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Campbell thought he had detained the people long enough, reserved the remainder of his discourse till night. Brother Semple remarked that he had no fault to find with what had been said, but thought that more might have been said (respecting the work of the Holy Spirit) and concluded, commending it as the gospel; and prayed most fervently that the blessing of God might accompany the truth that had been delivered; and also for brother Campbell, that God might spare his life many years, and go with him wherever he went, and bless him abundantly in his labors. After preaching they both went to brother Leitch's, where they dined together; [having company at my house I could not be present.]. In the evening the Lord's supper was administered. Brother Semple and brother Adams officiated, and brother Campbell was invited to commune with us. Indeed, throughout the service brother Semple seemed to be filled with the love of God. I saw nothing throughout the service that had the slightest appearance of hostility, in matter or manner, in brother Semple to brother Campbell. Brother Adams states that in a conversation he had with bro ther Semple, that he (brother S.) expressed himself well pleased with brother Campbell

"Please excuse any mistakes in composition, as this was done in haste in my school. Yours in the Lord,

"R. B. FIFE."

"I concur with the above statement made by brother Fife, in regard to what took place in the meeting-house. Brother Semple and bro ther Campbell dined with me on Sabbath day, and I saw nothing like unkind feelings existing between brother Semple and brother Campbell, but friendship and brotherly affection. Something was said on church government, and I think all present differed with brother Semple he thinking something more than the New Testament necessary for the government of the church.

"Affectionately yours,

"ABNER LEITCH,"

Elder John Kerr, of the First Baptist Church in this city, has, after three weeks hard labor, been successful to thrust out 67 of his flock for the indefinite charge of Cism. This ejectment was not achieved till, I believe, the fifth or sixth meeting, which took place on the night of the 24th instant, at which time they gave in their names and quietly withdrew under the sanction of a request to that purpose, which had been carried by vote on the 14th. The part thus voted out contains many of the most influential characters in said church. They commenced a subscription for building a place of worship the next day, and in the course of two days had upon it, I think, about two thousand dollars.

THOMAS CAMPBELL.

"Mr. CAMPBELL will surely do you the justice to publish it in the Harbinger," says Mr. Broaddus to Mr. Semple. And hence 1 infer that the documents above adduced will surely be published in

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the Religious Herald, unless Mr. Broaddus thinks that my sense of justice is much more acute than either Mr. Ball's or his own. But from the whole phiz of Mr. Broaddus' letter to Mr. Semple, it would appear he intended it for a quibble to an answer in accordance with his wishes, and this is to be considered only as a hint to Mr. Semple to demand a place in the Harbinger. A few days will evince whether a sense of justice or the tact of a diplomatist instigated this remark.

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A word or two on Mr. Semple's letter, to the pattern ordered by Mr. Broaddus, who did not intend, I trow, that his letter should see the light of day. But Mr. Semple, in his unsuspicious honesty, (for he is no Regular Baptist Minister, published Mr. B's letter. Mr. Semple, though a lawyer, and versed in "collating all the testimony," it must be acknowledged to his credit, is not so well practised in the arts of dissimulation as to make a plausible argument to suit the calls of his friend and to save the reputation of his father, "whom," he says, [who] "I am sure never inflicted a wrong upon the feelings" of Mr. Henley. But some captious reasoner may ask, What wounds does he inflict upon the reputation of a father, in his wishful compliance with the solicitations of a friend! It was with much point, one exclaimed, "Save me from my friends-I can manage my enemies." He testifies that his father's deportment to Mr. C. was confirmatory; that he used no such language as that imputed to him by Mr. Henley. Yet "with great misgivings, his father took the sacrament with Mr. C; and more than once said "he thought or hoped that Mr. C. was a christian!" And finding it impossible to restore harmony in the Bruington church, except "by the relaxation of the stern mandates of justice," (the King and Queen Decrees, one may suppose,) "he made sacrifices to the prejudices of the most unreasonable people in the world." And yet it is problematical, he says, whether the end justified the means: for, "for the sake of peace he did that which his judgment could not approve." And by way of finishing his testimony he adds that "his father might have done more than was publicly witnessed on the day of his ministrations with Mr. Campbell." This, however, it may be viewed, as affecting the reputation of the deceased, fully sets aside all cavils about the benediction, all other matters being admitted and proved by their own testimony. But he thinks his father was too proud to wish well to the reformation plead by Thomas Campbell; because, then, "like the spaniel, he would have licked the dust from the foot that kicked him." I have such a regard for the memory of the deceased as to think that his son is in this instance mistaken, or that he has been carried too far in his wishes to gratify his friend Broaddus.

