mm TRUE CHURCH, A SERMON, P R E A 8 IT E D BY REV. W-M| P. MILLER, 0 N T H E IMC onr Circuit At the request of the Quarterly Colilcreiice, being; a Reply to the > Exclusive Views of flic REV. W . C. MORROW Held forth in a Sermon, preached before the last. BETHLEHEM BAPTIST ASSOCIATION And Published by the Asso.-i.i1 ion. •'Contend earnestly for the. Faith, once delivered to the Saints.; i ) ; Published by the Quarterly Conference, or a Committee run- <1 by it, J for that purpose. Claiborne, Ala,: 'so. raicBXEK 4KB AMERICAN" PRINT, 1658. GOD'S TRUE CHURCH. A SERMON, PREACHED BY REV. WM. P. MILLER, ON THE DM onroeville Circuit, At the request of the Quarterly Conference f being a Reply to the Exclusive Views of the REV. ¥. C. MORROW. Held forth in a Sermon, preached before the last BETHLEHEM BAPTIST ASSOCIATION, And Published by the Association. •'Contend earnestly for the Faith, once delivered to the Saints.'"—BiUe. Published by the Quarterly Conference, or a Committee raised, bj it, for that puryjose. Claiborne, Ala.; ^SOrXHEIUER AND AMEBICAV' MUVX. 1858t Or. Motion of Neil Gillis, seconded 4>y T. H. Y\ illiam6 T. H. W 1 i.iams, John Sampv, Dr. M. McCall, Bro. Dennard, and Thomas Sim i^on, were appointed a Committee to request Bro. Millhr to furnish •opy of his Sermon, preached round the Circuit, for publication in Par phlet form. The request having been made verbally, I comply in great humility Hoping and Praying it may be a Blessing to some. May Cod's Ho Spirit accompany it wherever it may go, is the Prayer of Your unworthy servant, WM. I'. MILLEu. A SERMON. "Though Abraham be ignorant, of us, ami Israel acknowledge us not, Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemed. Thy name is from everlasting." Isa. lxiii, 16. "I speak as to wise men, judge ye what I say." I Cor. x, 15. We shall fi rst read a collection of extracts from Mr. Morrow's sermon, from which to gather his positions. He says ? "And while I am a Baptist, and sincerely believe that the only Chris• tian Churches on earlh are to be found among Baptists; yet among all denominations there are individuals whose piety is as sincere and ardent as any to be found in Baptist, i. e. Christian Churches. I have no doubt, but that conscientious sincerity, on the part of individuals, is as much felt, and regarded by the members of the Latin or Roman Church, which is the oldest of all human Organizations claiming to be a Church of Christ; and also of the Greek Church, next in age to the Latin Church ; and also 'the various modern sects all of which have been founded by men, such as those founded by Calvin, Luther, Henry the Eighth, Wesley, Campbell, or Joe Smith, as it is, or can be. among Baptists, or any hu¬ man beings, whatever their professions or pretensions. But the devotees of Idol worship are consciencious and sincere " pp. 10, 11. Again, he says: "The essential properties of Christian Churches are common to all true Churches of Christ, and if we find any organized bodies of persons claiming to be true Churches and yet wanting in one essential element, we may know that it is not a church of Christ but a human institution." p. 11. "Every true Gospel Church possesses nine and only nine, Essen, tial Elements so far as I have been able to discover." p. 11. Again, ho. says: "If you then should see, at any time a society, claiming to be a gospel church, whose mambers have been Baptized in Infancy, or who have not been Baptized at all, you may know that it is a human institu¬ tion having no just claims to be a true church of Christ." p. 14. Again,, he says: "Do not all the Infant-sprinkling organizations look up to their Preachers for Laws and disciplines, and all things pertaining to their faith and practice?" p. 16. Again : "The Church of Jesus is plainly marked, even by their enemies, in the blood they have so freely spilt, from the days of John the Baptist, beheaded in prison, down to modern times.— Organizations, therefore, having but a modern Origin, can lay no claim to divine Authority." p. 18. Again : "It is natural for all pedo-member- ship'cburches to seek the establishment of their religion by law." p. 18. Again, he says: "But my brethren what is the history of the Baptist churches in this respect? From the tragical scenes of the bloody mur¬ der of Jesus and his Apostles, by the crucifixion, all along down the stream of time, to the sufferings and persecutions of the great and belov. ed Onkin and his associates, at this very moment have the Baptists suf¬ fered persecution." p. 19. Again : "What ever.is essential now, to a true 4. gospel church, always has been, from its establishment, and always will bo, to the end ot' time. The polity of Christ's church never can change." p. 19. Again, he says: "All