The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-16
III.

II was to tho peculiar circumstances of the
time that the Anabaptist movement Of the six
teenth century owed most OF the features that
differentiated II from the earlier movements. The
term Anabaptist was then applied, as We have
said. Unfortunately to all who, dissenting from
the dominant forms of Professionalism and from
Roman Catholicism. insisted on setting up sepa-
rate churches for the embodiment and propaga-
ton OF their views. To the dominant parties.
Thomas Munzer, the mystical fanatic and social
istic agitator. who never submitted to rebaptism,
nor administered II, who persisted In baptizing
infants. and who sought TO set up the kingdom
of Christ by carnal warfare; the scholarly and
soundly scriptural Hubmaier. the intellectual
and spiritual mystic Denck, and tho fsnA-
tics OF Munster were all alike AnAbap-
lists, and even the most Christlike
of these were treated as crimin ais of the deep
est dye. There was some excuse for this con-
fusion In the fact that most Of those TO
whom the epithet was applied denied the scrip
tural authorization OF infant baptism. and made
baptism on q profession of faith a condition of
entering into their fellowship. BY 1880 nearly
all OF the Anabaptist leaders of the earlier times
had been destroyed. Persecution had become
SO fierce and so general that, apart from Moravia
and Poland. there was scarcely a place of refuge.
Among the MoraviAn Baptists communism was
chAmpioned by Jacob Wiedemann. and after
Hubmaier's martyrdom Q52sl became the
dominant type OF Anabaprst teaching In
that country. Notwithstanding frequent
bitter persecution. the Moravian Anabap-
lists made themselves Indispensable TO tho
MoraViAn mobiles. and their communistio
organization enabled them not only 10 hold
together. but TO husband their resources for
aggressive work In the neighboring regions. A
the beginning OF the Thirty Years war they
numbered about 10000, and were highly pros
porous. War. however, and the Jesuits nearly
wrought their determination. In the latter part
OF the eighteenth century . few families re-
moved from TrAnsylvaniA to Russia. whence, In
1870, the entire community emigrated to Amer
lea and settled in what is now South Dakota,
where at present they have nye congregations.
In Poland, 90 multifArious was the religious life
during the second half OF the sixteenth century
that liberation was q necessity, Lutherans, Re-
formed, Bohemian Brethren, AnAbaptists,
and Authoritarian existed side by side,
each party having its supporters among
the nobility. II Is noteworthy that anti
pedobaptist Anti-trinitariAnism became. after
a prolonged struggle, the dominant type
OF religion among Polish Protestants. and
was embodied In tho Racovian CatechisIn,
first published In 1908. This document con-
tains q definition OF baptism entirely 10 accord
with the Baptist view. Infant baptism Is re-
pudiAted, since We have In Scripture no com
mSnd for nor any example of it." In answer
70 the question. what, then, IL TO be thought
OF thoss who hAptiLs infants 2" the reply Is
You cannot correctly sAy that they hAptizs
infants. For they do not bdptzs them. since
this cannot be done without the immersion and
Ablution OF the whole body In water; whereas
they only lightly sprinkle their heads this rite
being not only srroneouSly applied TO infants, but
also through this mistake evidently changed"
The CHAPTER oOntAininEA brief sketch Of the
Anti-Dsdobaptist ysmeh IN the slXtssnth
century sndI with soma remarks which sst