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BAPTISTS, 
 
 THE ONLY 
 
 THOROUGH RELIGIOUS REFORMERS; 
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, A. m., 
 
 Author of "Heeoes of the American Revolution," 
 
 "Baptism and Holiness," " Vessel unto Honor," 
 
 " Sanctification," etc., etc. 
 
 CENTENNIAL EDITION, 
 
 REVISED AND ENLARGED. 
 
 < «< ^» r» — >— 
 
 ..iW 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 SHELDON & COMPANY, 
 
 8 MURRAY STREET. 
 
 1876. 
 
.,*;-.. vH 
 
 #-^ 
 
 COPYBIGHT, 
 
 JOHN Q. ADAMS, 
 
 1876. 
 
PREFACE TO THE CENTEMIAL EDITION. 
 
 The following Lectures have a peculiar his- 
 tory. They were originally delivered to the Bap- 
 tist Church in Caldwell, N. J., in the ordinary 
 course of pastoral labors in that place, and were 
 not then intended for the press. At the urgent 
 request of those who heard them, the author was 
 induced to give them to the public. They were 
 delivered from meager notes, and from these, as 
 his "copy," the author, himself a practical 
 printer, set up the types of the first edition, 
 which was published in 1853. As much of the 
 matter was thus extemporized at the "case," the 
 entire book was never written. The late excel- 
 lent Spencer H. Cone, D. D., then pastor of the 
 First Baptist Church of New York city, read the 
 
4 PREFACE TO THE CENTENNIAL EDITION. 
 
 proofs, and so well pleased was he with the work, 
 that he ordered the first fifty copies for his own 
 church, recommending it from his pulpit as well 
 as by the notice which appears among the "Re- 
 commendations. " 
 
 Several editions were printed during the few 
 following years, and the work was widely circu- 
 lated through the country, and seems to have 
 given a new phase to the baptismal controversy, 
 by directing attention to the great principles 
 which underlie the action of the Baptist denom- 
 ination. It shows that these principles, though 
 based on God's Word, are constantly violated by 
 Protestant pedobaptists, though they profess to 
 be governed by that Word. Not a few of these 
 have been led, by the perusal of previous editions, 
 to see the utter inconsistency of pedobaptism 
 with the principles of the New Testament, and 
 have renounced it, and united with the Baptist 
 denomination. Among these, several highly 
 honored and useful brethren, now in the ministry 
 of the denomination^ might be named. 
 
PREFACE TO THE CENTENNIAL EDITION. D 
 
 The occurrence of our National Centennial 
 seemed to the author an appropriate time to issue 
 a revised and enlarged edition, especially as 
 some years have elapsed since the plates of the 
 first editions were destroyed, and during all that 
 time applications have been made for the work, 
 which could not be supplied. 
 
 To the advocacy and propagation of the prin- 
 ciples here presented, our country owes all it 
 possesses of true greatness. American principles 
 are, essentially, Baptist principles, and this is 
 owing to the fact that Baptist principles have 
 impressed themselves upon the nation, as the 
 only principles consistent with a government 
 divorced from ecclesiastical control, and recog- 
 nizing the universal right to civil and religious 
 liberty. 
 
 And to the recognition and prevalence of these 
 principles, the evangelical pedobaptist churches 
 of our land owe their spirituality and moral 
 power, in spite of the inconsistency of infant 
 baptism, the legitimate and baneful fruits of 
 
6 PREFACE TO THE CENTENNIAL EDITION". 
 
 which are nipped in the bud by the influence of 
 Baptist churches. 
 
 "With the earnest prayer that the present edi- 
 tion may be as useful, at least, as previous ones, 
 in leading Christians of every name to the knowl- 
 edge and practice of Bible truth, the work is 
 commended to the blessing of God, and the can- 
 did consideration of the reader. 
 
 J. Q. A. 
 
 Newburgh, N. Y., 1876. 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 From the Fifth Edition, Published in October, 
 
 1856. 
 
 From Key. Spencer H. Cone, D. D. 
 
 " We have read this little book with more than ordi- 
 nary gratification. It treats an important subject in a 
 Scriptural and logical manner. There is no attempt to 
 conceal or modify our denominational principles ; they 
 are stated kindly and persuasively, yet with a manliness 
 and earnestness worthy of all praise. We suggest the 
 expediency of stereotyping the work, printing it in a 
 cheap form and circulating it by thousands. ' Christian 
 baptism is immersion only ; if it is right to preach it, it is 
 right to print it :' — that is my creed ; and without either 
 violating it or covering it up, I can heartily commend 
 this plain, straightforward production of our young 
 ministering brother to all who wish to ' buy the truth 
 and sell it not'/ " 
 
 From Ret. Archibald Maclay, D. D. 
 
 " With the work of Brother Adams, entitled " Bap- 
 tists Thorough Reformers," I am decidedly well 
 pleased. I have perused it with great satisfaction, and 
 consider the reasoning contained in it the most con- 
 clusive I have ever read. It is just the book for the 
 times. I can cheerfully recommend it." 
 
Vlll RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 From the N. Y. Recorder. 
 
 "Baptists Thorough Religious Reformers : By John 
 Quincy Adams. — Mr. Adams illustrates in himself sev- 
 eral things : that practical printers make clear, straight- 
 forward writers — that Pedobaptists who sacrifice some- 
 thing for their convictions, make thorough Baptists — 
 and that he is the strongest Baptist of all, who, passing 
 far down beneath philological questions, in which some 
 shallow opponents think they see all there is of Baptist 
 doctrines, sees and comprehends the principles which 
 are embodied in the denomination, as in the primitive 
 church. All these characteristics, illustrated in Mr. 
 Adams personally, are transferred to his book. It is 
 clear and straightforward — it is thoroughly Baptist — 
 and it is so, not on grounds of philology merely, but of 
 those foundation principles which belong to the king- 
 dom of Christ. The volume is suggestive and valuable 
 and will be read with interest and advantage." 
 
 From the Michigan Christian Herald, Detroit. 
 
 " The Baptists have not hitherto performed their 
 share of book-work. They are, however, retrieving 
 their character. This work, from the pen of Rev. John 
 Quincy Adams, is the result of a course of lectures. It 
 is written in a plain, clear, straightforward style, and is 
 an earnest and honest exposition of the great principles 
 of Baptists. The author was formerly a Pedobaptist, 
 and in changing his church relation, he has been led to 
 look more intelligently into the principles of the Bap- 
 tists, than many who have not had the same reasons to 
 study them. The book should be in the hands of every 
 Baptist family." 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS. IX 
 
 From the Gospel Banner, St. Lends, Mb. 
 
 " The author, John Q. Adams, is a man of clear per- 
 ceptive powers. He looks into a subject, not at one. He 
 digs down beneath the surface, and has something to do 
 with principles, which, like roots interlaced, form the 
 strong support of the Christian tree. His subject has 
 been for years a central thought, around which other 
 thoughts have gathered. It grows naturally ; he treats 
 it with a master-hand. It is a book you all need. Buy 
 it." 
 
 From the Tennessee Baptist, NasJwitle, Term. 
 
 " We read this book with much interest and satis- 
 faction. The arrangement of the themes is admirable, 
 the discussion of the various topics is bold, clear, earn- 
 est, and satisfactory. It presents Baptist principles in 
 an imposing and interesting light, and in this is well 
 calculated to do good. This book should be circulated by 
 tens of thousands. It should be scattered broadcast over 
 the whole land. We shall be glad to see it introduced 
 into the South and West, and we hope our booksellers 
 will order large supplies. Instead of pursuing a time- 
 serving policy, Mr. Adams speaks right out, and pro- 
 claims our principles to the world, though surrounded 
 by the most adverse circumstances. We honor him for 
 his fidelity and fearlessness. May such men be multi- 
 plied." 
 
 From the N. Y. Chronicle. 
 
 "This work presents the distinctive features of the 
 Baptist denomination in a new light, and should be read 
 by every Protestant." 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS. 
 
 From the Christian (Quarterly) Review. 
 
 " We are here presented with a small volume contain- 
 ing great and weighty principles, which cannot fail of 
 commending themselves to the judgment of the judi- 
 cious reader. Had the Reformation been carried forward 
 on these principles, the opposing obstacles to the union 
 of God's people, and, consequently, to the prevalence of 
 the Gospel, had been taken out of the way. The volume 
 is valuable and will repay a careful perusal/' 
 
 [In addition to the above notices many others of subse- 
 quent editions have been received. 
 
 When the author was in London, in August, 1868, Rev. 
 C. H. Spurgeon informed him that he had used " Bap- 
 tists Thorough Reformers " as a text book in his Pastor's 
 College, regarding it as the best Manual of Baptist prin- 
 ciples he had met.] 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LECTURE I. £age 
 
 The Aim, the Reproach, and the Triumph of the 
 Religious Reformer 13 
 
 LECTURE II. 
 
 The Reception which should be given to the Reli- 
 gious Reformer 26 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 The Weapons of the Religious Reformer 38 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 The First Feature of the Reform at which Baptists 
 Aim — The Exaltation of the Word of God above 
 Tradition 51 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 
 The Second Feature, etc. — The Restoration of the 
 Spirituality of Christ's Kingdom 69 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 The Third Feature, etc. — The Propagation of Reli- 
 gious Liberty and the Rights of Conscience 87 
 
 LECTURE VII. 
 
 The Fourth Feature, etc. — The Establishment of 
 the Equality of Christ's Disciples Ill 
 
Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 LECTURE VIII. page 
 
 The Fifth Feature, etc.— The Establishment of the 
 Correct Principle of Biblical Translation 127 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 The Sixth Feature, etc. — The Restoration of the 
 Order of the Primitive Churches 4 . . . 147 
 
 LECTURE X. 
 
 God's Displeasure with those who Remain Sinfully 
 Neutral in a Work of Reform — Conclusion 167 
 
BAPTISTS 
 
 THOROUGH REFORMERS, 
 
 LECTUEE I. 
 
 THE AIM, THE REPROACH, AND THE TRIUMPH OF 
 THE RELIGIOUS REFORMER. 
 
 " These that have turned the world upside down, are 
 come hither also." — Acts xvii. 6. 
 
 It has always been the policy of the advo- 
 cates of error, when unable to sustain them- 
 selves by sophistry, specious reasoning and false 
 logic, to stigmatize the advocates of the truth 
 as innovators, disturbers of the peace, and dan- 
 gerous to the harmony and interests of the com- 
 munity. Such was the course pursued by those 
 who uttered the language of the text. Paul 
 and Silas, having been released from the Mace- 
 donian prison, where they had been confined 
 for preaching the Gospel, took their departure 
 from Philippi, and passing through Amphipolis 
 and Apollonia, " they came to Thessalonica, 
 
14 BAPTISTS 
 
 where was a synagogue of the Jews. 5 ' Here 
 Paul, according to his usual custom, met the 
 Jewish rabbis and teachers, and reasoned with 
 them out of the Old Testament Scriptures, con- 
 cerning Jesus of Nazareth — proving to thern 
 that he was the Messiah. His reasoning on 
 this subject was so forcible, that many of the 
 Jews were convinced, and professed their faith 
 in the Saviour. This stirred up the hatred and 
 envy of the discomfited rabbis ; and, finding 
 themselves unable to cope with the superior 
 logic and masterly reasoning of Paul, they en- 
 listed the prejudices of the rabble, and gathered 
 a mob, and created a riot, and endeavored to 
 lay violent hands on the disciples, and thus 
 accomplish b} r force and superior numbers, 
 what they could not effect by fair argument. 
 Their accusation against the disciples is con- 
 tained in the words of the text : " These that 
 have turned the world upside down, are come 
 hither also." My theme is, 
 
 The Aim, the Reproach, and the Triumph 
 of the Religious Reformer. 
 
 I. The Aim of the Religious Reformer. A 
 Reformer is one who seeks to remove abuses 
 which have crept into an organization or com- 
 munity, or one who boldly enters a field where 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 15 
 
 error has held undisputed sway, and fearlessly 
 wields amid giant powers of opposition, the 
 weapons of truth. He aims to entirely revolu- 
 tionize the minds of the community in which he 
 labors, on that particular subject where he be- 
 lieves reform to be needed. A compromise 
 between truth and error is not what he seeks, 
 and will not satisfy him. u The truth, the 
 whole truth, and nothing but the truth," is his 
 motto. Old systems of error, however sacred 
 on account of their antiquity, he boldly attacks. 
 Though massive darkness has long brooded over 
 the people, he aims to dissipate the gloom, and 
 shed upon them brilliant rays of light, His 
 work is a mighty one ; the end for which he 
 labors is noble and sublime. He holds a posi- 
 tion in advance of the community in which he 
 resides, and the age in which he lives — hence he 
 possesses traits of character that are peculiar, 
 which fit him to toil and suffer for the accom- 
 plishment of his designs. 
 
 A spirit of noble daring is his. He fears 
 not to grapple with errror, though sanctioned 
 by age, and supported by popular favor. He 
 scruples not, if need be, to stand alone, as the 
 champion of truth. With undaunted intre- 
 pidity he braves the " world's dread laugh" or 
 meets its frown. With a spirit of indomitable 
 
16 BAPTISTS 
 
 perseverance, he steadily adheres to his purpose 
 and determinedly pursues his single object. 
 Every obstacle thrown across his path affords 
 a new incentive to increased activity. Every 
 difficulty he meets, only gives new strength 
 and inspires fresh courage. He is not to be 
 turned aside. Having put his hand to the 
 plough, he looks not back. 
 
 Self-sacrificing effort and benevolent labor 
 are his. His time, talents, property, are all 
 laid upon the altar of truth. He toils, not to 
 achieve a name, to amass wealth, or to advance 
 a sect. He labors for the good of others, while 
 often he receives only their hatred, reproach and 
 persecution. If there is one picture on earth 
 that reminds us, more than any other, of the 
 meek and lowly Saviour, it is the spirit and 
 conduct of the reformer, patiently suffering at 
 the hands of those whose moral elevation he 
 labors to effect. And here is the test by which 
 the true and false reformer may be tried and 
 discovered. Infidelity boasts of seeking a re- 
 form. But when did Infidelity ever inspire its 
 advocates with a spirit of self-denial for the 
 good of others ? Where are its sacrifices made 
 to benefit and elevate the human race? Did 
 infidelity ever suffer to benefit man ? Does it 
 to-day go forth, as an angel of mercy, to labor, 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 17 
 
 to suffer, and to bless ? No, no. Bat the true 
 reformer has a high purpose, a benevolent aim ; 
 he occupies holy ground, and he can suffer, 
 unjustly suffer, to benefit his fellow-men. Let 
 us notice, 
 
 II. The Reproach of the Reformer. All 
 Reforms are attended with agitation and con- 
 flict, but none more so than reforms in relig- 
 ion. At first, the reformer may attract but 
 little attention. His attacks on error may ap- 
 pear so feeble, and his efforts to advance the 
 truth may seem so faint, that the opponents of 
 truth may esteem only the smile of ridicule and 
 scorn necessary to throw his work into insignifi- 
 cance, or a slight exertion of authority suffi- 
 cient to extinguish it. But let him continue 
 with boldness, energy and eloquence, to plead 
 for truth and begin to make an impression 
 upon the public mind, and gather adherents 
 around him ; then will his adversaries become 
 agitated and alarmed. Like the fierce storm, 
 lashing into foam the waters of the mighty 
 deep, they stir up the popular mind, until the 
 entire commuuity moves in angry surges, and 
 persecution and violence ensue. The more 
 bold the onset, the more forcible the elucida- 
 tion of truth, the more numerous the adherents 
 
18 BAPTISTS 
 
 to the reform, the more fiercely will the advo- 
 cates of error oppose the effort, and the more 
 desperately will they seek to crush by force, or 
 circumvent by cunning, what they cannot mas- 
 ter by argument, or defeat by sound logic. 
 
 In such an event, the reformer labors 
 under every disadvantage. He is reproached 
 as a disturher of the ptiblie peace. He is re- 
 garded as the cause of all the confusion and 
 uproar, and must bear all the odium connected 
 with it. Look at the text and its connection. 
 The disciples had peacefully taught in the syn- 
 agogue in Thessalonica, yet all the uproar w T as 
 charged upon them : " These that have turned 
 the world upside down, are come hither also." 
 Thus it has ever been. The opposers of reform 
 have lashed into fury the elements of political 
 strife, and then have charged the peace-loving 
 disciples of truth with all the disastrous results. 
 
 The reformer is also reproached as an in- 
 novator. He is opposing old customs and pop- 
 ular usages. He seems to be ruthlessly tram- 
 pling on all that has been held beautiful and 
 venerable. He seems to be setting up indi- 
 vidual and novel opinions against the united 
 and established wisdom of ages. He seems 
 to be destroying everything and advancing noth- 
 ing. He seems to be a reckless intruder, tres- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 19 
 
 passing on ground rightfully occupied by others. 
 He seems to touch sacred things with an 
 impious hand. He seems to be sowing dis- 
 sensions, destroying hallowed institutions, and 
 introducing unauthorized innovations. But he 
 perceives that these old forms and venerated 
 institutions are the offspring of error, and that 
 truth and right demand their extermination; 
 in the name of God, therefore, he goes forth, to 
 overturn, to revolutionize, and to reform. 
 
 He is further reproached as illiberal, un- 
 charitable, bigoted, and narrow-minded. Be- 
 cause lie refuses to call error truth, and dark- 
 ness light, and wrong right, the slaves of error, 
 the victims of darkness, and the followers of 
 wrong conclude that he is uncharitable and 
 narrow-minded. They forget that it is the 
 highest charity to expose error and oppose 
 wrong, and that only the largest minds and 
 most benevolent hearts will seek to dissemi- 
 nate light and dispel darkness, even though 
 " the darkness comprehendeth it not." 
 
 There never yet was a 'reform attempted, 
 that did not suffer the reproach of the dom- 
 inant party. Look at that old reformer Lot: 
 " This one fellow came in to sojourn, and will 
 needs be a judge." Look at Moses, the proph- 
 ets, John the Baptist, Martin Luther, Soger 
 
20 BAPTISTS 
 
 "Williams. All these were reproached as inno- 
 vators, and virtually charged with "turning the 
 world upside down." But the greatest innova- 
 tor that ever appeared in our world was Jesus 
 Christ. He was the Great Reformer. He 
 aimed directly to abolish the old dispensation 
 and make all things new. He paid no respect 
 to the antiquity of the scribe, the morality of 
 the Pharisee, or the sanctity of the priest. He 
 threw himself upon the merits of the truths he 
 delivered, and declared himself a radical inno- 
 vator and reformer. Did not He meet re- 
 proach ? Let the purple robe, the reed sceptre, 
 the thorny crown, the mocking homage, and 
 the blood-stained cross reply. 
 
 The apostles were reproached. The Gospel 
 which they preached was a great innovation 
 upon old and venerable institutions. No reform 
 could ever be compared with that which they 
 sought to effect. They aimed to overturn all 
 the religions in the world. Hence they were 
 accounted " vagabonds, fools, and moon-struck 
 madmen." They were treated with ridicule, 
 scorn, and contempt. They, a few ignorant 
 fishermen, seeking to abolish those religions 
 which had stood for centuries, and which had 
 gathered around them all the charms of his- 
 tory, philosophy, and poetry ; religions whose 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 21 
 
 massive temples towered in majestic splendor 
 to the very clouds — religions which numbered 
 among their devotees, crowds of kings and 
 heroes, artisans and sages, and which were cher- 
 ished by the most powerful and refined nations 
 of the earth. It is not strange that at first 
 they were only deemed worthy of ridicule ; nor 
 is it surprising, that as success crowned their 
 persevering labors, they became the subjects of 
 violent hate and bitter persecution. They were 
 shaking the foundations of ancient supersti- 
 tions, they were disturbers of the public peace, 
 they were detestable innovators, they were 
 hateful reformers, in short, they were " turning 
 the world upside down." 
 
 This kind of reproach Baptists especially 
 have been called to endure. They are great 
 innovators. Of all persecuted sects, the Bap- 
 tists stand forth as most prominent, simply and 
 only because they aim at a more complete and 
 thorough reform than any others ever at- 
 tempted. They teach that Christ's kingdom is 
 not of this world; that the church is not a 
 national, political, or provincial establishment; 
 but a congregation of holy men, separated 
 from the world by the renewing of the Holy 
 Spirit. They seek to "turn the world upside 
 down " — not in the odious sense, but in the 
 
22 BAPTISTS 
 
 proper and desirable sense. The world is 
 wrong; it is morally wrong side up; it needs 
 to be revolutionized, and primitive Christianity 
 alone can do it. This is the instrument b}^ 
 which Baptists aim to accomplish their design. 
 By the propagation of primitive Christianity, 
 they confidently expect to achieve a complete 
 and entire Reformation in the Pagan, Rom- 
 ish, and Protestant world, and bring the race 
 of man back to God. We pass on to notice, 
 
 III. The Triumph of the Reformer. The 
 true religious reformer must ultimately tri- 
 umph. However opposed, reproached, and 
 persecuted, he triumphs. Even w T hen he ap- 
 pears to be discomfited he triumphs. While he 
 struggles on in adversity, and while sad reverses 
 meet him in his work, still he triumphs. The 
 power of the truth is manifest in the support it 
 yields him amid these disheartening circum- 
 stances. The consciousness that he has dis- 
 charged his duty with fidelity, fills his mind 
 with peace. He feels that the smile of God is 
 upon him ; hence the frowns of the opposers of 
 truth, and their anathemas, are lighter than 
 vanity to him. He esteems " the reproaches of 
 Christ greater riches than all the treasures " of 
 earth. The shame of the cross he counts 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 23 
 
 greater honor than all the applause of the 
 world, and the martyr's death is to him sweet- 
 er than all earthly pleasures. He exhibits a 
 dignity of character that far outshines all 
 others, and totally eclipses, on the historic page, 
 all his slanderous persecutors. He is as far 
 superior to the time-serving demagogue, as are 
 the burning beams of the meridian sun to the 
 last sickly rays of the feeble taper, flickering in 
 its socket, and just ready to expire. He knows 
 no fear of consequences. Duty, it is his to 
 perform — results, are God's to control. He 
 stands firmly, as the rock in the ocean, un- 
 moved amid the howlings of the tempest and 
 the fury of the waves. For him there is a 
 glorious future, however dark the hour of 
 trial may be ; and though for a time he en- 
 dures reproach, he will have a name when his 
 persecutors have perished and are forgotten. 
 
 Every true religious reformer that ever 
 lived in our world triumphed. Daniel, and the 
 three Hebrew worthies, possessed the spirit, 
 endured the reproach, and achieved the tri- 
 umph of Reformers ; they saw their enemies 
 clothed with shame, and the cause of God, 
 which they had espoused, gloriously advanced. 
 And though their pathway to success lay 
 through the lions' den and the burning fur- 
 
24 BAPTISTS 
 
 nace, these only made their triumph more sub- 
 lime, and shed a new halo around their names. 
 Martin Luther triumphed — and though Rome 
 anathematized and bitterly execrated him, the 
 name of the poor monk of Erfurth is honored 
 wherever evangelical Christianity prevails ; 
 while the distinguishing doctrine for w r hich he 
 contended has become one of the strong 1 bul- 
 warks of the Protestant world, and the terror 
 of Antichrist. Roger "Williams triumphed — 
 though banished from the Massachusetts col- 
 ony, and driven into the desert wilds among 
 the Indians. The religious liberty for which 
 he suffered, and which American citizens to- 
 day enjoy, forms the most distinguishing and 
 pre-eminent glory of our country. How su- 
 perior the fame of such men to that of the 
 mere military hero! Napoleon won his fifty 
 battles; "William Carey translated the Bible 
 into almost as many different languages ; and 
 while to-day the name of Napoleon begets 
 sentiments of disgust, or wakes emotions of 
 unhallowed ambition, the name of William 
 Carey touches a chord in every Christian 
 breast, arousing to new life and to more unre- 
 served consecration to Christ, the energies of 
 the ablest and best of Zion's sons and daughters. 
 There is a great deal of this work of re- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 25 
 
 form before the church at the present day. 
 Especially is this true of the Baptist churches 
 of this country. They are prepared to labor 
 for a more thorough reformation than any 
 others can undertake. There are forms of 
 error, . productive of incalculable mischief, 
 which none others can consistently attack; 
 while all others retain and seek to perpetuate 
 the unscriptural dogma of infant baptism, 
 which with every other traditionary rite must 
 be abolished, before the world's revolution will 
 be complete. Let it be remembered that each 
 has a personal interest and responsibility in this 
 matter. Let the inquiry be, " Lord, what wilt 
 thou have me to do ? " Every Christian is to 
 aim to reform, first himself, then the world. 
 The Word of God must be our weapon. With 
 this, old forms of error must be attacked, and 
 the conflict only end when the field is left in 
 possession of truth. " Wherefore, seeing we 
 also are compassed about with so great a cloud 
 of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and 
 the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let 
 us run with patience the race that is set before 
 us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher 
 of our faith, who, for the joy that was set 
 before him, endured the cross, despising the 
 shame, and is set down at the right hand of 
 the throne of God," 
 
LECTUKE II. 
 
 THE RECEPTION WHICH SHOULD BE GIVEN TO 
 THE RELIGIOUS REFORMER. 
 
 " These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, 
 in that they received the word with all readiness of 
 mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those 
 things were so." — Acts xvii. 11. 
 