All our facts are admitted in Mr. Adam's letter, except the parting "God speed;" and this is more than compensated by the testimony of Mr. Adams and all the names in his postscript, for they all testify that Mr. Semple prayed in public, with his usual fervor, that "success might attend the labors of him [T. Campbell] that had spoken to them.” Thus every fact is well attested by eleven witnesses attached to the close of Mr. Broaddus' documents. The only dispute which can exist

is about the interpretation of them. We never presumed to say that Mr. Semple did more than renounce the decrees of King and Queen Conference, and that thus the christian triumphed over the sectary. We now leave it to all men to say, whether the text is not authentic, and the comment orthodox; and whether we, or Mr. Semple's professed friends and relatives, do most honor to his memory!

EDITOR.

SINCE the above was written the following documents have come to hand. We add to them a few remarks, which, strange as it may appear to the reader, were actually in type in our office before these last letters came to hand.-EDITOR.

Dear brother Campbell,

FREDERICKSBURG, March 9, 1832,

YOURS of the 1st inst, came to hand yesterday. I now proceed to comply with your request, and as our good old brother Semple used to say, "Let it go for what it is worth"-good; yes, and I wish I could say as much for all whom I may have occasion to name in this letter. Although I have had occasion to differ from him in opinion about some things, I have ever thought him one among the best men lever knew; for generally, when differing in opinion, he not only evinced the spirit of a christian, but a perfect gentleman. Touching the benediction when he parted with your father, I can say nothing, as I was in a different part of the meeting-house, either attending to singing or putting up the apparatus which was used for the celebration of the supper, and was not, as it appears some others were, watching the movements of brother S. and seeking an opportunity to invite him to stay at night, to expose any error that might be advanced by your father, because, in the first place, I do not think that any sober-minded man had any cause from what he had seen or heard, to fear any error; and in the second place, because I believe the most of the congregation are capable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, I, indeed, myself would have been very glad if he could have attended at night; for sure I am he never would have put the construction upon the discourse delivered at night, that has been put upon it by others. It does appear to me that there is the same ground to object to Paul and Peter upon what they call regeneration, as there is to object to any thing your father said. But as brother Adams has written a letter to the editor of the Religious Herald, giving a full detail of the facts, which I presume you have 1 seen, I deem it unnecessary to repeat them.

It may be proper for me to notice the letters in the Religious Herald of the 17th February, touching this matter. And first, it is passing strange to me that any one should pretend to doubt the benediction of brother Semple upon your father at parting, when he had publicly prayed for him that the Lord would bless him and be with him in his journey, and bless his labors, &c. as fervently, and apparently with as much good feeling, as I recollect to have ever heard him pray for VOL. III. 15*

any one. When Mr. Semple showed to me the letter of brother Warren* before it was sent to the editor of the Herald, I told him there were misrepresentations in it. I then went to brother Warren and named them to him. He admitted that brother Semple did not say as a sermon it was defective, but thought he implied it. I told him he certainly was mistaken in what he called an expose or denial by your father at night of what he had acknowledged in the morningthat what your father called the appendix added by brother Semple, which he said he approved so far as he understood him; and the word grace, concerning which there was some difference of opinion as to its full meaning, was altogether different from the appendix; that what was advanced by brother Campbell and criticised upon by brother Semple, could not be called an appendix.

