[JFR]
We now come to the next to the last time period that
Dr. Carroll examines.
This period of time is from1601-1900.
This time frame is different from the proceeding
periods in that the focus of the churches seem to
change.
We will examine the time period and then consider
the churches of Asia that fall within it.
Fourth Lecture — The 17th, 18th, and 19th
Centuries
[Dr. Carroll]
1. This lecture begins with the beginning of the
Seventeenth Century (A.D. 1601). We have passed
very hurriedly over much important Christian history,
but necessity has compelled this.
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2. This three-century period begins with the rise of an
entirely new denomination. It is right to state that
some historians give the date of the beginning of the
Congregational
Church
(at
first
called
"Independents") as 1602. However, Schaff-Herzogg,
in their Encyclopedia, place its beginning far back in
the sixteenth century, making it coeval with the
Lutheran and Presbyterian.
In the great reformation wave, many who went out of
the Catholic Church were not satisfied with the extent
of the reformation led by Luther and Calvin. They
decided to repudiate also the preacher rule and
government idea of the churches and return to the
New Testament democratic idea as had been held
through the fifteen preceding centuries by those who
had refused to enter Constantine's hierarchy.
3. The determined contention of this new
organization for this particular reform brought down
upon its head bitter persecution from Catholic,
Lutheran, Presbyterian and Church of England
adherents — all the established churches. However, it
retained many other of the Catholic made errors, such
for instance as infant baptism, pouring or sprinkling
for baptism, and later adopted and practiced to an
extreme degree the church and state idea. And, after
refuging to America, themselves, became very bitter
persecutors.
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4. The name "Independents" or as now called
"Congregationalists," is derived from their mode of
church government. Some of the distinguishing
principles of the English Congregationalists as given
in Schaff-Herzogg Encyclopedia are as follows:
1. That Jesus Christ is the only head of the
church and that the Word of God is its only statue
book.
2. That visible churches are distinct
assemblies of Godly men gathered out of the world
for purely religious purposes, and not to be
confounded with the world.
3. That these separate churches have full
power to choose their own officers and to maintain
discipline.
4. That in respect to their internal management
they are each independent of all other churches and
equally independent of state control.
5. How markedly different these principles are from
Catholicism, or even Lutheranism, or Presbyterianism
or the Episcopacy of the Church of England. How
markedly similar to the Baptists of today, and of all
past ages, and to the original teachings of Christ and
His apostles.
6. In 1611, the King James English Version of the
Bible appeared. Never was the Bible extensively
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given to the people before. From the beginning of the
general dissemination of the Word of God began the
rapid decline of the Papal power, and the first
beginnings for at least many centuries, of the idea of
"religious liberty."
7. In 1648 came the "Peace of Westphalia." Among
other things which resulted from that peace pact was
the triple agreement between the great denominations
— Catholic, Lutheran, and Presbyterian, no longer to
persecute one another. Persecutions among these
denominations meant war with governments backing
them. However, all other Christians, especially the
Ana-Baptists, were to continue to receive from them
the same former harsh treatment, persistent
persecution.
8. During all the seventeenth century, persecutions
for Waldenses, Ana-Baptists, and Baptists (in some
places the "Ana" was now being left off) continued to
be desperately severe; in England by the Church of
England, as John Bunyan and many others could
testify; in Germany by the Lutherans; in Scotland by
the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian); in Italy, in
France, and in every other place where the papacy was
in power, by the Catholics. There is now no peace
anywhere for those who are not in agreement with the
state churches, or some one of them.
9. It is a significant fact well established in credible
history that even as far back as the fourth century
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those refusing to go into the Hierarchy, and refusing
to accept the baptism or those baptized in infancy, and
refusing to accept the doctrine of "Baptismal
Regeneration" and demanding rebaptism for all those
who came to them from the Hierarchy, were called
"Ana-Baptists." No matter what other names they then
bore, they were always referred to as "Ana-Baptists."
Near the beginning of the sixteenth century, the "Ana"
was dropped, and the name shortened to simply
"Baptist," and gradually all other names were
dropped.
Evidently, if Bunyan had lived in an earlier period his
followers would have been called "Bunyanites" or
"Ana-Baptists." Probably they would have been
called by both names as were others preceding him.
10. The name "Baptist" is a "nickname," and was
given to them by their enemies (unless the name can
be rightfully attributed to them as having been given
to them by the Savior Himself, when He referred to
John as "The Baptist"). To this day, the name has
never been officially adopted by any group of
Baptists. The name, however, has become fixed and
is willingly accepted and proudly borne. It snugly fits.
