The second American Baptist church was that formed at Newport, about 1641, under the lead ership of John Clarke. Clarke arrived at Bos ton in November, 1637, when persecuting meas ures were being inaugurated against Mrs. Anne Hutchinson and her followers on account of their antinnmian teachings. Dow far he sympathized with Mrs. lintchinsnn's views at this time we have no means of knowing. But he cast his lot with the persecuted party and led them in seeking a new home in unsettled territory Through the kindly offices of Roger Williams they secured from the natives a title to Aquidneck Here they founded a government in which the headship of Christ was recognized and which was purely democratic in form. This colony united with Williams' Providence colony in pro curing a charter in which civil and religious lib erty was fully provided for. Clarke deserves quite as much credit as Williams for this feature of Rhode Island polity, and his services in England on behalf of the colony were quite as distin guished. For some tune Clarke, who was physi cian and theologian as well as statesman, minis tered to the entire community in religious things. \Lout 1041. or earlier. Clarke and a number of his fellow-colonists became **professed Anabap tists." and began to hold their meetings apart. In what form and under what circumstances they introduced believers' baptism we are not in formed, but about 1644 Mark Lucar, who was among the English separatists that were im mersed in 1641 (1642) became a member of the Newport church. If immersion was not prac ticed from the beginning, it was no doubt intro duced on Lucar's arrival. The Newport church was full of missionary zeal. Members of this body sought to form a Baptist church at See konk, Massachusetts, in t640, but were thwarted by the authorities. In 1651 Clarke and two of his brethren suffered severe treatment at the hands of the Massachusetts authorities for conducting religious services at Lynn. Clarke narrates these sufferings and denounces Massachusetts intoler ance in "Ill elTS from New England" (1652).
As already indicated, the Massachusetts govern ment pursued a policy of extermination toward Baptists and no permanent organization of Bap tist life was allowed until late in the century. Henry Dunster, the first president of Harvard College (1640-55), was obliged, under circum stances of great hardship, to relinquish his posi tion because of his persistence in opposing the baptism of infants. In 1663 John Myles, a Welsh Baptist pastor, emigrated to Massachusetts with his church. secured a grant of land near the Rhode Island frontier, and established a settlement and church, which they named Swansea. Here they enjoyed a considerable measure of freedom. The First Baptist Church of Boston was organized in 1665, and for years suffered grievously at the hands of the authorities. In 1682 a small band of Baptists, several of whom had been members of the Boston church, formed an organization at Kittery, Maine. Driven from Nlaine soon after ward they settled in South Carolina. and formed the Charleston church about 1684. In the Quaker colonies—New Jersey and Pennsyl•ania—Baptists appeared about 1682, and by 1707 at least six churches had been organized They were largely Welsh. but included a considerable number from New England. The Philadelphia Association was formed in 1707, and became a chief means of extending and conserving Baptist influence. As
late as 1729 there were in New England only three Calvinistic Baptist churches, while there were two Sabbatarian and thirteen General Baptist churches. The latter had for some time held annual association meetings. The Charleston church had also come under Arminian influence, and had been almost wrecked by internal str:fc. It is not prohable that the entire Baptist member ship in America much exceeded Soo at the begin ning of the Great Awakening (1733).
With few exceptions the Baptists of 1740 Were not aggressive or enterprising. They held aloof from the Great Awakening, led by Edwards, Whitefield. the 'Penitents, etc , refusing in sonic eases to open their churches for evangelistic serv ices And yet no denomination profited more largely by the revival. The Philadelphia Associa tion front 175o onward exerted a stimulating and molding influence on the feeble Baptist churches in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and secured the organization of many new churches and the formation of associations for the conservation and advancement of Baptist life.
In N'ew England many Separate or "New Light" Congregational churches were formed by reason of the opposition of ministers and churches to the revival, and many of these New Light" churches caine to feel that their demand for re generate membership logically involved the aban donment of infant baptism and accepted the Bap tist position. In some cases whole congregations, with their pastors, became Baptists. In other cases churches were divided. The older Baptist churches gave little encouragement to the "New Light" Baptists, and for a long time would have no fellowship with them. But a new vital force had come to the Baptist cause, and in a few years the evangelistic Baptists were greatly in the ma jority in New England and throughout the South.
The excessive enthusiasm of the Separate Bap tists was everywhere tempered by the conserva tive missionary influence that emanated from the Philadelphia Association. Highly educated men went forth in every direction from the Philadel phia body. Hezekiah Smith as evangelist, finan cial agent for the college, pastor and army chap lain, disseminated the Philadelphia influence throughout New England and elsewhere. The in fluence of this body, exerted persistently and through many channels, broke down the middle wall of partition between Baptists of the old and new types, and at last secured everywhere associa tional organization and conservative but aggres sive denominational life.
In Virginia Separate Baptists led in the glorious struggle for civil and religious liberty (1775-99), and secured the cooperation of the Regulars. The two parties united in 1785. The Virginia Bap tists were largely instrumental in securing relig ious liberty for all, and at last in compassing the disestablishment of the Episcopal church and the confiscation of its glebe lands, etc. To them also was due in part the ample provision for liberty of conscience in the United States Constitution. In New England, Separate Baptists. like Backus, cooperated with Baptists of the Philadelphia type, like Manning, Smith, Davis and Stillman, in an equally heroic but less successful struggle for absolute religious liberty and equality. The serv ices of American Baptists in the cause of civil 'and religious liberty are acknowledged by scholars of other denominations.