Particular Baptists in England to 1644

7/30/2019 Particular Baptists in England to 1644

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Particular Baptists in England to

1644


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unlike General Baptists, Particular Baptists hadlittle connection with continental Anabaptiststhey sprang from EnglishSeparatism/Independency (actually, from semi-Separatism) and imbibed the Calvinism of that

movement

1616JLJ congregation organized at Southwark,London by Henry JacobJacob pastored thischurch for 6 years, then resigned and moved to

Virginia, where he died in 1624 1624John Lathrop (d. 1653) became pastor

imprisoned in 1632 during persecution underCharles I and Archbishop Laudhe was releasedin 1634, when he and 30 members of JLJ Church

fled to New England


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1637Henry Jessey (1601-1663) becamepastor

baptismal discussions in JLJ Church

ultimately led to emergence of Particular

Baptist congregations, although evidence is

sketchy on the chronology of secessions from

JLJ Church

1633some evidence that Samuel Eaton led a

group out of JLJ over question of validity of

baptism in Church of Englandthe Eaton

group received believers baptism but it is not

clear whether they totally rejected infant

baptismEaton secession was a step further


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1638another secession from JLJ Church ledto a Particular Baptist congregation under

leadership of John Spilsbury (some historians

think that he became pastor of Eaton group

but evidence is meager)others involved inthis church included Richard Blunt and

William Kiffin (the Kiffin manuscript a key

historical source here)this church

discussed proper mode for believersbaptismBlunt, who spoke Dutch, leaned

toward immersion and went to Holland to

consult with Collegiants, a splinter group from

Mennonites


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in Blunts discussions with Collegiants, it isnot clear whether he was immersed by them

or simply received instructions on how to

immerseby 1641 immersion had become

accepted way to baptize in English ParticularBaptist churchesthis mode later adopted by

General Baptists

Hanserd Knollysa member of JLJ Church

who questioned infant baptism in 1643this

led to a new Baptist congregation with

Knollys as pastorin 1645 he baptized Jessey

and many others from JLJ Church


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Praise-God or Christ-Died-Only-forthe-Elect Bareboneanother JLJ member

defended infant baptism in 1642 but by 1654

was listed on a Declaration of Baptists

16447 Particular Baptist churches in

London areathey adopted the (1st) London

Confessionthis group known for believers

baptism by immersion, Calvinistic theology,

commitment to religious liberty

Documents

Particular Baptists in England to 1644