Baptists, and even Protestants themselves, agree that the Roman Catholic church is the great Apostate and AntL Christ. Hence there is no gospel ministry, and no Baptism in the church of Rome. And it is self-evident, that they cannot give what they do not possess. Therefore, neither the Greek, Lutheran, Presbyte- riau, Episcopal, nor any of the branches springing from them, have any Gospel Ordination or Baptism, seeing these came to them from no higher authority than that of an Apostate church. They cannot, then, make any reasonable claim to be churches of Christ. They are Apostates from an Apostate church." p. 20. Again : "Those of my hearers, ac¬ quainted with the principles, practices and history of the people called Baptists, and apply the criteria just laid down, cannotTail to identify the true church of Christ with these people. O Baptists awake to your work; Your mission is a great one."* p. 21. Again, he says*. "The Baptist Ministry, as it is, though not possessed of as much learning as is desirable; and while our watch-word is Onward ; is now the best minis¬ try in the world, and is doing more good, to their number. Because it is the only scriptural ministry." p. 23. Again : "It requires no labored application or illustration to show, that the Baptist churches are the only churches in the world, that fill the requirements of the nine essentials mentioned in the first head of this discourse." p. 31. Again, he says: "And first of all, it is necessary for me to describe a true church of Christ. And this I will do so plainly, that any body of the least intelli¬ gence will know such a body wherever he sees it." p. 4. Again, he says : "We have one infallible guide, so plain that any person with suffi¬ cient intelligence, to be responsible either in law or religion, cannot fail to detect the unseiiptural character of any organization claiming to be any part of the kingdom, whose origin dates either before or after Christ's sojourn on earth." p. 7. Once more: "Christ while on earth established his kingdom, hence he then gave it its form, constitution, laws, usages, and ordinances." p. 7. We shall now proceed to Analyze these extracts : 1st. it is claimed, in six different passages, iu the above extracts, that The Baptist church is the only true church of Christ ; or all the true churches are to he found among the Baptists. 2d. In these passages, it is contended, that Christ instituted or established his kingdom, or Chvrch, while on earth. 3d. In these, passages, it is contended, that The true church has continued from the days of Christor John the Baptist, until noiu. 4th. In four passages, it is contended, that, all true churches, all the time, from the time of Christ's sojourn on earth, have possessed all the nine and only the nine "ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS" in Mr. Mor¬ row's Discovery. 5th. We infer from one passage, That Baptists are cot Protestants. There is about one Baptist for every Nine Hundred! 1 If in the year 1858 they are so far behind the population, when will all be baptists'at the same rate f 5. 6th. In one passage, it is said, The Baptist Ministry is the only scriptu. rat one in the world. These are the positives. The negatives are : 1st. In three passages, it is stated that all other churches except the Baptist are human Organizations or Institutions. 2d. That Calvin, Luther, Henry the Eighth, Wesley and Joe Smith, &c,r founded these human institutions. 3d. All Denominations thai Baptize Infants, all that sprinkle, all Pedo. membership churches, are human institutions, without any just claim to be true churches of Christ. 4th. All Infant-sprinkling organizations, look up to their Preachers for laws and discipline, and all things pertaining to Faith and Practice. 5th. Pedo-membership churches seek the establishment of their reli¬ gion by law. 6th. The Roman Catholic church is the Great Apostate ; and the Greek, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and all the branches springing from them, Apostates from an Apostate church. 7th. He contends, There is no Gospel Ministry, and no Baptism, in the Church of Rome; and no Gospel Ordinances, oy Baptism, in the Greek, or Lutheran, or Presbyterian, or Episcopal Churches, or any branches springing from them. 8th. All Organizations having but a modern origin, dating after the so¬ journ of Christ on earth, can lay no claim to divine Authority. 9th. And all dating before have no claim. 10th. Any Church not formed, constituted, and put in possession of all the Laws, Usages, and Ordinances, by Christ while on earth, i. e.: All that did not receive the "nine essential Elements" discovered by Mr. Morrow, after a long and tedious investigation of the subject, are not Christian Churches. 