, and
+resurrection of Christ, as well as our own
+death to sin and rising again unto righteousness.&rdquo;
+<i>Christ. Antiq., B. XI., Ch. XI.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;In this century (<i>the
+first</i>) baptism was administered in convenient
+places, without the public assemblies,
+and by <i>immersing</i> the candidate wholly in
+water.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. I., Part. II., Ch. 4.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;In respect to the form
+of baptism, it was in conformity to the original
+<span class="pagenum" id="p97">[p.&nbsp;97]</span>
+institution, and the original import of
+the symbol, performed by <i>immersion,</i> as a
+sign of entire baptism into the Holy Spirit,
+of being entirely penetrated with the same.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 310.</i> Also, <i>Plant. and
+Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;Finally, so far as it respects
+the mode and manner of outward
+baptizing, there can be no doubt that <i>immersion,</i>
+and not sprinkling was the original
+normal form.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p. 488.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Pressens&eacute;</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism, which was the
+sign of admission into the church, was administered
+by <i>immersion.</i> The convert was
+plunged beneath the water, and as he rose
+from it he received the laying on of hands.&rdquo;
+<i>Early Years of Christianity, p. 374.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kurtz</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism took place by a
+complete <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Church History, p. 41.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Kraus</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was performed
+by <i>immersion</i> in the name of the Trinity.&rdquo;
+<i>Church History, p. 56. 1882.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Ellicott</span> says: &ldquo;Jewish ablutions arrived
+at a ceremonial purity in the Levitical sense,
+and had nothing in common with the figurative
+act which portrayed through <i>immersion</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p98">[p.&nbsp;98]</span>
+the complete disappearance of the old nature,
+and by the <i>emerging</i> again, the beginning of
+a totally new life.&rdquo; <i>Life of Christ, p. 110.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">for thirteen centuries</span></p>
+
+<p>It is proved that not only was immersion
+practiced for baptism by Christ and
+His Apostles, but that for many ages after
+nothing else was known as baptism: and
+that for <i>thirteen hundred years</i> it was the
+common and prevailing form over the whole
+Christian world, with only exceptional departures,
+hereafter to be noticed. And that
+though the Latin or Roman Church did
+finally adopt sprinkling, claiming the right
+to change ordinances, the Greek and all
+the Oriental churches retained dipping, as
+they do to this day.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Stackhouse</span> says: &ldquo;Several authors
+have shown and proved that this manner
+of <i>immersion</i> continued, as much as
+possible, to be used for <i>thirteen hundred
+years</i> after Christ.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bible, B. 8, Ch. 1.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bossuet</span> says: &ldquo;We are able to
+make it appear, by the acts of councils and
+by ancient rituals, that for <i>thirteen hundred
+years</i> baptism was thus administered [by
+<span class="pagenum" id="p99">[p.&nbsp;99]</span>
+immersion] throughout the whole church,
+as far as possible.&rdquo; <i>Cited, Stennet ad
+Russen, p. 176.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;From the <i>thirteenth
+century</i> sprinkling came into more general
+use in the West. The Greek Church, however,
+and the church of Milan still retained
+the practice of <i>immersion.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hist. Doct.
+Vol. II., p. 84, note 1.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Van Oosterzee</span> says: &ldquo;This <i>sprinkling,</i>
+which appears to have first come generally
+into use in the <i>thirteenth century</i> in place of
+the entire <i>immersion</i> of the body, in imitation
+of the previous baptism of the sick,
+has certainly the imperfection that the symbolical
+character of the act is expressed by
+it much less conspicuously than by complete
+immersion and burial under the water.&rdquo;
+<i>Christ. Dogmat., Vol. II., p. 749.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;The practice of immersion
+continued even until the <i>thirteenth or
+fourteenth</i> century. Indeed, it has never
+been formally abandoned.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 19, Sec. 12.</i></p>
+
+<p>To the same effect is the testimony of
+Doctors Brenner, Von C&ouml;lln, Winer, Augusti,
+Bingham, and others.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="pagenum" id="p100">[p.&nbsp;100]</span>
+<span class="smcap">as to the greek church</span></p>
+
+<p>It is a notable fact and worthy of record
+in this discussion, that the Greek Church
+has always retained immersion in baptism.
+This church extends over Greece, Russia,
+Arabia, Palestine, Abyssinia, Siberia, and
+other Oriental countries. Like the Latin
+Church, it has corrupted the primitive purity
+of Gospel doctrine and practice with many
+absurd glosses and superstitious rites. It
+practices infant baptism, yet it is by <i>dipping,</i>
+even in the severe climate of Siberia;
+and it uses <i>trine</i> immersion, or dipping the
+candidate three times, one to each of the
+names in the sacred Trinity. But in all its
+branches immersion is retained.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Edinburgh Encyclopedia</span> says:
+&ldquo;The Greek Church, as well as the Schismatics
+in the East, retained the custom of
+<i>immersing</i> the whole body; but the Western
+Church adopted, in the <i>thirteenth century,</i>
+the mode of sprinkling, which has been
+continued by the Protestants, Baptists only
+excepted.&rdquo; <i>Ency. Edin., Art. Baptism.</i></p>
+
+<p>These statements are fully confirmed by
+Stourdza, Ricaut, Deylingius, Buddeus,
+Wall, King, Broughton, Stanley, Coleman
+<span class="pagenum" id="p101">[p.&nbsp;101]</span>
+and others, who have written on the state
+and history of the Greek Church.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the design of baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>What was baptism intended to represent?
+As a religious rite it meant something, had
+some symbolic force, and represented some
+moral or spiritual fact or truth. Its meaning
+was clearly this: to show forth the
+death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,
+who died for our sins, and rose again for
+our justification. And every believer who
+receives this ordinance, professes thereby to
+have faith in the merits of Christ&rsquo;s death
+as the ground of his own hope of Salvation;
+to have fellowship also with His sufferings,
+and makes a declaration of his own death
+to sin, and rising to a new life in Christ.
+It also typifies the washing of regeneration;
+it further declares the candidate&rsquo;s hope of a
+resurrection from the dead, even as Christ,
+into the likeness of whose death he is
+buried, was raised up by the glory of the
+Father. Chiefly <i>death, burial,</i> and <i>resurrection:</i>
+the great facts of redemptive grace
+are by it set forth. Immersion in baptism
+does teach all this, and immersion alone can
+teach it. Careful students of the New
+<span class="pagenum" id="p102">[p.&nbsp;102]</span>
+Testament have clearly seen this, and very
+generally confessed it, whatever may have
+been their practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Newton</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was
+usually performed by <i>immersion,</i> or dipping
+the whole body under water, to represent
+the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ,
+and thereby signify the person&rsquo;s own dying
+to sin, the destruction of its power, and his
+resurrection to a new life.&rdquo; <i>Pract. Expos.
+Cate., p. 297.</i></p>
+
+<p>Bloomfield, Barnes, Schaff, Poole, Hammond,
+Barrows, Baxter, MacKnight, Olshausen,
+Grotius, Saurin, Buddeus, Pictetus,
+Frankius, Wall, Towerson, Adam Clark,
+Tyndale, and others, bear similar testimony
+as to the design of the ordinance, and how
+it is answered in immersion only.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">a sufficiency of water</span></p>
+
+<p>There have been found persons so ignorant,
+or so weak, or so perverse in their
+opposition to immersion, as to assert that
+the Jordan was a small stream, so nearly
+dry in the summer, that it had not sufficient
+depth of water for the immersion of the
+multitudes of the disciples of John and of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p103">[p.&nbsp;103]</span>
+Jesus said to have been baptized in it; and
+also that Jerusalem had no sufficient accommodation
+for the immersion of the thousands
+of converts at the Pentecost, and on
+subsequent occasions. People are becoming
+more intelligent, and more candid, and it is
+possible that such puerile objections are no
+more heard. But it may be well to give
+passing notice to the facts.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dr. Edward Robinson,</span> at that time
+professor in the Union Theological Seminary,
+New York City, in 1840, made a
+careful survey of Palestine, including the
+Jordan valley and river. His published
+statements corroborate those of others previously
+made, as to the abundant supply of
+water, both in the Jordan, and in the city
+of Jerusalem. He cites the published
+statements of earlier explorers, whose works
+are known to the reading public: Seetzen,
+who visited that country in 1806; Burkhardt,
+who explored it in 1812; Irby and
+Mangles, in 1818; and Buckingham, who
+traveled through it about the same time.
+See <i>Robinson&rsquo;s Bib. Researches, Vol. II.,
+Sec. 10, pp. 257-267.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Lieutenant Lynch,</span> of the United
+States Navy, was, in 1848, sent out by our
+<span class="pagenum" id="p104">[p.&nbsp;104]</span>
+government in charge of an expedition to
+explore the river Jordan and the Dead Sea.
+Doctor Thomson, for a quarter of a century
+missionary in Syria and Palestine,
+traversed the land in 1857, and Dean
+Stanley in 1853, and others more recently.
+For a complete refutation of such puerile
+objections as those above mentioned, and a
+confirmation of Baptist claims, see the following
+works: Robinson&rsquo;s &ldquo;Biblical Researches,&rdquo;
+Vol. II, Sec. 10, pp. 257-267;
+Lynch&rsquo;s &ldquo;Dead Sea Expedition,&rdquo; Ch. 10 and
+11; Thomson&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Land and the Book,&rdquo;
+Vol. II., pp. 445-6; Stanley&rsquo;s &ldquo;Syria and
+Palestine,&rdquo; Ch. 7, pp. 306-7; Barclay&rsquo;s
+&ldquo;The City of the Great Kings,&rdquo; ch. 10; and
+other citations in &ldquo;Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the rise of sprinkling</span></p>
+
+<p>The question will naturally arise and very
+properly, When did sprinkling for baptism
+first come into use? And how came it to
+pass, that a human device superseded and
+took the place of a Divine institution? These
+questions are fully and satisfactorily answered
+by Pedobaptist scholars themselves,
+whose testimony we accept as a justification
+of Baptist views.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p105">[p.&nbsp;105]</span>
+For <i>two hundred and fifty years</i> after
+Christ we have no evidence of any departure
+from the primitive practice of immersion.
+At length the idea came to prevail
+that baptism possessed saving virtue, and
+had power to purify and sanctify the soul,
+making its salvation more secure. It was
+consequently thought unsafe to die unbaptized.
+Here was the germ of the pernicious
+dogma of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; the
+foundation alike of infant baptism and of
+sprinkling instead of immersion.</p>
+
+<p>The first authenticated instance of <i>sprinkling</i>
+occurred about the middle of the third
+century, or <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 250. This was the case
+of Novatian. The historian Eusebius gives
+this case, and Doctor Wall in his laborious
+researches could find no earlier instance;
+good evidence that no earlier existed.
