In the 1690s a contentious debate broke out in Suffolk, England, between an Anglican rector and those we have come to know as Particular Baptists. The purpose of this book is to examine this controversy and consider some crucial issues it raised, principally the nature of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It involved three men, William Burkitt (1650–1703), John Tredwell, and Benjamin Keach (1640–1704). It is the hope of the author that these events in the 1690s and their thoughtful consideration found in this book will help Christians think through issues of church membership, Baptism, church discipline and other issue pertaining to the theology and practice of ecclesiology.

"The men you will read about in this book, men like Keach and Tredwell, were forced to defend their cause with their lives. They saw themselves as the third wave of the Reformation. By the 19th Century, up until today, Baptists were accepted as being mainstream. But not in Keach’s day. That is why he put pen to paper whenever he could. This is not a case of reviving long-dead divisions on the topic of baptism. Instead, for these men, these debates and struggles were crucial to their existence as Particular Baptists. Understanding their perspective will shed light not only on their views of baptism, but the very essence of the church. These historical discourses, which ignited controversy in the 1690s, continue to resonate and influence our understanding to this very day." From the Preface; Austin Walker