THE FREEWILL BAPTIST CHURCH. 507 ber was nine. In the fall of 1781 Mr. Randall made an eastern tour, and preached in several towns west of, and on, the Kennebec River, in most of which places he saw revivals begin. Churches and ministers continuing to multiply, for the purpose of preserving unanimity of views and co-operation of efforts, as well as for mutual edification, a quarterly meeting was organized in four years from the first church. organization. Within the first twelve years these Baptists had come to be quite numerous in Maine and New Hampshire, had extended into Vermont, and soon after into Rhode Island and several other States. The first yearly meeting was held in New Durham, in June, 1792. Elder Randall died in 1808, and was ably succeeded by Elder John Colby. This successful evangelist carried the doctrines of the church into the West, and had entered upon a southern tour when he died in Norfolk, Va., in 1817. A General Conference was organized in 1827, and was at first an annual session. It has since become biennial and triennial, as at present. They are a unit with the great body of Baptists on the subject of baptism and the question of church government, but they do not accept the doctrines of Calvinism. They deny personal, unconditional election to eternal life in Christ, in consequence of an eternal decree. Hence, they repudiate the doctrine of final perseverance, as explained in harmony with the Calvinistic theory, but that election is made sure by perseverance only. They differ also on the subject of communion, practicing what is known as "open communion," and do not, like the Regular Baptists, regard immersion as essential to communion. In fact, they do not regard baptism at a Scriptural prerequisite to the Lord's table. In this they differ from others, as much as from the great body of their Baptist brethren. Their latest reports gave: Number of churches, 1,496; preachers, 1,445; members, 80,913. Adding the membership of several other bodies which hold closely to their principles, we have a total of 169,249 persons of identical religious belief. Although their numbers are comparatively small, they have accomplished much in the educational line. Encouraging reports were made to the Conference by Hillsdale (Mich.) College; Bates College and the Theological School, Me.; New Hampton (N. H.) Institution; Nichols Latin School, Me.; Maine Central Institute; Green Mountain Seminary; Pike (N. Y.) Seminary; Storer College, Va.; Rio Grande College, Ohio; and Ridgeville (Ind.) College. CHAPTER XXXVII. THE BAPTIST CHURCH. The Church of Christ-The Mennonites-The Church of God--Seventh-Day Baptists-Liberal Baptists of America-German Baptists or BrethrenSouthern Baptist Associations. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. THIS denomination had its origin in an effort made to effect a union of the pious of all parties by the ties of a common Christianity. They regard the title "Campbellite Baptists" as a reproach; for, though Rev. Alexander Campbell was the leader of the movement resulting in the denomination, they claim to be the restorers of "Primitive Christianity," and hence object to denominating a church by any other designation than is found in Scripture. The followers of Christ having been termed disciples they have chosen this as their appellative. The character and life of a man who possessed the mental abilities and force of character to formulate, organize, and establish such a monument as this denomination has become, are worthy both of study and emulation. He was of ScotchPresbyterian education and parentage. His father, Rev. Thomas Campbell, had long been a minister of high standing in the “Secession" branch of the Presbyterian Church in the North of Ireland, who, with his family, emigrated to this country early in the beginning of the present century. His liberal views soon rendered him the object of persecution among his Presbyterian brethren, for which reason he encountered much opposition. He was at one time formally arraigned before an ecclesiastical tribunal of his brethren on the charge of heresy. His fundamental position, while yet in connection with the Presbyterians, was, that the divisions existing among Christians were caused by a want of conformity to Scripture, and that the true and certain way to insure such unity was to cast aside all creeds and follow only the teachings of the Bible. The more rigorously he advocated his peculiar views, the stronger the opposition to him became, until on September 7, 1810, he and his family, and a considerable number of others who had imbibed his sentiments, separated from the Presbyterians and organized a church at Brush Run, in Washington County, Pa., where a house of worship was erected. Of this church, Rev. Thomas Campbell and his son, Alexander, became joint pastors. In this church much devotion was manifest, and perfect concord prevailed. At length a subject of difficulty presented itself—a member raised the question, "Is Infant Baptism Scriptural?" Mr. Campbell and his son entered into the discussion occasioned by this query, and having been educated in its belief, undertook the defence of "Infant Baptism." The result of the investigation was, that they, and many members of the Brush Run church, were convinced not only that infant baptism was without Bible authority, but that immersion alone was Scriptural baptism. True to their convictions they became Baptists; and on the 12th of June, 1812, were immersed by Rev. Mr. Luce, and forming a Baptist church, were admitted, in the fall of 1813, into the Redstone Baptist Association, carefully and expressly stipulating at the same time, in writing, that "no terms of union or communion other than the Holy Scriptures should be required." About this time Rev. Alexander Campbell came more prominently into notice. He had been educated at Glasgow University in Scotland, and was, from a student, eminent for energy of character, brilliancy of talents, and love of learning, together with a wonderful ability in debate. He first attracted attention by a speech in the Redstone Baptist Association in defending the above THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 511 agreement. He subsequently became famous as a debater. He loved what he regarded truth, and brought to its defence rare abilities, wide reading, and much learning. A debate with Rev. J. Walker, in Mount Pleasant, O., on the subject of baptism, raised him high in the estimation of Baptists, and gave wide celebrity to his talents and knowledge for the first time. Three years after he held a debate with Rev. Mr. McCalla, of the Presbyterian Church, in Washington, Ky., which contributed largely to increase his fame and extend his influence. Beside these, he held other debates in the course of his remarkable career; the two most prominent being those with the late Archbishop Purcell, of Cincinnati, O., on the Roman Church, and with Rev. Dr. N. L. Rice, at Lexington, Ky., on the subject of baptism. The latter was one of the most noted of his numerous encounters with theological opponents, his opponent, Dr. Rice, being one of the ablest disputants the Presbyterian Church in America ever produced. Henry Clay, the great statesman of Kentucky, presided at this debate, and thousands gathered to hear it. From the time of his union with the Baptists in 1812, and especially his speech before the Redstone Association, it was evident that while he was in his views essentially a most decided Baptist, yet he was not, on some points, in full sympathy. Those points he pressed. Perhaps his growing popularity and his remarkable abilities made him an object of jealousy with some, and thus caused his points of dissent to be magnified beyond their true value. The chief point of dissent was on the design of baptism. The Baptists required of all candidates for admission into their churches the relation of what they term "Christian experience"; that is, they required a statement in evidence of the power the truth in which belief has been avowed has had upon the heart, as an indispensable condition to baptism. The Disciples opposed this as unscriptural, referring to the confession of the Eunuch (Acts viii. 37), as all we are to demand. Like Baptists, they do not require submission to a creed as a condition of membership. They, however, attribute to the |