No. 5.]

[PRICE 1D.

When a new convert joins one of those "assemblies of God" which retains the New Testament ordinance of Believers' Immersion, he is told that the "Bible, and the Bible only, is the Religion of Baptists." He is not asked to believe any doctrine because the assembly he joins believes it, but because the Bible teaches it. Calvin, Luther, Wesley, and the compilers of the Prayer-Book, may have been very excellent and intelligent christians; but they have no more authority in matters of faith, worship, or practice, than any Baptist minister or Sunday School teacher. To submit, in religious opinions or usages, to them or to any other man, is Popery or Puseyism. It is setting man above the word of God. The unity of a Baptist church, is a unity in Christ, not in man. "One faith," because they have but "one Lord" as the object of faith, and hence also but "one immersion," that of the New Testament. No Acts of Parliament, no Lord Bishop, no Convocation, no Conference, no Baptist Association, can alter the usages of the humblest Baptist church; on the other hand, the youngest member has but to shew his brethren and sisters, that any church practice is unscriptural, and the church feels bound forthwith to change it. Such is their "liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free." obey Christ as soon as they are shewn his will, but (in religion) to call no man lord or master upon earth. Baptist churches may, without presumption, take the name of

To

Bible churches. It is true, certain usages have obtained in some of our churches, adopted at first as expedient, and afterwards retained through the influence of custom. But mark the difference between Baptist churches and those churches which allow "that the church can decree rites and ceremonies, and hath authority in matters of faith," it is just this, that no intelligent Baptist ever requires any one to conform to any usage except on the ground of its being required by the Bible. Every thing not enjoined by inspiration is optional. Our numerous churches which admit no one to communion unless he has been baptized on his own profession of faith, do so because they hold with the vast majority of christians, that baptism is an indispensable pre-requisite to the Lord's table. Satisfy them that they may consistently with allegiance to Christ, commune with one whose baptism every Baptist must regard as a nullity, and they would rejoice to unite with unbaptized christians at the Lord's table, as they do in other acts of worship.

These remarks have been suggested by the subject mentioned at the head of this article. If tradition, if law, if custom may guide us, then Baptists are ecclesiastical heretics indeed; but if "prophets and apostles, and Jesus Christ as the chief corner-stone," are sufficient, the writer hopes, in another article, to justify the simplicity of our order. If the young Baptist looks abroad, he sees one Hierarchy

with the Pope as head, next Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Rectors, Vicars, Curates, Deans, Prebends, Canons, Minor Canons, Archdeacons, Deacons, and Churchwardens!!! He sees another Hierarchy called the Church of England, exactly like the former in these officers, except that Henry VIII. cut off the Papal head in favour of himself, in virtue of which decapitation our Hierarchy begins according to Act of Parliament, Victoria, (when 18 years old) Head of the Church, Archbishops, Bishops, &c. as before. All these are splendid impositions on human credulity, or officers of Christ claiming our obedience, according as we allow or deny the sufficiency of the Bible. Till my

next, I request the attention of our young or inquiring readers, to two portions of the most ancient christian writers extant, older than Papias, Justin Martyr, Ignatius, Irenæus, Clemens Roman or Alexandrine, older than any of the Fathers so often deferred to by Puseyite parish clergymen, namely, Luke and Paul, Acts xx. 17 and 28. Eph. iv. 11, 12. 1 Tim. iii. 1 to 13. C.

the pastor of a seventh day Baptist church, in London. Towards the end of the year 1661, when the Nonconformists were severely persecuted, Mr. James and his friends ventured to meet, with open doors, for the worship of God; but in the midst of the service persons in authority entered the chapel, and commanded the preacher to come down from the pulpit, on the ground that he was accused of uttering treasonable words against the king. Continuing to preach, notwithstanding this order, one of the party advanced and threatened to pull him out of the pulpit, unless he obeyed their command. Noise, uproar, and confusion ensued, in the midst of which he was dragged away from the House of God by the enemies of Christian liberty. Having undergone an examina

tion before the Justices, he was committed to Newgate, after being told by one of them, that he should stretch for his conduct.

On the 14th of November, he was indicted for compassing the king's death,— for endeavouring to change the government, and for saying that the king and his nobles had shed the blood of the saints, both at Charing-Cross and in Scotland. He demanded a copy of the charges and time to examine them, before he put in an answer, but these were refused by the Judge, who threatened to proceed against him for contempt of court, and to construe his silence into a confession of guilt. He pleaded not guilty, and was sent back to prison.

