Precedence of Baptism as a Prerequisite for Participation in Lord's Supper

rlvaughn · Dec 6, 2005

Thanks, Stephen. Hardsheller, I think you will find these next few posts more to the point.

From Close Communion; or, Baptism as a Prerequisite to the Lord's Supper, John T. Christian is quoting (probably Abraham) Booth:

If we appeal to the persuasion and practice of Christians in all ages and nations, it will clearly appear, that baptism was universally considered, by the churches of Christ, as a divinely appointed prerequisite to the Lord's Supper, till about the middle of the last (eighteenth) century, here in England, when some few of the Baptists began to call it in question, and practically to deny it. (p. 238)
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I don't have Christian's book, just a note I made. If I am guessing the right Booth, this is probably a quote from Pedobaptism Examined (published in 1805) by Abraham Booth (1734-1806).

rlvaughn · Dec 6, 2005

1610, A Short Confession (being mainly a translation and reproduction of a 1580 Mennonite Confession of Faith, and being signed by John Smyth & others)
http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/scf1610.htm

Article 31. The Holy Supper, according to the institution of Christ, is to be administered to the baptized; as the Lord Jesus hath commanded that whatsoever he hath appointed should be taught to be observed.
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I did not find a direct quote from John Clarke or Obadiah Holmes, but in Baptist Piety (p. 105) Edwin Gaustad states that the communion of the Newport (RI) church was strict or closed.

1655, Midlands Confession
http://www.the-faith.org.uk/midlands.html

Article 15. That persons so baptised ought, by free consent, to walk together, as God shall give opportunity in distinct churches, or assemblies of Zion, continuing in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers, as fellow-men caring for one another, according to the will of God. All these ordinances of Christ are enjoined in His Church, to be observed till His Second Coming, which we all ought diligently to wait for.
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1660, Standard Confession

Article XIII. That it is the duty of such who are constituted as aforesaid [baptism and laying-on-of-hands, rlv], to continue stedfastly in Christ's and the Apostles' Doctrine, and assembling together, in fellowship, in breaking of Bread, and Prayer, Acts 2. 42.
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1673 (I think), John Bunyan
http://www.johnbunyan.org/text/bun-confession.htm

Baptism [in water] makes thee no member of the church, neither particular nor universal: neither doth it make thee a visible saint: It therefore gives thee neither right to nor being of membership at all...I will say therefore, that by the word of faith, and of good works, moral duties gospelized, we ought to judge of the fitness of members by which we ought also to receive them to fellowship...Now a confession of this by word and life, makes this inward circumcision visible; when you know him therefore to be thus circumcised, you ought to admit him to the Lord's passover: he, if any, hath a share not only in church communion, but a visible right to the kingdom of heaven. - from A Confession of my Faith, and a Reason of my Practice
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1679, The Orthodox Creed (can be found in Brackney's Baptist Life and Thought, Lumpkin's Baptist Confessions of Faith, et al.)

...no Unbaptized, Unbelieving, or open Prophane, or wicked Heretical Persons, ought to be admitted to this ordinance to prophane it.
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1729, John Gill; Goat Yard Declaration of Faith
http://www.5solas.org/media.php?id=546

Article XI. We believe that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of Christ, to be continued until his second coming; and that the former is absolutely requisite to the latter; that is to say, that those only are to be admitted into the communion of the church, and to participate of all ordinances in it, who upon profession of their faith, have been baptized by immersion, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
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1783, Kehukee Baptist Association (can be found in A Concise History of the Kehukee Baptist Association by Burkitt & Read)

Query. "What are the essentials of communion?" Answer. "That a person shall, before being admitted to commune, give a satisfactory account of his being savingly converted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and publicly declare the same by being regularly baptized by immersion."
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rlvaughn · Dec 6, 2005

1801, Terms of Union of Elkhorn and South Kentucky associations (can be found in Lumpkin's Baptist Confessions of Faith, et al.)

6th. That believers' baptism by immersion is necessary to receiving the Lord's Supper.
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1816, Principles of faith of the Sandy Creek (NC) Association (can be found in Lumpkin's Baptist Confessions of Faith, et al.)

Article X. That the church has no right to admit any but regular baptized church members to communion at the Lord's table.
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1824, Hudson River Bapist Association (can be found in Brackney's Baptist Life and Thought and HRBA minutes)

Baptism, upon profession of faith in the Messiah, must remain an indispensable term of communion, until it can be proved that unbaptized persons were added to the churches planted by the apostles in different parts of the world. And this will appear yet more abundantly if we consider, - The order which is uniformly observed in the New Testament, with reference to the Lord's Supper. (afterwards follows a discussion of the Great Commission, rlv)... But it is plain that baptism must precede the communion, not only because the Lord Christ hath so decreed, but because this order is necessary to the very nature of things, if there be a reciprocal adaptation between the sign and the thing signified by it. We must first be made alive, before we need bread to sustain it...it is the Lord's table...Were it ours, we might cheerfully admit to it the objector and his friends; but since it is confessedly the Lord's table, we dare welcome to it only such as He invites...
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1858, John Leadley Dagg

We have seen that the Lord's supper has been committed to the local churches for observance and perpetuation; and that local churches, if organized according to the Scriptures, contain none but baptized persons. It follows hence, that baptism is a pre-requisite to communion at the Lord's table. The position which baptism holds in the commission, determines its priority to the other commanded observances therein referred to, among which communion must be included. - from Manual of Church Order, p. 214
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1861, Swedish Baptist Confession of Faith (can be found in Lumpkin's Baptist Confessions of Faith, et al.)