11th. He makes some concessions in reference to individuals. He admits that in all denominations, there are individuals who are consciencious and sincere, but at once says, so the devotees of Idol worship are con¬ sciencious and sincere ! !! Cold comfort that, the very best christians of all other churches are only as good as Idol Worshippers. What then are his grand positions ? First, that the Baptist Church is the only true christian church on earth ; that it was instituted by Christ while ha was on earth, has con¬ tinued ever since Christ, or John the Baptist, until now, wa3 established, with nine, and only nine, essential elements ; that the Baptists are not Protestants; and that they have the only Scriptural Ministry in the World. Second, that all other churches except Baptist: the Roman Catholic,. Greek, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches, are human in¬ stitutions, founded by man ; all that baptize Infants ; all that baptize by sprinkling ; all that take children into the church by baptism ; are Apos¬ tates or Apostates from an Apostate church, having no gospel Ministry Ordinances or Baptism. All these having a modern origin, not having received the nine Essential Elements, in Mr. Morrow's discovery, directly from Christ while He was on earth, cannot have any or the least claim,, to be true churches of Christ. 6. I have been thus particular, that the audience may have the subject clearly before them, and may know to what I am about to reply, and the reasons that led to this reply. Not that the quarterly Conference thought that the arguments or proof in Mr. Morrow's sermon would be dangerous to our Zion with thinking people, but that, if such assertions and assumptions went into print un¬ contradicted, it might be construed by some to mean assent on our part. And this is not the first attack made upon us. This sermon is of a piece with the "Iron "Wheel," by Graves; and "Theodosia Ernest," the Baptist love tale or novel. By comparing the three, you will believe they are brothers in sectarian prejudices, bigotry, persecution, slander, and a determination to make war, a war of exter¬ mination, on all other denominations. Claiming the sole right to the Gospel Church and Kingdom, they desire to subjugate the whole world. They have raised a war throughout the length and breadth of our land.— We were comparatively at peace until that vile Accuser of the brethren, J. R. Graves, commenced hammering out his hot Iron on the Devil's anvil, to malco that Lying Book, called the Great Iron Wheel; and the way that took encouraged some other Baptist (A. C. Dayton I suppose) to write the novel Theodosia, the tongue of which is smooh as the tongue of the serpent which deceived our first Mother, and has deceived many even of the elect; aud last of all Mr. Morrow comes out with the same views in a sermon, and that sermon is published by the Association. In this convenient fonn it is sent out, like Sampson's firebrands fastened to the tails of foxes, to burn dows all tbe standing corn and shocks, to destroy and burn in two, the last cord of Union between them and other denominations, to take peace from the earth. Oh what a pity ! Some of our sisteis have Baptist husbands, and some of our brothers have Baptist wives ; do you get the idea? Those in favor of this reply, think that if such false views and slanders are not noticed some right minded persons will be made to believe they are facts, and future generations will be led into error by them. The "Great Iron Wheel" has been successfully examined by our great Southern Champion, Brownlow, and there is now in press a reply to the novel, and it has fallen to my lot to say a few things in reply to Mr. Morrow's sermon. I should like to know if the Baptists generally believe, with Mr. Mor¬ row, that the Baptist church is the only true church, Ac., and how long these sentiments have prevailed among them. 1 have heard them accuse ed, for twenty years, of holding these views; but many of them, have all along denied them, notwithstanding their close communion. But one thing is certain, they have not come out openly with them within the bounds of my acquaintance until lately. Now the mask is off they stand naked and alone on immersion. They denounce all other churches be¬ cause they will not come and be plunged.by a Baptist preacher. As an allusion has been made to Mr. Graves, I will give you an ex. tract or two from a little book of his called the "Watchman", setting forth his views. He says, "Baptists, as a body, boldly occupied this ground, until within the last century. We must come back to the old 7. standpoints, occupy the ground consecrated by our martyr fathers, and dare be consistent. If Baptist churches are veritable churches