Your Baptist Heritage Quotes

“The men of the world are allowed to make laws, and to enforce them with the sword, to punish immoralities, and to keep the civil peace; and real Christians are the best subjects of civil government in the world, while they obey God rather than man in the form of godliness.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“The best churches that ever supported their ministers by force, had no more than a form of godliness; and all men have denied the power of it, who have denied that the laws and Spirit of Christ were entirely sufficient to support His ministers, without any arm of flesh in the case. And God says, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” And the form says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” 2 Tim. 1:13; 3:16, 17.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And since a door is now opened in our land for a clear deliverance from these evils, can any man be free of guilt if he tries to shut it? This consideration is enforced by late experience; for the man, who was the chief magistrate of these United States for four years, was very fond of such partiality. But a man was elected into that office in 1801, who is for equal liberty to all the nation”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Infant baptism was not named in the Holy Scriptures, nor in any history, for two hundred years after the birth of Christ. And when it was first named, ministers called it regeneration. Because Christ says, “Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” they held that baptism washed away original sin, and that infants could not be saved if they were not baptized. And because Christ says, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you,” they held that no person could be saved without eating the Lord’s supper; and they brought infants to it, as well as to baptism. For the truth of these facts, we appeal to the most noted writings of the third and fourth centuries. A noted minister of the third century said, “It is for that reason, because by the sacrament of baptism the pollutions of our birth is taken away, that infants are baptized.” [Clark’s Defense of Infant Baptism, 1752, p.111.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“A great many negroes in those parts have been converted and baptized, and some of them have been called to preach the gospel. George Liele was so a little before our American war; and in the time of it he fell into British hands, and went down and baptized a number in Savannah, and then was carried to Jamaica, where he began to preach to the blacks in 1784; and he behaved so well as to be favored by the government there, and his success was so great that he had three hundred and fifty members in his church in 1791.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“I received a letter from Elder Benjamin Watkins of Virginia, dated June 30, 1801, in which he says, “I have lived to see several revivals in our parts, but the last has been the greatest, which originated about two years ago, in several churches belonging to the middle district association. Before the revival began, wickedness had gotten to a great height. Deism and irreligion abounded on every hand. Professors had be come very carnal, many had apostatized, so that there were but a few names in Sardis who had not defiled their garments; so that I had some awful fears about our condition and was dreading that some great judgment would befall our wretched land. But, contrary to my fears, the Lord visited us in a way of mercy, by stirring up His church often to assemble together, and to carry on worship by prayer and fasting, called prayer meetings. And He came amongst us, and the sacred flame has spread in various parts of Virginia; so that we may truly say, The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And an amendment to the constitution was made the next month, which says, “Congress shall make no law, establishing articles of faith, or a mode of worship, or prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition to the government for a redress of grievances.” This was dated September 23, 1789; and it has been adopted by so many of the states, that it is part of the constitution of our general government, and yet Massachusetts and Connecticut act contrary to it to this day.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“After General Washington was established as President of these United States, a general committee of the Baptist churches in Virginia presented an address to him, in August, 1789, wherein they expressed a high regard for him; but a fear that our religious rights were not well secured in our new constitution of government. In answer to which, he assured them of his readiness to use his influence to make them more secure, and then said, “While I recollect with satisfaction, that the religious society of which you are members have been, throughout America, uniformly and almost unanimously the firm friends of civil liberty, and the persevering promoters of our glorious Revolution, I cannot hesitate to believe that they will be the faithful supporters of a free, yet efficient general government.” [Leland’s Virginia Chronicle, p. 47, 48.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And they had theirs from Rome, the mother of harlots, the great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth, Rev. 17:5, 18. Great Britain has lost all her power here, and our rulers have sworn to renounce all foreign power over America, and yet they compel the people to support ministers who claim a power of office from England. How shocking is this!”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“and on the 10th, the article was brought in, to give rulers power to support ministers by force; and in order to get a vote for it, Mr. John Adams accused the Baptists of sending an agent to Philadelphia, when the first Congress was sitting there, to try to break the union of these colonies in the defense of all our privileges. And Mr. Paine accused the Baptists of reading a long memorial there, in which were some things against our government, which he believed never existed.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“As the Baptist agent was soon informed of these things, he wrote a narrative of the affair, naming his accusers, and challenging them to a fair hearing upon it before any proper judges, and published it in the Chronicle at Boston, December 2, 1779; and he has never heard of any answer since.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“The Baptists were so generally united with their country in the defense of their privileges, that when the general court at Boston passed an act, in October, 1778, to debar all men from returning into their government, whom they judged to be their enemies, and named three hundred and eleven men as such, there was not one Baptist among them.