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EARLY COLONIAL DAYS - PART II
In 1670, the first Baptist associational meeting was held in America. By 1700, the movement begun by Roger Williams had produced over 10 Baptist churches in the New England states. This growth is attributable to many causes, the greatest being the royal charter gotten by Clark and Williams from the King of England that stated “noe person within the sayd colonie, at anytime hereafter shall be in any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question for any differences in opinione in matters of religion” (The Baptists, Anne DeVereaux Jordan and J.M. Stifle, Hippocrene Books). It appeared those early dissenters from England finally found the religious freedom many had died for many years earlier. Even the Puritans embraced this new religious freedom and their Baptist brothers and sisters. The greatest illustration of this was the ordination service of “Elisha Callender, the first Baptist minister to be educated in America” (The Baptists) in 1718, not because of Callender or his achievements (though great), but the Pastor who gave the sermon. His name was Cotton Mather, a powerful and perhaps the most popular Puritan preacher in Boston. His writings reveal his strong belief in the supernatural, especially of witchcraft. For example on devils and witches he stated, "never use but one grain of patience with any man that shall go to impose upon me a Denial of Devils, or of Witches"(Biography of Cotton Mather, Douglas Linder). Participation of a Puritan leader of Mather’s caliber in a Baptist service, let alone an Ordination was evidence that a “wider door of liberty” had opened ((The Baptists). The southern states did not immediately feel the impact of the religious freedom in New England. The dominant church in this area was not the Puritans but the Anglican Church in Virginia who met religious dissenters settling in these colonies with the same intensive persecution they had left in England. Although the church expressed equal hostility towards all religious dissenters, she particularly hated and singled out Baptists for persecution ((The Baptists). As a result, establishment of Baptist churches in Virginia limited to a handful. The southern colonies were not totally hostile to dissenters. For example, in 1681, William Sceven and his followers settled in a little port city (Charleston) in South Carolina and organized the first Baptist congregation in the south. By 1729, Paul Palmer had organized two other congregations in North Carolina (The Baptists). One of the churches founded by Palmer in North Carolina is still in existence today. Although Baptists in both the New England and Southern colonies made many inroads, none were as momentous and lasting as those made in the middle colonies of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Two factors made the expansion of the Baptist faith easier in these colonies. First, the absence of a state church made religion freedom the rule and not the exception (A History of the Baptist, Robert G. Torbet, Judson Press). One can only wonder what influence this factor might have had on the New England colonies. The second reason was land grants given by Benjamin Franklin to new settlers. Religious leaders of various faiths used these grants to build and start churches. Baptist congregations sprung up throughout these two colonies, especially in Pennsylvania. As a matter of fact the congregation in Philadelphia became the controlling influence for Baptists throughout this period. The greatest evidence of her influence was the formation of the Philadelphia Association of Baptist Churches in the Delaware Valley in 1707. The association consisted of five congregations from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. As stated earlier, one of the earliest traditions of all Baptists is the autonomy of local churches. While this does have its advantages, they are outweighed by the disadvantage of not having a central body where doctrinal issues are hammered out and agreed on by all members. While this might seem dictatorial, we should remember the first century Church used this method (Acts 15:4-21). Therefore in keeping with tradition, the Philadelphia Association respected the tradition of church autonomy and the general rule of associations. Mainly that they were advisory in nature and served to promote fellowship among Baptist churches. Another important role was raising funds for educating ministers and support for missionary efforts (The Baptists). One of the lasting things done by the Philadelphia Association was adopting a Confession of Faith in 1742. Consisting of thirty-four chapters, this confession deals with everything from the Holy Scriptures to the Day of Judgment. Up to this point in America (The English had the London Confession of Faith), there was no stated confession of faith for Baptists. As a result, most Baptist congregations were Arminian in belief (belief that Christ died for all men) or General Baptists. The Philadelphia Confession, which was adopted by Particular Baptists (belief in limited atonement of Christ), fixed a clear line of delineation between the two major groups of Baptists. Except for chapters 23 and 31, the confession was identical with the one drawn up by Baptists in London in 1689. Of the two, the one most controversial and perhaps even unscriptural is chapter 31 that deals with the laying on of hands. According to the confession, this act is an ordinance and “ought to be submitted unto by all such persons that are admitted to partake of the Lord’s Supper.” Some might regard this chapter as the greatest defense for church autonomy. In 1749, Benjamin Griffith produced an essay that became the statement of purpose of Baptist Associations. He stated, “An association is not a superior judicature, having such superior power over the churches concerned…” (The Baptists). Today’s Baptist Associations still preserve these basis principles and are one of the strongest organizational structures existing among religions today.
In Christ, Minister John Cobb
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