of Christ, all dissimilar and opposing ones are not, and consequently, the Ministers' of such are not Ordained, and the members not Baptized, all their acts and Ordinances, yea, the very existence of such societies, are unscrip- t.ural« Come ye out.frora among them, and be ye separate, in no way recognizing them as scriptural churches. Countenance them not by your influence. Should the day come when our ministers and membership shall prefer to be called by the pedo-baptist world, liberal, charitable, and anti-sectarian, rather than illiberal, narrow contracted sectarian big¬ ots, as now, the ruin of our denomination is at hand. Wo to us as Bap¬ tists when all men speak well of us. That our preaching has lost its Baptistic character there is no doubt. 'In my young days,' said an o!c! father in Israel, 'I could always tell a Baptist by his preaching; he was sure to tell you all the gospel before he got through ; but now, I can sel¬ dom tell a Baptist from a pedo-baptist by his preaching.' There has been a powerful bending to the popular breeze, a floating with the current, a keeping back of our distinctive principles, and a want of boldness in attacking the strongholds of error, in the last fifty years. Our safety and prosperity lie in an immediate reformation."—Watchman, pp. 56, 57. Again he says : Every Christian and American citizen, will be compelled to take sides, or be considered an enemy to religion and republicanism ; so thoroughly will the issues be discussed, and so clearly the ultimate tendencies be un¬ derstood. The bloodiest battle ground;—the Waterloo of this conflict— will be the valley of the Mississippi. The question before us, Shall the great West be under the religious influence of Catholics or Baptists'! There is no ground for a third claimant, one of these must and wiil pos¬ sess it. To settle this, have the war notes already been blown ; and they are still souuding from hundreds of shrill clarions—and the clash of the- ologic war resounds on every side. Yes, bless God, the war has already begun, that will never end, until Protestantism and Popery are no more. There have been two meetings held in this valley, within the last two years, that will eventually do far more, to draw the lines, and narrow the neutral ground, between the advocates of a pure and consistent Christian¬ ity, and itsopposers, than all previous efforts in the last century ; not oi. account of the size of those convocations, but for the principles of action decided to be pursued by the body of Christians composing them. I al¬ lude to the 'Cotton Grove Mass Meeting,' and the 'Bible Revision Con¬ vention.' In the former, it was decided, that the only consistent policy of*Baptists iSj to recognise no religious society, as a Church of Christ, by receiving any of its acts, officers or Ordinances. It \yas consequently decided, to be inconsistent for Baptists to acknowledge such societies as churches, or their members as church members, or as Baptized though immersed; or to recognize their ministry as Ordained, by inviting them, into our pulpits to preach as ministers of the Gospel, &c., nor can it be done; so whenever you hear any peison making such statements henceforth, you may know they are false, utterly false. But one says, what has that to do with Mr. Morrow's sermon ? I'll tei! you, sir, what it has to do with it. If the Baptist is the only true church, and infallible, then, sir, they, as the church, will feel fully au¬ thorized to give to the world, a regular Baptist Bible. And then, sir, perhaps they will have something to suppoit their assertions. Now we come to notice Mr. Morrow's views as found in his sermon. I deny them, think they are unsupported in the sermon, cmnot be supported from rightly interpreted scriptures, history, facts or anything else. Bare assertions will not convince me, nor will they convince the Methodists generally, or other denominations herein involved, ihat our .Holy Religion is false, our Churches spurious, our Ministry unscriptural, our best membeis in no better condition than Idol Worshippers, that we. have no Gospel Ministry, Ordinances or Baptism ; that our Fathers and Mothers were never lawfully married, and that we were born of fornica¬ tion; that hundreds and thousands of our members who lived in hope, and died triumphantly, are lost; that we who are yet alive, (over two millions of Methodists, besides several large and respectable denonina- tions,) are all outside the pale of the church, "in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity"—' without God and without hope in the world." Now, I should say, it would take very "soft words" and "very hard arguments" to convince this multitude of these things. "0 Baptists, awake to your work for your mission is a great one." According to the best statistics I could got, there is about 1 Baptist to every UOO of the inhabitants of the world. Now, if that is the only true church, and they have been working 1858 years to get this propor¬ tion, at the same ratio, when will the millenium be ? u0 Baptists, awake to your work"!'