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With the Revolution of 1688, and the passing of the Act of Toleration in 1689, the history of the persecution of Baptists, as well as of other Protestant dissenters, ends. The removal of the remaining disabilities, such as those imposed by the Test and Corporation Acts repealed in 1828, has no special bearing on Baptists more than on other nonconformists. The ministers of the "three denominations of dissenters,"-Presbyterians, Independents and Baptists,-resident in London and the neighbourhood, had the privilege accorded to them of presenting on proper occasions an address to the sovereign in state, a privilege which they still enjoy under the name of "the General Body of Protestant Dissenting Ministers of the three Denominations." The "General Body" was not organized until 1727. The Baptists, having had a double origin, continued for many years in two sections-those who in accordance with Arminian views held the doctrine of " General Redemption," and those who, agreeing with the Calvinistic theory, held the doctrine of "Particular Redemption "; and hence they were known respectively as General Baptists and Particular Baptists. In the 18th century many of the General Baptists gradually adopted the Arian, or, perhaps, the Socinian theory; whilst, on the other hand, the Calvinism of the Particular Baptists in many of the churches became more rigid, and approached or actually became Antinomianism. In 1770 the orthodox portion of the General Baptists, mainly under the influence of Dan Taylor (b. 1738), formed themselves into a separate association, under the name of the General Baptist New Connection, since which time the Old Connection" has gradually merged into the Unitarian denomination. By the beginning of the 19th century the New Connection numbered 40 churches and 3400 members. The old General Baptists "still keep up a shadowy legal existence." Towards the end of the 18th century many of the Particular Baptist churches became more moderate in their Calvinism, a result largely attributable to the writings of Andrew Fuller. Up to this time a great majority of the Baptists admitted none either to membership or communion who were not baptized, the principal exception being the churches in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, founded or influenced by Bunyan, who maintained that difference of opinion in respect to water baptism was no bar to communion. At the beginning of the 19th century this question was the occasion of great and long-continued discussion, in which the celebrated Robert Hall (1764-1831) took a principal part. The practice of mixed communion gradually spread in the denomination. Still more recently many Baptist churches have considered it right to admit to full membership persons professing faith in Christ, who do not agree with them respecting the ordinance of baptism. Such churches justify their practice on the ground that they ought to grant to all their fellow-Christians the same right of private judgment as they claim for themselves. It may not be out of place here to correct the mistake, which is by no means uncommon, that the terms Particular and General as applied to Baptist congregations were intended to express this difference in their practice, whereas these terms related, as has been already said, to the difference in their doctrinal views. The difference now under consideration is expressed by the terms "strict" and "open," according as communion (or membership) is or is not confined to persons who, according to their view, are baptized.

In 1891, largely under the influence of Dr John Clifford, a leading General Baptist, the two denominations, General and Particular, were united, there being now but one body called "The Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland." This Union, however, is purely voluntary, and some Baptist churches, a few of them prosperous and powerful, hold aloof from their sister churches so far as organization is concerned.

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There is, however, no national Union. Indeed, the Strict Baptists are themselves divided into the "Standard" and "Vessel " parties Vessel," the organs of the rival groups. -names derived from the "Gospel Standard" and "Earthen

The general characteristic of the Strict Baptists is their rigorous adherence to a type of Calvinistic theology now generally obsolete, and their insistence upon baptism as the condition of Christian accurate statistics, but the number of their adherents is small. communion. Their loose organization makes it impossible to obtain There is a strict Baptist Missionary Society (founded 1860, refounded 1897) which conducts mission work in South India. The income of this society was £1146 in 1905. It comprises 730 church members and 72 pastors and workers.