 Infidelity and error have always delighted 
 to taunt the disciples of Christ and the friends 
 of truth with ignorant credulity, and the recep- 
 tion of unfounded and absurd dogmas, without 
 due forethought and investigation. They have 
 arrogated to themselves all the freedom of 
 thought and independence of mind there is in 
 the world, and profess to have calmly inves- 
 tigated the truths which they reject. The 
 taunt on the one hand, and the assumption on 
 the other, are both false ; for it is a significant 
 fact, that a pure Christianity has advanced just 
 in proportion as the right of free and indepen- 
 dent investigation has been enjoyed and exer- 
 cised ; and moreover, it is the glory of Christian- 
 ity, that it courts the test of candid examina- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 27 
 
 tion, and commends such a course whenever 
 adopted. 
 
 We have a striking illustration of this in 
 the text and its connection. The apostle Paul, 
 having been driven from Thessalonica by an 
 infuriated mob, excited to deeds of violence by- 
 bigoted and interested partisans, fled to Berea. 
 Here he pursued a course similar to that which 
 he had adopted in Thessalonica. He entered the 
 Jewish synagogue and taught in the name of 
 Jesus. The community in this place was com- 
 posed of men of more independent minds, and 
 nobler spirit than the Thessalonians ; and, con- 
 sequently, they gave the apostle a far different 
 reception from that which he experienced in 
 their city. They were not afraid to discuss, 
 examine, and fairly investigate the new doc- 
 trine which he introduced to -them, and after 
 bringing it to the proper test, to let it stand or 
 fall on its own merits. This conduct was truly 
 noble; and as such, it is endorsed by the Holy 
 Spirit in the inspired words of the text: 
 " These were more noble than those in Thessa- 
 lonica, in that they received the word with all 
 readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures 
 daily, whether those things were so." Though 
 the apostle appeared among them as a reform- 
 er, they did not consider him an intruder, or 
 
28 BAPTISTS 
 
 treat him as an innovator ; but they acted like 
 rational, intelligent beings; they acted like 
 men ; they acted as all should act under like 
 circumstances. Our theme on the present oc- 
 casion will be, 
 
 The Reception that should be given to 
 the Religious Reformer. 
 
 In illustrating this theme, I shall invito 
 your attention to the conduct of the Bereans, 
 and their treatment of Paul and Silas, as the 
 divinely approved example. This example will 
 appear to better advantage, if we follow the 
 phraseology of the text, and notice, 
 
 I. The Comparison Instituted. " More 
 noble than those in Thessaloiuca." The Thes- 
 salonian Jews had exhibited a spirit of gross 
 intolerance. They were destitute of that spirit 
 which truly ennobles man. They had power 
 and influence, and they used these to crush the 
 weak. They were filled with envy and jeal- 
 ousy, and they gave vent to their feelings in 
 acts of violence and oppression. Refusing to 
 be convinced themselves, they determined to 
 prevent all others from being convinced. They 
 appealed to passion, and prejudice, rather than 
 to judgment and reason. They made old qpin- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 29 
 
 ions, and popular usages, the standard and test 
 by which they tried the apostles 5 teaching, in- 
 stead of the Word of God. They falsely ac- 
 cused them of disturbing the peace of society ; 
 and, by a wilful misconstruction of their words, 
 they even charged them with treasonable de- 
 signs against the government : " These," said 
 they, " all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, 
 saying that there is another king, one Jesus." 
 They drove them entirely away from their city, 
 and then took security of those who had hos- 
 pitabty entertained them. Nov was this all. 
 They followed them to Berea, and stirred up 
 the people there, so that Paul was compelled to 
 Jeave that place. Now, in contrast with this 
 course, notice, 
 
 II. The Reception of the Apostles by 
 the Bereans. " They received the word with 
 all readiness of mind." They were wedded to 
 the same rites as were the Jews in Thessalo- 
 nica. Their prejudices were in favor of Juda- 
 ism and arrayed against Christianity. Hence, 
 the teaching of the apostle was as much op- 
 posed to their views, as to those of the Thessa- 
 lonians ; but notwithstanding all this, they " re- 
 ceived the word with all readiness of mind.'' 
 This implies that they received it, 
 
30 B 4PTISTS 
 
 1. Respectfully. It is too frequently the 
 case, that when the truth is presented to those 
 who have long cherished religious error, they 
 treat it with ridicule, especially where it comes 
 in contact with their preconceived opinions. 
 Thus the Athenians treated Paul, when he 
 broached the doctrine of the resurrection, 
 " And when they heard of the resurrection of 
 the dead, some mocked ; and others said, We 
 will hear thee again of this matter." (Acts xvii. 
 32.) Thus it is, often, in our day. The curling 
 lip, and the sneer of contempt, and the ex- 
 pression of ridicule, are seen and heard as soon 
 as a favorite dogma is touched, no matter how 
 kindly. Not so with the Bereans. However 
 novel the doctrines of the apostle appeared, 
 however opposite to what they had been 
 taught, or however different from their pre- 
 viously formed opinions, they listened to what 
 he presented with respect. They received the 
 word, 
 
 2. With candor. They were disposed to be 
 frank and fair. They were open to conviction 
 — honest and ingenuous in their conclusions. 
 They kept their minds free from an undue 
 bias, and let every argument have its full 
 weight. They were disposed to think and 
 judge according to truth and justice. They 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 31 
 
 were willing to admit every reasonable and log 1 - 
 ical conclusion. They banished prejudice, and 
 examined the subject impartially. This is the 
 proper way to arrive at the truth. G-od gave us 
 
 our reason to be exercised in religious matters, 
 as well as in worldly affairs. These Bereans 
 neither exhibited bigotry on the one hand, nor 
 credulity on the other. They were willing to 
 hear, and then they judged for themselves, and 
 formed their own conclusions. This is all that 
 can be demanded. Tins course was honorable 
 to themselves, and would make even those 
 respect them who differed from them. And this 
 is true of any man. or body of men. Let them 
 be candid, fair and frank, and they will win the 
 respect of those who arrive at a different con- 
 clusion from them. They received the word, 
 
 3. Patiently. They did not get in an ill- 
 humor with the apostle, or exhibit signs of 
 irritation, or cherish feelings of malice toward 
 him, because he sought to convert them from 
 Judaism. Though it was the religion of their 
 fathers — though they had been brought up 
 in it — though their prejudices were strongly 
 wedded to its rites and ceremonies — still, they 
 calmly listened to the reasons urged by the 
 apostle why they should abandon it, and con- 
 nect themselves with that sect which was 
 
32 BAPTISTS 
 
 " everywhere spoken against." They were not 
 offended at his zeal ; their minds were unruf- 
 fled, and day after day they came to patiently 
 hear him through. How different is this from 
 the conduct of most persons. Just touch their 
 peculiar doctrines, or hint that the rites which 
 they observe are unscriptural, and without 
 waiting to hear the reasons for such an opinion, 
 they at once become agitated, and impatiently 
 desire to leave the place and inwardly deter- 
 mine that they will not again enter it. So did 
 not the noble Bereans. They wished to find the 
 truth, though it might lie in a different di- 
 rection from that in which they had been 
 accustomed to seek it. They desired to follow 
 the truth, though it might lead to the abandon- 
 ment of time-honored customs and the break- 
 ing up of old and pleasant associations. There- 
 fore, "they received the word with all readiness 
 of mind." Such a course might offend inter- 
 ested partisans, but God commends it as noble. 
 We notice, 
 
 III. The Test by which they tried the 
 Teaching of the ArosTLES. — " They searched 
 the Scriptures daily, whether these things were 
 so." This is the divine standard of appeal. 
 God gave it as our guide, and we are com- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 33 
 
 manded to search it. It is to be the test of all 
 religious teaching; and the conduct of the 
 Bereans in making it the test of Paul's preach- 
 ing is honored by its divine Author; for let it 
 not be forgotten that it is Jehovah who speaks 
 in the text. 
 
 They did not appeal to Tradition. They 
 might have done this. Rumor said that Christ 
 was an impostor; Paul affirmed that He was 
 the Messiah. How were they to decide? Sim- 
 ply by appealing to the Scriptures. They 
 did not appeal to their priests and rabbis. 
 They had told them to oppose Christianity, and 
 seek to exterminate it. But they knew their 
 priests were fallible men, and that if they 
 obeyed them, they might possibly be " found 
 fighting against God." They did not appeal 
 to their own preference, and interest, and con- 
 venience. These would have prompted them 
 to reject the investigation of the doctrine, and 
 decide at once in accordance with tradition and 
 popular customs. 
 
 Abandoning all these false and uncertain 
 standards, they appealed to the Scriptures, to 
 settle the differences between their views and 
 those of their reformers. They " searched " 
 the Scriptures ; as one who seeks for something 
 that is lost. Many persons read the Bible only 
 
34 BAPTISTS 
 
 to find support for what they already believe, 
 and search the Scriptures to prove that what is 
 new to them is not so. But these Bereans 
 exhibited the same candor in testing the word, 
 that they did in its reception. If the Scrip- 
 tures sustained the apostle, they adopted his 
 views ; if not, they rejected them. Thus they 
 honored God, and exempted themselves from 
 the charge of wilful ignorance, intolerance, and 
 superstition. 
 
 This is the reception that should always be 
 given to those who aim to reform a commun- 
 ity, whether that reformation be universal, or 
 whether it have reference only to a single doc- 
 trine or ordinance. Such a reception is all we 
 ask for these Lectures. Such a reception is all 
 Baptists ask anywhere. Those who hold the 
 truth have nothing to fear from such a course. 
 Respectful, candid, and patient attention, will 
 enable them the more readily to detect sophis- 
 try and specious reasoning, and the study of 
 the Bible will always expose what is unserip- 
 tural and erroneous. Moreover, this course has 
 the sanction, of Jehovah, however much it may 
 offend men. The Bible should be the test of 
 all preaching. That man who desires to make 
 himself the umpire and final standard of appeal 
 to his congregation, involves himself in a fear- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 35 
 
 ful responsibility, and virtually claims for him- 
 self infallibility. Yet some ministers appear 
 offended if their authority is questioned, or if 
 their preaching is tested by the "Word of God. 
 So did not Paul. Though inspired, he com- 
 mended the course of those, who, instead of 
 taking his say so for it, examined the Scriptures 
 for themselves, to see whether those things 
 which he told them were so. To adopt a con- 
 trary course, and blindly follow a minister or 
 priest, is downright Romanism ; and, if pursued 
 universally, would arrest the progress of the 
 Gospel, and clog the wheels of truth, and 
 stamp error with immutability. 
 
 What if the Hindoo, the Bur man, and the 
 Chinese follow their priests, and universally 
 determine never to examine Christianity? 
 What if the Mohammedan, Romanist and 
 Greek, follow their teachers? What if the 
 Universalis*;, Infidel, and Atheist, follow their 
 champions? And yet these have as much war- 
 rant to do this, as the Presbyterian, Methodist, 
 or Baptist. Xo, my brethren, your minister is 
 not to be the umpire or standard. There is 
 but one who could say, a Follow Me!" and 
 that was Christ. We point you to Him. We 
 direct you to His Word as the standard of 
 your duty, and to His example as the pattern 
 
36 BAPTISTS 
 
 of your lives. If, in these Lectures, we say 
 anything that conflicts with these, reject it ; 
 but if you find, on examination, that these 
 things which we preach are so, remember, the 
 whole responsibility of rejecting, not us, but 
 the Word of God, and the meek and lowly 
 Saviour, rests at your own door. 
 
 If the conduct of the Bereans were univer- 
 sally imitated, what happy events would follow. 
 How soon would infidelity, and error, and 
 superstition vanish before the influence of 
 sound reason and Scripture truth. What cour- 
 tesy, and forbearance, and love, w T ould be man- 
 ifested among brethren who differ. How much 
 more diligently would the Bible be studied, 
 and how soon would the multitude of sects and 
 parties disappear, and the Saviour's prayer 
 that they all might be one would be answered. 
 
 The contrary course can benefit no one. If 
 a man is in an error, no matter how trivial, it 
 can do him no good to continue in that error. 
 Especially, it can do him no good to dwarf his 
 mind, and stunt his intellectual powers, in 
 order that he may continue in it unmolested. 
 Yet this is the effect of refusing a candid inves- 
 tigation of the truth. Further, if a man has 
 the truth, he will not fear investigation, but 
 rather court it. " He that death the truth coin- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 37 
 
 eth to the light, that his deeds may be made 
 manifest, that they are wrought in God." 
 
 If a pretended reformer appears, there is 
 no surer way of exposing the imposition, than 
 the adoption of the example of the Bereans. But 
 if a contrary course is pursued, it frequently 
 leads to the exercise of a morbid sympathy 
 toward those who hold injurious error. Now 
 Baptists appear before the world as those who 
 aim at a complete reform. They, appeal not 
 to the sympathies, but to the consciences of 
 men ; not to prejudice, but to reason ; not to 
 tradition but to the Scriptures. They simply 
 ask for the reception which the Bereans gave 
 to those who sought to convert them from 
 Judaism to Christianity. 
 
LECTURE III. 
 
 THE WEAPONS OF THE RELIGIOUS REFORMER. 
 
 " For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, 
 bat mighty through Grod to the pulling down of strong- 
 holds." — 2 Corinthians x. 4. 
 
 Ever since the introduction of sin into the 
 world, there has been an unremitting conflict 
 between truth and error. The earth has be- 
 come a vast battle-ground ; the theatre of a 
 mighty moral warfare. Truth and error are 
 necessarily opposed to each other, and when- 
 ever they come in contact, a fierce contest 
 ensues, which ends only when error is de- 
 stroyed. This conflict is not, however, one of 
 a material kind ; nor should physical force be 
 used in carrying it on. It is a moral warfare ; 
 and ultimate success can be secured only by 
 the use of corresponding weapons. The advo- 
 cates of error may press into their service 
 carnal weapons, as indeed they are always 
 forced to do, in their vain efforts to sustain 
 themselves, and oppose the truth ; but thus 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 39 
 
 they only acknowledge their own weakness, 
 and betray the defects of their cause, and 
 insure in the end their own defeat. The disci- 
 ple of the truth needs no such weapons. He 
 knows that they can j 7 ield him no advantage, 
 and secure no permanent benefit; and he sees 
 that they would only encumber and embarrass 
 him in the conflict, and retard the cause he 
 seeks to advance. He feels that in order to be 
 successful, he must use only those means which 
 God has appointed, and which He can bless. 
 He therefore appropriately adopts the language 
 of the text : " For the weapons of our warfare 
 are not carnal, but mighty through God to the 
 pulling down of strongholds. 5 ' The theme of 
 this Lecture is, — 
 
 The Weapons of the Religious Rfformer. 
 
 Tn conducting any enterprise, or effecting 
 any work, instruments are necessary ; imple- 
 ments adapted to the end designed. The work 
 of the reformer is, in a great measure, a work 
 of destruction. He goes forth to demolish all 
 that is opposed to truth — all that prevents its 
 free and rapid advance. He is the pioneer, 
 who is accounted "famous according as he lifts 
 up the axe upon the thick trees.'* * Error is 
 * Psalm lxxxiv. 5. 
 
40 BAPTISTS 
 
 rather negative than positive. Truth was 
 intended to enlighten man ; error, like a cloud, 
 intervenes to shut out its brilliant rays. Truth 
 was intended to make man happy ; error in- 
 fuses poison, and introduces the ingredients of 
 misery. Truth was intended to make man 
 free ; error rears her fortress and strongholds, 
 and makes him a captive in them. Now the 
 work of the reformer is to dissipate this cloud 
 — to extract this poison — to pull down these 
 strongholds. The work of Christ, the Great 
 Reformer, was eminently a work of destruction. 
 He was manifested that He might " destroy the 
 works of the devil." Let us notice, 
 
 I. The Strongholds which the Religious 
 Reformer is called on to demolish. 
 
 1. Ignorance, — All religious error is the 
 offspring of ignorance and mistake. God is 
 true, and His Word is true. No religious 
 error can find any support there. Yet we 
 know that error does exist to a vast extent. 
 How mighty, then, is this fortress ! and how 
 strong! Look at the ignorance of heathen 
 nations. See the ignorance of those who are 
 under the dominion of the Papacy. Behold 
 the lamentable ignorance of a vast majority of 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 41 
 
 Protestants. Now the reformer meets this 
 stronghold wherever he undertakes to labor. 
 He beholds wilful ignorance of plainly re- 
 vealed truths. He " \ is one body of men 
 wilfully ignorant of the views and practices of 
 another body which they condemn. He rinds 
 himself misrepresented, misunderstood, and 
 opposed, because men are entrenched in this 
 stronghold. The Apostle Paul once found 
 himself a victim of misrepresentations which 
 had gained currency simply through the in- 
 excusable and wilful ignorance of those who 
 believed them. "Art not thou that Egyptian." 
 he was asked, " which, before these days madest 
 an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness 
 four thousand men that were murderers i " 
 The religious reformer is frequently assailed 
 with questions as absurd, betraying the wilful 
 ignorance of those who oppose him in his 
 work. This ignorance he labors to remove. 
 
 2. Prejudice. — Prejudices are generally in 
 favor of that to which men are accustomed, 
 and opposed to that which appears new to 
 them. If men have been accustomed to error, 
 they love it on account of its antiquity: and the 
 inquiry too frequently is not. what is truth? 
 but, is it in accordance with our prejudices I 
 is it what pur lathers practiced I is it what they 
 
42 BAPTISTS 
 
 taught us? Men speak of time-honored cus- 
 toms ; they forget that, while errors may be 
 time-honored, truth is eternal. Prejudice is a 
 mighty stronghold. Its walls are of adaman- 
 tine strength and of almost impenetrable thick- 
 ness. Entrenched in this fortress, men are un- 
 approachable. The soundest logic, the strong- 
 est arguments, the most convincing proof, the 
 fairest reasoning, all fail, all are powerless, 
 while prejudice holds the mind within her 
 grasp. The very work of the religious reform- 
 er brings him in direct contact with those 
 customs which appeal most powerfully to men's 
 prejudices. He aims to remove old errors ; 
 but, in order to do this, he must first demolish 
 the stronghold in which they are entrenched. 
 He aims to convince men that it is better to be 
 the willing subjects of reason, than the blind 
 slaves of prejudice. 
 
 3. Self-interest. — Many go with the crowd, 
 merely because it is to their present interest. 
 After they are enlightened by truth, and after 
 their old prejudices are overcome, still, selfish- 
 ness prevails ; and instead of doing that which 
 they know to be right, and laboring to advance 
 the truth, they prefer to act contrary to their 
 own convictions. They perceive that the truth 
 is unpopular — that its advocacy will necessitate 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 43 
 
 self-denial and sacrifice — that their temporal 
 interests will suffer, and their names be cast 
 
 out as evil. Now the religious reformer aims 
 
 to make men benevolent : he labors to make 
 them willing to deny themselves and cheerfully 
 
 sutler for the good of others and the sake of 
 the truth. Selfishness must be demolished, this 
 mighty stronghold must be pulled down, ere 
 the reformer can succeed in his work. Thus, 
 the victims of error must be driven from every 
 refuge, and their hiding-places must be de- 
 stroyed, before they will be made free by the 
 reception of the truth, Notice 
 
 II. The Meaks by which this is Accom- 
 plished. — These are stated: in the text negative- 
 ly. % * The weapons of our warfare are not 
 carnal." The religious reformer does not in- 
 voke 
 
 1. The Civil Power. — He does not seek to 
 force men by legal enactments to embrace his 
 views, or profess attachment to his cause. He 
 does not seek to unite the Church with the 
 State, or enforce his teachings at the edge of 
 the sword and the point of the bayonet. He 
 does not use persecution or oppression of any 
 kind. He does not use authority of office, 
 either civil or ecclesiastical. He does not use 
 the authority growing out of the domestic 
 
44 BAPTISTS 
 
 relations to force the consciences of those who 
 are subject to him, or compel them to adopt 
 his views of truth. He utterly renounces com- 
 pulsion of every kind. The gibbet, the rack, 
 and the stake, are all discarded by him. Here 
 was one radical defect of the Reformation of 
 the sixteenth century. The civil arm was 
 invoked, the State was united with the Church, 
 a political element was infused, and carnal 
 weapons were used as freely by the Reformed 
 Churches in enforcing their dogmas as by the 
 Papacy in maintaining its heresies. The thor- 
 ough religious reformer uses no such weapons. 
 Neither does he employ 
 
 2. Calumny and Misrepresentation. — In or- 
 der successfully to combat the opinions and 
 practices of an opponent, individuals sometimes 
 distort and falsify his views. They present an 
 absurd doctrine, which is inconsistent both 
 with reason and revelation, falsely charge it on 
 those whom they oppose, and then eloquently 
 declaim against it. Or, they mistake the argu- 
 ments used by their opponents to sustain their 
 views, and endeavor to make the impression 
 that they are but weak fanatics, or men labor- 
 ing under mental imbecility. Or, they openly 
 slander and vilify them, and injure their repu- 
 tation. And thus they labor to bring into 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 45 
 
 disrepute both the views and practices they 
 oppose, and the persons who advocate them. 
 All who persecute, love to have some pretext ; 
 they therefore first slander their victim, and 
 then put him to death. Thus it was with 
 Jesus ; false witnesses rose against him ; and 
 though their testimony carried its refutation 
 on its very face, it was made the pretext for 
 his crucifixion. But the thorough religious 
 reformer, having no desire to persecute, needs 
 no pretext for it ; he therefore discards calum- 
 ny and misrepresentation. Neither does he 
 resort to 
 
 3. Flattery and Cunning Artifices, — He ap- 
 peals not to sinful passions, such as pride, 
 ambition, self-indulgence and a desire for 
 worldly honor. This is often done in order to 
 advance a sect or party. " Our denomination," 
 it is urged, " is the most popular — it numbers 
 more than any other — it has more wealth." 
 " Our church is the most respectable — it em- 
 braces the most learned and talented men; 
 therefore we are right." " It will be to your 
 interest to join our church, because it is the 
 church of the place." Now all such motives as 
 these must be classed among the carnal weap- 
 ons. They appeal to selfishness. The true 
 reformer makes no such appeals, urges no such 
 
46 BAPTISTS 
 
 motives, wields no such weapons : " For the 
 weapons of his warfare are not carnal." 
 
 Such weapons are impotent, and worse than 
 useless, in seeking to advance the truth. If a 
 man becomes an honest and faithful follower 
 of the truth, it must be for the truth's sake, 
 and not to avoid persecution, or reproach, or 
 unpopularity. Such weapons can never pull 
 down the strongholds of error, but rather ren- 
 der them more impregnable. Persecution will 
 never enlighten the mind of the ignorant, 
 misrepresentation will never remove prejudice, 
 and flattery will never demolish selfishness. 
 And further, such weapons only recoil on the 
 heads of those who use them. It is an immu- 
 table decree of Jehovah, that " they who take 
 the sword shall perish with the sword." We 
 have a striking illustration of this in the burn- 
 ing of Cranmer and Rogers. We have been 
 taught to sympathize with them in their mar- 
 tyr-deaths at the stake ; and that sympathy 
 we would not check, for they were cruelly 
 persecuted. But we would at the same time 
 recognize in their sufferings a fulfilment of 
 Christ's words, " With what measure ye mete, 
 it shall be measured to you again." The hands 
 of both of them had been stained with the 
 blood of Joan Boucher, a noble-minded and 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. ± i 
 
 pious female, who, in the reign of the youthful 
 Edward, was committed to the flames for the 
 sin of being a Baptist. 0% Oranmer is said by 
 Fox to have been most urgent with the young 
 king to affix the sign manual to the cruel docu- 
 ment. The youthful king hesitated. Cranmer 
 argued from the law of Moses, by which blas- 
 phemers were to be stoned to death. With 
 tears but unconvinced, the royal signature was 
 appended. Rogers also thought that she ought 
 to be put to death, and when urged with the 
 cruelty of the deed, replied, ' that burning alive 
 was no cruel death, but easy enough.' ?? * God 
 has shown, in an unmistakable manner, his 
 disapprobation of carnal weapons. 
 
 While the reformer deprecates the use of 
 these means, there are weapons employed by 
 him which are " mighty, through God, to the 
 pulling down of strongholds." Among these 
 we notice, 
 
 1. The Word of God. This is the double- 
 edged sword of the Spirit. This is the grand 
 weapon which is to cut its way through all 
 error. It always has been successful, and al- 
 ways will be. Those only have been successful 
 reformers, who have used this as their great 
 weapon. Look at the Great Reformer ; when 
 * Religious Liberty, its Struggles and Triumphs, p. 110. 
 
48 BAPTISTS 
 
 he went forth to encounter, in the wilderness, 
 the arch adversary of truth, how" did he van- 
 quish him ? Though all the hosts of heaven 
 were ready to do his bidding, and drag Satan 
 back to his prison, He disdained to exert phys- 
 ical force. He used this great weapon ; and 
 every assault of the - Tempter was repelled by 
 the calm reply, " It is written — it is written 
 — it is written." When the apostles went 
 forth, the Word of God was the instrument 
 with which they overcame the opposition of 
 Judaism. And what gave rise to the reforma- 
 tion in the sixteenth century ? Why, a poor 
 monk found a Bible, and in his cell made it his 
 study. Happy would it have been for the 
 world, if the reformers of that age had been 
 guided exclusively by its holy precepts. Dis- 
 carding tradition, and every human invention, 
 the thorough religious reformer makes the 
 Bible both his text-book and test-book. 
 