! 1. You will have to convince us that, up to this time, wo have not possessed the "least intelligence," and that we ought not to have been held "responsible in either law or religion." 2. You will have to make still greater discoveries than the nine and only nine essential elements. 9. 3. You will, indeed, have to Change the Bible, and convince us that the new is better than the old. 4. You will have to blot out all our past experience. 5. Y oil must cause us to forget, or disbelieve that we were ever brought to repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; that we ever felt God's pardoning love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holv Ghost; that*we ever felt peace and joy. fi. You will have to show us that the Grace of God which has sus¬ tained our people in trials and afflictions, and many even in death, was a deception. Then you shall have done much in vour great "work" ; but much will still remain to be done. If our churches are human Institutions, founded by men, wanting the sanction of Revelation, then it will be necessary to explain to our satisfaction, the secret or cause of our unparalleled suc¬ cess. One of our writers says, speaking of Methodism, 'Little more than a century has elapsed since it threw up its first shoot, yet, rooted in every quarter of the Globe, it already bids fair to cover the earth with its branch¬ es, and fill the world with its influences." This is true; the influence of Methodism is felt far beyond her own church for good, and many have been born again in her, that Have been decoyed off into other communions. I hope they will be faithful to God, and get to heaven at last. But, after all, if this whole vast connection, with all its enterprises and interests, is of man, great is man. But we deny it, it is of God ; to him be ail the glory. Mr. Morrow cannot make us take all this glory to our¬ selves. "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and our¬ selves your servants for Jesus' sake" How comes it that in about one hundred years, the Methodist church has received more voluntary members, (for she receives no other sort,) than the Baptist has in twice as long a time ? Please explain how a church without divine aid, can do more than the only one Christ estab¬ lished on earth. "O Baptists, awake to your work, your mission is a great one." But again, let us notice his positions : Who can prove that the Bap¬ tist Church was instituted by Christ while on earth ? We answer; no one. We believe it is perfectly impossible. I have searched diligently for a single passage in the new testament, to prove that Christ instituted a church while on earth, and find no such passage ; much less a passage, to prove he established a Baptist church. , He did not so much as organize a church, except the twelve Apostles were a church, or the seventy preachers sent, out by him ; and I suppose neither of these would suit Mr. Morrow's notion of a church, for he has no opinion of the preachers'church. The Church organized ten days after the Ascension of our Savior, was. not ordained while he sojourned on earth ; was not a Baptist church, or else Luke was unfaithful to us, (St. Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles) and the spirit of God did not think it important for us to know that Christ's church was aBaptist church. That church described in the first of the Acts, was not then constituted, but only organized of members #1. 10. ready in the church of God, and among all the Apostles, the Seventy, the New Testament, Prophets, Evangelists, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Helps, Governments, Disciples, Brethren, Saints, Angels, and Churches, there was no Baptist, no not one, except the Harbinger, and he had a few disciples ; but even they were not called Baptists. John, alone, bore that title and bore it only because he baptized. . When the volume of inspiration closed; when the Acts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelations were finished ; there was no Baptist Church found or heard of nor was it of enough importance to be prophesied of. If you would find an account of the Baptist Church, you will have to go somewhere else; 'tis not in our Bible, certain. Perhaps it will be in the new, the Baptist Bible. But again: If the Baptist Church was not instituted by Christ, while he was on earth, it has not continued ever since then, lor it is evi¬ dent that could