meffenger's office. The Baptifts had also, amongst fome of their churches, the custom of receiving into their community newly-baptized persons by impofi tion of hands, as a tradition and practice derived from the apostles, and as an early and invariable method of admitting members into the church of Chrift; this custom they reckon one of the fix fundamentals or "principles of the doctrine of Christ," enumerated Heb. vi. 1, 2.

From this furvey of the general history of the Baptifts during the period between the Revolution and the death of King William, our plan leads us to notice thofe individuals who, at that time, appear to have been particularly esteemed and regarded by them as men of talents and influence.

Amongst these was Mr. William Kiffin, who began his ministry with the Independents; but afterwards taking a part in the conferences that were held in the congregation of Mr. Henry Jeffey, when the majority of them adopted the fentiments of the Baptifts, Mr. Kiffin at that time changed his opinion, and joined himself to the church of Mr. John Spilfbury. A difference arose between them about permitting an individual to preach to them, who had not been initiated into the chriftian church by immerfion; as if the confcientious omiffion, on one fide, of a right confidered as an inftitution of Christ by the other party, could vitiate the functions of the minifter: or as if a mutual indulgence to the dictates of confcience could be a criminal * See Neal, vol. iii. p. 517.

connivance at error. On this point these good men parted, but to their credit they kept up a friendly correspondence. Mr. Kiffin became the pastor of a baptist congregation in Devonshire-fquare, London. After the Restoration he had great influence at court, both with the King, and Chancellor Hyde; and poffeffing opulence, is reported to have supplied his Majefty, on preffing emergencies, with a present of ten thousand pounds. He improved his interest with the king to obtain an order for the examination, in council, of a fcurrilous and malignant pamphlet, meant to defame the Baptifts, entitled "Baxter "baptized in blood."* Another effect of his influence was the pardon of twelve baptifts, who were condemned to death at Aylesbury, for refusing to conform to the established church, under a clause in the conventicle act of the 35th of Queen Elizabeth, by the juftices of the county at a quarter feffions: a proceeding which furprized the king, who could scarcely believe that any law to justify putting his fubjects to death for religion only could be in force. Mr. Kiffin himself had, in the time of the Commonwealth, been profecuted under the ordinance of Parliament, enacted, with a defigned reference to Mr. Riddle, for punishing blafphemies and herefies. On the 12th July 1655, he was fummoned before the Lord-Mayor, and charged with a breach of this ordinance, by preaching that “the baptism of infants was unlawful." That magistrate See Neal, vol. iv. p. 477.

† Crosby, vol. ii. p. 181; and vol. iii. p. 5.

*

being bufy, the execution of the penalty incurred was referred to the following Monday. The influence which he had at Court, instead of abafhing malignity, provoked it, and increased the number of his enemies, and they formed a defign upon his life; which coming to his knowledge by a letter that was intercepted, he was fo happy as to escape. He and Mr. Knollys advocated the principles of the Baptifts against Dr. Grew and Dr. Bryan, in a difputation held at Coventry; in which both fides claimed the victory, but which was conducted with good temper and great moderation, and closed without any diminution of friendly regards. Mr. Kiffin lived to be very old, and preached to the laft. He was a man of confiderable parts, had learning, and was an acute difputant. It is a fign of his weight, and of the estimation in which he was held by the reli gious and political communities, that he was one of the five baptifts, who were made aldermen by King James II. when he deprived the city of London of its charter.t

Another individual, who obtained distinction among the baptifts of that day, and was the author of a Treatife in 4to. on the subject of baptifm, was Mr. Thomas Patient, who began his ministry among the Independents in New England; but by his own reflections in reading the fcriptures, was led to conclude that infant baptifm had no foundation in *them. This change of fentiments provoked the refentment of his brethren, and exposed him to much † Id. vol. iii. p. 3, 4, 5*

• Crosby, vol. i. p. 215.

fuffering, and which induced him to emigrate to England; where he became co-paftor with Mr. William Kiffin. He accompanied General Fleetwood to Ireland, and fettled there; and after Dr. Winter was removed by the General, ufually preached in the Cathedral. The intereft of the baptifts was much advanced by his labours in that kingdom, and he is thought to have formed the baptist church at Cloughkeating; which in the year 1740 confifted of between two or three hundred members, united in one communion, though fome were of the general and others of the particular perfuafion. This church was implicated in the profecutions which followed the fuppreffion of Monmouth's infurrection; and the minifter and all the members were tried for their lives. The foreman of the jury fwore, before he went into the court, that he would not leave it till he had brought them all in guilty: a rash and profane way of prejudging a cause. As foon as he entered the court he died: and the rest of the jury acquitted them.*

There did not arife among this denomination of christians a more remarkable character, in many refpects, than Mr. John Bunyan; who was born of honest but poor parents, at Elftow in Bedfordshire, in 1628. His father was a tinker: his education confifted only in being taught to read and write; and after he was grown up, he followed his father's occupation. In 1645 he ferved as a foldier in the Parliament's army at the fiege of Leicester. In his * Crosby, vol. iii. p. 43

youth he was very vicious, and greatly corrupted the manners of his young companions. He became at length a thoughtful and pious man. Different incidents feem to have awakened the principle of conscience in his breaft, and to have led him into deep, serious, and penitent reflections. The reproof of a woman, a notoriously wicked character, addreffed to him with sharpness, when he was curfing and swearing in a vehement manner, and reproaching him as able to fpoil all the youth in the town, filled him with shame, and determined him to refrain from that profane practice. An accidental converfation with a poor man on religion induced him to apply himself to reading the fcriptures; which was followed by fuch a reformation, both in his words and life, that the change in his manners filled his neighbours with astonishment, and converted their former cenfures of his conduct into commendation and praise. A cafual conference alfo with four poor women, into whofe company he fell at Bedford, on the subject of the new birth, left very serious impreffions on his mind. He himself, it appears, ascribed his converfion, principally, or in the first instance, to a fudden voice from Heaven, faying, "Will thou leave thy fins, and go to heaven; or have "thy fins, and go to hell ?" and accofting him when he was at play with his companions. This excited fuch an astonishment, that he immediately left bis fport, and looking up to heaven, whence the voice feemed to come, he thought he faw the Lord Jefus looking down upon him and threatening him with