11 be the utterance of his own soul, and not the echo of another man’s mind; let him never impose his ritual upon others. It is not manly to wear other people’s clothes, and follow like a slave in other people’s tracks. So, for our own sake, for the sake of churches, for the sake of the world, for the liberties of all men, we stand by Christian liberty, a liberty suited to all peoples, and all countries, in all ages. “ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage ”—yoke of priestly successions, of hierarchical churches, of prelati- cal councils, of ritualistic services, and patented cere- - monies. This important principle has always been one of the pillars of the Baptists. 7. Seventh Pillar. Note it. The parity of rights in the members of a church, and every member a responsible one. A church a pure democracy; a perfect, responsible brotherhood ; a house of peers. “ All ye are brethren.” Neither lords nor wards in a church. A church can be a whole and competent body without a bishop. But some churches choose to have many lords—popes, priests, cardinals, bishops and the like, not suffering the members to elect their own officers, or creed, or mode of worship. Most of these have wards too, initiating infants into I know not what sort of church-membership —for they have never agreed themselves on the relation. The Baptists are quite unlike these. We hold the Christian republic in another light. All the members of a church rank as equals, as do citizens in the civil state, and all must act in choosing their officers, their articles of covenant and belief, and their form of worship. Moreover, all may prophesy and bear testimony, male and female. And every one is held responsible directly to CJirist through his word, he being the head
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