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the views of Christians will so harmonize as to remove all necessity or pretence for those walls of separation, which now exist, when they will either be removed or permitted to moulder into dust. And it may be noticed as a decisive evidence, not only of the increase, but of the consequence of the increase of this light and influence, communicated to the church through the operation of the Spirit of God, that the same degree of zeal and industry to build up these walls of separation, does not now exist as did formerly, even within the recollection of many living witnesses. That Christians, of various denominations, are evidently drawing nearer together, and whilst they are engaged in strengthening each other's hands to enlarge the house of God by various benevolent societies and exertions, the walls of separation are, at least in a measure, overlooked and left to decay.

It was further alleged, that man is so constituted, that there never has been a subject, whether it related to religion or to any of the various branches of science, about which there has not been among men a diversity of views. Hence, in all ages there have been different sects amongst Philosophers, as well as amongst Jews and Christians; and such, it was apprehended would, at least for a time, continue to be the case, even on the supposition that all who profess to be Christians, were honest and sincere in their inquiries after truth. And who but Mr. Ç., and such as are the subjects of his bigotry and delusion, can believe that the various sects of Christians in our land, will fall under everlasting condemnation for an honest difference of views with regard to church government; or even with regard to some doctrines which do not lie at the foundation of the gospel? I am however aware that Mr. C. will say, the condemnation is not on account of the difference of sentiment, but the consequent separation into sects. To this I reply "how shall two walk together except they be agreed?" Surely if peace and unity cannot otherwise be obtained or preserved, it is better they should say to each other, as Abraham did to Lot;

"let there I pray thee be no strife between me and thee, separate thyself I pray thee from me."

'Indeed, I know but of two expedients, whereby this division of the christian world into numerous sects, can be prevented; both of which I trust will ever be rejected, with abhorrence, by all evangelical Christians. The first of these expedients strikes at the root of this alleged great evil, and has long been practised by the Romish church, with great success. This remedy consists in keeping the people, as far as possible, in gross ignorance of the true doctrines of the bible, and authoritatively requiring them to believe whatever the church declares, to be infallibly true. The other expedient, is designed to prevent a division of the Christian world into various sects, however wide may be the diversities of opinion upon the subject of doctrine; or, where such division does already exist, to persuade these sects to lay aside their peculiarities, to sacrifice their own opinions and views of religious truth and the doctrines of God's word, or at least, to hold them "as private property," and unite in one enlarged and numerous sect, or ecclesiastical body. And this, in order that all, including not only the evangelical denominations, who are agreed in the essential doctrines of the gospel, but religionists of every name, who profess the bible to be the word of God, whether they be Arians, or Unitarians, or Universalists, or Shakers, or Swedenborgians, or Campbellites, or those of the new reformation (called Mormonites, part of whom, it would seem, lately sprung from the hot bed of Campbellism, as the mushroom from the dunghill,) may be mutually acknowledged as brethren and members of Christ's body. This expedient, which for years past has been practised by Mr. Campbell, consists in exploding the leading and fundamental doctrines of the gospel, either as having no existence, or being altogether unimportant, so that it is a matter of no moment whether they be believed or not. And instead of making a solemn prefession of having "obeyed from the heart, that form of

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among the Jews, the effect to prevent division sensions among the members of the church? S it, that, as might naturally be expected, these natural, if not the necessary consequence of th to amalgamate such discordant materials.* was this state of the church from being fav godliness, that we know from the language of well as of his messenger, who was sent toprepar before him, that the most, even of the straitest (or sect of the Jewish church (the Pharisees) we whited sepulchres,-men who could make long having the form of godliness, but who, like Ni when he came to Christ for instruction, were ig its life or power.

But Mr. C. in his public harangues, as well narrative, first assumes, (as he did also in the that the various sects of evangelical Christians viewed as the daughters of the mother of harl then asserts that the anathemas of heaven are de upon both. Let us hear what are the grounds daring and unchristian assertion. In his narr gives a summary of what he alleged in the de support of this charge, which he calls facts, viz Paul had represented divisions among Chris equivalent to a literal dividing of Christ; and the ing the name of a factionist as equivalent to re ing that factionist as crucified for his followers, followers as immersed into his name; that sec ranked by the same Paul amongst the works of t and classed with murder and adultery, and that the wars and bloodshed of modern Europe, and majority of all the envies, jealousies, and bicker families and neighborhoods, arose from this caus

In the remarks which I shall make upon this from the narrative of Mr. C., as has already in instances, and as in the sequel of this work will more numerous instances, be the case, I will no

chiefly because through imperfect recollection, I cannot,) distinguish between what was urged by me upon the occasion of the debate, and any new matter that may now be added, nor is it deemed at all material that I should. One thing however I have endeavored, and shall still endeavor carefully to avoid, that is, not to put into the mouth of Mr. Campbell, as he has attempted to put into mine in more instances than one, pretended arguments, that were never uttered. And further, as my object is a candid examination of Mr. C.'s principles, I shall not fail, so far as my recollection will serve, to notice all his leading arguments.

In the foregoing extract, Mr. C. evidently alludes to the first chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church, which, as I conceive, manifestly has no application to any of the sects of evangelical Christians as they exist at this day, except in so far as divisions or contentions similar to those which existed in the church at Corinth, may be found to exist amongst them, or in any individual church belonging to any of these Christian sects. In order to give this portion of scripture, however, a forced application to each one, and all of the evangelical sects in our country, and that too without any regard to their character, or spiritual condition, it would evidently seem that Mr. C. has wilfully confounded what the apostle in that chapter calls schisms, but which in our standard version of the New Testament is translated divisions," with the Greek word which sometimes is translated heresies and sometimes sects.

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The true nature of the divisions spoken of by the apostle, he himself explains in the 11th verse, where he informs them it had been declared unto him that there were “contentions” among them. This word is derived from a Hebrew term, which signifies to be hot with anger, and is the same that is translated in Rom. 1:29, by the word "debate," and in Rom. 13:13, by the word "strife." Whoever, then, will examine these passages, as well as many others that might be referred to, in connection with 1 Cor. chapter 1, cannot but perceive, that the Corinthian

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