better than that which these did maturely and deliberately compose."

This extract is interesting on various accounts: the pam phlet from which it is taken is evidently the production of one of those clerical bigots of the establishment, of whom abundance are to be found in every age, since national establishments of Christianity were introduced;-a privileged order of men, who having found out the means of making their profession of religion subservient to their worldly interest, take it mightily amiss that any persons should presume to disturb them in their slumbers, or caution their fellow-creatures against being deceived by them. Hence all their cant and whining about "learned and godly ministers," as though any body complained of either their learning or their godliness; or as though their having been licensed by their fellow-creatures to officiate in parishchurches, were a substantial reason why another, who obtains his livelihood by honest industry, should not raise his voice in defence of the despised truth of the gospel, hold forth the word of life, and contend for the laws and institutions of Christ, against all who would corrupt them by human traditions. It is interesting too, as furnishing a pretty correct idea of the manner in which the earliest Baptist churches in this country conducted their public worship. Taking the New Testament for their guide, they seem evi dently to have discarded "the one-man system," as it has been significantly termed, and which obtains so universally in our day. We may also learn from it, the opposition which the Baptists of that day had to sustain, in yielding obedience to the will of their God and Saviour.

But there are accounts of some societies existing in the country, long before these congregations in London were formed. There is great reason to believe that the Baptist society at Shrewsbury has subsisted, through all the revolutions of time to this day, from the year 1627.* The congregation at Bickenhall, now at Hatch, six miles from Taunton, in Somerset, had, according to the opinion of its oldest members about twenty years ago, subsisted near two hundred years; and they had a clear tradition of its assemblies having been held, so early as 1630, in the woods and other places of * A Letter from the Rev. Josiah Thompson to the Editor. K

VOL. V.

concealments, on account of the severity of the times.* Even in 1457, there was a congregation of this sort at Chesterton, near Cambridge: six of them were accused of heresy, and condemned to abjure and do penance, half naked, with a fagot to their backs and a taper in their hands, in the public market-places of Ely and Cambridge.+

But, notwithstanding this early appearance of the sect, it laboured under such difficulties, from the odium with which it was regarded by the people, and from the severities practised against it by the ruling powers, that its progress was for many years impeded. From what bishop Jewel says, in the "Defence of his Apology," written about the seventh year of queen Elizabeth, it appears that it was then almost totally suppressed in these kingdoms: for while he speaks of them as finding harbour in Austria, Silesia, and Moravia, he adds, "they have no acquaintance with us in England, or any other place, where the gospel of Christ is clearly preached.". This is to be concluded also from a passage in Dr. Featley, who says, "this fire in the reigns of queen Elizabeth, king James, and our gracious sovereign, till now, was covered in England under the ashes: or if it broke out at any time, by the care of the ecclesiastical or civil magistrate it was soon put out."

But in the times of the civil war, so difficult or so impossible is it to extirpate opinions, this sect revived; held its weekly assemblies for religious worship; and printed various pieces in defence of their sentiments and practice: the number of converts to it rapidly increased, and it boasted in that prophecy, “ that many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."+

Amongst the publications in their own vindication was a piece, in 1641, by Edward Barber, entitled, " A Treatise of Baptism, or Dipping; wherein is clearly shewed, that our Lord Christ ordained dipping: and that sprinkling of children is not according to Christ's institution; and also the invalidity of those arguments that are commonly brought to justify that practice." In the same year appeared a quarto pamphlet of six pages, relating chiefly if not wholly to the

*MS. Collections concerning the History of Protestant Dissenters, communicated by Mr. Thompson. + Robinson's Claude, vol. 2. Dissertation on Preaching, p. 54.

Crosby, vol. 1. p, 160, 161; Wall's History of Infaut-Baptism, vol. 2. P. 212 -214.

Baptists. It is entitled, "The Brownists' Synagogue: or a late discovery of their conventicles, assemblies, and places of meeting, where they preach, and the manner of their praying and preaching; with a relation of the names, places, and doctrines, of those which do commonly preach. The chief of which are these: Green, the felt-maker; Marler, the button-maker; Spencer, the coachman; Rogers, the glover; which sect is much increased of late within this city." In this squib, Messrs. Green and Spencer, who were over the Baptist church in Crutched Friars, are termed "the two arch separatists, demi-gods, who are here and there and every where." In the conclusion of the piece, the writer gives the following account of their meeting. "In the house where they meet, one is appointed to keep the door, and to give notice, if there should be any insurrection, that warning may be given them. They do not flock together, but come two or three in a company, and all being gathered together, the man appointed to teach stands in the midst of the room, and his audience gather about him. He then prays for the space of about half an hour, and part of his prayer is, that those who come thither to scoff and laugh, God would be pleased to turn their hearts. His sermon is about the space of an hour, and then another stands up to make the text more plain; and at the latter end he entreats them all to go home severally, lest at their next meeting they should be interrupted by those who are of the opinion of the wicked. They seem very steadfast in their opinions, and say, " rather than turn, they will burn."

