Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

That some Mennonites practiced immersion is proved from the fact that, in
1620, there were Mennonite pastors who served two churches — a Mennonite
and a Collegiant church — and the Collegiants always practiced immersion.
Barnes Sears, D.D., thus quotes Trecksel, a recent writer of much weight: “The
Anabaptists baptized in running streams and in f484 barns.” f486
Turretine, called the theological Blackstone: “The Anabaptists are so called
from their repetition of baptism in the case of those who have been already
baptized, whether in respect to infants f485 or adults, who pass from one sect of
this people to another, whom they again baptize — immerse — (tingunt) that
they may receive them into their communion.” f487
Cramp quoting Bullinger, concerning the Anabaptists, brings out the fact, that
both the people and himself regarded the Anahaptists as exclusive
immersionists: “For the people said, ‘Let others say what they will of the
dippers, we see in them nothing but what is excellent.’” f488
Samuel H. Schmuker says: “The Anabaptists held to the baptism of believers
by immersion, denying the efficacy of infant baptism.” f489
Of Anabaptists Neal says:
“They differed about the subject and mode of baptism, whether it should be
administered to infants, or in any other manner than in dipping the whole
body under water.” f490
This shows there was a kind of Anabaptists who baptized infants and who
were not exclusive immersionists; and, that there was a kind who were the
reverse. From the former kind and from some who were just coming out of the
Romish church — as is seen in another part of this chapter — comes “the
testimony that the genuine Anabaptists did not exclusively immerse!”
Jacob Ditzler, a famous Methodist controversialist, conceded that the
Anabaptists were immersionists: “The German Anabaptists restored baptism
by coming out of the Romish church and immersing each other when they had
been sprinkled.” f492
Regarding the examples, related in Armitage, and by others, of affusion among
Anabaptists, I cannot better answer than in the language of that lamented and
eminent historical and exegetical scholar, the Rev. E.T. Winkler, D.D.: f491
“Neither do the cases of pouring decide any-thing. For the administrators who
acted on their own authority, were members of the Reformed Party and would
still, if permitted, retain connection with it. The pourings were administered
by those who were associates or disciples of Zwingli and Luther, … who
began their public labors at Wittenberg and Zurich. Except that they insisted