never once have I heard of the "church of God," or "church of Christ." Well, there is, perhaps, none such. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings of the "church of God" were to be without money and without price. Not so the gospel and blessings of "the Rev. Doctor Skinner's church" and the other Reverends of this city: for independent of the large salaries they get, the very first thing that was presented me in the "Rev. Mr. Skinner's church" was the money box, to pay for the sermon before it was delivered. As I did not know the value of the Rev. gentleman's sermon, I was at a loss how much to pay in advance, having always understood that in fair trade the article should be exhibited first, that the purchaser might see it and judge of its value before he should be called upon to make an advance. 'Tis true I have heard and know of merchants and auctioneers making advances upon the exhibit of an invoice of articles; and far be it from me to say that Mr Skinner had not furnished such catalogue to his merchants upon this occasion. How that may be I know not; but as I remarked that I was at a loss to know what advance to make upon the forthcoming commodity, my first object was to see if I could ascertain what was advanced by his standing customers. I looked and looked, and what was my surprise to see old customers advancing only a penny a-piece. Well, I thought they knew the value of what was coming better than I did; but, as I had no copper, I had to take a larger investment, not without (you might suppose) some little degree of pride being excited, that I should be considered the largest stockholder of all the assemblage in the forthcoming sermon. Well, the money being all paid and the boxes safely laid a way, a psalm was read for singing, and whilst I was listening to hear sweet voices tuning, a great wooden instrument began at my back to "cry out." I had read that on a certain occasion it was said that if certain "held their peace the stones would cry out." Well, wood is softer than stones, and if the religion of Dr. Skinner's church could not make the stones cry out, who could object to their making wood? Not I. It should, perhaps, be remarked here, that the audience was very respectful in this, for not one of them, that I heard, made the least noise to disturb the wooden cries and those sitting round about it, but one gentlemen, in the same pew with myself. He being somewhat old-fashioned, as I suppose, attempted to sing, but even in this his good breeding was manifest, for I could hardly hear him, although I sat next to him. This being over, the reverend gentleman rises and reads two small portions of scripture of the Old Testament-one from Exodus and one from Deuteronomy respecting "the law," and one passage from the New Testament in Hebrews. Some might suspect that I had made "a fine spec," and that the stock would advance greatly above par from this beginning. Six minutes to 11 o'clock, expectations high. He commences, lays his premises, and undertakes to prove that the ten commandments were not delivered by God to Moses, and by him to the Jews; but that they were given immediately by the Creator to Jesus himself, and that they were not for the Jews only (as all the other laws given them by Moses were)

but for the whole world; that Adam fell under them; that Jesus Christ was put to death to give honor to them-nay, that they were eternal; angels in heaven, men on earth and devils in he were all under them; that it was against these the angels that fell sinned; and finally, that when this scene of things should be wound up, it would still be the rule of action for saints in heaven, devils and the damned in hell. In 30 minutes stock fell 200 per cent. And lastly, that God had set apart no particular day for his worship in these ten commandments, but required one-seventh part of their time only, and therefore it mattered not whether it was the first, second, fifth, or seventh day that was observed as a day of rest; and therefore the Sabbath was of eternal duration, and he who now offended against the day that christians regarded as the Sabbath, done it at the peril of the same punishment inflicted upon the Jews under Moses. Stock entirely dead on my hands. That a person, in order to be saved, must be led up to the "fiery law of Sinai," and there be cut down by it, and then he was ready to believe Jesus Christ and come to him to be saved. The smell of brimstone certified me that the stock was gone-gone; the whole investment sunk. Alas for Peter! He knew nothing-absolutely nothing at all about Mr. Skinner's way of saving a soul from endless destruction. Well, this job being over, I concluded never to "buy a pig in a poke" again-never to make an advance upon the credit of a Philadelphia Divine's commodity. Thus determining, I left the "church" and hied away to my boarding.

The next Lord's day, as the Book calls it-Sabbath, as they call it here, I went to hear Mr. Dagg. He was upon Pani's speech before Felix. In this he only attempted to show that Paul defended himself with great ability and logical acumen, and was much superior to Tertullus. On the whole, he is the only one that I have heard, who undertakes to make the scriptures any way useful.