It was the distinguishing name of the forerunner of
Christ, the first to teach the doctrine to which the
Baptists now hold.
11. I quote a very significant statement from the
Schaff- Herzogg Encyclopedia, under "History of
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Baptists in Europe," Vol. 1, page 210, "The Baptists
appeared first in Switzerland about 1523, where they
were persecuted by Zwingle and the Romanists. They
are found in the following years, 1525-1530, with
large churches fully organized, in Southern Germany,
Tyrol and in middle Germany. In all these places
persecutions made their lives bitter."
(Note — that all this is prior to the founding of the
Protestant churches — Lutheran, Episcopal, or
Presbyterian.)
We continue the quotation — "Moravia promised a
home of greater freedom, and thither many Baptists
migrated, only to find their hopes deceived. After
1534 they were numerous in Northern Germany,
Holland, Belgium, and the Walloon provinces. They
increased even during Alva's rule, in the low
countries, and developed a wonderful missionary
zeal."
(Note — "Missionary Zeal." And yet some folks say
that the "Hardshells" are primitive Baptists.)
Where did these Baptists come from? They did not
come out of the Catholics during the Reformation.
They had large churches prior to the Reformation.
12. As a matter of considerable interest, note the
religious changes in England as the centuries have
gone by:
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The Gospel was carried to England by the Apostles,
and it remained Apostolic in its religion until after the
organization of the Hierarchy in the beginning of the
fourth century, and really for more than another
century after that.
It then came under the power of the Hierarchy which
was rapidly developing into the Catholic Church.
It then remained Catholic — that was the state
religion, until the split in 1534-1535, during the reign
of Henry VIII.
It was then called the Church of England. Eighteen
years later, 1553-1558, during the reign of Queen
Mary ("Bloody Mary") England was carried back to
the Catholics, and a bloody five-years period was this.
Then Elizabeth, a half-sister of Mary, the daughter of
Anna Boleyn, came to the throne, 1558. The Catholics
were again overthrown, and again the Church of
England came into power. And thus, things remained
for almost another century, when the Presbyterian
Church came for a short while into the ascendancy,
and seemed for a while as if it might become the State
Church of England as well as that of Scotland.
13. Note the gradual softening down of religious
matters in England from the hard and bitter
persecutions of the established church for more than a
century.
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1. The first toleration act came in 1688, one
hundred and fifty-four years after the beginning of
this church. This act permitted the worship of all
denominations in England except two — the
Catholics and the Unitarians.
2. The second toleration act came in 1778,
eighty-nine years still later. This act included in the
toleration the Catholics, but still excluded the
Unitarians.
3. The third toleration act came in 1813,
thirty-five years later. This included the Unitarians.
4. In 1828-1829 came what is known as the
"Test Act" which gave the "dissenters" (the
religionists not in accord with the "Church of
England") access to public office and even to
Parliament.
5. In 1836-37 and 1844 came the
"Registration" and "Marriage" acts. These two acts
made legal baptisms and marriages performed by
"dissenters."
6. The "Reform Bill" came in 1854.
This bill opened the doors of Oxford and Cambridge
Universities to dissenting students. Up to this time no
child of a "dissenter" could enter one of these great
institutions.
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14. Thus has been the march of progress in England
toward "Religious Liberty." But it is probably correct
to state that real religious liberty can never come into
any country where there is and is to remain an
established church. At best, it can only be toleration,
which is certainly a long way from real religious
liberty. As long as one denomination among several
in any country is supported by the government to the
exclusion of all others this favoritism and support of
one, precludes the possibility of absolute religious
liberty and equality.
15. Very near the beginning of the eighteenth century
there were born in England three boys who were
destined to leave upon the world a deep and unfading
impression.
These boys were John and Charles Wesley, and
George Whitfield. John and Charles Wesley were
born at Epworth (and here comes a suggestion for the
name Epworth League), the former June 28, 1703, and
the latter March 29, 1708. George Whitfield was born
in Gloucester, December 27, 1714. The story of the
lives of these boys cannot be told here, but they are
well worth being told, and then retold.
[The Epworth League is a Methodist association for
young adults, aged 18 to 35. It consists of both a
global organization as well as local church-based
chapters. JFR]
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These three boys became the fathers and founders of
Methodism. They were all three members of the
Church of England, and all studying for the ministry;
and yet at that time, not one of them converted (which
at that time was not unusual among the English
clergy. Remember, however, that in those days, the
parent frequently, if not usually, decided on the
profession or line of the life to be followed by the
boy). But these boys were afterwards converted, and
genuinely and wonderfully converted.
