Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

Donatist bishops were present at the council of Carthage explodes the
possibility of reasonably believing the Donatists had Episcopal prelates.
Another like proof is, there were “410 Donatist bishops assembled together.”
f187 Who ever heard or dreamed of 410 Romish, Episcopal, Greek or Methodist
bishops in as limited a territory as was North Africa? As W.W. Everts, Jr., well
observes:
“The number of the Donatist bishops proves that every pastor received the
title, a name which Donatists very much disliked.” f188
The Donatists were not Campbellites and Romanists, but were Baptists, in that
they believed in the blood before the water, salvation by grace and not by the
work of baptism.
Says Benedict: (Optatus was the Donatus adversary.)
“Optatus was in union with the Donatists in requiring faith before baptism.
The repetition of the rite was the principle matter of dispute between the
parties, except that Optatus, with his party held to the salutary influence of
baptism. Baptism, said he, makes a man a Christian, and how can he be made
a Christian the second time? Baptism in the name of the Trinity confers grace,
which is destroyed by the second baptism.” f189
To the charge that the Donatists held to the union of church and State, I reply:
(1.) As no other people, holding to a regenerate church membership, the blood
before the water, only believers’ baptism, and to a congregational church
government ever, at the same time held to this adulterous union, the charge is
incredible.
(2.) The only ground of this charge is, the Donatists appealed to the emperor to
decide whether they were heretics. Dr. Armitage well says: “Nothing could
have been more stupid and inconsistent” than this, as “they were struggling for
a pure church against the laxness of the Catholic party.” f190 This remark of
Armitage is on the report that the appeal was made, to unite church and State, a
report not supported by history. A.D. 312, on gaining control of the empire,
Constantine proclaimed freedom of religious belief to all. f191 But, to deprive
the Donatists of this liberality, it seems their enemies accused them of being
traitors to the emperor. Based on the Romish report, Gibbon says:
“Both parties accused each other of being traitors … The cause of the
Donatists was examined with attention, perhaps it was determined with
justice, but perhaps their complaints were not without foundation, that the
credulity of the emperor was abused by the insidious acts of his favorite
Otius.” f192