+Novatian was dangerously sick, and believing
+himself about to die, was anxious to be
+baptized. The case seemed urgent, and as
+he was thought to be too feeble to be
+<i>immersed,</i> a substitute was resorted to;
+water was poured profusely over him as he
+lay in bed, so as to resemble as much as
+possible a submersion. The word used to
+describe this action (<span lang="la">perichutheis, purfusus</span>)
+has usually been rendered <i>besprinkle;</i> it
+<span class="pagenum" id="p106">[p.&nbsp;106]</span>
+rather means to pour profusely over and
+about one. This it was thought might answer
+the purpose in such an emergency.</p>
+
+<p>From this time onward pouring and sprinkling
+were resorted to at times of extreme
+illness, or feebleness, where persons could
+not leave their beds, and hence was termed
+<i>clinic</i> baptism, from <span lang="la">clina,</span> a couch. But it
+was always regarded as a substitute for baptism,
+rather than baptism itself; and its
+validity was doubted. Novatian himself
+having recovered from his sickness, was
+objected to when his friends proposed to
+make him bishop, because, it was said, he
+had never been properly baptized. It was
+not, however, until the seventeenth century
+that sprinkling became common in Europe,
+in France first, and then extending through
+those countries over which the pope held
+sway. At length, accepted by Calvin and
+the Genevan Church, it extended into Scotland,
+by John Knox, and other Scotch
+refugees, who had found in Geneva a shelter
+from the persecution to which they had
+been exposed in their native country; then
+into England: and in 1643 it was adopted
+as the exclusive mode of baptism by a
+majority of one of the Westminster Assembly
+of Divines, and sanctioned by Parliament
+<span class="pagenum" id="p107">[p.&nbsp;107]</span>
+the next year. All of which is
+verified by Eusebius, Valesius, Wall, Salmasius,
+Venema, Taylor, Towerson, Grotius,
+&ldquo;Ency. Brit.,&rdquo; &ldquo;Edin. Ency.,&rdquo; and other
+reliable historical
+<span class="wsnw">authorities.<a id="ch10_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch10_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch10_fn1"><p><a href="#ch10_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+For more numerous citations on this subject, see the &ldquo;Star
+Book on Christian Baptism,&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Baptist Church Directory.&rdquo;</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p108">[p.&nbsp;108]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch11">CHAPTER XI</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">the lord&rsquo;s supper</span></p>
+
+<p>The Lord&rsquo;s Supper, called also the
+&ldquo;Eucharist,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Communion,&rdquo; is
+the most sacred act of Christian worship,
+and the highest expression of the mysteries
+of our holy religion. It is a service in
+which bread and wine&mdash;the <i>loaf</i> and the <i>cup</i>&mdash;are
+used to represent the body and the
+blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for
+us. The bread is <i>broken,</i> distributed, and
+eaten; the wine is <i>poured,</i> distributed, and
+drunk by the members of the assembled
+church, to show the sacrifice of Christ, His
+body broken, and His blood shed for their
+redemption; and that by His death they
+have life. Being begotten of God through
+the operation of the Spirit, their new life is
+sustained and nourished by mystically feeding
+on Him who is the Bread of God, which
+came down from heaven to give life to the
+world. He said: &ldquo;This do in remembrance
+of Me.&rdquo; &ldquo;As oft as ye eat this bread
+<span class="pagenum" id="p109">[p.&nbsp;109]</span>
+and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord&rsquo;s
+death, till He come.&rdquo; &ldquo;Except ye eat the
+flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood,
+ye have no life in you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Whoso eateth
+My flesh and drinketh My blood hath
+eternal life.&rdquo; &ldquo;He that eateth My flesh,
+and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me,
+and I in him.&rdquo; It is a Divine reality, though
+a sublime mystery.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">open and close communion</span></p>
+
+<p>The controversy between Baptists and
+other denominations, so far as the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper is concerned, has no reference to its
+nature, the purpose for which it was instituted,
+the manner of its administration, or
+the effect of the elements on the participants.
+It has reference simply to the proper <i>subjects</i>
+for participation in the privilege.
+Who may, and who may not properly and
+of right come to the Lord&rsquo;s Table? On
+the question of what are the Scriptural
+qualifications of participants, Baptist and
+Pedobaptists differ&mdash;differ not as to the
+general rule to be applied, but as to its particular
+application. And this particular
+application leads to the controversy on
+what is called <i>&ldquo;close communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced
+<span class="pagenum" id="p110">[p.&nbsp;110]</span>
+by Baptists, and to what is called
+<i>&ldquo;open communion,&rdquo;</i> as practiced by Pedobaptists.</p>
+
+<p><i>What is open communion? Open,</i> free
+or mixed communion is, strictly speaking,
+that which allows any one who desires, and
+believes himself qualified, to come to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Table, without any questions being
+asked, or conditions imposed by the church
+in which the ordinance is observed. But
+ordinarily the term is applied to the practice
+of the greater part of the Pedobaptist
+churches, which hold that <i>sprinkling</i>
+is lawful baptism, and invite, not all
+persons, but members of all evangelical
+churches, whatever be their view of
+church order and ordinances; holding
+them all as being baptized because they
+have been sprinkled.</p>
+
+<p><i>What is close communion? Close,</i> strict,
+or restricted communion is, properly speaking,
+that which does not invite all indiscriminately
+to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, but restricts
+the privilege to a particular class.
+But ordinarily the term is applied to the
+practice of Baptist churches, which invite
+only baptized believers, walking in orderly
+fellowship in their own churches. And by
+baptized believers, they mean, of course,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p111">[p.&nbsp;111]</span>
+immersed believers; not admitting sprinkling
+to be baptism at all.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">one and the same rule</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Observe further:</i> That Baptists and Pedobaptists
+have one and the same rule in
+theory as to the proper qualification for
+participants, namely, they all hold that
+baptism is a prerequisite. That unbaptized
+persons have no legal right to the Lord&rsquo;s
+Supper, and cannot consistently be invited
+to it. Pedobaptists would not invite unbaptized
+persons to the Lord&rsquo;s Table, however
+good Christians, since such could not
+become church-members, and the Supper is
+for those within the church, not for the
+outside world. For though there are a few
+churches and a few pastors, who in their
+extreme liberality might be disposed to invite
+everybody to the sacred ordinance yet
+such a course would be contrary to their
+denominational standards, and opposed to
+the usages of their churches generally.</p>
+
+<p><i>Further observe:</i> They all practice a restriction
+since they restrict the privilege
+to a particular class: namely, baptized believers,
+walking in orderly church fellowship.
+But Baptists and Pedobaptists differ
+<span class="pagenum" id="p112">[p.&nbsp;112]</span>
+as to what constitutes <i>baptism,</i> the one rejecting,
+and the other accepting the validity
+of sprinkling. Thus Baptists&rsquo; custom
+is more <i>&ldquo;close,&rdquo;</i> and Pedobaptists&rsquo; is more
+<i>&ldquo;open,&rdquo;</i> by the difference between their
+views of baptism; and by that difference
+only. <i>Therefore,</i> it is manifest that the
+question so called of &ldquo;close&rdquo; and &ldquo;open&rdquo;
+communion is really not a question of
+&ldquo;communion&rdquo; at all, but of what constitutes
+Scriptural baptism. Let that be settled,
+and the controversy as to the restriction
+of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper will cease.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the baptist position</span></p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold that there are <i>three</i> imperative
+conditions precedent to the privileges
+of the Lord&rsquo;s Supper: 1.&nbsp;<i>Regeneration.</i>
+No unconverted person can with propriety,
+or of right, eat and drink at that
+sacred feast, in commemoration of Christ&rsquo;s
+death. They must be persons dead to sin,
+and alive to God; born again, through the
+operation of the Spirit. 2.&nbsp;<i>Baptism.</i> Buried
+with Christ in baptism on a profession
+of faith in Him. No person, however good,
+and however manifestly regenerate, is prepared
+without baptism, according to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p113">[p.&nbsp;113]</span>
+Divine order, to receive the Supper. Without
+baptism he cannot enter the fellowship
+of the church, where the Supper alone is
+to be enjoyed. 3.&nbsp;<i>An orderly walk is necessary.</i>
+An upright and consistent Christian
+walk, and godly conversation among the
+saints, and before the world. For though
+one may be truly regenerate, and properly
+baptized, yet if he be a disorderly walker,
+violating his covenant obligations, living in
+sin, and bringing reproach on the Christian
+profession, he has no right to sit at the
+Lord&rsquo;s Table.</p>
+
+<p>The ordinances are a sacred trust which
+Christ has committed to the churches as
+custodians, and which they are to watch
+and guard from all profane intrusion, and
+improper use, with the most sedulous
+fidelity. Baptists believe that in order to
+maintain the purity and spirituality of the
+churches, it is necessary to maintain the
+ordinances pure; and especially necessary
+to restrict the Supper to regenerate and
+godly persons, baptized on a profession of
+their faith, into the fellowship of the saints.
+To adopt any other rule, or to allow any
+larger liberty, would break down the distinction
+between the church and the world;
+would bring in a carnal and unconverted
+<span class="pagenum" id="p114">[p.&nbsp;114]</span>
+membership, and transfer the sacred mysteries
+of the body and the blood of Christ
+from the temple of God to the temple
+of Belial. This would be disloyalty to
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p>The Apostolic plan was as follows: Those
+who <i>believed</i> and <i>gladly received the Word,</i>
+were <i>baptized.</i> Then they were <i>added to
+the church.</i> Then they continued steadfastly
+in the <i>Apostles&rsquo; doctrine,</i> and fellowship, and
+in <i>breaking of bread,</i> and in <i>prayer.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Notice,</i> they were not baptized till they
+had received the Word and believed. They
+were not added to the church till they had
+believed and been baptized. They did not
+engage in the breaking of bread (that is,
+the Supper,) till they had believed, been baptized,
+and were added to the church. This
+is the Divine order; and this is the order
+which Baptists maintain and defend.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist close communion</span></p>
+
+<p>It has already been shown that Pedobaptists
+themselves practice a restricted or close
+communion, limiting the privilege to baptized
+(as they call them) members of evangelical
+churches, and that their communion
+is more liberal than that of the Baptists
+<span class="pagenum" id="p115">[p.&nbsp;115]</span>
+only, and only by so much as their baptism
+(so-called) is more liberal than that of
+Baptists.</p>
+
+<p>But in some respects Pedobaptists practice
+a &ldquo;close communion,&rdquo; restrictive in its conditions,
+far beyond anything known to Baptists
+whose illiberality they are accustomed
+to magnify. They exclude a large class of
+their own members from the Lord&rsquo;s Table&mdash;namely,
+<i>baptized children!</i> Baptists do not
+deny the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to their own members
+in good standing. If children are suitable
+subjects for baptism, it seems most
+unreasonable and unjust to deny them the
+Supper. If they can be benefited by one ordinance,
+can they not be equally benefited by
+the other? If they can receive the one on
+the faith of sponsors, can they not receive the
+other in the same way? Who has authorized
+parents or ministers to give baptism to
+unconverted and unconscious children, and
+refuse them the Lord&rsquo;s Supper? By denying
+the Supper to baptized children, Pedobaptists
+act contrary to the traditions of the
+ancient churches, which they are accustomed
+to cite with so much assurance, in defense of
+infant baptism. Do they not know that
+those ancient churches (not the primitive
+churches) gave the Lord&rsquo;s Supper to infants
+<span class="pagenum" id="p116">[p.&nbsp;116]</span>
+for many centuries? And the Greek
+Church, through all its branches, continues
+still the same practice.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;After the general
+introduction of infant baptism, in the
+<i>second and third centuries,</i> the sacrament
+continued to be administered to all who had
+been baptized, whether infants or adults.
+The reason alleged by Cyprian and others for
+this practice was, that age was no impediment.
+Augustine strongly advocates the
+practice. The custom continued for several
+centuries. It is mentioned in the third
+Council of Tours, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 813; and even the
+Council of Trent, <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 1545, only decreed
+that it should not be considered essential to
+salvation. It is still scrupulously observed
+by the Greek Church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,
+Ch. 22, Sec. 8; Bing., Orig., B. 15, Ch. 4,
+Sec. 7. Many other writers bear the same
+testimony.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the power of sympathy</span></p>
+
+<p>There is a small class of Baptists who are
+at times inclined to desire, and it may be, to
+seek a wider liberty at the Lord&rsquo;s Table
+than they find accorded in their own
+churches. The one prevailing argument
+with them is <i>sympathy.</i> To them it seems
+<span class="pagenum" id="p117">[p.&nbsp;117]</span>
+kindly and fraternal to invite all who say
+they love our common Lord and Saviour to
+unite in commemorating His death in the
+Supper. Even if they have not been baptized,
+they themselves believe they have, and they
+are good Christian people. &ldquo;Why stand
+upon a technicality?&rdquo; they say. To such
+the service is merely a sentimental service;
+a kind of love feast to show Christian fellowship,
+rather than an instituted commemoration
+of their dying Lord. They
+have neither Scripture, logic, expediency,
+the scholarship, nor the concurrent practice
+of Christendom, either past or present, to
+sustain their position. But <i>sympathy</i> influences
+them; yet sympathy should not control
+conduct in matters of faith, or in acts
+of conscience. It is a grave perversion
+when affection for his disciples sways us
+more than fidelity to our Lord. We should
+not be so kind to <i>them</i> as to be untrue to
+<i>Him.</i> Sincere Christians will honor those
+who are loyal to Christ, even though they
+differ in opinion.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">three facts explained</span></p>
+
+<p>Baptists give the following reasons in justification
+of their course in the following cases:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p118">[p.&nbsp;118]</span>
+1. They do not invite Pedobaptists to the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper with them, because such persons
+are not baptized, as has been shown,
+they being simply sprinkled. They may
+be true converts, and have the spiritual
+qualifications, but they are destitute of the
+ceremonial qualification&mdash;baptism. The
+&ldquo;buried in baptism&rdquo; comes before the
+&ldquo;breaking of bread.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>2. They do not accept the invitation of
+Pedobaptist churches to eat at the Lord&rsquo;s
+Table with them, for the same reason; they
+are not baptized Christians. And while
+the appreciate their Christian fellowship,
+they could not accept their church fellowship,
+and sit at the Lord&rsquo;s Table with them,
+without accepting their sprinkling and indorsing
+their baptismal errors.</p>
+
+<p>3. They do not invite immersed members
+of Pedobaptist churches to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper
+with them, because such persons, though
+they may be truly regenerate and properly
+baptized, are walking disorderly by remaining
+in and giving countenance to churches
+which hold and practice serious errors as to
+both the ordinances. These churches use
+sprinkling for baptism and administer the
+ordinance to infants, both of which are unscriptural.
