Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-23
THE BAPTISTS.
They Do Not Date Their Origin from
the Period of the Reformation.
They Existed as Far Back as to within 300
Years of the Birth of the Savior-Their
Place In History.
A BROAD pLArFoRM-REv. PERCY wEBBER,s LAST

| BROAD PLATFoRM-REv. PERCY wEBBER's LAST
| SERMON IN FORT woRTH-THE CHURCH.
| Rev. Mr.. Weber closed his labors in Fort
| Worth last night with sermon on the position
which the Episcopal church holds in regard to
! some OF the matters that occupy the public at
IentiOn.
St. Andrews was again crowded to its utmost
capacity to hear the church position outlined,
! and that they heard. Rev. Mr.. Weber spoke in
| tones of deep conviction when he spoke of the
| across the ages with the apostles whom Jesus
| himself selected He outlined the history of the
claimed to be one of the children who sat
| on Jesus knee, down through the perse-
! cutions of the early church to the time of the
reformation. his battle-ground, and
here he argued pat the Episcopal church is
! the old historic church, unchanged, except in
freedom from error, from the time when st.
Paul preached the Christ in Great Britain.
During the reign of Henry VIII of England
came the reformation, and the Episcopal church
dfsclaimed all authority of the bishop of Rome,
and other churches were originated-the Roman
Catholic, the Presbyterian, the Baptist, the
Congregational-bu the old church still kept
the way, only shorn of theerrors of the dark ages
So is the apostolic succession approved and held
by the church. Its historic ministry is the
ministry of the early church, only the name is
changed from apostles. because that term was so
reverenced, to bishops.
FORT WORTH, TEX, March % 1890.
Editor Gazette.
The article enclosed clipped from to-
nomination and Is apt to mislead those
unacquainted with ecclesiastical history,
you will in justice allow me TO state that
the gentleman Hho IS the author of the
statement has erred in the mention he
gives the Baptists.
1t is not my purpose to argue that the
EpiscOpalian church had its origin in the
Sixteenth century, nor the Presbyterian
its beginning with Calvin, nor the Meth
odists with Wesley. nor the Lutheran
with Luther, but to state that the Bap-
lists have not their origin in the period
of the reformation.
Baptists are not prOtestants in the his
torical sense of the term. That famous
name they love, but that name origi-
mated in 1929, comparatively recent
date of their history. Before the re-
formers had met in the council of Spires
to declare their revolt from Rome, and
protest against papaoy, Baptists were
in the field battling against the papscy.
They were never adherents of Rome like
Luther.
To bear out my statement Cd Mosheim,
the great Lutheran historian says of us,
"Before the rise of Luther and Calvin
there lay concealed in almost all the
countries of Europe persons who adj
hered tenaciouSly to the principles of the
Dutch Baptists. - Robinson, the Presby-
terrain historian (Eccl. researches) re-
lates this curious oircumstan ce, that,
elm 1919, six years before Luther ap-
peared before the diet of Worms. letter |
was addressed to Erasmus from Bohemia,
describing a people who had never had |
affinity for Rome. Two of these brethren |
waited on Luther and Erasmus to con-
graduate them on their secession from |
Rome, but the same were declined be- |
cause they were anti-Baptists. "
Zwingli, the reformer of Geneva, in 1927, |
two years before the diet of Spires, pub
lished q con fession of their faith ellen
chus Contra Catabaptistas, Part IV.) |
admitting their great antiquity as sect.
1.-The institution of ana baptism, - he
writes, sis no novelty, but for 1900 |
years has caused great disturbance in the
church. - Thus you see that Zwingli
admits Baptist existence as far back as
to within 800 years of the Savior g birth.
This is enough to show you the Baptists
did not originate during the reign of
Henry VIII. of England, as stated by
Mr.. Weber.
1 have nothing to do with the claim be-
tween Roman Catholic and Eplscopalian
churches as to which has historical
priority of existence. But l cannot
allow the gentleman to give the Baptist
church an origin which is too modern by
1900 years.
Allow me in conclusion to say that my
feelings are of the kindliest towards all
who love our Saviour, and I shall allow
them to settle their own origin, but we
must be allowed a voice, at least, in
settling the history of our church. With
godspeed to all God 8 people 1 am, fra
ternally, j. MORGAN WELLS,
Pastor First Baptist Church.