 2. Candor and Affection. He takes pains to 
 ascertain accurately the views of those whose 
 errors he would correct, giving them credit for 
 the truth they hold, and acknowledging their 
 excellences wherever they exist. His work is 
 not to destroy their lives, their liberties, or 
 their reputations, but their errors. He there- 
 fore speaks the truth in love, and seeks not 
 theirs but them, His great wish is to benefit 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 49 
 
 them ; and, like the blessed Redeemer, who 
 could mingle His tears of compassion with his 
 denunciations against sin, the reformer boldly 
 and sternly denounces error, yet cherishes 
 ardent affection for those who are " out of the 
 way." He also employs 
 
 3. Sound Reason. He appeals not to passion 
 or prejudice, but to the understanding. He is 
 able to give a reason for every thing he at- 
 tempts. He shows the fitness of things, and 
 their propriety ; he invites the exercise of the 
 judgment of those whom he addresses. Instead 
 of regarding men as brutes, who are to be 
 driven by force, he recognizes them as rational, 
 intelligent beings, who are to be convinced, 
 and persuaded, and moved by mental and 
 moral power. Christ and the apostles were 
 great reasoners ; especially is this true of the 
 apostle Paul. Who can read the epistles to the 
 early churches, without being struck with the 
 force of his reasoning ? The advocates of error 
 cannot stand before the reformer who is well 
 skilled in the use of this weapon. 
 
 4. Earnest, believing, importunate prayer. 
 — " Mighty through God." He must give suc- 
 cess in the use of the weapons. The religious 
 reformer, therefore, while he wields the " sword 
 of the Spirit' 3 and exhibits in his own life the 
 power of the truth he holds, depends only on 
 
50 BAPTISTS THOROUGH REFORMERS. 
 
 God for success in his work. He pleads for 
 men with God, while he pleads with men for 
 the truth. Every successful religious reformer 
 has been a man of prayer. Earnestness in the pul- 
 pit has not accomplished so much as earnestness in 
 the closet. With a deep conviction that it is God's 
 work he is endeavoring to advance, he confidently 
 looks up for God's aid and blessing in prosecut- 
 ing it, and feels assured that while his weapons 
 are not carnal, they are yet "mighty through 
 God " to the pulling down of strongholds." 
 
 These are the weapons of the reformer. 
 With these he goes forth to attack the strong- 
 holds of sin, and raze to the ground the giant 
 fabric of error. To be successful even in ad- 
 vancing the truth, we must use only the divine- 
 ly appointed means ; for wherever the opposite 
 course has been pursued, the most disastrous 
 results have followed. Truth is only tram- 
 meled and retarded by the use of any but the 
 heaven-approved weapons. 
 
 These weapons, only, have been used by 
 Baptists. They have never figured on the 
 historic page as persecutors. Though the sub- 
 jects of bitter oppression and cruel persecutions 
 themselves, it has been their glory always to 
 exclaim, " The weapons of our warfare are not 
 carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling 
 down of strongholds ! " 
 
LECTUKE IV. 
 
 THE FIRST FEATURE OF THE REFORM AT WHICH 
 
 BAPTISTS AIM THE EXALTATION OF THE WORD 
 
 OF GOD ABOVE TRADITION". 
 
 " Thus have ye made the commandment of God of 
 none effect by your tradition." — Matthew xy. 6. 
 
 Every reform in religion presupposes the 
 existence of errors, evil in their tendencies and 
 results, which have gradually crept into ecclesi- 
 astical organizations, and which need to be 
 removed in order that such organizations may 
 become pure and scriptural. A reform is not 
 the introduction of a new system of religion, 
 but rather the revival of the old system, and 
 the assertion of its supremacy over the innova- 
 tions of men. It is not a movement based on 
 the pretended reception of a new revelation, 
 conflicting with previous ones from an un- 
 changing Jehovah, but it is the enforcement of 
 the commands and precepts which have already 
 been revealed, but which have been obscured, 
 and invalidated, and made of none effect by 
 human tradition. 
 
52 BAPTISTS 
 
 Thus it was with the Great Reform intro- 
 duced by Jesus Christ. He declared that he 
 came " not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it." 
 In the prosecution of his mission, he utterly 
 disregarded the religious rites which owed 
 their origin to mere human invention, and, by 
 a studied non-observance of the traditions of 
 the Jewish elders, he constantly exhibited his 
 disapprobation of them. At the same time, he 
 taught principles, which, if carried out, would 
 restore the supremacy of God's law, and effect- 
 ually remove every vestige of this usurpation 
 of authority by man. This course brought 
 down upon him the displeasure of those who 
 were wedded to the rites of tradition, while 
 they neglected the more important commands 
 of God. They therefore came to expostulate 
 with him in reference to the course pursued by 
 him, saying, " Why do thy disciples transgress 
 the traditions of the elders?" But Jesus, in 
 reply, asked them a far more pertinent and 
 weighty question : " Why do you also trans- 
 gress the commandment of God by your tradi- 
 tion ? " and then, after citing a case in point, he 
 charged them, in the words of the text, with 
 making void the law of God, by substituting 
 their unscriptural observances for his divine 
 commands : — " Thus have ye made the com- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 53 
 
 mandment of God of none effect by your 
 tradition." 
 
 There exists to-day a body of Christians, who 
 are laboring to effect the same kind of reform 
 as that in which the blessed Saviour was en- 
 gaged, more than eighteen hundred years ago. 
 That body, though designated since the days of 
 Christ by various names, is known, at the pres- 
 ent time, by the name of Baptists. The theme 
 of this, and several succeeding Lectures will be, 
 
 The Distinguishing Features of that Re- 
 form in which Baptists are engaged. 
 
 Many persons suppose, that the only differ- 
 ence between Baptists and other evangelical 
 denominations, is respecting the mode and 
 subjects of baptism. This is, indeed, the prin- 
 cipal external difference : but this difference 
 exhibits the adherence, on the part of Baptists, 
 to a great and important principle, which is 
 involved in their action, and which they be- 
 lieve to be violated by those who differ from 
 them in this matter. An illustration of their 
 position is found in the text and its connection. 
 The washing of a person's hands before eating, 
 was, in itself, a small matter ; but it involved, 
 in this instance, a sinful obtruding of human 
 tradition in the place of divine commands. 
 
54 BAPTISTS 
 
 This is just the principle that is involved 
 in the practice of infant sprinkling. We an- 
 nounce, then, as the Jtirst Feature of the reform 
 in which Baptists are engaged, 
 
 The Exaltation of the Word of God above 
 Tradition, in all Matters of Religious Duty. 
 
 There has always been a conflict between 
 Divine revelation and human tradition; and 
 yet the advocates of the latter have almost 
 invariably endeavored to reconcile it with the 
 former, and thus the Word of God is often 
 distorted in vain efforts to make it support 
 that which is of merely human origin. The 
 ultimate effect of these efforts is to divide the 
 Bible against itself, and to cause it to be utterly 
 disregarded as the standard of appeal in mat- 
 ters of religious duty. It was thus with the 
 traditions of the Jewish elders. Those who 
 followed them, and practised their rites, ceased 
 to regard the Scriptures which they possessed 
 as the standard of duty ; they became a dead 
 letter, and the tradition of the elders — not the 
 Scriptures — was the authority they cited for 
 the support of their rites. " For God com- 
 manded, saying, Honor thy father and mother ; 
 and he that curseth father or mother, let him 
 die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 55 
 
 to his father or his mother, It is a gift by what- 
 soever thou mightest be profited by me, and 
 honor not his father or his mother, he shall be 
 free. Thus have ye made the commandment 
 of God of none effect by your tradition." 
 
 The same result followed, when the disciples 
 listened to the voice of tradition. On one oc- 
 casion Christ said, in reference to John, "If I 
 w T ill that he tarry till I come, what is that to 
 thee ? " Tradition immediately distorted the 
 question into an assertion : " Then went that 
 saying abroad among the brethren, that that 
 disciple should not die." * Here tradition ut- 
 tered a falsehood, and taught as usual, a lie. 
 
 It is thus, also, in reference to the Church of 
 Rome. Tradition after tradition has been re- 
 ceived, until it becomes dangerous to the inter- 
 ests of that church to permit her deluded 
 members to read God's Word — so directly are 
 her traditions opposed to that Word. And, in 
 order to sustain herself, she vainly arrogates to 
 herself infallibility, and exalts herself above the 
 Bible, and makes the commandment of God of 
 none effect by her tradition. The will of the 
 Pope, and the decisions of councils, are made 
 the standards of appeal, and the Bible is a dead 
 letter. And yet this same church, in all her 
 *Johnxxi. 22, 23. 
 
56 BAPTISTS 
 
 corruption, endeavors to reconcile her tradi- 
 tions, in some instances, with the Bible ; but, 
 in order to do it, she distorts and invents Scrip- 
 ture to suit herself. 
 
 On what does the Papacy rest to support its 
 penances, and image-worship, and prayers to 
 the saints, and priestly absolutions, and, in 
 short, its very existence ? I reply in one word, 
 Tradition. Let the Bible become her stand- 
 ard, and she would cease to exist. She has 
 made almost every commandment of God of 
 none effect by her tradition. 
 
 Thus it is, also, with Protestant Pedobaptist 
 churches. Tradition is the basis on which 
 infant sprinkling rests. We look in vain for 
 any command in reference to it in the Bible ; 
 the Scriptures utter not a word in support of 
 it. The most able Pedobaptists have them- 
 selves admitted this. Says Dr. Woods, an emi- 
 nent Pedobaptist: " Whatever may have been 
 the precepts of Christ, or his apostles, to those 
 who enjoyed their personal instructions, it is 
 plain there is no express precept respecting 
 infant baptism in our sacred writings. The 
 proof, then, that infant baptism is a divine 
 institution, must be made out some other 
 way." ** He says further : " The want of an 
 * Lectures on Infant Baptism, p. 10, 11. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 57 
 
 express, positive command of Scripture that 
 infants should be baptized, is not to be consid- 
 ered as a valid objection against infant bap- 
 tism/' * 
 
 It is here plainly admitted that there is no 
 command for infant baptism in the Word of 
 God. But we do not need these admissions to 
 substantiate our assertion. We simply appeal 
 to the Bible itself. If it was there, we could 
 see it for ourselves. We ask any one to show 
 us the first instance of the sprinkling of an 
 infant, or any command to administer baptism 
 to infants. It cannot be found. Thousands of 
 dollars have been offered for the production of 
 a single text, authorizing the practice ; but these 
 premiums have never been claimed. On what, 
 then, does it rest ? I reply, on tradition. Dr. 
 Woods says that authority for it, " may be 
 afforded particularly by an unwritten tradi- 
 tion." It is a human invention, having no 
 higher authority than that of man. It is one of 
 the traditions which the Protestant Reformers 
 brought from Rome. It is the main " pillar " 
 on which Popery rests ; for, if you take away 
 the baptism of infants, Rome would soon fall. 
 Its defence necessitates Romish arguments; 
 and instances are not wanting where Pedobap- 
 
 * Lectures on Infant Baptism, p. 17. 
 
58 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 tists, in combating Komanists, have either 
 been compelled to use arguments fatal to their 
 own practices, or else be defeated. * And it is 
 a matter of history, that Protestant arguments 
 against Baptists have often been used by Ko- 
 
 * This is strikingly illustrated in the celebrated Let- 
 ters of "Kirwan" (Rev. Dr. Murray, a Protestant Pedo- 
 baptist,) to Bishop Hughes. He says: "Once secure a 
 just and scriptural view of the character of a true minis- 
 ter of Christ, and of the great end of a gospel ministry, 
 and the whole framework of popery vanishes." '* A true 
 minister is one who, with the love of God and of the sal- 
 vation of men filling his soul, goes out into all the ways 
 which providence opens before him, preaching every- 
 where, as did Peter and Paul, ' repentance toward God, 
 and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ/ He has only one 
 object — to lead men to the knowledge of the truth. He 
 goes out with an open Bible, to expound it, praying that 
 the Holy Spirit may so apply its truths to the hearts of 
 his hearers, that they may be created anew in Christ 
 Jesus unto good works. To those who "believe, he adminis- 
 ters the rite of baptism, and, as God gives him opportu- 
 nity, he administers the Lord's Supper to the faithful, for 
 the purpose of commemorating the death of Christ, un- 
 til he comes the second time without sin unto salvation. 
 Such were the ministers of Christ before the rise of po- 
 pery ; and such only are the true ministers of Christ 
 now." — Kirwan's Letters to Bishop Hughes, Second Series, 
 p. 90, 91. 
 
 No intelligent reader need be reminded that this is 
 language utterly at variance with Pedobaptist teaching 
 and practice. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 59 
 
 manists against Protestants themselves. A forci- 
 ble proof of this is seen in the following extract 
 from the Roman Catholic Catechism : 
 
 " Q. Can Protestants prove to Baptists, that 
 the baptism of infants is good and useful ? 
 
 " A. No ; they cannot ; because, according to 
 Protestant principles, such baptism is useless. 
 
 " Q. Why do you say this ? 
 
 "A. One of the Protestant principles is, 
 that no human being can be justified except by 
 an act of faith in Jesus Christ ; but no infant is 
 capable of making this act of faith ; therefore, 
 upon Protestant principles, the baptism of 
 infants is useless. 
 
 " Q. Can you draw the same consequence 
 from any other principle ? 
 
 "A. Yes; their first principle is, that no- 
 thing is to be practised which is not authorized 
 by Scriptural example; but it does not appear 
 from Scripture, that even one infant ivas ever 
 baptized; therefore Protestants should reject, 
 on their own principle, infant baptism as an 
 un scriptural usage. 
 
 " Q. How do Baptists treat other Protes- 
 tants? 
 
 " A. They boast that the Scripture is evi- 
 dently for Baptist practice — that other Protes- 
 tants hold traditional doctrines, like the Catho- 
 
60 BAPTISTS 
 
 lies. They quote Matt. chap. 28 : ' Go teach 
 all nations, baptizing them,' from which they 
 say it is clear that teaching should go before 
 baptism ; hence they conclude that as infants 
 cannot be taught, so neither should they be 
 baptized, until they are capable of teaching or 
 instruction. 
 
 " Q. What use do they make of Mark, chap. 16 : 
 ' He who helieveth and is baptized shall be saved ? ' 
 
 " A. They say it is evident that belief or 
 faith must precede baptism; but they add 
 infants are not capable of believing ; therefore 
 neither are they capable of being baptized. 
 
 " Q. What can Protestants reply to this Bap- 
 tist reasoning ? 
 
 "A. They may give these passages another 
 meaning ; but they can never prove that their 
 interpretation is better than that of the Bap- 
 tists, because they themselves give every one a 
 right to interpret Scripture. 
 
 " Q. How do Catholics prove that infants 
 ought to be baptized ? 
 
 " A. Not from Scripture alone, which is not 
 very clear on this subject, but from the Scrip- 
 ture illustrated by the constant tradition of the 
 church. 
 
 "Q. Can Protestants use this argument of 
 tradition against the Baptists ? 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 61 
 
 " A. No ; they have no right to use it in this 
 matter, where it would serve them, since they 
 reject it in every question where it is opposed 
 to their novel and lately invented doctrines." * 
 
 Says the President of the famous Council of 
 Trent, a Roman Catholic Cardinal, speaking of 
 the Baptists: " And surely, how many soever 
 have written against this heresy, whether they 
 were Catholics or Reformers, they were able to 
 overthrow it, not so much by the testimony of 
 the Scriptures, as by the authority of the 
 Church." And Bayle, in his Critical Diction- 
 ary, savs that the Protestants were obliged to 
 meet the Baptists with arguments which were 
 turned against them by the papists. Dr. Woods 
 furnishes us an illustration of this assertion. 
 He says : " It is unquestionable, that the 
 knowledge of some extraordinary events of 
 providence, or of some divine injunctions, may 
 be as truly and as certainly communicated in 
 this way, [by an unwritten tradition,] as in 
 others : and we should in many cases, consider 
 a man who should refuse to admit the truth 
 and authority of a tradition, to be as unreason- 
 able, as if he should refuse to admit the author- 
 
 * Doctrinal Catechism of Catholic Faith and Practice, 
 approved by the Most Rev. John Hughes, D. D.. pp. 184 
 —186. 
 
62 BAPTISTS 
 
 ity of written or printed records." * Now I 
 ask if this is not giving up to Rome all she 
 claims ? " We should consider a man who 
 should refuse to admit the authority of tradi- 
 tion, to be as unreasonable as if he should 
 refuse to admit the authority of written or 
 printed records ! " Will not Popery heartily 
 endorse this doctrine ? Now on what kind of 
 traditionary authority does infant sprinkling 
 rest? Why, upon the same as every other 
 corruption of Rome ,- and if Romish tradition 
 be followed in this case, why not in all others ? 
 Thus, we have shown that infant sprinkling 
 requires Romish arguments. Now, the simple 
 reason of this is, that, like the other rites of 
 Popery, it is founded in tradition. 
 
 Further, the commandment of God is made 
 of none effect by this tradition. God has given 
 express and plain commands, in reference to 
 every duty and ordinance. He has commanded 
 believers to be baptized ; He has extended the 
 command to none others. Those baptized in 
 infancy, in a multitude of cases, grow up in 
 unbelief, and never become believers. But 
 where they do become converts, they are 
 taught, by the tradition of the church, that 
 their infant baptism is sufficient, and they are 
 
 * Lectures on Infant Baptism, p. 17. 
 
THOROUGH EEFOBMZE5. 63 
 
 not expected to be baptized after believing. 
 And even when persons sprinkled in infancy 
 are led, by the study oi the Bible, to desire 
 baptism after they have believed, strong efforts 
 are always made to dissuade them from it. and 
 they are often compelled to go to the Baptists 
 in order to be baptized. These things are of 
 such common occurrence, that it is unnecessary 
 to relate instances in proof. Thus the Word 
 of God is made of no effect. 
 
 Again, Pedobaptists, like the Jewish elders, 
 endeavor to reconcile their tradition with the 
 'Word of God. Look at their reasoning : 
 ;i Whosoever shall say to his father or his 
 mother, It is a gift by whatsoever thou might- 
 est be profited by me. and honor not his father 
 or his mother, he shall be free." Pedobaptists 
 say: "If any persons be sprinkled in infancy, 
 and be not baptized after they believe, it is suf- 
 ficient." There is an exact parallel. Here you 
 perceive the reasonings of men, in both in- 
 stances, though opposed to the express com- 
 mand of God, are made the standard, instead of 
 his "Word. Would it not sound strange to 
 hear a Pedobaptist minister urge his people to 
 simply follow the teaching and example of 
 Christ, in reference to baptism i Yet this is 
 
64 BAPTISTS 
 
 right; but this comes directly in contact with 
 their tradition. 
 
 Now Baptists are opposed to tradition, any 
 where and every where ; whether they find it 
 in the Church of Rome, or in Protestant 
 churches. They aim to elevate the Word of 
 God above tradition, as the standard of duty in 
 all places. It is professedly the grand doctrine 
 of Protestantism — which Protestants them- 
 selves have abandoned — that Baptists steadily 
 maintain. Thev aim to brine; all to this stand- 
 ard. They, themselves, have always adhered 
 to the Bible. Did any one ever hear of Bap- 
 tists being charged with following tradition? 
 The charge would be ridiculously absurd ; for 
 they have always opposed tradition as a guide 
 in matters of religious duty. 
 
 From these remarks it will be perceived, that 
 while the subjects and mode of baptism is the 
 external ground of difference between Baptists 
 and others, that difference involves a great 
 principle; and the primary question is not, 
 Shall infants be baptized ? but, whether God's 
 Word or tradition shall be our guide. God 
 has uttered his will in the matter. That will 
 we follow, as we find it in his Word. Those 
 who oppose us, by their own showing, follow 
 tradition. We are laboring to effect a reform. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 65 
 
 In doing so we refer all to the Bible. We as- 
 sert its supremacy above all human teaching 
 our own, as well as that of others. 
 
 This, then, is a prominent feature of the re- 
 form in which Baptists are engaged. And I 
 observe it is most important and necessary. 
 Especially is it necessary 
 
 1. In combating error. If tradition be al- 
 lowed in one particular, w T ho will prohibit it in 
 another? Romanism is gaining ground in this 
 country ; it is a religion of tradition. Who 
 will oppose it? Those w r ho are themselves 
 trammeled by tradition ? To every argument, 
 they can retort, as they have done, " Where do 
 you get your infant sprinkling ? " The most 
 staunch Bomanist asks nothing more than the 
 adoption of the principle, contained in the 
 language already quoted, of a Protestant Pedo- 
 baptist in support of infant sprinkling : " We 
 should consider a man who should refuse to 
 admit the truth and authority of tradition, to 
 be as unreasonable as if he should refuse to 
 admit the truth of written or printed records." 
 No Pedobaptist can consistently oppose Bo- 
 manism. There is no consistent position be- 
 tween the Bomish and the Baptist church. 
 Tradition leads to the one — the Word of God 
 to the other. Infidelity and Bationalism, also, 
 
66 BAPTISTS 
 
 are rearing their heads in our midst, and who 
 shall meet them ? Their cry is, " Priestcraft, 
 and ministerial dictation ! " Who shall meet 
 them? Those who suffer their ministers to tell 
 them what to believe, and to dictate whether 
 they shall investigate a subject or not? No! 
 but those who are prepared, by an independent 
 investigation, and a manly appeal to the Bible, 
 to show the falsity of their charges. This fea- 
 ture of reform is necessary 
 
 2. To the purity of the Church. No organ- 
 ization can be pure, without a pure standard. 
 Tradition is liable to perversion; there is no 
 certainty about it. To-day it assumes one po- 
 sition, to-morrow an opposite one. Thus it has 
 ever been. The Church of Rome, though claim- 
 ing infallibility, has constantly changed her 
 ground of action, because governed by the 
 variable standard of tradition. This is no less 
 true of Protestant Pedobaptism. To-day, in- 
 fants are sprinkled on one ground ; to-morrow 
 that ground is abandoned, and another, directly 
 opposite to it, is urged, as a reason for admin- 
 istering the rite. Anon, both these are aban- 
 doned, and a new position, with a new set of 
 arguments is introduced. 
 
 This is strikingly illustrated in the experi- 
 ence of Simon Menno, a Romish priest, who in 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 67 
 
 1530 was converted to Christ, and to Baptist 
 sentiments, by reading the New Testament. 
 He says : 
 
 "I examined the Scriptures with diligence 
 and meditated on them earnestly, but could 
 find in them no authority for infant baptism. 
 As I remarked this, I spoke of it to my pastor, 
 and after several conversations he acknowl- 
 edged that infant baptism had no ground in 
 the Scriptures. Yet I dare not trust so much 
 to my understanding. I consulted some an- 
 cient authors, who taught me that children 
 must, by baptism, be washed from their origi- 
 nal sin. This I compared with the Scriptures 
 and perceived that it set at naught the blood 
 of Christ. Afterward I went to Luther, and 
 would gladly have known from him the ground ; 
 and he taught me that we must baptize chil- 
 dren on their own faith, because they are holy. 
 This also I saw was not according to God's 
 Word. In the third place I went to Bucer, 
 who taught me that we should baptize chil- 
 dren in order to be able the more diligently 
 to take care of them, and bring them up in the 
 ways of the Lord. But this too, I saw, was a 
 groundless representation. In the fourth place 
 I had recourse to Bullinger, who pointed me to 
 the covenant of circumcision ; but I found as 
 
68 BAPTISTS THOROUGH REFORMERS. 
 
 before, that, according to Scripture, the practice 
 could not stand. As I now on every side 
 observed that the writers stood on grounds so 
 very different, and each followed his own rea- 
 son, I saw clearly that we were deceived with 
 infant baptism. 55 
 
 Can the church be pure with such a contra- 
 dictory guide as tradition? Never ! 
 
 Finally, I inquire, Does the charge of the 
 text lie against any of my Christian brethren \ 
 If you have neglected baptism since you be- 
 lieved, because you were sprinkled in infancy, 
 it most assuredly does. Your sprinkling rests 
 on tradition. The Bible says, "He that be- 
 lieveth and is baptized, shall be saved. 55 "Re- 
 pent and be baptized, every one of you. 55 If, 
 because sprinkled in infancy, you refuse now to 
 obey Christ, we say to you, in His own truthful 
 language, " Thus have ye made the command- 
 ment of God of none effect by your tradition! 55 
 
LECTUEE V. 
 
 THE SECOND FEATURE OF THE REFORM AT WHICH 
 BAPTISTS AIM THE RESTORATION OF THE SPIR- 
 ITUALITY of Christ's kingdom. 
 
 " My kingdom is not of this world." — John xviii. 36. 
 
