Editor: If there was ever a time that Baptists needed
to know their history, or where they came from, it's today.
Secular history would have us believe we came out of the
reformation. Sad to say the average Baptist is ignarant
concerning our heritage, therefore we are printing in it's
entirety a small booklet, written in the early 1900's by J.M.
Carrol called "The Trail of Blood".
If you would like a copy of this booklet you can order one from
the address below:
Ashland Avenue Baptist Church
163 N. Ashland Avenue
Lexington, KY 40502
606-266-4341
The Trail Of Blood
Following the Christians Down Through the Centuries
or
The History of Baptist Churches From the Time of Christ, Their
Founder,
to the Present Day
by J. M. Carroll
INTRODUCTION
By Clarence Walker
Dr. J. M. Carroll, the author of this book, was born in the state
of Arkansas, January 8, 1858, and died in Texas, January 10,
1931. His father, a Baptist preacher, moved to Texas when Brother
Carroll was six years old. There he was converted, baptized, and
ordained to the Gospel ministry. Dr. Carroll not only became a
leader among Texas Baptist, but an outstanding figure of Southern
Baptists, and of the world.
Years ago he came to our church and brought the messages found in
this book. It was then I
became greatly interested in Brother Carroll's studies. I, too,
had made a special research in Church History, as to which is the
oldest Church and most like the churches of the New Testament.
Dr. J. W. Porter attended the lectures. He was so impressed he
told Brother Carroll if he would
write the messages he would publish them in a book. Dr. Carroll
wrote the lectures and gave Dr. Porter the right to publish them
along with the chart which illustrates the history so vividly.
However, Dr. Carroll died before the book came off the press, but
Dr. Porter placed them before the public and the whole edition
was soon sold. Now, by the grace of God, we are able to present
this 66th edition of 20,000. I want to ask all who read and study
these pages to join me in prayer and work that an ever-increasing
number shall go forth.
"To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery
which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all
things by
Christ Jesus; to the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in
Heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom
of
God ... unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages,
world without end, Amen."
(Eph. 3:9-10, 21)
It was wonderful to hear Dr. Carroll tell how he became
interested in the history of the different
denominations -- ESPECIALLY THEIR ORIGIN. He wrote the book after
he was 70 years old, but he said, "I was converted unto God
when I was just a boy. I saw the many denominations and
wondered which was the church the Lord Jesus founded."
Even in his youth he felt that in the study of the Scriptures and
history, he could find the church
which was the oldest and most like the churches described in the
New Testament.
This research for the truth led him into many places and enabled
him to gather one of the greatest libraries on church history.
This library was given at his death to the Southwestern Baptist
Seminary, Ft. Worth, Texas.
He found much church history--most of it seemed to be about the
Catholics and Protestants. The history of Baptists, he
discovered, was written in blood. They were the hated people of
the Dark
Ages. Their preachers and people were put into prison and untold
numbers were put to death. The
world has never seen anything to compare with the suffering, the
persecutions, heaped upon
Baptists by the Catholic Hierarchy during the Dark Ages. The Pope
was the world's dictator. This is why the Ana-Baptists, before
the Reformation, called the Pope The Anti-Christ.
Their history is written in the legal documents and papers of
those ages. It is through these records that the "TRAIL OF
BLOOD" winds its way as you find such statements--
"At Zurich, after many disputations between Zuinglius and
the Ana-Baptists, the Senate made an
Act, that if any presume to re-baptize those who were baptized
before (i.e. as infants) they should be drowned. At Vienna many
Ana-Baptists were tied together in chains that one drew the other
after him into the river, wherein they were all suffocated
(drowned)." (Vida Supra, p. 61)
"In the year of our Lord 1539 two Ana-Baptists were burned
beyond Southwark, and a little before them 5 Dutch Ana-Baptists
were burned in Smithfield," (Fuller, Church History)
"In 1160 a company of Paulicians (Baptists) entered Oxford.
Henry II ordered them to be branded
on the forehead with hot irons, publicly whipped them through the
streets of the city, to have their garments cut short at the
girdles, and be turned into the open country. The villages were
not to
afford them any shelter or food and they perished a lingering
death from cold and hunger." (Moore, Earlier and Later
Nonconformity in Oxford, p. 12.)
The old Chronicler Stowe, A.D. 1533, relates:
"The 25th of May--in St. Paul's Church, London--examined 19
men and 6 women. Fourteen of
them were condemned; a man and a woman were burned at Smithfield,
the other twelve of them
were sent to towns there to be burned."
