What are the Teachings of Ecclesiastical History No Refuge for Baptists within Catholicism or Protestant Ranks PART SEVEN

Thomas E Kresal  November 18, 2020

Baptist History, Heritage and Distinctives

What are the Teachings of Ecclesiastical History No Refuge for Baptists within Catholicism or Protestant Ranks PART SEVEN

Wall, like multitudes of Pedobaptists, we fear, was but too willing to attribute wrong motives to these English Baptists for not witnessing the religious ceremonies of these church and state ministers. Those ministers did not pray with the sick, but read prayers to them, and for this mummery they had no fellowship. They did not visit their Steeple Houses, because they did not believe God was worshipped in them, but His holy name and service profaned by the priests, by their senseless and popish forms and ceremonies; for Christ had said, “In vain do they worship me who teach for doctrines the commandments of men.” Baptists of that day thought they would be regarded as countenancing, in some sense, the priests of the church of England should they attend their administrations. And if we will only consider the influence of acts closely, we shall be forced to conclude that they acted consistently. That our historical ancestors did not affiliate with Catholics, who, for twelve hundred years, endeavored to exterminate them with fire and sword, no one will claim. That they could not, if they had desired, affiliate with the early Protestants, Bro. Winkler has shown in a ringing article in the Alabama Baptist: “They came into contact with the Reformers everywhere. And they were reviled and persecuted by them all—by Lutherans, and Episcopalians, and Puritans, and Presbyterians. Even the Romanists did not denounce them so bitterly as did Melancthon and Luther, Calvin and Zwingle, and Knox, Cranmer, and Ridley and Latimer. When Bishop Hall sneered at them as ‘sectaries, instructed by guides fit for them, cobblers, tailors, felt-makers, and such like trash,’ he gave expression to the Protestant feeling of his own and of previous ages toward the Baptists. There was no sect among which these outraged and long-suffering believers could find refuge. They had to meet apart, baptize apart, commune apart. Their independent church organization was necessitated by the spirit of the age. In all the world ‘none were so poor as to do them reverence.’Presented by Thomas E. Kresal from excerpts: Graves, James R.. Old Landmarkism: What is it? Chapter 14 First Vision Publishers. Kindle Edition.FREE BIBLE COURSE! “Old Landmarkism, what is it?” by JR Graves.Fall Bible Course Offering Beginning Nov 7, a new Bible Course will be offered studying the topic of “Old Landmarkism, What Is It”. The book for the course will be, “Old Landmarkism, what is it?” by JR Graves. If you would like to be included in the course, please email me at mike6154488802@gmail.com and I will add you to the email list. The cost of the course is $0. I only ask that you pray for me as I develop the material that it will be what God would have for it to be that He would be glorified by the effort and that all who are involved in the study might be better servants of the Lord having completed it. May God Bless, Michael Brawner, Pastor Landmark Missionary Baptist Church Honey Grove, TX