Alan Dale Gross
Active Member
From pg. 172 of "HISTORY THE WELSH BAPTISTS,
FROM THE YEAR SIXTY-THREE TO THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY", BY J. DAVIS
"We do not pretend that the primitive saints were called Baptists;
all went under the general denomination of Christians
and when they began to file off into parties
they took the names of men by whom they were led.
"It is not the history of a name,
but the prevalence of a principal, of which we are in search."
From page 173 ff,
"The Baptists have been distinguished from other sects, not only in their views of the subjects and mode of baptism,
but they have always held to other sentiments peculiar to themselves, and which they consider essential important truths,
but which their opponents have branded with the name of dangerous errors, or damnable heresies.
"The supporters of believer's baptism have, under every form of government, been the advocates of liberty;
and for this reason, they have never flourished much except in those governments where some degree of freedom has been maintained.
"Arbitrary states have always oppressed them, and driven them for refuge to milder regions.
"They cannot live in tyrannical states, and free countries are the only places to seek for them,
for their whole public religion is impracticable without freedom.
"In political changes they have always been friendly to the cause of liberty, and their passion for it has at different times
led some into acts of indiscretion, and scenes of danger. But with a few exceptions, we may say in truth,
that the Baptists have always adhered to their leading maxim, to be "subject to the powers that be;"
and all the favor they as Christians have asked of civil governments, has been —
to give them their Bibles, and let them alone.
"The interference of the magistrate in the affairs of conscience, they have never courted, but have always protested against.
"Classical authority and priestly domination, they have ever opposed and abhorred, and the equality of Christians as such,
and the absolute independency of churches, they have most scrupulously maintained.
"Learning they have esteemed in its proper place ; but they have also uniformly maintained, that the servants of God may preach his gospel without it.
"The distinction between their ministers and brethren is less than in almost any other denomination of Christians;
whatever abilities their ministers possess, they reduce them to the capacity of mere teachers;
and they consider all not only at liberty, but moreover bound to exercise, under proper regulations, the gifts they may possess,
for the edification of their brethren.
"From the New Testament account of the primitive Christians, we believe that they were Baptists.
"But we will quote the accounts given of them by two authors, and then the reader may judge for himself.
"Mosheim was no friend to the Baptists, and yet he has made many important concessions in their favor;
and in relating the history of the primitive church, 'he has given a description, which will not certainly apply to his own church, the Lutheran,
nor to any sect in Christendom except the Baptists.
"Baptism," he observes, "was administered in the first century without the public assemblies, in places appointed for that purpose,
and was performed by immersion of the whole body in water." By this account it appears that the first Christians went " streaming away,
(as Dr. Osgood would say,) to some pond or river" to be baptized.
"Respecting church discipline, the same writer observes: "The churches in those early times were entirely independent,
none of them subject to any foreign jurisdiction, but each one governed by its own rulers and laws.
For though the churches, founded by the Apostles, had this particular deference shown them, that they were consulted in difficult and doubtful cases,
yet they had no juridical authority, no sort of supremacy over the others, nor the least right to enact laws for them.
Nothing on the contrary is more evident than the perfect equality that reigned among the primitive churches," and so on. "
"A bishop, during the first and second centuries, was a person who had the care of one Christian assembly,
which at that time was, generally speaking, small enough to be contained in a private house.
In this assembly, he acted not so much with the authority of a master, as with the zeal and diligence of a faithful servant" and so on.
"There was," says Robinson, " among primitive Christians, an uniform belief that Jesus was the Christ, and a Perfect Harmony of Affection.
"When congregations multiplied, so that they became too numerous to assemble in one place, they parted into separate companies,
and so again and again, but there was no schism; on the contrary, all held a common union, and a member of one company was a member of all.
"If any person removed from one place to reside at another, he received a letter of attestation, which was given and taken as proof;
and this custom very prudently precluded the intrusion of impostors.
"One company never pretended to inspect the affairs of another,
nor was there any dominion, or any shadow of dominion, over the consciences of any individuals.
Overt acts were the only objects of censure, and censure was nothing but voting a man out of the community."
"Let any candid man compare the different denominations of Christians, of the present day, with these descriptions of the primitive church,
and he will, we think, be at no loss to determine which comes the nearest to it.
"But Mr. Robinson goes farther, and determines the matter just as a Baptist believes.
"During the three first centuries, Christian congregations all over the East, subsisted in separate, independent bodies,
unsupported by government, and consequently without any secular power over one another.
"All this time they were Baptist churches, and though all the fathers of the four first ages down to Jerome, were of Greece, Syria, and Africa,
and though they gave great numbers of histories of the baptism of adults, yet there is not one record of the baptism of a child..."
See also, for an intro: HISTORY of THE WELSH BAPTISTS, FROM THE YEAR SIXTY-THREE TO THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY.
