Baptists

[Same der iv.] (Eccl. Hist.) A denomination of Christians, who deny the validity of infant baptism, and maintain the nece ity of immersion. These were also the principal tenets of the Anabaptists, or Rebaptizers, with whom, however, the modernB. ought not to be confounded. The first institution of the B. was at Providence, R. I., in 1639. They are subdivided into the following denominations: Regular B.; Freewill B.; General B.; Anti-Mi ion B.; Six-Principle B.; Seventh-Day B.; Church of God (Winebrennerians); Disciples (Campbell i tes); Tunkers; and Men no nites. The Regular B. are by far the most numerous denomination. In 1870 they had in U. S. 15,143 churches, 1,221,349 members; in other parts of the world, 3,462 churches, 342,282 members; total, 18,605 churches, 1,563,631 members. In 1879 they had over 2,000,000 members in U. S. [s. 72]