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baptism in order to his being constitutionally builded upon the divine foundation, or, as we usually say, admitted into the Christian kingdom or church. No minister, or church of Jesus Christ, has any divine right or authority to ask for more or accept of less than this, in order to Christian baptism. We ought, indeed, to know that the person so professing, understands what he says, and gives evidence of the sincerity of his confession: but farther than this neither right reason nor revelation interrogates any man, Jew or Gentile. We need not add that no one can believe, repent, make confession, or be baptized by proxy, or upon another person's confession. Christianity being personal, both in its subject and object, it is neither family nor national. Every individual "must be born of water and of the Spirit" in order to admission into the present dispensation of the kingdom of God.

Concerning the other Christian ordinances, we observe that, being monumental of the Christian facts-Christ's death, burial, and resurrection—and containing in them the grace of God; being also social in their nature, they are weekly institutions, and to be diligently observed by all the faithful in Christ Jesus in their public weekly assemblies. They are, therefore, essential parts of "the communion of saints."

As for prayer and praise they are, indeed, Christian institutions, but not exclusively so. The altar, the priest, and the victim, prayer and praise, belong to no age, dispensation, or form of religion. They are religion itself. Without these five there is no religion. There was no patriarchal nor Jewish, there is no Christian institution of religion, without these media of reconciliation and worship. We Christians, indeed, have an altar, a high priest, and a sacrifice, infinitely more sublime and glorious than any one around which patriarchs or Jews ever assembled.

But though we have no private, no family altar, priest, or sacrifice, we have our personal and our Christian family prayer and praise, without which Christian parents cannot possibly bring up their families "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

There is also the Christian fellowship, or contributions for the expenditure of the church of Christ, in its various works of righteousness and benevolence. The expenses of a community, and the benevolence of a community, must also be public as well as private and personal. This was anciently called "THE FELLOWSHIP." In attending upon it, in our weekly assemblies, we become followers of the primitive churches, and enjoy the luxury of socially practising righteousness and mercy on the Lord's day.

The Evangelical Reformation, now in progress, extending over the United States and the English provinces in America, and being now plead in the kingdoms of England, Ireland, and Scotland, and in other places, embracing from two to three hundred thousand professors, in addition to these fundamental matters of Scriptural and Divine Authority, exhibit two other propositions besides those three, as vital and all-important to the restoration of original Christianity in faith and practice, in letter and in spirit. These are :—

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1. That instead of the modern ecclesiastic and sectarian terminology, or technical style, we adopt BIBLE NAMES FOR BIBLE THINGS. For example:-Instead of " sacraments," we prefer ordinances; for "the Eucharist," the Lord's Supper; for "covenant of works," the law; for "covenant of grace," the gospel; for "Testament," Institution or Covenant; for "trinity," Godhead; for first, second, and third person," the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ; for "eternal Son," the Son of God; for "original sin," the fall, or, the offence; for "Christian Sabbath," Lord's day, or, first day; for "effectual calling," calling, or obedience; for "merits of Christ,” righteousness, or, sacrifice of Christ; for "general atonement," ransom for all; for "free grace," grace; for "free will," will, &c. &c.

As the Lord promised, by Zephaniah, that, in order to union. amongst his people, he would give them "a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent," so every effort at Evangelical Reformation must be to heal divisions and to prevent debate among Christians-aim at a pure language," the language of Canaan, and avoid that of Ashod,—calling Bible things by Bible words.

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2. The second grand proposition essential to an Evangelical Reformation to Christian union and co-operation in the kingdom of Christ, is that UNITY OF FAITH and not unity of opinion, must be publicly and privately taught and advocated as prerequisite to the communion of the children of God.

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The Bible, without regard to its books or dispensations, is properly divided into three grand elements. These are properly called facts, precepts, and promises. All these, it is true, might be called facts, as all books might be called words. But in the usual appropriated sense we call any thing said or done, a fact; any thing commanded to be done, a precept; and any thing promised to be done, a promise. This distinction greatly reduces the subjects of debate-the "doctrines," strifes of words," and "endless genealogies," which "minister questions and doubts "rather than godly edifying," and makes it quite possible, amidst many diversities of opinion, to maintain "unity of spirit in the bonds of peace." Each of the three dispensations had its own facts, precepts, and promises. The things said and done by God and men from Adam to Moses, constitute its patriarchal facts; those from Moses to Christ, its Jewish facts; and those from Christ to the end of the Apostolic writings, its Christian facts. Each of these three had also its own peculiar precepts and promises.

Now as facts are only to be believed, precepts to be obeyed, and promises to be hoped for, as well as believed, we can very easily and perspicuously distinguish what constitutes Christian faith, Christian obedience, and Christian hope, not only from the Jewish and the patriarchal, but also from all matters of speculation usually called opinions. We must be, because we can be, of one faith, of one obedience, and of one hope; but we need not be, because we cannot be, of one opinion, not being of one mental or physical constitution. Hence the propriety and the beauty of that Apostolic exhortation—

"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace; for there is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

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These seven reasons, without regard to differences of opinion, are the divine basis of Christian union, and should be of all Christian co-operation. We ask no more, we propose no less. Matters of doubtful disputations," or, properly, matters of mere speculative belief, have no authority but the reason of man. Paul, therefore, commands, "Receive him that is weak in the faith without regard to differences of opinion;" and, let "the strong bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please themselves," or have their own way. We then lay a divine basis of Christian union. We ask for faith, and not for the deductions of reason; for the testimony of God, and not the opinions of men. And say with the Apostle, as many as walk by this rule, peace be on them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God."