Froude, the English historian, says of these Ana-Baptist
martyrs--
"The details are all gone, their names are gone. Scarcely
the facts seem worth mentioning. For them no Europe was agitated,
no court was ordered in mourning, no papal hearts trembled with
indignation. At their death the world looked on complacent,
indifferent or exulting. Yet here, out of 25 poor men and women
were found 14, who by no terror of stake or torture could be
tempted to
say they believed what they did not believe. History has for them
no word of praise, yet they, too, were not giving their blood in
vain. Their lives might have been as useless as the lives of most
of us. In their death they assisted to pay the purchase of
English freedom."
Likewise, in writings of their enemies as well as friends, Dr.
Carroll found, their history and that theirtrail through the ages
was indeed bloody:
Cardinal Hosius (Catholic, 1524), President of the Council of
Trent:
"Were it not that the baptists have been grievously
tormented and cut off with the knife during the past twelve
hundred years, they would swarm in greater number than all the
Reformers." (Hosius,
Letters, Apud Opera, pp. 112, 113.)
The "twelve hundred years" were the years preceding the
Reformation in which Rome persecuted
Baptists with the most cruel persecution thinkable.
Sir Isaac Newton:
"The Baptists are the only body of known Christians that
have never symbolized with Rome."
Mosheim (Lutheran):
"Before the rise of Luther and Calvin, there lay secreted in
almost all the countries of Europe
persons who adhered tenaciously to the principles of modern Dutch
Baptists."
Edinburg Cyclopedia (Presbyterian):
"It must have already occurred to our readers that the
Baptists are the same sect of Christians that were formerly
described as Ana-Baptists. Indeed this seems to have been their
leading principle
from the time of Tertullian to the present time."
Tertullian was born just fifty years after the death of the
Apostle John.
Baptists do not believe in Apostolic Succession. The Apostolic
office ceased with the death of the Apostles. It is to His
churches that He promised a continual existence from the time He
organized
the first one during His earthly ministry until He comes again.
He promised:-
"I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it."
(Matt. 16:18)
Then, when He gave the great Commission, which tells what His
churches are to do, He promised:-
"I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the
age."
(Matt. 28:20)
This Commission -- this work -- was not given to the Apostles as
individuals, but to them and the others present in their church
capacity. The Apostles and the others who heard Him give this
Commission were soon dead -- BUT, His Church has lived on through
the ages, making disciples (getting folks saved), baptizing them,
and teaching the truth -- the doctrines -- He committed to the
Jerusalem Church. These faithful churches have been blessed with
His presence as they have
traveled the TRAIL OF BLOOD.
This history shows how the Lord's promise to His churches has
been fulfilled. Dr. Carroll shows that churches have been found
in every age which have taught the doctrines He committed unto
them.
Dr. Carroll calls these doctrines the "marks" of New
Testament Churches.
"MARKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH"
1.Its Head and Founder--CHRIST. He is the law-giver; the Church
is only the executive.
(Matt. 16:18; Col. 1:18)
2.Its only rule of faith and practice--THE BIBLE. (II Tim.
3:15-17)
3.Its name--"CHURCH," "CHURCHES." (Matt.
16:18; Rev. 22:16)
4.Its polity--CONGREGATIONAL--all members equal. (Matt. 20:24-28;
Matt. 23:5-12)
5.Its members--only saved people. (Eph. 2:21; I Peter 2:5)
6.Its ordinances--BELIEVERS' BAPTISM, FOLLOWED BY THE LORD'S
SUPPER.
(Matt. 28:19-20)
7.Its officers--PASTORS AND DEACONS. (I Tim. 3:1-16)
8.Its work--getting folks saved, baptizing them (with a baptism
that meets all the requirements
of God's Word), teaching them ("to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you").
(Matt. 28:16-20)
9.Its financial plan--"Even so (TITHES and OFFERINGS) hath
the Lord ordained that they
which preach the gospel should live of the gospel," (I Cor.
9:14)
10.Its weapons of warfare--spiritual, not carnal. (II Cor. 10:4;
Eph. 6:10-20)
11.Its independence--separation of Church and State. (Matt.
22:21)
In any town there are many different churches -- all claiming to
be the true church. Dr. Carroll did
as you can do now -- take the marks, or teachings, of the
different churches and find the ones which have these marks, or
doctrines. The ones which have these marks, or doctrines, taught
in God's Word, are the true churches.
This, Dr. Carroll has done, to the churches of all ages. He found
many had departed from "these
marks, or doctrines." Other churches, however, he found had
been true to these marks" in every
day and age since Jesus said,
"I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it."
(Matt. 16:18)
"I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the
age."
(Matt. 28:21)
Ahead to the First
Lecture