+And yet such persons, by remaining
+<span class="pagenum" id="p119">[p.&nbsp;119]</span>
+in them, encourage and support
+these errors, instead of protesting against
+them by leaving them. They insist on immersion
+for themselves, and yet by a strange
+inconsistency give their fellowship and influence
+to perpetuate and sanction sprinkling
+for others. This is inconsistent and disorderly
+Christian walking; and, therefore, very
+properly, Baptists decline to invite them to
+the Lord&rsquo;s Supper.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">pedobaptist witnesses</span></p>
+
+<p>In further proof that the position of
+Baptists as to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper is correct and
+Scriptural; that the difficulty lies with
+baptism, and not with the Supper; and that
+they must still continue to restrict the ordinance
+to baptized believers, or else admit
+that sprinkling is baptism, we cite the
+concessions of distinguished Pedobaptist
+scholars and Divines in evidence on our
+side.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Justin Martyr,</span> one of the early Christian
+Fathers, says of the Supper: &ldquo;This
+food is called by us the Eucharist, of which
+it is not lawful for any one to partake but
+such as believe the things taught by us
+to be true, and have been baptized.&rdquo; <i>Apol.</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p120">[p.&nbsp;120]</span>
+<i>I, C. 65. 66. See Schaff&rsquo;s Church Hist., Ch.
+2. p. 516.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says:
+&ldquo;Neither those doing penance, nor those not
+yet baptized, were allowed to be present at
+the celebration of this ordinance.&rdquo; <i>Eccl.
+Hist., Cent. 3, Part 2, Ch. 4, Sec. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the great church historian,
+says: &ldquo;At this celebration, as may be easily
+concluded, no one could be present who
+was not a member of the Christian Church,
+and incorporated into it by the rite of baptism.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., 327. Boston,
+1849.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Cave,</span> one of the ablest writers on Christian
+antiquities, says the participants in the
+primitive church were those &ldquo;that had embraced
+the doctrine of the Gospel, and had
+been baptized into the faith of Christ. For,
+looking upon the Lord&rsquo;s Supper as the highest
+and most solemn act of religion, they
+thought they could never take care enough
+in the dispensing of it.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ., Part
+I., Ch. 11, p. 333.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham,</span> in his able work on the Antiquities
+of the Christian Church, says of the
+early Christians: &ldquo;As soon as a man was
+<span class="pagenum" id="p121">[p.&nbsp;121]</span>
+baptized he was communicated&rdquo;&mdash;that is,
+admitted to the communion. Baptism,
+therefore, essentially preceded the Supper.&mdash;<i>Christ.
+Antiq., B. 12, Ch. 4, Sec. 9, B. 15,
+Ch. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Wall,</span> who searched the records
+of antiquity for facts illustrating the history
+of the ordinances, says: &ldquo;No church ever
+gave the communion to any persons before
+they were baptized. Among all the absurdities
+that were ever held, none ever
+maintained that any person should partake
+of the communion before he was baptized.&rdquo;
+<i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Part II., Ch. 9.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says of the early
+churches: &ldquo;None indeed but believers in
+full communion with the church were permitted
+to be present.&rdquo; &ldquo;But agreeably to all
+the laws and customs of the church, baptism
+constituted membership with the
+church. All baptized persons were legitimately
+numbered among the communicants
+as members of the church.&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 21, Sec. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Schaff</span> says: &ldquo;The communion
+was a regular part, and, in fact, the most
+important and solemn part of the Sunday
+worship,&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;. in which none but full members
+<span class="pagenum" id="p122">[p.&nbsp;122]</span>
+of the church could engage.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist.,
+Vol. I., p. 392. New Work, 1871.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Doddridge</span> says: &ldquo;It is certain that
+so far as our knowledge of primitive antiquity
+reaches, no unbaptized person received the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper.&rdquo; <i>Lectures, pp. 511, 512.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dick</span> says: &ldquo;An uncircumcised
+man was not permitted to eat the Passover;
+and an unbaptized man should not be permitted
+to partake of the Eucharist.&rdquo; <i>Theol.,
+Vol. II., p. 220.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Baxter</span> says: &ldquo;What man dares
+go in a way which hath neither precept nor
+example to warrant it, from a way that
+hath full current of both? Yet they that
+will admit members into the visible church
+without baptism do so.&rdquo; <i>Plain Scripture
+Proof, p. 24.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dwight,</span> President of Yale College,
+and author of &ldquo;Systematic Theology,&rdquo;
+says: &ldquo;It is an indispensable qualification for
+this ordinance that the candidate for communion
+be a member of the visible church in
+full standing. By this, I intend that he
+should be a man of piety; that he should
+have made a public profession of religion,
+and that he should have been baptized.&rdquo;
+<i>Syst. Theol., Ser. 160, B. 8, Ch. 4. Sec. 7.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p123">[p.&nbsp;123]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Griffin,</span> one of the fathers of
+New England Congregationalism, says: &ldquo;I
+agree with the advocates of close communion
+on two points: 1.&nbsp;That baptism is the initiatory
+ordinance which introduces us into the
+visible church; of course, where there is no
+baptism, there are no visible churches.
+2.&nbsp;That we ought not to commune with those
+who are not baptized, and of course not
+church-members, even if we regard them as
+Christians.&rdquo; <i>Letter on Baptism, 1829, cited
+by Curtis on Com., p. 125.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hibbard,</span> a leading Methodist
+scholar and Divine, says: &ldquo;In one principle
+Baptist and Pedobaptist churches agree.
+They both agree in rejecting from communion
+at the table of the Lord, and in denying
+the rights of church fellowship to all who
+have not been baptized.&rdquo; And with admirable
+frankness, he adds: &ldquo;The charge of
+<i>close communion</i> is no more applicable to
+the Baptist than to us [Pedobaptists]; insomuch
+as the question of church fellowship
+with them is determined by as liberal principles
+as it is with any other Protestant
+churches, so far, I mean, as the present subject
+is concerned&mdash;i.e., <i>it is determined by
+valid baptism.</i>&rdquo; <i>Hibbard on Christ. Bap.,
+P. II., p. 174.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p124">[p.&nbsp;124]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Bullock,</span> another Methodist Divine,
+says: &ldquo;Close communion, as it is generally
+termed, is the only logical and consistent
+course for Baptist churches to pursue.
+If their premises are right, their conclusion
+is surely just as it should be.&rdquo; And he commends
+the firmness of Baptists in not inviting
+to the communion those whom they
+regard as unbaptized. He says: &ldquo;They do
+not feel willing to countenance such laxity
+in Christian discipline. Let us honor
+them for their steadfastness in maintaining
+what they believe to be a Bible precept,
+rather than criticize and censure because
+they differ with us concerning the intent
+and mode of Christian baptism, and believe
+it to be an irrepealable condition of coming
+to the Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo; <i>What Christians
+Believe.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Independent,</span> one of the most
+widely circulated, and perhaps the most influential
+Pedobaptist paper in the country, in
+an editorial, says: &ldquo;Leading writers of all
+denominations declare that converts must be
+baptized before they can be invited to the
+communion table. This is the position
+generally taken. But Baptists regarding
+sprinkling as a nullity&mdash;no baptism at all&mdash;look
+upon Presbyterians, Methodists, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p125">[p.&nbsp;125]</span>
+others, as unbaptized persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;The
+other churches cannot urge the Baptists to
+become open communionists till they themselves
+take the position that all who love
+our Lord Jesus Christ, the unbaptized as
+well as the baptized, may be invited to
+the communion table.&rdquo; <i>Editorial, July,
+1879.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Congregationalist,</span> the organ of
+the New England Congregational Churches,
+in an editorial, says: &ldquo;Congregationalists
+have uniformly, until here and there an exception
+has arisen of late years, required
+baptism and church-membership as the prerequisite
+of a seat at the table of the Lord.
+It is a part of the false &lsquo;liberality&rsquo; which
+now prevails in certain quarters, to welcome
+everybody &lsquo;who thinks he loves Christ&rsquo; to
+commune in His body and blood. Such a
+course is the first step in breaking down
+that distinction between the church and the
+world, which our Saviour emphasized; and
+it seems to us it is an unwise and mistaken
+act for which no Scriptural warrant exists.&rdquo;
+<i>Editorial, July 9, 1879.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Observer,</span> of New York, the oldest
+and leading Presbyterian journal of this
+country, said: &ldquo;It is not a want of charity
+<span class="pagenum" id="p126">[p.&nbsp;126]</span>
+which compels the Baptist to restrict his
+invitation. He has no hesitation in admitting
+the personal piety of his unimmersed
+brethren. Presbyterians do not invite the
+unbaptized, however pious they may be. It
+is not uncharitable. It is not bigotry on
+the part of Baptists to confine their communion
+to those whom they consider the
+baptized.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Interior,</span> of Chicago, the organ of
+Western Presbyterians, said: &ldquo;The difference
+between our Baptist brethren and ourselves
+is an important difference. We agree
+with them, however, in saying that unbaptized
+persons should not partake of the
+Lord&rsquo;s Supper. Their view compels them
+to think that we are not baptized, and shuts
+them up to close communion. Close communion
+is, in our judgment, a more defensible
+position than open communion, which is
+justified on the ground that baptism is not
+a prerequisite to the Lord&rsquo;s Supper. To
+charge Baptists with bigotry because they
+abide by the logical consequences of their
+system is absurd.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Christian Advocate,</span> of New York,
+the leading journal of American Methodists,
+said: &ldquo;The regular Baptist churches in the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p127">[p.&nbsp;127]</span>
+United States may be considered today as
+particularly a unit on <i>three points</i>&mdash;the non-use
+of infant baptism, the immersion of
+believers only upon a profession of faith,
+and the administration of the holy communion
+to such only as have been immersed
+by ministers holding these views. In our
+opinion the Baptist Church owes its amazing
+prosperity largely to its adherence to these
+views. In doctrine and government, and
+in other respects, it is the same as Congregationalists.
+In numbers, the regular
+Baptists are more than six times as great as
+the Congregationalists. It is not bigotry
+to adhere to one&rsquo;s convictions, provided
+the spirit of Christian love prevails.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Episcopal Recorder</span> said: &ldquo;The
+close communion of the Baptist churches is
+but the necessary sequence of the fundamental
+idea out of which their existence
+has grown. No Christian Church would
+willingly receive to its communion even the
+humblest and truest believer in Christ who
+had not been baptized. With Baptists, immersion
+only is baptism, and they therefore
+of necessity exclude from the Lord&rsquo;s Table
+all who have not been immersed. It is an
+essential part of the system&mdash;the legitimate
+carrying out of the creed.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p128">[p.&nbsp;128]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Bishop Coxe,</span> of the Episcopal diocese of
+Western New York, says: &ldquo;The Baptists
+hold that we have never been baptized, and
+they must exclude us from their communion
+table, if we were disposed to go there. Are
+we offended? Do we call it illiberal? No;
+we call it <i>principle,</i> and we respect it. To
+say that we have never become members of
+Christ by baptism seems severe, but it is a
+conscientious adherence to duty, as they regard
+it. I should be the bigot, and not
+they, if I should ask them to violate their
+discipline in this, or in any other particular.&rdquo;
+<i>On Christ. Unity, in &ldquo;Church Union,&rdquo;
+July, 1891.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p129">[p.&nbsp;129]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch12">CHAPTER XII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">infant baptism</span></p>
+
+<p>One of the customs held and upheld by
+Pedobaptist churches, which Baptists seriously
+condemn, is infant baptism. It is
+practiced by both Roman Catholics and
+Protestants as a religious institution; and
+though not held as sacredly, or practiced as
+widely as formerly, it still prevails to a
+wide extent throughout the Christian world.