We believe that baptism ought to be administered only to such as have personally by a trustworthy confession given evidence of possessing a living faith in Christ; that it is properly administered only through the immersion of the whole person in water; and that it should precede admittance into the fellowship of the church and participation in the Lord's supper.
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1877, W. B. Boggs (from The Baptists, Who are they, and What do they believe? [Canada, 1878])

...to place the Lord's Supper before baptism is to reverse the order...The only really open communionists are those (if any such exist) who hold that no conditions or qualifications are necessary to a right approach to the Lord's Supper, and who admit all who choose to come, baptized or unbaptized, converted or unconverted. As soon as any qualification whatever is required the communion ceases to be open.
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A Case For Closed Communion - taken from Baptist Pamphlets, 1880

Communion at the Lord’s Table Confined to Churches
Incidental Points Pertaining to Close Communion - from J.B. Jeter, Baptist Principles Reset (see also chapters 11 & 12)

In Terms of Communion at the Lord's Table (1846) and The Memorial Supper of our Lord (1907), R.B.C. Howell and J.M. Frost take the position that repentance, faith, baptism are prerequisites. I couldn't find these cited online, and don't have them myself.

rsr · Dec 6, 2005

In his Appendix to the 1646 First London Confession, Benjamin Cox laid out the requirement for baptism to partake of the Lord's Supper:

Though a believer's right to the use of the Lord's Supper do immediately flow from Jesus Christ apprehended and received by faith; yet in as much as all things ought to be done not only decently, but also in order; ... and the word holds forth this order, that disciples should be baptized, ... and then be taught to observe all things (that is to say, all other things) that Christ commanded the Apostles, ... and accordingly the Apostles first baptized disciples, and then admitted them to the use of the Supper; ... we therefore do not admit any to the use of the Supper, nor communicate with any in the use of this ordinance, but disciples baptized, lest we should have fellowship with them in their doing contrary to order.
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(The 1646 Confession specifies that the mode of baptism should be "dipping or plunging the body under water.")

In 1654, Irish Baptist Robert Patient went so far as to say:

This order is binding, as a minister is commanded to baptize one who is made a disciple and not any other, so he is commanded to put them upon the practical observation of all Christ's Laws and His only. Untill they are baptized, they are not, nor cannot be admitted into a visible Church, to partake of the Supper of the Lord.
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An interesting early discussion of this topic was conducted by William Kiffin and John Bunyan in a series of pamphlets.

Bunyan (whom some here will consider not to be a Baptist) believed in immersion but was not a stickler.

All I say is, That the church of Christ hath not warrant to keep out of their communion the Christian that is discovered to be a visible saint by the word, the Christian that walketh according to his light with God.
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I told you also, That baptism makes thee no member of the church, neither doth it make thee a visible saint: It giveth thee therefore, neither right to, nor being of membership at all.
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Baptism is not the privilege of a church as such. But what? are they all Esau's indeed? Must we go to hell, and be damned, for want of faith in water baptism? And take notice, I do not plead for a despising of baptism, but a bearing with our brother, that cannot do it for want of light. The best of baptism he hath, viz. the signification thereof: he wanteth only the outward shew, which if he had, would not prove him a truly visible saint; it would not tell me he had the grace of God in his heart; it is no characteristical note to another of my Sonship with God.
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(All quotations from Differences in Judgment about Water Baptism, No Bar to Communion)

Kiffin, on the other hand, feared the effect of Bunyan's views on church membership. To open communion to the unbaptized, he said, would open to the door "Popish Purgatory, and Monkery and ten thousand other things;" for him, "No one were Inchurched without water baptism."

Nor May the Lawes, Orders, and Prescriptions of Christ be altered, or varyed, in an tittle, upon any pretense whatsoever, God never having given an such Prerogative to mankind, as to be arbiters how he may be best and most decently worshipped.
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(Quoted from McBeth, The Baptist Heritage, p. 83)

rsr · Dec 6, 2005

The First London Baptist Confession (1646), specifies that:

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, given by Christ, to be dispensed upon persons professing faith, or that are made disciples; who upon profession of faith, ought to be baptized, and after to partake of the Lord's Supper.
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(Empahsis added)

The 1689 London Confession, however, is not so specific, saying only that:

Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.

All ignorant and ungodly persons, as they are unfit to enjoy communion with Christ, so are they unworthy of the Lord's table, and cannot, without great sin against him, while they remain such, partake of these holy mysteries, or be admitted thereunto; yea, whosoever shall receive unworthily, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, eating and drinking judgment to themselves.
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(The 1762 Philadelphia Confession echoes the 1689 Confession.)

However, the New Hampshire Confession of 1833 makes clear the linkage between baptism and communion:

We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is prerequisite to the privileges of a Church relation; and to the Lord's Supper, in which the members of the Church, by the sacred use of bread and wine, are to commemorate together the dying love of Christ; preceded always by solemn self-examination.
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Precedence of Baptism as a Prerequisite for Participation in Lord's Supper

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