 There was much misapprehension, during 
 the ministry of Christ on the earth, concerning 
 the nature of that kingdom which he was about 
 to establish. It was most generally supposed, 
 that it would be a temporal kingdom, differing 
 from others only in its superior external splen- 
 dor, its brilliant warlike achievements, and its 
 universal extent. It was this false idea that so 
 perplexed Herod, at the announcement of the 
 birth of the infant Saviour. It was this false 
 idea that led the Jews to reject their Messiah, 
 when he appeared among them in the charac- 
 ter of the meek and lowly One. It was this 
 false idea that led the disciples, just before the 
 ascension of Christ, to ask, "Lord, wilt thou at 
 this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? " 
 
 The principles to which the Saviour gave 
 
70 BAPTISTS 
 
 utterance, were calculated to remove these 
 false impressions from the minds of all who 
 had imbibed them. He taught his followers 
 to cherish a spirit of self-denial, and humility, 
 and peace. Every act of his life, and every 
 word of his lips, bore testimony to the fact, 
 that he came not to set up an earthly empire, 
 but a spiritual kingdom ; and when he uttered 
 the words of the text, " My kingdom is not of 
 this world," he simply gave an exposition of 
 the principles he had been teaching during his 
 life. 
 
 When the apostles were enlightened by the 
 Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they 
 understood perfectly the nature of this declara- 
 tion ; and hence, they admitted none to visible 
 membership in the gospel kingdom, but those 
 who gave evidence of repentance, and faith in 
 Christ. They taught that the church of which 
 Jesus is the Head, was a spiritual organization, 
 composed not of those who came into it by 
 hereditary descent, but of those who were born 
 of the Spirit. But there has been a depart- 
 ure from these principles ; and organizations 
 now exist, under the designation of Christian 
 churches, which aim to unite the church and 
 the world, and introduce the impious, and 
 ungodly, and profane, into Christ's kingdom 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 71 
 
 — thus reversing his declaration, that his 
 "kingdom is not of this world." Against this 
 innovation Baptists strenuously protest. We 
 announce, then, as the Second Feature of the 
 reform in which Baptists are engaged, 
 
 The Restoration of the Spirituality of 
 Christ's Kingdom. 
 
 Let us inquire here, How is it, that the 
 principle expressed in the text came to be 
 violated? How does it happen, that others 
 than those possessing the qualifications de- 
 manded by the Gospel, come to have a place in 
 Christ's professedly visible kingdom ? How 
 comes it to pass, that what is professedly 
 Christ's church, is the receptacle of the godless 
 and the vile? I reply, simply through the 
 introduction of the unscriptural rite of infant 
 baptism. So long as the church followed the 
 direction of her Lord, and baptized into her 
 membership only those who gave evidence of 
 faith, so long she retained her spirituality ; but 
 when she permitted tradition to add to the 
 Word of God, and received into her member- 
 ship infants, who grew up in sin and unbelief, 
 then her spirituality was exchanged for world- 
 liness — then she introduced a traitor into the 
 citadel, who betrayed her into the hands of her 
 
72 BAPTISTS 
 
 enemies. In contending, then, for the baptism 
 of believers only, we aim at the restoration of 
 the principle expressed by the Saviour in the 
 words of the text : " My kingdom is not of this 
 world." I shall endeavor to show, 
 
 1. That Infant Baptism tends to the Viola- 
 tion of this Principle. It is an undeniable 
 fact, that all Pedobaptist churches have con- 
 tended that infants are proper subjects for 
 membership in the church, and therefore should 
 be baptized. There are two opinions, however, 
 as to the grounds of infant baptism. Some 
 contend that the infants of professed believers 
 should be baptized because they are already 
 members of the church, by their natural birth, 
 while others contend that they should be bap- 
 tized in order to make them members. All 
 Pedobaptists, however, agree, that infants are 
 proper subjects for church membership, and 
 by baptism they receive such to their member- 
 ship. This is true, not only of the Church of 
 Rome, but of all the Protestant Pedobaptist 
 denominations, as can easily be shown by their 
 Confessions of Faith and writings on the 
 subject. 
 
 The Episcopal minister, at the baptism of an 
 infant, says: "We receive this child into the 
 congregation of Christ's flock," And again : — * 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 73 
 
 " Seeing that this child is regenerate, and 
 grafted into the body of Christ's church." And 
 in the prayer he thanks God that it hath pleased 
 him " to regenerate this infant, and incorporate 
 him into his holy church." * M. E. Church Dis- 
 cipline, Art. XYII, says : " Baptism is not only 
 a sign of profession, and mark of difference, 
 whereby Christians are distinguished from 
 others that are not baptized, but it is also a 
 sign of regeneration, or the new birth. The 
 baptism of young children is to be retained in the 
 church." The Presbyterian Confession of Faith 
 says : " The visible church consists of all those 
 throughout the world that profess the true 
 religion, together with their children." f AYe 
 are told again, that " Baptism is a sacrament," 
 "whereby the parties baptized are solemnly 
 admitted into the visible church. " J "All bap- 
 tized persons are members of the church, are 
 under its care, and subject to its government 
 and discipline, and when they have arrived at 
 years of discretion, they are bound to perform 
 all the duties of church members."§ 
 
 * Ministration of baptism of infants. 
 f Westminster Confession, chap. xxv. sec. 2. 
 \ Larger Catechism, question 165. 
 § Discipline of the Presbyterian church in the United 
 States, chap. i. sec. 7. 
 
74 BAPTISTS 
 
 This is the doctrine of all Pedobaptist de- 
 nominations. . Those baptized in infancy are 
 considered as sustaining the relation of mem- 
 bers. The propriety of this relation is urged 
 in every possible way. Says one writer, " In- 
 fants may be the disciples of Christ. A disci- 
 ple is a scholar ; this is the meaning of the 
 word. And a child is a scholar before he learns 
 his lesson, as well as afterwards. He is reck- 
 oned a scholar when he is committed to the 
 care of the instructor, or has his name put 
 down with those who belong to the school 
 whether he puts his name down himself, or 
 whether his parents put it down for him. The 
 church is the school of Christ. The names of 
 all those to whom God's gracious covenant 
 [baptism] is applied, belong upon the records 
 of the church." * Here it is plainly taught that 
 infants, by their baptism, are not only admitted 
 into the church, but actually made disciples of 
 Christ. Surely, Mr. Arnold had forgotten what 
 Christ said, when he wrote the above : " If any 
 man will be my disciple, let him deny himself, 
 and take up his cross, and follow me." How- 
 ever, I did not introduce this extract to 
 combat it in this place, but simply to show 
 
 * A Discourse on the Proper subjects of Christian Bap- 
 tism, by Rev. Samuel Arnold, p. 10, 11, 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 75 
 
 that Pedobaptists contend for infant member- 
 ship. 
 
 Another writer says : " This relation of chil- 
 dren to the church is generally represented, by 
 the most respectable authors, as infant mem- 
 bership. Against this I can see no valid objec- 
 tions. In a very important, though in a very 
 qualified sense, baptized children may be con- 
 sidered as infant members of the Christian 
 church.'' * 
 
 Says Dr. McDowell : " By baptism children 
 become members of Christ's visible church." 
 He says again, " Children by baptism, are 
 brought under the watch-care of the church, 
 and become the subjects of its wholesome 
 discipline." f 
 
 From these quotations, (and they might be 
 increased indefinitely,) it will be clearly seen 
 that infants become members of Pedobaptist 
 churches by baptism ; and these infants are the 
 constituent elements of which these churches 
 are composed. Having thus been admitted 
 members in infancy, they retain their connec- 
 tion with the church after they are grown up, 
 however vicious and abandoned they may be- 
 come. Though they are sometimes guilty of 
 
 * Rev. Dr. Woods, Lectures on Infant Baptism, p. 170. 
 f Theology, vol. ii. pp. 493, 494. 
 
76 BAPTISTS 
 
 such vile crimes as to merit their exclusion 
 from society, and their confinement in the 
 penitentiary, still they are not excluded from 
 the church; and though they sometimes die 
 under the hand of the public executioner, with- 
 out any evidence of repentance, they die as 
 members of the church into which they were 
 baptized. Is not this uniting the church and 
 the world " until death doth them part ? " 
 
 Although these remarks apply, more particu- 
 larly, to national churches — all of which are 
 Pedobaptist — as the Romish, Greek, Lutheran 
 and English Episcopal, who all receive and re- 
 tain infant members, however vicious they may 
 become, yet the same is true, in some sense, of 
 all other Pedobaptist churches. Dr. Woods, 
 speaking of the duty of the church to its infant 
 members, says : " On the question whether the 
 church ever ought, by a public act, to cut off 
 those who give evidence of obstinate impiety, 
 there have been various opinions." " It is, in 
 my view, utterly inexpedient to attempt to fix 
 upon any particular age, at which those who 
 were baptized in infancy, and who exhibit no 
 evidence of piety, are to be abandoned by the 
 church, as those for whom no farther efforts are 
 to be made. For, suppose you fix upon the 
 age of eighteen, or twenty, or twenty-one; 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 77 
 
 who can be sure that a youth at that age 
 though without any evidence of regeneration, 
 may not be in a state of mind which is more 
 susceptible of good impressions, and which 
 affords more hope of salvation, than at any 
 period of his life before ? 'Now if any person 
 should be in this state, and the church should 
 adopt a principle like what I have referred 
 to, they must forthwith exclude such a person 
 from all the advantages of their Christian friend- 
 ship ; and they must do this at a time when 
 those advantages would be most highly prized." 
 "We are not to attend to present appearances; 
 but are to consider the forbearance and long- 
 suffering of God, and the multiplied instances 
 in which His grace has visited those who had 
 long lived in sin, and who, in human apprehen- 
 sion, had been fitted for destruction. And 
 when those who have been devoted to God in 
 baptism, wander far and long from the path of 
 duty, and show fearful symptoms of obduracy, 
 we are not quickly to despair of their salvation, 
 but are to follow them with every effort which 
 the sincerest love can dictate. And when no 
 other effort seems to promise any good, we are 
 to abound in prayer, relying on the infinite 
 grace of God, and earnestly hoping that our 
 prayers will prevail and that our children will 
 
78 BAPTISTS 
 
 at length be persuaded to consider their ways, 
 and turn to the Lord." * 
 
 From this it will be perceived that those 
 who are made members of Pedobaptist churches 
 in infancy continue such when grown up — that 
 they are not to be excluded, no matter how 
 ungodly they become, so long as hopes may be 
 entertained of their conversion ; or, in other 
 words, so long as they live. This, we know, is 
 the practice of Pedobaptists universally. Is not 
 this uniting the church and the world ? 
 
 Now let it be remembered, that I have thus 
 far confined my remarks to the effects of infant 
 membership where only the children of pro- 
 fessedly pious parents are admitted into the 
 church by their baptism in infancy. How 
 much more palpable does this evil appear, 
 when we extend our observation to the prac- 
 tice — which exists, to a greater or less extent, 
 in almost every Pedobaptist community — of 
 baptizing the children of unconverted parents. 
 The majority of Pedobaptists do not require 
 piety as a condition in the parents, but simply 
 a desire to have their children christened. 
 There is nothing in the standards of any 
 Pedobaptist church that actually prohibits 
 the baptism of children of unconverted parents. 
 * Lectures on Infant Baptism, p. 173-175. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 79 
 
 The Presbyterian Confession of Faith appears 
 to prescribe limits, but it does not actually do 
 so, nor is it so understood by the ministry of 
 that church. Says Dr. McDowell, " Seeing 
 that a person by baptism has become a member 
 of the visible church, although destitute of 
 piety, and although he gives the church no 
 evidence of visible piety, yet on what ground, 
 or in what way can he be kept back from 
 baptism for his child ? I answer, let him be 
 seriously and solemnly told the nature of bap- 
 tism," etc. " If this were properly done, it 
 would have a great effect in keeping back many 
 improper persons/' * I might, if it were neces- 
 sary, furnish instances where Presbyterian 
 ministers have baptized the children of uncon- 
 verted parents without the least hesitation. 
 But the worst feature of all is, that in some 
 cases unconverted persons are urged to bring 
 their children to baptism. Suppose, however, 
 that in all cases, none but the children of truly 
 pious parents were admitted to infant bap- 
 tism and membership — would this remove the 
 evil? Are such children any better than 
 others? ~No ; for like all others, they are born 
 with carnal and depraved natures. They are 
 of the world — they belong to it ; and notwith- 
 * Theology, vol. ii. p. 484. 
 
80* BAPTISTS 
 
 standing their religious parentage, they are 
 "children of wrath even as others," until re- 
 generated by the Holy Spirit. As they ad- 
 vance toward maturity, they exhibit the same 
 enmity to God, and the same evil passions, and 
 the same sinful inclinations manifested by 
 others. Some of them become notoriously 
 vile ; yet they are not to be excluded ; but they 
 retain their membership, into which they were 
 brought in their infancy, and continue in it to 
 the day of their death. 
 
 Now this is directly opposed to Christ's 
 declaration : " My kingdom is not of this 
 world." It is directly opposed to the practice 
 of the apostles. It is directly opposed to the 
 New Testament description of church mem- 
 bers. They are there described as a spiritual 
 seed, lively stones, saints, sincere believers. 
 But are baptized infants of this description? 
 Do they possess the qualities which in the 
 New Testament are invariably ascribed to 
 church members ? By no means. And yet 
 they are received into what are professedly 
 evangelical churches; and thus the spirituality 
 of Christ's kingdom has been destroyed by in- 
 fant baptism. " The church of Christ, bought 
 with his blood, and ordained by him to be the 
 fold of his sheep, the home of the renewed, in 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 81 
 
 the world but not of it, has been robbed of its 
 true design, by being converted into a common 
 receptacle for the pure and the impure — a 
 great drag-net, inclosing all alike." 
 
 Infant baptism tends directly to amalgamate 
 the church with the world. It is by means of 
 this, that the church of Rome has spread her 
 baneful influence over so many nations. This 
 is abundantly evident from the fact, that 
 through the christening of children she has 
 made whole nations nominally Christian, teach- 
 ing just what all other churches who baptize 
 infants teach, that by their baptism they are 
 made members of the church of Christ. Thus 
 do Protestant Pedobaptists indorse the false 
 teachings of Pome, and give their strength to 
 the Beast, by propping up the main pillar on 
 which Antichrist rests ! I proceed to show 
 
 2. That the practice of Baptists is in accord- 
 ance with the teachings of Christ. Baptists 
 regard the kingdom of Christ as a purely 
 spiritual organization, separate and distinct 
 from the world. Acting upon this conviction, 
 they admit none to baptism and membership, 
 but such as profess their faith in Jesus, and 
 give satisfactory evidence that they have 
 "passed from death unto life." They recog- 
 nize no hereditary claims to the covenant of 
 
82 BAPTISTS 
 
 grace. They claim no " holiness " for their off- 
 spring, arising from their natural birth, which 
 entitles them to a place in God's spiritual 
 temple ; but regarding them as carnal, depraved 
 and unholy, they constantly feel the impor- 
 tance of urging upon them their own personal 
 obligations to " repent and be baptized in the 
 name of Jesus Christ;" while infant damnation 
 has no place in their creed, for the simple 
 reason that, like infant baptism, its supposed 
 antidote, it is not found in the Bible. They 
 aim to show that Christ's "kingdom is not of 
 this world." They receive none but professed 
 converts, and when these walk disorderly, they 
 withdraw themselves from them. They are 
 laboring to reform both Protestant and Papal 
 Christendom on this point, which they regard 
 of vital importance to the best interests of the 
 church and the world. Let their principles 
 prevail, and there can be no unhallowed union 
 of Church and State, no amalgamation of 
 Christ's kingdom with the world ; but the 
 Church, with undimined lustre will shine forth x 
 her glory unobscured, her ordinances uncor- 
 rupted, and her membership uncontaminated, 
 and instead of being " the mistress of the State, 
 or the courtesan of the world — as pedobaptism 
 has in too many instances made her — she 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 83 
 
 will appear in all her loveliness as the Bride of 
 
 Christ ! " 
 
 From these remarks it will be seen, that 
 infant baptism is not that harmless, innocent 
 thing which many suppose it to be ; but the 
 parent of gigantic evils ; the fruitful source of 
 the existence of state churches, and most of 
 the corruptions flowing therefrom; the instiga- 
 tor of all the persecutions which have ever 
 been waged in the name of Christianity 7 ; a 
 lying refuge and hiding-place of falsehood to 
 ensnare and ruin souls ; in short, the originator 
 and propagator of Popery. 
 
 Infant baptism is an error from beginning to 
 end — corrupt in theory and corrupting in prac- 
 tice; born in superstition, cradled in fear, 
 nursed in ignorance, supported by fraud, and 
 spread by force. With a tyrant hand it has 
 shed the blood of martyrs in torrents in all 
 lands. The introduction of infant baptism was 
 the death-knell of religious liberty in the 
 Christian communities where it was practiced. 
 The first persecutions ever raised in the name 
 of Christianity, were waged by the advocates 
 of infant baptism against those who, adhering 
 to the teachings of Christ and the apostles, 
 denied its validity. The council of Carthage 
 (A. D. 414) passed the following canon : " We 
 
84 BAPTISTS 
 
 will that whosoever denies that little children 
 by baptism are freed from perdition and eter- 
 nally saved, that they be accursed." The edict 
 of Honorius and Valentinian III. (A. D. 413) 
 forbids rebaptism throughout the Roman em- 
 pire under the penalty of death. This of 
 course was aimed at those who considered infant 
 baptism as unscriptural, and immersed believers 
 after they had confessed their faith in Christ, 
 even though they had been baptized in infancy. 
 Justinian, in the beginning of the sixth century, 
 ordered new-born infants to be baptized, under 
 a penalty for neglecting it. Under laws like 
 these, enforced as they were in the middle ages 
 with new and most sanguinary edicts in all the 
 states of Europe, what multitudes must have 
 become martyrs, may be conjectured from the 
 fact that at the time of the Reformation Bap- 
 tist martyrs were counted by tens and even 
 hundreds of thousands. 
 
 Now, as we love the Word of God, the 
 commands and example of Christ, the purity 
 of the Christian Church, and the souls of men, 
 we are bound unceasingly to labor for the 
 extermination of this monster evil, this child 
 of Tradition ! In seeking to effect this reform, 
 we shall use no carnal weapons, but simply 
 adhere to the word of God, the precepts of 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 85 
 
 Christ, and the practice of the apostles, and 
 urge all others to do the same. 
 
 You perceive again, that while we differ 
 from most other evangelical bodies merely as 
 to an external ordinance, apparently, here is 
 another great principle involved in that differ- 
 ence. Let me urge all to seek from the Bible 
 a knowledge of the characteristics of those who 
 composed the primitive churches, and see 
 whether they will apply to the constituents of 
 Pedobaptist churches. And if not, then " come 
 out from among them," and aid those who are 
 laboring to effect a reform which will restore 
 the spirit uality of the church, and clothe it 
 w r ith that moral beauty and attractiveness of 
 which pedobaptism has shorn it. If you do 
 this, and are proselyted, you will have prosely- 
 ted yourselves ; and such are the only kind 
 of proselytes Baptists can make. 
 
 In concluding this lecture, I cannot refrain 
 from saying a few words to those who have 
 been baptized in infancy, and are yet conscious 
 that they have never been "born again." I 
 am induced to do this, because I am reminded 
 that my attention was first led to a candid 
 investigation of the subject of baptism, by 
 discovering that, though unconverted, I was a 
 member of the church, — having been made so 
 
86 BAPTISTS THOROUGH REFORMERS. 
 
 by my baptism in infancy. This incongruous 
 position you sustain. Though in the world, 
 and of the world, you are also in the church, 
 and of the church ! You are not responsible, 
 I am aware, for the inconsistency of the 
 position you occupy. You were brought into 
 it while in unconscious infancy, without your 
 knowledge and consent. But, I inquire, do 
 you not feel that such a relation is perfectly 
 inconsistent with your own ideas of what the 
 Bible teaches? A moment's reflection, I feel 
 confident, if you are really Protestants, will 
 convince you of it. At all events, I urge you, 
 as Protestants, to search the Bible in reference 
 to this matter, with the hope that you may be 
 led, as I was, to see your unfitness for a place 
 in Christ's kingdom, and to seek and obtain 
 salvation through Jesus Christ, and then act 
 consistently, by uniting with those who aim to 
 restore the spirituality of Christ's church, by 
 faithfully adhering to his own declaration; — 
 " My kingdom is not of this world." 
 
LECTURE VI. 
 
 THE THIRD FEATURE, ETC. THE PROPAGATION OF 
 RELIGIOUS LIBERTY AND THE RIGHTS OF CON- 
 SCIENCE. 
 
 " Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, 
 and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us. 
 And Jesus said, Forbid him not/' — Luke ix. 49, 50. 
 
 The Gospel of Christ not only differs from 
 all other systems of religion in the superior 
 excellence of the truths it reveals, but also in the 
 directions it gives for the propagation of its 
 doctrines. Other systems seek to advance 
 themselves by invoking the aid of the secular 
 power, and by forcing men, against their con- 
 victions, to accept a theory repugnant to their 
 views. They have thus succeeded in throng- 
 ing their temples with hypocritical worshippers, 
 bound to their altars through fear and slavish 
 dread. These systems, in order to maintain 
 
88 BAPTISTS 
 
 themselves, find it necessary to proscribe and 
 persecute all who differ from them, either in 
 their articles of belief or mode of worship. But 
 the Gospel of Christ, though it is the infallible 
 truth of God, expressly prohibits a resort to any 
 such measures for its advancement. It not only 
 teaches its adherents to utterly abandon the use 
 of carnal weapons for its propagation, but it 
 also charges them not to proscribe those who 
 may differ in their views or mode of worship. 
 This principle is directly expressed in the text 
 and its connection. The teaching of the Sav- 
 iour has been violated, however, even by his 
 professed followers ; and, in the name of the 
 meek and lowly Jesus, men have gone forth 
 with proscription, oppression, and persecution, 
 to advance their own opinions, and crush out 
 that liberty of thought, and those rights of con- 
 science vouchsafed to man by his Maker, and 
 the free exercise of which is alone compatible 
 with his personal accountability. One body 
 of Christians has always shunned this mode 
 of procedure; and in seeking to advance the 
 truth, they have never engaged in persecution 
 of any kind, though they have been themselves 
 more bitterly persecuted than any others. I 
 propose to prove that Baptists have always 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 89 
 
 been the pioneers in the Propagation of Relig- 
 ious Liberty and the Rights of Conscience. 
 
 I shall endeavor here to define what relig- 
 ious liberty is. The views of many Protestants, 
 even in this land of liberty, are exceedingly 
 imperfect, and in some instances surprisingly 
 erroneous, on this subject. Many consider 
 toleration as synonymous with religious liberty ; 
 but a moment's consideration will exhibit the 
 vast difference between the two. Toleration is 
 the allowance of that which is not wholly ap- 
 proved. As applied to religion, the term is 
 objectionable; because it presupposes the exist- 
 ence of some mere human authority, which has 
 power to grant to, or withhold from man the 
 exercise of freedom in matters of religion — and 
 this is Popery. Our Creator, however, has 
 nowhere delegated such authority to king, or 
 priest, or any human organization whatever ; on 
 the contrary, he has shown, by the very nature 
 of the soul of man, and the Revelation given to 
 him, that it is his inalienable right to exercise 
 his judgment without restraint in religious 
 matters, and give expression, freely and fully, 
 to his religious convictions, without human 
 dictation or interference. 
 
 It is manifest, that if the right to tolerate 
 
90 BAPTISTS 
 
 exists in man, the right to prohibit, and to dic- 
 tate to the conscience, must also exist with it ; 
 and thus toleration becomes merely another 
 name for oppression. Toleration, therefore, is 
 not religious liberty. 
 
 Religious freedom recognizes in no human 
 organization the right or the power to tolerate. 
 It does not stoop — either to magistrate or min- 
 ister, pope or priest — to humbly ask leave or 
 beg permission to speak freely, or act out its con- 
 victions ; but it speaks and acts, because, in the 
 exercise of its own right, it chooses to do so. It 
 simply asks, with Paul, " Lord, what wilt thou 
 have me to do ? " and having ascertained God's 
 will, it goes forth to do it, though a host of 
 priests, or a thousand executioners, stand ready to 
 execrate and slay it. It acknowledges no human 
 authority competent to come between the con- 
 science and its Maker in reference to his will and 
 its duty. Religious liberty does not exist where 
 there is no recognition and acknowledgment of 
 this right — the right of every individual of the 
 human race, to think, and choose, and act for 
 himself in religious matters. 
 
 Baptists have always strenuously contended 
 for the acknowledgment of this principle, and 
 have labored to propagate it. Nowhere, on the 
 
THOROUGH KEFOKMEIiS. 91 
 
 page of history, can an instance be found of Bap- 
 tists depriving others of their religious liberties, 
 or aiming to do so ; but, wherever they are found, 
 even in the darkest ages of intolerance and per- 
 secution, they appear to be far in advance of 
 those who surround them, on this important 
 subject. This is simply owing to their adher- 
 ence to the Gospel of Christ in its purity. 
 Here religious liberty is taught in its fullest 
 extent; and it was only when the Christian 
 church departed from God's Word, that she 
 sought to crush the rights of conscience ; and 
 only when she fully returns to it again, will she 
 cease to cherish a desire to do so. 
 
