g grown beyond what was regarded as
proper limits) who, in 1633, became the first Particular Baptist Church.

Thus there were now in existence in England two sets of Baptists whose
origins were quite distinct and who never had any real intercourse as
churches. They differed in many respects. The General Baptists were
Arminian, owing to the influence of the Mennonite Anabaptists. The
Particular Baptists were Calvinist, springing as they did from the
Independents. But on the question of Baptism both groups, while they
utterly rejected the baptism of infants, were as yet unpledged to immersion
and rarely practised it. The development of their doctrine as to baptism
was marked along three lines of dispute:--(1) who is the proper
administrator of baptism? (2) who are the proper subjects? and (3) what is
the proper mode? Eventually agreement was reached, and in 1644 a Confession
of Faith was published in the names of the Particular Baptist churches of
London, now grown to seven, "commonly (though falsely) called Anabaptist."

The article on baptism is as follows:--"That baptism is an ordinance of the
New Testament given by Christ to be dispensed only upon persons professing
faith, or that are disciples, or taught, who, upon a profession of faith,
ought to be baptized." "The way and manner of dispensing this ordinance the
Scripture holds out to be dipping or plunging the whole body under water."
They further declare (particularly in order that they may avoid the charge
of being Anabaptists) that "a civil magistracy is an ordinance of God,"
which they are bound to obey. They speak of the "breathing time" which they
have had of late, and their hope that God would, as they say, "incline the
magistrates' hearts so for to tender our consciences as that we might be
protected by them from wrong, injury, oppression and molestation"; and then
they proceed: "But if God withhold the magistrates' allowance and
furtherance herein, yet we must, notwithstanding, proceed together in
Christian communion, not daring to give place to suspend our practice, but
to walk in obedience to Christ in the profession and holding forth this
faith before mentioned, even in the midst of all trials and afflictions,
not accounting our goods, lands, wives, children, fathers, mothers,
brethren, sisters, yea, and our own lives, dear unto us, so that we may
finish our course with joy; remembering always that we ought to obey God
rather than men." They end their con