RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Baptists
bury, and Amersham are still current in England- Attempts to confirm these traditions by antiquarian research have so far failed. Some of the Baptist churches that claim early foundation may have grown out of Anabaptist, Lollard, or Separatist congregations of the earlier time. Little further is known of English antipedobaptist life until about 1640-42, when in common with the Calvinistic antipedobaptists, they became convinced that immersion alone is baptism.
2. Eise of the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists: In 1616 Henry Jacob, a learned Puritan minister, who for some years had been pastor of an English congregation at Middelburg, Zealand, and who had published a number of works against the English establishment, after much conference with his Separatist brethren in the Netherlands and in England and much fasting and prayer with his associates, reached the conviction that duty required him to return to England and to " venture himself for the kingdom of Christ's sake." Such of his members as chose to return with him he organized anew at Southwark, London, all covenanting together " to walk in all God's ways as he had revealed or should make known to them." The congregation proceeded to choose and ordain Jacob pastor and " many saints were joined to them." After about eight years of heroic service and suffering, Jacob emigrated to America. After an interval, John Lathrop became pastor and with many of the members spent much of the time in prison. Finding it impossible to labor in England Lathrop also sailed for America (1634). In 1633, differences of opinion having arisen as to recognition of the parish churches, a number of the brethren were peaceably dismissed to form an independent congregation, " Mr. Eaton with some others receiving a further baptism." John Spilsbury's name does not appear among 1. Congre- the seceders of 1633, but some time gationsin between this date and the second
London, secession of 1638 he had become the pastor of an antipedobaptist congregation; whether this was distinct from Eaton's congregation does not clearly appear. The record reads- " These also being of the same judgment with Sam Eaton and desiring to depart and not be censured, our interest in them was remitted with prayer made in their behalf, June 8, 1638, they having just forsaken us and joined with Mr. Spilsbury." Shortly before or shortly after this secession William Kiffin, then a young man of twentytwo, afterward till 1701 one of the most influential leaders of the Particular Baptists, united with Eaton. The learned and zealous Henry Jessey had become pastor of the Jacob-Lathrop church in 1637 In 1640 the conviction that " dipping the body into the water " is the only valid baptism forced itself upon a number of the members and the matter was much agitated in antipedobaptist circles. As a result of conferences on this matter Richard Blount, who understood Dutch, was sent to Holland where the Collegiants of Rhynsburg (see Collegiants) were practising immersion, and received baptism at the hands of J. Batte, a teacher among them. This party had arisen about 1619, I.— 29
but its immersion may have been derived from the Polish (Socinian) antipedobaptists. On his return Blount immersed Blacklock, and they two baptized large numbers (1641). The immersionist antipedobaptists had by this time formed themselves into two companies. Spilsbury insisted that " baptizedness is not essential to the administrator " of baptism and, with a number of adherents, discountenanced Blount's method of restoring baptism. As the agitation had been going on for some months before Blount's journey to Holland, it is not unlikely that Spilsbury and his adherents, including Kiffin, had some time before introduced immersion independently. Spilsbury's argument against the necessity of succession in baptism prevailed. In 1643 friendly discussion of the question of infant baptism was renewed in the congregation of which Jessey was pastor. Hanserd Knollys, a university graduate and Puritan preacher, who had spent some time in New England and had found himself out of harmony with the theocracy, was at this time a member of Jessey's church. According to the ancient records " H. K., our brother, not being satisfied for baptizing his child, after it had been endeavored by the elder and by one or two more, himself referred to the church then that they might satisfy him or he rectify them, if amiss therein, which was well accepted. Hence meetings were appointed for conference about it and
each was performed with prayer and much love." An interesting outline of the arguments pro and con by Jessey and Knollys, in which other brethren (Kiffin among them) joined, is given in the record. A considerable number were convinced with Knollys against the baptism of infants, and the church after taking the advice of the elders and brethren of other churches (including Praisegod Barebone, Dr. Parker, Thomas Goodwin Philip Nye, Simpson, and Burrows), several of whom had recently returned from exile in the Netherlands and were to become prominent members of the Westminster Assembly, it was decided, that inasmuch as the antipedobaptist brethren had absented themselves, not from obstinacy, but from tender conscience and holiness, and in order to avoid disturbing the proceedings of the church, that the church would not " excommunicate, no, nor admonish, which is only to obstinate, to count them still of our church and pray (for) and love them," and to " desire conversing together so far as their principles permit them." By this time Kiffin had become pastor of a church and some of those who left Jessey's church on this occasion joined with him, while others organized themselves into a new church with Knollys as pastor (1644).
By October 1644, the Calvinistic antipedobaptists of London who had adopted immersion as the exclusively valid form of baptism " had become seven churches " At this time, in order to defend themselves against charges of Arminianism, opposition to civil government, etc., usually associated with the name " Anabaptist " and slanderously urged against themselves, representatives of these churches united in a confession of faith in fifty-two articles, wherein along with Calvinistic teachings on theology, Christology, and anthropology, are
Baptists