gathering of the nations was to be. Soon after his coming, the government of Judah was finally subverted, and their temple and capital destroyed. The Jews were expelled from Judea, and it became utterly impossible for them to attend to the observances of the law which was then abrogated. Here then we have a most remarkable prediction of the coming of the Messiah. Jacob, uttering by the Spirit of God, particular and minute predictions, respecting each of his twelve sons, which were all afterwards verified, singles out one of them, declares his pre eminence over his brethren and that he should be mvested with power, and continue to enjoy it, till one should descend from him, to whom the gathering of the nations was to be. An all this verified through the whole intervening period, was fully accomplished at the distance of about 1690 years.

MONTHLY RECEIPTS,

For the Christian Baptist, from the 15th October, to the 18th November.

From N. H. Turner, Va. for A. Bowles, vols 6 and 7; L. Ma lary, 6; W. K. Barlow, 6; J. Thompson, 6 and 7; A. King, 6 and 7; N. Anthony, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; R. Hallins, 1, 2, i, and 7; T. Hardin, 6 and 7; T. A. Hope, 7; C. Burnly, do. G. Walton, do. L. Turner, do. and do. for self; W. C. Gentry, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5: for Captain D. Digs, 7; a d other subscribers not named, eight dollars. From W. H. Erwin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for J. H. Gardner, 6; A. Jones, do. C G King, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; T. Waugh, 6; and do. for D. Bradley. From Elder J. Favor, Alabama, for J. Speer, 5 and 6; J. M'Dement, 5 and 6; and J. N. Smith, 6. From Nathaniel Burras, Kentucky, for W. Hopper, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; S. Garrin, 6; A. Adams, 1, 2, and 6; B. Leavitt, 6; John Quincy Adams. 6; M. Edwards, 7; W. Daniel, do, and do. for G Mimms. From D. Bruce, Esq. Pennsylvania. for J. Fairly, 7. From J. Perkins, Virginia, for J. S. Carter, 1, 2, 3 and 4; for J. Micon, 5; W. Greenlaw, 5; Col. T. B. B. Baker, 3, 4 and 5; L. Marders, 1, 2 and 6, R. P. Marshall, 5 and 6; J. J. Jett, 5; and 5 and 6 for self; From C Cole, New Washington, Indiana, for B. Reese, 4, 5, 6 and 7. From William From Thomas Warsham, Hill, King and Queen county, Va. vol. 7. Amelia, Va. vol. 6. From W. H. Erwin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for W. Webb, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6,; N. Blunt, 6 and 7; and do. for Gen. P. Thomas. From Elder D. Burnet, Dayton, Ohio, 3 dollars; From Elder Jos. Marsh, West Mendon, Monroe county, New York, for vel. 7. From W. Churchill, for Peter Hartsill, Deerfield, Ohio, vols. 6 and 7.

NEW AGENTS.

Thomas Gibson, Feliciana, Louisiana.

Nath. Burras, Elkton, Kentucky, in place of C. Edwards.
Elder J. Marsh, West Mendon, Monroe county, New York.

Printed and published by Alexr. Campbell.—$1 per annum.

{No. 6. }

BETHANY, BROOKÉ CO. VA.

MONDAY, JAN. 4, 1830. {Vol. VII. }

"Style no man on earth your Father; for he alone is your father who "is in heaven; and all ye are brethren. Assume not the title of Rabbi; "for you have only one teacher. Neither assume the title of Leader; for "you have only one leader-the MESSIAH."

Matt. xxiii. 8—10.

"Prove all things: hold fast that which is good."

Paul the Apostle.

REMARKS ON A CIRCULAR LETTER, Found in the Minutes of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Association, for

1829.

IT has long been a custom to repudiate, by opprobious names, a sentiment or a doctrine which cannot be refuted by argument. Men who can refute by argument, have never been accustomed to use the weapons of calumny and detraction. A Mr. Rogers, in the state of Missouri, converted the circular letter of the Mount Pleas ant Baptist Association into a vehicle of slander and personal abuse. The custom of addressing circulars from and in the name of associations, originated from a desire to address the brethren once a year on some evangelical topic, calculated to enlighten the understanding, to purify and cheer the hearts of the brotherhood. But behold, this letter is a little acrimonious anathema upon some sentences torn from their connexion in the Christian Baptist, and tortured and gibbeted by the evil genius of sectarian jealousy until they appear as much to disadvantage as an Indian victim painted for massacre. clothed in the mantle of Sandemanianism and led forth as a heretic of the deepest atrocity, to an auto de fe, because I have asserted and proved that faith is only the belief of the testimony of God, and that, when God commanded all men to believe and reform, he did not command that which is impossible for them to do.