the

The Baptists early felt the necessity of providing an educated ministry for their congregations. Some of their leading pastors had been educated in one or other of the English universities. Others had by their own efforts obtained a large amount of learning, amongst shown in his Exposition of the Holy Scriptures, a work in 9 vols. folio, whom Dr John Gill was eminent for his knowledge of Hebrew, as 1746-1766. Edward Terrill, who died in 1685, left a considerable part of his estate for the instruction of young men desiring to be trained for the ministry, under the superintendence of the pastor bequests for the same purpose were made, and from the year 1720 of the Broadmead Church, Bristol, of which he was a member. Other the Baptist Academy, as it was then called, received young men as students for the ministry among the Baptists. In 1770 the Bristol Education Society was formed to enlarge this academy; and about the north of England a similar education society was formed in 1804 year 1811 the present Bristol Baptist College was erected. In at Bradford, Yorkshire, which has since been removed to Rawdon, near Leeds. In London another college was formed in 1810 at Stepney; it was removed to Regent's Park in 1856. The Pastors' College in connexion with the Metropolitan Tabernacle was instituted in 1856, and in 1866 the present Baptist College at Manchester was instituted at Bury in the interests of the Strict" Baptist views. Besides these, which were voluntary colleges not under denominational control, the General Baptists maintained a college since 1797, which, since the amalgamation of the two Baptist bodies, has become also a voluntary institution, though previously supported by the General Baptist Association. It is called the "Midland Baptist College," and is situated in Nottingham. There is also a Baptist theological college in Glasgow, and there are two colleges in Wales and one in Ireland. The total number of students in these institutions is about 210.

The Baptists were the first denomination of British Christians to undertake in a systematic way that work of missions to the heathen, which became so prominent a feature in the religious activity of the 19th century. As early as the year 1784 the Northamptonshire Association of Baptist churches resolved to recommend that the first Monday of every month should be set apart for prayer for the spread of the gospel. Shortly after, in 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed at Kettering in Northamptonshire, after a sermon on Isaiah lii. 2, 3, preached by William Carey points: Expect great things from God; attempt great things for (1761-1834), the prime mover in the work, in which he urged two God." In the course of the following year Carey sailed for India, where he was joined a few years later by Marshman and Ward, and the mission was established at Serampore. The great work of languages and dialects of India. Dr Carey's life was the translation of the Bible into the various The society's operations are now carried on, not only in the East, but in the West Indies, China, Africa (chiefly on the Congo river), and Europe.

In regard to church government, the Baptists agree with the Congregationalists that each separate church is complete in itself, and has, therefore, power to choose its own ministers and to make such regulations as it deems to be most in accordance with the purpose of its existence, that is, the advancement of the kingdom of Christ. A comparatively small section of the denomination maintain that a "plurality of elders "or pastors is required for the complete organization of every separate church. This is the distinctive peculiarity of those churches in Scotland and the north of England which are known as Scotch Baptists. The largest church of this section, consisting of approximately 500 members, originated in Edinburgh in 1765, before which date only one Baptist church-that of Keiss in Caithness, formed about 1750-appears to have existed in Scotland. The greater number of the churches are united in association voluntarily formed, all of them determined by geographical limits. The associa tions, as well as the churches not in connexion with them, are united together in the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, formed in 1813 by the Particular Baptists. This union, however, exerts no authoritative action over the separate churches. One important part of the work of the union is the collection of information in which all the churches are interested. In 1909 there were in the United Kingdom: Baptist churches, 3046; chapels, 4124: sittings, 1.450.352; members, 424,008; Sunday school teachers, 58,687: Sunday scholars, 578,344; local preachers, 5615; and pastors in charge, 2078.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Baptist Union collected a "Twentieth Century Fund" of £250,000, which has largely assisted the formation of new churches, and gives an indication of

1,215
40
I

106

21
10

the unity and virility of the denomination. A still stronger evidence India

121.716 to the same effect was given by the Religious Census taken in 1904. Japan

2,326 While this only applied to London, its results are valuable as showing Palestine the comparative strength of the Baptist Church. These results are Philippines

425 to the effect that in all respects the Baptists come second to the Congo

4,673 Anglicans in the following three particulars:-(1) Percentage of West Africa

629 attendances at public worship contributed by Baptists, 10-81 (London County), 10.70 (Greater London); (2) aggregate of attend

Total

72,681 7.454,165 ances, 54-597; (3) number of places of Worship, 443. 2. The Continent of Europe.-During the 19th century what

In 1909 the comparative totals were roughly : – 72,988 we have called the modern Baptist movement made its appear-churches ; 7.480,940 members

. In both sets of figures the ance in nearly every European country. In Roman Catholic Disciples of Christ (U.S.A.) are included. countries Baptist churches were formed by missionaries coming tists (4 vols. London, 1738-1740); D. Masson, Life of John Milton