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AMICABLE DISCUSSION.

BROTHER CAMPBELL:

Akron, Erie County, New York,|
January 15, 1847.

Dear Sir-I am informed that, in the Millennial Harbinger, you have written concerning me; and if my information be correct, you say that you have mislaid my letters on infant church membership, and that if I will write and send them again, you will publish and reply to them in the Harbinger. I will do so, if the Lord will,' however, as I wrote before for a correspondence that might not be published until finished, but now write for my letters to be published and replied to in piecemeal; I shall change my method, and alter and arrange my letters accordingly. And, as the one I sent you in 1840 should be a link in my chain of argument, when I come to the place for it, I shall send you the argumentative part of it again; so that your readers who have forgotten it, and those who have not seen it, may read it in connexion with the others.

Please send me the Millennial Harbinger as long as you publish any thing in it concerning me, and when I have finished my letters, I shall have paid for it with my pen; but, if I fail to send you stronger arguments in favour of infant baptism than those that you have published in your debates with Pedobaptists, I will send you Yours with high respect,

the money.

ORRIN ABBOTT.

P. S. My health has improved since I wrote you last; but, as it may sink again, and I may be deprived of finishing the discussion, please hasten its publication.

I shall number my argumentative letters for more convenience in future references.

BROTHER CAMPBELL:-

Akron, Erie County, New York,
January 15, 1847.

Dear Sir-I am a Pedobaptist minister of good standing in my "party," as you may see, by looking at the Minutes of the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church; and I find myself challenged by you to discuss infant baptism. A volume that you published, containing a debate that you held on the subject, brings me the following challenge :

"I this day publish to all present, that I feel disposed to meet any Pedobaptist minister, of any denomination, of good standing in his party, and I engage to prove in a debate with him, either viva voce or with the pen, that infant sprinkling is a human tradition, and injurious to the well being of society, religious and political. I have to add, that I must have an equal vote in determining the time and place. This is the only restriction I attach to the challenge I now publish."

This challenge I now accept, and fix the following terms :— 1st. The debate shall be with the pen.

2nd. As I shall mostly occupy untrodden ground, so that you may not know where to look for me till you see me, I shall lay my arguments before you first.

3rd. As a straight road is shorter than a crooked one, and easier to be described, and truth may be defended with less words than error ; your replies shall not exceed the length of my letters.

4th. My replication shall be but half the length of my letters to which you reply, and your rejoinder shall be as short as my replication. And, if the argument shall be farther pursued, it shall continue to diminish in the same ratio. I love short arguments.

5th. Either may obtain a copy-right, and publish the whole in its regular order; but the other shall have the same right to publish it that he would have if he had the copy-right himself.

I accept your challenge for the purpose of taking passages and arguments which I have never seen brought into the controversy, and throwing them into your crucible, that I may obtain on them the views of one whom I deem to be far the ablest advocate of the Baptist doctrine that it has ever had in its numerous and respectable ranks. To give more force to these I must use several passages which have been often used in the dispute about baptism; but in the use of them I shall refrain from such arguments as I suspect you have met from others. With high respect,

ORRIN ABBOTT.

A. CAMPELL TO ORRIN ABBOTT.

BROTHER ABBOTT :

Bethany, Va., January 29, 1847.

My Dear Sir-I thankfully received your favour of the 15th inst. per last mail. I am much gratified that your health is so much improved, and hope that it will still continue to improve.

The challenge which you quote grew out of an original challenge given to the Baptists by the late "Rev. John Walker," of Ohio, twenty-eight years ago. The challenge was directed to me by the Baptists of Ohio, and accepted. We met in June, 1820. Out of this debate grew a challenge, or an acceptance of an invitation, found in the published discussion of that Debate, on the part of the Rev. W. L. M'Calla. On that invitation we met in Washington, Mason county, Ky., in October, 1823. Thence you quote the passage which you now denominate a challenge-and signify your desire to meet me in a sort of abbreviated or laconic discussion Of course I stand up to the invitation tendered, which you are pleased to call a challenge-and concerning the appositeness of the terms I will not consume one breath or one period.

You have signified the conditions and rules of discussion. To these, of course, I make no objection. Regarding you as by reputation, a candid-straight-forward gentleman, I will lose no time in objecting to any thing you have stipulated. I am, indeed, pleased with the very rational, although somewhat novel plan of tapering off to nothing in the replication. I will only say that the number of topics to be introduced into our pages is so great as to make it desirable that in any case your first letter shall not occupy more than four printed pages. My response to it will occupy just as many. Your replication to that will then be reduced to two pages, and my replication to the same. If continued, your next will be one page, and my response one page; and so on to the words Yes and No.

On receipt of this, you will please send me your No. I.; on the receipt of which I will immediately respond to you; and so on till we get it all in writing. I will publish one communication in every number. But circumstances demand that I should have it all written, if possible, in two months from this date.

With the kindest regard, I remain yours in the love of the truth, A. CAMPBELL.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.-No. III.

IN looking over the manuscript of my correspondent I find the following confirmation of his reasonings against capital punishment having been permitted or allowed under the Partriarchal dispensation, or before the giving of the law in the year of the world 2513. As he seems to make much of the case of the slaughter of the Shechemites, and of an Egyptian, by Moses, we shall lay his remarks upon these before our readers :

"In the postdiluvian age, when Simeon and Levi had come presumptuously upon the Shechemites, and had committed some of the most deliberate and treacherous murders on record, their father

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