not continue, that had no existence. And again: We ask where is it written in the New Testament, that Christ made any new laws, gave to the Church any form, constitution, usages or ordinances? When did Christ say, there are nine, and only nine essential elements, of a true Church of Christ ? There was no new commandment only this : "that ye love one another." It is true Christ instituted the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, that is all. If Christ did not institute the Baptist Church while on earth, then of course he did not give it its form, constitution, &c. Again: If the Baptists are not Protestants, what are they? Why, certainly, said a very smart man, Catholics. They must be either Pro¬ testants or Catholics. A Protestant is one that dissents from Catholics. Now, if Baptists do not dissent from Catholics, they must agree with them. And a writer in the Nashville Christian Advocate, gives us the points of agreement between them. He says : "I will now show the close analogy between these, the Catholics and Baptists:" 1. The Old Mother holds to Election, and Reprobation, imputed Righ¬ teousness, and final Perseverance; so do these Immersionists. 2d. The Old Mother says : "Without Baptism none cau be saved." Im- mersionisls say : "Without Faith and Immersion, no one is fit to come to the Lord's table." 3. The Old Mother Reprobates Infants unless Baptised by her. Immer¬ sionists say, "The Gospel has no good news for Infants ; and Elect Infants alone are saved." ^ 4. The Old Mother says : None have a right to come to the Lord's table, unless they have her mark upon them. These Immersionists say the same. 5. The Old Mother holds to close communion ; so do these Immersionists. 6' The Old Mother forbids her members from going to hear other denom¬ inations ; these Immersionists try to keep her members from hearing Pedo-Baptist errors, 7. The Old Mother found she could not stand on the scriptures as they were, and she trimmed and altered them to suit her case. These Im¬ mersionists are doing the same. 8. The Old Mother claims Apostolic Succession, and to be the only true 11. Church. So do these Immersionists. 9. The Old Mother looks upon none as in the road to heaven, unless trav¬ eling by her finger-boards. So do these Immersionists. 10. The Old Mother will compass sea and land, to make proselytes, and try to break down all not with her, and will glory more over one Pros¬ elyte than over five sinners that have turned to God. So do these Immersionists. * 11. The Old Mother subjects a parson who leaves her, to torture, death, ruin of character, or assassination. These Immersionists, if any one goes from them to any other denomination, will try the person for vio¬ lation of rules, turn him out and thus try to injure his character. 12. The Old Mother says: "None are authorized to expound the scrip¬ tures, and administer the Ordinances, outside of her house." So say these Immersionists/" But again: How old is the Baptist Church ? Benedict a Baptist His¬ torian, says: the oldest Baptist Church that has continued to the present time, bears date, Sept. 12th, 1633 ; their Minister was John Spillbury. Ben. p. 336. So there is 1633 years difference between Benedict, a Baptist preacher, and Baptist Historian, and Mr. Morrow, as to the age of the Baptist Church. The oldest Baptist Church in this country was formed in the year 1^9, in Providence, R. I. Ben. p. 364. This oldest Baptist Church in this country, was founded by Roger Williams, who was Baptised by Ezekiel Holloman, a Layman, who was appointed for that purpose. Ben. p. 441. Benedict says: "I shall not attempt to trace a continuous line of Churches, (as we can for a few centuries in Europe and America,) this is a kind of succession to which we never laid claim, and of course we make no effort to prove it. Ben. p. 51. Mr. Morrow attempts this hope¬ less task by his bare assertion. And if they do attempt to trace their origin in this country, beyond Roger Williams, (who was in early life regularly admitted to orders in the Church of England, and Preached for some time as a minister of that Church. Ben, p. 441.) ; if we go beyond him to Menno Limonis, a drunken and dissolute Roman Priest, does that make their origin more pure than the Methodists? But if they go still further back, to th-e Munster men, to King Jack with bis fourteen wives and Mormon like dogmas ; and proceed step by step, as Mr. Orchard has done, through Peter De Bruis, (the renegade Waldensian,) the Paterines, Paulicians, Donatists, and Novationists, which reaches back to within 250 years of Christ, for Benedict says, the Novationists broke off' from the Church of Rome, A. D. 250. Ben. p. 47. *On this last, I say actions speak louder than words, and some ImmcrsionisU labor harder to break down the Methodist Church, to get her members, than they do to break down the Devil's Kingdom. You are referred to the following Authors to prove these things. Catholic works: Peter Den's Theology; Large Catholic Catechism; Catholic Christian Instructed.; Lectures on Theology, by John Per rone; of the Society of Jesus. Works of Immersionists.: Carson on Baptism; It. Fuller on Baptism and Communion : Howell on Communion and Ancient Land Marks; P. H. Mell on Election, Reprobation and Final Perseverance; and Bap¬ tist Catechism, by Benjamin Beddome. 