LITERATURE.—Thomas Crosby, The History of the English Bapfrom either England or America: work in France began in in Connexion with the History of his Time (6 vols. 1859-1880, new 1832, in Italy missions were started in 1866 (Spezia Mission) and ed. 1881, &c.); B. Evans, The Early English Baptists, i, ii, (1862– in 1884 (Baptist Missionary Society, which also has a mission in 1864): H.C. Vedder, A Short History of the Baptists (London, 1897): Brittany), and in Spain in 1888. In Protestant countries and A. H. Newman, A Manual of Church History (Philadelphia, 1900in Russia the Baptist movement began without missionary and Practices of the Baptists (1903); E. C. Pike, The Story of the intervention from England or America. J. G. Oncken (1800-Anabaptists (1994); J. H. Shakespeare, Baptist and Congregational 1884) formed the first church in Hamburg in 1834, and thereafter Pioneers; J. G. Lehmann, Geschichte der deutschen Baptisten (1896Baptist churches were formed in other countries as follows:- 1900); G. Tumbült, Die Wiedertäufer (Bielefeld, 1899); The Denmark (1839), Holland and Sweden (1848), Switzerland (1849), The Religious Census of London (1904). HET (N. H. M.) Norway (1860), Austria and Rumania (1869), Hungary (1871), and Bulgaria (1884). Baptist churches also began to be formed America was that founded in the Providence settlement on

4. United States of America.-The first Baptist Church in in Russia and Finland in the 'fifties and 'sixties.

Narragansett Bay under the leadership of Roger Williams 3. British Colonies.-In every colony the Baptists have a considerable place. There are unions of Baptist churches in the by the Massachusetts Court because of his persistence in advocat

(9.0.). Having been sentenced to banishment (October 1635) following colonies:- New South Wales, Victoria, S. Australia, ing separatistic views deemed unsettling and dangerous, to Western Australia, Queensland, New Zealand, Tasmania, escape deportation to England he betook himself (January Canada (four Unions) and S. Africa. The work in S. Africa is 1636) to the wilderness, where he was hospitably entertained assisted by the Baptist South African Missionary and Colonial by the natives who gave him a tract of land for a settlement. Aid Society, having its seat in London. The Baplist World Alliance was formed in 1905, when the first Williams founded a commonwealth in which absolute religious

Having been joined by a few friends from Massachusetts, Baptist World Congress was held in London. The preamble of liberty was combined with civil democracy. In the firm convicthe constitution of this Alliance sufficiently indicates its nature: tion that churches of Christ should be made up exclusively of “Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come when it regenerate members, the baptism of infants appeared to him seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential oneness in the not only valueless but a perversion of a Christian ordinance. Lord Jesus Christ, as their God and Saviour, of the churches of About March 1639, with cleven others, he decided to restore the Baptist order and faith throughout the world, and to promote believers' baptism and to form a church of baptized believers. the spirit of fellowship, service and co-operation among them, Ezekiel Holliman, who had been with him at Plymouth and shared while recognizing the independence of each particular church his separatist views, first baptized Williams and Williams baptized and not assuming the functions of any existing organization, it the rest of the company. Williams did not long continue to find is agreed to form a Baptist alliance, extending over every part satisfaction in the step he had taken. Believing that the of the world.” This alliance does in fact include Baptists in ordinances and apostolic church organization had been lost in every quarter of the globe, as will be seen from the following the general apostasy, he became convinced that it was prestatistics :

sumptuous for any man or company of men to undertake their United States,

restoration without a special divine commission. He felt comNational Baptist Convention 16,996 2,110,269

pelled to withdraw from the church and to assume the position Southern Baptist Convention

1,832,638 of a seeker. He continued on friendly terms with the Baptists "Disciples of Christ "

11,157 1,235,798 of Providence, and in his writings he expressed the conviction Thirty-five Northern States 8,894 986,821 Fourteen other Bodies

that their practice came nearer than that of other communities Australasia

to the first practice of Christ.

23.253 Canada

985 103,062

In November 1637 John Clarke (1609-1676), a physician, of S. Africa

4,865 religious zeal and theological acumen, arrived at Boston, where, United Kingdom

426,563 Austria Hungary

ins' ad of the religious freedom he was secking, he found the

9.783 Denmark

doininant party in the Antinomian controversy on the point Finland

of banishing the Antinomian minority, including Mrs Anne France

2,278 Hutchinson (9.9.)and her family, John Wheelwright (c.1592-1679), Germany

32,462 and William Coddington (1601-1678). Whether from sympathy Italy

1.375 Mexico and Central America

with the persecuted or aversion to the persecutors, he cast in Netherlands

1,413

his lot with the former and after two unsuccessful attempts at Norway

2,849 settlement assisted the fugitives in forming a colony on the island Rumania and Bulgaria :

374 Russia and Poland

of Aquidnek (Rhode Island), procured from the Indians through

24.136 S. America

3,641

the good offices of Williams. By 1641 there were, according Spain

to John Winthrop,“ professed Anabaptists” on the island, Sweden

43-305

and Clarke was probably their leader. Robert Lenthall, who Switzerland

796 West Indies

joined the Newport company in 1640 when driven from Maxa

42,310 Ceylon

chusetts, probably brought with him antipacdobaptist con

1,044 China .