In the evening I went to hear the "Unitarians" at "Dr. Finnare's Church." Here the subject was, "The letter killeth, but the Spirit maketh alive." And what do you suppose the gospel of "Doctor Finnare's Church" made out of this? When I tell you that the speaker (I beg his pardon—the reader) (it was not Dr. F. himself, but a gentleman from Boston) admonished the audience of the necessity of noticing what the Apostle was writing about, and who to, and what their circumstances, when he wrote, which called forth this epistle. When I tell you these were his introductory remarks, you could never guess in 40 years what he made it out to be. Well, I will tell you: He said Paul was a man of science, and that he was laboring to prove and show the Corinthians that they must not take many passages according to the letter-such as Moses' account of the creation; for science, he said, had shown that the earth could never have been created before the sun, and moon, and other planets; for it was now known that the earth was suspended in its station by the principle of gravitation; and if there had been no sun, &c. the principle of gravitation would have been wanting, and the Almighty would have had nothing to hang the earth upon, and he could not have got it off his

hands. "The letter," therefore, "killeth, but the Spirit maketh alive." That it was all nonsense to talk about Jesus Christ or God dying upon this little planet, while all the rest of the planets, many of which were a great deal bigger than this earth, were neglected. A greater absurdity still, as he labored to demonstrate, was the supposition that where the Bible spoke of sinners being damned, and driven from the presence of their Creator forever, it meant a literal damnation. -Such a doctrine was only fit for witches, and could not find a single supporter now-a-days out of the ranks of superstition and sectarian bigotry.Alas! my Master, how have they perverted thy ways! ways, which thou told us should be so plain, that a way-faring man, though a fool, need not err therein!

Now what is the sum of all this matter? tell what? And lastly, infidelity.

1st. Judaism. 2d. I cant

I need hardly say that in the Unitarian church they had the wooden instrument a-going, and I am told they have the stage actresses and actors for a choir. "Like Priest, like people."

May the favor of the Lord Jesus be with you, is the prayer of

Brother Campbell,

P.

ALBA, Bradford Co. Penn. March 29, 1832.

I GAVE you encouragement, some time since, of forwarding a short account of the progress of reform in this county, I intended to have done it in the month of February last, but was prevented by a multiplicity of business. There are five churches in this county decidedly in favor of reform. I begin with

CANTON.

In 1929 this church was rejected by the Chemung Baptist Association for O other reason than because they were unwilling to take any other course than the word of God directed. It then consisted of 60 members; and notwithstanding the violent opposition of all the sects, and the dishonorable means to which the Chemung Association has resorted in order to its overthrow, it now consists of 110 members, and meets weekly to attend to the worship of God in the ancient manner. She has two Bishops and one Deacon. The brethren of this church have certainly manifested a very commendable share of patience towards those who, instead of persecuting, ought to have loved them. I do hope our fellow-disciples throughout the world will remember the law of our King, and "not render railing for railing.”

SMITHFIELD.

This church is composed of 40 members, who were expelled "for voting to dispense with the Articles and Covenant, and to take the word of God alone for their guide. This occurred about 15 months since. According to the ancient practice, these brethren are, in a good degree, walking in all the commandiments and ordinances. They have two Bishops and two Deacons.

COLUMBIA.

This church consists of about 35 members, and meets, I believe, every Lord's day, but does not as frequently break the loaf. They want visiting and encou raging; and I do most earnestly desire some of our brethren from the West to pay us a visit. It would be highly encouraging to all our churches.

COLUMBIA AND TROY.

These brethren met, for the first time, as a church, in August, 1830, and at that time amounted to but 19 members. They have since increased to 41. They pay a primitive regard to the first day of the week.

RIDGEBURG.

Brother

This is a church in connexion with the Christian denomination. Sweet, their Elder, has decidedly fallen in with the ancient gospel. I visited that church considerably during last winter, and must say that I never met with a people more disposed to believe the truth. I believe they are about 40 in number. They do not meet every first day of the week to break the loaf, but I hope they soon will.

There is a small church, of about 20 members, in Luzerne county, which I hope is doing honor to the Redeemer.

In behalf of these churches, among whom I have spent the principal part of my time during several months past, I solicit a visit from some of our brethren from the West, who labor in the word and teaching.

I am your brother in the hope of immortality,

S. E. SHEPARD.

BUILDING HOUSES FOR CHRISTIAN WORSHIP.

Extracts from Correspondents in Eastern Virginia.

