with the church, have voluntarily submitted to the ordinance of Christian baptism, on profession of their individual faith, according to what they consider the precepts of Christ, and the uniform example of primitive saints. No others can, in their opinion, be lawfully admitted to membership. Hence they reject the baptism of infants, and receive into the church those only who give them satisfactory evidence of personal piety.

3. The object for which a church is founded. The Baptists hold that the object for which a church is founded on earth, is not for secular and worldly purposes, but for ends strictly religious-to call out and associate the people of God in conducting and maintaining divine worship, in observing the ordinances of Christ, and practicing the duties which he has enjoined; and also for the purpose of advancing the church in holiness, and extending the glory of God, and the blessings of Christianity among all people.

4. The principle of its independence. It has already been stated, that a firm adherence to the principle of church independency, has always distinguished those who have embraced the essential views of the Baptists, in reference to church organization. Their views of this matter then may be thus stated: that a local church regularly constituted is an independent republic, responsible indeed for its faith and practice to Christ, but amenable herein to no civil tribunal, or ecclesiastical body on earth; and that such a church has a scriptural warrant to govern itself, choose its own officers, discipline its members, and to transact any business pertaining to its Christian calling. Of this principle of church independency, one of their writers observes: "Our fathers guarded it as the apple of the eye, and having removed the rust and the rubbish of ages, they bequeathed, as a legacy to us, this

Vol. II.

6

priceless treasure, with the solemn charge, that we transmit it untarnished and unencumbered to our posterity."

By this independency of the churches, they mean that a church is a voluntary association of professed believers in Christ, taking the Scriptures as the only, the infallible, and the sufficient guide in church organization and discipline; choosing its own officers, and executing, according to the best of its united judgment, the laws and institutions of Christ. It is the appointed interpreter and executor of the will of Christ in receiving and expelling its own members. For the manner in which it executes this high trust, the church is accountable to Christ himself, and is not amenable to any civil or ecclesiastical tribunal. Ă church is a complete system in itself, containing all the elements necessary to its own existence, and to the exercise of the highest ecclesiastical power. The multiplication of churches does not affect this principle, since each church is as independent and entire, in respect to all which concerns its existence and prerogatives as a church, as if it were the only one in existence. Whatever affiliations or associations may be formed by a number of churches for mutual assistance, or for carrying into effect plans of benevolence, they can never add to, nor take from, the powers and duties of each separate church. A thousand churches have no more power to add to, or take from, the laws of Christ, than a single church.

These views of church independency sufficiently explain the reason why Baptists have always adhered to the voluntary system in the support of religious institutions. They believe that there is spiritual power in the gospel sufficient to accomplish all its purposes. They ask no help from the secular arm. The power which Christ has given them is for edification, and not for

destruction. If one who is called a brother be unwilling to bear his part in the common burdens, he is a subject of admonition and discipline, perhaps of excision, but not of civil litigation. Here, too, each church is bound to understand the will of Christ respecting order, fellowship, and discipline for itself. It can not, if it would, throw this work off upon others. It is not obliged to accept and adopt the opinion of a council, or convention, in matters which relate to its fellowship and discipline. Christ has invested each church with the duty and responsibility of interpreting and executing his laws.

The Baptists have uniformly declared it to be a violation of the spirit of Christianity for any human power to assume the right to tolerate the free exercise of religion. They refer a great part of the evils which have afflicted the church since the days of Constantine to the present time, to a denial of the right of conscience-the right of every man to worship God in his own way, if he does not thereby infringe the rights of others. And one ground of their inflexible adherence to the principle of church independency, is the protection which it affords against the encroachments of civil government and national church establishments on the rights of conscience.

5. Its officers. Of these the Baptists hold that the Scriptures recognize but two kinds-that is, but two kinds of permanent officers, viz. ELDERS-Sometimes called pastors, teachers, overseers, bishops-and DEACONS. They maintain that the apostolic office, and all the extraordinary gifts which characterized the first disciples, expired with the apos

tolic age. We have therefore remaining, as constituted and permanent officers in the church of Christ:

(1.) Elders. These are regularly ordained persons, called to take the pastoral charge of particular

churches, and have no ecclesiastical authority whatever in any other church than that "over which the Holy Ghost has made them overseers."