12,160 victions. Mrs Scott, sister of Mrs Hutchinson, is thought to The figures for Russia include only the German-speaking Baptists, founded. Mark

Lucar, who was baptized by immersion in London

have been an aggressive antipacdobaptist when the colony was Baptists. Estimates have been made which vary from 60,000 to in January 1642 (N.S.) and was a member of a Baptist church 100,000.

there, reached Newport about 1644. A few years later we find

[graphic]
[graphic]

Churches. Members.

20,431

414.775

7.921

270

52 2,934

37 29 43 28

3,954
2,301

1,820

245

318

25 137

of the members making their way to South Carolina, where, with a number of English Baptists of wealth and position, what became the First Baptist church in Charleston, was organized (about 1684). This became one of the most important of early Baptist centres, and through Screven's efforts Baptist principles became widely disseminated throughout that region. The withdrawal of members to form other churches in the neighbourhood and the intrusion of Socinianism almost extinguished the Charleston church about 1746.

him associated with Clarke as one of the most active members | at Kittery, Me. Persecution led to migration, Screven and some of the Newport church, and as the date of the organization is uncertain, there is some reason to suspect that he was a constituent member, and that asa baptized man he took the initiative in baptizing and organizing. At any rate we have in Lucar an interesting connecting link between early English and American Baptists. The Providence church maintained a rather feeble existence after Williams's withdrawal, with Thomas Olney (d. 1682), William Wickenden, Chad Brown (d. 1665) and Gregory Dexter as leading members. A schism occurred in 1652, the last three with a majority of the members contending for general redemption and for the laying on of hands as indispensable to fellowship, Olney, with the minority, maintaining particular redemption and rejecting the laying on of hands as an ordinance. Olney's party became extinct soon after his death in 1682. The surviving church became involved in Socinianism and Universalism, but maintained a somewhat vigorous life and, through Wickenden and others, exerted considerable influence at Newport, in Connecticut, New York and elsewhere. Dexter became, with Williams and Clarke, a leading statesman in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

The Newport church extended its influence into Massachusetts, and in 1649 we find a group of Baptists at Rehoboth, with Obadiah Holmes as leader. The intolerance of the authorities rendered the prosecution of the work impracticable and these Massachusetts Baptists became members of the Newport church. In 1651 Clarke, Holmes and Joseph Crandall of the Newport church made a religious visit to Lynn, Mass. While holding a meeting in a private house they were arrested and were compelled to attend the church services of the standing order. For holding an unlawful meeting and refusing to participate quietly in the public service they were fined, imprisoned and otherwise maltreated. While in England on public business in 1652, Clarke published Ill News from New England, which contained an impressive account of the proceedings against himself and his brethren at Lynn, and an earnest and wellreasoned plea for liberty of conscience.

Henry Dunster (1612-1659), the first president of the college at Cambridge (Harvard), had by 1653 become convinced that "visible believers only should be baptized." Being unwilling to hold his views in abeyance, he relinquished in 1654, under circumstances of considerable hardship, the work that he greatly loved. In 1663 John Myles (1621-1683), a Welsh Baptist who had been one of Cromwell's Tryers, with his congregation, took refuge in Massachusetts from the intolerance of the government of Charles II. They were allowed to settle in Rehoboth, Mass., and even after they were discovered to be Baptists they were allowed to remain on condition of establishing their meetingplace at a considerable distance from that of the standing order. Myles did much to promote the growth of the Baptist Church in Massachusetts, and was of service to the denomination in Boston and elsewhere. Thomas Gould of Charlestown seems to have been in close touch with President Dunster and to have shared his antipaedobaptist views as early as 1654. Some time before 1665 several English Baptists had settled in the neighbourhood of Boston and several others had adopted Baptist views. These, with Gould, were baptized (May 1665) and joined with those who had been baptized in England in a church covenant. The church was severely persecuted, the members being frequently imprisoned and fined and denied the use of a building they had erected as a meeting-house. Long after the Act of Toleration (1689) was in full force in England, the Boston Baptists pleaded in vain for the privileges to which they were thereby entitled, and it required the most earnest efforts of English Baptists and other dissenters to gain for them a recognition of the right to exist. A mandate from Charles II. (July 1679), in which the Massachusetts authorities were sharply rebuked for denying to others the liberty to secure which they themselves had gone into exile, had produced little effect.

