Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-21
ORIGIN OF BAPTISTS.
INTERESTING SERMON PREACHED BY REV.
A. L. JORDAN.
A Discussion Of The Relation Of the Baptiss 10 the
Civil and Religious Liberties Of the
Country.

Country.
A large congregation assembled at the
Baptist Church, Sunday evening, to listen
to the pastor, Rev. A. L. Jordan, On the
following subject, and the sermon was lis
tened to with the closest interest:
Origin of the Baptists and their relation to the
civil and religious liberties OF the country.
my apology fariutroducing this subject
tonight, " said the reverend gentlemen, will
be found, first in the eleventh chapter Of
Hebrews, in which the writer traces along
the ages the history, sufferings ard tri'
umphs Of Gods people. = Ard secondly
that our people have q right TO know
something of the history Of the denouina-
ton to which they belong. Thou bear,
est record of thyself. Thy record is not
true" so said the Pharisees to our Lord,
az if a man could not speak truthfully OF
himself, of his faith or doctrine. Histories
of the Baptists have been written by their
own historians and scattered throughout
the land, and they have q perfect right to
saw, as Jesus said to the Pharisees,
Though l bear record of Myself, My rec
ord is true" For if these records are not
true they would have been long ago chal'
lsuged. But we are quite willing in this
case to waive our rights 10 speak for our
selves and allow you to listen exclusively
10 Others, many of whom are among our
ecclesiastical foes and not one of whom ISIS
Babtist.
First-The origin of the Bsptists.
Where did they come from? Who was
| their founder? Baptists themselves claim
that there have been Christians all along
from the time of Christ who have held
essentially Baptist views, AMI who if liz
ing now would be Baptisls. They have
been called by different names, rs Wal
denses, Menonites, Aunabaptists. Yet all
holding fundamentally the viewa which
Baptists now hold. The witnesses which
! introduce at once will give you som
general idea of the nature and character 81
tine testimony upon which they rely. We
do not mean, however, in this list that We
have exhausted all the testimony ut hand.
The first We will Introduce is a Roman
Catholic, Cardinal Hosius, President ofthe
Council of Trent in 1860. 'If the truth
OF religion" says he, were to be Judged Of
by the readiness and cheerfuiness with
which O man Of any sect suffers, then the
opinion and persuasion of no sect can be
truer or surer than that Of the A~uabaptist;
since there are none for these j 200 years
past that have been more generally punish
ed or that have more steadfastiy under
..oon cd aran nt,aral fhapapalyna ~ fhe
most cruel sorts OF punishment thar
these" (Ste Ency. of Relig knowledge
Cardinal Hosius made that statement
about 325 years ago, which would carry
their history back at least ] 500 years.
The next witness ia Moshein, the Luth,
eran Church historian. The origin ol
that sect which acquired the name Of Ana
baptist is hidden in the remote depths OF
antiquity, and is consequently extremely
difficult to be as~CeItained." McLane's
translation, edition 1911.
Next we have two gentlemen frank
enough to CONF out without reserve and
state the facts as they found them in his.
tory. They were church historians, Meth
er of them Baptist, and neither of them
writing for Baptists. Their names are A.
| Ipeig and / J.. Dermont. Doctor Ypeig
was Professor of Theology at Groningen.
Dermont was Chaplail 10 the King OF Hol-
land.
They were commissioned by the King Of
Holland to prepare a history of the Dutch
Reformed Church, Of which they were
members. In this work they devote ono
chapter ia the Baptists. I'VE have now
SEEN" say they, THAT the Bsptists which
were iormerly called Anabsptis;s, and in
later times Minonites, are descended from
the ancient Waldenses, and have long in
the history Of the church received the hon
or of that origin. GA this account the Bap-
fists may be considered "a The only Chris
tian community which las st00i since the
days Of the Apostles, aud as a Christian so.
cicty his preserved pure the doctrines Of
the Gospel through all ages Zee Eacy.
Relig. Knowledg", p 796
These men were all intelligent. They
had every opportunity to find out; were not
Rapi.ists themselves, and cannot. therefore,
be accused OF partislity toward the Bap-
lists. There are other witnesses at hand,
but 'in the month OF two or three every
w0lk shall be established.
Second-The relation Of the Raptisis 10
the civil and religious liberties of the coun-
tries in which they have lived.
THE hoarS head is a crown Of glory
only when found in the way of righteous
Less"
A man may trace his ancestry back
through many generations and wade every
step of the way through bad blood. What
have the Bap;ists to say on this subject Of
civil aud religions liberty? But then they
have agreed to maintain silence in this
discussion and allow those who are not
Baptists, and are not writing in the inter.
cal Of BaptiSts, and who are recognized az
the standard historians Of the country, Ia
speak FOR them; such men, for example, as
George Bancroft, who. in his history of the
u. S. (vol. J, PIP &c, ca, says, Freedom OF
conscience, unlimited freedom OF mind.
was from the first the trophy of the Bap,
%tists," and in Vol. ]. PIP. 375-376, he
says of the Raptiat, Roger Williams, THAT
be wss the first person in modern Chris.
tendon to assert in its p'enitude the doc
trine of the liberty Of conscience, the
equality of opinions before the law, and in
its defense he was the harbinger Of Milton,
the precursor aud The superior of Jeremy
Taylor, for Taylor limited his federation
TO o few Christiin sects. The philan-
thropy of Williams encompassed the
earth"
Redpath, in his history Of the United
States, p. 1873, Gays of Roger Williams,
that he was a disciple Of truth in it
pnrest forms, an Incorporating advo'
cate of freedom, egiled 70 Massachusetts,
and now exiled by Massachusetts,. He
brought to the banks of the Naragansett
the great doctrines CT perfect religious
liberty and the equal rights Of men," and
then adds: Roger Williams belonged ia
that most radical sect called ADnabap-
tists."
In A~ppleton's American Cyclopedia, un-
der article federation, the famous English
philosopher, John Locke, says: "Fhs
Baptists were the first and OILY PROFOUND
ers of absolute liberty, Just and true lib
srty.n
In Rive's life Of James Madison, volume
3, page GA, this statement is found: 1.-THE
Baptists who presented this address con-
trolled the Government of Virginia and
they were the warmest friends Of liberty