unto salvation. (Eph. i. 4, 5, 11; John | yet one Christ, the only Mediator between xiii. 18; Rom. viii. 29, 30; Eph. ii. 8; 2 Thess. ii. 13; John xvii. 17, 19.) 4. The Fall of Man and Sin. Although God created man upright and perfect, and gave to him a righteous law, yet he did not long abide in this honor, but did wilfully transgress the command given unto him in eating the forbidden fruit; which God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory. Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, whereby death came upon all; all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root, corrupted nature was conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath. (Gen. ii. 16, 17; iii. 11, 12, 13; Rom. v. 12, 13, 14; Jer. xvii. 9; Ps. li. 5; Eph. ii. 3.) 5. God's Covenant. Man having brought himself under the curse of the law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to reveal the Covenant of Grace, wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they might be saved; and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life, his Holy Spirit to make them willing and able to believe. (Gal. iii. 10; John iii. 15, 16; Ezek. xxxvi. 27; John vi. 44, 45; Ps. cx. 3.) 6. Christ the Mediator. The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance, and equal with him, who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made; did, when the fulness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin: so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, which person is very God and very man, God and man. (John i. 14; Gal. iv. 4 ; Rom. viii. 3; Heb. iv. 15; 1 Tim. ii. 5.) 7. Redemption. The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him. To all those for whom Christ hath obtained eternal redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same; making intercession for them; uniting them to himself by his Spirit; revealing unto them, in and by the word, the mystery of salvation; persuading them to believe and obey; governing their hearts by his word and Spirit, and overcoming all their enemies by his almighty power and wisdom; in such manner and ways as are most consonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensation and all of free and absolute grace, without any condition foreseen in them to procure it. (Heb. x. 14; Rom. iii. 25, 26; John xvii. 2; Heb. ix. 15; John vii. 27; xvii. 9; Rom. viii. 9, 14; 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26; John iii. 8.) 8. The Will. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone, enables him freely to will and do that which is spiritually good. (Rom. viii. 7, 8; John vi. 44; Col. i. 13, 14; John viii. 36; Rom. viii. 2; Eph. ii. 8; 2 Tim. i. 9.) 9. Effectual Calling. Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased in his appointed and accepted time effectually to call by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of 16. Perseverance. Those whom God hath accepted in the Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. Phil. i. 6. 1 John (John x. 28, 29. ii. 19.) 17. Moral Law. The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof, and that not only in regard to the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it; neither doth Christ in the gospel any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. (Rom. xiii. 8, 9, 10. James ii. 10, 11. Matt. v. 17-19.) 18. The Sabbath. God, by his word, in a positive, moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him, which, from the beginning of the world, to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's day. (Ex. xx. 8. 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Acts xx. 7. Rev. i. 10.) 19. The Church. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, in whom, by the appointment of the Father, all power for the calling, institution, order, or government of the church, is invested in a supreme and sovereign manner. In the execution of this power, the Lord Jesus calleth out of the world unto himself, through the ministry of his word, by his Spirit, those that are given unto him by his Father, that they may walk before him in all the ways of obedience, which he prescribeth to them in his word. (Col. i. 18. John x. 16. Matt. xxviii. 20.) 20. Church Officers. A particular church gathered, and completely organized according to the mind. of Christ, consists of officers and members: and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church are bishops, or elders, and deacons. (Acts xx. 17, 28. Phil i. 1. Acts xiv. 23.) 21. Ministers—their duty and support. | souls of the wicked are cast into hell, The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in his churches, in the ministry of the word, and prayer, with watching for their souls, as they that must give an account to him: it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things, according to their ability. (Acts vi. 4. Heb. xiii. 17. 1 Tim. v. 17, 18. Gal. vi. 6.) 22. Baptism. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of his giving up unto God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, and obedience to our Lord Jesus, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. The outward element to be used in this ordinance is water, wherein the party is to be immersed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Rom. vi. 3, 4, 5. Colos. ii. 12. iii. 27. Mark i. 4; 37, 38. Acts viii. 38. iii. 16.) Gal. 23. Lord's Supper. The supper of the Lord Jesus was instituted by him, the same night wherein he was betrayed, to be observed in his churches unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance and showing forth the sacrifice of himself in his death. (1 Cor. xi. 23-26.) where they remain in torment and utter 25. The Judgment. God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, by Jesus Christ; to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father; then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fulness of joy and glory, with everlasting reward, in the presence of the Lord: but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments. and punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (Acts xvii. 31. Matt. xxv. 31, 34, 41. 46. 2 Thess. i. .) 66 IN proceeding to sketch the general HISTORY of the Baptists, we may remark that they have often been represented as unknown before the sixteenth century, and some historians are still so disinge nuous as to ascribe their origin to the Anabaptists of Munster." The term xvi. 16. Acts viii." Anabaptist," or rebaptist, has been apJohn iii. 23. Matt. plied to all who baptize those whom others believe to be baptized already, but more especially to those who deny the validity of infant baptism. Some of the enthusiasts of Munster did so, and they have, on that account, been called "Anabaptists." But this peculiarity has existed in connexion with almost every shade of religious faith and practice; and sometimes, as in the case of the Anabaptists of Munster, with fanaticism and wickedness. It does not appear, that in any thing but the rejection of infant baptism did the Anabaptists of Munster bear any resemblance to the present Baptists, and their agreement with them in this is but an accidental coincidence. In Scripture there is no mention of the baptism of infants, nor even of adults, except as penitents, believing on Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. And since then there have been in every age great numbers, who, like the present Baptists, believed 24. The Resurrection. The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption; but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies; and the baptism to be immersion, and immersed | so greatly prevailed in the East. Their none but penitent believers. It will be seen, then, that the Baptists claim the high antiquity of the coinmencement of the Christian church. They can trace a succession of those who have believed the same doctrines, and administered the same ordinances, directly up to the apostolic age. They have never sought, nor ever had alliance with the state, or support from it; they have never interfered with the disputes of those whom they regarded as antichristian, in their struggles for power. They were equally unknown as Protestants at Spires, and as the Reformers, who yet sought union with the king as head of the church, in the days of Henry VIII., of England. Whether in the plains of Judea, the valleys of the Vaudois, the villages of Britain, or the wilderness of our own loved land, they have steadily sought the glory of their Lord, the purity of his laws, and the conquest of men to his government. The historian Mosheim, a padobaptist, says, that the "true origin of that sect which acquired the denomination of Anabaptists, is hidden in the depths of antiquity," and Cardinal Hosius, Chairman at the Council of Trent, 1555, 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 twelve hundred years past, that have been more grievously punished." steadfastness was severely tried in the fourth century, by the edicts of Diocle. tion; but while opposed by the civil power, they maintained their Christian simplicity. When, however, Constantine began to smile upon them, they became worldly and corrupt, and soon the errors of Pelagius rent the land. Two divines, who are said to be Welshmen, but who had resided on the continent of Europe, returned, and succeeded in reclaiming many of the wanderers, who were re-baptized in the river Allen, near Chester, about 410. Thirty years after this, such was the prevalence of immortality in Britain, that the pious retired to the woods, and the old corrupt professors of Christianity, says Warner, united their system with that of the Druids. Dr. Thomas Fuller tells us that the body of the Christian church was now in Wales. This was the awful state of things when Austin, the Romish monk, reached Britain. By various representations, he succeeded in drawing over to that church ten thousand persons, who were baptized in the river Swale, near York, on Christmas day, 598. In this business there was no compulsion; each one was left to act voluntarily. Austin sent into Wales to the original pastors and churches, but after conferences with him, they declined his proposal" to baptize young children," (rather minors.) In less than two years, many of the Welsh churches, which had maintained their apostolic character, were destroyed by military force. A fierce controversy followed, not as to doctrine, but baptism, between the ancient British Christians, and Augustine's converts, which lasted about a century. This debate was not on the number of im The best accounts seem to show that Christianity was introduced into Britain about the year 63, by Claudia, a