Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/560

BAPTISTERY. used for baptism, either in the form of a projecting chapel or of one forming a part of the regular plan. Such chapels were usually near the entrance, opening either on the narthex (q.v.) or on the interior. Such is the baptismal chapel opening out of the inner right-hand narthex at Saint Mark's, Venice.

Before the Renaissance, however, the change in ritual from immersion to affusion and aspersion only made separate buildings unnecessary. The simpler rite could be performed in the church itself, and all that was required was a large holy-water vase. Renaissance artists executed many exquisite works of this sort during the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries. These works had been preceded by large sculptured immersion basins, as at San Frediano, Lucca, which had succeeded the simpler early tanks. See.

BAP'TISTS (Gk. ^airTl^av, laptizein, to dip in water, baptize). A name first given in 1644 to certain congregations of English Separatists, who had recently restored the ancient practice of innnersion. These congregations were the first in modern times to maintain that immersion is essential to valid baptism : other bodies had practiced immersion, but without such teaching. The prominence assumed by the doctrine of bap- tism among the Baptists was due to the opposi- tion of the other English churches to their prac- tice. Immersion was denoimccd as newfangled, unnecessary, immodest, dangerous to healtli, etc. Naturally, Baptists retorted that immersion was indispensable. When the Continental Anabap- tists had practiced immersion, no one had opposed their practice vehemently, and they were not tempted, therefore, to give special emphasis to its necessity. In general characteristics of doc- trine and polity, the English Baptists were agreed with the more sober and evangelical groups of Anabaptists, and with the Mennonites. They held that loyalty to Christ and His teach- ings is the supreme duty of Christians ; that these teachings are contained in the Scriptures, which are thus the sole and authoritative rule of faith and practice; that the religion of Christ is spiritual, and none can enter the kingdom of heaven, or should enter the Church on earth, un- less he has been born anew of the Spirit of God; that only those should be baptized, therefore, who make personal profession of faith in Christ and give credible evidence of regeneration; that a true Christian Church is the fellowship of such baptized believers; that each Church has Christ as sole Head and Lawgiver; that no secular power should interfere with the spiritual interests of any believer or of any Church. These tenets are not accidentally associated, but constitute a log- ically compact series, each member of which is necessary to the full validity of the rest. All Baptist churches have been and are agreed in holding them, whatever their differences on other points.

From the first there were two main bodies among the English Baptists, distinguished by their adoption of the theology of Arminius or of Calvin. The Arminian or Genera] Baptists originated first. About 1606 a congregation of Separatists at Gainsborough fled to Holland to escape persecution. and established themselves at Amsterdam. Their leader, John Smyth, had been a clergyman of the Church of England; now his contact with the followers of Arminius and with the Mennonites led him to the adoption of many new opinions. He became convinced that infant baptism is not warranted by the Scriptures, and he therefore baptized himself, no doubt by affusion. Several of his followers joined him, and a new church was organized, practicing the baptism of believers only. Smyth soon withdrew from the Church, but others held to their faith, and, returning to England in 1611, established the first General Baptist Church in London. By 1626 there were 5 such churches in England, and by 1644 they had increased to 47.

The Calvinistic or Particular Baptists sprang from a congregation of Separatists, established in London in 1616. In 1633 some members of this congregation, who opposed the baptism of infants, peaceably separated from the main body, a part of them receiving a new baptism; and soon afterwards John Spilsbury became the pastor of this new congregation. In 1640 a further division in the original Church occurred by mutual consent, and some of those composing one of the new congregations soon became convinced that immersion is the true Scriptural baptism. Knowing none in England who practiced such baptism, they sent one of their number, Richard Blount, to Holland. There was at Rynsburg a Collegiant Church of Mennonites, who had adopted immersion in 1619 (probably having received it from the Polish Anabaptists, who had possibly derived their practice from some of the Swiss Anabaptists). Having been baptized by them, Blount returned to England, and began the administration of the new baptism in 1641. The Spilsbury people seem to have disliked this method, which they considered a vain search after a baptismal 'succession,' and about the same time adopted the practice of immersion de novo. As their pastor pithily remarked, "Where there is a beginning, some must be first." In 1644 seven churches of the Calvinistic order united in a Confession of Faith, being joined also by one French congregation, in which baptism was for the first time defined as 'dipping' or 'plunging.' The General Baptist churches gradually adopted the same practice, though some of them continued the use of affusion as late as 1653.

During the period of the Civil War and the Commonwealth, the Baptist churches received a practically full toleration, and increased with great rapidity. This was especially true of the Particular Baptists, who were in closest sympathy with Puritan movement. At the time of the Restoration (1660), the General Baptists claimed to have 20,000 members, whence it may be fairly estimated that there were fully 50,000 Baptists in all at that time. The services of these churches to the cause of English liberty, civil and religious, were heartily recognized. Several of Cromwell's highest officers were Baptists; some of the most popular preachers of the time were of the same faith; others, like John Milton, avowed Baptist sentiments, but never were connected with the churches. A few so far forgot their principles as to accept livings in the Established Church, and were even members of Cromwell's Triers, or commission of visitation for the setting in order of the parishes. The great majority, however, remained faithful to their contention, from the first, that the Church as a spiritual body should be entirely separate from the State, and that complete religious lib-