infancy to join in the celebration of the Lord's Supper with them; because they look upon such as not having been baptized at all, and consequently inadmissible to the other sacrament.

Others, however, of both classes of Baptists, suppose that this ought to be no objection; and that such as believe themselves to be really baptized, though in infancy-such as are partakers of grace, belong to the true church of Christ, and are truly devoted to God-ought not to be rejected on account of a different opinion about this particular ordinance.

Some of these also, without referring to a man's persuasion that he has been baptized, are of opinion that he should be received to the fellowship of the churches on the general ground of Christian character; so that should he, with many Unitarians, doubt the perpetuity of baptism, or that it is a perpetual ordinance, as it respects the descendants of Christians, though it may properly be administered to proselytes from other religions, he ought still, if agreeable to his own views, to be admitted as a communicant at the Lord's Supper.

This difference of opinion between them has been thought so important, that the reasons for and against the practice on both sides, and their mutual censures of each other, have been laid before the public by warm advocates on each side of the question. Mr. Killingworth, Mr. Abraham Booth, Mr. Andrew Fuller, and Mr. Jóseph Kinghorn, have written against free communion; but John Bunyan, Dr. James Foster, Mr. Robinson of Cambridge, and Mr. Robert Hall have contended for it.

On points of doctrine the two grand divisions of Baptists differ widely; the Particular Baptists holding the Calvinistic, and the General Baptists the Arminian, Tenets. "Supralapsarianism has been more common," we are told, “ among the Particular Baptists than in any other denomination. Dr. Gill's high sentiments have not ceased to operate; and in some places both preachers and hearers have gone far towards doctrinal Antinomianism, however remote they may have been from the system in their practice *."

Supper; and they understand by it, that all those who have been baptized, whether in their infancy or adult age, may, on profession of their faith, sit down at the Lord's Table with others of different denominations. The mixed communion Baptists consider infant baptism as a mere nullity; but at the same time view it as a matter of toleration.

Bogue and Bennet's "History of the Dissenters," vol. iv. p. 332.

WORSHIP, CHURCH GOVERNMENT, AND DISCIPLINE.

Their public worship is conducted in a way very similar to that of the Church of Scotland, with free or extempore prayer, singing Psalms and Hymns, and occasionally reading a passage of Scripture. Their ministers, who wear neither gown nor band, generally preach extempore or memoriter; and I am sorry to observe among them, in common with most classes of Dissenters, the omission of the Lord's Prayer, which, independently of the paramount authority on which the use of it is enjoined, may be called a Missionary Prayer, and therefore should on that account also be often repeated by the friends of missions. In regard to church government and discipline also, they differ but little from the Independents*, admitting of no other external interference between churches, than that of friendly advice; and both classes agree among themselves, except that the General Baptists have, in some of their churches three orders of ministers, as will be specified below.

Ordination is performed among the Baptists almost in the same way as among Independents, except that many of them omit the laying on of hands: but with the Methodists, they, as well as the Independents, admit of lay preachers.

SEMINARIES, EMINENT MEN, NUMBERS, &c.

The Particular Baptists have three seminaries where young men are educated who have been encouraged by their respective churches to devote themselves to the ministry. That at Bristol has for its tutors Dr. Ryland and two assistants; that at Stepney, Dr. Newman and two assistants; and that at Bradford, in Yorkshire, Dr. Steadman and one assistant. At these three institutions they have generally from fifty to sixty students, and their term of study is four years. Some of them, after leaving these seminaries, usually spend three or four years at one of the Scottish universities. They have usually their degrees of M. A. and LL. D. from Scotland, but their doctors' diplomas are chiefly sent them from one or other of the American universities.

Their most distinguished writers have been Bunyan, Keach, Piggott, the Stennetts, the Wallins, Dr. Gill,

Mr. Tombes, one of the best and most candid of the Baptist writers, is said to have lived in the Church of England; to have conformed, in every point but that of baptism, to the episcopal establishment; and to have written, in his Theodulia, against separation from it. He, we are told, is the only solitary instance of a Baptist, who was not a strict Independent. See Nelson's life of Bishop Bull, p. 252; and Wood's Athen. Oxon. vol. ii. p. 411.

Abraham Booth, and Andrew Fuller. Their most eminent ministers now are, Mr. Robert Hall of Leicester, Dr. John Ryland of Bristol, Dr. Steadman of Bradford, Drs. Rippon and Newman of London, Mr. Ivimey their historian, Mr. Hughes of Battersea, and Mr. James Hinton of Oxford. And Dr. Stennett, Beddome, Martin, and Fuller, may be said to exhibit in their sermons their sentiments and mode of preaching.

This class of Baptists have about 700 distinct congregations in the United Kingdom, chiefly in England and Wales; and it is understood that they are daily increasing. Many of their congregations are large, and in some of them the number of communicants or church members amounts to four or five hundred.

They have funds exclusively their own for the assistance of their poorer pastors, amounting to upwards of 20007. annually. The profits of their magazine, which their ministers. support gratuitously, are bestowed upon their ministers' widows, amounting to more than 2001. per annum. They have likewise a society at Bath, for assisting aged and infirm ministers.

They also receive an equal proportion of the Parliamentary grant, formerly called the Regium Donum, voted annually for the assistance of poor ministers of the three denominations of Protestant Dissenters.