In 1682 William Screven (1629-1713) and Humphrey Churchwood, members of the Boston church, gathered and organized, with the co-operation of the mother church, a small congregation

A few Baptists of the general (Arminian) type appeared in Virginia from 1714 onward, and were organized and fostered by missionaries from the English General Baptists. By 1727 they had invaded North Carolina and a church was constituted there. From 1643 onward antipaedobaptists from New England and elsewhere had settled in the New Netherlands (New York). Lady Deborah Moody left Massachusetts for the New Netherlands in 1643 because of her antipaedobaptist views and on her way stopped at New Haven, where she won to her principles Mrs Eaton, the wife of the governor, Theophilus Eaton. She settled at Gravesend (now part of Brooklyn) having received from the Dutch authorities a guarantee of religious liberty. Francis Doughty, an English Baptist, who had spent some time in Rhode Island, laboured in this region in 1656 and baptized a number of converts. This latter proceeding led to his banishment. Later in the same year William Wickenden of Providence evangelized and administered the ordinances at Flushing, but was heavily fined and banished. From 1711 onward Valentine Wightman (1681-1747) of Connecticut (General Baptist) made occasional missionary visits to New York at the invitation of Nicolas Eyres, a business man who had adopted Baptist views, and in 1714 baptized Eyres and several others, and assisted them in organizing a church. The church was well-nigh wrecked (1730) by debt incurred in the erection of a meeting-house. A number of Baptists settled on Block Island about 1663. Some time before 1724 a Baptist church (probably Arminian) was formed at Oyster Bay.

The Quaker colonies, with their large measure of religious liberty, early attracted a considerable number of Baptists from New England, England and Wales. About 1684 a Baptist church was founded at Cold Spring, Bucks county, Pa., through the efforts of Thomas Dungan, an Irish Baptist minister who had spent some time in Rhode Island. The Pennepek church was formed in 1688 through the labours of Elias Keach, son of Benjamin Keach (1640-1704), the famous English evangelist. Services were held in Philadelphia under the auspices of the Pennepek church from 1687 onward, but independent organization did not occur till 1698. Several Keithian Quakers united with the church, which ultimately became possessed of the Keithian meeting-house. Almost from the beginning general meetings had been held by the churches of these colonies. In 1707 the Philadelphia Association was formed as a delegated body "to consult about such things as were wanting in the churches and to set them in order." From its inception this body proved highly influential in promoting Baptist co-operation in missionary and educational work, in efforts to supply the churches with suitable ministers and to silence unworthy ones, and in maintaining sound doctrine. Sabbatarianism appeared within the bounds of the association at an early date and Seventh-day Baptist churches were formed (1705 onward).

The decades preceding the "Great Awakening" of 1740-1743 were a time of religious declension. A Socinianized Arminianism had paralysed evangelistic effort. The First Church, Providence, had long since become Arminian and held aloof from the evangelism of Edwards, Whitefield and their coadjutors. The First Church, Boston, had become Socinianized and discountenanced the revival. The First Church, Newport, had been rent asunder by Arminianism, and the nominally Calvinistic remnant had itself become divided on the question of the laying on of hands and showed no sympathy with the Great Awakening. The First Church, Charleston, had been wrecked by Socinianism. The General (Six Principles) Baptists of Rhode Island and

Connecticut had increased their congregations and membership, of the association became necessary. The General Association and before the beginning of the 18th century had inaugurated of Virginia and the Congaree Association of South Carolina now annual associational meetings. But the fact that the Great took their places side by side with the Sandy Creek. The Awakening in America was conducted on Calvinistic principles Virginia "Separate " Baptists had more than doubled their was sufficient to prevent their hearty co-operation. The churches numbers in the two years from May 1771 to May 1773. In of the Philadelphia Association were organized and engaged to 1774 some of the Virginia brethren became convinced that the some extent in missionary endeavour, but they showed little apostolic office was meant to be perpetuated and induced the interest in the Edwards-Whitefield movement. And yet the association to appoint an apostle. Samuel Harris was the Baptists ultimately profited by the Great Awakening beyond. unanimous choice and was solemnly ordained. Waller and almost any of the denominations. In many New England Elijah Craig (1743–1800) were made apostles soon afterward for communities a majority in the churches of the standing order the northern district. This arrangement, soon abandoned, was bitterly opposed the new evangelism, and those who came under no doubt suggested by Methodist superintendency. In 1775 its influence felt constrained to organize “Separate " or "New Methodist influence appeared in the contention of two of the Light” churches. These were severely persecuted by the apostles and Jeremiah Walker for universal redemption. Schism dominant party and were denied even the scanty privileges that was narrowly averted by conciliatory statements on both sides. Baptists had succeeded in gaining. As the chief objection of the As a means of preserving harmony the Philadelphia Confession