+And yet it was not instituted by Christ, nor
+practiced by His Apostles, nor known in the
+primitive churches, and has neither sanction
+nor recognition in the Word of God. It is
+for this reason that Baptists utterly reject
+and condemn the custom, as not simply useless
+and without authority, but as a most
+pernicious and hurtful usage; that it is injurious
+both to the child that receives it,
+and to the church which allows it, can be
+easily shown. Baptism before faith, and
+without a profession it, contradicts and
+<span class="pagenum" id="p130">[p.&nbsp;130]</span>
+does violence to all New Testament teaching.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">not of scriptural authority</span></p>
+
+<p>Now, that infant baptism is not of Scriptural
+authority, and was not known in the
+first Christian ages, nearly all its advocates
+and defenders have with considerable candor
+admitted. Only a few of their historians
+and scholars can be cited here.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dr. William Wall,</span> a learned Divine
+of the English Church, who wrote the &ldquo;History
+of Infant Baptism,&rdquo; a work so able
+that the clergy in convocation assembled
+gave him a vote of thanks for his defense
+of the custom, says: &ldquo;Among all the persons
+that are recorded as baptized by the
+Apostles, there is no express mention of
+any infants.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Inf. Bap., Intro., pp.
+1, 55.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Thomas Fuller,</span> the historian, says:
+&ldquo;We do freely confess there is neither express
+precept nor precedent in the New
+Testament for the Baptism of Infants.&rdquo;
+<i>Infants&rsquo; Advoc., pp. 71, 150.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Luther</span> says: &ldquo;It cannot be proved by
+the sacred Scriptures that infant baptism
+was instituted by Christ, or begun by the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p131">[p.&nbsp;131]</span>
+first Christians after the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Vanity
+of Inf. Bap., Part II., p. 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;Baptism was administered
+at first only to adults, as men were
+accustomed to conceive of <i>baptism</i> and <i>faith</i>
+as strictly connected. We have all reason
+for not deriving infant baptism from Apostolic
+institution.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311;
+Plant. and Train., Vol. I., p. 222.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange</span> says: &ldquo;All attempts to
+make out infant baptism from the New Testament
+fail. It is totally opposed to the
+spirit of the Apostolic age, and to the fundamental
+principles of the New Testament.&rdquo;
+<i>Inf. Baptism, p. 101.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;Infant baptism
+was established neither by Christ, nor by
+the Apostles.&rdquo; <i>Art. Bap., Kitto&rsquo;s Cycl. Bib.
+Lit.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Hanna</span> says: &ldquo;Scripture knows
+nothing of the baptism of infants.&rdquo; <i>North
+Brit. Review, Aug., 1852.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Hagenbach</span> says: &ldquo;The passages
+from Scripture cited in favor of infant
+baptism as a usage of the primitive
+church are doubtful and prove nothing.&rdquo;
+<i>Hist. Dict., pp. 190, 193.</i></p>
+
+<p>Bishop Burnett, Baxter, Goodwin,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p132">[p.&nbsp;132]</span>
+Limborch, Celarius, Field, and many others
+bear similar testimony.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">when did it rise?</span></p>
+
+<p>Since the New Testament knows nothing
+of infant baptism, and since it was neither
+instituted by Christ, nor practiced by His
+Apostles, what was its origin, and when did
+it come into use?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Tertullian</span> is the first who mentions
+the custom, and he opposes it. This was at
+the close of the second century, or about
+<span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 200. His opposition to it proves
+two things: <i>First,</i> that it was in occasional use,
+at least. <i>Second,</i> that it was of recent
+origin, since had it been long used some
+earlier record if it could be found. <i>Neander,
+Ch. Hist., Vol. I., p. 311.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bingham</span> could find no earlier allusion
+to it than that of Tertullian, though he believed
+it arose earlier. It must, therefore,
+as is generally agreed, have had its origin
+about the beginning of the <i>third century.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Curcell&aelig;us</span> says: &ldquo;The baptism of infants
+in the <i>two first</i> centuries after Christ
+was altogether unknown; but in the <i>third</i>
+and <i>fourth</i> was allowed by some few. In
+the <i>fifth</i> and following ages it was generally
+<span class="pagenum" id="p133">[p.&nbsp;133]</span>
+received.&rdquo; <i>Inst. Christ. Religion, B. I.,
+Ch. 12.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;In the <i>first two</i> centuries
+no one was baptized, except, being
+instructed in the faith and acquainted with
+the doctrines of Christ, he was able to profess
+himself a believer.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Bapt. Suicer.
+Thesaur., Vol. II., p. 1136.</i></p>
+
+<p>Such testimony is conclusive, and quite
+sufficient, though much more of a similar
+character might be added.</p>
+
+<p><i>But observe:</i> That when the baptism of
+children began, it was not that of unconscious
+infants at all, as is now practiced, but,
+as Bunsen declares, of &ldquo;little growing children,
+from six to ten years old.&rdquo; And he
+asserts that Tertullian &ldquo;does not say one
+word of new-born infants.&rdquo; Cyprian, an
+African bishop, at the close of the <i>third</i> century,
+urged the baptism of infants proper,
+because of the saving efficacy of the ordinance;
+and he is called the inventor, or
+father, of infant baptism. <i>Bunsen&rsquo;s Hippol.
+and His Age, Vol. III., pp. 192-5.</i></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">why did it rise?</span></p>
+
+<p>There is even less difficulty in tracing the
+cause than in finding the origin of infant
+<span class="pagenum" id="p134">[p.&nbsp;134]</span>
+baptism. It originated in a perversion of
+Christian doctrine, and was itself the perversion
+of a Christian ordinance.</p>
+
+<p>All students of ecclesiastical history know
+that at an early period corruptions perverted
+Christian faith and practice. Among
+these, one of the earliest was that of an
+undue efficacy attributed to baptism. Its
+sanctity was so exalted that it was believed
+to have power to wash away sins, and
+cleanse the soul for heaven. By it the sick
+were supposed to be prepared for death,
+and salvation made more certain by its efficacy.
+Anxious parents therefore desired
+their dying children to be thus prepared&mdash;&ldquo;washed
+in the laver of regeneration,&rdquo; as
+it was termed&mdash;that they might be sure of
+salvation. And here came in that pernicious
+error of &ldquo;baptismal regeneration,&rdquo; which
+gave rise to infant baptism, and which has
+through all these ages clung with more or
+less pertinacity to the clergy and laity of all
+churches which have practiced it.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Salmasius</span> says: &ldquo;An opinion prevailed
+that no one could be saved without being
+baptized; and for that reason the custom
+arose of baptizing infants.&rdquo; <i>Epist. Jus.
+Pac. See Booth&rsquo;s Pedo. Exam., Ch. III.,
+Sec. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p135">[p.&nbsp;135]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Venema</span> declares that &ldquo;the ancients connected
+a regenerating power with baptism.&rdquo;
+He cites Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Clemens,
+Tertullian, and Cyprian as holding that
+opinion. <i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. 4, p. 3., Secs. 2,
+3, 4.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Chrysostom,</span> writing about <span class="smcap">a.&nbsp;d.</span> 398, as
+cited by Suicerus, says, &ldquo;It is impossible
+without baptism to obtain the kingdom,&rdquo;
+and as cited by Wall he says: &ldquo;If sudden
+death seize us before we are baptized,
+though we have a thousand good qualities,
+there is nothing to be expected but hell.&rdquo;
+<i>Suicer., Thesaur. Eccl., Vol. I., p. 3.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Waddington,</span> in his Church History,
+says, in reference to the <i>third</i> century: &ldquo;A
+belief was gaining ground among the converts
+and was inculcated among the heathen,
+that the act of baptism gave remission
+of all sins committed previously.&rdquo; <i>Hist.
+of Church, Ch. II., p. 53.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Fisher</span> says: &ldquo;Very early baptism
+was so far identified with regeneration
+as to be designated by that term. This rite
+was considered essential to salvation. A
+virtue was believed to reside in the baptismal
+water itself.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ. Ch., p.
+83.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p136">[p.&nbsp;136]</span>
+Do its advocates and supporters hold
+the same view now? Do parents and ministers
+still believe that the baptism of unconscious
+infants secures, or makes more sure,
+their salvation? If not, why do they practice
+it?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Lange&rsquo;s</span> words are weighty,
+and should be carefully pondered by Protestant
+defenders of this Papal emanation. He
+says: &ldquo;Would the Protestant Church fulfill
+and attain to its final destiny, the baptism
+of new-born children must of necessity be
+abolished. It has sunk down to a mere formality,
+without any meaning for the child.&rdquo;
+<i>History of Protestantism, p. 34.</i></p>
+
+<p>Many good people, familiar with infant
+baptism and surrounded by its influences,
+have naturally learned to reverence it as of
+Divine appointment, and some of them
+really believe it is taught or sanctioned by
+the New Testament. But Baptists are right
+in rejecting it as something utterly without
+foundation in the Word of God.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">household baptisms</span></p>
+
+<p>Much stress is laid by some of the advocates
+of infant baptism on that fact that in
+<span class="pagenum" id="p137">[p.&nbsp;137]</span>
+the Acts of the Apostles several cases of
+household baptism are mentioned. And it
+is asked with an air of assurance: &ldquo;If entire
+households were baptized, must there
+not have been children among them? And
+were they not baptized also?&rdquo; To this it
+is sufficient to reply, that nothing is said of
+children, and we have no right to put into
+the Scriptures what we do not find in them.
+All inference that such households contained
+infants, and that such infants were baptized,
+is the purest fiction in the world. If Christian
+institutions could be built on so slight a
+foundation as that, we could bring in all
+the mummeries of the Greek or the Roman
+Church, and all the ceremonies of the Mosaic
+ritual.</p>
+
+<p>One thing is certain: If in those households
+any children were baptized, they were
+old enough to receive the Gospel and to believe
+on Christ, and were thus suitable subjects
+for the ordinance, and for church fellowship.
+For it is said, <i>&ldquo;They believed, and gladly
+received the Word.&rdquo;</i> There are thousands
+of Baptist churches into whose fellowship
+whole households have been baptized&mdash;parents
+and children and perhaps others
+connected with them. But all were old
+enough to <i>believe</i> and to make <i>profession</i> of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p138">[p.&nbsp;138]</span>
+their faith. So evidently it was in these
+households.</p>
+
+<p>The more prominent of these households
+are that of Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16;
+that of the Philippian jailer, mentioned also
+in Acts 16; and that of Stephanas, mentioned
+in 1&nbsp;Corinthians 1. Now note what a
+few distinguished Pedobaptist scholars say
+on these cases.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Neander</span> says: &ldquo;We cannot
+prove that the Apostles ordained infant baptism;
+from those places where the baptism
+of a whole family is mentioned, we can draw
+no such conclusion.&rdquo; <i>Planting and Training,
+p. 162, N.&nbsp;Y. Ed., 1865.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Professor Jacobi</span> says: &ldquo;In none of
+these instances has it been proved that there
+were little children among them.&rdquo; <i>Kitto&rsquo;s
+Bib. Cyc., Art. Bap.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Meyer</span> says: &ldquo;That the baptism
+of children was not in use at that time appears
+evident from 1&nbsp;Cor. <span class="wsnw">7:14.</span>&rdquo; <i>Comment.
+on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor De Wette</span> says: &ldquo;This passage
+has been adduced in proof of the apostolical
+authority of infant baptism: but there is
+no proof here that any except adults were
+baptized.&rdquo; <i>Com. New Test., Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p139">[p.&nbsp;139]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Doctor Olshausen</span> says: &ldquo;There is altogether
+wanting any conclusive proof-text
+for the baptism of infants in the age of the
+apostles.&rdquo; <i>Com. on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Bloomfield</span> says of the jailer:
+&ldquo;It is taken for granted that his family became
+Christians as well as himself.&rdquo; <i>Com.
+on Acts <span class="wsnw">16:15.</span></i></p>
+
+<p>Calvin, Doddridge, Henry, and other
+commentators declare that in this case the
+household all believed, and therefore were
+baptized and did rejoice. MacKnight considers
+the case of the household of Stephanas
+as giving no countenance to the baptism of
+infants. And with him agree Guise, Hammond,
+Doddridge, and others.</p>
+
+<p>As to the argument used by some, that
+baptism came in the place of circumcision,
+it is too weak and puerile, too far-fetched
+and destitute of reason, to claim the serious
+regard of intelligent and candid minds.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p140">[p.&nbsp;140]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch13">CHAPTER XIII</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church government</span></p>
+
+<p>A Christian church is a society with a
+corporate life, organized on some definite
+plan, adapted to some definite purpose, which
+it proposes to accomplish. It has, therefore,
+its officers and ordinances, its laws and regulations,
+fitted to administer its government
+and carry out its purposes. The question
+then arises, What is the true and proper
+form of church organization and government?