On the 19th of the same month his trial took place. Mr. James was assured, by a gentleman of the greatest respectability, that the jury was packed for the purpose of taking away his life. Four witnesses were produced by the crown in support of the prosecution, most of whom were spies, and men of the vilest character, who swore that Mr. James had used treasonable words, while four persons came forward to vindicate the innocence of the prisoner. He denied the charge, both in matter and form; declared that he cherished no malice against the king, but desired the salvation of his soul; and as he thus spoke, the Chief Justice, Forster, cried out in a voice of thunder, "Hold sirrah, sirrah! you think you are preaching in the Conventicle in Whitechapel." Being now forbidden even to address the jury, he put an end to the mock trial by saying to the corrupt judges, "you had as good have me hanged before I came here, and not brought me hither to cover the matter over with pretence of law."

Under the direction of the judges, the jury brought in a verdict of guilty, and the prisoner was remanded to await the decision of the king. In the meantime, his wife made several attempts to petition Charles in favour of her husband. With the energy of a woman pleading for the life of her dearest friend, she overcame every difficulty, placed herself in the way of the king, and presented to him a paper

in vindication of the prisoner's innocence; but, with all the heartlessness of a Stuart, he answered, "Oh! Mr. James: he is a sweet gentleman!" and threw the door in her face. Perplexed, but not in despair, she made another appeal to the tyrant, and was answered by low abuse: "He is a rogue and shall be hanged-yea, he shall be hanged," was his unfeeling reply.

Mr. James was now brought up to receive judgment, and being asked what he had to say why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, gave utterance to the words of Jeremiah (Jer. xxvi. 14, 15). The judge silenced him a second time, and then pronounced this barbarous sentence: "John James, thou art to be carried from hence to prison, and from thence to the place of execution, and there to be hanged by the neck; and, being yet alive, to be cut down and thy bowels to be taken out, and to be burnt before thy face, and thy head to be severed from thy body, and thy body to be quartered, and thy head and body to be disposed of according to the king's pleasure."

On hearing this bloody sentence, our Worthy said, "blessed be God, that he whom man hath condemned God hath justified." He was sent back to Newgate, and confined in a dungeon. During the interval between his condemnation and death, one of his friends visited him in his cell, and weeping over his cruel end, the martyr said, "I beseech you forbear such carriage, which will encourage the Lord's enemies." Separation from his beloved wife was worse than death itself, yet his faith triumphed, and he said, "We have been giving up one another to the Lord, and, I bless the Lord, he hath made us as willing to part as ever we were to come together." The night before his death, he said to some of his friends, "I sup with you to-night, but you would be glad to sup with me to-morrow night."

Let us now, dear reader, hasten to the prison, that we may accompany this murdered servant of Christ to the place of his execution. The sun has risen upon him for the last time, and the knell of death is sounding in his ears; but the dark valley through which he must pass,

is radiant with the presence and glory of the Saviour. "The time of his departure is at hand." Hark! the sound of footsteps is heard, and the bolt is dropped. A messenger enters the cell, and announces that the hour of death has arrived. What a message for a man to receive under any circumstances! but what a joyful summons to a believer, and especially to one of the martyrs of Jesus! Grace has prepared him for the awful moment, and taken away the sting of death. "I bless God," said he, "that I no more fear this death, than to lie down upon this bed." Outside Newgate a sledge is drawn up, in readiness to convey our Worthy to Tyburn: let us follow it and see the end of the tragedy. Brace your nerves for what is to come. Imagine yourself at the scene of his martyrdom. The servant of God is calm, peaceful, forgiving; "made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." Thousands of spectators are presentoceans of tears are shed-many prayers are offered on his behalf; while silent and bitter curses are uttered against tyrants and persecutors. Hark! he speaks to his countrymen, and leaves with them his dying testimony-"the Lord knows, that the things charged upon me are notoriously false. I speak these as my last words." "Behold he prayeth!" It was his last prayer. "Dear Father, give thy poor worm leave to beg one request at thy hands for the poor witnesses. As they have done their utmost to wash their hands in the blood of thy servant, O that thou wouldest thoroughly wash their souls in the blood of Jesus Christ." "Lord Jesus receive my spirit," were his last words, and in an instant his soul was beyond the reach of false witnesses, packed juries, corrupt judges, and a wicked king.

"The hangman then took out his heart and bowels, and burned them in a fire prepared for the purpose. He then cut off his head, and cut his body into four quarters; and, by the appointment of the king, the quarters were fixed upon the gates of the city, and his head first upon London bridge, then upon a pole opposite his meeting-house." "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and

with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." T. P.

ANTI-STATE-CHURCH CONFERENCE.

The advocates for the separation of Church and State, throughout the three kingdoms, have lately been active in preparation, for the Conference appointed to be held in London on the 30th of April. The friends of religious freedom in the Borough of Leeds, will be represented in the Conference by twenty delegates, in Bradford and other parts of the WestRiding, by a considerable number, and, it is hoped, that the total number of Representatives will amount to five hundred. The movement has progressed gradually, cautiously, and with efficiency; and the result will be read in the future history of civil and religious freedom in Europe.

