Evangelists, &c., but the Apostles and Evangelists themselves, ready furnished for the work. We hope brother Giles will correct this very serious mistake (though so simply made) in the minds of those whom he may have led astray by it. I need not push this matter further.

But he is equally unfortunate in his quotation of another passage: "How shall they preach, except they be sent?" In common with some very old fashioned sectarian theologians, he supposes that God himself, or his spirit, is the sender in this case. How can they preach, except they be sent by God? But that is not the subject here. If the church do not send men to the heathen, we ask, with Paul: How can they preach to the heathen, unless they be sent to them!" Bad reading, makes bad rehearsing."

If the brethren, then, do not send Evangelists abroad, the question is, How can they preach abroad? Go themselves!! No, indeed, for then they would not be sent. In that case, they might preach because they went. For, if any one went to Arabia, he could, indeed, preach just as well when there, as if he had been sent. But, there is no need of further explanation. The chapter explains itself, when these simple and honest errors are corrected.

But the world still needs Evangelists and Pastors-that is, preachers of the gospel and teachers of the doctrine of Christ. To preach Christ, is primarily the work of an Evangelist. To teach Christ, is primarily the work of a pastor or feeder of the flock; therefore, he is called a "teacher,” as well as a "pastor." He feeds the spiritual flock with knowledge and understanding.

Extraordinary gifts were essential to those who lived without the Christian revelation. Without these, the gospel could not have been promulged, nor the New Testament written. But Apostles and Evangelists, duly inspired, have promulged the whole gospel and doctriue of Christ. Therefore, there is no need for either inspired Apostles or inspired Evangelists. But there is yet much need for uninspired missionaries and preachers. They, indeed, are, in a secondary sense, inspired by the faith and love of Christ, and by the spirit of our God. But not in a primary sense of uttering or communicating new oracles or new precepts.

Our brother Giles, owing to the unfortunate translation he has made, or the imperfect reading of the Common Version, would lead us to a fearful error, viz: That we need neither preachers nor missionaries at home or abroad, for all are now missionaries-all are preachers!! True, indeed, the sun, moon and stars, men, women and children, are, in a very humble, but yet in a figurative sense,

preachers. David said of the former, their "sound," or voice, went into all the world, and their "words" unto the ends of the world.

To conclude, for the present, we need thousands and tens of thousands of private preaching and teaching Christians. We need, also, the old Apostles and the old Prophets-the old Evangelists and Pastors-but we also need myriads of men, officially set apart and devoted to the work of the Lord, wholly and exclusively set apart to that work. And if these few hints will not suffice, we have many reasons and illustrations, as well as Bible facts and documents, on our shelves, for the use of brother Giles and others, who have been taught to read the Bible wrong.

Touching the fact, that Evangelists belong to the whole community, I have only time to say, that they are not essentially nor necessarily confined to one church and one field of labor, but that they go out into the world and preach abroad; and that, after being sent out by a plurality of churches, as our Missionaries and Evangelists to foreign lands, they are equally the property of all the churches who send or sustain them in the work. Whereas, a Pastor or Teacher has a particular charge, and is only amenable to that flock or charge ever which the Holy Spirit and the brethren have constituted him an overseer.

As to any collision between my early and my recent writings, I presume that collision, when examined, will be found rather to consist in a collision existing only in the minds of my readers, who at first saw men walking as trees moving," but now see more clearly that they are really men and not trees. But, if this will not suffice, we have other and various considerations and facts upon our shelf. And may the Lord give us understanding in all things!

A. C.

QUERY ON DISCIPLINE.

Is it not indispensable to the unity of the Body of Christ, that the churches should respect each other's acts in matters of discipline, and refuse to countenance a member who has been excluded by a church in good standing? A FRIEND TO UNION.

ANSWER.

Such a course is unquestionably essential to good order. The action of a congregation in good standing and regularly organized, must be respected by other congregations, else there can be no good feeling or mutual respect between them. It is quite absurd to suppose that

the Saviour would have given to the church of which an individual is a member, the right to try and excommunicate him, when, at the same time, he intended to allow that other churches should disregard such a sentence, and treat the offender as though he were in good standing and full fellowship. Each congregation is but a part of a great whole, which we call the Kingdom of Christ. These parts, however, are equal; and, so far as official power is concerned, within the proper limits of its jurisdiction, each one is supreme. It will not be denied, that the power to exclude offenders is vested in the particular congregation to which they belong. In the exercise of this power, therefore, a congregation is acting as the commissioned agent of Christ, and thus, exclusion from their fellowship, is exclusion from the visible Kingdom of Christ on earth. How, then, can any member of that kingdom treat him as a law-abiding subject! Is not the reversal of the rule indicated in the above query virtually taking into the bosom of the church one who has been declared, by the constituted authority of Christ, a heathen man and a publican! If so, who can justify the practice? Surely none who fear and honor Christ more than they do their fellow-men. W. K. P.