I am

The writer of this letter casts his eyes over Fuller's Strictures on Sandemanianism and Buck's Theological Dictionary on the article of Sandemanianism, and there thinks he sees all the "doctrines" found in the Christian Baptist, in miniature or in full life in those sketches. The term Sandemanianism is, I suppose, an opprobrious name in his country, that will answer my heterodoxy. I will not kill thee, said the Quaker, but I will call thee mad dog. Thus the work is done. It does not, however, succeed so well in this country as in Old England, the native place of the erudite gentleman. For the people of these United States are a little more inquisitive, and are wont to inquire, What has he done? What, say they, do we know of Sandeman or of Glass? Will their names condemn a sentiment to hell or exalt it to heaven! Now I would inform the same disciple vol. vii.

11

who nicknames my remarks, Sandemanianism, that he is much more of a Sandemanian than I am. But this will neither, I hope, condemn his sentiments to heterodoxy, nor justify them as righteous. But it is a fact, if he be a good hypercalvinistic Baptist, or if he be a believer in physical and accompanying special influences produ. cing faith. This I have shown in the Christian Baptist to be an essential part of Sandemanianism;-not from Buck or Fuller, but from Sandeman's letters on Theron and Aspasio. I disclaim Sandemanianism as much as I do any system in christendom; but I agree with Sandeman in making faith no more than the belief of the truth, and I agree with the Roman Catholics in the belief of the resurrection of the dead. But I differ from Sandeman in making this belief the effect of physical influence, and I disagree with the Catholics in the doctrine of Purgatory.

But I would inform this Son of the church militant, that I would not give a grain of wheat for any faith that does not purify the heart, work by love and overcome the world. And if he could speak with the tongue of an angel, and write with the pen of an apostle, and exhibit no more regard to truth and christian love than this cir cular evinces; I would not give a farthing for his faith, though he may think with Fuller, that he was regenerated before he believed the Gospel.

I be

As I have seen this letter nearly 400 miles from home, I cannot write an elaborate criticism upon it; but I will inform those into whose hands it may fall, that it is a most unfaithful and unchristian representation of my views. All the scriptures quoted in it, I believe in their plain, literal, and obvious import. For example, I believe and I know, that "God who filleth all things in all places, did fill the Gentiles who were dead in trespasses and in sins, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit," yea, that, "us who were dead in trespasses and sins, he has raised up together, and has set us down together with the Jews who believed in the heavenly places by Jesus Christ," and this he has done for us out of pure favor. lieve that it is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; "that the wicked will not seek after God-God is not in all their thoughts." "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.' "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth-there is none that seeketh after God-they are all gone out of the way-they are together become unprofitable-there is none that doeth good, not one-there is no fear of God before their eyes." All these sayings I believe most sincerely, in the connexion in which they stand in the volume. say, these and every other sentence of scripture found in the circular letter, I most sincerely believe in the connexions in which they stand; and in the fullest, and most literal sense the words will bear, according to any legitmate rules of interpretation. But if the gentleman has any private interpretation of these words, or any appropriated sense of them, either borrowed, or invented by himself, I beg leave to dissent from such appropriations and private interpretations. I will also inform the worthy gentleman, that the game Calvinism is worth no more in heaven than the name Sande

T

manianism, or Fullerism. But I rejoice to know that the gospel does not need to be put into any of these distilleries to make it either intelligible or healthful. It is glad tidings of great joy to ull people. It demands of no man what he has not to pay. It calls for no powers which he has not: it enjoins no duty which he cannot perform. It is adapted to men just as they are, and therefore it is a scheme of pure favor-of divine love and mercy. No man can complain and say, that it only tantalizes him by offering him what he cannot receive-by requiring what he cannot perforin-by presenting what he cannot accept. Such a scheme would not be glad tidings to all people. It would be only good news to the qualified, to the regenerated, to them who are made able to receive it. Such a gospel did not Paul preach; and he that preaches a gospel which is not adapted to unconverted sinners, preaches another gospel-a gospel of his own, or some other person's invention.