Regret has been partially expressed, that some of the leading Dissenters in London and in the Provinces, ministers as well as laymen, have not given their countenance to the Conference, though all professedly desirous that the separation of the Church from the State should be effected, and therefore supporters of the principle on which the Conference is founded. Some of these objectors are sensible, but overcautious men; others are feeble-minded men, who cannot grasp any great principle in its consequences; others raise the stale objection by which Reformers have been met in all ages, "the time has not come;" others are ambitious or envious men, who are cool about the movement, because it did not originate in London, it did not originate with them, or it did not originate with the parties who they think ought to take the lead; others are such ardent lovers of peace, that they are alarmed at the vigour of the project, forgetting that in "the wisdom that cometh from above," purity takes precedence even of peace; others are afraid of their friends or connexions being offended, or of their secular or personal interests being sacrificed, as though the work of God must stand still until every man shall have arranged with his private friends, or about

his private fortune; and others are of opinion that some other mode of procedure, a crotchet of their own, would have been more discreet than a Conference.

Again, there are Dissenting Journals, who have openly opposed the movement; but others, who had not the manliness and courage to be hostile, have allowed the highly important proceedings of the Executive Committee to pass in silence, and thus those who had a right to expect all public proceedings relative to Dissenting operations to be recorded in their columns, have been misled or deceived.

It is, however, matter of congratulation, that these objectors and opponents have appeared in their several spheres of influence. Their opposition has called into exercise a more than ordinary degree of wisdom and caution; but had they mingled in considerable numbers, with the energetic and talented men who projected the Conference and moulded the plan for its operations, they would have weakened every pillar of the building, and laid the foundations in feebleness. A. D..

PROPOSED PLAN OF THE PROCEEDINGS AT THE

ANTI-STATE-CHURCH CONFERENCE.

Dear Sir,

The Executive Committee will submit to the Anti-State-Church Conference the following scheme of business, not with a view to rule or limit its deliberations, but simply for the purpose of facilitating its proceedings,-of giving form and order to its discussions, and of suggesting certain leading topics connected with the question of national establishments for professedly religious purposes.

INTRODUCTORY.

A statement will be made by a member of the Executive Committee of the reasons which have led to the summoning of the Conference, and of the steps which have been taken to convene it.

STATE ESTABLISHMENTS OF RELIGION.

1. Considered in their relation to truth. 2. In their practical working.

3. In the several forms of their development in the British empire.

SAPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

1. The practical measures comprehended by the phrase.

DELEGATES TO THE ANTI-STATECHURCH CONFERENCE. This important Conference was to assemble yesterday. At the time we write, the number of Delegates appointed to attend it cannot be ascertained, but it is probable that from four to five hundred would be present. We annex the names of those appointed from this and the neighbouring county, so far as known here:

Leeds. Fox, J. Leeds, Evans, London, representatives of 100 members of Belgrave Church and Congregation (Independent).-Giles, J. E. pastor; Richardson, J. (Baptist Church, South-Parade). -Jay and Strutt, London, representatives of 100 members of Queen-Street Church (Independent).-Bates and another, London, representatives of the New Connexion of Methodists.-Williams, J. pastor; Fellatt, A. London, Baptist Church, Hunslet.-Glover, W. H. Leeds, and Soul, London, representatives of the Wesleyan Association of Methodists. Viny, J. pastor; Dixon, B. London, representatives of the Independent Church, Potternewton.-Tunnicliffe, pastor; Gower, W. London (General Baptists).

Stockport.-Carey, Eustace; Webb, J. M. Independent.

Sheffield. - Davis, J. pastor; Offor, G. (2nd Baptist Church.)

THE PROTESTANT AND ROMISH

HIERARCHIES.

Although Protestant Dissenters are, in general, deeply impressed with the numerous evils of an Established Religion, there is one fact too little thought of, which ought to lead them more firmly to withstand the encroachments of the English Hierarchy, and to come boldly to the help of the Lord. The Church of England, with many other Established Religions, although it professes Protestantism, is very far from being truly Protestant. If we look, amongst many other particulars, to its union with the World by its connection with the State, we find that it is one of the adulterous daughters of "Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication, and who is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus." Rev. xvii. 6, 7.

In the constitution of the Church, as delineated in the Bible, we find nothing secular, nothing like an alliance with the civil power. While its divine Founder commanded that we should render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, he added, "and to God the things that are God's." In civil matters he yielded obedience to earthly potentates, but in spiritual he would never permit them to interfere. But when Constantine, Emperor of Rome, became professedly converted to Christianity, he assumed that authority over the Christian Religion, which he had before exercised over the Pagan: he arrogated to himself the power which belongs only to the Son of God, and exercised it in a manner dishonouring to Christ, disastrous to the Church, and that powerfully aided the progress of infidelity. He used coercive measures for the extirpation of the Pagan superstition; he despotically interfered as arbiter in the controversies of the Christian Church; and endeavoured to force the religion of the Cross into the