In the next year came out another treatise, written by A. R. called, "The Vanity of Children's Baptism." Mr. Francis Cornwell, M. A. published, in 1643, a small tract, dedicated to the house of commons, with this title: "The Vindication of the Royal Commission of Jesus." It was given to divers members at the door of the house, which caused it to make a great noise, and be much circulated. Its design was to shew, that the practice of christening children opposes the commission granted by our Lord and Saviour; that it was a Romish or antichristian custom; and was established by pope Innocent III. who made a decree, that the baptism of the infants of believers should succeed circumcision. This piece gave great offence. Dr. Featley made several remarks upon it; and a piece called

"A Declaration against Anabaptists" was published in answer to it.* As they were frequently inveighed against, not only on account of their peculiar sentiments concerna ing the subjects and mode of baptism, but were also loaded with all the opprobrium which fell on the opinions deemed heretical, and were often reproached, both from the pulpit and the press, with being Pelagians, Socinians, Arminians, Soul-Sleepers, and the like, they published, in 1643, a "Confession of their Faith," mentioned and quoted by Mr. Neal, to vindicate themselves from these reflections, and to. shew their general agreement with other Protestants in all points except that of baptism. It was the first that was ever published by the English Baptists, and extends to fifty-two articles, which we shall give in the Appendix, No. XI. It passed through several editions in 1644, and. 1646, one of which was licensed by authority, dedicated to the high court of parliament, and put into the hands of several members. Their greatest adversaries, and amongst them Dr. Featley and Mr. Marshall, one of the assembly of divines, acknowledged, that it was an orthodox confession.†

This confession must be understood as expressing the sentiments of those Baptists only who joined in it, and not as applying to all who differed from other Christians on the questions concerning baptism. For, from the beginning of the reformation, there was a difference between the Baptists themselves on doctrinal points: and they divided, par-, ticularly, into two parties; one embracing the Calvinistic scheme of doctrines, and from the particular point therein, viz. personal election, called particular Baptists; the others, professing the Arminian or remonstrant tenets, from their leading principle, viz. universal redemption, were styled general Baptists.

It is remarkable, that some eminent men, who did not join their communion, were strongly in favour of their sentiments. The right honourable lord Robert Brook published about this time A Treatise on Episcopacy, in which, he says, "I must confess that I begin to think there may be perhaps something more of God in these sects, which they call new schisms, than appears at first glimpse. I will not, I cannot, take upon me to defend that which men generally * Crosby, vol. 1. p. 151, 152, and 345. + Ibid. vol. 1. p. 170, 171.

call Anabaptism: yet I conceive that sect is twofold: some of them hold free-will, community of goods, deny magistracy, and refuse to baptize their children; these truly are such heretics, or Atheists, that I question whether any divine should honour them so much as to dispute with them. There is another sort of them who only deny baptism to their children till they come to years of discretion, and then they baptize them." He censured the applying to this people the opprobrious name of schismatics; and gave it as his judgment, that it was very easy for those who held that we should go no farther than the Scriptures for doctrine or discipline, to err on this point, since the Scriptures seem not to have clearly determined it. He went even so far as to call in question the accuracy and conclusiveness of the argument urged against them from circumcision, which he looked upon as a fine rational argument to illustrate a point well proved before; but he doubted whether it was proof enough for that which some would prove by it; because, besides the difference in the ordinances, the persons to be circumcised were stated by a positive law, so expressly as to leave no room for scruple: " but it was otherwise with baptism, where all the designation of persons fit to be partakers, for aught I know," said his lordship, "is only such as believe: for this is the qualification which, with exactest search, I find the Scriptures require in persons to be baptized: and this it seems to require in all such persons. Now, how infants can properly be said to be lieve, I am not yet fully resolved." Having mentioned this nobleman, we cannot deny ourselves the pleasure of here introducing some remarks on his character from the writings of one of his contemporaries, namely, the great Milton, who in his "Speech for the liberty of unlicensed Printing," addressed to the parliament of England [1645], thus proceeds:

"What would be the best advised then, if it be found so hurtful, and so unequal to suppress opinions for their newness or their unsuitableness to a customary acceptance, will not be my task to say. I shall only repeat what I have learned from one of your own honourable members, a right noble and pious lord, who, had he not sacrificed his life and fortunes to the church and commonwealth, we had' not now missed and bewailed a worthy and undoubted