212 HISTORY OP 



In the year 1 708, eight persons, five brethren and three 

 sisters, viz: Alexander Mack, of Schreisheim, in the 

 Palatinate, Germany, George Graby and Lucas Fetter^ 

 of Hesse Cassel, Andrew Boney, of Basle, in Switzer- 

 land, and John Kipping, from Wirtemburg, and Johanna 

 Bong, Anna Margaretta Mack, and Johanna Kipping, 

 entered into a covenant with each other, to meet regu- 

 larly, to carefully and impartially examine the doctrines 

 of the New Testament, and by the help of God, to ascer- 

 tain what are the obligations it imposes on professed fol- 

 lowers of the meek and the humble Saviour; laying 

 aside pre-conceived opinions, and, if possible, to attain 

 to */ie answer of a good conscience by rendering implicit 

 obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus ; to follow 

 him in evil as well as in good report. The result of 

 their meetings and prayerful investigations was the 

 formation of a society, that as brethren and sisters, under 

 the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, dwelled together in 

 unity of a living faith. This society is now called the 

 Dunkers, from the mode of administering baptism, in 

 water, by trine immersion. 



The society having been formed, and, as they con- 

 ceived that immersion was the only valid mode of 

 administering baptism, and none of them thus baptized, 

 they felt themselves in a difficulty, says one of their 

 writers, "not soon g6t over;" one of their number, who 

 labored among them in word, visited the societies in 

 differents parts of Germany, to collect the opinion of the 

 awakened generally, upon the subject of baptism; the 

 greater number acknowledged that immersion was the 

 mode practiced by the Apostles and primitive christians, 

 but still endeavoring to satisfy themselves, that a hand- 

 full of water by pouring, would answer the same end, 

 provided it was administered to proper subjects only. 