Welsh lady, converted under the ministry of Paul at Rome. Bishop Burgess tells us that the early British churches bore a strik-mersions, says Dupin, since one or three ing resemblance to the model institution at Jerusalem. "No persons were admitted to baptism," says Mosheim," but such as had been previously instructed in the principal points of Christianity, and had also given satisfactory proofs of pious dispositions and upright intentions." The gospel is said to have made considerable progress in Britain about the year 167, and the churches there planted were long preserved from the errors which dippings were equally valid at Rome; not on the mode, because all immersed in rivers, ponds, &c.; but on the subjects. At this period, A. D. 600, baptism in the Roman church had descended to minors of seven years of age, (all minors, as is shown by Mabillion and Robinson, were called infants,) where it stayed for centuries. Conformity to this custom was required, and refused. The ancient British church, says the Encyclopedia Metropoli fants, and preached against the pope, Thirty of these were put to death near Oxford. The remainder of them worshipped in private, until Henry II. came to the throne, in 1158, when, from the mildness of his measures, they appeared again publicly. It was now discovered that these people had several houses of the Albigensian order in England. Collier observes, wherever this heresy prevailed, the churches were either scandalously neglected or pulled down. Infants, Hoveden tells us, were not baptized by them. The conflicts between the sovereigns of this kingdom and the archbishops, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, per tance, did not practise immersion of minors. Their conformity to the "mother church," Acts ii. 41, forbade it. Neither Constantine the Great, who was born in Britain, was baptized in childhood, though his mother Helena was a zealous Christian, and his father favorable to Christianity, if not a professor of it, nor were Sexted and Seward, sons of Sebert, the Christian king of the East Saxons. "Men were first to be instructed into the knowledge of the truth," says Bede, " then to be baptized, as Christ hath taught, because without faith it is impossible to please God." In the first baptisms of Austin, none were compelled, but the multitude was with faith to go into the water two-and-mitted the Baptists to propagate their sentwo, says Camden, and, in the name of the Trinity, to dip one another. Bede's history of the first baptism in England is an exact counterpart of the histories of baptisms in the East; the first teachers made disciples, and immersed in rivers or the sea. There is no proof in Gildas or Bede of infant baptism for the first six centuries. We soon after this find Saxon Christianity little better than Paganism, and Milton tells us the British Christians ceased to hold communion with the Saxon inhabitants of the land. But, after an awful darkness of three centuries, the Baptists again rose from obscurity. Collier tells us that the confused state of the country allowed some of the Waldenses or Albigenses of the eleventh century to visit it. They were so successful among all classes, that William the Conqueror became alarmed, and decreed, says Newton, "that those who denied the pope should not trade with his subjects." Another colony of people, belonging to a numerous sect of fanatics, says Lingard, "who infested the north of Italy, Gaul, and Germany, and who were called puritans," is said to have come into England. Usher calls them Waldenses, from Aquitain; Spelman calls them Publicans, (Paulicians,) but says they were the same as the Waldenses. They gained ground, and spread themselves and their doctrines all over Europe. They labored to win souls to Christ, and were guided only by the word of God. They rejected all the Roman ceremonies, refused to baptize in timents very extensively, unmolested. The sword not being in the hand of the clergy, they employed the friars to preach down heresy; but their conduct disgusted the people. The English Baptists were much revived. and increased by the visit of Walter Lollard, a Dutchman. "He was remarkable," says Mosheim, "for his eloquence and writings." He was an eminent barb or pastor among the Begherds, in Germany, who, Dr. Wall says, baptized anew all who came over to their party. He was in sentiment the same as Peter de Bruis. About this period, 1338, colonies of weavers, Waldenses, came into the county of Norfolk. These people made little noise, though they existed in almost all the countries of Europe. Although the same in religious views as the Paterines, Picards, and Waldenses, they were now, says Hallam, called Lollards. There had appeared in England, up to this time, about twenty good men, preachers of the gospel, so that the soil was prepared, Sir James Mackintosh says, for after reformers. The Baptists now adopted a plan of dropping their written sentiments against popery in the way of the members of Parliament. In 1868, thirty errors in matters of religion were charged on the people in the neighborhood of Canterbury; one was, Du Pin tells us, that children could be saved without water baptism; but none, says Fox, gave baptism to children at this time but for salvation. Their numbers and decided hostility to the hierarchy aroused their adversaries to |