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"The Divine Right of Infant Baptism, Examined and Disproved...."
By Charles Spurgeon, (London, 1749)

      β€œThe whole is a Period of Time, in which the true Church of Christ began gradually to disappear, or to be hidden, and at last fled into the Wilderness ; where she has not been forsaken of Christ, but is, and will be, nourished, for a Time, and Times, and half a Time; this Period includes the gross Darkness of Popery, and all the Depths of Satan ; and which to suffer was no ways contrary to the Veracity of Christ, in his Promise to be with his true Church and faithful Ministers, to the End of the World. Christ has no where promised, that his Doctrines and Ordinances should not be perverted; but, on the contrary, has given clear and strong Intimations, that there should be a general Falling- away and Departure from the Truth and Ordinances of the Gospel, to make way for the Revelation of Antichrist; and though it will be allowed, that during this Period Infant Baptism prevailed, yet it did not universally obtain. There were Witnesses for Adult Baptism in every Age, and Christ had a Church in the Wilderness, in Obscurity, at this Time ; namely, in the Valleys of Piedmont, who were, from the Beginning of the Apostacy, and witnessed against it, and bore their Testimony against Infant Baptism, as will be seen hereafter, and with these his Presence was; nor did he promise it to any, but in the faithful Ministration of his Word and Ordinances, which he has always made good...." - 𝗝𝗼𝗡𝗻 π—šπ—Άπ—Ήπ—Ή, 𝟭𝟳𝟰𝟡

      John Gill (1687-1771) pastored the Goat Yard Baptist Church in London, the same congregation Charles Spurgeon would later pastor. He is also famous for his β€œExposition of the Old and New Testament” which is a Baptist commentary on every verse in the Bible. Notice Gill speaks of the β€œπ‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ πΆβ„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘β„Žβ€ which are those who oppose infant baptism and would hold to the β€œπ‘“π‘Žπ‘–π‘‘β„Žπ‘“π‘’π‘™ π‘€π‘–π‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘› π‘œπ‘“ β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‚π‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘›π‘π‘’π‘ .” Christ has a β€œπ‘ƒπ‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘šπ‘–π‘ π‘’ π‘‘π‘œ 𝑏𝑒 π‘€π‘–π‘‘β„Ž β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ πΆβ„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘β„Ž π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘“π‘Žπ‘–π‘‘β„Žπ‘“π‘’π‘™ π‘€π‘–π‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ , π‘‘π‘œ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝐸𝑛𝑑 π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘‘.” And that β€œπ‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘€π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Šπ‘–π‘‘π‘›π‘’π‘ π‘ π‘’π‘  π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ 𝐴𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑑 π΅π‘Žπ‘π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘š 𝑖𝑛 π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ 𝐴𝑔𝑒, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ πΆβ„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘‘ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘Ž πΆβ„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘β„Ž 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Šπ‘–π‘™π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘’π‘ π‘ .” This is further proof the idea of Baptist perpetuity did not originate with J.R. Graves or G.H. Orchard, but was universally believed by Baptists before that! The quote is from "The Divine Right of Infant Baptism, Examined and Disproved...." (London, 1749).)

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[Document supplied by Ben Stratton; scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.

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