Dorothy PageHatcher, Eldridge B. (Eldridge Burwell)
Religion
Dorothy Page
Hatcher, Eldridge B. (Eldridge Burwell)
Christian fiction
"Please note what that says," remarked Mr. Walton. "Those words call
attention to the purity and high Christian character of the Baptists,
and to the fact that they were the first in these centuries to send out
missionaries to the heathen. It is a fact that the great Foreign Mission
movement now encircling the world was first started by the Baptists a
little over a hundred years ago under the lead of William Carey, a
Baptist. Notice it gives to the Baptists the honor of being the author
of religious liberty for the world."
"But who is that Campbell?" asked Sterling.
"His book is one of the great books of the day."
"Of course," said Sterling with a smile.
Dorothy read on. "Here is another statement from Gregory. He is writing
concerning the Anabaptists: 'The history of that remarkable people is
yet to be written, and when it shall have been written an heroic chapter
shall have been added to the history of the world. The Dutch Anabaptists
were Puritans before Puritanism had sprung into recognized existence and
held all that Puritanism afterwards contended for.'"
"Think of that," said Mr. Walton. "We all know one of the greatest
religious movements of the past was Puritanism. It saved England from
the blight of Catholicism and made and kept her Protestant. But there
were two wings of the Puritan movement; one wing stayed in the English
church and sought to work reforms within the church, and the other wing
fought the battle on the outside of that church, and of this party the
Baptists were the foremost fighters. They sounded clear and strong the
demand for absolute religious liberty."
"Here is something from Masson's Life of Milton," said Dorothy.
"Let us have it," said Sterling. "That is a standard book."
"On page 90, Vol. III., find this: 'Not to the Church of England,
however, nor to Scotch Presbyterianism, nor to English Puritanism at
large does the honor of the first perception of the full liberty of
conscience and its first assertion in English speech belong. That honor
has to be assigned, I believe, to the Independents in general and to the
Baptists in particular.'"
"Well, well," said Mr. Page. "Sterling, this daughter of mine has indeed
made a discovery. I think it is an eye-opener for both of us. But go
ahead, daughter. You seem to have yet other surprises up your sleeve."
"Here is something very interesting."
"And where does it come from this time?" asked the father.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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