They send missionaries into towns and villages which they conceive are destitute of an evangelical ministry; and they have a Missionary Society for Ireland, to which belong seven itinerant ministers, twenty-six Irish readers, ninety day schools, together with some Sunday and evening schools, containing in all more than 7000 children and adults, who are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, besides receiving religious instruction *. But of all Missionary Societies, perhaps the most distinguished, at this day, is their institution for foreign missions,-whether we consider the talents that have been displayed, the immense field of operation, the disinterestedness with which the difficult and momentous plan has been conducted, or the benefits which, independently of the communication of religious knowledge to those who were strangers to it, have,by the study of a vast diversity of languages,

"Eighth Annual Report of the Baptist Society for promoting the Gospel in Ireland," June 1822, p. 13, where it is stated, that "from the commencement of the operations of the Society, more than 30,000 children and adults have received instruction, who otherwise would probably have been left in their native ignorance."

been conferred upon knowledge in general, and particularly upon the philosophy of the human mind.

It commenced its operations in India, in 1793; fixed its chief seat at Serampore in 1799; and has now twenty-five stations in India, Ceylon, &c. besides four in the West Indies, Honduras, &c. Missionaries from this Society have already translated the Old and New Testament into seven of the Eastern languages; and translations are now in progress into about other thirty-five living languages of the East. It has further established in India and Ceylon 140 native schools, in which about 11,100 children are taught the elements of useful knowledge.

They received in 1821 for their missions upwards of 13,0007. in addition to what was raised for building and repairing chapels, the support of their Academies, Sunday and other schools, and the maintenance of their ministers.

GENERAL BAPTISTS.

THE Baptists, who are to be found in Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Germany, France, the United States of America, Upper Canada, the East and West Indies, &c. have long been divided in England, as already observed, into two distinct clases, or societies, which have but little communion with one another-viz. the Particular or Calvinistic, and the General or Arminian, Baptists.

The first appearance in Britain of the latter class seems to be of earlier date than that of the former, and prior to the time of Mr. Smyth, in the latter end of the sixteenth century, who is usually styled the father of the General Baptists. Mr. Smyth was at first a clergyman of the Church of England; but resigning his living in the church, he went over to Holland, where his Baptist principles were warmly opposed by Messrs. Ainsworth and Robinson; the former then pastor of the Brownists, or Independents, at Amsterdam, and the latter of those at Leyden.

As Mr. Smyth thought there was no one at the time duly qualified to administer the sacrament of baptism, he is said I believe by his adversaries) to have baptized himself, for which he is called a Se-Baptist*. He afterwards adopted doctrines similar to those now known by the name of Armi

• This, however, is advanced chiefly I believe by his adversaries. But if true, it appears to be of a piece with the heretic Novatus, of whom St. Cyprian says, "Qui, apostolica traditione contempta, nemini succedens a seipso ordinatus est.'

nian; and this class of Baptists published, about the year 1611, a confession of faith, in twenty-seven Articles, which diverges much farther from Calvinism than those who are now called Arminians would approve*. The same year is further marked as an era in their history, by the death of Mr. Smyth, and the opening of their first church in London. They did not make the same figure during the Interregnum that their brethren of the other two denominations did; but it would appear that they were very numerous soon after the restoration, insomuch that they presented a petition to Charles the Second," owned and approved" by upwards of 20,000. They, however, soon began to entertain unsound notions in regard to the great object of Divine worship, if some of them had not done so even before then; for Wood says, that some Baptists, who petitioned for Biddle in 1655, were thought to have "entertained his opinions +." In consequence of this declension from orthodox doctrine-which, at whatever time its first appearance may be dated, has long been too apparent, and has not only blasted their reputation in the eyes of Trinitarians, but also thinned their ranks, and diminished their numbers-several of their ministers and churches, who disapprove of the Arian and Socinian principles, which many of them had adopted, have within the last fifty years formed themselves into a distinct society, called the New Connection, or New Association, of which a brief account will be given below.

On the subject of baptism, worship, and church discipline, the Particular and General Baptists agree; except that the latter have, in some of their churches, three distinct orders of ministers, separately ordained; to the highest of which they give the name of Messengers; to the second, that of Elders; and to the third, that of Deaconst; much in the same

Messrs. Bogue and Beunet's "History of the Dissenters," vol. i. p. 150. Yet it is remarkable, that in a small treatise, entitled "Persecution judged and condemned," &c. which "appears to be written, or approved of by the whole Baptists then in England," and was published in 1616, wherein they endeavoured to justify their separation from the Church of England, and to prove the right of private judgment in matters of religion, &c.; this confession of faith, published in 1611, is referred to for their loyalty and orthodoxy. From this it would appear, that the English Baptists were then chiefly, if not wholly, Arminians. The treatise was written by a Mr. Helwisse, Mr. Smyth's successor. See Mr. Ivimey's "History," vol. i. pp. 122-135. See also "The History of Religion," Svo. vol. iv. p. 198, 199.

+ Athen. Oxon. vol. ii. p. 201.

See "Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Mr. William Whiston," part iii. p. 466. A Deacon, among Dissenters, unites with his brethren (each congregation usually having more than one) in taking care of the poor,