As to the letter of brother Peyton, it no doubt contains his opinion respecting yourself and your father; but if it contains his opinion respecting brother Semple, it proves two things at least-First, that he is a man susceptible of being led astray by prejudice, and liable to change; for not long since it is a notorious fact that he was accus-tomed to speak in the slightest terms of him, calling him "an Arminian,” “unsound at the core," and such like expressions; and when the supper was to be administered, if he was present he either left the house or sat off on one side, and never, as I recollect, evinced his friendship either to the departed brother or to the church here, by par taking with us. Now in reading his letter, one would think he was in full fellowship with the church here; for in speaking upon the occurrences that took place here, he makes use of the word "us," as if he was one of us indeed. He is not a member here, nor ever was; and it is believed that he is now aiding in sowing the seed of discord in this place.

I now proceed to notice Elder John Clark's letter; and as Paul said, "I wist not, brethren, that he was the High Priest." I wish it was not known that an Elder had such a spirit as this his letter proves he has; but he himself being the judge, he ought to be excluded, at least from the Association; for he says he is "an unworthy member.' But how he reconciles this with his feeling able to admonish and advise the Association, I cannot tell. I cannot think he has ever read the Harbinger. If he have, certainly he is blinded by prejudice; for he says in his letter to brother Sands, a chain of evidences prove that Elder R. B. Semple did not degenerate into Campbellism previous to

*As Messrs. Warren and Peyton have their names affixed to the letter of Mr. Adams, and as their own letters prove nothing more than is proved in that communication, except their own prejudices, we did not think it reasonable to crowd our pages with these extraneous repetitions of the same tales, having in them not a single fact pertinent to the case, not certified by them in the communications from Messrs. Broaddus, Semple, and Adams. Brother Leitch has, however, alluded to them in such a way that, had his letter been received before the matter for the number was laid off, we would, uninteresting and impertinent as they are, have published them. If, however, Messrs. Broaddus and Ball will have all the documents from our side published in the Herald, we will yet publish, without note or coument, their epistles.-Ed.

his death, as said the last Harbinger, vol. 3. Now he cannot show any such language in the Harbinger. He has been a Baptist I believe about three years, and was ordained after the good old custom last Fall. I will not pretend to say what manner of spirit was bestowed upon him by the imposition of hands, or whether any; the letter shows what sort of spirit he has now. His conduct ever since he has been a Baptist proves that he is under strong prejudice; for he joined the White Oak Church, although living in Fredericksburg. Whether prejudiced against the people here I leave for others to judge. He has never acted as if he had fellowship with the church here. I am told he takes the liberty to call people Campbellites, and then shun them as if indeed he thought there was as much danger of his being defiled by them as there would be in handling pitch. One of our brethren, who has lately came into the kingdom, told me he was conversing with him, and on quoting a passage of scripture to him, he replied, "That is Campbellism." "Campbellism!" said the brother, "What is Campbellism? I have never seen any thing from Mr. Campbell upon doctrine in my life." This brother, it seems, was led by that expression to inquire what was meant by "Campbellism." He thought if that were "Campbellism," there could not be much difference between "Campbellism" and the Bible.

As my sheet is full, and it is late, I must close. I have written by candle light, you will therefore please excuse any error or omission. I subscribe myself yours in the fellowship of the gospel.'

Dear brother Campbell,

ABNER LEITCH.

FREDERICKSBURG, March 10, 1831.

I HAVE seen your letter to brother Leitch, of the 1st instant, requesting information in relation to the visit made us by your father, and more particularly in reference to brother Semple's benediction to him. I am sorry that it is not in my power to afford direct testimony on this point. I was not near enough when they parted to hear what passed; but this much I do know, that so soon as your father returned to my house (which he did that night) he mentioned that brother Semple at parting gave him his benediction. So soon as the letters of brethren Warren, Peyton, and Clarke, of the 17th of February, made their appearance, I wrote to brother Sands a notice of those letters, requesting that my letter might be published in the Herald, or returned to me. The letter was put into the Post-Office by brother Leitch, I think, on the 29th of last month, and must have reached them on the next day. I waited until last evening, hoping, as they did not publish it in the Herald of the 2d, that they would certainly return it or publish it in the paper of the 9th. This has also come to hand, and no return of letter or notice of it is taken. In consequence of this treatment I immediately wrote to brother Boótwright, requesting him to call on brother Sands for my letter in order that it might be sent on to you. Whether they will comply with my request time will determine. I hope to hear from brother Bootwright next

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