The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-30
BY FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.

BY FREDERI
A matter Of great pride to the Bapusts
is the influence that the simple democratic
tenets of their faith is believed to have
had upon the Constitution of the United
States. Thomas Jefferson went often TO
the little Baptist Westinghouse near Month
cello, and 1t IS said became deeply inter-
ested In the services there. Dolly Madi-
son is quoted as having heard Jefferson
assert that he considered the Baptist
method Of church government TO be the
most exemplary form Of true democracy
in existence, and many of his ideas after
ward embodied in the Constitution were
derived from that source.
This is not all the Baptists did in shap-
ing the destinies OF the struggling colo
MES. The first person to advocate the
calling of provincial congress in New
Jersey was a Baptist, named John Hougi-
ton. It is said that Virginia's adoption
of the Constitution was due to the action
of Rev. John Leland a Baptist minister
At first Rev. Mr. Leland was an ardent
ant-Federalist, but later he became con-
WINGED of the falsity of his position. with
drew from the contest, and threw his in
huence toward his Federalist opponent.
James Madison, who cast the deciding
vote for Virginia
Later the same Mr. Leland, representing
the United Baptist churches of Virginia.
called the attention Of the country 10 the
fact that the religious rights of the peo-
pie We're not protected by the Constitu-
ton. Washington took immediate action,
and through James Madison an amend
ment was offered in the House Of Repre-
sentatives to guard the religious freedom
Of the nation henceforth by this protec-
tive clause: Congress shall make no law
respecting the establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
The Baptists were also foremost in
fighting for the liberty of the colonies.
At the outbreak of the Revolution they
were about 5000 strong. Honest John"
Hart, member of the Continental Con-
gress of 1774 and signer of the Declaration
o. Independence, led company of Bap-
lists in the Continental army with great
credit to himself and his followers. Seven
of the twenty-One known chaplains Of the
Revolution were Baptists.
If poor. prosecuted Roger Williams
could leave his grave and come back to
life. what satisfaction he would derive
from days study of the Baptist Church
as IL exists in the United States to-day.
He would doubtless return to his long
slumber with restful sigh, knowing that
every indignity he suffered. every insult
he bore, every privation he endured, was
in reality a foundation stone for the great
church OF to-day. He would forget the
humiliating trial before the stern Puri-
tans of Boston, the long winters journey
through Indian camps and Untried wilder
ness to the shores of Narragansett Bay.
and the hadships that attended the found
ing OF his colony where religious freedom
was guaranteed 10 all who would come,
whether Christian. Jew. Mohammedan,
or Heather"
Present-day conditions would be COM
forting TO independent Anne Hutchinson,
too. could she come back and see the
thousands Of women now unmolested III
the good work for which she was con- /
demned over 80 years ago. It viii be
remembered that the charge brought
against good Anne by the fathers Of the
stern church government was 'traducing
the ministery."
TfE frfi
that there is no recognized temporal head
TO this church, as in most others. The
pastor IS the head OF each local church, /
and there is no government save that
found in each separate assembly. For
purposes of missionary work, most OF the
churches belong to associations" It is
on account of this distinction that its
adherents claim II is the most demo-
cratic church in the world. They claim
TO recognize no founder except Christ.
They say that they have had leaders. but /
none Of them ever stood 10 the Baptist
Church in the relation of Luther to the
Lutherans, Calvin to the Presbyterians, !
or Wesley to the Methodists.
They believe that immersion, their dis /
tinctive point of doctrine. was given /
them by the Lord when he was baptized |
by John in the River Jordan. The name /
Baptist was Grst given to the sect in /
England, during the time of the Common /
wealth. The early European Baptists /
were sorely tried by fire and sword but |
that they thrived upon persecution is /
shown by the old records, which claim /
that, during the time Of the greatest /
opposition, one minister alone baptized I
1000 new converts into the faith They 4
were ever thrifty, money saving people. |
Finally they won favor at the court of /
the Netherlands and were given their long
desired religious liberty by Ioaning money /
to the government in a time OF crisis.
Patriotism has always been a strong
point with the Baptists No matter 4
where they have ever been or how hard
the government bore down on them for
their religious beliefs, they never failed
10 come TO the assistance of that govern
ment when it was in peril. Long ago.
when the Boston colony was young. one
Thomas Gould, of Charleston. was tried.
imprisoned, and banished because he
would not bring his children to baptism
Later, when the Indian wars came on.
this same man raised company of
Baptists and sacrificed his life for the
very government that had prosecuted
him.
or the many branches Of the Baptist
faith that found a home in America. there
was one which aroused much interest
and comment when II rraa fn1lrao.l &. IL.