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And on June 26, 1778, they met in a field, by the side of a river, for worship and the administration of that ordinance. But in the midst of their worship, the chief men of the town came at the head of a mob and broke it up. The ministers tried to reason with them about their conduct, but in vain; and a dog was carried into the river, and dipped, in contempt of their opinion. A gentleman of the town then invited the Baptists to his house, near another river, and they held their worship there; but the chief men of the town followed them, and two dogs were plunged in that river; and one young man dipped another there with scorn and derision of the Baptists; and an officer of the town went into the house, and advised these ministers to depart immediately out of town for their own safety. They asked if their lives would be in danger if they did not go, but received no answer. But they secretly agreed with their friends to disperse, and to meet at another place of water; and they did so, and those six persons were baptized, after which the mob offered them some further abuse.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And as their exempting law expired in 1774, another was made, which required that their certificates should be recorded in each parish where the Baptists lived, who must give four-pence for a copy of it, in order to clear themselves, which is three-pence sterling; the same as was laid on a pound of tea, which brought on the war in America! The Baptist churches began an annual association at Warren, September 8, 1767, who have done much to defend their privileges, as well as to unite and quicken each other in religion. And when they met at Medfield, September 13, 1774, they chose an agent to go to Philadelphia, when the first Congress was sitting there, to join with the Philadelphia association, to endeavor to secure our religious rights, while we united with our country in the defense of all our privileges.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“The certificate acts which were made from time to time, to exempt us from ministerial taxes, were often violated by our oppressors, especially where new churches were formed. The Baptist church that was formed at Sturbridge in 1749, gave in certificates according to law, and yet they were all taxed to the parish minister; and in two years five men were imprisoned for it at Worcester, and three oxen and eight cows were taken away, besides a great deal of other property. Several men sued for recompense, and at length judgment was given for them in one case; but then other cases were nonsuited, under the pretense that the actions were not commenced against the right persons. The Baptists judged that their damages in these cases were not less than four hundred dollars. And a representative from Sturbridge prevailed with our legislature to make a new law, in 1752, to exclude all Baptist churches from power to give legal certificates, until they had obtained certificates from three other Baptist churches, that they esteemed said church to be conscientiously Anabaptists; that is, rebaptizers, which they never did believe. Yet, rather than to suffer continually, most of the Baptists conformed in some measure to their laws, until they were convinced that true help could not be had in that way, and therefore they concluded in 1773 to give no more certificates, and published their reasons for so doing.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Neither could the ill-treatment which the Baptists had met with, turn them against their country, who had oppressed them; for though they had received relief from the British court, several times, yet they saw that this was done for political ends, by men who now aimed to bring all America into bondage.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“in February, 1764, from their legislature, in which the president was always to be a Baptist, and so were the majority of the corporation, though some of the Episcopal, Quaker, and Congregational denominations were to be of it. No religious test was ever to be imposed upon the scholars, though great care was to be taken about their morals.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“In the spring after the college was removed to Providence, where a large brick edifice was erected for it, and a house for the President, all by personal generosity; and no government upon earth ever gave any thing towards said buildings, or for the college funds; though vast sums had been given by the governments of Massachusetts and Connecticut to their colleges. But the buildings, library, and funds of this college, were all produced voluntarily, and chiefly from the inhabitants of Providence, many of whom sprung from the planters of the first Baptist church in America. O how far was this from the thoughts of Massachusetts, when they banished Roger Williams for opposing the use of force in religious affairs!”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“When religion was revived in 1741, there were but nine Baptist churches in all Massachusetts government, and none in New Hampshire or Vermont.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“The excellent Mr. Edwards was settled there, with his grandfather Stoddard, upon the opinion that the Lord’s supper was a converting ordinance, and he had gone on fifteen years in that way, until he was fully convinced that it was contrary to the Word of God; and he also found that gospel discipline could not be practiced in such a way. No sooner was his change of mind discovered, in 1744, than most of his people were inflamed against him, and never would give him a hearing upon the reasons of his change of sentiments; but they were resolute to have him dismissed. As he could not get them to hear him preach upon the subject, he printed his thoughts upon it, in 1749, though most of them would not read his book. In it he says, “that baptism, by which the primitive converts were admitted into the church, was used as an exhibition and token of their being visibly regenerated, dead to sin, and alive to God. The saintship, godliness, and holiness of which, according to Scripture, professing Christians and visible saints do make a profession and have a visibility, is not any religion and virtue that is the result of common grace, or moral sincerity, (as it is called), but saving grace.” And to prove this, he referred to Rom. 2:29; 6:1-4; Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11, 12. [On a right to Sacraments, p. 20-23.] Though he did not design it, yet many others have been made Baptists by the same scriptures, and the same ideas from them.