BAPTISTS (Gk. baplizein, 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 immersion. 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 denounced as newfangled, unnecessary, immodest, dangerous to health, etc. Naturally, Baptists retorted that immersion was indispensable. When the Continental Anabap tists had 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 Bead and Lawgiver; that no secular power should interfere with the spiritual interests of any believer or of any Ily 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 ore 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 General Baptists originated first. About 1606 a congregation of Separatists at Gainsborough fled to liolland 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 Scrip tures. 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, hut others held to their faith. and, returning to England in 1611, established the first General Baptist Church in London. By 1626 there were 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 pas tor of this new congregation. In 1640 a further division in the original Church occurred by mu tual 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 Collegiant Church of Mennonites. who had adopted immersion in 1619 (probably having re ceived 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 ad ministration 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 tic noro. 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 Confusion 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 gradu ally adopted the same praetice, though some of them continued the use of affusion as late as 1653.