12. But, dear friends, none of these sects were called Baptists. From 1450 there were now and then some Anabaptists, but no sect before that time were calle d Baptists or Anabaptists. 'Tis true Orchard slanders even the Apostles themselves, with this name, at the head of his chapters, that if possible he may lead ignorant people astray, Again: If the Baptist Ministry is the only scriptural ministry in the world, they are very much disgraced bf the comparison with other min¬ isters, that they "are doing more good to their number," and that they are "the best ministry in the world." My friends, look around you and see if you can tell anything about the Baptist Preachers in this State. Half of them, that I know, are from Pedo-baptist churches. Inefficient ^ Suspended, or Expelled Preachers of other denominations. It seems our worst timber will make scriptural ministers, by contact with a Baptist Preacher, and the powerful efficacy of water. I could point out some pretty bad cases, but i forbear. One thing I will say, I don't know a case where our Church has been injured by such change, but in several I know of, we were benefited and saved from annoyance and trouble. Again : I should like to say much about Mr. Morrow's positions in refer¬ ence to the Kingdom and Churches, but it is not material to say it now. However, we wili say one or two things. He says, "The characteristic meaning of Ekklesia, in the New Testament, is an assembly of some sort, called out from the rest of the people, to transact the business of State or city." p. 2 !. * ' Then the Congress of the United States is a church, so is each of our State Legislatures churches, and all our Courts, from the Justice's court to the Supreme court, are all churches; all our Conventions, Fairs, Concerts, Select Parties, and Weddings are churches; Know Nothing Wigwams, Divisions of the Sons of Temperance, and Lodges of the Odd Fellows or Free Masons, are all churches ; for each,of these is an assem¬ bly ol some sort, called out from the rest of the people. Of the Kingdom, he says : "Baptism is the door into the Kingdom, the vote of the Church is the door into the Church, and the door out of it." If this be correct, then the church and kingdom may be so separated n9 to have no connection. Ha says : "Baptism is the act of a minister." A minister then, may induct as many as he pleases into the Kingdom, but none into the Church. Which is greater, the Kingdom or the Church? They accuse Methodist Preachers of taking members into the Church ; but Baptist Preachers take them into the Kingdom. Again : As to the Great Discovery ; or nine Essential Elements ; some of them are held and all might be claimed by ail denominations, if they liked. Us. El. 1. "All the members of a true Church of Christ, by profession, are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and are believers in Christ.'' To this I say, it is well known that the worst hypocrites make the loudest professions of Regeneration. E*. El. 2. "All the members pf a true Church of Christ, must have been Baptized, on a Profession of their Faith in Christ. To this I say : As 13. wicked, drunken, swearing, degraded sinners as I have ever known, had been Balptized on a profession of Faith in Christ. Es. EI. 3. "A Christian Church is a local organization, and independent of all other organizations, or bodies of men, by whatever name they are called.''' If this is a true element, then Christian Churches are in¬ dependent of all Government, and some sects of Baptists, that is the An'abaptisis and Mormons, have shown this Faith by open rebellion against the powers that be ; dangerous element that. Es. El. 4. "A Gospel Church has Christ alone for its King, and Lawgiv¬ er, acknowledging no superior or head, but Jesus Christ." No Su¬ perior ! another very dangerous element. The Bible teaches us to obey rulers; Baptists acknowledge none. We have master and slave, ru lers and those who are ruled, and even in Heaven itself, there are An¬ gels aiid Archangels. Es. El. 5. "All the members of a true Gospel Church have become such, by their own free will and accord." Isay this is common to all organizations. Es. El. 