St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-07-05
TN A HUNDRED YEARS.
Results That the Baptist Church Has At
tanned Toward Religious Liberty
For Mankind,
AS the Rev. q. @. Mabie Spoke of Them at
the First Baptist Church
Yesterday.
The History of the Baptist Church
From the Time of the
COlOnistS.
In a Hundred Years It Increased a
Thousand FoId--An Able
Sermon.
Bap,ists and Religious Liberty.

Raptists and Religious Liberty.
At the First Baptist church yesterday
the Rev. Dr. II. G. Mabie preached a ser
mon that will prove of more than ordinary
interest not alone to people of that de
nomination. The subject was the Baptist'
and reli gious liberty. The sermon is giver
IN full below. The text was, Hebrews
X, 80, 33.
But call to remembrance the former day
IN winch after We were Illuminated we endured
great fight Of affections, partly whilst "
were made gazing stock both by reproache:
and affilctons, and partly whilst We became
companions of them that were so used.''
Ten years ago to-day closed one of the
most remarkable centuries of time-the frs
centennial Of American history. With mos
of us the remembrance is still vivid. with
what Accomplishments the great day was
celebrated.
A marked celebration was fitting The
youth OF republic like this. and such 6
youth, can never. come again. During muct
or the year preceding the anniversary itself
our baptist pulpits and our press had much
TO say in reference to the relations of oul
Baptist fathers to the outworking of the great
problems of religious liberty, which consti
tutes the chief glory of the republic.
1t was deserved tribute to the heroes OF
that early time. 1t was needed reminder to
all students Of our country's history. 1t was
startling information to the young people in
our churches who are too likely to accept
their religions and the benefits which come
with them as matter of course, often toe
ignorant of the solid grounds in which they
are rooted.
Since the centennial year passed we have
come on another decade into the second CEN
tury OF the national life. Almost an entire
generation has come within that time. For
their sakes l find justification this morning
in recounting some of the early chapters of the
struggle in behalf of religious liberty in which
our baptist fathers bore conspicuous part.
One hundred years ago the Baptists of the
American colonies numbered about %, 000
souls, and everywhere their name was coupled
with inyidious associations. On the statute
books 1t usually appears in connection with
trial and imprisonment for misdemeanor.
In the great religious movement in Europe,
which we call the reformation there were
large classes who felt that the reformation
did not go far enough. They denied the valid
lty OF infant baptism, and they commended
for a n entire separation of church and state.
These came soon to be derisively called Ana
bapustS or BaptistS. Almost Simultaneous
churches sprang up on the continent, in Eng
land and America. Individual Baptists came
over with the early Puritans and Pilgrims.
Anabaptistry or rebaptistry, as it
and an affection in the various colonies.
Roger Williams was banished from Massa-
chusetts, and with his adherents planted the
first Baptist church Of Providence. john
Clarke established church al Newport.
Through severe ordeals a Baptist church
sprang up in Boston. Welsh Immigrants
brought their faith and order of Baptist
church to Pennsylvania and the Jerseys and
soon after arose the Philadelphia association.
An early immigration imported Baptist senti-
ments to South Carolina. and Virginia was
atiame with the same sentiments. Yet most
of these early pioneers of our great principles
were without worldly antecedents calculated
to give them prestige or power. Among the
landed gentry or the professional men the
Baptist name is rarely if ever found. The
cavaliers of England, who mainly
SETTLED THE OLD DOMINION.
intensely loyal to the crown and the Church
of England, established state and church
and sustained it by pains and penalties. The
Puritans in New England, although fleeing
from persecution, became prosecutors, and
Baptists everywhere were under the ban
and classed with Quakers and atheists as
dangerous to the security of church and
state, and in the eye of the law there seemed
some reason for such prejudice, since the car
d1nal doctrines of the BaptiStS were that none
but baptized believers constituted the
Christian church, and also that the state has
no just authority over the conscience of the
citizen, all Of which was in the year of our
Lord, ITS, a sin and an offense in the eyes of
all Christian nations.
These principles now, to certain degree,
are held by other denominations in common
with US, but they were always held by Bap-
tists and it can be shown historically that the
Baptists chiefly fought the battle and in all
ages have suffered for the principles and won
the boon for those who now enjoy it.
1t will thus be seen that there was special
,xx-1,x, Tor,f iSt fofh CHI
did join in the struggle for American indie
pendence. They saw in this struggle and the
consequent victory, their land of promiSe-a
deliverance from disabilities and wrongs I'M
der which they were then grooming. 1t IS a
historical fact that the Bap fists were the only
people who as a people work ing on the line Of
one of their distinctive principles plunged
into the revolutionary struggle.
AS early as 1856 Roger Williams was
baniShed from Massachusetts, and taking up
a residence in the colony OF Rhode Island,
founded state upon the distinctive princi-
pies of the Baptist denomination, aud says
Judge Story, though not himself a Baptist:
''In the code of laws established by these
fugitives from persecution" we read fol-
the first time since Christianity assembled the
throne of the Caesars, the declaration that
conscience should be free and men should not
be punished for worshipping God in the way
they were persuaded he requires" and up tC
volutionary struggle the Baptists only, as 8
people, unani mously. uniformly an6
uncOmprOmiSingly stood up for au
entire separation of church and state
for absolute liberty Of conscience
In ITS the entire denomination strove to-
gether for the abolition of the hierarchy in
Virginia.; they also declared themselves ir
favor of resistance to Great Britain, aut
ready as people to go to war for independ-
ence. A committee was appointed TO present
the m emorialS.
In May, 1875, the Virginia convention met.
The address of the Bstpbsts was received. ant
produced. especially that part relating to civi
freedom. profound impression. This con
vention framed the famous ''oil OF rights
the sixteenth act of which secures religious
freedom. The same body instructed the Vir
ginia delegates in congress to vote for a dec
laration of independence But NirgiDians
were not satisfied with what was effected il
their own state; they sought to have the doe
trine of religious liberty incorpora ted int
the constitution of the United States.
AT the meeting of the general committee O.
congress in March. 11SS, the question wa
| taken up whether the new federal constitu
ton made sufficient provisions for relig
ious liberty" on which it was unani
mously agreed that it did not. Upor
consultation with Mr.. Madison thu
committee determined to address Gen. Wash
ington. AT this meeting n correspondence
was present from the BaptlStS Ol NEW 1OfA
Rhode Island and Massachusetts,. The co
operation of the Baptists of these states wa
secuRed and in August, 1879, the address O
Washington was presented and the very mex
month there was carried through congress
the amendment which is now the supreme
law of the United States that subject
! (Article 1 under amendments This arti
Gle is
LARGELY A TROPHY
| of the Virginia Baptists, who had followed III
the matter with unintermitted zeal. 1t il
| known on the testimony of the wife of Presi
| dent Madison that Thomas Jefferson &C
| knowledged his Indebtedness to the Demo
| cratic form of the government of on
| churches in Virginia for his plans OF the gov
| eminent. 1t was the constant practice of on
| churches to keep committees at work memo
rializing the government on the subject o
| religious liberty. 1t was in answer to an ad
| dress from our churches that Washington
| pied ged his influence in behalf of q denomi
| nation that had been, according to his well
| known words throughout America uniformly
| the perseyering promoters OF the gloriou