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Another thing which Dr. Chauncy complains of, as of a dangerous tendency, is a spirit of rash and censorious judging; this he says first appeared in Mr. Whitefield, who seldom preached, but he had something or other in his sermon against unconverted ministers. Chauncy says, “I freely confess, had the ministers of New England lost their character as men of religion, by a deportment of themselves contradictory to the gospel, I should have found no fault with any representation of them as bad men; nay, dangerous enemies to the kingdom of Christ: for I am clearly of the mind, that a visibly wicked minister is the greatest scandal to religion, and plague to the church of God; nor is it a hurt, but a real service to the cause of Christ, to expose the characters of such, and lessen their power to do michief.” [P, 140, 141.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“This was about the time that Mr. David Brainerd was expelled out of Yale college, who did the most afterwards towards spreading Christianity among the Indians of any man in our day. How far were the above actions from a catholic behavior towards the Baptists, pretended to by many!”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“But Mr. Edwards delivered a sermon at New Haven in September, 1741, in which he well distinguished between the marks of a true work of God, and all false appearances of it, which was printed and spread through the nation, and was much esteemed. An anonymous answer to it was soon published at Boston, and many appeared against the work in Massachusetts; but they could not get any law made against it, as they did in Connecticut.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“As to Mr. Tennant, he says, “In private converse with him I found him to be a man of considerable parts and learning; free, gentle, condescending; and from his own various experience, reading the most noted writers on experimental divinity, as well as the Scriptures, and conversing with many who had been awakened by his ministry in New Jersey, where he then lived; he seemed to have as deep an acquaintance with the experimental part of religion as any I have conversed with, and his preaching was as searching and rousing as ever I heard. He seemed to have no regard to please the eyes of his hearers with agreeable gestures, nor their ears with delivery, nor their fancy with language; but to aim directly at their hearts and consciences, to lay open their ruinous delusions, show them their numerous, secret, hypocritical shifts in religion, and drive them out of every deceitful refuge, wherein they made themselves easy with a form of godliness without the power.” [Christian History, Vol. 2, p. 384-387.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“And he then said, “O! my soul, look back with gratitude on what the Lord hath done for thee in this excursion. I think it is the seventy-fifth day since I arrived at Rhode Island. My body was then weak, but the Lord has much renewed its strength. I have been enabled to preach, I think, one hundred and seventy-five times in public, besides exhorting frequently in private. I have traveled upwards of eight hundred miles, and gotten upwards of seven hundred pounds sterling, in goods, provisions, and money, for the Georgia orphans. Never did God vouchsafe to me greater comforts. Never did I see such a continuance of the Divine presence in the congregations to whom I have preached.” [Collection of his Journals, p. 437.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“The town of Providence wrote an answer to them, February 23, 1722, signed by Jonathan Sprague, wherein they say, “This happiness principally consists in their not allowing societies any superiority one over another; but each society supports their own ministry, of their own free-will, and not by constraint or force, upon any man’s person or estate; and this greatly adds to our peace and tranquility. But the contrary, that takes any man’s estate by force, to maintain their own or any other ministry, it serves for nothing but to provoke to wrath, envy, and strife.” And they went on to mention how such things were continued in their government.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“But his uncle at Boston was taken away by death the last day of that month; and he finished his course in the happy manner following: March 21, he said, “When I look on one hand, I see nothing but sin, guilt, and discouragement; but when I look on the other, I see my glorious Savior, and the merits of His precious blood, which cleanseth from all sin. I cannot say I have such transports of joy as some have had, but through grace I can say I have gotten the victory over death and the grave.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Yet many were banished upon the result of the synod of 1637, and the Baptist meeting-house in Boston was nailed up, after the synod of 1679. Yea, and he was now earnest to have Congregational ministers supported by taxes imposed “in the king’s name.” He approved of the practice of some towns, who involved the salary for ministers in a general town tax; [Ibid. p. 21, 22] and there never was any law made here to exempt the Baptists from taxes to Congregational ministers, until after Dr. Mather died, February 13, 1728, aged 65. But in May following, an act was made to exempt the persons of Baptists and Quakers from such taxes, if they lived within five miles of their respective meetings, and usually attended worship there on Lord’s-days; of which they must give an account to their county courts in June annually, upon oath or affirmation, after which the clerk of each court was to give a list of their names to the assessors of each town or precinct.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Mr. Hooker of Hartford, one of the best ministers who ever came to America, says, “A particular congregation is the highest tribunal, unto which the grieved party may appeal in the third place, if private council, or the witness of two have seemed to proceed too sharply, and with too much rigor against him; before the tribunal of the church, the cause may easily be scanned and sentence executed according to Christ. If difficulties arise in the proceeding, the council of other churches should be sought to clear the truth; but the power of censure rests still in the congregation where Christ placed it.”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804

“Again he says, “A national synod is the highest ecclesiastical authority upon earth.” Finally he says, “Synods have power to admonish, to excommunicate, and deliver from those censures, and every man must stand to the judgment of the national synod, Deut. 17:12.” [Stoddard on Instituted Churches, p. 12, 21, 29, 33.]”
― Isaac Backus, Your Baptist Heritage: 1620-1804