The Baptists are firm in the belief that there is no distinction of rank in the ministry, and discard the notion of three grades of ministers-bishops, priests, and deacons--as totally destitute of foundation in the word of God. They believe it never was intended that some ministers should be set up as lords and governors over their brethren. They hold that the duties and powers of the bishops, or overseers of the church, as explained in various parts of the New Testament, are as follows. They are to preside in the church; "to do the work of a shepherd over the flock, who guides, oversees, and supplies; who feeds the lambs and the sheep; to superintend the devotions of the church, its ordinances, its discipline, its instruction, all its interests and concerns." They are to teach and preach the gospel; and this is their principal business, their most important duty. It does not follow that a preacher is necessarily a pastor or bishop, or even a church officer at all; but a pastor or bishop is, by virtue of his office, an authorized preacher of the gospel. "To them, therefore, may be applied, not only such apostolic exhortations as we find addressed specifically to elders and bishops, but all the instructions and counsels which were given to any other preachers in that particular capacity. It is their duty to 'take heed to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers, to feed the church of God.' It is no less the duty of such an officer in the church to be an example of the believers;' to

give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine;' to meditate on these things, to give himself wholly to them, that his profiting may appear to all;' he is rightly

to divide the word of truth,' to 'be instant in season and out of season,' to 'reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine.'"

(2.) The other kind of permanent church officers are deacons. They are understood to have been originally appointed in the church at Jerusalem, to take charge of the temporal affairs of the church, and thus relieve the care and responsibility of those whose duty it was to devote themselves entirely to the ministry of the word. They were especially to see that the widows were not neglected in the daily ministration; to administer aid in behalf of the church to its afflicted and needy members. This is believed still to be their appropriate duty. The description given by the apostle of the requisite qualifications of this class of church officers, seems to justify this belief. The views which Bap tists entertain of the duties of deacons, are very forcibly expressed by Dr. Bacon, of New Haven, in the following language: "It is theirs to go-and as God often chooses the poor of this world to be rich in faith, it is often theirs to go -into the dwellings of poverty, and sickness, and distress, where the saints are found-to go there as the messengers of the church, bearing relief, and kind counsel, and hope and consolation. It is theirs, too, obviously, and as a matter of course, to be not only the almoners of the church to the poor, but, if need be, the advocates of the poor with the church. This entire interest and care is taken from the bishops and given to their guardianship. Such is their office,-no unhonored, insignificant, or trifling work ;-an office which involves a standing and influence in the church, and a degree of confidence on the part of the brethren, so considerable, that those who occupy such an office are of course in many other respects, the natural helpers and counselors of those who labor in word

and doctrine. It is not without reason then that Paul requires these officers of the church to be grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience,' and to be furthermore men who have been proved' in the church and have been found blameless.' It is not without reason that he adds: "They that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree,'-attain a high standing as Christians-and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.'"

6. The sacraments of the church. The Baptists recognize but two sacraments, namely, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

(1.) Baptism.-They hold that the immersion of a believer in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, is essential to Christian baptism; and that those only who have been thus baptized are entitled to the privileges of a church relation, and may be scripturally invited to partake of the Lord's Supper. The principal and most comprehensive design of baptism, they believe to be, a SOLEMN PUBLIC AND PRACTICAL PROFESSION OF CHRISTIANITY. this general design of baptism is understood to comprehend many particulars, among which is THE EXPRESSION OF THE BELIEVER'S HOPE OF A FUTURE AND GLORIOUS

But

RESURRECTION. Hence they maintain that baptism is very far from being an unimportant ordinance ; that it is highly significant, and not merely an act of obedience to a divine command. They believe it sets forth the crucifixion of Christ; his death, burial, and resurrection; and represents to the believer the duty of dying unto sin, and rising to a new life of righteousness.

(2.) The other sacrament in the church is the Lord's Supper. This sacrament Baptists regard as designed principally, if not solely, to Commemorate the love and conde

scension, the sufferings and death, of the adorable Redeemer. It is strictly a remembrancer—a lively and impressive remembrancer of Christ. All the members of the church in regular standing are to be admitted to this ordinance. No others have any right there, except invited by the courtesy of the church, even though they may be members of another church of the same faith and order. This courtesy is, however, commonly extended to all those present who have a regular standing in what they consider a baptized church of Christ. It is scarcely necessary to add that the Baptists have always strenuously resisted the popish notion respecting "the real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. They regard the elements used as symbols merely of his body broken and blood shed; and in this way, they endeavor so to eat and drink, as by faith to "dis cern the Lord's body."

