Upon William and Mary's entrance to England's throne in 1689, the first Toleration Act was passed that permitted the worship of all denominations in England except two, the Catholics and the Unitarians (toleration does have its limits). Baptist historian, J.M. Cramp, D.D. refers to this time as "The Quiet Period"; "I have named this the �Quiet Period,� because it was not only a time of rest, persecution having ceased, but also a time of stillness�of slumber�of comparative inaction", Baptist History, From the Foundation of the Christian Church to the Present Time, (1871). Also from Cramp's Baptist History; "A General Assembly was convened in London, in 1689, at which ministers or delegates from upwards of one hun�dred churches were present. The meetings continued nine days, from the third to the twelfth of September. The object was to unite the churches together, that by a combination of their energies certain useful purposes might be subserved, besides the benefit which might be expected to result from brotherly communication. It was particularly recommended to raise a fund, by �freewill offerings,� and yearly, quarterly, monthly, or even weekly contributions, �the proceeds of which were to be devoted to the following objects, viz.:�the assistance of such churches as were not �able to maintain their own ministry,� so that their ministers might be �encouraged wholly to devote themselves to the great work of preaching the Gospel;� the sending of ministers �where the Gospel hath or hath not yet been preached, and to visit the churches;� and the furtherance of the wishes of �those members that shall be found in any of the aforesaid churches that are disposed for study, have an inviting gift, and are sound in fundamentals, in attaining to the knowledge and understanding of the languages, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.�
The Toleration Act had now established a rest for the Particular Baptists to endorse and print a confession of faith to refute the false accusations made against them and to establish a firm foundation of Biblical beliefs among the Particular Baptists as opposed to the Arminians of that time. The preface to the confession says it best:
Quote: WE the MINISTERS and MESSENGERS of and concerned for upwards of one hundred baptized congregations in England and Wales (denying Arminianism), being met together in London, from the third of the seventh month to the eleventh of the same, 1689, to consider of some things that might be for the glory of God, and the good of these congregations, have thought meet (for the satisfaction of all other Christians that differ from us in the point of Baptism) to recommend to their perusal the confession of our faith, which confession we own, as containing the doctrine of our faith and practice, and do desire that the members of our churches respectively do furnish themselves therewith.
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Sam Hughey