Separates” to the churches of the standing order was their of Faith, a Calvinistic document, with provision against too refusal to insist on personal regeneration as a term of membership, rigid a construction, was adopted and a step was thus taken many of them were led to feel that they were inconsistent in toward harmonizing with the “Regular" Baptists of the requiring regenerate membership and yet administering baptism Philadelphia type. When the General Association was subto unconscious infants. In several cases entire “ Separate ” divided (1783), a General Committee, made up of delegates from churches reached the conviction that the baptism of infants was each district association, was constituted to consider matters not only without Scriptural warrant but was a chief corner-stone that might be for the good of the whole society. Its chief work of state-churchism, and transformed themselves into Baptist was to continue the agitation in which for some years the body churches. In many cases a division of sentiment came to prevail had been successfully engaged in favour of religious equality and on the matter of infant-baptism, and for a while mutual toleration the entire separation of church and state. Since 1780 the prevailed; but mixed churches had their manifest disadvantages "Separate " Baptists had had the hearty co-operation of the and separation ultimately ensued.

"Regular" Baptists in their struggle for religious liberty and Among the Baptist leaders gained from Congregationalism as cquality. In 1787 the two bodies united and agreed to drop the a result of the awakening was Isaac Backus (1724-1806), who names "Separate" and "Regular.” The success of the Baptists became the New England champion in the cause of religious of Virginia in securing step by step the abolition of everything liberty and equality, and the historian of his denomination. To that savoured of religious oppression, involving at last the Daniel Marshall (d. 1784) and Shubael Stearns, “New Light” disestablishment and the disendowment of the Episcopal Church, evangelists who became Baptists, the spread of Baptist principles was due in part to the fact that Virginia Baptists were among and the multiplication of Baptist churches throughout the the foremost advocates of American independence, while the southern colonies were in great measure due. The feeble Baptist Episcopal clergy were loyalists and had made themselves cause in Virginia and North Carolina had been considerably obnoxious to the people by using the authority of Great Britain strengthened by missionaries from the churches of the Phila- in extorting their tithes from unwilling parishioners, and that delphia Association, including Benjamin Griffith, John Gano they secured the co-operation of free-thinking statesmen like (1727-1804), John Thomas, Benjamin Miller, Samuel Eaton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison and, in most measures, John Garrard and David Thomas, and several churches, formed that of the Presbyterians. or reformed under their influence, united with the association. In The Baptist cause in New England that had profited so largely 1776 the Ketockton Association was formed by this group of from the Great Awakening failed to reap a like harvest from the churches. The Virginia colonial government, in earlier days War of Independence. The standing order in New England cruelly intolerant, gave a limited toleration to Baptists of this represented the patriotic and popular party. Baptists lost type; but the "Separate" Baptists were too enthusiastic and favour by threatening to appeal to England for a redress of their too much alive to the evils of state control in religious matters grievances at the very time when resistance to English oppression to be willing to take out licences for their meetings, and soon was being determined upon. The result was slowness of growth came into sharp conflict with the authorities. Stearns was an and failure to secure religious liberty. Though a large proportion evangelist of great power. With Marshall, his brother-in-law, of the New England Baptists co-operated heartily in the cause of and about a dozen fellow-believers he settled at Sandy Creek, independence, the denomination failed to win the popularity North Carolina, and in a few years had built up a church with a that comes from successful leadership. membership of more than six hundred. Marshall afterward About 1762 the Philadelphia Association began to plan for the organized and ministered to a church at Abbott's Creek establishment of a Baptist institution of Icarning that should about 30 m. distant. From these centres “ Separate " Baptist serve the entire denomination. Rhode Island was finally fixed influence spread throughout North and South Carolina and across upon, partly as the abode of religious liberty and because of the Georgia border, Marshall himself finally settling and forming its intelligent, influential and relatively wealthy Baptist cona church at Kiokee, Georgia. From North Carolina as a centre stituency, the consequent likelihood of procuring a charter from “Separate ” Baptist influence permeated Virginia and extended its legislature, and the probability that the co-operation of other into Kentucky and Tennessee. The Sandy Creek Association denominations in an institution under Baptist control would be came to embrace churches in several colonies, and Stearns, available. James Manning (1738-1791), who had just been desirous of preserving the harmonious working of the churches graduated from Princeton with high honours, was thought of as that recognized his leadership, resisted with vehemence all a suitable leader in the enterprise, and was sent to Rhode Island proposals for the formation of other associations.

