Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

“Nothing is said by Hoveden of their rejection of the sacraments of baptism
and the eucharist, which would have certainly been mentioned by as careful a
writer as Hoveden if it had existed.” f240
As to their having opposed marriage, though it has been disprovingly alluded
to, in the foregoing, I will quote the statement of Prof. Geo. P. Fisher: The
Paulicians: “did not oppose marriage.” f241
While I have more testimony to prove the Paulicians were Baptists as to the
ordinances, I conclude this point with these as amply sufficient:
(1.) They did administer the ordinances.
(2.) Only to believers.
(3.) They recognized the scriptural truth, that only immersion is baptism.
(4.) As they baptized only believers they believed in a regenerate church
membership,
The Paulicians were Baptists in church government. Of them Benedict quotes
Gibbon:
“Churches were founded upon the plan and model of the churches. They were
incapable of desiring the wealth and honors of the Catholic prelacy; such antichristian
pride they bitterly condemned.” f243
Armitage:
“Dr. Semler accords them more correct ideas of godliness, worship and
church government than the Catholics of their time, and these virtues drew
upon them more persecution from the hierarchy than their doctrinal views.”
f244
Robinson: They were called: “Acephali, or headless.” f245 They were doubtless
as Benedict explains, so called because they rejected Romish rules. Mosheim:
“They had not, like the Manichaeans, an ecclesiastical government
administered by bishops, priests and deacons; they had no sacred order of
men distinguished by their manner of life or any other circumstance from the
rest of the assembly; nor had councils, synods or such like institutions any
place in their religious polity.” f246
This language might be misunderstood to mean that they had no ministers at
all. But it is the contrast between the simplicity of the ministry, as among
Baptists now, and the prelacy, as in the Romish churches now. The next words
of Mosheim clearly so explain:
“They had certain doctors whom they called Sunecdemi, i.e. companions in
the journey of life, and also notarii. Among these there reigned a perfect
equality, and they had no peculiar rights, privileges nor external mark of
dignity to distinguish them from the people. The only singularity that attended