+We do not care to inquire as to the
+various and contradictory forms, as we see
+them about us in the different denominations,
+but what was the organic form and
+government of the first churches, planted
+by and molded under the hands of Christ&rsquo;s
+inspired Apostles.</p>
+
+<p>There are <i>three</i> special and widely different
+forms of church government which have
+gained prevalence in Christian communities
+during past age, and which are still maintained
+with varied success, each of which
+<span class="pagenum" id="p141">[p.&nbsp;141]</span>
+claims to have been the original primitive
+form:</p>
+
+<p>1. The <i>prelatical,</i> in which the governing
+power resides in prelates, or diocesan
+bishops, and the higher clergy; as in the
+Roman, Greek, English, and most Oriental
+churches.</p>
+
+<p>2. The <i>presbyterian,</i> in which the governing
+power resides in assemblies, synods,
+presbyteries, and sessions; as in the Scottish
+Kirk, the Lutheran, and the various Presbyterian
+churches.</p>
+
+<p>3. The <i>independent,</i> in which the body
+is self-governing, each single and local
+church administering its own government
+by the voice of the majority of its members;
+as among Baptists, Congregationalists,
+Independents, and some other bodies.</p>
+
+<p>Now which of these modes of church
+life and administration is taught in the New
+Testament, if either? or which best accords
+with the constitution and government of the
+Apostolic churches?</p>
+
+<p>Baptists hold that each separate, local
+church is an independent body, governing
+itself according to the laws of Christ, as
+found in the New Testament; that each
+<span class="pagenum" id="p142">[p.&nbsp;142]</span>
+such church is independent of all other
+churches, and of all other persons, so far as
+administration is concerned, owing comity
+and fellowship to all, but allegiance and
+submission to none. The government is
+administered by the body of the members,
+where no one possesses a preeminence of
+authority, but each enjoys an equality of
+rights, and in which, in matters of opinion,
+the majority decides.</p>
+
+<p>That this style of church structure is
+according to the New Testament appears
+evident from a study of the sacred records
+themselves. The Apostles treated the
+churches as independent bodies. Their
+epistles were addressed to the churches
+as such; they reported their doings to
+them; enjoined upon them the duty of
+discipline; exhorted, instructed, and reproved
+them as independent and responsible
+bodies. They recognized the right of the
+churches to elect their own teachers and
+officers, a primary and fundamental right,
+which, when conceded supposes all other
+rights and powers necessary to a self-governing
+community acting under Divinely
+given laws.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander,</span> the distinguished historian, says
+of the first age: &ldquo;The churches were taught
+<span class="pagenum" id="p143">[p.&nbsp;143]</span>
+to govern themselves.&rdquo; &ldquo;The brethren
+chose their own officers from among themselves.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;In respect to the election of
+church officers, the ancient principle was
+still adhered to: that the consent of the
+community was necessary to the validity of
+every such election, and each one was at
+liberty to offer reasons against it.&rdquo; <i>Introd.
+Coleman&rsquo;s Prim. Christ&rsquo;y, p. 19; Ch.
+Hist., Vol. I., p. 199; Plant. and Train.,
+p. 156.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the first century: &ldquo;In
+those primitive times, each Christian Church
+was composed of the <i>people,</i> the presiding
+<i>officers,</i> and the assistants, or <i>deacons.</i>
+These must be the component parts of every
+society. The principal voice was that of the
+<i>people,</i> or of the whole body of Christians.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;The assembled people, therefore, elected
+their own rulers and teachers.&rdquo; Of the
+second century, he adds: &ldquo;One president,
+or bishop, presides over each church. He
+was created by the common suffrages of the
+people.&rdquo; &ldquo;During a great part of this century,
+all the churches continued to be, as at
+first, <i>independent</i> of each other. Each
+church was a kind of small, independent republic,
+governing itself by its own laws,
+enacted, or at least sanctioned, by the people.&rdquo;
+<span class="pagenum" id="p144">[p.&nbsp;144]</span>
+<i>Eccl. Hist., Cent. 1, Part 1, Ch. 2, Sec.
+5, 6; Cent. 2, Ch. 2, Sec. 1, 2.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;These churches, wherever
+formed, became separate and independent
+bodies, competent to appoint their own
+officers and administer their own government
+without reference or subordination to
+any control, authority or foreign power.
+No fact connected with the history of the
+primitive church is more fully established
+or more generally conceded.&rdquo; <i>Prim. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 4, Sec. 4, p. 95.</i></p>
+
+<p>Archbishop Whately, Doctor Barrow,
+Doctor Burton, Doctor Waddington&mdash;all of
+them Church of England Divines&mdash;fully
+agree with this testimony, and confirm the
+evidence cited:</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Geiseler,</span> the historian, says, concerning
+early changes: &ldquo;Country churches, which
+had grown up around some city, seem, with
+their bishops, to have been usually, in a
+certain degree, under the authority of the
+mother church. With this exception, all the
+churches were alike independent, though
+some were especially held in honor, on such
+grounds as their Apostolic origin, or the importance
+of the city in which they were
+situated.&rdquo; <i>Ch. Hist., Period 1, Div. 1, Ch. 3, Sec. 52.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p145">[p.&nbsp;145]</span>
+Further discussion on this subject is not
+needed. The point is proved, and the independent
+form of church government is manifestly
+primitive and apostolic, as advocated
+and practiced by Baptists.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p146">[p.&nbsp;146]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch14">CHAPTER XIV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">church officers</span></p>
+
+<p>How many, and what are the Scriptural
+officers of a Christian church? For a
+church, being a society, must have not only
+laws, but officers to execute them. How
+many orders are there in the ministry?
+These are questions which have at times
+greatly divided the Christian world.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists assert that the officers of a church
+are <i>two,</i>&mdash;and of right, can be no more,&mdash;<i>pastor</i>
+and <i>deacons.</i> In this opinion agree
+some other denominations, while the various
+Episcopal sects insist that there should be
+three sets&mdash;<i>deacons, priests,</i> and <i>bishops,</i> to
+which the Church of England adds archbishops.
+Others add to this number indefinitely;
+and the Romish Church carries
+the list up to ten or twelve, ending with the
+pope. Now it is not so much what this
+church preaches or practices, but on what
+basis were the primitive churches&mdash;the
+churches of inspiration&mdash;organized. Our
+<span class="pagenum" id="p147">[p.&nbsp;147]</span>
+Lord did not live to shape, and model, and
+put in order all things for the full equipment
+of His people, that they might be
+thoroughly furnished unto all good works,
+but He did give to His Apostles a spirit of
+wisdom by which they should be able to do
+all this, and carry out His plans, in the organization
+of His kingdom after He had left
+them. We assume that the first churches
+were organized on the Divine plan, and seek
+to ascertain what that plan was.</p>
+
+<p>In the New Testament, the words <i>bishop,
+presbyter, elder,</i> are used to designate church
+officers. They all, however, designate the
+same office, and therefore officially mean
+the same thing; indeed, they are not infrequently
+applied to the same individual.
+The bishop&mdash;called also the presbyter, or elder&mdash;was
+the <i>pastor,</i> or overseer of the spiritual
+flock, watching, guiding, and feeding it,
+as the shepherd does his sheep. The <i>deacons</i>
+were chosen to attend to the temporal interests
+of the church, as appears by the election
+of the seven, recorded in the sixth chapter
+of Acts. This was done in order that the
+Apostles might be free from the temporal
+cares, and thus able to give their attention
+more exclusively to the spiritual welfare of
+the people. The word <i>deacon</i> means a <i>minister,</i>
+<span class="pagenum" id="p148">[p.&nbsp;148]</span>
+a <i>servant.</i> It is sometimes applied to
+the Apostles, and even to Christ himself, in
+the general sense as one who &ldquo;came, not to
+be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
+give His life a ransom for many.&rdquo; Some of
+the first deacons were also efficient preachers
+of the Gospel, but their work as deacons
+pertained to other services in the churches.
+While, therefore, the deacon is a church
+officer, his office does not constitute an order
+in the ministry at all, its functions belonging
+to temporal concerns, and not to a spiritual
+service. The service usually performed
+by clerks, trustees, and the like, it may be
+presumed, so far as such service was needed
+in the first churches, was devolved on the
+deacons.</p>
+
+<p>Pastors, by whatever name they may
+have been known, had the same service,
+and were of the same grade, dignity, and
+authority. In the first churches there were
+no high orders of clergy placed over lower
+grades, and over the churches ruling with
+superior authority. All were equals among
+equals, and all equally ministered to the
+churches. If in the same church there
+might chance to be several to whom the
+titles <i>bishop, presbyter,</i> or <i>elder</i> were applied,
+they were all of equal rank or authority,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p149">[p.&nbsp;149]</span>
+though one might be selected to serve as
+the pastor of the church, and devote himself
+to its local interests; while the others
+might give themselves to more general missionary
+work.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Neander</span> says: &ldquo;The word <i>presbyter,</i> or
+<i>elder,</i> indicates rather the dignity of the
+office, since presbyters among the Jews were
+usually aged and venerable; while <i>bishop,</i>
+or <span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos,</span> designated the nature of their
+work as overseers, or pastors of the
+churches. The former title was used by
+Jewish Christians as a name familiar in the
+synagogue; while the latter was chiefly used
+by the Greek and other Gentile converts, as
+more familiar and expressive to them.&rdquo;
+&ldquo;They were not designed to exercise absolute
+authority, but to act as presiding officers
+and guides of an ecclesiastical republic: to
+conduct all things, with the cooperation of
+the communities, as their ministers and not
+as their masters.&rdquo; <i>Introd. to Cole., Prim.
+Ch., p. 20; Ch. Hist., Vol. 1., p. 184; Plant.
+and Train., p. 147.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says: &ldquo;The rulers of the
+churches were denominated sometimes <i>presbyters,</i>
+or <i>elders,</i> a designation borrowed
+from the Jews, and indicative rather of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p150">[p.&nbsp;150]</span>
+wisdom than the age of the persons, and
+sometimes also <i>bishops:</i> for it is most manifest
+that both terms are promiscuously used
+in the New Testament of one and the same
+class of persons.&rdquo; &ldquo;In these primitive
+times, each Christian church was composed
+of the <i>people,</i> the presiding <i>officers,</i> and the
+assistants, or <i>deacons.</i> These must be the
+components of every society.&rdquo; <i>Eccl. Hist.,
+Cent 1., p. 2; Ch. 2, Secs. 5, 8.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Gieseler</span> asserts: &ldquo;The new churches
+everywhere formed themselves on the model
+of the mother church at Jerusalem. At the
+head of each were the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyter,
+bishop</i>), all officially of equal rank, though
+in several instances a peculiar authority
+seems to have been conceded to some one
+individual from personal considerations.&rdquo;
+<i>Ch. Hist., Part 1, Div. 1, Ch. 2, Sec. 29.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Waddington</span> declares: &ldquo;It is also true
+that in the earliest government of the first
+Christian society,&mdash;that of Jerusalem,&mdash;not
+the <i>elders</i> only, but the &lsquo;whole church,&rsquo;
+were associated with the Apostles; and it is
+even certain that the terms <i>bishop</i> and <i>elder,</i>
+or <i>presbyter,</i> were in the first instance and
+for a short period, sometimes used synonymously,
+and indiscriminately applied to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p151">[p.&nbsp;151]</span>
+same order in the ministry.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Christ.
+Church, Ch. 2, Sec. 2.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Archbishop Usher</span> says that &ldquo;<i>bishop</i>
+and <i>presbyter</i> differed only in degree, and
+not in order.&rdquo; See <i>Cole., Anc. Christ.
+Exemp., Ch. 8, Sec. 6.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Burnett</span> says: &ldquo;As for the
+notion of distinct offices of <i>bishop</i> and <i>presbyter,</i>
+I confess it is not so clear to me.&rdquo;
+<i>Vindic. Ch. of Sects, p. 366.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Coleman</span> says: &ldquo;It is generally
+admitted by Episcopal writers on this subject,
+that in the New Testament, and in the
+earliest ecclesiastical writings, the terms
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>presbyters,</i> or elders, are synonymous,
+and denote one and the same
+office.&rdquo; &ldquo;The office of <i>presbyter</i> was undeniably
+identical with that of <i>bishop,</i> as has
+been shown above.&rdquo; &ldquo;Only <i>two orders</i> of
+officers are known in the church until the
+close of the second century. Those of the
+first are styled either <i>bishops</i> or <i>presbyters;</i>
+of the second, <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; <i>Anc. Christ. Exemp.,
+Ch. 8, Sec. 6; Ch. 6, Sec. 5.</i></p>
+
+<p>This author cites many of the early Christian
+Fathers who bore the same testimony,
+among whom are Clement of Rome, Polycarp,
+Justin Martyr, Iren&aelig;us, Jerome,
+<span class="pagenum" id="p152">[p.&nbsp;152]</span>
+Chrysostom, Theodoret, and others. Many
+prelatical writers, besides these above
+quoted, frankly admit the same facts.</p>
+
+<p>The Apostle Paul, it is stated (Acts <span class="wsnw">20:17,</span> 18),
+called together the <i>elders</i> (<i>presbyters</i>)
+of the Ephesian Church. But in verse
+28 he calls these officers <i>overseers</i> (<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span>).