7. The discipline of the church. The Baptists have always laid great stress upon the exercise of a wholesome, scriptural discipline in the church. The ends to be gained by it are the reformation of offenders; the purification, improvement, and edification of the church; and the vindication of the honor of religion. The general rule respecting disciplinary proceedings, is to exercise discipline only in such cases seem to imply a want of Christian character, and to preclude the idea that the offender may be saved, if he persists in his offensive course to the last. To take any case out of this rule, is regarded as tending to endanger, if not entirely to defeat, the very object of all sound discipline. The following may be stated as a list of offenses demanding the censure of the church.

as

(1.) Scandalous sins and gross immoralities. Of these Paul has spoken in 1 Cor. v, 11.

(3.) Neglect of dependent relations. 1 Tim. v, 4, 8.

Living

(4.) Habitual idleness. without any active or useful employment, is regarded as an offense demanding the exercise of discipline. 2 Thess. iii, 6-11.

(5.) Creating disturbances and causing divisions in the church. (6.) Irreconcilable enmity with any of the brethren.

In all ordinary cases the rule laid down in Matt. xviii, 15-17, is to be strictly followed. We say in all ordinary cases; because there are believed to be some offenses so aggravated in their character, that no confession of the offender, no prom. ise of future amendment, and indeed no evidence of contrition, at the time, should screen him from the highest censure of the church. Such, for instance, are the crimes of murder, adultery, fornication, and perhaps drunkenness, and some others. The honor of religion requires the utmost decision of the church in such cases, though subsequent circumstances may make it plain that a full restoration of the excluded member is both safe and proper. In all cases of personal injury, and indeed in all ordinary cases of public offense, the rule is clearly imperative. This rule is understood to require

(1.) Private expostulation with the offender.

(2.) If the first step fails to reclaim the offender, the next thing to be done is to call in the assistance of one or two brethren who will be most likely to exert a favorable influence over the offender.

(3.) If he still remains incorrigi ble, one thing more is to be done. "If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church." Here the peculiar responsibility of the injured brother ceases, and the church as a body are bound to interpose.

(4.) But if all fails to reclaim the

"If he neglect to hear the church,

let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican."

8. The method of receiving and dismissing members. In receiving persons by baptism into the church, the candidates are required to state publicly to the church their reasons for believing that God has forgiven their sins, and for wishing to unite with a church of Christ. If their statement proves satisfactory to the entire church, they are then bap. tized and received into full fellow ship. But if a member in good standing objects to the reception of any candidate, the case is deferred, or dismissed, as circumstances seem to require. No one is received to the grief of any member. But if the objector refuses his assent with out adequate cause, he himself is liable to censure. Many of the churches have a committee associated with the pastor, to whom all applications for admission must be made, and by whom the successful applicants are recommended to the favorable regards of the church. No preliminary step of this kind, however, is allowed to supersede the necessity of a public statement of the candidate's religious exercises to the church. In receiving a person by certificate, it is deemed sufficient to know that the church from which the applicant comes, is maintaining a gospel walk, and that the certificate is authentic. In dismissing members, they are commended to the fellowship and care of the church to which they go; and when official information is communicated of their reception, their membership is considered as regularly transferred.

9. The relation of churches to each other. Notwithstanding what has been said of the principle of church independency, it is a generally received opinion among the Baptists, that this independency of the several churches does not free them from accountability to each other. They maintain with much

earnestness, that a properly constituted church is complete in itself, "and is dependent for its existence, its privileges, its ordinances, its officers, and its discipline, on no other church or combination of churches, and on no authority other than that of Scripture and reason." But still they admit that neighboring churches sustain a relation to each other, which involves important mu tual duties, and which should lead them to maintain a friendly correspondence and union. Thus if a sister church should be thrown into circumstances of embarrassment or distress, it would be the duty of neighboring churches to tender their sympathies and their assistance, as the case might require. So, if a church is believed to have swerved from the truth, a sister church may interpose its advice and admonition, and after having taken suitable measures to win it back, may, if necessary, withdraw fellowship from the erring and obstinate church. When such exigencies arise, the regular steps enjoined in the 18th of Matthew are to be taken. The aggrieved party having made suitable effort to reclaim the offending church, and finding itself unsuccessful, invites one or more of the neighboring churches to unite with it in these efforts, and then, if still unsuccess. ful, either withdraws fellowship immediately, or calls a council of neighboring churches, to consult and advise in the premises. too, it is due to sister churches that they be consulted in cases of peculiar importance, or of general inter-· est. "The ordination of a pastor, or his solemn induction into office, is one of these occasions." The dismission of a pastor from his official relation to the church is another. In these cases, a public interest is involved which seems to dictate that some consultation should be had with neighboring churches. And there is yet another case in which consultation with sister churches ap

So,