(1763) to conser with leading men, Baptist and other. As a From 1760 to 1770 the growth of the “ Separate "Baptist body result a charter was granted by the legislature in 1764, and after in Virginia and the Carolinas was phenomenal. Evangelists like a few years of preliminary work at Warren (where the first Samuel Harris (1724-6.1794) and John Waller (1741-1802) degrees ever bestowed by a Baptist institution were conferred stirred whole communities and established Baptist churches in 1769),

Providence was chosen as the home of the college (1770). where the Baptist name had hitherto been unknown. The Sandy Here, with Manning as president and Hezekiah Smith (1737Creck Association, with Stearns as leader, undertook to " un 1805), his class-mate at Princeton, as financial agent and in. fellowship ordinations, ministers and churches that acted fluential supporter, the institution (since 1804 known as Brown independently,” and provoked such opposition that a division | University) was for many years the only degree-conferring

institution controlled by Baptists. The Warren Association | organ for the dissemination of information, and the quickening (1767) was organized under the influence of Manning and Smith on the model of the Philadelphia, and became a chief agency for the consolidation of denominational life, the promotion of denominational education and the securing of religious liberty. Hezekiah Smith was a highly successful evangelist, and through his labours scores of churches were constituted in New England. As chaplain in the American Revolutionary Army he also exerted a widespread influence.

The First Church, Charleston, which had become almost extinct through Arminianism in 1746, entered upon a career of❘ remarkable prosperity in 1749 under the leadership of Oliver Hart (1723–1795), formerly of the Philadelphia Association. In 1751 the Charleston Association was formed, also on the model of the Philadelphia, and proved an element of denominational strength. The association raised funds for domestic missionary work (1755 onward) and for the education of ministers (1756 onward). Brown University shared largely in the liberality of members of this highly-cultivated and progressive body. Among the beneficiaries of the education fund was Samuel Stillman (1737-1807), afterward the honoured pastor of the Boston church. The most noted leader of the Baptists of South Carolina during the four decades following the War of Independence was Richard Furman (1755-1825), pastor of the First Church, Charleston. The remarkable numerical progress of Baptists in South Carolina from 1787 to 1812 (from 1620 members to 11,325) was due to the "Separate" Baptist movement under Stearns and Marshall far more than to the activity of the churches of the Charleston Association. Both these types of Baptist life permeated Georgia, the latter making its influence felt in Savannah, Augusta and the more cultivated communities, the former evangelizing the masses. Many negro slaves became Baptists in Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. In most cases they became members of the churches of the white Baptists; but in Richmond, Savannah and some other towns they were encouraged to have churches of their own.

By 1812 there were in the United States 173,972 Baptist church members, the denominational numerical strength having considerably more than doubled since the beginning of the 19th century. Foreign Missions.-Baptists in Boston and vicinity, Philadelphia and Charleston, and a few other communities had from the beginning of the 19th century taken a deep interest in the missionary work of William Carey, the English missionary, and his coadjutors in India, and had contributed liberally to its support. The conversion to Baptist views of Adoniram Judson (9.9.) and Luther Rice (1812), who had just been sent, with others, by the newly-formed American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to open up missionary work in India, marks an epoch in American Baptist history. Judson appealed to his American brethren to support him in missionary work among the heathen, and Rice returned to America to organize missionary societies to awaken interest in Judson's mission. In January 1813 there was formed in Boston "The Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in India and other Foreign Parts." Other societies in the Eastern, Middle and Southern states speedily followed. The desirability of a national organization soon became manifest, and in May 1814 thirty-three delegates, representing eleven states, met in Philadelphia and organized the "General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination in the United States of America for Foreign Missions." As its meetings were to be held every three years it came to be known as the "Triennial Convention." A Board of Com'missioners was appointed with headquarters in Philadelphia(transferred in 1826 to Boston). The need of a larger supply of educated ministers for home and for mission work alike soon came to be profoundly felt, and resulted in the establishment of Columbian College, Washington (now George Washington University), with its theological department (1821), intended to be a national Baptist institution. Destitution on the frontiers led the Triennial Convention to engage extensively in home mission work (1817 onward), and in 1832 the American Baptist Home Mission Society was constituted for the promotion of this work. The need of an