FROM THE YEAR SIXTY-THREE TO THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY", BY J. DAVIS
"We do not pretend that the primitive saints were called Baptists;
all went under the general denomination of Christians
and when they began to file off into parties
they took the names of men by whom they were led.
"It is not the history of a name,
but the prevalence of a principal, of which we are in search."
From page 173 ff,
"The Baptists have been distinguished from other sects, not only in their views of the subjects and mode of baptism,
but they have always held to other sentiments peculiar to themselves, and which they consider essential important truths,
but which their opponents have branded with the name of dangerous errors, or damnable heresies.
"The supporters of believer's baptism have, under every form of government, been the advocates of liberty;
and for this reason, they have never flourished much except in those governments where some degree of freedom has been maintained.
"Arbitrary states have always oppressed them, and driven them for refuge to milder regions.
"They cannot live in tyrannical states, and free countries are the only places to seek for them,
for their whole public religion is impracticable without freedom.
"In political changes they have always been friendly to the cause of liberty, and their passion for it has at different times
led some into acts of indiscretion, and scenes of danger. But with a few exceptions, we may say in truth,
that the Baptists have always adhered to their leading maxim, to be "subject to the powers that be;"
and all the favor they as Christians have asked of civil governments, has been —
to give them their Bibles, and let them alone.
"The interference of the magistrate in the affairs of conscience, they have never courted, but have always protested against.
"Classical authority and priestly domination, they have ever opposed and abhorred, and the equality of Christians as such,
and the absolute independency of churches, they have most scrupulously maintained.
"Learning they have esteemed in its proper place ; but they have also uniformly maintained, that the servants of God may preach his gospel without it.
"The distinction between their ministers and brethren is less than in almost any other denomination of Christians;
whatever abilities their ministers possess, they reduce them to the capacity of mere teachers;
and they consider all not only at liberty, but moreover bound to exercise, under proper regulations, the gifts they may possess,
for the edification of their brethren.
"From the New Testament account of the primitive Christians, we believe that they were Baptists.
"But we will quote the accounts given of them by two authors, and then the reader may judge for himself.
"Mosheim was no friend to the Baptists, and yet he has made many important concessions in their favor;
and in relating the history of the primitive church, 'he has given a description, which will not certainly apply to his own church, the Lutheran,
nor to any sect in Christendom except the Baptists.
"Baptism," he observes, "was administered in the first century without the public assemblies, in places appointed for that purpose,
and was performed by immersion of the whole body in water." By this account it appears that the first Christians went " streaming away,
(as Dr. Osgood would say,) to some pond or river" to be baptized.
"Respecting church discipline, the same writer observes: "The churches in those early times were entirely independent,
none of them subject to any foreign jurisdiction, but each one governed by its own rulers and laws.
For though the churches, founded by the Apostles, had this particular deference shown them, that they were consulted in difficult and doubtful cases,
yet they had no juridical authority, no sort of supremacy over the others, nor the least right to enact laws for them.
Nothing on the contrary is more evident than the perfect equality that reigned among the primitive churches," and so on. "
"A bishop, during the first and second centuries, was a person who had the care of one Christian assembly,
which at that time was, generally speaking, small enough to be contained in a private house.
In this assembly, he acted not so much with the authority of a master, as with the zeal and diligence of a faithful servant" and so on.
"There was," says Robinson, " among primitive Christians, an uniform belief that Jesus was the Christ, and a Perfect Harmony of Affection.
"When congregations multiplied, so that they became too numerous to assemble in one place, they parted into separate companies,
and so again and again, but there was no schism; on the contrary, all held a common union, and a member of one company was a member of all.
"If any person removed from one place to reside at another, he received a letter of attestation, which was given and taken as proof;
and this custom very prudently precluded the intrusion of impostors.
"One company never pretended to inspect the affairs of another,
nor was there any dominion, or any shadow of dominion, over the consciences of any individuals.
Overt acts were the only objects of censure, and censure was nothing but voting a man out of the community."
"Let any candid man compare the different denominations of Christians, of the present day, with these descriptions of the primitive church,
and he will, we think, be at no loss to determine which comes the nearest to it.
"But Mr. Robinson goes farther, and determines the matter just as a Baptist believes.
"During the three first centuries, Christian congregations all over the East, subsisted in separate, independent bodies,
unsupported by government, and consequently without any secular power over one another.
"All this time they were Baptist churches, and though all the fathers of the four first ages down to Jerome, were of Greece, Syria, and Africa,
and though they gave great numbers of histories of the baptism of adults, yet there is not one record of the baptism of a child..."
See also, for an intro: HISTORY of THE WELSH BAPTISTS, FROM THE YEAR SIXTY-THREE TO THE YEAR ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY.