16. These men seemed to have no desire to be the
founders of a new denomination. But they did seem to
greatly desire and earnestly strive for a revival of pure
religion and a genuine spiritual reformation in the
Church of England. This they tried in both England
and America. The doors of their own churches were
soon closed against them. Their services were
frequently held out in the open, or in some private
house, or, as especially in the case of Whitfield, in the
meeting houses of other denominations. Whitfield's
great eloquence attracted markedly great attention
everywhere he went.
17. The definite date of the founding of the Methodist
Church is hard to be determined. Unquestionably
Methodism is older than the Methodist Church. The
three young men were called Methodists before they
left college. Their first organizations were called
"Societies." Their first annual conference in England
was held in 1744.
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The Methodist Episcopal Church was officially and
definitely organized in America, in Baltimore in 1784.
Their growth has really been marvelous. But, when
they came out of the Church of England, or the
Episcopal Church, they brought with them a number
of the errors of the mother and grandmother churches.
For instance, as the Episcopacy, or preacher-church
government. On this point they have had many
internal wars and divisions and seem destined to have
yet others. Infant Baptism and sprinkling for baptism,
etc., but there is one great thing which they have,
which they did not bring out with them, a genuine case
of spiritual religion.
18. September 12, 1788, there was born in Antrium,
Ireland, a child, who was destined in the years to
come, to create quite a religious stir in some parts of
the world, and to become the founder of a new
religious denomination. That child was Alexander
Campbell. His father was a Presbyterian minister. The
father, Thomas Campbell, came to America in 1807.
Alexander, his son, who was then in college, came
later. Because of changed views, they left the
Presbyterians and organized an independent body,
which they called "The Christian Association,"
known as "The Brush Run Church."
In 1811, they adopted immersion as baptism and
succeeded in persuading a Baptist preacher to baptize
them, but with the distinct understanding that they
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were not to unite with the Baptist Church. The father,
mother, and Alexander were all baptized.
In 1813 their independent church united with the Red
Stone Baptist Association.
Ten years later, because of controversy, they left that
association and joined another. Controversies
continued to arise, and they left that association.
It is fair to say that they had never been Baptists, nor
had they so far as any records I have seen, to show,
ever claimed to be.
19. It could hardly be fair to Christian history, and
especially to Baptist history, to say nothing in these
lectures about John Bunyan. In some respects, one of
the most celebrated men in English history and even
in world history — John Bunyan, a Baptist preacher
— John Bunyan, twelve years in Bedford jail — John
Bunyan the author while confined in jail, of the most
celebrated and most widely circulated book, next to
the Bible, in the whole world. "Pilgrim's Progress" —
John Bunyan, one of the most notable of all examples
of the bitterness of Christian persecution.
And the story of Mary Bunyan, John Bunyan's blind
daughter, ought to be in every Sunday School library.
For many years it was out of print. I think it is now in
print again. I almost defy any man or woman, boy or
girl, to read it and keep dry eyes.
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[NOTE: My Pastor Bro. Bernie Dixon, the Pastor of
the Mayfield Drive Baptist Church has a copy of this
book and has allowed me to borrow it and read it. It is
well worth taking the time to read it. JFR]
20. Another thing about which at least a few words
should be said in these lectures in concerning Wales
and the Welch Baptists. One of the most thrilling
stories in Christian history is the story of the Welch
Baptists. The Baptists of the United States owe far
most to the Welch Baptists than the most of us are
conscious.
Some whole Baptist churches, fully organized, have
migrated in a body from Wales to the United States.
(Orchard, p. 21-23; Ford, chapter 2.)
21. The story of the beginning of Christian work in
Wales is strikingly fascinating and from history it
seems to be true. That history begins in the New
Testament (Acts 28:30-31; II Timothy 4:21).
The story of Claudia and Pudens — their visit to
Rome — their conversion under Paul's preaching, and
carrying the gospel back to Wales, their homeland, is
thrillingly interesting. Paul did this preaching in
Rome as early as A.D. 63. Soon after that Claudia,
Pudens, and others, among them two preachers,
carried the same gospel into England and especially
into Wales.
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How mightily the Welch Baptists have helped the
Baptists in America can hardly be estimated.
Conclusion
In the next presentation we will consider the church
that falls in this time period. That would be the church
at Philadelphia. This will be our subject in the next
chapter.
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