According to my best recollection, I first conceived the design of the laborious task which I have since performed, in the summer of 1802, and in a short time I found myself traveling through Kentucky, Georgia, and the other States, asking questions: searching of documents and collecting material. From that time on, Baptist history, both at home and abroad, became the subject of my interested attention. I then went to the northern parts of the State of New York, and in the course of about thirteen months traveled about five thousand miles.
At first I thought of nothing more at the moment than the history of American Baptists. I had, however, designed, at some future period, to draw up a General History of the Baptists in other countries; but learning that Mr. Church of Christ has always learned from the behavior of the people of this world, that this is not her home.
Providence seems to have chosen this extensive dominion as the scene of the first gospel workers. He was the first emperor to shed the blood of Christians, and it is said that Peter and Paul were among that number.
PLINY TO TRAJAN EMPEROR, HEALTH
They all worshiped your image and the images of the gods, and also cursed Christ. For the contagion of superstition has spread not only through the cities, but even through villages and the country. And their enemies soon discovered that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Church.
The history of the Roman popes is full of everything shocking to the feelings of piety and humanity. Most of the cardinals, popes, legates and other dignified ecclesiastics in the church of Rome were chosen from the monastic orders. Many of the popes were the illegitimate children of popes who had gone before them.
The sale of indulgences was one of the most impious and infamous forms of traffic carried on by the Roman Church. SOME DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PERSECUTIONS PERFORMED BY THE ROMAN CHURCH.
A MINIATURE HISTORY OF BAPTISM
But despite all this, today's paedobaptists are handing him over to the Jewish side. It seems that this will happen within a period of one to two hundred years. It was later recognized that Origen of the third century, and not Irenaeus of the second century, was the writer.
Tertullian, then, had only just heard the report of the innovations that were about to be introduced into the Church of Christ. The account of Tertullian opposing the baptism of infants, who could ask for it, but who in his opinion were not sufficiently enlightened to be admitted to the sacred rite, dates from the beginning of the third century. Since Africa has been mentioned repeatedly in the previous story, it may be good to observe what part of that dark part of the world exists.
In the center of the great hall was an octagonal bath, which was strictly speaking the baptistery, and from which the whole building was denominated. Others were supplied by pipes, and the water was led to one or more of the side chambers. Then the cardinals presented themselves before him, and one prayed in the name of the rest for his blessing, which was granted.
In the name of God - in the twenty-first year of the reign of our Lord Charles, by the grace of God, King of the Franks and.
A GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE BAPTISTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND ANCIENT CITIES
The reason for this difference was that the Novarians baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy One. And Mosheim asserts that the whole sect of Waldensians was named after Waldo. The persecutors claimed with a sigh that because of their virtue they were the most dangerous enemies of the church."
Another account of Menno and his feelings can be found in the account of the American Mennonites. I conclude from an expression in Mosheim that it was founded in the earlier part of the last century. We have seen in the account of the Moravian Baptists, that in their time.
The first became the chaplain of the court, and the other physician to the prince.
ENGLAND
But the new church adopted infant baptism, and the rest of the multiplying superstitions of Rome. In the reign of Henry III, about 1218, the order of the Friar Mennonites was sent from the Continent to suppress the Waldensian heresy, and many doubtless suffered by their means. Very scanty accounts have been obtained from the Baptists in England in the times of which we speak, and but a few of the sketches preserved by our English brethren may be inserted here.
Thomas Wilson, and others of the same opinion, were at their request dismissed to the said gentleman. I can find no particular account of the number of churches from this period to 1689. Among the manuscripts of Morgan Edwards I find a list of Baptist churches in England, which appears to have been compiled about 1768.
The first who suffered for religion during the reign of this debauched prince was the famous John Bunyan, author of the Pilgrim's Progress and many other excellent works. Seven years of the time he was kept so close that he could not see out of the door of his prison. Among these were a number of the Baptist community, but how many cannot be ascertained with certainty.
Great was the suffering of the Baptists in Gloucestershire, especially in the neighborhood of Fairford, Bourton on the water, Stow, and some other places. One third of the money collected by the conventiclers was intended for the informer or his assistants. We will now look at some of the most prominent characters among English Baptists from the beginning to the present day.
Tombes was a man of the best quality in our country, and perhaps in any other country. William Kiffin was one of the early promoters of the Particular Baptists, and a leading preacher among them. About this time lived the famous Benjamin Keach, author of the Scripture Metaphors and many other valuable works.