 The Reformation which took place in the 
 sixteenth century, while it aimed to remove 
 many of the abuses of Popery, still did not rec- 
 ognize religious liberty. " There is not a con- 
 fession of faith, nor a creed, 1 ' says Underbill, 
 "framed by any of the Reformers, which does 
 not give to the magistrate a coercive power in 
 religion, and almost every one, at the same time, 
 curses the resisting Baptist." " It was the crime 
 of this persecuted people, that they rejected sec- 
 ular interference in the church of God ; it was 
 the boast and aim of the Reformers everywhere 
 to employ it. The natural fruit of the one 
 
92 BAPTISTS 
 
 was persecution — of the other, liberty." * The 
 Baptists stood entirely alone, as the defenders 
 of the rights of conscience. All the Reformed 
 communities agreed that it was right for the 
 magistrate to punish those who did not wor- 
 ship according to the prescribed rule of their 
 churches ; and it was for opposition to this fea- 
 ture of religious oppression, in connectioii with 
 their adherence to believer's baptism, that 
 brought upon the Baptists those severe persecu- 
 tions which they were called to endure. They 
 contended for religious liberty ; the Reformed 
 churches opposed it, and committed themselves 
 to a course fatal to the rights of conscience. I 
 again quote from Underhill : 
 
 " Honor, ease, and wealth flowed in upon the 
 opposers of religious liberty, but tribulation 
 unto death was the portion of those who ven- 
 tured to advocate it. Most affectingly does the 
 eminent Simon Menno refer to this contrast: 
 6 For eighteen years, with my poor feeble wife 
 and little children, has it behooved me to bear 
 great and various anxieties, sufferings, griefs, 
 afflictions, miseries, and persecutions, and in 
 every place to find a bare existence, in fear and 
 danger of my life. While some preachers are 
 * " Struggles and Triumphs of Religious Liberty," p. 86. 
 
THOKOUGH REFORMERS. 93 
 
 reclining on their soft bed and downy pillows, 
 we are often hidden in the caves of the earth ; 
 while they are celebrating the nuptial or natal 
 days of their children, and rejoicing with the 
 timbrel and the harp, we are looking anxiously 
 about, fearing lest persecutors should be sud- 
 denly at the door ; while they are saluted by 
 all around as doctors, masters, lords, we are 
 compelled to hear ourselves called Anabaptists, 
 ale-house preachers, seducers, heretics, and to be 
 hailed in the devil's name. In a word, while 
 they for their ministry are remunerated with 
 annual stipends, our wages are the fire, the 
 sword, the death." * 
 
 ISTow, why was this ? Did these Baptists de- 
 serve such treatment at the hands of their per- 
 secutors? Let a Catholic historian (Cardinal 
 Hosius, President of the Council of Trent) re- 
 ply : " If you behold their cheerfulness in suffer- 
 ing persecution, the Anabaptists run before all 
 the heretics. If you have regard to the number, 
 it is like that in multitude they would swarm 
 above all others, if they were not grievously 
 plagued and cut off with the knife of persecu- 
 tion. If you have an eye to the outward ap- 
 pearance of godliness, both the Lutherans and 
 
 * " Struggles and Triumphs of Religious Liberty/' p. 88. 
 1* 
 
94 BAPTISTS 
 
 Zninglians must needs grant that they far pass 
 them. If you will be moved by the boasting 
 of tbe Word of God, these be no less bold than 
 Calvin to preach, and their doctrine must stand 
 aloft above all the glory of the world, must 
 stand invincible above all power, because it is 
 not their word, but the Word of the living 
 God." * 
 
 It is evident, then, that the Baptists suffered 
 merely because they maintained that they ought 
 " to obey God rather than man." They found 
 no direction in the Bible for the baptism of in- 
 fants, and therefore they refused to observe the 
 rite. The Reformed or Protestant churches 
 sought to force them to do it, in opposition to 
 their convictions. They maintained that this 
 was also contrary to the spirit of the Gospel, 
 and thus, in defence of the Bible, and the rights 
 of conscience, they died. 
 
 As a proof of this let me give you one 
 among very many other instances which might 
 be produced. Balthazar Hubmeyer of Fried- 
 burgh, Switzerland, who with his wife, suffered 
 martyrdom in 1528, at the hands of the Protec- 
 tant Reformers, for the sin of being a Baptist, 
 was originally a learned and eloquent Roman 
 
 * " Struggles and Triumphs of Eeligious Liberty," p. 89. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 95 
 
 Catholic preacher, and while among them was 
 called a Doctor of the Holy Scriptures. By 
 the illumination of the Holy Spirit he was so 
 convinced of the abominations of Popery, that 
 following the counsel of God, he separated 
 himself from it. He afterward rejected, among 
 other Popish errors, infant baptism, and taught 
 with all possible zeal, the immersion of be- 
 lievers accordino; to the command of Christ. 
 In company with one hundred and ten others, 
 he was baptized by William Roubli, one of the 
 earliest Swiss Baptists, and for some time a 
 pastor at Basle. He himself baptized some 
 three hundred persons in the few following 
 months. He published a work on baptism, 
 which brought, in the autumn, a virulent reply 
 from Zuingle, the great Protestant Swiss lie- 
 former. Some of the Baptists were cast into 
 prison, and so cruel were the proceedings, that 
 even the populace complained that injustice 
 w T as done to them. 
 
 Hubmeyer published a tract, in which he 
 complains of Zuingle and his followers : That 
 they had proceeded at one time so far as to 
 throw, into a dark and miserable tower, twenty 
 persons, both men and pregnant women, wid- 
 ows and young females, and to pronounce 
 
96 BAPTISTS 
 
 this sentence upon them — that thenceforward 
 they should see neither sun nor moon for the 
 remainder of their lives, and be fed till their 
 days were ended with bread and water, and that 
 they should remain in the dark tower together, 
 both the living and the dead, surrounded with 
 filth and putrefaction, until not a single sur- 
 vivor of the whole remained. "Oh, God!" 
 writes this good man, " what a hard, severe, 
 cruel sentence upon pious Christian people, of 
 whom no one could speak evil, only that they 
 had received water baptism in obedience to the 
 command of Christ." Hubmeyer courageously 
 went to the stake, and was burned to death on 
 the 10th of March, 1528. His wife was also 
 the partner of his sufferings. She was com- 
 demned to death by drowning, and in the river 
 Danube found a watery grave. 
 
 No matter whether Romanists or Protes- 
 tants gained the ascendancy — the Baptists were 
 presecuted by both alike. The reason of this 
 was, that they claimed for the church of Christ, 
 and the consciences of men, freedom from all 
 human control. This was their distinguishing 
 trait ; and it was the assertion of this principle 
 that brought them into collision with every 
 form and ceremony of human invention in the 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 97 
 
 worship of God, and every effort to bind the 
 conscience to observe them. To worship God 
 aright, the spirit must be free ; for true wor- 
 ship is voluntary, and can only come from a 
 willing heart. 
 
 From what I have submitted, it will be 
 seen that the Baptists stood alone, as the de- 
 fenders of religious liberty, during the progress 
 of the Reformation, and for many years after. 
 It will also be seen, that their idea of the church, 
 composed of none but believers, immersed on 
 the profession of their faith, was the grand 
 cause of the separation of the Baptists, as indi- 
 viduals and communities, from all the ecclesi- 
 astical organizations supported by the Reform- 
 ers and their successors. From the very nature 
 of the case, there could be no union between 
 them ; from the first they were opposites, and 
 so they remained. The Baptists occupied an 
 independent and original position ; they were 
 neither Romanists nor Protestants, but thor- 
 ough religious reformers, elevating their stand- 
 ard of religious liberty far above the most 
 exalted ideas of Protestant toleration. 
 
 And thus it continued to be, till the estab- 
 lishment of the American Republic. Other 
 denominations contended for toleration ; Bap- 
 
98 BAPTISTS 
 
 tists demanded for themselves, and all others, 
 religious liberty — the right of every one to 
 worship God as he might choose. Even the 
 Puritans, who fled from persecution in England, 
 had no idea of religious liberty. They came 
 here to establish their own faith, and to exclude 
 all others; hence they were more rigidly intol- 
 erant than the countries whence they had fled 
 from persecution. "Intolerance was a neces- 
 sary condition of their enterprise. They feared 
 and hated religious liberty." * 
 
 All who did not conform to their views, 
 were fined and imprisoned, and whipped and 
 banished ; and, as Baptists were especially op- 
 posed to religious oppression, the heaviest per- 
 secutions fell upon them. Hence, in 1644, a 
 law w T as passed in Massachusetts against the 
 Baptists, by which it was " ordered and agreed, 
 that if any person or persons within this juris- 
 diction shall either openly condemn or oppose 
 the baptism of infants, or seduce others to do 
 so, or leave the congregation during the ad- 
 minstration of the rite, he shall be sentenced 
 to banishment." The same year we accord- 
 ingly find that a poor man was tied up and 
 
 * Dr. Ellis, Lecture before the New England Histor- 
 ical Society, March 11, I860, 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 99 
 
 whipped for refusing to have his child sprin 
 Med; and on July 20, 1651, Obadiah Holmes, 
 John Clark, and John Crandall, Baptist minis- 
 ters, were arrested near Lynn, Massachusetts, 
 while preaching on the Lord's day, taken to the 
 parish church in the afternoon, sent to the Bos- 
 ton jail, and subsequently fined. The fines 01 
 Clark and Crandall were, after a while, paid, 
 but Mr. Holmes was kept in Boston jail till 
 September, when he was tied to the whipping- 
 post and publicly whipped. His clothes were 
 stripped off, and thirty lashes sunk into his 
 naked flesh, which was so torn and cut that 
 for weeks afterward he could only rest upon 
 his hands and knees even in bed. 
 
 This same spirit of persecution was mani- 
 fested against Roger Williams. In 1639, he 
 became a Baptist, and in 1643 went to Eng- 
 land from New York, because he had been 
 banished from Boston. In March, 1644, he 
 obtained the charter for the colony of Rhode 
 Island, with power for the colony to make its 
 own laws ; and in September, 1644, under that 
 charter was established the first government 
 on earth that granted full religious liberty. It 
 was the first spot the sun had ever shone upon 
 where the rights of conscience were full; 
 
100 BAPTISTS 
 
 knowledged, and it was founded by a Baptist ; 
 and it may be considered the germ of that 
 religious liberty which all American citizens 
 now enjoy, for up to the very dawning of 
 the American Revolution, and even after that 
 period, Baptists continued to struggle and suf- 
 fer heroically for religious liberty. 
 
 In Virginia, where the first permanent col- 
 ony in America was established, the charter 
 bearing date 1606, fourteen years before the 
 Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Baptists were bit- 
 terly persecuted. By law, a fine of two thou- 
 sand pounds of tobacco was imposed on " those 
 who neglected to have their infants baptized." 
 
 Baptist ministers were arrested and im- 
 prisoned as vagrants ; some were pulled down 
 from the stand as they were preaching, insulted 
 and whipped, and many were imprisoned for 
 preaching the Gospel. Elders John Waller, 
 Lewis Craig, and James Childs were seized at 
 a meeting, June 4, 1768, dragged before the 
 magistrate, and imprisoned for forty-three days 
 in Fredericksburg. Mr. "Wofford was severely 
 scourged, and carried the scars to his grave. 
 
 Dr. Hawks, historian of the Episcopal Church 
 of Virginia, says : " No dissenters in Virginia 
 experienced harsher treatment than did the 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 101 
 
 Baptists. They were beaten and imprisoned, 
 and cruelty taxed its ingenuity to devise new 
 modes of punishment and annoyance." 
 
 But the Baptists struggled on. On Septem- 
 ber 5, 1774, a Congress elected by the people of 
 twelve colonies met at Philadelphia to consult 
 for the general interests. The Warren Baptist 
 Association of Rhode Island sent an agent — 
 Rev. Isaac Backus, who with his mother, broth- 
 er, and uncle, had suffered imprisonment for 
 being Baptists — to Philadelphia, to join with 
 the Philadelphia Baptist Association in present- 
 ing a memorial to Congress to secure religious 
 liberty. But they met opposition ; some even 
 accusing the Baptists of trying to break up the 
 Union, when they merely advocated universal 
 religious liberty ! 
 
 The Declaration of Independence was 
 adopted by the Continental Congress in Phil- 
 adelphia, July 4, 1776. But the Declaration 
 of Independence did not remove oppressive 
 laws from colonial or State statute-books. In 
 Virginia, for four years after the Declaration 
 of Independence, marriages performed by Bap- 
 tists were unlawful, their children declared ille- 
 gitimate, and their inheritances lost. Not until 
 1785, was religious liberty fully established by 
 
102 BAPTISTS 
 
 law in Virginia — Thomas Jefferson, whose 
 father was a Baptist, being the author of the 
 bill. In 1809, writing to the members of the 
 Baptist Church at Buck Mountain, whom he 
 acknowledged as his coadjutors in the work, 
 he says : " We have acted together from the 
 origin to the end of a memorable revolution, 
 and we have contributed, each in the line allot- 
 ted us, our endeavors to render its issues a per- 
 manent blessing to our country." * 
 
 A National Constitution for the United States 
 was adopted in 1787. Its provisions were 
 satisfactory as far as they went, but religious 
 liberty was not sufficiently guarded. The 
 Baptist General Committee of Virginia, in 1788, 
 expressed their disapproval of this important 
 omission, and, after consultation with James 
 Madison, this committee, in August, 1789, wrote 
 to General Washington, then President of the 
 United States, saying that they feared that lib- 
 erty of conscience, dearer to them than property 
 or life, was not sufficiently guarded. Washing- 
 ton gave them a kind and encouraging reply, in 
 which occurs the following language : " While 
 I recollect with satisfaction that the religious 
 society of which you are members have been, 
 
 * Dr. Curry's Address, p. 54. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 103 
 
 throughout America, uniformly, and almost 
 unanimously, the firm friends of civil liberty, 
 and the persevering promoters of our glorious 
 Revolution, I cannot hesitate to believe that 
 they will be the faithful supporters of a free yet 
 efficient general government." 
 
 In the next month that immortal First 
 Amendment to the Constitution was adopted by 
 Congress : " Congress shall make no law re- 
 specting an establishment of religion, or pro- 
 hibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging 
 the freedom of speech or of the press, or the 
 right of the people peaceably to assemble and 
 petition the government for a redress of griev- 
 ances." Thus were Baptists the propagators of 
 our religious liberty. 
 
 Baptists have not changed since the Refor- 
 mation, or the clays of Washington. Their 
 principles are still the same ; and these princi- 
 ples bind them to the propagation of religious 
 liberty. The very constitution of a Baptist 
 church is compatible only with enjoyment of 
 such liberty. It is composed of those who have 
 exercised an intelligent choice, and v^ho, in the 
 possession of liberty to go elsewhere unmo- 
 lested, have preferred to unite with it. Like 
 true philanthropists they desire that all others 
 
104 BAPTISTS 
 
 may enjoy equal freedom with themselves. 
 They would use their liberty in endeavoring to 
 liberate others. Infant baptism they regard as 
 one great source of the destruction of religious 
 liberty ; in laboring therefore to lead its adher- 
 ents to abandon it, they are seeking to effect a 
 reform which will leave the conscience free to 
 act according to its own convictions of God's 
 requirements, which Pedobaptism prevents it 
 from doing. 
 
 It is sometimes said that these persecutions 
 of Baptists by Protestants, must be attributed 
 to the age in which they lived. How then 
 are we to account for Baptists being so much 
 in advance of the age ? In contrast with the 
 spirit of Zuingle (p. 11), mark the sentiments 
 expressed by Jeronimus Segerson, who with his 
 wife suffered martyrdom in September, 1551, 
 one by burning, and the other by drowning, for 
 the sin of being Baptists. They were both in 
 prison at the time, separated from each other. 
 
 " We must likewise wrestle with enemies ; 
 that is, we must wrestle here in this world with 
 emperors, with the powers and princes of this 
 world. We must in this world suffer, for Paul 
 has said, ' that all that will live godly in Christ 
 Jesus must suffer persecution.' We must com- 
 
THOKOrGH REFORMERS. 105 
 
 pletely conquer the world, sin, death, and the 
 devil, not with material swords and spears, but 
 with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word 
 of God, and with the shield of faith, where- 
 with we must quench all sharp and fiery darts, 
 and place on our heads the helmet of salvation, 
 with the armor of righteousness, and our feet be 
 shod with the preparation of the Gospel. Be- 
 ing thus strengthened with these weapons, we 
 shall oppose and overcome all our enemies." 
 
 The same spirit has ever been manifested 
 by Baptists, While others clamored for lib- 
 erty and toleration when they were oppressed, 
 and then, as soon as they came into power, be- 
 gan to oppress others, Baptists have claimed 
 religious liberty for all, and have heroically 
 suffered that all men might be free. Not in 
 the age, but in the error of infant baptism, lies 
 the root of state churches and religious perse- 
 tions; and only as Baptist influence keeps these 
 in check, will Pedobaptism be prevented from 
 bringing forth its legitimate fruit in the destruc- 
 tion of religious liberty. 
 
 Wherever Pedobaptism has had the oppor- 
 tunity to develop itself, it has always produced 
 oppression and persecution, both in Romish 
 and Protestant communities. Its direct ten- 
 
106 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 dency is to crush religious liberty, and destroy 
 the rights of conscience. This is capable of 
 proof, not merely from history, but from the 
 very nature of the thing itself. Let me de- 
 monstrate this. 
 
 By infant baptism a person is committed, 
 while unconscious, to a certain church; he is 
 made a member of that church. Now, unless 
 that church is infallible, it has no right to make 
 a person a member without his consent ; for, 
 it may commit him to an alliance with error, 
 and to the defence of it. But all churches are 
 fallible, they may err ; a person who is made a 
 member of such a church in infancy, may dis- 
 cover an error in that church when he arrives 
 at maturity. Without his own consent, he has 
 been committed to that error ; he was not left 
 free to choose, where it is evident, from the 
 nature of things, a choice might have been ex- 
 ercised. Pedobaptism is therefore inconsistent 
 with liberty. 
 
 This will more fully appear from the fol- 
 lowing : All Pedobaptists agree that there is 
 more than one mode of baptism. They all 
 teach, also, that baptism is to be administered 
 but once to the same individual. It is evident, 
 then, from their own admission, that a choice 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 107 
 
 may be exercised as to the mode ; but they ad- 
 minister baptism to a child, while in a state of 
 unconsciousness, and, according to their own 
 teaching that person is never to be baptized 
 again, however much he may prefer another 
 mode — which they all admit to be equally valid 
 —when he is converted. Multitudes find them- 
 selves thus embarrassed on arriving at matu- 
 rity, and on experiencing conversion. They 
 feel that their liberty has been taken away ; 
 and that, according to the teaching of their 
 church, they cannot exercise a choice, where 
 that very church admits that a choice might 
 be made, if they were free. In order to enjoy 
 liberty, they must of necessity go to the 
 Baptists. * 
 
 * It was thus with the author of these Lectures. He 
 was sprinkled in infancy, and made a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. On arriving at " years of discre- 
 tion/'' and on experiencing conversion, his mind was led 
 to the investigation of the subjects and mode of baptism. 
 He came to the conclusion that believers were the only 
 subjects, and immersion the only mode. But he found 
 that, on account of his infant baptism, he could not be 
 immersed, as a believer, in the Presbyterian Church. 
 For, their Confession of Faith teaches that baptism is not 
 to be repeated to the same subject, and he could not ask 
 any minister of that church to so far forget his own self- 
 respect, as to deliberately violate his ordination vows, 
 
108 BAPTISTS 
 
 If any should strenuously contend for only 
 one mode of baptism, it should be Pedobaptists ; 
 for, they administer baptism when the subject 
 knows nothing about it, and then maintain that 
 it must not be repeated. They ought to be able, 
 when the baptized child comes to years of under- 
 standing, to prove from the Word of God, be- 
 yond the possibility of a doubt, that the mode 
 adopted by them was the only correct one. 
 
 These remarks apply with equal force to the 
 subjects of baptism. Suppose a Pedobaptist 
 child is conscientiously convinced that he should 
 be baptized after repentance and faith ? He 
 must either leave the church of which he is a 
 member, or continue with it while he violates 
 
 which bind him to sustain that Confession of Faith ; nei- 
 ther would he have accepted immersion at the hands of 
 such a one, had it been offered. But he saw at once 
 that his liberty had been taken away. He looked at the 
 children of Baptists, who, while they had been instructed 
 just as religiously as himself, were not trammelled by an 
 act done for them when they could make no choice. He 
 saw that they were free to act as their consciences, en- 
 lightened by the Word of God, might dictate. He there- 
 fore acted consistently, and united with that sect which 
 is " everywhere spoken against." And the opposition 
 of relatives, all of whom were Pedobaptists, only quick- 
 ened his steps toward the platform of religious liberty — 
 a Baptist church. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 109 
 
 its teachings, or give up his religious liberty, 
 and neglect his known duty. Numerous in- 
 stances might be given to prove this. I will 
 relate one, which illustrates this point. 
 
 Mrs. C, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was 
 sprinkled in infancy (neither of her parents 
 being at the time professors of religion), by 
 Rev. Dr. Chapin, pastor of a Pedobaptist church 
 in that place. On arriving at maturity, she 
 experienced conversion, and desired to be re- 
 sprinkled, but was refused. She then asked 
 for her letter, which was also refused. After 
 a long effort to persuade her to relinquish 
 her purpose, she at length obtained her letter, 
 and united with a Baptist church five miles 
 distant. 
 
 Further, Pedobaptism tends to crush relig- 
 ious liberty, because it leads parents to do vio- 
 lence to the consciences of their children. 'Bap- 
 tized children, when they are converted, fre- 
 quently become Baptists in sentiment ; but they 
 are often forced to unite with Pedobaptist 
 churches against their choice, or remain with- 
 out a public profession of faith, or join the 
 church of their choice at great sacrifice, and 
 with much opposition. 
 
 Now Roman Catholics are far more consist- 
 2 
 
11 BAPTISTS 
 
 ent in this matter than Protestants who pursue 
 such a course. They are taught that to leave 
 the Romish church involves the certain loss of 
 the soul ; they are therefore bound, in order, as 
 they suppose, to save their children from per- 
 dition, to keep them from becoming Protestants. 
 But Protestants, generally, admit Baptists to 
 be correct in all that is essential to salvation ; 
 if they oppose the union of their children with 
 the Baptists, they exhibit more bigotry than 
 the Romanist. 
 
 Remember, religious liberty involves the 
 right to think, examine, decide, and choose for 
 ourselves in all matters between the conscience 
 and its Maker. This, Baptists seek to propa- 
 gate ; and to this, Pedobaptism, both in the 
 Romish and Protestant bodies, is opposed. In 
 contending, then, for the baptism of believers 
 only, we contend for man's dearest rights — the 
 rights of conscience. 
 
 Let Baptist principles prevail, and there 
 will be no forcing the conscience, no forestalling 
 the judgment ; but man, free to act intelligently 
 and understanding^, according to the light he 
 possesses, will render to God voluntary obedi- 
 ence, none desiring to " molest him or make 
 him afraid. 55 
 
LEOTUEE YIL 
 
 THE FOURTH FEATURE OF THE REFORM AT WHICH 
 
 BAPTISTS AIM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 
 
 EQUALITY OF CHRIST^ DISCIPLES. 
 
 " One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are 
 brethren. "—Matt. 23: 8. 
 
 One of the most inveterate sins of fallen 
 humanity, is pride. Man thirsts for power. 
 He loves to be elevated above his fellows, and 
 to occupy a position of acknowledged superior- 
 ity. He delights to be clothed with a little 
 brief authority, which will enable him to look 
 on all around him as his inferiors, It is the 
 working of this spirit of arrogance and assump- 
 tion that has created so many grades among 
 men, both in the world and in the church. 
 The disciples of Christ were infected with 
 this spirit. They had imbibed it from the 
 Jewish elders — the Scribes and Pharisees. 
 They thirsted for the possession of such a 
 degree of power and authority, as would entitle 
 them to dictate to and rule over their brethren. 
 Hence, we find them frequently disputing who 
 
112 " BAPTISTS 
 
 should be the greatest. Christ invariably re- 
 buked this spirit on every occasion of its mani- 
 festation. He taught them humility. He 
 showed them that the principles of his gospel 
 were opposed to all such sentiments of pride, 
 and that instead of favoring the arrogant 
 wishes of depraved humanity, it was designed 
 to convert mankind into a universal brother- 
 hood, all possessing equal rights, acknowledg- 
 ing but one Head, one Superior, one Master, 
 even himself. He taught that his church was 
 to be an association of brethren, all its mem- 
 bers subject to one law, and all amenable 
 to one tribunal, the voice of the church. 
 
 But how sadly has the teaching of Christ 
 on this subject been perverted ; and the pro- 
 fessedly Christian church, instead of present- 
 ing to us the beautiful picture of a band of 
 brethren, meeting together on the broad plat- 
 form of equality, exhibits an array of grada- 
 tions in authority, which vies with the most 
 despotic governments of the world. Priestly 
 arrogance and ministerial assumption of au- 
 thority are exhibited on almost every hand, in 
 both the Protestant and Papal churches; and 
 from the class-leader to the mitred bishop — 
 from the ruling elder to the triple-crowned 
 Pope — there is a violation of Christ's declara- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 113 
 
 tion : " One is your master, even Christ, and 
 all ye are brethren." Eeform here is needed ; 
 and I announce, therefore, as the Fourth Fea- 
 ture of the reform at which Baptists aim, 
 
 The Establishment of the Equality of 
 Chrises Disciples. 
 
 I. It will devolve on me to show, in the 
 first place, that such equality does not generally 
 exist. In Romish and Protestant churches 
 there is no recognition of equality among pro- 
 fessed disciples of Christ. I suppose I need 
 not stop to prove this assertion in reference to 
 Romanism. All acknowledge that there are 
 grades of power, both temporal and ecclesiasti- 
 cal, in that church. Even her most devoted 
 adherents will not deny it. On the contrary, 
 they admit and defend it. 
 
