inflicted more injury upon the cause of truth, and of righteousness, than can easily be known or calculated. (3) And he is not engaged in looking for that blessed Hope, even the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour, but in preaching up a millennium, of which he represents himself as the forerunner, and the precursor. This is indeed a hope, and an expectation, as much at variance with prophecy and with fact, as the Mahommedan paradise itself. Let it be your part therefore, in your editorial capacity and influence, to shake off these American fallacies and trammels, and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, without regard to the doctrines and fancies of men. Thus you will earn for yourself, a crown, which fadeth not away, at the glorious advent of the Redeemer, which will more than compensate for the disapproval of your fellow men. Do not be made the tool of any man's private ambition. Such things will not bear the light of that day, when the secrets of all hearts will be unveiled. Let us live in the light of eternity, without regard to the passing follies and objects, of an hour. The kingdom of God will be established, and its glory manifested, and its coming will be speedy and certain. Immortality will reign triumphant, when all party names and systems, (including your own) will have passed away for ever, and will be no more remembered, than a dream. Until then let us avoid making ourselves the advocates and the supporters of any church, save that, which Christ has purchased with his own blood. (4)

With regard to the pre-millennial advent of our blessed Lord, you say that there are two sides, to this great question. But the Apostles never said that there were two sides to it, and that either one, or both of them, might be true, or might not be true. There is nothing of this kind in the mind of God, or in the word of God. (5) There is entire and complete unity in the word of prophecy. If the word testifies that the tares and the wheat must grow together until the harvest, which is the end of the world, we are called to maintain the the same. If the first churches were exhorted to wait for the gracious deliverance, which should be brought unto them, at the appearing of Jesus Christ, we are exhorted to wait for the same gracious period. If we know that when the Son of Man shall appear, in the clouds of heaven, then, the kingdom and the dominion under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the Most High, we are called to maintain the same, in the same manner. If the Word declares that the Papal antichrist, with all other branches of the apostacy, shall be destroyed, by the power and brightness of the Lord's coming, (or his personal revelation,) then, we have no authority to look for any intermediate period of earthly blessedness, to be introduced in any other manner.

If we are assured, that the gospel shall be preached in all the

world, "for a witness or a testimony," and that afterwards, the end shall come, we have no authority to maintain any general or universal evangelization, as preliminary to it. (6) For the great object of the gospel dispensation, is, to call out, or to separate, the children or church of God from that condemnation and destruction, which shall come upon all the world of the ungodly. The conversion of the world, by the preaching of the gospel, or by any other human instrumentality, is a delusion of modern times. It is directly contradicted by the whole body of scripture testimony, and formed no part of the faith of the church, until a recent period. God hath visited the

Gentiles, to take out of them, a people for his name.

The present dispensation, is one of election, not of universality. (7) The sheep must be separated from the goats-the tares from the wheat-the good seed from the bad-the church from the worldthe chosen of the kingdom, from the children of the wicked one. Then, (or afterwards) shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. And then shall the Redeemer return, and shall gloriously build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, that the residue, (or remnant) of men, may seek after the Lord. God will then gather out of his kingdom, (of which this earth is the platform, or site, or territory,) all things that offend or work iniquity. The earth being renewed and sanctified, and Satan driven out of it, the whole creation shall be abundantly blessed in the restoration, and will be claimed by Him who has paid a ransom for it. The church will enter into the glory of her Lord, and will both individually and collectively, be made like unto him. But the promised blessing will extend down, (in a greater or less degree.) to every form of animate creation. Then will be realized those scenes, which "though surpassing fable," are most true. The paradise of God, is as much more glorious than that of men, as God is greater than ourselves, or his thoughts greater than our own. The attainment of this most perfect and only freedom, this everlasting and glorious liberty, is the one great attainment and preparation, which is worthy of all our hopes, and desires, our one only object, aim, and end. Any preaching or printing, or striving or struggling, any labouring or contending, for any thing but for "that great salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory," is all labour in vain, it is altogether useless, it is very vanity, and will yield no return, either in this world or in the life to come. While on the other hand, if we do but spend our few remaining days, while the last sands of time are running out, in pointing men to the uprising of the Sun of Righteousness, and to all that flood of divine illumination by which his coming will be accompanied, and at the same time do point them back to his Cross, as their only hope, at which they may look

and live, we in so doing shall receive an abundant reward in our own souls, while here; and in the world to come, life everlasting.

In the hope of the kingdom of God, which has been for ever secured to all the children of God, by the blood of Redemption-I remain, dear Sir, yours very faithfully, B. B.

Manchester, December 7, 1848.

REPLY TO B. B.

(1) This is our firm intention. God forbid that the Banner should be the ensign of any party. Its inscriptions declarative of the cause for which it is upheld, shall be those which proclaim the supremacy and rightful authority of Christ our Lord. The fervent desire and determined purpose of our souls are, that the Banner shall lead those who gather round it, to truth, righteousness, and glory.

