Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-07-11
The baptist Centennial.

INTERESTING ExERcIsEs IN DELAWARE AVE
NUE. BAPTIST cHURCH-ADDREssEs By
REvs. EASTWOOD, COOK, AND MoARTHUR.
Delaware Avenue Baptist church was we'll
filed, last evening, on the occasion Of the
Centennial Mass Meeting of members of
the denomination.
After voluntary by the choir, which by
the way is an excellent one, Washington
Jones, ESQ.,, President of the meeting, well
coined the audience i'll neat and appro.
pirate address, i'll which he favorably re-
view ed the growth of the Baptist church,
and the overcoming Of the difficulties and
opposition they met with in their great
struggle for civil and religious freedom.
After the singing of Dr.. Cuttings Cen
tennial hymn, Rev. G.. W. Folwell, the
former pastor of the church, led in prayer
and Rev. John Hoeffiin read portion of
Scriptures.
"My Country, tbs of thee" was then sung,
the choir leading and the whole congrega-
ton joining with great spirit.
Rev. T. NJ. Eastwood followed in an ad'
dress on tBaptist growth the last one hun
dred years" He briefly reviewed the perse-
cutions to which the Baptists had been sub
jected, special enactments being passed
against them in Russia, Norway, Sweden,
Spain and other European countries, for
bidding Baptists to preach simply because
they held to their own views IN relation to
infant baptism, and immersion. Baptists
avalled themselves of the privilege Of COM
ing TO this new country to escape European
persecution, only o be again prosecuted
by the established Congregational church
in Massachusetts, and the established Epis-
copal church in Virginia. In the first hum
dred years of their existence in this new
land, they had but 10 churches. The
speaker then read the sentence imposed by
the authorities of Massachusetts upon Oba-
diah Holmes, in which he had to pay fine
of G30 or be whipped, for baptizing and
preaching contrary 10 established religion.
In 1887 the Baptists had in this country
471 churches, 424 ministers, and 25,001
members. Now they have missionary
societies, State Association in every State,
| 50 papers and periodicals, 943 Associations,
%, ,038 churches, 1866 ministers, and
| 1883, 312 members, the increase Of last year
alone being SO, 726. Including foreign Mis-
sionary Societies the Baptists now had a
| total membership of 2,215, 500.
After singing "Something for Jesus" Rev.
| r. B. Cook addressed the congregation.
| He said the programme was Baptist all
over, every hymn on it having Baptist for
| its author, though they were popular and
sung in every denomination.
The reverend gentleman's address re-
lated to "Baptists and the Centennial. y
He gave many reasons why Baptists es-
pecially should celebrate the centennial.
He recited from various authors the assist
ance received from Baptists in aid of ma.
tional independence. The Baptists of Del
aware saved that little State and placed her
in the galaxy OF the original thirteen. The
Baptists saved Virginia, without which
State our Independence could not have
been secured.
Rev. Alexander Macarthur, made the clos
ing address on the Culture prospects and
present obligations of the Baptists." He
said that instead of this being the LIST it was
the 18th Centennial of the Baptist church
Its line could be traced back from the build
ing of the last church in Wilmington 60 the