 Let us, then, turn to the Protestant churches. 
 And first we will notice the Episcopal. Does 
 this church recognize equality among her 
 members ? We reply, No ! She has distinct 
 and separate grades ; and not only is the 
 ministry above the laity, but there are three 
 grades in the ministry ; deacons, priests and 
 bishops. In England, the bishops of this 
 church, by virtue of their office, are clothed 
 with temporal power. They are peers of the 
 
114 BAPTISTS 
 
 realm — that is, nobles of the land. The arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury has the appointment of 
 all the bishops, and is the highest nobleman of 
 England. The archbishops hold authority over 
 all the bishops. The bishops hold authority 
 over all the churches, and inferior clergy, in 
 their respective dioceses. They appoint minis- 
 ters to their charges ; they suspend, degrade, 
 and excommunicate them. In America there 
 are no archbishops. But the bishops, though 
 possessing no civil power, have the same 
 ecclesiastical power as those in Englaud. The 
 church has no voice in her government. In 
 the Triennial Convention, the bishops form a 
 separate house distinct and superior to the 
 clergy and laity. The appropriate language of 
 the bishops in England would be: " One is 
 our Master, the archbishop, and all we are 
 lords ; " while both in England and America 
 there is no recognition of the equality taught 
 by Christ. 
 
 But let us look again at the Presbyterian 
 church. Does equality reign here? Do all 
 her members stand on the broad even platform 
 of the Gospel? Can they say, "One is our 
 Master, even Christ?" Let them answer for 
 themselves. Both in their Confession of Faith 
 and Form of Government, we find that the 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 115 
 
 government rests not in the hands of the 
 church, but in the session, presbytery, synod 
 and General Assembly. These bodies attend 
 to all the business of the church. An individ- 
 ual church has no power to act in the reception 
 of members, the exclusion of members, the 
 calling or dismissing of a pastor, or any other 
 act of government which Christ has com- 
 mitted to his church. Other masters are rec- 
 ognized besides him. 
 
 The whole tendency of Presbyterian church 
 government is to exalt the ministry in their 
 authority above the church. Indeed, the min- 
 istry belong to a different order. They do not 
 belong to the church as the other members do ; 
 they belong to the Presbytery. The church 
 can not discipline a minister; neither can the 
 session try him ; but the presbytery must do it. 
 Lest these assertions should startle any who 
 fc have never examined the subject, permit me to 
 give a few quotations from printed documents. 
 The "Westminster Confession says : — " The 
 Lord Jesus, as king and head of his church, 
 has therein appointed a government in the 
 hand of church-officers. To these officers, the 
 keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed, 
 by virtue whereof they have power, respective- 
 ly, to retain and remit sins, to shut that king- 
 
116 BAPTISTS 
 
 dom against the impenitent, both by the word 
 and censures, and to open it unto penitent 
 sinners as occasion shall require." * These 
 officers we are told, by the Form of Govern- 
 ment, are "Bishops or pastors, ruling elders 
 and deacons." The same Form of Govern- 
 ment gives us the character of all the different 
 bodies composed by these officers, for the gov- 
 ernment of the church. " The church session 
 consists of the pastor or pastors, and ruling 
 elders of a particular congregation;" and "it 
 is expedient, at every meeting of the session, 
 that there be a presiding minister. When, 
 therefore, a church is without a pastor, the 
 moderator of the session shall be either the 
 minister appointed by the presbytery for that 
 purpose, or one invited by the session." 
 Again, we are told that among other things 
 " it is the duty of the session to receive mem- 
 bers into the church, or exclude from the 
 
 * Westminster Confession, chap. xxx. sec. 1, 2. Is it 
 not surprising that a church claiming to be so orthodox 
 as the Presbyterian, should retain in its Confession of 
 Faith, a section tending so directly to bolster up the 
 Eomish doctrine of priestly absolution? Suppose an 
 honest inquirer after truth in the Romish church should 
 meet this, in his researches ; would he not begin to think, 
 and with good reason, that Presbyterianism and Roman- 
 ism differ only in name ? 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 117 
 
 church those who deserve it, and to appoint 
 delegates to the higher judicatories of the 
 church." * The church cannot act in receiv- 
 ing her own members. The session attends to 
 this for her. A majority of the members of 
 the church might be opposed to the reception 
 of an individual, but if the session receive him, 
 he is admitted. On the other hand, a person 
 may fall under the censure of the session, and, 
 though all the church beside may esteem, him 
 a Christian, the session has power to exclude 
 and excommunicate him. Is this equality? 
 This is more fully exhibited in the Directory 
 for Worship. We are told that when baptized 
 children " come to years of discretion, if they 
 be free from scandal, appear sober and steady, 
 and to have sufficient knowledge to discern the 
 Lord's body, they ought to be informed it is 
 their duty and privilege to come to the Lord's 
 Supper. The years of discretion in young 
 Christians cannot be precisely fixed. This 
 must be left to the prudence of the eldership. 
 The officers of the church are the judges of 
 the qualifications of those to be admitted to 
 sealing ordinances ; and of the time when it is 
 proper to admit young Christians to them." f 
 
 * Form of Government, sections 1, 4, 6. 
 f Directory for Worship, chap. 9, sec. 1, 2. 
 
118 BAPTISTS 
 
 It is here implied that the church, that is, the 
 inferior members of it, as distinct from the 
 session, is not possessed of sufficient prudence 
 to judge of the qualifications of those who are 
 to be admitted to the Lord's table with them. 
 
 But further, the Presbytery has power over 
 the session and the church. By this body the 
 rights of the church to call and dismiss a 
 pastor are taken away. When a Presbyterian 
 church calls a pastor, the call is not made to 
 him, but to the Presbytery. " The call shall 
 be presented to the Presbytery under whose 
 care the person called shall be; that, if the 
 Presbytery think it expedient to present the 
 call to him, it may be accordingly presented ; 
 and no minister or candidate shall receive a 
 call, but through the hands of a Presbytery." * 
 So, also, the minister himself is subject, not to 
 the church, but to the Presbytery. He can 
 not move without the permission of this body. 
 " No pastor shall be translated from one church 
 to another, nor shall he receive any call fo; 
 that purpose, but by the permission of the 
 Presbytery." " The Presbytery, on the whole 
 view of the case, shall either continue him in 
 his former charge, or translate him, as they 
 shall deem most for the peace and edification 
 
 * Form of Government, chap. xv. sec. 9 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 119 
 
 of the church." * It is here implied that the 
 Presbytery is more competent to judge of the 
 affairs of a church, and to decide what is for 
 its good, than the church itself. The church 
 may think it best for their pastor to remove 
 from them ; but the Presbytery may think it 
 best for him to stay; the only alternative the 
 church has, is to starve him out, and this they 
 cannot do, so long as they have real estate 
 enough to pay his salary. This system is 
 degrading to freemen, and insulting to 
 Christianity ! 
 
 Next to the Presbytery is the Synod, and 
 then the General Assembly. The Session 
 must submit its doings to the Presbytery, the 
 Presbytery to the Synod, and the Synod to the 
 General Assembly. Is this equality I 
 
 The Dutch Reformed church is governed in 
 a manner similar to the Presbyterian. 
 
 Let us turn our attention for a moment 
 to the Methodist Episcopal church. Shall Ave 
 find equality here ? No ; for its very name 
 shows that its government is prelatical. I 
 need not enlarge on this point ; for no one, 
 surely, will pretend that there is equality in 
 this church. Its founder expressly disavows 
 any idea of it. He says, in a letter to John 
 * Form of Government, chap. xvi. sec. 1. 
 
120 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 Mason, dated Jan. 13, 1790, " As long as I 
 live the people shall have no share in choosing 
 either stewards or leaders among the Method- 
 ists. We are no republicans, and never intend 
 to be. It would be better for those who are so 
 minded to go quietly away/' There are more 
 grades in the Methodist Episcopal church than 
 in any other Protestant community ; and any 
 one who will read the " Discipline," will be 
 convinced of it. A private member in the 
 church has no voice whatever in the govern- 
 ment. Private members are amenable to the 
 class-leader — the class-leader to the preacher 
 — the preacher to the presiding elder — the 
 presiding elder to the bishop. Is this equal- 
 ity ? The people have no voice in electing or 
 dismissing their preacher, but must take who- 
 ever is sent, and let him go at the expiration 
 of three years. The preacher has no choice of 
 his field of labor. He must go just where the 
 bishop may please to send him. The church 
 does not receive or expel either her ministers 
 or members. The circuit preacher has power 
 to expel private members — the quarterly confer- 
 ence to expel local preachers, deacons and 
 elders — the yearly conference to expel travel- 
 ling preachers — the general conference to expel 
 bishops. Is this equality ? Read the follow- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 121 
 
 ing question and answer in the Methodist 
 Discipline, in reference to the ordination of an 
 elder, and then read the text. 
 
 u Will you reverently obey your chief minis- 
 ters, unto whom is committed the charge and 
 government over you ; following with a glad 
 mind and will their godly admonitions, and 
 submitting yourself to their godly judgments ? 
 " I will do so, the Lord being my helper." * 
 Chief ministers ! chief ministers ! who are 
 they ? " One is your master, even Christ, and 
 all ye are brethren." Surely, the language of 
 Christ, and the language of the Discipline are 
 very dissimilar. These churches, whose forms 
 of government I have reviewed, compose the 
 great majority of the professedly christian 
 world. It is evident, then, that such equality 
 as the text teaches does not generally exist. 
 
 II. I proceed to show, in the second place, 
 that Baptists seek to establish such equality. 
 The principles of church government in the 
 Baptist denomination are expressed in the 
 text : " One is your master, even Christ, and 
 all ye are brethren." There is no opportunity 
 for the assumption of authority by a few, if it 
 were desired. All meet on the broad, even 
 * Discipline, part II. chap. iii. sec. 2. 
 
122 BAPTISTS 
 
 platform of equality. The rich and the poor, 
 the minister, deacons, and people, are all breth- 
 ren. The pastor is no more, the poorest mem- 
 ber is no less, than one of the brethren. Each 
 church, in its collective capacity, transacts its 
 own business, exercises its own discipline, and 
 receives and excludes its own members, subject 
 only to the authority of Christ, and governed 
 only by his Word. On all questions, every 
 member of the church has an equal right 
 to speak and to vote. There is no authority 
 superior to the church, to reverse its decisions, 
 or to call it to account. The pastor, while he 
 has no superior authority, has equal rights 
 with the rest of his brethren. If called to 
 another Held of labor, he is at liberty to go 
 without asking leave of a bishop, presbytery, 
 or council. He is perfectly free to act in 
 accordance with his own views of duty and his 
 own convictions of right. 
 
 In a Baptist church there is perfect equality. 
 It could not be otherwise. They recognize 
 the church as a voluntary organization, into 
 which persons enter by their own choice, and 
 whose privileges and benefits all have an equal 
 right to share. Christ has nowhere delegated 
 his authority to a body of arrogant ministers, 
 or prelatical bishops, or blasphemous popes j 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 123 
 
 and Christians have no right to recognize and 
 uphold the assumption of authority by them. 
 It is not a matter of indifference. To support 
 the assumptions of men, who have arrogated to 
 themselves authority which belongs only to 
 Christ, is to engage with them in rebellion 
 against the one only Master ; and where this is 
 done knowingly, such cannot be held guiltless. 
 In laboring, then, to advance Baptist senti- 
 ments, we aim to exalt Christ as the supreme 
 and only Lawgiver and Ruler in Zion, in the 
 place of presbyters, and bishops, and councils, 
 and popes, who have usurped his throne. 
 
 But some suppose that every church has a 
 right to make its own laws, and to alter these 
 laws to suit times, and circumstances, and 
 places. Now, if the church was a merely 
 human organization, this might be correct 
 reasoning. But all churches claim to be of 
 divine origin, and to have divine authority for 
 their constitution and government. It is evi- 
 dent, therefore, that all cannot be right, for 
 God cannot sanction contradictions. Further, 
 if every church has a right to establish its own 
 form of government, then the Romish church 
 has an equal right with any Protestant church 
 to invent and establish one, and no Protestant 
 who take? this ground can consistently say a 
 
124 BAPTISTS 
 
 word against the Papal hierarchy. And if all 
 are right, then right and wrong are no longer 
 opposites. But all are not right. Christ has 
 taught, in his Word, that the highest authority 
 on earth is the church. Plence, in giving his 
 apostles directions how to proceed in cases of 
 offence, he designates the church as the su- 
 preme and final umpire. " Tell it to the 
 church ; and if he neglect to hear the church, 
 let him be to thee as a heathen man and 
 a publican." Tell it to the church ; not to the 
 session, or presbytery, or sj-nod, or general 
 assembly, or council, or conference, or bishop, 
 or cardinal, or pope, but to the church ; and if 
 he neglect to hear the church — what then ? 
 appeal? No; there is no higher authority to 
 appeal to ; for " One is your master, even 
 Christ, and all ye are brethren." The creation 
 of other tribunals is the result of the arrogance 
 of men who love to " lord it over God's heri- 
 tage ; " and the support of them is owing 
 mainly to the influence of just such men, and 
 their willing dupes. Baptists are willing to be 
 " all brethren ; " the ministry have no desire 
 to be exalted to a position of rivalry to the 
 Master in his church. 
 
 In order more forcibly to exhibit the contrast 
 between Baptists and the other most prominent 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 125 
 
 sects, let us suppose Christ to come again upon 
 earth, and visit the places of worship in New- 
 York city and preach from this text. See him 
 enter St. Patrick's cathedral. The Cardinal 
 receives him very graciously, elated with the 
 idea that the claim of Kome to be the church 
 is thus sanctioned by the Saviour, and he 
 invites him to preach. He announces this text, 
 and preaches as he did upon the plains of 
 Judea: "Ye know that they which are ac- 
 counted to rule over the Gentiles, exercise 
 lordship over them, and their great ones exer- 
 cise authority over them ; but so shall it not be 
 among you : but whosoever will be great 
 among you shall be your servant; and whoso- 
 ever of you will be the chiefest, shall be the 
 servant of all. Be not ye called rabbi; for one 
 is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are 
 brethren." The Cardinal grows uneasy; he 
 reminds the Preacher of the Pope, the Car- 
 dinals, the Archbishops, the Bishops, the 
 Father Confessors, the Priests ; but the Divine 
 Teacher asserts that these are distinctions 
 which men have made, and reiterates the doc- 
 trine of the text — universal equality among 
 his disciples. The Cardinal denounces the 
 Saviour as a heretic, and he is thrust out. He 
 then wends his way through our great thor- 
 oughfare to Trinity Chinch. Here he is 
 
126 BAPTISTS 
 
 cordially received, for the Episcopal also 
 claims to be the Church, and here he repeats 
 the sermon. But he is reminded of the Arch- 
 bishops, the Bishops, the Triennial Convention, 
 the Priests, the Deacons. He pronounces 
 these grades all contrary to his teaching. The 
 Bishop intimates that he is probably a fanati- 
 cal dissenter, and he is politely handed to the 
 door. He visits in succession a Presbyterian 
 and a Methodist congregation with the same 
 sermon ; in the former he is reminded of the 
 Session, Presbytery, Synod, General Assembly ; 
 in the latter, he is cautioned about the " chief 
 ministers;'' and the Class-leader, Steward, 
 Preacher, Presiding Elder, Bishop, with their 
 respective powers, are set before him; and for 
 simply reiterating his own teachings, he is 
 treated as a disturber of the peace, and put out 
 of both places. See him now seek a Baptist 
 pulpit. His sermon is just in accordance with 
 their practice. There is nothing among them 
 with which it comes in contact; no grades — 
 none to exercise lordship or authority over 
 them : " for one is their Master, even Christ, 
 and all they are brethren." A sincere 
 "Amen," is the response from every heart, and 
 the world's Redeemer, banished from the Ro- 
 mish and Protestant assemblies, finds a refuge 
 and a home in every Baptist church ! 
 
LECTUEE VIII. 
 
 THE FIFTH FEATURE OF THE REFORM AT WHICH 
 
 BAPTISTS AIM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 
 
 CORRECT PRINCIPLE OF BIBLICAL TRANSLATION. 
 
 " And the Lord answered me and said, Vv 7 rite the vis- 
 ion and make it plain upon tables, that he may run 
 that readeth it/'— Hab. 2 : 2. 
 
 God's solicitude for man's well-being and 
 eternal salvation is truly wonderful. Having 
 made a revelation of His will, lie is anxious 
 that no ambiguity or indefiniteness should 
 obscure his commands from his erring crea- 
 tures. He wishes to afford to ruined man all 
 the advantages possible, in order that he may 
 be saved from the fearful consequences of his 
 sin and guilt. Hence, he has not involved his 
 duty in mist and uncertainty, but, on the con- 
 trary, he has revealed plainly all his moral 
 requirements and positive institutions. In ad- 
 dition to this, he has expressly commanded 
 those to whom is committed the great work of 
 transcribing his will for others, to do it so 
 plainly, that every duty may be recognized with 
 
128 BAPTISTS 
 
 such ease, " that he may run that readeth it. 5 ^ 
 But alas ! alas ! the express command of Jehovah 
 has been violated, and his benevolent designs 
 toward our race in a measure frustrated, by the 
 efforts of those with w T hom the advancement of 
 sect, and the propagation of human dogmas, is 
 of more importance than the glory of God and 
 the salvation of souls. 
 
 Translators have not scrupled to bow to the 
 mandate of kings, the dictation of councils, 
 the restrictions of Bible Society boards, and the 
 promptings of sectarian prejudices, until the 
 bare enunciation of the principle contained in 
 the text, has come to be denounced as sectari- 
 anism; and faithful obedience to the plain 
 requirements of Jehovah in this respect, is 
 assailed as a close and narrow bigotry. This 
 state of things calls loudly for reform. I pre- 
 sent, then, as the Fifth Feature of the reform 
 at which Baptists aim, 
 
 The Establishment of the Correct Principle 
 of Biblical Translation, 
 
 In presenting this theme, let us inquire, 
 
 I. What is the Correct Principle on which 
 
 Translations of the Holy Scriptures should be 
 
 made ? To this I reply, that they should be 
 
 conformed, as nearly as possible, to the in- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 129 
 
 spired originals. Let it be remembered, that 
 the Bible which we possess is a translation. 
 The words of our English version are invested 
 with Divine authority, only so far as they 
 express just what the original expresses. I 
 present this thought because there is, in the 
 minds of many, a superstitions reverence for 
 the words and phrases of our English version. 
 This being a translation, partakes more or less 
 of the imperfections of the translators; and, in 
 every instance where the original is not clearly 
 and fully translated, it is the word of man, and 
 not the Word of God. The Old Testament 
 was originally written in Hebrew, and the New 
 Testament in Greek. In translating, therefore, 
 into English, or Burmese, or French, or Ger- 
 man, or Bengali, or any other language, it is 
 evident to any one, that the Hebrew and the 
 Greek should be the standard to which these 
 translations should be conformed. 
 
 It is further evident, that every word, that is 
 capable of being translated, should be rendered 
 into any other language so as to express just 
 what the original did to those to whom it was 
 given. There must be no transfer of a He- 
 brew or Greek word into English or Burmese, 
 for such a word would be unintelligible to the 
 mere English or Burmese reader ; and he must 
 
130 BAPTISTS 
 
 wait till some one, who understands these 
 languages, shall come and explain to him the 
 meaning of such words. Let me illustrate : — 
 
 Suppose an aged father, a Frenchman, writes 
 a letter of instructions to his children and 
 grandchildren, just as the former are about to 
 emigrate to the United States. The letter 
 is written in the French language, and is readi- 
 ly understood by the children. But the grand- 
 children grow up in ignorance of the French 
 language, though they understand the English 
 very well. Their parents die and leave the 
 letter in their possession. In order to under- 
 stand it, they must have it translated. Now 
 suppose the person employed to translate, 
 leaves here and there a word in French — 
 untranslated. Those w r ords would be unintelli- 
 gible to them. They would be transferred, not 
 translated. In order to be a good translation, 
 the letter must express in English, just what 
 the original expressed in French. So With the 
 Scriptures ; the correct principle of translating 
 them is to make them speak to all the nations 
 just what they spake to those who had them from 
 the hand of God — just what the originals express. 
 
 That this principle is correct, is evident, also, 
 from the fact that all Protestants, in discus- 
 sions, appeal not to the translations that have 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 131 
 
 been made, but to the original. They regard 
 the original only as the standard. In the 
 Westminster Assembly's Confession of Faith 
 we find the following : — u The Old Testament 
 in Hebrew, (which was the native language of 
 the people of God of old,) and the New Testa- 
 ment in Greek, (which, at the time of the wri- 
 ting of it, was most generally known to the 
 nations,) being immediately inspired by God. 
 and by his singular care and providence kept 
 pure in all ages, are therefore authentical ; so 
 as, in all controversies of religion, the church 
 is finally to appeal unto them." * And this 
 is the practice of all Protestants. It is evident, 
 then, that all translations should be made to 
 conform to the original, which is the standard 
 of appeal. But I observe, 
 
 II. This Principle has teen Generally Aban- 
 doned. There is no Bible Society, supported 
 by Pedobaptists, that is pledged to the faithful 
 translation of the Word of God from the in- 
 spired originals. In England and America the 
 English version, which is acknowledged to 
 have many defects, is made the standard, in- 
 stead of the original. Nor is this all. Even 
 this is not translated fully into the heathen 
 
 * Westminster Confession, chap. i. sec, 8. 
 
132 BAPTISTS 
 
 tongues — some words are transferred, not trans- 
 lated. They are perfectly incomprehensible to 
 those who read them until some one comes and 
 explains them, and he may explain them just 
 to suit his own views. 
 
 The British and Foreign Bible Society of Eng- 
 land, composed of all evangelical denominations, 
 passed a resolution, on the 1st July, 1833, vir- 
 tually declining aid to translators of the Bible 
 in foreign languages, unless " the Greek terms 
 relating to baptism be rendered, either accord- 
 ing to the principles adopted by the translators 
 of the authorized English version, by a word 
 derived from the original, or by such terms as 
 may be considered unobjectionable by the 
 other denominations of Christians composing 
 the Bible Society ." 
 
 It had been the practice of the missionaries 
 to translate these words, as well as all others. 
 Now you perceive the resolution does not charge 
 them with unfaithful translation, neither does it 
 charge them to faithfully render the words 
 into the language of the heathen; but it 
 requires them to adopt the principle of the 
 English translators, which was to transfer and 
 not translate certain words, which, if trans- 
 lated, would not yield that support to infant 
 baptism which the transfer of them does. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 133 
 
 The American Bible Society, composed of 
 all evangelical denominations, in February, 
 1836, passed the following preamble and reso- 
 lution : — " As the managers are now called to 
 aid extensively in circulating the sacred Scrip- 
 tures in languages other than the English, they 
 deem it their duty in conforming with the 
 obvious spirit of their compact, to adopt the 
 following resolution as the rule of their con- 
 duct in making appropriations for the circula- 
 tion of the Scriptures in all foreign tongues : 
 
 "Resolved, That in appropriating money for 
 the translating, printing or distributing the 
 Sacred Scriptures in foreign languages, the 
 managers feel at liberty to encourage only such 
 versions as conform, in the principles of their 
 translations, to the common English version; 
 at least so far, as that all the religious denom- 
 inations represented in this Society can con- 
 sistently use and circulate said versions in their 
 several schools and communities." * 
 
 Here, again, you perceive there is an aban- 
 donment of the correct principle. That princi- 
 ple requires a faithful translation from the 
 original. But the resolution just quoted re- 
 quires that the English version, which, as I 
 
 * These resolutions still govern the Society in its 
 appropriations, 
 
134 BAPTISTS 
 
 have before stated, is acknowledged to contain 
 errors of translation, be made the standard. 
 And even this is to be conformed to, only so 
 far as that "all the denominations represented 
 in the Society " can consistently use the ver- 
 sions made from it. These two societies rep- 
 resent pretty- nearly the entire Protestant 
 world in England and America. Now any one 
 will perceive, that while such resolutions were 
 in force, no missionary, who was governed by 
 them, could attempt to faithfully translate 
 from the original into the languages of the 
 heathen. Consequently if a word occurred in 
 the Greek which, if translated, would not suit 
 all denominations, it must be transferred, and 
 then the heathen could not understand it till 
 it was explained by a missionary, and he might 
 explain it just to suit his own creed. Instead, 
 then, of having God's Word, which they would 
 have, if the original was translated, they have 
 in every instance, only the word of man. 
 
