Morning journal and courier., 1892-10-21
EARLY NEW ENGLAND BAPTISTs.

At the missionary concert held In the
Grand avenue Baptist church among a
number of papers read was one entitled,
'Early Days of New England Baptists." 1t
was an interesting exposition of the sub
ject, and was written by Mrs. Freeman NJ.
Wiser, amember of the church. The paper
is given below:
We read that the first sentence in Bap-
tist history is the voice, "Make straight His |
paths," and when the great Baptist bowed |
the Immaculate soul and body of Jesus be-
meath the parting wave, all the useless |
lead to find q grave in the opening waters |
Of the Jordan. and no place has since been
found for them.
John was the first Baptist martyr. The
first Baptist of America, like the first OF |
Asia. was the herald of new reign. With |
ample means, learning and cody charsc |
ter, yet, as the great apostle of religious |
liberty, this brave Welchman, Roger Will |
Jams, was banished to the wilderness with |
out weapon, bow or arrow, spear or club, |
Ratchet or gun, just two hundred and fifty
seven years ago this very month, with
dreary winter before him. For what rea |
most sincere Christians now endorse.
The first white man to wander in those
mazss, he regarded himself cared for of
God, and sang in his desolate pilgrimage:
Gods providence is rich to his,
Lest some distrustful be;
In wilderness in great distress
For while at Plymouth he had ventured
among the savage tribes with q truly Low
ing missionary spirit, had learned their
language and with accompanying acts of
kindness had talked to them of the king
| dom, and his love governed the wild ele-
ment in their bosoms, while his suffering
touched the savage heart, and remember
ing his former kindness, they treated him
| as brother. The winter passed, and
being warned that he was too near the
boundary line of the colony, he and his
| companions pushed farther on, when one
| bright day in June, in the dense forest by
| a lovely fountain he erected an altar and
called the place Providence. for, said he,
| God has been merciful to me in my dis
tress.
In less than year from the time of
his exile from the Massachusetts colony
he bought from the Indians land for the
Providence plantation.
In 1886 Roger Williams and five othsrs
settled Providence, and three years later
he, with eleven others, being immersed, q
Baptist church was formed.
He had been an ordained minister in the
Church of England.
This genuine Baptist home missionary
laid the foundation stone of the freest city
and state on earth; his first thought, that
it be shelter for persons distressed for
conscience, and no man has ever been per-
secuted in that sovereignty for his relig-
ious opinions and practices from It's first
settlement Roger Williams said: Let
the lambs of the Most High walk in this
colony without molestation in the name of
Jehovah, their God, forever.
In the eulogy delivered on the occasion
! of placing his memorial in our national
capital in 1879 1t was said: No thought OF
| himself, no idea of recompense or of praise
interfered to sully the perfect purity OF
motives, the perfect disinterestedness Of
his conduct. DR.. John Clarke, with a lit
tie band of followers, was also banishe6
for religious opinions, and found welcome
at the hands Of Roger Williams, and tn.
names of Williams and Clarke became in
separable.
More land was purchased of the Indian
and settlement at Newport made, AND
not great while after a church was OF
ganized 1t is written: Two Baptist
shaped the early history of the presen
state of Rhode Island, and her religion
| policy has since shaped that of all tn
states.
Under these blessed missionary In
= fuenoes Baptist churches spraDg up in al
directions.
= They had no meeting house in Provi
dence for nearly sixty years, but met il
groves and private houses, until an eide
built one at his own expense in 100.
A great revival lasted fifteen months, IL
which one hundred and four souls we're re
l t., nh1
was erected, which is now in use, and o.
their bell was inscribed this motto:
. For freedom of conscience, the town wa
:, first planted; persuasion, not force. wa
). used by the people; this church is tn
. eldest and has not recanted. Erjoying ant
' granting bell. temple and steeple.
r And this was one year before the clan
II of that grand old sister bell at Philade
d phia, which rang in our Independence.
!" A little Baptist 1eaven began working
Massachusetts, in 1889, but persons wer
! "The continuing of q meeting from house
house contrary to the order of this court
b. All the commonwealth of Plymouth WI
stirred against these people taken with {
great errors, and their meetings broken u
but in 1868 John Miles, the first Welc
Baptist minister that crossed the Atlanti
arrived at the Massachusetts, colony an
l d
was brought before the magistrate, whe1
calling for Bible, he turned to Job 10: {
and read: "But ye should say why pers
cute We him, seeing the root of the matte
is found in me?" He sat quiet
down and the court so felt IL
force of the passage that in his ca
kindness instead of cruelty was admin
w. tered with email fine. But persecutio
followed the first Baptists in the Massach
h sets colony.
" One man was whipped for refusing
have his child christened, and others, Fl
protesting immersion sentiments, we
fined several pounds, and Lady Debors
Moody was obliged to leave the colon
They admitted she was wise and +
ligious woman, but taken with gre
error.
\ An aged and infirm brother of the Ne,
, port church was living at Swampscot
near Lynn, a long distance from
church. Prompted by love, three of b
quietly at his home Saturday night, no
ing to have Baptist meeting on the Sa
bath, which was crime in the eyes of Il
Standing Order, even under ones ov
roof.
On the morrow few dropped in, al
while DR.. Clarke was preaching, two co
I stables rushed in with warrant and tn
were taken to the Church of the Standil
Order. On Monday they were put
prison in Boston for disturbance, f
drawing away, and they were SD
picioned of having rebaptizsd or immerss
some one.
They were fined several pounds eac
and one vas given thirty stripes-the pu
ishment being 30 severe that he could tai
> no rest but on his elbows and knees
weeks but he PRAYED with Stephen tn
his prosecutors.
Richard Saltonstall, a magistrate
= Massachusetts, but then in England, wre
an indignant letter to the authorities 50
ing: It doth not a little grieve my spir
/. to hear what sad things are reported dai
of your tyranny and prosecutions in NJ
!, England as that you fine, whip and ii
prison men for their consciences. T
question arose, "Whst have these m
doneq having obeyed God rs they believ
. duty demanded. And some submitted
the Lord and were baptized and dive
were put on the way of inquiry"
When the halfway covenant was ado
ed in Boston, providing that all persons
sober life and correct sentiments might
} come members of the Church of the Star
ing Order without change of heart, q O.
responding worldliness of life follow
the unscriptural step, and the Bspti
were obliged, almost siDgle-handed,
stem the public sentiment, but brav'
stood firm for gospel principles. Me-
while Baptists increased, and in some pa
bitterness was relaxed, yet we find that
l., Co. ;cko INV