Fifty Years Among The Baptists

by David Benedict

FIRST DECADE

CHAPTER 1 — Prefatory Remarks. — Five Decades, or Periods of Ten Years Each. — My Travels and Extensive Acquaintance with Baptist Ministers in Early Times. — Summary View of the Baptists about 1800. — No Periodicals. — Old Baptist Magazine. — Mite Societies. — But Few Educated Ministers. — Rise of Benevolent Institutions.

CHAPTER 2 — A Brief Account of My Early Efforts for the Collection of Materials for a General History of the Baptists in all Ages and Countries. — Baptist Ministers of Distinction in the Different States.

CHAPTER 3 — Biographical Sketches of a Few of the Ministers Mentioned in the Preceding Chapter. — Stillman, Baldwin, Gano, Sharp, Cornell, Stanford, Parkinson, Williams, Staughton, Rogers, Jones, J. Richards, J. Healey, Furman, Bottaford, Fuller, Marshall, Mercer.

CHAPTER 4 — On Extempore Preaching. — The Support and the Neglect of Ministers. — Comments on their Various Habits and Conditions.

CHAPTER 5 — Missionary and Other Agencies. — Houses of Worship.

CHAPTER 6 — On the Changes in Baptist Customs in the Course of Fifty Years. — In Church Affairs. — Associations.

CHAPTER 7 — On the Popular Prejudices Against the Baptists in Former Times. — Their Unwise Policy in Some Things. — Baptist Publishers. — No Baptist Press. — Old-Fashioned Pulpits. — Modern Platforms.

SECOND DECADE — ON THE RISE OF THE FOREIGN MISSION CAUSE AMONG THE AMERICAN BAPTISTS

CHAPTER 8 — Judson and Rice Become Baptists. — The Triennial Convention. — The Missionary Union. — Rice Becomes an Agent. — The Columbian College, Difficulties About Missionary Money. — Death of Rice.

CHAPTER 9 — The Early Correspondence of Mr. Rice Pertaining to the Foreign Mission Cause, and My First Acquaintance with Him. — Surprising Changes Throughout a Large Part of the Baptist Denomination on the Subject of Missions. — The Anti-Mission Party. Mr. Rice’s Correspondence with Marshman and Judson in India. — Letters and Journals of Mr. Hough. — On the Hindoos, by Mr. Ward. — Languages of the East.

CHAPTER 10 — New Phases in the Doctrinal Creed of the Baptists. — The Fuller System Comes into Vogue. — On the Changes which Followed.

CHAPTER 11 — Unitarianism among the American Baptists. — My Investigation of the System. — My Conferences with Some of our Men who Adopted it. — Also with Dr. Kirkland of Harvard University, Dr. Freeman of Boston and others. — General Remarks on the System. — My Conclusions against it.

CHAPTER 12 — On Customs now Generally Abolished, which Prevailed More or Less among the Baptists in Former Times; as Laying On of Hands. — Washing Feet. — Devoting Children. — Ruling Elders.— Decline in the Use of Brother and Sister, and Elder. — Seven Deacons the Gospel Number for a Full-Grown Church.

THIRD DECADE— ON THE AGE OF EXCITEMENTS

CHAPTER 13 — Quiet Condition of the Baptists Generally. — Agitations about Free-masonry and Southern Slavery. — The Troubles which Followed. — The Division of Churches. — The Removals of Ministers. — The Name of Stayshort Applied to Many.

CHAPTER 14 — The Old Triennial Convention. — The Meeting in New York in 1826. — The Board Removed to Boston. — The Columbian College. — The Home Missionary Society Formed. — Dr. Going. — Dr. Peck. — State Conventions.

CHAPTER 15 — The Manner of Settling Ministers in Former Times, and of Supporting them. — Imperfect Support of them. — Revivals. — New Measures.

FOURTH DECADE

CHAPTER 16 — A New Baptist Register, by I. M. Allin. — A List of Small Literary Institutions. — Manual Labor Schools.— American and Foreign Bible Society.

CHAPTER 17 — The Southern Baptist Convention Formed. — The Causes which Led to this Measure. — New Methods of Conducting Associations. — Comments on the Agency System.

CHAPTER 18 — The Old Triennial Convention Assumes the Name of the Baptist Missionary Union. — Diversities Between the Two Bodies. — Some Objectionable Things. — Too Little Freedom for Speakers. — TooLittle Time. — Too Many Young Speakers Take the Floor, Too Often. — Too Long.

CHAPTER 19 — Some Account of My Publications. — Old Baptist History. — By Whom Published. — Difficulties in Circulating it by the War. — Other Works. — All Religions. — Interview with Leading Men of all Parties. — The Shakers of New Lebanon.

CHAPTER 20 — Authorship Continued. — Interviews with Catholics in Boston and Elsewhere. — With Scotch Seceders. — The Lutherans and Others in New York. — With the Moravians. — The Result of these Visitations. — My Last Baptist History. — Post Office Matters.

CHAPTER 21 — Authorship Continued. — My Compendium of Ecclesiastical History. — Motives for Undertaking the Work, to Make a Book for the People; To Give the Framework of Church History; To Bring out More Fully and Favorably the History of the Donatists and Other Reputed Heretics. — On the Term Puritan. — Miscellaneous Matters.

FIFTH DECADE

CHAPTER 22 — Changes in Meeting-House Fixings and Comforts. — Changes in Church Music. — Organs. — Titles of Ministers. — My Efforts for Ministerial Education. — With Others.

CHAPTER 23 — A Review of all Collegiate Institutions among the Baptists in the United States. — A Review of their Theological Seminaries. — Theological Departments in Connection with our Universities and Colleges, to a Needful Extent, Recommended in Preference to Separate Schools.

CHAPTER 24 — On Religious Newspapers in this Country and among the Baptists. — Difficulties at First. — Too Numerous at Times. — Their Secular Character. — First Sunday School. — On the Rise and Management of our Benevolent Institutions. — On the Death of Correspondents and Familiar Friends.