(2) But it is not right to insinuate, that because a man believes the same sentiments, and obeys the same institutions, as Mr. Campbell, he has therefore sworn fealty to him, and lives his passive follower. All the intelligent of those who hold fellowship with him, in faith and practice, bring his "dicta " to the Scriptures the tribunal of truth. When they perceive that his sayings accord with those of Christ and his ambassadors, they receive them, and are grateful to him for the knowledge he has imparted. If his doctrines have not, in their estimation, the sanction of God's word, they are rejected. We have avowed allegiance to the King of Heaven, as faithfully as B. B. professes to have done, and take His word for the guide of our faith and conduct, as conscientiously as he; and it was this course of action that caused us to perceive that Mr. C. had obtained his foundation principles from Divine Truth. B. B. believes many of the doctrines of Mr. M'cLean, does this prove that the avowal he has made of "recognizing only as his rule of faith, and principle of action, the word of God," is a false declaration? We think indeed that if father M'cLean were permitted to visit his spiritual family, he would declare that B. B. upon the whole was a dutiful son. But our brother sees faults in the working of the system, which he pleases to call Mr. Campbell's. He has not stated what these imperfections are, we cannot therefore test their truth. But be it remembered, that many dangerous mistakes are often made, by not discriminating between the consequences which result from a perversion or defective working of a system, and those which are its legitimate and perfect effects. Those who will not thus exercise their discriminating powers, being misled by sense, judge from the first named consequences, and the result is, that their judgment is fatal to their own interests. It is a lamentable fact, that those who are prejudiced

against a system, generally, if not always, make these consequences the criterion of its value. The judgment which we form respecting the excellence of a system, from observing its effects upon its disciples, will oft be erroneous, because however intellectual and holy any system of religion may be, if those who profess to make it visible in their actions, do not largely participate in its qualities, (which, alas! is not always the case,) they will never so clearly develop it, as to give mankind a correct idea of its intrinsic worth. And when we have an antipathy against a religion, every imperfection which we discern in its disciples, we charge upon the system itself. Supposing B. B. had lived in Apostolic days, and had possessed as strong antipathy against the Christian religion, as he now has against what is termed "Campbellism," we ask him what idea he should have imbibed respecting Christianity, had he heard the sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas, two of its noblest and bravest heroes, and seen their separation? What would he have said respecting the working of the system, had he seen the Corinthians elated and glorying because one of their number had married his father's wife? But it will be urged that these were not the legitimate fruits of Christianity we grant it; and can B. B. prove that the spots of leprosy which he has observed upon some of our brethren, are the consequent results of the doctrines and institutions which we believe and obey?

(3) When Mr. Campbell affirms that baptism is connected with faith, in obtaining our justification, he but reiterates the inspired assertions of our Saviour-King and his princes. The awful consequences resulting from this doctrine, are only seen when we contemplate its properties and effects, through the dense mists and sombre shades of prejudice and human tradition. But, what is faith? and how is baptism connected with it? The faith of the gospel is this, -that Christ died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. He then, who holds this faith, believes that Christ fully purchased our salvation from sin, and that man cannot perform one work to make this salvation more perfect. He therefore relies on Christ's sacrifice alone for justification. By this faith, the Apostle Paul strenuously maintained a man was justified, and not by the works of the law. It was in opposition to these works that the great Apostle proclaimed this fundamental principle, and not against those acts which resulted from it. These acts are never called works of righteousness, but obedience to the faith. Now, no divine teacher ever asserted that faith was perfect, and obtained for man the remission of his sins, independent of such an act; nor did an Apostle ever argue that man was justified by it, while it existed only as a principle in the mind. Indeed, no principle can be of much benefit to us while it thus dwells a sentiment in the soul. It is when it gains so great

an ascendancy over us, as to dictate and to govern our words and deeds, that we obtain its hidden blessings. Thus, the principles of hope and love, must be developed in action, before we can receive the gifts which God has treasured in them. So Abel's faith did not obtain for him a token from Jehovah, testifying that he was accepted as righteous, while it was closeted in his heart-it was after it had urged and caused him to offer unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, that it procured for him the divine approbation. But every action participates in the nature of its producing principle; and every sentiment or truth which is acknowledged by the principle, or implied in it, is acknowledged or implied in the action. Now baptism is the first overt act, which God has appointed to result from faith. This principle, then, is developed through this medium. And the blessing of justification, which God has appointed to be received through faith, is obtained when it thus gains so great an ascendancy over the man, as to produce this action. Again, every truth acknowledged by faith, is confessed by Christian baptism. He who is scripturally baptised, declares by this act, that he believes that Christ died for his sins, and rose again for his justification, and that the sacrifice of the Saviour alone purchased the blessings of salvation. Hence, by baptism, he renounces all his own works and merits, and rests in meek and submissive confidence upon those of Christ; and on account of this deed of faith, God blesses him with the remission of his sins.

(4) B. B. is also persuaded that Mr. C. has wandered as far from the hope as from the faith of the gospel. But surely the expressions of this paragraph were dictated by his zeal, not by an intelligent and deliberate conviction. His ideas agree with those of Mr. C. respecting the moral principles which shall be constituents of the millennium. Both maintain that truth, righteousness, and happiness, shall prevail and triumph in the earth. The voices of Prophets and Apostles are heard in solemn yet exulting attestation of this doctrine. But B. B. must know that Mahomed never declared that these principles, in their Christian acceptation, would be attributes of his clime of glory. How then can he in truth affirm, that the hope which Mr. C. proclaims, is as much at variance with prophecy and fact, as the Mahomedan paradise itself. We are not under the influence of American fallacies and turmoils, but do not consider it our duty to close our pages against the entrance of American writings. If the articles which we insert from the pen of Mr. C., and other transatlantic brethren, do not receive the approval of the readers of the Banner, its pages are open for the reception of their objections, provided they write with Christian courtesy, and grammatical accuracy. (5) Our statement was not so positive. We said, that "we wished both sides of this great question, to be calmly, candidly, and scrip