+Here the terms <span lang="grc-Latn">presbuteros</span> and
+<span lang="grc-Latn">episcopos</span> were certainly used interchangeably.</p>
+
+<p>Paul and Timothy, in their address to the
+Philippian Christians, specify three classes
+as evidently constituting the entire body of
+disciples. They say, &ldquo;To all the <i>saints</i> in
+Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons.</i>&rdquo; Saints, bishops, and
+deacons embraced the whole church.</p>
+
+<p>Timothy was instructed by Paul as to
+the qualifications of pastors to be placed
+over the churches. (1&nbsp;Tim. <span class="wsnw">3:1.)</span> Particular
+directions are given as to both
+<i>bishops</i> and <i>deacons,</i> but no mention is made
+of elders&mdash;clearly because they were the
+same as bishops.</p>
+
+<p>Titus is likewise enjoined to secure pastors
+for the church in Crete. (Titus <span class="wsnw">1:5,</span> 7.)
+These pastors are called <i>elders</i> in verse
+5 and <i>bishops</i> in verse 7.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p153">[p.&nbsp;153]</span>
+<i>Pastors</i> and <i>deacons,</i> therefore, are two
+orders, and these officers simply were known
+or needed in the Apostolic churches. In
+this, also, the views held by Baptists are in
+harmony with the customs of the churches
+in the first and purest age of Christian history.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&nbsp;<span class="pagenum" id="p154">[p.&nbsp;154]</span></p>
+<h3 class="tdc" id="ch15">CHAPTER XV</h3>
+
+<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">baptist history</span></p>
+
+<p>It is sometimes asked: &ldquo;When and
+where did the Baptists originate? Who
+were their founders? What is their history?&rdquo;
+These are questions of interest;
+but a more important one would be: &ldquo;Are
+they right? Is their faith according to the
+teachings of the New Testament?&rdquo; Many
+things which are old are not true. Creeds
+and sects may boast a venerable antiquity,
+while the Word of God utterly condemns
+them. Any organization that cannot reasonably
+claim Christ for its founder has
+small right to the name of a Christian
+church, no matter how old it may be.</p>
+
+<p>Baptists claim to be built on the foundation
+of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus
+Christ Himself being the chief Corner-Stone.
+If this claim be well founded, whether they
+have a written history of one century or of
+twenty, matters little. Yet whatever of the
+past belongs to any, it may be well to know.
+<span class="pagenum" id="p155">[p.&nbsp;155]</span>
+Any Baptist history constitutes one of the
+most interesting chapters in the records of
+Christianity.</p>
+
+<p>During the Apostolic age even, the doctrines
+of the Gospel became corrupted, and
+its ordinances soon after. Both Jewish and
+Gentile converts brought into the churches
+many of their old religious notions, and
+incorporated them with the faith of Christ.
+These, together with the many philosophical
+ideas of the times and the perversions to
+which the truth is always exposed from the
+ignorance and selfishness of men, very early
+turned the churches aside from the faith
+once delivered to the saints. Still there
+were many who in simplicity and humility
+maintained the doctrines and customs in
+their original purity. Those churches which
+were strongest and most prosperous were
+most exposed to corruption by alliances with
+the world.</p>
+
+<p>When at length the period of martyrdom
+and persecution terminated; when a nominal
+Christianity took possession of a throne,
+and Church and State became united, then
+religion, in its prevailing forms, lost its simplicity,
+its spirituality, and its power, and a
+temporal hierarchy took the place of the
+church of Christ. This was the great apostasy
+<span class="pagenum" id="p156">[p.&nbsp;156]</span>
+of the early times. But all the churches
+and all disciples did not follow in the wake
+of this sad departure from the truth. Many
+congregations and communities of true worshipers
+kept the doctrines of the Gospel, and
+practiced its ordinances, nearly, or quite in
+their primitive purity. And this they continued
+to do through all the ages of darkness
+and corruption which followed. They
+were never identified with the Roman or
+Greek churches; they never were in alliance
+with States; never formed hierarchies. As
+independent congregations, or small communities,
+with no other bond of union than a
+common faith, fellowship, and sympathy,
+often obscure and unobtrusive, taking the
+Word of God as their guide, they sought to
+realize the idea, not of a temporal, but a
+spiritual kingdom in the Gospel dispensation.</p>
+
+<p>These religious communities were by the
+dominant hierarchies called <i>sects,</i> and stigmatized
+as <i>heretics.</i> As such they were
+traduced and persecuted continually. And
+though they may have had their errors,
+they were the best and purest defenders of
+the Christian faith, and the truest representatives
+of the first disciples of Christ then
+existing. The State churches were the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p157">[p.&nbsp;157]</span>
+heretics; while those so-called sects were the
+true successors of the first Christians.</p>
+
+<p>They were defamed and oppressed, calumniated
+and martyred because they bore
+witness to the truth of God and testified
+against the errors and vices of the so-called
+churches. History has never done them
+justice, and perhaps never will; because
+history has been too much written in the
+interest of their enemies, or from their
+standpoint. Tortured and tormented by
+those who should have been their defenders,
+crowns and miters alike pledged to their
+destruction, they could do nothing but
+suffer. And this they nobly did as Christ&rsquo;s
+faithful witnesses. They were known by
+various names in different ages and in different
+lands, but retained the same general
+characteristics.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>first</i> and <i>second</i> centuries, Messalians,
+Montanists, Euchites, were terms
+which distinguished some of these sects.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>third, fourth,</i> and <i>fifth</i> centuries
+arose the Novatians. Increasing with exceeding
+rapidity, they quite overspread the
+Roman empire, in spite of the cruel and
+destructive persecutions which they suffered.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>fourth</i> century the Donatists appeared,
+as a new form of existing sects, or
+<span class="pagenum" id="p158">[p.&nbsp;158]</span>
+a new phase of the old faith. They multiplied
+rapidly, spread extensively, and long
+survived.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>seventh</i> century appeared the Paulicians,
+attracting much attention, and calling
+down upon themselves the wrath of the
+Romish Church. Still they increased
+greatly, notwithstanding their many persecutions.</p>
+
+<p>That these Christian communities should
+have been faultless could not be supposed.
+But they were the best of the ages in which
+they lived, and maintained the purest forms
+of Gospel truth and practice. Without
+the advantage of organization and association,
+they differed somewhat among themselves.</p>
+
+<p>But in general they all professed to take
+the New Testament as the rule of their
+faith and practice. They held to a spiritual
+church-membership, and received only professedly
+regenerated persons to the ordinances.
+Denying the orthodoxy of the
+Romish Church, they rebaptized persons
+received from that body, and hence were
+called <i>Anabaptists.</i> Infant baptism they
+rejected, according to Allix, Mosheim, Robinson,
+and other historians. Baptism they
+administered by immersion, as indeed did
+<span class="pagenum" id="p159">[p.&nbsp;159]</span>
+all Christians during those ages. Robinson
+calls them &ldquo;Trinitarian Baptists.&rdquo; It is
+said that the Empress Theodora, after
+having confiscated their property, caused
+to be cruelly put to death no less than
+one hundred thousand Paulicians, for no
+other fault or offense than their religious
+faith.</p>
+
+<p>About the close of the <i>tenth</i> century appeared
+the Paterines; substantially the
+same people, no doubt as had previously
+existed under other names. They too rejected
+infant baptism, and protested against
+the corruptions of the Romish Church; in
+consequence of which they suffered long and
+severe persecution.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>eleventh</i> century, and the ages following,
+were the Waldenses, Albigenses,
+Vaudois, Cathari, and Poor Men of Lyons.
+These were new names, and names usually
+given by their enemies. They increased,
+even under their persecutions, to a wonderful
+extent, and attracted the notice, if not
+the sympathy, of all Europe.</p>
+
+<p>It is not pretended that these ancient
+sects were known by the name as Baptists; but
+in general they held the more prominent
+and distinctive principles which have always
+characterized the Baptists; thus: 1.&nbsp;They
+<span class="pagenum" id="p160">[p.&nbsp;160]</span>
+declared and defended the rights of faith
+and conscience and the freedom of worship.
+2.&nbsp;They denied the authority of popes and
+the right of kings and States to interfere
+with the people in matters of religion.
+3.&nbsp;They rejected infant baptism. 4.&nbsp;They baptized
+by dipping. 5.&nbsp;They held the Bible to
+be the only rule and authority in concerns of
+religious faith and practice. 6.&nbsp;They admitted
+to the churches none except such as
+professed to be regenerated and godly persons.</p>
+
+<p>Now it is conceded by all historians of
+note that such churches and communities
+did exist, separate from and persecuted by,
+the prevailing State churches and civil
+authorities during all the ages from the
+Apostles to the Reformation.</p>
+
+<p>When the Reformation under Luther and
+his coadjutors broke out, these sects to a
+great extent fraternized with, and were lost
+in, the multitude of the reformers. Such as
+continued their separate existence, as the
+Waldenses of Piedmont, yielding to the influence
+of the reformers, did from sympathy
+what the persecutions of the Papists had
+never been able to compel them to do&mdash;abandon
+dipping for sprinkling in baptism,
+adopted infant baptism, and took the
+<span class="pagenum" id="p161">[p.&nbsp;161]</span>
+general forms of religious life, into which
+Pedobaptist Protestantism grew.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the welsh baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>Few denominations have a better claim
+to antiquity than the Welsh Baptists. They
+trace their descent directly from the
+Apostles and urge in favor of their claim
+arguments which have never been confuted.</p>
+
+<p>When Austin, the Romish monk and
+missionary, visited Wales, at the close of
+the <i>sixth</i> century, he found a community of
+more than two thousand Christians, quietly
+living in their mountain homes. They
+were independent of the Romish See, and
+wholly rejected its authority. Austin
+labored hard to convert them&mdash;that is, to
+bring them under the Papal yoke; but entirely
+failed in the effort. Yielding things
+in general, he reduced his demand upon
+them to three particulars: 1.&nbsp;That they
+should observe Easter in due form, as ordered
+by the Church. 2.&nbsp;That they should
+give Christendom, or baptism, to their children.
+3.&nbsp;That they should preach to the
+English the Word of God, as
+<span class="wsnw">directed.<a id="ch15_fna1"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p162">[p.&nbsp;162]</span>
+These demands of Austin prove that they
+neither observed the Popish ordinance of
+Easter, nor baptized their children. They,
+however, rejected all his overtures, whereupon
+he left them with threats of war and
+wretchedness. Not long after, Wales was
+invaded by the Saxons, and many of these
+inoffensive Christians cruelly murdered, as
+was believed, at the instigation of this
+bigoted zealot, the exacting Austin.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the dutch baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>The Baptists of Holland have a history
+that reaches back to a very remote period,
+if not to the Apostolic age, as some confidently
+assert. And this antiquity is conceded
+by historians who have no sympathy
+with their denominational sentiments.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mosheim,</span> in his Church History, says,
+&ldquo;The true origin of that sect which
+acquired the name Anabaptist <i>is hid in the
+remote depths of antiquity,</i> and is consequently
+extremely difficult to be ascertained.&rdquo;
+<i>Eccl. Hist., Vol. IV., p. 427,
+Mac. Ed., 1811.</i> See <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Zwingli,</span> the Swiss Reformer, contemporary
+<span class="pagenum" id="p163">[p.&nbsp;163]</span>
+with Luther, declares: &ldquo;The institution
+of Anabaptism is no novelty but for
+<i>thirteen hundred years</i> has caused great disturbance
+in the church.&rdquo; <i>Introd. Orchard&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 17.</i> Thirteen hundred years
+before his time would have carried it back
+to within two centuries of the death of
+Christ.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Dermont,</span> chaplain to the king
+of Holland, and Doctor Ypeij, professor of
+theology at Groningen, a few years since
+received a royal commission to prepare a
+history of the Reformed Dutch Church.
+That history, prepared under royal sanction,
+and officially published, contains the following
+manly and generous testimony to the
+antiquity and orthodoxy of the Dutch Baptists.
+&ldquo;We have now seen that the Baptists,
+who were formerly called Anabaptists, and
+in later times Mennonites, were the original
+Waldenses, and have long in the history of
+the church received the honor of that origin.
