4 earthly powers, may bind man’s conscience. In this high freedom the first churches were planted, released from the yoke of Judaism and the chains of idolatries. As might have been expected, this freedom, rebuking hereditary and prescriptive claims, was assailed by envious Judaism, and wounded heathen hierarchs, and proud pagan philosophers, who asserted that men should think and worship as did their fathers, and should bow to the doctrines of the majority and to the divinities patronized by the State. Not so, said true believers; let all be free to bow to Jesus Christ. As antichrist set up his episcopal, papal and despotic scepter, faithful witnesses stood up against him and held fast to the pillars of truth. From these we count our lineage. They were known by various names, Montanists, Nova- tians, Donatists, Paulicians, Paterines, Albigenses, Waldenses, Henricians, Anabaptists, and lastly Baptists. They held to the old, divinely-bestowed liberty, amid papal fires, episcopal racks, and prelatical persecutions, till finally in this land we gained a provincial foothold under the agency of Roger Williams. Here the pillar has been honored, and to-day Baptist churches enroll three millions of members on this continent. The Baptists, from the days of John the Baptist, have held to this principle of soul-liberty, and suffered in its defense ; and until within the last two hundred years they have been alone in holding it up ; no other denomination stood with them. Papist, Episcopalian, Puritan, and Presbyterian, in turn bitterly opposed us, until the Providence of God disarmed them. Even the Methodists, prior to the Revolution, were in sympathy with the Episcopalians in persecuting the Baptists in Virginia. Indeed, all churches that have the hierarchic, episcopal, monarchical and ritualistic, or even prelatical
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