I do hope that every man who feels any interest in examining any thing I have written, or may write, on the great questions which divide the religions world, will put himself to the trouble to examine it in my own words, and in the connexions in which they are placed, and not in the garbled extracts which party spirit and the spirit of this world please to present them. I protest against having the Christian Baptist treated no better than these gentlemen treat the apostolic writings. The Apostles are dead, and must submit to the textuaries, to be handled as the textuaries please. The Calvinists and the Arminians tear them limb from limb, and make Paul say just what they please. The Universalists and the Quakers, the Socinians and the Arians are very adroit in making the sacred writers affirm or deny what they please. But I cannot conscientiously submit to have my writings treated no better than these popular sermon-makers treat the holy scriptures. Those, then, who feel any interest in understanding what I teach, will do me and themselves the justice of examining, in my own words, my own statements. One scripture says, "There is no God," another says, "I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ," another says, "Worship the Beast," and another says, "Go and do likewise." Put these together, and what does the Bible teach!! It will teach any thing men please to make it teach, only let them have one liberty-and that is, of quoting it just as they please. Yet if treated according to the only fair and just rules of interpretation, it will only teach one and the same thing to every reader.

The editor of the Utica Register, New York, has given some weeks since, as I have lately seen in a paper forwarded to me to Richmond, from Rochester, what he is pleased to call "doubtless a fair summary of the sentiments and doctrines taught by Alexander Campbell." I would seriously ask this gentleman if he ever read one volume which I wrote, and whether he has examined for himself the whole of my writings. If he have not, I ask how, in the name of truth and righteousness, could he solemnly affirm a most libellous caricature of my sentiments on one or two topics, to be a fuir summary of my sentiments!! If this gentleman would look back into history only a few centuries, he could find many brief summaries, which he would doubtless call blasphemous libels on his own senti

ments; nay, he would find as ugly things said of Baptist sentiments and practices as he can now say of mine. And if he would read the history of the Apostles, he would find that one of the "fair summaries" given by some of his cotemporaries, was, that Paul taught that Moses ought not to be regarded, and that men should "do evil that good might come." No doubt but Paul had said something which gave rise to, or afforded a pretext for such summaries; and so may I have said or written something which ungodly men may have perverted to such an extent. I therefore call upon this Ulica Register either to make good his allegata, or eat up his libel.

EDITOR.

ANCIENT BAPTISMS.

SACRED history is, of all reading, the most instructive, entertaining, and profitable. It presents God and man to our view in such a way as engrosses all the energies of our minds, and all the feelings of our hearts. We think and we feel at the same moment. All true history is profitable to all attentive readers. It is the best substitute for personal acquaintance. It brings to light and developes that most wonderful and interesting of all themes, the human heart. But in this the sacred writings claim, as they deserve, all precedence. The hidden springs of human action, and the great attractives of human passion, are there laid open and pictured out by a master painter. Reality, and not shadows, pass before us in every character which these writings portray. No portrait so approaches real life as these characters exhibit man, both good and bad, to human meditation; but sketches only are given of the most brilliant and eminent characters. But these sketches present, in the most instructive attitudes, the great characters which God selected for human admiration.

Events are but the results of human action, or of divine inter. position; and those great events which the Mosaic history records are, of all others, the most instructive, if we except the eventful history of the New Testament. But there is one peculiarity in the characters and events recorded in the Mosaic history which I wish to notice here, because it proves the authenticity of the sacred volumes, while it greatly illuminates the pages of the apostolic writings. I allude to their emblematic reference. No pencil but that guided by an eye which penetrates all futurity, could have in ten thousand instances painted out the christian institution, with all its influences, moral and religious, ages before its author was born-Adam the first. and Adam the second-the Fall, and the Resurrection of man-Hagar and Sarah-Ishmael and Isaac-Jacob and Esau-Elijah and John-Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Jesuscircumcision and baptism-the passover and the Lord's supperand a hundred other allusions, symbols, and emblems, need only be mentioned to revive the remembrance of the exact adaptation of Jewish and patriarchal history to the developement of the divine philanthropy in the christian scriptures.