+On this account, <i>the Baptists may be considered
+the only Christian community which has
+stood since the Apostles, and as a Christian
+society, which has preserved pure the doctrines
+of the Gospel through all ages.&rdquo; Hist.
+Ref. Dutch Ch., Ed. Breda, 1819.</i> See
+<i>Ency. Relig. Knowledge, Art. Mennonites.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p164">[p.&nbsp;164]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Mosheim</span> says of the persecutions of this
+people in the sixteenth century, &ldquo;Vast
+numbers of these people, in nearly all the
+countries of Europe, would rather perish
+miserably by drowning, hanging, burning,
+or decapitation, than renounce the opinions
+they had embraced.&rdquo; And their
+innocency he vindicates thus: &ldquo;It is
+indeed true that many Anabaptists were
+put to death, not as being bad citizens,
+or injurious members of civil society,
+but as being incurable <i>heretics,</i> who were
+condemned by the old canon laws. For
+the error of <i>adult baptism</i> was in that
+age looked upon as a horrible offense.&rdquo;
+That was their only crime. <i>Eccl. Hist.,
+Cent. 16, Sec. 3. Part 2, Ch. iii. Fuller&rsquo;s
+Ch. Hist., B. 4.</i></p>
+
+<p>This testimony is all the more welcome,
+because it comes from those who have no
+ecclesiastical sympathies with Baptists, but
+who, in fidelity to history, bear honest testimony
+to the truth which history teaches.
+The circumstances under which their evidence
+was produced give it additional
+force.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Cardinal Hossius,</span> chairman of the
+council at Trent, says: &ldquo;If the truth of
+<span class="pagenum" id="p165">[p.&nbsp;165]</span>
+religion were to be judged of by the readiness
+and cheerfulness which a man of any
+sect shows in suffering, then the opinions
+and persuasions of no sect can be truer or
+surer, than those of the <i>Anabaptists;</i> since
+there have been none, for these <i>twelve hundred
+years past,</i> that have been more grievously
+punished.&rdquo; <i>Orchard&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.,
+Sec. 12, part 30, p. 364.</i></p>
+
+<p>Many thousands of the Dutch Baptists,
+called Anabaptists, and Mennonites, miserably
+perished by the hands of their cruel
+persecutors, for no crime but their refusal
+to conform to established
+<span class="wsnw">churches.<a id="ch15_fna2"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">the english baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>At what time the Baptists appeared in
+England in definite denominational form, it
+is impossible to say. But from the <i>twelfth</i>
+to the <i>seventeenth</i> century, many of them
+suffered cruel persecutions, and death by
+burning, drowning, and beheading, besides
+many other, and sometimes most inhuman
+tortures. And this they suffered both from
+Papists and Protestants, condemned by both
+civil and ecclesiastical tribunals, only because
+<span class="pagenum" id="p166">[p.&nbsp;166]</span>
+they persisted in worshiping God, according
+to the dictates of their consciences,
+and because they would not submit their religious
+faith and worship to the dictates of
+popes and <span class="wsnw">princes.<a id="ch15_fna3"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn3">[3]</a></span>
+In 1538, royal edicts
+were issued against them, and several were
+burnt at the stake in Smithfield.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Brande</span> writes that: &ldquo;In the year 1538,
+thirty-one Baptists, that fled from England,
+were put to death at Delft, in Holland; the
+men were beheaded, the women were
+drowned.&rdquo; <i>Hist. Reformers.</i> See <i>Benedict&rsquo;s
+Hist. Bap., p. 303. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,
+Vol. I., p. 138. Note, Vol. II, p. 355,
+Sup.</i> What crime had they committed to
+merit such treatment as this?</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bishop Latimer</span> declares that, &ldquo;The
+Baptists that were burnt in different parts
+of the kingdom went to death intrepidly, and
+without any fear, during the time of Henry
+VIII.&rdquo; <i>Lent Sermons. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Purit.,
+Vol. II, p. 356.</i></p>
+
+<p>Under the rule of the Popish Mary, they
+suffered perhaps no more than under that of
+the Protestant Elizabeth. During the reign
+of the latter a congregation of Baptists was
+<span class="pagenum" id="p167">[p.&nbsp;167]</span>
+discovered in London, whereupon several
+were banished, twenty-seven imprisoned,
+and two burnt at
+<span class="wsnw">Smithfield.<a id="ch15_fna4"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn4">[4]</a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Doctor Featley,</span> one of their bitter enemies,
+wrote of them, in 1633: &ldquo;This sect,
+among others, hath so far presumed upon
+the patience of the State, that it hath held
+weekly conventicles, rebaptizing hundreds
+of men and women together in the twilight,
+in rivulets and in some arms of the
+Thames, and elsewhere, dipping them all
+over head and ears. It hath printed divers
+pamphlets in defense of their heresy; yea,
+and challenged some of our preachers to disputation.&rdquo;
+<i>Eng. Bapt. Jubilee Memor.,
+Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bapt., p. 304.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Bailey</span> wrote, in 1639, that: &ldquo;Under
+the shadow of independency they have lifted
+up their heads, and increased their numbers
+above all sects in the land. They have
+<i>forty-six churches</i> in and about London.
+They are a people very fond of religious
+liberty, and very unwilling to be brought
+under bondage of the judgment of others.&rdquo;
+<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History, p. 304.</i></p>
+
+<p>The first book published in the English
+<span class="pagenum" id="p168">[p.&nbsp;168]</span>
+language on the subject of baptism was
+translated from the Dutch, and bears date
+1618. From this time they multiplied
+rapidly through all parts of the kingdom.
+The first regularly organized church among
+them, known as such in England, dates
+from 1607, and was formed in London by
+a Mr. Smyth, previously a clergyman of
+the Established Church.</p>
+
+<p>In 1689, the Particular Baptists, so called,
+held a convention in London, in which more
+than one hundred congregations were represented,
+and which issued a confession of
+faith, still in use and highly esteemed.</p>
+
+<p>The last Baptist martyr in England was
+Edward Wightman, of Burton upon Trent,
+condemned by the Bishop of Coventry, and
+burnt at Litchfield, April 11,
+<span class="wsnw">1612.<a id="ch15_fna5"></a><a class="fnanchor" href="#ch15_fn5">[5]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">american baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>The history of American Baptists runs
+back a little more than two and a quarter
+centuries. In this country, as elsewhere,
+they were cradled amidst persecution, and
+nurtured by the hatred of their foes. This
+has been their fortune in every age, and in
+every land.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p169">[p.&nbsp;169]</span>
+<span class="smcap">Roger Williams,</span> a distinguished and
+an honored name, was identified with the
+rise of the denomination in America. He
+has been called their founder, because he organized
+the first church, and was intimately
+connected with their early history. Williams
+was born in Wales, 1598, educated at
+Oxford, England, came to America in 1630,
+and settled as minister of the Puritan church
+in Salem, Massachusetts. Not long after, he
+adopted Baptist views of doctrine and church
+order, on account of which he was banished
+by his fellow Puritans, and driven out of
+Massachusetts, in the depths of a rigorous
+winter, in a new and inhospitable country.
+Having wandered far and suffered much,
+finding the savage Indians more generous
+and hospitable than his fellow Christians,
+he finally reached and fixed his future home
+at what is now Providence, R.&nbsp;I. Here,
+with a few associates of like faith, he founded
+a new colony, calling both the city and the
+colony <i>Providence,</i> in recognition of the
+Divine guidance and protection, which he
+had in so remarkable a manner experienced.</p>
+
+<p>In 1639, Mr. Williams received baptism
+from one of his associates, there being no
+minister to perform that service. He in
+turn baptized his associates, and a church
+<span class="pagenum" id="p170">[p.&nbsp;170]</span>
+was organized, of which he was chosen
+pastor. He was also appointed first Governor
+of Rhode Island. Full liberty was
+granted in matters of religion. Thus Roger
+Williams became the first ruler, and Rhode
+Island the first State which ever gave entire
+freedom to all persons to worship God,
+according to their own choice, without dictation
+or interference from civil or ecclesiastical
+authorities.</p>
+
+<p>On account of this unrestricted liberty
+many Baptists, as well as other persecuted
+religionists from other colonies, and from
+Europe, collected in considerable numbers
+at Providence, and spread through the
+colony.</p>
+
+<p>It is a mistake to suppose that all the
+Baptist churches in America grew out of the
+one which Roger Williams founded. It is
+even doubtful whether any single church
+arose as an outgrowth of that. As immigration
+increased, other churches grew up,
+having no connection with that; and with
+considerable rapidity the sentiments of Baptists
+spread into adjoining colonies, particularly
+west and south. For a long time,
+however, they were sorely persecuted, especially
+in Massachusetts and Connecticut;
+persecuted even by those who had themselves
+<span class="pagenum" id="p171">[p.&nbsp;171]</span>
+fled from persecution in their native
+land, to find freedom and refuge in these
+distant wilds.</p>
+
+<p>In 1644, the present First Church in
+Newport, R.&nbsp;I., was organized. But
+whether the present First Church in Providence
+was constituted before this date is
+still a disputed point. Both claim priority.
+In 1656, the Second Church, Newport, was
+formed. Then followed in order of time
+the church in Swansea, Massachusetts,
+1663; First, Boston, 1665; North Kingstone,
+R.&nbsp;I., 1665; Seventh Day Church,
+Newport, 1671; South Kingstone, R.&nbsp;I.,
+1680; Kittery, Me., 1682; Middletown,
+N.&nbsp;J., 1688; Lower Dublin, Pa., 1689;
+Charleston, S.&nbsp;C., 1690; Philadelphia, Pa.,
+1698; Welsh Tract, Del., 1701; Groton,
+Ct., 1705. Others, not mentioned, arose
+within this period in these and other colonies.