"THE churches engaged in the Reformation are all alive to the good work. There is one near the Bowling Green now raising, a brick building, 32 by 40 feet. One in Essex, now receiving proposals for a similar building, 30 by 40. One in Richmond, having a subscription of more than 5000 dollars, which has purchased a lot contiguous to the City Hall and Capitol, on which will be erected a brick building, 50 by 70 feet, to be completed in November next." It is most devoutly to be wished that all who plead for reformation would carry out their principles in the plainness, convenience, and cheapness of the buildings which they erect for the assemblies of christians. No greater satire could be inscribed on marble against the religion of Jesus Christ, than are many of the houses called churches, whenever the people have the means of gratifying the spirit which is in them. There is no difference between the Baptists and other sects in this particular. Opulent communities amongst them have stately edifices, with lofty steeples and ponderous bells. There are some Baptist cathedrals on which more than 40,000 dollars have been expended for the sake of proving that the Baptists would be as respectable as any other sect if they had it in their power. The spirit of baptized and sprinkled Calvinism, whether in the Presbyterial or Congregational form, is one and the same, if a thousand arguments could prove such a proposition. Large, convenient, and permanent houses may be builded for generally less than half the sum usually expended on the same number of square feet. The Quakers are more exemplary in this matter than any other sect. But even their plan could still be improved. Let there be only a regard to convenience and durability; let all that is merely to gratify the lusts of the eye and the pride of life be left to them who seek to gain influence on the children of the flesh by reducing christianity to the taste and fashion of this world, and we can build two, three, and sometimes four meeting houses for the price of one of the same dimen. sions.

Under the present political influences which govern society, it is necessa. ry to have synagogues or meeting houses large enough for the accommodation of the disciples, who can meet in any one place, and such of the community as may desire to attend their meetings. But for the sake of the humble founder of this our religion, and the author of our hope before God, let not the walls of the house, nor any thing in it, reproach our profession.

EDITOR.

THE OBITUARY NOTICE AGAIN.

SUNDRY documents, indicative of the want of candor and fair dealing on the part of those who made so much ado on the subject of our notice of the VOL. III.

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demise of R. B. Semple, were received too late for publication in our last number. As our opponents have so unequivocally fallen into the pit which they have digged, (for sinners' 'hands do make the snares wherewith themselves are caught,') we will not farther expose them even to the awakening of sympathy, and shall only publish a single letter from one correspondent, being a reply to a letter addressed to him from Thomas Campbell, Sen. We publish it especially because of its reference to the charge advanced by Andrew Broaddus against Thomas Campbell for presenting certain printed documents to the churches for their adoption.

Dear brother Campbell,

EDITOR.

"Kenmore, Spottsylvania, March 17, 1832.

Yours of the 22d February was duly received, and ought long ago to have been answered. I deem an apology, however, at this time unnecessary, and therefore now proceed to answer it as far as I am acquainted with the circumstances to which you allude, and my memory serves me. I was, indeed, surprised to see in the Religious Herald an attack upon the statement contained in the Millennial Harbinger with regard to the christian reception you met with from brother Semple when in Fredericksburg; not that I was present when you were introduced to brother Semple, nor at the conversation of which brother Adams speaks, that took place at brother Fife's. But after hearing brother Semple say in his supplement (as it is called) to your morning discourse, that he "thanked God that he had heard the truth that day;" that he "thought all would be profited by more of such preaching;" and praying fervently that your "labors might be crowned with success, ," and it being mentioned by yourself and others that night and frequently afterwards, before brother Semple's decease, that on parting he wished you God speed; I say, after hearing all this, I was astonished to see the attack in the Religious Herald on the statement contained in the Harbinger You perceive that I have only mentioned those things which made a strong impression on my mind, being, as I have frequently since said, expressions that I scarcely expected to hear from brother Semple. The statement made by brother Adams is a fair and candid representation of what happened while I was present, which was from about 15 or 20 minutes before you closed your morning discourse, until some time after your discourse at night.

As respects the printed documents spoken of by brother Broaddus, I feel no hesitation in saying, in the most positive manner, that you never, in my presence, exhibited them for the formal or inforn al reception of any one, farther than as you stated, to prevent mistakes, and to show the object of the reformation of which you professed to be an advocate; and surely had every opportunity of hearing you state the object of them, as I was with you the greater part of the time you were in Spottsylvania.

Concerning the statements of brethren Warren and Peyton-the one that you "endeavored to expose that which you acknowledged in the morning"-the other that "you evidently attacked what you acknowledged in the morning," enough I think has already been said by others. It is, however, wonderful to me that the great body of the enlightened church in Fredericksburg had not discovered your, so called, sophistry.

Yours in christian love,

J. M. ANDERSON.

THE CHRISTIAN PREACHER-No. III. THE christian preacher, whatever be his topic, has uniformly but one great object in view. To induce sinners to give themselves up to Jesus as the divine author of an eternal salvation, is the Alpha and the Omega of all his efforts. Whether his text be selected from Jewish or Pagan antiquity--whether from the animal, vegetable, or