UNIVERSALISM RENOUNCED.

NEAR PARIS, Ky., February 28th, 1849. Brother Campbell: You have, as I suppose, been informed, ere this, that I have abandoned Universalism, and embraced "the faith once delivered to the saints." I battled for near seven years in that, as I now feel fully satisfied, worst of all causes. I removed to this place more than four years ago, and began to try to build up the cause of Universalism. In this I had succeeded to a considerable extent. A number of persons had embraced the cause, and had built a neat and commodious meeting house. Here I expected to see "the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose," for I did not doubt, and had not doubted from the time that I began to preach, but that Universalism, when embraced by a community, would cause them to love God more sincerely, and to yield a more willing and acceptable obedience than they could be induced to yield from any other consideration, or the belief of any other sentiment; but, alas! for my calculations respecting the moral and Christian reformation which I was to effect by preaching the doctrine of present retribu

tion, and that there is to be no future punishment. Near five years have passed away since I began to preach the doctrine to this peo. ple, and, without exaggeration, or the fear of contradiction, I will describe the fruits which it has produced. Every species of Infidelity with which this country abounded, is being cloaked under the deceptive mask of Universalism-seeking to hide its monstrosities under a counterfeit form of Christianity-and thus appear less odious to the unwary and unsuspecting portion of mankind. Many of its votaries-and I may say the larger portion, by far-use profane language, and that habitually. Not one has been reformed by it in the least degree; but, on the contrary, many have been steeled against, and rendered invulnerable to, the admonitions and warnings of others, and thus hardened and confirmed in wickedness. This I began to see more than two years ago, but, not doubting the truth of the doctrine, I concluded that it was owing to the way in which it was presented, and I went to work to remedy, if possible, the great defect; but, alas! I was foiled in my effort, and had another practical demonstration of the entire inutility of the doctrine to reform men. I have tried every method which I could devise, to make the doctrine produce a good moral effect, and all to no purpose. At times I was almost driven into absolute Deism, for I did believe Universalism to be the truth; but why should the truth produce such results or fruits? This was, to me, the most perplexing question that ever agitated my mind, and especially perplexing, when I considered that "a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.” Nothing but a most profound veneration for the Bible, could have kept me from being a Deist. I set about the work of detecting the error, and found it to, exist in my system, when I at once threw it away, and resolved, for the future, to have no system but the Inspired Volume. My motives, as I expected, have been impugned by my former brethren, but these things have no effect upon me in any way. For years had they been recommending me to our brethren and to the world, as a good man, and had never had aught against me, and it will be impossible for them to injure me now. I shall pay little or no attention to any thing which they may say about me.

As I have had, and while a Universalist expected to have, much controversy with Reformers, I bought and read many of your works, and it is my unwavering conviction, that it has had much to do in keeping me out of Infidelity. I am resolved to spare neither pains or exertions to counteract what I have done, and to build up the truth. As yet, I have been preaching to the different congregations around me, and shall, I think, continue for some time to fill one SERIES III.-VOL. VII.

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monthly engagement near where I live, and travel and preach where I can do the most good. I start on a tour of two or three weeks

to-morrow.

I have many things which I should be glad to say, but time will not now permit. The cause of the truth is advancing, despite all opposition. Our good brother, John Rogers, of Carlisle, has been preaching for near two months in Mason county, and has added about 100 to the Lord. Brother Rickets, I hear, has added about 50 more, in the same county.

Please excuse this hastily written scrawl.

Yours, in the hope of a glorious Immortality,

Elder A. CAMPBELL.

C. B. THARP.

[The preceding letter has been misplaced for some time, but such a testimony of the force of truth is always in season.-A. C.]

EVANGELICAL MINISTRATIONS.

AMONG the various questions which arise in the mind of the preacher of the gospel, there is, perhaps, no one more difficult to decide than this: How far shall I persist in pressing the gospel upon those who have not yet become obedient to its requirements! There are not a few who deem it sufficient to give a plain and simple statement of the gospel facts, and to exhibit the evidences on which they rest, leaving it to men to choose or to reject the divine mercy. They are unwilling to urge, with much earnestness, the claims of religion, fearful lest any should, from the transient influence of impassioned exhortations, be induced to make a profession of Christianity without proper knowledge and consideration. They avoid all excitements of feeling, and trust to the calm and deliberate convictions of the understanding, believing that, through the reasoning powers alone, the gospel can be truly received and appreciated. There are others, however, who regard it as highly necessary to urge the disobedient in the most earnest and impressive manner, and who, accordingly, employ all the powers of declamatory eloquence in order to arouse the feelings of the audience, and move them to submission to the divine will. They are disposed to calculate largely upon the knowledge of the hearers, and to take it for granted that there is a large amount of faith in most men, which only requires to be roused into activity. They are thus disposed, doubt