+With the increase of population, Baptists
+rapidly increased and widely spread
+over the country.</p>
+
+<p><i>Edward&rsquo;s Tables</i> gives the number of
+American Baptist Churches in 1768, as
+only 137.</p>
+
+<p><i>Asplund&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1790, reported
+872 churches, 722 ordained ministers, with
+64,975 members.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p172">[p.&nbsp;172]</span>
+<i>Benedict&rsquo;s History</i> states that in 1812,
+there were 2,633 churches, 2,143 ordained
+ministers, and 204,185 members.</p>
+
+<p><i>Allen&rsquo;s Register</i> for 1836, puts them at
+7,299 churches, 4.075 ordained ministers,
+and 517,523 members.</p>
+
+<p><i>The Baptist Year-Book</i> gives the following
+figures:</p>
+
+<table>
+<tr><th>Date</th><th>Churches</th><th>Ministers</th><th>Members</th></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1840</td><td class="tdr">7,771</td><td class="tdr">5,208</td><td class="tdr">571,291</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1860</td><td class="tdr">12,279</td><td class="tdr">7,773</td><td class="tdr">1,016,134</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1880</td><td class="tdr">26,080</td><td class="tdr">16,569</td><td class="tdr">2,296,327</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1890</td><td class="tdr">33,588</td><td class="tdr">21,175</td><td class="tdr">3,070,047</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1900</td><td class="tdr">43,427</td><td class="tdr">29,473</td><td class="tdr">4,181,086</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1910</td><td class="tdr">49,045</td><td class="tdr">33,909</td><td class="tdr">5,266,369</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1920</td><td class="tdr">53,866</td><td class="tdr">42,121</td><td class="tdr">7,504,447</td></tr>
+<tr><td class="tdr">1930</td><td class="tdr">53,888</td><td class="tdr">49,907</td><td class="tdr">8,915,785</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><i>The Year-Book</i> gives the Sunday school
+statistics for 1930, as follows: For the
+United States, schools, 46,132; total enrollment
+5,143,056.</p>
+
+<p>The figures given in all these cases are
+probably less than the actual facts warrant,
+since full reports from associations,
+churches, and schools can never be obtained.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">other baptists</span></p>
+
+<p>Besides the regular Baptist Brotherhood,
+there are in the United States very many
+<span class="pagenum" id="p173">[p.&nbsp;173]</span>
+other and smaller denominations, which
+practice immersion, but are not in fellowship
+with, or reckoned as a part of, the great
+Baptist family.</p>
+
+<p>The Seventh Day Baptists, so called on
+account of their observing Saturday, or the
+seventh day of the week, as their Sabbath,
+on the ground that the Jewish Sabbath was
+never abrogated. They are estimated at
+about 7,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Free Will Baptists, who take their
+name from their views as to the freedom
+of the human will and practice open communion,
+number about 66,000. In the North
+the Free Will Baptist churches have generally
+united with the Northern Convention,
+and their membership is reckoned with that
+of the regular Baptist body.</p>
+
+<p>The Six Principle Baptists, so called because
+their doctrinal confession is based on
+the six points mentioned in Hebrews <span class="wsnw">6:1,</span>
+2, are estimated at about 300.</p>
+
+<p>The Anti-Mission Baptists, or rather
+Primitive Baptists, found chiefly in the
+Southwest, do not believe in missions, Sunday
+schools, or other reform movements lest
+they should seem to interfere with the Divine
+decrees. They are said to number
+43,000.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="p174">[p.&nbsp;174]</span>
+The Disciples of Christ, sometimes called
+Campbellites, or Christians, number about
+1,200,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Winebrennerians, or the General Eldership
+of the Churches of God in North
+America, are estimated at about 30,000.</p>
+
+<p>The Tunkers, or Dunkards, of all groups
+number about 126,000, and the United
+Brethren, about 330,000.</p>
+
+<p class="cgap"><span class="smcap">baptists elsewhere</span></p>
+
+<p>In North America, aside from the United
+States, but including the provinces of British
+America, Central America, Mexico, and the
+West Indies, Baptists numbered in 1930
+about 249,809.</p>
+
+<p>In Europe there were in 1930 about
+1,639,656.</p>
+
+<p>In Asia, about 361,800.</p>
+
+<p>In Australasia, about 35,113.</p>
+
+<p>In Africa, about 83,041.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h4 class="tdc">FOOTNOTES:</h4>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn1"><p><a href="#ch15_fna1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+See Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap., p. 343, and authorities there cited.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn2"><p><a href="#ch15_fna2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>
+Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Baptists, Ch. IV. Neal&rsquo;s Hist. Puritans,
+Vol. II.; p. 355. Supplement, Fuller&rsquo;s Ch. Hist., B. 4.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn3"><p><a href="#ch15_fna3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>
+See histories of Baptists, by Crosby, Ivimey, Danvers, and Benedict.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn4"><p><a href="#ch15_fna4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>
+Wall, cited by Neal, Hist. Puritans, Vol. I., p. 137. Vol. II., p. 358. Supplement.</p></div>
+<div class="footnote" id="ch15_fn5"><p><a href="#ch15_fna5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>
+Eng. Bap. Jubilee Memor., Benedict&rsquo;s Hist. Bap.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+<hr />
+
+<div id="DTN" class="trans_notes">
+<h4 class="tdc">Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes</h4>
+<div class="smaller">
+<ul>
+<li>The break between pages 3 and 4 is in the word
+&ldquo;missionaries&rdquo;: mission|aries. In this and all subsequent
+cases, the whole word was moved to the earlier page.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 4 and 5 is in the word &ldquo;thousand&rdquo;:
+thou|sand.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 5 and 6 is in the word &ldquo;admitted&rdquo;:
+ad|mitted.</li>
+<li>Page 6, apply reverential capitalization (RC) to
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 9 and 10 is in the word &ldquo;general&rdquo;:
+gen|eral.</li>
+<li>Page 10, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 11, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo;, &ldquo;Divinely,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;His Gospel,&rdquo; and &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 12, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice); change
+&ldquo;fulfil&rdquo; to &ldquo;fulfill&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Him&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change &ldquo;fulfils&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;fulfills&rdquo; and &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His Word&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His&rdquo;; change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 15, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 18, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 19, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 20, Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;Me&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;
+Note 7, apply RC to &ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 20 and 21 is in the word
+&ldquo;baptismal&rdquo;: bap|tismal.</li>
+<li>Page 21, Note 8, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 23, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 24, Note 2, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 28 and 29 is in the word
+&ldquo;possibly&rdquo;: pos|sibly.</li>
+<li>Page 31, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 34, Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>The break between pages 37 and 38 is in the word
+&ldquo;ecclesiastical&rdquo;: ecclesias|tical.</li>
+<li>Page 46, Voting, point 1, change &ldquo;deliberatively&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;deliberately.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 47 and 48 is in the word
+&ldquo;services&rdquo;: ser|vices.</li>
+<li>The break between pages 53 and 54 is in the word
+&ldquo;importance&rdquo;: impor|tance.</li>
+<li>Page 56, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 57, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 58, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; add
+comma to &ldquo;Britain Baptists&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 59, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and &ldquo;He.&rdquo;
+Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My.&rdquo; Section II, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Persons&rdquo; and &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Thee.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 60, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; apply RC to
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 61, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Himself&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 5, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 62, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC
+to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;One.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 63, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; (twice). Note 3, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Me.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 64, note 1, change &ldquo;Rev. 8:7&ndash;9&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.
+3:7&ndash;9.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;Eph. 8:14&ndash;21&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Eph. 5:14&ndash;21.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;Prophet,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Priest,&rdquo; &ldquo;King,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 65, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo;; change
+&ldquo;Eph. 2:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;Eph. 2:8&rdquo; and change &ldquo;ye
+are&rdquo; to &ldquo;are ye&rdquo; to match the quotation. Note 2,
+change &ldquo;Acts 11:38&rdquo; to &ldquo;Acts 2:38&rdquo; to match the
+quotation. Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Point IX, apply RC to
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 66, note 1, change &ldquo;a holy calling&rdquo; to &ldquo;an holy
+calling.&rdquo; Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;elects sake&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;elect&rsquo;s sakes&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chris&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Christ.&rdquo; Note 5, change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:10&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 1:4.&rdquo; Apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 67, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo; Note
+1, change &ldquo;Thess 4:3&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Thess. 4:3.&rdquo; Note
+3, change &ldquo;Phil. 1:12, 13&rdquo; to &ldquo;Phil. 2:12, 13&rdquo; to
+match the quotation. Point XI, note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo;
+(twice). Note 2, change &ldquo;John 2:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;John
+2:19&rdquo; to match the quotation.</li>
+<li>Page 68, Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Section XII, apply RC
+to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Note 4, change &ldquo;Rom. 8:2, 4&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;Rom. 8:2&ndash;4&rdquo; to match the quotation; apply RC to
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 69, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Scriptural.&rdquo; Note 4, change
+&ldquo;John 1#:15&rdquo; (where # represents a poorly printed sort), to
+&ldquo;John 13:15.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 70, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 2, change &ldquo;Matt.
+18:19&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 28:19&rdquo; to match quotation. Note 3,
+change &ldquo;raised from the dead&ldquo; to &ldquo;raised up from the
+dead.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 71, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo; Note 1, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;My,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and &ldquo;My&rdquo;; change &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor.
+11:27&ndash;30&rdquo; to &ldquo;1&nbsp;Cor. 11:22&ndash;30.&rdquo; Note 2,
+apply RC to &ldquo;He.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; (four
+times) and &ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 72, note 2, change &ldquo;Ps. 113:24&rdquo; to &ldquo;Ps.
+113:2&ndash;4.&rdquo; Note 3, apply RC to &ldquo;My&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Him&rdquo;; change &ldquo;then shall thou delight&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;then shalt thou delight.&rdquo; Note 4, apply RC to
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo; Point XVII, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 73, note 4, change &ldquo;Rev. 19:14&rdquo; to &ldquo;Rev.
+19:16&rdquo; to match quotation. Point XVIII, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;
+(twice). Note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 74, note 2, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo; Note 5, change
+&ldquo;Matt. 25:35&ndash;41&rdquo; to &ldquo;Matt. 25:31&ndash;46.&rdquo;
+Note 6, apply RC to &ldquo;He&rdquo; and &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 75, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him&rdquo; (twice),
+&ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice), &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 76, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 78 and 79 is in the word
+&ldquo;expressed&rdquo;: ex|pressed.</li>
+<li>Page 79, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 82, apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 85, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 86, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;Him,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;He.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 88, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 89, change &ldquo;Malancthon&rdquo; to &ldquo;Malanchthon&rdquo;
+and &ldquo;colaborer&rdquo; to &ldquo;co-laborer.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 90, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a churchman.
+Change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 91, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 91 and 92 is in the word
+&ldquo;sufficient&rdquo;: suf|ficient.</li>
+<li>Page 92, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 93 and 94 is in the word
+&ldquo;immersion&rdquo;: immer|sion.</li>
+<li>Page 95, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 96 and 97 is in the word
+&ldquo;original&rdquo;: origi|nal.</li>
+<li>Page 98, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practised&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 99, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(twice).</li>
+<li>Page 100, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 101, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 102, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 104, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 105, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 106 and 107 is in the word
+&ldquo;Parliament&rdquo;: Par|liament.</li>
+<li>Page 108, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo; (thrice) and
+&ldquo;Me.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 109, apply RC to &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;My&rdquo; (four times), &ldquo;Me,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 109 and 110 is in the word
+&ldquo;practiced&rdquo; (changed from &ldquo;practised&rdquo;):
+prac|ticed.</li>
+<li>Page 110, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 111, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 112, apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 113, apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 114, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Apostles&rsquo;,&rdquo; &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo; Change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 115, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 115 and 116 is in the word
+&ldquo;infants&rdquo;: in|fants.</li>
+<li>Page 116, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(thrice).</li>
+<li>Page 117, apply RC to &ldquo;His&rdquo;;  change &ldquo;practise&rdquo;
+to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;; apply RC to &ldquo;Him.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 118, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 118 and 119 is in the word
+&ldquo;remaining&rdquo;: re|maining.</li>
+<li>Page 119, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen.</li>
+<li>Page 120, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Each of pages 123 and 124, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring
+to a churchman.</li>
+<li>Page 124, apply RC to &ldquo;Lord&rsquo;s Table.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 125, apply RC to &ldquo;His.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 129, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo;
+(thrice). Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 130, capitalize &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; as referring to a
+churchman; apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 131, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 132, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;
+Apply RC to &ldquo;His Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 133, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 134, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 136, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice.&rdquo;
+Apply RC to &ldquo;Divine&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 137, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel&rdquo; and &ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 138, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 140, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 141, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 142, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Divinely.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 143 and 144 is in the word
+&ldquo;people&rdquo;: peo|ple.</li>
+<li>Page 144, capitalize &ldquo;Divines&rdquo; as referring to churchmen;
+apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo; Add &ldquo;Ch. Hist.&rdquo; to the
+Geiseler citation.</li>
+<li>Page 145, change &ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 146, change &ldquo;practises&rdquo; to &ldquo;practices.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 147, apply RC to &ldquo;His,&rdquo; &ldquo;He,&rdquo; &ldquo;His
+Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His&rdquo; (twice), &ldquo;He,&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Divine,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 147 and 148 is in the word
+&ldquo;minister&rdquo;: min|ister.</li>
+<li>Page 148, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; &ldquo;His,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 148 and 149 is in the word
+&ldquo;authority&rdquo;: author|ity.</li>
+<li>Page 149, change &ldquo;later&rdquo; to &ldquo;latter.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 150, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 152, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostle&rdquo;; change
+<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopous&rdquo;</span> to
+<span lang="grc-Latn">&ldquo;episcopos&rdquo;</span> for consistency.</li>
+<li>Page 153, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostolic.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 154, apply RC to &ldquo;Word,&rdquo; &ldquo;Apostles,&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Himself.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 155, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 155 and 156 is in the word
+&ldquo;apostasy&rdquo;: apos|tasy.</li>
+<li>Page 156, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel,&rdquo;; change
+&ldquo;practised&rdquo; to &ldquo;practiced&rdquo; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Word&rdquo; and &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 158, apply RC to &ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo; Change
+&ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo; (twice).</li>
+<li>Page 160, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;;
+apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 161, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Word.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 162 and 163 is in the word
+&ldquo;contemporary&rdquo;: contempo|rary.</li>
+<li>Page 163, apply RC to &ldquo;Apostles&rdquo; and
+&ldquo;Gospel.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 164, change &ldquo;offence&rdquo; to &ldquo;offense.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 165 and 166 is in the word
+&ldquo;because&rdquo;: be|cause.</li>
+<li>Page 166, remove extraneous right double quotes after
+&ldquo;Smithfield&rdquo;; change &ldquo;suffered perhaps more&rdquo; to
+&ldquo;suffered perhaps no more.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 167, change &ldquo;defence&rdquo; to &ldquo;defense.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>Page 169, add comma to &ldquo;after he&rdquo;; apply RC to
+&ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+<li>The break between pages 170 and 171 is in the word
+&ldquo;themselves&rdquo;: them|selves.</li>
+<li>Page 173, change &ldquo;practise&rdquo; to &ldquo;practice&rdquo;
+(twice); apply RC to &ldquo;Divine.&rdquo;</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Manual for Baptist
+Churches, by Edward Thurston Hiscox
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+</pre>
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+</body>
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