 Let me, before I leave this division of my 
 subject, exhibit the evils of this course. No 
 principle that is correct can be violated without 
 evil results. We have seen that the correct 
 principle of Biblical translation is violated by 
 all Pedobaptist organizations ; we may there- 
 fore look for evil as its legitimate fruit. The 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 135 
 
 principle on which they act is, that it is right 
 to make such versions, and such only, as shall 
 teach Pedobaptist sentiments. Because Bap- 
 tists refused to transfer Greek words into the 
 heathen tongues, and insisted on translating 
 them, they were thrust out. But, in order to 
 make the Bible teach pedobaptism, it must be 
 mutilated. Let us now look at the fruits of this 
 in heathen lands. The first missionaries, and 
 the first Bible translators, were Baptists. 
 Hence, the first versions made in heathen 
 tongues were faithful translations. After these 
 translations had been circulated, the pedobap- 
 tist missionaries began to circulate their ver- 
 sions, in which words relating to baptism, and 
 other words, were transferred. The heathen 
 convert, when he read the translated word, 
 could understand it, and knew what to do. 
 But when he read the transferred word, he 
 could not understand it ; he must wait till he 
 could find a teacher to tell him what it meant. 
 If he met a Baptist missionary, he would tell 
 him that the word meant to immerse. Then 
 he would ask, " Why does it not read so ? " 
 What could the missionary say ? He would 
 have to say, " The translator who produced 
 that version was bound by his Bible Society to 
 put that word in." And if pressed for a rea- 
 
136 BAPTISTS 
 
 son for this, he must tell him of all the differ- 
 ences and disputes among Christians at home. 
 
 But suppose he meets a Pedobaptist. He 
 tells him it means to pour, or it means to 
 sprinkle. But the convert would ask him, 
 " Why not put it so ? we have words in our 
 language which mean to pour or sprinkle." 
 What would he say ? He must give a reason ; 
 and he could assign no reason which would not 
 awaken the suspicion of the converted pagan. 
 
 Take another case. A Baptist mission has 
 been established ; all has been harmonious. 
 A transfer version falls into the hands of the 
 people, and at once all is confusion and dis- 
 trust, and the cause of Christ is arrested. I 
 present these cases, because it has generally 
 been represented, by Pedobaptists, that the 
 Baptists have introduced controversy among 
 the heathen nations on this subject; whereas, 
 just the reverse of this is the case. It could 
 not be otherwise ; for the Baptists were the 
 first to occupy heathen ground, and they had 
 translated the Scriptures into many languages 
 before a Pedobaptist transfer version was made. 
 On these Pedobaptists rests the guilt, not only 
 of mutilating God's Word, but, through this 
 means, of reviving, on heathen shores, those 
 dissensions which have distracted and retarded 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS* 137 
 
 the cause of the Redeemer at home. Again, 
 another evil of this course is, that it leads to 
 the circulation of versions that teach known 
 and soul-destroying errors. It will be per- 
 ceived that the rule governing Pedobaptists is 
 one of expediency . They do not require that 
 the Word of God be faithfully translated, but 
 that it be made to suit the majority. All the 
 translator has to do is, to ascertain what is 
 expedient. It may be expedient to transfer other 
 words, and the rule adopted does not prevent 
 him from doing it. This word may refer to 
 faith, or something else that is fundamental, 
 and the withholding of which may peril the 
 soul. But I need not dwell on what might be; 
 I will simply show what is done. The Spanish 
 Testament employs the words, " Hacer peni- 
 tencia," as the translation of the Greek word 
 /LLsravoeo), to express the duty of repentance 
 as enjoined in the original. But these 
 words signify " to do peuanee," and are 
 thus understood by the Spaniards them- 
 selves. When they wish to express our idea 
 of repentance, they use the word " arrepen- 
 tirseP Yet this version is circulated and sus- 
 tained by the American Bible Society. But 
 how did they come to translate it so ? Simply 
 by abandoning the correct principle of Biblical 
 
138 BAPTISTS 
 
 translation. Instead of taking the Hebrew 
 and the Greek as the standard, they took the 
 Latin Vulgate, which is a Roman Catholic ver- 
 sion, and translated from that; and, as ex- 
 pediency was their rule, they found it expe- 
 dient to suit the Catholics; and therefore 
 the Pope permits it to be used, while he is 
 mortally opposed to Protestant versions of the 
 Holy Scriptures; and thus the money of Pro- 
 testants is taken to promote Romanism. Let 
 me here state another fact, that should make 
 the ears of every Pedobaptist tingle with 
 shame. While the American Bible Society 
 was circulating this Catholic version, with mon- 
 ey contributed by Protestants, they refused to 
 aid, as they had been doing, the Baptists, 
 in faithfully translating the Word of God, 
 though they w r ere generous contributors to 
 their funds. 
 
 In the same Spanish version, printed and 
 circulated by the American Bible Society, 
 Heb. xi. 21, reads thus: "By faith, Jacob, 
 about to die, blessed each one of the sons of 
 Joseph, and worshipped the top of his staff P 
 The idea conveyed to the mind of a Roman 
 Catholic by this verse is the worship of an im- 
 age on the top of his staff; and thus absolute 
 idolatry is sanctioned and propagated by the 
 
THOROrGH REFORMERS. 139 
 
 Society which, with holy horror, withdraws its 
 aid from Baptist missionaries, because they 
 would translate all the Word of God, the words 
 relating to baptism not excepted. 
 
 But we push our reasoning a little further. 
 Suppose the Pedobaptists only claim the right 
 to transfer the words relating to baptism. If 
 they have a right to do this, then any denom- 
 ination has a right to transfer those words, 
 which, if translated, would be fatal to its pecu- 
 liar views. The Roman Catholic may transfer 
 the Greek word fisravot^ and have Luke 13:3 
 read, "Except ye metanoeo* ye shall all likewise 
 perish;" and the priest can explain it to u do 
 penance;" and the Pope might contribute to 
 the support of a Bible Society that would 
 agree to transfer every word that does not suit 
 him when translated. The Unitarian may 
 transfer ehg, and have John 1 : 1 read, "In the 
 beginning was the Word, and the Word 
 was with God, and the word was theos ; " and 
 the minister can explain it to mean " a supe- 
 rior, intelligent creature." The Universalist 
 may transfer auovtov, relem-da, etc., and have Mat- 
 thew 25 : 26 read, " These shall go away into 
 aionion punishment ; " and the minister can 
 explain it to mean " the grave ! " Or they can 
 have Mark 9 : 41 read, " Where their worm 
 
140 BAPTISTS 
 
 teleuteth not, and the fire is not sbennutai? 
 Then the preacher can explain it to mean, 
 " where their worm ' troubleth ' not and the 
 fire is not ' hurtful.' " 
 
 Now this would be as justifiable, as for the 
 Pedobaptist to transfer panrifa, and then explain 
 it to suit his own views. And further, if Pe- 
 dobaptists have a right to withhold a part of 
 God's Word, because a part is opposed to their 
 teachings, then Eome has a right to withhold 
 ally because all is opposed to her teachings ; 
 and again Protestantism is found bolstering up 
 Popery. I proceed to show, 
 
 III. The Baptists aim to Restore and Estab- 
 lish the Principle of the Text. Baptists only 
 desire to know and to teach God's commands 
 — and they desire that all others may know 
 them. They aim, therefore, in giving the 
 Bible to the world, to follow the Divine re- 
 quirement given in the text: "Write the vision 
 and make it plain, that he may run that read- 
 eth it." In all their efforts to spread the 
 Gospel, they have endeavored faithfully to 
 translate the Word of God, from the original, 
 into the language of the people ; seeking to 
 make it so plain, that if a copy of their trans- 
 lation should fall into the hands of a person 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 141 
 
 who has no living teacher near him, he could 
 ascertain from it all the commands of God. 
 The instructions given to their missionaries by 
 the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions, are as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Resolved, That the Board feel it to be 
 their duty to adopt all prudent measures to 
 give to the heathen the pure Word of God in 
 their own languages, and to furnish their mis- 
 sionaries with all the means in their power to 
 make their translations as exact a representa- 
 tion of the mind of the Holy Spirit as possible. 
 
 Resolved^ That all the missionaries of the 
 Board who are, or who shall be, engaged in 
 translating the Scriptures, be instructed to 
 endeavor, by earnest prayer and diligent study, 
 to ascertain the precise meaning of the original 
 text, to express that meaning as exactly as the 
 nature of the languages into which they shall 
 translate the Bible will permit, and to transfer 
 no words which are capable of being literally 
 translated" 
 
 What a contrast does this present to the 
 resolutions adopted by the Pedobaptists ! To 
 this principle of faithful translation, the Bap- 
 tists have always strenuously adhered. Efforts 
 have been made to induce their missionaries to 
 abandon it, but these have been in vain, 
 
142 BAPTISTS 
 
 When their versions have been translated, and 
 ready for the press, money has been offered to 
 {print; if they would conceal a part of God's 
 "Word, by transferring certain words. On the 
 17th of April, 1836, at a meeting of the mana- 
 gers of the American Bible Society, the sum of 
 $5,000 was appropriated to the Baptist Board of 
 Foreign Missions, to promote the circulation 
 of the Scriptures in foreign tongues, which 
 " money would be paid over, if our foreign 
 versions were conformed, in the principles of 
 their translation, to the common English ver- 
 sion ;" that is, transfer, and not translate, the 
 words relating to baptism. The grant was 
 conscientiously refused. Efforts of a similar 
 kind were made by the British and Foreign Bible 
 Society to procure the transfer of the words in 
 the Bengali version. But all was in vain ; the 
 Baptists loved the correct principle too well to 
 abandon it for the hope of a mere temporary 
 advantage, which would, in the end, paralyze 
 their efforts in the conflict with error. If 
 these versions of the Baptists had been proved. 
 unfaithful, it would have been different ; there 
 would then have been some show of reason in 
 the course pursued by the Pedobaptists. This, 
 however, was not the case ; their great defect 
 was, that they were not so mutilated as to 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 143 
 
 make it possible for Pedobaptists to teach their 
 views to the heathen. Or, if Baptists had 
 mutilated God's Word to make it teach their 
 own sentiments, it would have been different. 
 But they were never guilty of this, nor have 
 they even been charged with it. How then 
 did the Pedobaptists seek to justify them- 
 selves ? Why, they raised the cry that they 
 were sectarian versions ; which, when exam- 
 ined, simply means, that the faithful transla- 
 tion of God's Word teaches just what Baptists 
 practice, and condemns the practice of Pedo- 
 baptists. 
 
 But, neither smiles nor frowns, threats nor 
 bribes, flattery nor slander, can move us from 
 our attachment to God's Word, and our obedi- 
 ence to his requirement to give his will, faith- 
 fully translated, to all the nations of the earth. 
 Our conflict with error may be long, but we 
 have no doubts as to the final issue. God has 
 honored, and will honor, those that honor him ; 
 and in no way can we honor him more highly 
 than in a firm and constant adherence to 
 faithful translations of his Holy Word. 
 
 From what I have submitted, it will be per- 
 ceived that sprinkling, and infant baptism, 
 have led to this desire for the mutilation of 
 God's Word : and that those w T ho adhere to 
 
144 BAPTISTS 
 
 this perversion of God's ordinance, are giving 
 their sanction to the abandonment of the cor- 
 rect principle of Biblical translation. Their 
 example, their influence, and their money, go 
 to support these mutilated versions. Further, 
 I remark, that the Pedobaptist rule of non- 
 translation of certain words, like their appeal 
 to tradition, paralyzes their power to combat 
 Romanism. How can they condemn the Po- 
 pish practice of denying the Bible to the peo- 
 ple, when they adopt the very principle of 
 Popery ? The Roman Catholic priest can say : 
 " We only keep back what is opposed to our 
 practice, and you Pedobaptists do the same." 
 What could a Protestant Pedobaptist translator 
 say to this ? 
 
 Surely, this question about baptism is not so 
 insignificant, seeing it involves such great con- 
 sequences ! If the magnitude of a thing is 
 to be judged of by its results, it is certain that 
 the question of baptism is one of vast impor- 
 tance. As such, I urge the investigation of it 
 upon every honest man. At all events, from 
 the printed resolutions which I have quoted, all 
 must perceive that the correct principle of 
 Biblical translation is with the Baptists. 
 
 In concluding this lecture, I invite your 
 attention to one or two inferences from the 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 145 
 
 text : — " Write this vision and make it plain, 
 that he may run that readeth it." I infer, 
 that all we are to believe and practice is made 
 plain in the Word of God, unless obscured in 
 the translation. Infant baptism, therefore, 
 either was ftever commanded by Jehovah, or 
 else it has been obscured in the translation 
 of his Word ; for none, with the teaching of 
 the Bible alone would ever discover it to be 
 their duty to have children baptized. Those, 
 therefore, who practice infant baptism, ought 
 strenuously to contend for a faithful transla- 
 tion, that the obscurity which conceals this 
 duty from the common reader may be re- 
 moved. But I find that Pedobaptists oppose 
 faithful translations ; I therefore conclude that 
 God never commanded infant baptism. 
 
 I infer, again, that we are to follow that 
 which is plainly taught in the Bible, rather 
 than what is doubtful. The Eomanist may 
 tell me that I ought to pray to the Virgin 
 Mary, and seek the intercession of the saints ; 
 but while I read the plain declaration of 
 God's Word, " There is one God, and one 
 Mediator between God and men, the man 
 Christ Jesus," I will follow the Bible, and let 
 the Eoman Catholic go. The Unitarian may 
 tell me, that Christ is not God ; but while I 
 
146 BAPTISTS THOROUGH REFORMERS. 
 
 read the plain declaration of God's Word, " I 
 and my Father are one," " He that hath seen 
 me, hath seen the Father," I will follow the 
 Bible, and let the Unitarian go. The Univer- 
 sal ist may tell me that there will be no future 
 punishment ; but while I read the plain decla- 
 ration of God's Word, "these shall go away 
 into everlasting punishment," I will follow 
 the Bible, and let the Universalist go. So, too, 
 the Pedobaptist may tell me that infants ought 
 to be baptized ; but while I read the plain 
 declaration, " He that believeth and is baptized, 
 shall be saved," " Repent, and be baptized 
 every one of you," I will follow the Bible and 
 let the Pedobaptist go. Our duty is plain ; for 
 God has said, " Write the vision, and make it 
 plain upon tables, that he may run that read- 
 eth it." 
 
LECTIJEE IX. 
 
 THE SIXTH FEATURE OF THE REFORM AT WHICH 
 BAPTISTS AIM THE RESTORATION OF THE OR- 
 DER OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCHES. 
 
 " Then they that gladly received his word, were bap- 
 tized And the Lord added to the church, daily, 
 
 such as should be saved." — Acts 2 : 41, 47. 
 
 All professed Christians, who admit that 
 the Scriptures contain a model for church or- 
 ganization, strenuously maintain that the de- 
 nomination with which they are connected, is 
 formed after the Scriptural pattern. This is 
 true alike of Episcopalians, Presbyterians, 
 Methodists, and all others. But it is abundant- 
 ly evident, that while these denominations are 
 so very dissimilar, they cannot all resemble one 
 Scriptural model. It is further evident, that 
 some who make pretensions to be " the 
 church," are not satisfied to rest their claim to 
 that title, simply on a comparison of their or- 
 ganization with the New Testament pattern of 
 a Gospel church, but very gladly seek to bring 
 in evidence from other quarters, by which they 
 hope to support their cause. The Fathers, 
 
148 BAPTISTS 
 
 Tradition, Expediency, are all pressed into 
 their service, to supply the lack of evidence 
 afforded in Scripture; or, as is sometimes 
 the case, to nullify and render powerless its 
 direct testimony against them. All this I say, 
 is done by those who profess to find, in the 
 New Testament alone, a warrant for their 
 ecclesiastical systems and organizations. They 
 do not seem to perceive, that the very course 
 which they adopt to support their claims, 
 affords most conclusive evidence that they are 
 false and vain. 
 
 But while some appeal to Tradition, and 
 others to expediency, it is the glory of the 
 Baptists that they act on the principle of the 
 sufficiencj 7 of the Bible in testing this, as well 
 as all other questions relating to religion. 
 Though Jewish antiquity, and the Fathers, 
 yield as much or more support to their distinc- 
 tive features, as to those who are most clamor- 
 ous in demanding submission to them, still 
 they prefer to appeal to " the law and to the 
 testimony. 35 I announce, as the Sixth Feature 
 of the reform at which Baptists aim, 
 
 The Restoration of the Order of the Primi- 
 tive Churches. 
 
 It is certain that primitive church order has 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 14:9 
 
 been generally abandoned, from the fact that so 
 many different organizations exist, each claim- 
 ing to be the gospel church. Now, it is evi- 
 dent that not more than one of these dissimilar 
 organizations can be constructed after the 
 Scripture model. All that is necessary in test- 
 ing their claims is, to compare them with the 
 New Testament description of a gospel church. 
 And any body of Christians that is unwilling 
 to be brought to this test must of course give 
 up this claim. Let us inquire, 
 
 I. What was the strict Order of the Primi- 
 tive Churches ? We can only obtain satisfac- 
 tory information on this point from the Word 
 of God. The text and its connection present 
 to us the circumstances under which the first 
 gospel church was formed. From this it will 
 be perceived, that first, the gospel was preached, 
 then repentance and baptism were urged upon 
 the hearers ; " then they that gladly received 
 the Wora were baptized ; and the same day 
 there ^were added unto them about three thou- 
 sand souls. And they continued steadfastly in 
 the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in 
 breaking of bread, and in prayers. And the 
 Lord added daily to the church such as should 
 be saved." 
 
150 BAPTISTS 
 
 1. The Primitive Churches were composed 
 only of professed believers. Those who " glad- 
 ly received the word." In all the epistles to 
 the churches it will be seen that the members 
 composing them are addressed as u believers," 
 " saints," " chosen ones," " partakers of like pre- 
 cious faith " with the apostles ; and even where 
 their sins are spoken of, they are alluded to as 
 "brethren," who had departed from the faith. 
 Dr. D wight says, " There is but one character 
 given in the New Testament to those who 
 were church members, and that is the character 
 of Christians. There is no mixture of any 
 other character." 
 
 2. The Primitive churches were composed 
 only of baptized believers. By baptized, I 
 mean immersed believers. " They that gladly 
 received his word were immersed" This is 
 the translation — in the common version we 
 have only a transfer. Let me, on this point, 
 give you a few authorities for this translation, 
 as there are some who deny its correctness — 
 none, however, of any eminence as scholars. 
 The learned Bossuet says : " Baptism was per- 
 formed by plunging. In fine, we read not in 
 Scripture that baptism was otherwise adminis- 
 tered ; and we are able to make it appear, that 
 for thirteen hundred years baptism was thus 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 151 
 
 administered throughout the whole church, as 
 far as possible." Dr. Doddridge says : " ' Buried 
 with him by baptism.' It seems the part of 
 candor to confess that here is an allusion to 
 the manner of baptizing by immersion, which 
 was the primitive mode." John Wesley says : 
 "'Buried with him,' alluding to the ancient 
 manner of baptizing by immersion." Whitby, 
 author of a Commentary on the New Testa- 
 ment and more than forty other learned works, 
 says : " It being so expressly declared here, that 
 we are buried with Christ in baptism, by being 
 buried under water, and the argument to 
 oblige us to a conformity to his death, by 
 dying to sin, being taken from hence ; and 
 this immersion being observed by all Chris- 
 tians for thirteen centuries, and the change of 
 it into sprinkling without any allowance from 
 the Author of this institution, being that 
 which the Bomanist still urges to justify his 
 refusal of the cup to the laity ; it were to be 
 wished that this custom might be again of 
 general use." Dr. Chalmers says : " The ori- 
 ginal meaning of the word baptism is immer- 
 sion ; and we doubt not that the general style 
 of administration in the apostles' days was by 
 an actual submerging of the whole body under 
 water." Archbishop Tillotson says : " An- 
 
152 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 ciently those who were baptized were im- 
 mersed and buried in water, to represent their 
 death to sin ; and then did rise up out of the 
 water to signify their entrance upon a new life." 
 
 I might go on and fill a volume with similar 
 quotations, from every scholar of any note who 
 has ever written upon the subject. In addi- 
 tion to this, every lexicon of note gives it a 
 meaning, which signifies either an immersion 
 into an element, or a complete overwhelming 
 with it. 
 
 It is evident, also, from the narration of cir- 
 cumstances connected with baptism in the New 
 Testament, that immersion was the primitive 
 mode. Christ, when he was baptized, came up 
 out of the water. When Philip baptized the 
 eunuch, he w r ent down into the water with 
 him, in order to do it. The apostle Paul, in 
 alluding to baptism, twice calls it a burial, and 
 once a burial and resurrection. All who be- 
 came members of the primitive churches were 
 admitted by immersion ; and as none were ad- 
 mitted but believers, none but believers were 
 immersed. 
 
 3. In the Primitive Churches none were ad- 
 mitted to the Lord's table hut those who were 
 immersed. Though they were, at the time of 
 their conversion, members of the Jewish na- 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 153 
 
 tion, or, as a Pedobaptist would say, of the 
 Jewish church, and had been circumcised in 
 their infancy, still they must be immersed 
 before becoming members, or enjoying the 
 privileges of a Christian church. Yea, even 
 though they had been proselytes to the Jewish 
 religion, and were circumcised after they ar- 
 rived at maturity, they must still be immersed, 
 when they professed faith in Christ, before they 
 could sit down at the Lord's table. It is 
 admitted by all, to have been the practice of 
 the primitive churches, to receive none but the 
 baptized to the Lord's table. 
 
 4. The primitive churches were independent 
 in their government. All the members were 
 on an equality in each church, and each church 
 was on the same equality with every other 
 church. There were no bishops, in the sense 
 in which that term is used by Roman Catho- 
 lics, Episcopalians, and Methodists. There were 
 no church sessions, presbyteries, assemblies, 
 synods, or conferences. Advisory councils, 
 having no power to legislate, were sometimes 
 called to give counsel in difficult matters. But 
 individual churches possessed supreme author- 
 ity to administer discipline, and transact their 
 own business. The church was the highest 
 court of appeal. 
 
154 BAPTISTS 
 
 II. Pedobaptists have universally departed 
 from the strict Order of the Primitive Churches. 
 The first Pedobaptist church was the Church 
 of Rome. I presume I need not stop here to 
 show that the Romish church does not conform 
 to the Scripture model. All Protestants will 
 affirm that she does not ; and any one who will 
 read the Bible will be convinced of it. Let me 
 remind them, however, that in nothing is her 
 dissimilarity to gospel churches more palpably 
 manifest than in her infant baptism ; and in 
 this thing all Pedobaptists are treading in her 
 path, while not one of them is conformed to the 
 New Testament pattern. For, 
 
 1. They are not composed of the same mate- 
 rials. They number among their members 
 others than professed believers. Every Pedo- 
 baptist church holds that the children of be- 
 lievers, when they are baptized, are members 
 of the church, and form a part of it. I sub- 
 stantiated this assertion by numerous quota- 
 tions from printed documents, in my lecture 
 on the " Spirituality of Christ's Kingdom." I 
 need not, therefore, repeat them here. But I 
 remark, in addition to this, that conversion is 
 not necessarily a qualification for membership 
 in most Pedobaptist churches. 
 
 With Episcopalians, admission to full church 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 155 
 
 privileges is granted to those who have been 
 confirmed. The requirements for this service 
 are thus stated in their Book of Common 
 Prayer : — " The Church hath thought good to 
 order, that none shall be confirmed but such as 
 can say the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the 
 Ten Commandments, and can also answer to 
 such other questions as in the Short Catechism 
 are contained." The conditions of admission 
 being thus made, irrespective of personal char- 
 acter, it cannot be expected that the Episcopal 
 church will bear a comparison with that of 
 primitive times. Indeed, it will be perceived 
 that all that is needed is a good memory, in or- 
 der to be confirmed as a member of that church. 
 The Presbyterians acknowledge in their 
 standard, that " the visible church consists of 
 all those throughout the world that profess the 
 true religion, together with their children." 
 They further say, " Children born within the 
 pale of the visible church, and dedicated to 
 God in baptism, are under the inspection and 
 government of the church, and are to be 
 taught to read and repeat the Catechism, the 
 Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer. They 
 are to be taught to pray, to abhor sin, to fear 
 God, and to obey the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
 when they come to years of discretion, if they 
 
156 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 be free from scandal, appear sober and steady, 
 and to have sufficient knowledge to discern the 
 Lord's body, they ought to be informed it 
 is their duty and privilege to come to the 
 Lord's supper." * Now, in all this there is 
 nothing said about regeneration, repentance, or 
 faith. The late Dr. Chalmers, a distinguished 
 Presbyterian minister, maintained that it was 
 " wrong to say that none hut the pious should 
 be admitted to partake of the sacraments," 
 while, for the decent regulation of the church, 
 "it is well that the visibly profane or profli- 
 gate are kept away." As to the duty of a 
 minister to the " great majority of our species," 
 who are " neither of the profligate or the 
 pious," his business is, " not to exclude them, 
 but to warn them." A church formed on such 
 principles as these certainly cannot claim to be 
 identical with the primitive churches. 
 
 In the Methodist body, it is held that a reli- 
 gious society is u a company of men, having 
 the form and seeking the power of godliness, 
 united in order to pray together, to receive the 
 word of exhortation, and to watch over one 
 another in the Lord, that they may help each 
 other to work out their salvation." " There is 
 one condition previously required of those who 
 * Directory for Worship, cliap. 9, sec. L 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 157 
 
 desire admission into these societies — a desire 
 to flee the wrath to come, and to be saved from 
 their sins." It is well known that persons 
 who give no evidence of conversion are often 
 allowed, and even urged, to become " class 
 members;" and these "seekers," as they are 
 termed, are admitted to the Lord's table. It is 
 not necessary according to the Discipline, that 
 a man should give evidence of conversion. 
 It is certainly not impossible for unconverted 
 men to fulfil a term of probation. And thus, 
 in almost every Pedobaptist church it may 
 : be seen, that conversion is not absolutely in- 
 sisted on as a condition of membership on the 
 part of adult applicants. 
 