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of interest in the missionary and educational enterprises of the Triennial Convention, led Rice to establish the Latter Day Luminary (1816) and the Columbian Star, a weekly journal (1822). From the first the attempt to rouse the denomination to organized effort for the propagation of the gospel met with much opposition, agents of the Convention being looked upon by the less intelligent pastors and churches as highly-paid and irresponsible collectors of money to be used they knew not how, or for purposes of which they disapproved. The fact that Rice was unduly optimistic and allowed the enterprises of the Convention to become almost hopelessly involved in debt, and was constrained to use some of the fund collected for missions to meet the exigencies of his educational and journalistic work, intensified the hostility of those who had suspected from the beginning the good faith of the agents and denied the scriptural authority of boards, paid agents, paid missionaries, &c. So virulent became the opposition that in several states, as Tennessee and Kentucky, the work of the Convention was for years excluded, and a large majority in each association refused to receive into their fellowship those who advocated or contributed to its objects. Hyper-Calvinism, ignorance and avarice cooperated in making the very name "missions "odious, ministerial education an impertinent human effort to supplant a spirit-called and spirit-endowed ministry, Sunday-schools and prayermeetings as human institutions, the aim of which was to interfere with the divine order, and the receiving of salaries for ministerial work as serving God for hire or rather as serving self. To counteract this influence, Baptist State Conventions were formed by the friends of missions and education, only contributing churches, associations, missionary societies and individuals being invited to membership (1821 onward-Massachusetts had effected state organization in 1802). These became highly efficient in promoting foreign and domestic missions, Sundayschool organization, denominational literature and education. Nearly every state soon had its institutions of learning, which aspired to become universities.

Before 1844 the sessions of the Triennial Convention had occasionally been made unpleasant by harsh anti-slavery utterances by Northern members against their Southern brethren and somewhat acrimonious rejoinders by the latter. The controversy between Francis Wayland and Richard Fuller (1804-1876) on the slavery question ultimately convinced the Southern brethren that separate organization for missionary work was advisable. The Southern Baptist Convention, with its Home and Foreign Missionary Boards, and (later) its Sunday-school Board, was formed in 1845. Since then Northern and Southern Baptists, though in perfect fellowship with each other, have found it best to carry on their home and foreign missionary work through separate boards and to have separate annual meetings. In 1905 a General Baptist Convention for America was formed for the promotion of fellowship, comity and denominasectional organizationsorto undertake any kind of administrative work. tional esprit de corps, but this organization is not to interfere with the Since 1845 Northern and Southern Baptists alike have greatly increased in numbers, in missionary work, in educational insti tutions, in literary activity and in everything that pertains to the equipment and organization of a great religious denomination. Since 1812 they have increased in numbers from less than 200,000 to more than 5,000,000. In 1812 American Baptists had no theological seminary; in 1906 they had 11 with more than 100 instructors, 1300 students, and endowments and equipments valued at about $7,000,000. In 1812 they had only one degree-conferring college with a small faculty; a small student body and almost no endowment; in 1906 they had more than 100 universities and colleges with endowment and equipment valued at about $30,000,000, and an annual income of about $3,000,000. In 1812 the value of church property was small; in 1906 it was estimated at $100,000,000. Then a single monthly magazine, with a circulation of a few hundreds, was all that the denomination possessed in the way of periodical literature; in 1906 its quarterlies, monthlies and weeklies were numbered by hundreds. The denomination has a single publishing concern (the American Baptist Publication Society) with an annual business of nearly $1,000,000 and assets of $1,750,000.

Baptists in the Dominion of Canada had their rise about the close of the 18th century in migrations from the United States. They have been reinforced by considerable numbers of English, Welsh and Scottish Baptists. They are divided into four sections:-those of the Maritime Provinces, with their Convention, their Home and Foreign Mission Boards, an Education Board and a Publication Board, and with M'Master University (Arts. Theological and

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