 But what shall we say of their infant mem- 
 lership ? We frequently hear of the " children 
 of the covenant," and the " children of the 
 church," from Pedobaptist pulpits, but do we 
 hear any thing of this kind in the N ew Testa- 
 ment? Do we find unconverted men addressed 
 as members of the church in primitive times, 
 or young persons urged to fulfil baptismal 
 vows, made for them by their parents, when 
 they were unconscious infants ? No, no ! We 
 see parents urged to bring their children up in 
 "the nurture and admonition of the Lord," but 
 we nowhere find this dutv enforced by anv al- 
 
158 BAPTISTS 
 
 hision to vows made at the dedication of their 
 children in baptism. 
 
 Again, those who united with the primitive 
 churches came into them voluntarily. It was 
 not necessary to look about, and see who were 
 "free from scandal," and tell them that it was 
 " their duty and privilege to come to the 
 Lord's table ; " but, constrained by the love of 
 Jesus Christ, they voluntarily sought to profess 
 his sacred name. " Here is water, what doth 
 hinder me to be baptized?" "If thou believ- 
 est with all thy heart, thou mayest." 
 
 2. Pedobaptists do not receive their members 
 by the same initiatory rite that the primitive 
 churches did. The primitive churches received 
 their members by immersion. This was the 
 act by w T hich they publicly "put on Christ" 
 before the world. A great many Pedobaptist 
 authors acknowledge that the primitive saints 
 were immersed, and that immersion is the 
 proper signification of the terms which are 
 used to designate the ordinance. In addition 
 to those already quoted, I remark that Calvin 
 says : " Here we perceive how baptism was ad- 
 ministered among the ancients; for they im- 
 mersed the whole body in water." Bishop 
 Taylor says : " The custom of the ancient 
 churches was not sprinkling, but immersion," 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 159 
 
 Now, we know that Pedobaptist churches 
 receive the majority of their members, not by 
 immersion, but by sprinkling. Some may be 
 immersed, but it is only after every argument 
 to dissuade them from it has failed. The prac- 
 tice of these churches is sprinkling, the excep- 
 tions are immersion. In the primitive churches 
 there was " one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 53 
 and that was immersion. Here, then, is a 
 striking dissimilarity between all Pedobaptist 
 churches and the primitive churches. The lat- 
 ter were composed of immersed believers. 
 The former are composed of a mixed multi- 
 tude of believers and unbelievers, sprinkled, 
 poured, and immersed. The language ad- 
 dressed to the primitive churches cannot be 
 addressed to them. " For as many of you as 
 have been baptized into Christ have put on 
 Christ.*' Have infants put on Christ ? " There- 
 fore we are buried with him by baptism into 
 death.' 7 Can any Pedobaptist minister address 
 his church thus? " Buried with him in bap- 
 tism, wherein also ye are risen with him 
 through faith of the operation of God." Can 
 this language be appropriately addressed to a 
 Pedobaptist church ? K~o ; so far from it, 
 many Pedobaptists do not like to read it in 
 their Bibles, But still further ; a Pedobaptist 
 
160 BAPTISTS 
 
 preacher cannot stand up, in a Pedobaptist 
 community, and address unconverted men as 
 the primitive disciples did : " Repent, and be 
 baptized, every one of you." They have been 
 baptized, as they call it, already. From all 
 this it is evident that Pedobaptist churches are 
 very dissimilar to the churches in the times of 
 the apostles, and to the teachings of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 3. There is a wide dissimilarity between Pe- 
 dobaptist churches and the primitive churches, 
 in reference to the Lord's Supper. In the prim- 
 itive churches, all who were baptized, and 
 members of the church, were admitted to the 
 Lord's table. None, who were considered 
 proper subjects of baptism, and who had re- 
 ceived that rite, were excluded from the com- 
 munion. But Pedobaptists contend that infants 
 are proper subjects, and that sprinkling is the 
 proper mode. Every infant who is sprinkled, 
 then, according to their view, is properly bap- 
 tized, and is a member in the visible church 
 and ought, according to their own reasoning, 
 to be admitted to the Lord's table. Pedobap- 
 tists are most inveterate close communionists. 
 They are very eloquent against the bigotry 
 and closeness of the Baptists, for not admitting 
 members of Pedobaptist churches to the Lord's 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 161 
 
 table ; but surety they should not expect us to 
 receive persons whom we consider unbaptized, 
 when they will not receive their own baptized 
 members. All whom we consider baptized, 
 and who are members of our churches, we 
 receive ; so did the primitive churches. But 
 Pedobaptists have large numbers, whom they 
 consider baptized members of their churches, 
 whom they do not admit to the Lord's table. 
 This is a kind of " close communion v that we 
 have never practised. 
 
 4. There is a dissimilarity in the govern- 
 ment of Pedobaptist churches and. the "primitive 
 churches. One was independent ; the other is 
 arbitrary, despotic, and tyrannical. I exhibited 
 this fully in my lecture on the " Equality of 
 Christ's Disciples," and therefore need not 
 repeat the arguments here. 
 
 III. Baptists aim to Bestore the Order of 
 the Primitive Churches. They make no appeal 
 to tradition, the Fathers, or expediency. They 
 simply ask, "What do the Scriptures teach ?" 
 They follow the New Testament model of a 
 church, and invite all to test them by it. It is 
 not strange, therefore, that they confidently 
 appeal to God's Word for proof of the correct- 
 ness of all they do. They take it all from the 
 
162 
 
 BAPTISTS 
 
 Bible, and therefore they know it can all be 
 found there. Take any Scripture account of 
 the course pursued by the apostles, or of the 
 practice of gospel churches, and you will find 
 the counterpart in a Baptist church. 
 
 Like the primitive churches, they are com- 
 posed of immersed believers. Show us an 
 instance of the baptism of an infant in the 
 primitive churches, and we will then baptize 
 infants. But until you do, we will oppose 
 infant sprinkling as an innovation of man, 
 having no divine authority, and therefore sin- 
 ful, when performed in the name of Jehovah. 
 
 Like the primitive churches, Baptists admit 
 none to the Lord's table but those who are 
 immersed on profession of their faith. Show 
 us an instance of a gospel church doing other- 
 wise, and we will conform to the model. 
 
 Like the primitive churches, Baptists are 
 independent in their government. Show us -a 
 pope, or bishop, or conference, or synod, or 
 presbytery, or council, authorized to govern the 
 church, and we will submit to just such author- 
 ity as you can show us in the Bible. 
 
 Our position in these matters is illustrated 
 by a narrative contained in a tract, published 
 by the American Tract Society, entitled " Mick 
 Healy, the Bible Keader." Mick had been a 
 

 THOROUGH REFORMERS. 163 
 
 strict Roman Catholic for fifty years. One day 
 he accidentally found a Bible, and commenced 
 reading it. The more he read, the more he 
 neglected the Romish service. The priest at 
 length heard of it, and visited Mick, and sought 
 to get the Bible from him. Failing in this, he 
 began to expostulate with him. He told him 
 he must not read it any more ; and reminding 
 him that he had not been to confession for a 
 long time, he told him he must come and 
 confess, for it was his duty. Mick held out 
 the Bible to the priest, and said, " Will your 
 riverince please to show it to me in the Book/' 
 K"ow this is just what we say to all the argu- 
 ments of Pedobaptists. They tell us that all 
 Christian parents should have their infant 
 children sprinkled. We say > " Will you please 
 to show it to us in the Book." They tell us 
 that sprinkling will do as well as to go "down 
 into the water," and be " buried in baptism/ 3 
 and " come up out of the water." We say, 
 " Will you please to show it to us in the Book." 
 After some time, Mick united with a Pro- 
 testant church, and regularly attended the Sun- 
 day-school. The children used frequently to 
 gather round him, and put questions to him, to 
 hear his answers : — " Well, Mick, why don't 
 you now pray to the Virgin Mary ? " " Because 
 
164 BAPTISTS 
 
 it is not in the Boob." " Why don't you now 
 confess your sins to Peter and Paul, Mick ? " 
 " Because it is not in the Book." " Why do 
 you believe the Bible to be sufficient to make 
 you wise unto salvation, without tradition?" 
 "Oh, sure, it is all in the Book." " Must 
 every thing in religion be proved by the Bible, 
 Mick ? " " Yes ; whatever is not so, is only 
 moonshine." Now ourPedobaptist friends ask 
 us why we do not sprinkle infants ; we reply 
 " It is not in the Book." They wish to know 
 why we " go down into the water," and immerse 
 those who believe, and "come up out of the 
 water." We reply, with Mick, " Oh, sure, it 
 is all in the Book." They ask us why we do 
 not admit to the Lord's table with us those who 
 are unbaptized. We reply, "It is not in the 
 Book ; and whatever is not in the Book is only 
 moonshine." We aim to be Bible Christians, 
 and to make our churches Bible churches. In 
 upholding Baptist sentiments, we simply aim 
 to perpetuate primitive Christianity. 
 
 We resemble the primitive Christians in 
 another respect — we are " every where spoken 
 against." This we expect, so long as men fol- 
 low Tradition rather than the Word of God, 
 and are influenced by the teachings of men, 
 rather than by the example of Christ ; but 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 165 
 
 when the Bible, — and especially the Bible faith- 
 fully translated, — is made the standard, then 
 we shall triumph. We make no arrogant 
 assumptions ; we utter no idle boast ; but we 
 simply use the language of humble confidence 
 and firm faith. 
 
 The progress of the Baptist denomination 
 can be arrested only by taking the Bible away 
 from the people ; for, while they possess that, 
 in spite of priests and princes, scaffolds and 
 faggots, tortures and death, some will be found, 
 as in all ages some have been found, who will 
 contend for primitive simplicity, primitive 
 purity, primitive order. On the other hand, 
 Pedobaptism can only succeed by withholding 
 the Bible from the people, or veiling the com- 
 mand to be immersed in an unknown tongue, 
 or calling human tradition to support it, and 
 enlisting carnal weapons to defend it. But its 
 days are numbered ; it is in its decline. Its 
 end approaches ; and soon will be heard the 
 vocal shout, " Babylon the great is fallen, is 
 fallen/' and Borne, and all that is Komish, 
 infant sprinkling and all, shall be destroyed. 
 And so let it be ! 
 
 Do not imagine, from these remarks, that I 
 cherish any feelings of animosity toward those 
 who practice infant baptism. No; far from it. 
 
166 BAPTISTS THOROUGH REFORMERS. 
 
 I sincerely pity them. Especially do I pity the 
 priests and ministers who are engaged in de- 
 fending it. So much labor in vain — so much 
 pains for nought. Has not Christ said, " Every 
 plant which my heavenly Father hath not plant- 
 ed shall be rooted up ? " Oh, how much better 
 to come out on Gospel ground, take the Bible 
 and follow Christ, and enjoy the sweet and 
 abiding confidence that you have done what 
 is right ! 
 
LECTUBE X. 
 
 GOD'S DISPLEASURE "WITH THOSE WHO REMAIN 
 SINFULLY NEUTRAL IN A WORK OF REFORM. 
 
 Judges v. 23. — " Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the 
 Lord, Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because 
 they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the 
 Lord against the mighty." 
 
 In almost every work of Reform there have 
 been those who, while their judgments have 
 been convinced of the correctness of the views 
 of the reforming party, have, nevertheless, 
 ingloriously consulted their own ease, and have 
 chosen to occupy a neutral position during the 
 struggle, and thus be prepared, at the termina- 
 tion of the conflict, to avoid the reproach of 
 the Reformers, if unsuccessful, or share their 
 honors, if triumphant. It was this spirit that 
 actuated the inhabitants of Meroz, who were 
 anathematized by Jehovah for the course they 
 adopted. Those who are here referred to, 
 were Israelites ; their nation had been mightily 
 oppressed for twenty years by Jabin, the king 
 of Canaan. This was during the time that 
 
168 BAPTISTS 
 
 Deborah judged Israel. Wearied with oppres- 
 sion, the descendants of Abraham cried unto 
 the Lord for deliverance. He heard their cry, 
 and directed them to go forth against Sisera, 
 the captain of the host of Jabin, promising to 
 deliver their enemies into their hand. The 
 Merozites, desiring to retain the favor of the 
 Canaanites, who were very powerful, and yet 
 not wishing to bear arms against their brethren, 
 remained at home, and occupied a position of 
 shameful neutrality. Meanwhile, the hosts of 
 Israel, under Barak, having vanquished their 
 enemies, returned in triumph, with songs of 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 But the indolent, time-serving inhabitants 
 of Meroz, learned that they could not reject the 
 claims of their country and their God w T ith 
 impunity. God was displeased with them ; 
 and instead of permitting them to share the 
 triumph of their brethren, he places them under 
 his malediction, and directs their own country- 
 men to bitterly execrate them : " Curse ye 
 Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye 
 bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they 
 came not to the help of the Lord, to the help 
 of the Lord against the mighty." The Isra- 
 elites were engaged in God's work — a work of 
 Reform. The Merozites, who should have 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 169 
 
 been interested in that work, and assisted in it, 
 refused to do so. For this they were cursed by 
 Jehovah. My theme is, 
 
 God's Displeasure with those who remain 
 Sinfully Xeetral in a work of Reform. 
 
 In dwelling on this topic, I will present for 
 your consideration a few propositions which 
 will serve to elucidate it. 
 
 I. God carries on all Reforms through Hu- 
 man Instrumentality. Ever since man fell, 
 the work of Reform has been going on in the 
 world, under the direction of Jehovah ; and 
 every work that tends to make man better and 
 happier, and bring him back to entire con- 
 formity to God's will, is really His work, 
 though carried on by human instrumentality. 
 Thus, when he would disseminate the knowl- 
 edge of his will and holy character among 
 mankind, he raised up, and prepared, and used 
 the Jewish nation, as the instruments, to whom 
 a revelation of himself was entrusted. When 
 that nation forgot him, and degenerated into 
 idolatry, he raised up prophets to reform them. 
 Elijah, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, were great 
 Reformers. When they, the chosen and pecu- 
 liar people of God, rejected the Messiah, and 
 crucified the Saviour as an impostor, he did 
 
 i 
 
170 BAPTISTS 
 
 not turn from man, and seek angelic powers ; 
 but, through the apostles, he called the Gen- 
 tiles into his kingdom, to be co-workers in the 
 world's redemption. When the simplicity of 
 Christianity became corrupted by its connec- 
 tion w r ith paganism, in the days of Constantine, 
 he still employed human instrumentality to 
 testify against this departure from the faith. 
 When, at a later day, the Romish Church had 
 corrupted every doctrine, and polluted, by her 
 unholy touch, every ordinance of the Gospel, 
 he raised up Luther, Zuingle, Calvin, and 
 others, as the instruments of effecting the Pro- 
 testant Reformation. When these Reformed 
 churches, still retaining somewhat of the spirit 
 of Romajiism, formed an unhallowed alliance 
 with the State, and enlisted carnal weapons in 
 their support, God brought forth the Baptists 
 to assert the spirituality of Christ's kingdom, 
 and the rights of conscience, and the great 
 Bible doctrine of religious liberty and individ- 
 ual responsibility to God. When the Christian 
 church had forgotten the great command, u Go, 
 teach all nations," God raised up William 
 Carey, to draw their attention to it, and through 
 him originated the sublime work of Modern 
 Missions which bids fair to reform the world, 
 and produce a complete moral revolution. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 171 
 
 Thus, in every reform, God has used human 
 instrumentality; and thus, if infant baptism, 
 and sprinkling be a perversion of his ordi- 
 nance, (as we think, in the preceding Lectures 
 we have clearly shown it to be,) he will reform 
 it by human instrumentality. 
 
 II. In almost every Work of Reform, some 
 have remained Sinfully Neutral. There is a 
 difference, it must be admitted, between sinful 
 enmity or direct opposition to a work, and indo- 
 lent, selfish neutrality. It was wrong for the 
 Canaanites to oppress the Israelites ; but, it is 
 difficult to decide, whether their active opposi- 
 tion was, under the circumstances, any more 
 criminal than the inactivity of Meroz. The 
 latter knew that it was their duty to aid their 
 brethren. They knew they were right, and 
 that they needed assistance ; and they knew, 
 also, that their neutrality might possibly be the 
 occasion of their defeat. Still, they came not 
 up to help them, but left them to struggle on 
 alone. Thus it has often been, when God 5 s 
 servants have gone forth to engage in the work 
 of Reform. The correctness of their principles, 
 the purity of their motives, the benevolence of 
 their designs, have forced the conviction on 
 many who have witnessed their efforts, that 
 they were right ; and yet they have never 
 
172 BAPTISTS 
 
 moved a hand to aid them, or uttered a word to 
 encourage them, but have contented themselves 
 with occupying a merely neutral position. 
 They do not openly oppose the work ; they do 
 not enroll themselves among its enemies ; but 
 they are not prepared to make the sacrifices 
 which a noble and manly advocacy of the truth 
 demands of them. They fear that they may 
 sustain injury in their business, perhaps. The 
 most wealthy and influential members of the 
 community are opposed to the work, and they 
 will withdraw their patronage. Or, they dread 
 the sundering of social ties, it may be. Their 
 relatives and friends are committed to that 
 which the Reform aims to correct or remove, 
 and they cannot bear the thought of arraying 
 themselves against the errors which friends 
 love ; they esteem their relatives more highly 
 than the truth. Or, the open advocacy of what 
 they feel to be right, will subject them to re- 
 proach. They will be called weak-minded, 
 changelings, fanatical, deserters. Or, they will 
 be compelled to unite with a weak body, which 
 is greatly in the minority, and heavy burdens 
 will rest upon them. Or, they are not certain 
 that the efforts of the reforming party will suc- 
 ceed, and they dread the disgrace of a defeat. 
 They forget that it is more honorable to be 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 173 
 
 defeated while contending for truth, than to be 
 victorious on the side of error. These things 
 all combine to lead them to practice a time- 
 serving neutrality. Like the Merozites, they 
 come not up to the help of the Lord, and thus 
 incur his displeasure. 
 
 It was thus in the days of Neheniiah, when he 
 gathered the Jews together to build the walls 
 of Jerusalem ; " The nobles put not their necks 
 to the work of the Lord." It was thus in the 
 days of Christ and the apostles. Thus it was, 
 also, in later times. Who can tell how many, 
 during the fierce persecutions under Antiochus 
 Epiphanes, the Romish Papacy, and the Eng- 
 lish Episcopacy, were led to adopt a neutral 
 position, and act in direct opposition to what 
 they knew to be right ? So it is now ; many 
 persons see a thing to be right, and acknowl- 
 edge it to be so ; and yet they will not come 
 up to the help of the Lord, because they must 
 come up " against the mighty." 
 
 Thus it has often been with the Reform in 
 which Baptists are engaged. A Baptist congre- 
 gation has seldom been organized for any 
 length of time in a Pedobaptist community, 
 without leading many to the conclusion that 
 they were more Scriptural and nearer to the 
 Gospel pattern, than the Pedobaptists. While 
 
174 BAPTISTS 
 
 some Christians, acting in accordance with such 
 convictions, have submitted to immersion, and 
 boldly committed themselves to the cause of 
 truth, others, equally convinced of the truth, 
 have continued to practice a time-serving neu- 
 trality. Thus it may be, perchance, with some 
 who read these Lectures. Convinced of the 
 evils of infant baptism, and of the necessity 
 and importance of its removal, they may choose, 
 still, not to identify themselves with those who 
 are laboring to effect what they feel to be right. 
 Like Meroz, they will not come " up to the 
 help of the Lord against the mighty." 
 
 III. God is necessarily Displeased with such 
 Conduct. " Curse ye Meroz, curse ye bitterly 
 the inhabitants thereof." All sin is offensive 
 to God, and occasions his displeasure ; but sins 
 against light and knowledge, are especially 
 heinous in his sight. Such is the nature of 
 the sin we are contemplating — the neglect of 
 known duty. A person may oppose a work of 
 reform from conscientious motives, while he 
 believes that work to be wrong ; but let him 
 be convinced that reform is necessary — that 
 the purity of the Church of Christ, the good 
 of souls, and the glory of God are connected 
 with its success, and he cannot then oppose it 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 175 
 
 without guilt. A man whose judgment is 
 thus convinced about a matter, occupies a far 
 different and more responsible position than 
 one who is in doubt concerning the propriety 
 of it, or than he himself did before such con- 
 viction. He cannot remain in a neutral posi- 
 tion, without sinning against conscience. Sup- 
 pose a Romanist is convinced of the errors of 
 Popery ; he could not, after such conviction, 
 remain in the Romish church, without the addi- 
 tional aggravation of sinning against his con- 
 science. So of Pedobaptism, or any other 
 error; when a person is convinced that it is 
 wrong it becomes his duty to abandon it, and 
 aid those who seek to exterminate it. God is 
 always displeased with half-heartedness in his 
 service, and some of the severest denunciations 
 of his Word are against those who occupy a 
 merely neutral position. 
 
 In the exercise of this displeasure, God fre- 
 quently withdraws the smile of his counte- 
 nance. A sense of obligations violated, and 
 duty neglected, prevents the enjoyment of his 
 favor ; and whether that duty be a great or 
 small one, if wilfully neglected, God is dis- 
 pleased and the soul feels it. He sometimes 
 sends temporal afflictions. A man neglects 
 known duty, for fear his business will suffer ; 
 
176 BAPTISTS 
 
 God brings reverses and losses upon him, 
 against which, with all his cunning, he failed 
 to secure himself. He consults the wishes of 
 his friends; they prove false to him. He 
 dreads to sever himself from his relatives ; God 
 removes them from him by death. Or, if none 
 of these calamities come upon him, there are 
 other consequences which cannot be avoided. 
 Conscience will upbraid, and the mind will 
 often be perplexed, and distracted with anxiety. 
 Then, in the event of the success of the reform- 
 ing party, such are always objects of shame and 
 contempt. They are regarded as the mere 
 chips and straws, that float with the current. 
 They are never depended upon in times of 
 trial ; and thus they often bring upon them- 
 selves more keen reproach than the true Refor- 
 mer ever suffers. He endures reproach for the 
 Truth's sake ; they suffer it justly, for their 
 recreancy to the Truth. The Reformer glories 
 in the reproach he is called to suffer — it is his 
 honor. They feel that they are dishonored, 
 and deserve to be. They are generally disap- 
 pointed in their expectations, and find that 
 their wdsdom is but folly, and their gain but 
 loss. Look at the Merozites. What did they 
 gain by their sinful neutrality ? While Israel 
 rejoice and triumph, Meroz is dishonored and 
 execrated. 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 177 
 
 In concluding these Lectures, permit me to 
 address, First, those who are members of the 
 Baptist denomination. Brethren, great and 
 important principles are involved in our action. 
 Let us be faithful to the trust committed to us. 
 On the propagation of our principles in this 
 country, depends all that is dear to us as Chris- 
 tians, as Americans, as men. The Baptist ele- 
 ment alone, in our country has preserved reli- 
 gious freedom and the rights of conscience. 
 Baptists alone, are prepared consistently and 
 successfully to meet and oppose those various 
 and gigantic forms of error, which retard the pro- 
 gress and prevent the triumphs of the Gospel. 
 Let us stand faithfully by those hallowed truths 
 in defence of which myriads have gone to the 
 scaffold and the rack, and firm adherence to 
 which dyed even American soil with Baptist 
 blood. Let us come up a to the help of the Lord 
 against the mighty,' 5 and effect a complete and 
 thorough reform, by the exaltation of pure 
 Bible truth, unmixed with human inventions 
 and the traditions of men ! 
 
 Secondly, I address a word to those who are 
 Baptists in sentiment, but who are not united 
 with Baptist churches. Many such are found 
 in almost every community. Why tarry ye ? 
 Are you not copying the conduct of Meroz ? 
 
178 BAPTISTS 
 
 Beware, lest you incur God's displeasure, by 
 your sinful neglect of known duty. " That 
 servant who knew his Lord's will, and did it 
 not, shall be beaten with many stripes." 
 
 Thirdly, those not Pedobaptists. There 
 are large numbers in Pedobaptist churches 
 who, while they cannot see that immersion is 
 essential to baptism, still do not believe that 
 infants ought not to be baptized. To such I 
 say, You are convinced that the baptism of 
 infants is unscriptural and wrong. Why, then, 
 continue in a church that teaches what you 
 know is contrary to the Bible ? Further, have 
 you been baptized since infancy, yourselves ? 
 If not, then, according to your own showing, 
 you have not been scripturally baptized, and 
 you are neglecting the first duty of the believer. 
 " He that believeth and is baptized, shall be 
 saved." 
 
 Finally, to those who are Pedobaptists I 
 would say, If you have carefully read the pre- 
 ceding Lectures, you certainly can no longer 
 wonder at the importance which Baptists attach 
 to the proper subjects and mode of baptism. 
 It is connected with views of the spirituality 
 of Christ's kingdom, and individual responsi- 
 bility, that are far from insignificant in their 
 bearings. Be not surprised, then, if, moved 
 
THOROUGH REFORMERS. 179 
 
 with love to Christ, and love to the souls of 
 men, they labor to induce investigation on this 
 subject among Christians, that Pedobaptists 
 may proselyte themselves to Bible sentiments. 
 " Prove all things, hold fast that which is 
 good." 
 
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