6. "To be a true Church of Jesus Christ, it is necessary to main¬ tain that system of doctrines once delivered to the Saints in their pu¬ rity." To this I say : All Churches' true or false, profess to contend for the true doctrines, but who knows what Baptist doctrines are ; for several jears they have been preaching Methodist doctrines ; at least the people say so; and J. R. Graves reproves Baptist Preachers for that sin. Es. Ei. V. "The true Church was instituted by Christ, and has continued until the present day." To this I say: If Christ be acknowledged as God, and his Church instituted in the days of Abraham, or before, and has continued in spirit, and power, throughout the different dis¬ pensations, until now, I have no objection to it; but if it be meant that Christ organized a body, that has continued down to the present day, we have already disproved it. Es. El. 8. "A Church of Christ is never a Persecuting, but often a Per¬ secuted body." A strange element! All Churches have been perse, cuted more or less. We have had our share certainly. Es. El. 9. "No Apostate Church, nor any Church that either directly or indirectly receives its Ministry and Ordinances from an Apostate, can be a true Church of Christ." He says : "to Apostatize as a Church, is to abandon any one of the essential elements of a true Church of Christ." Ser. p. 31. Now if the Roman Catholic Church is an Apostate Church, then she was once the true Church, else she never could have Apostatized. She pnce possessed all the essential elements, but has abandoned some or all of them. How long was the Catholic the true Church ? When did she abandon the 1st essential element? when the 2nd? &c., or has she some of tbem yet ? If the Catholic Church was once the true Church, where was the Bap¬ tist Church at that time ? If that Church was once true, and the Bap¬ tist never sprang from it, then the Baptist cannot be true. This 9th essential element is as much against the Baptists as any other I know of. She is as much like*the Roman Church, has received her Ministry aud 14. Ordinances as directly from Rome, as any other Church, as we have seen already. Roger "Williams was an Episcopalian, and the Novationists broke off from Rome, and nearly if not all the little sects claimed by Baptists, were founded by Roman Priests that broke off, or were deposed for some crime. We have read Mr. Morrow's sermon, through and through, and must confess that if he has done what he promised, we have not the least inteL ligence. But we hope to get to heaven, if in no other way, like the Baptist Preacher's Father. He said, he would "tell the congregation, how the Methodists get to Heaven, not beiDg Immersed," and illustrated it by his Father. He said his father was a Methodist, and died one, and was as good a man as he ever saw ; and he was satisfied his father was in heaven, though he had not been Immersed. He got there through Ignorance!!! .So 1 hope, if we have not the least intelligence, we will go to heaven through ignorance. Another Baptist preaching on Baptism, as I have heard, proposed to tell where Infant Baptism commenced. He said : "It began in Africa, in the third century; but that the Negroes in this country had more sense than to have their babies baptized." A shrewd negro woman, a Baptist of course, went home rejoicing, and told that the preacher said, the Ne¬ groes in this country had more sense than the Methodists and Presbyteri¬ ans. That's pretty low clown !! No wonder we don't know true Churches when we see them. "VYe shall now proceed to give the definition of the word Church; and our views of a true Scriptural Church: Webster, in his Unabridged Dictionary, says: "The word Church is from Sax. circe, circ, or cyric; Scots kirk, which retains the Saxon pro¬ nunciation; Danish kirk; German kirche; Swedish kyrkia; Greek kuriakun, a temple of God, from kanakas, pertaining to a lord, or our Lord Jesus Christ, from Kurios, a Lord, (Russian tyerkou,) and means in English: 1st. A house, consecrated, to the worship of God, among Christians-.— The Lord's house. This seems to be the original meaning of the word. The Greek Ekklesia, trom Ekkaleo, to call together, denotes an as¬ sembly, or collection. But Ivuriakos, Kuriakon, from Kurios, Lord, a term applied by the early christians to Jesus Christ, and the house in which they worshipped, was named from that title. 2d. The collective body of Christians, or of those who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the Savior of mankind- Li this sense the Church is sometimes called the Catholic Universal Church. 3d. The Catholic body of Saints in heaven, and on earth called the In-* visible Church. 4th. A particular number of Christians, united under one form of Eccle¬ siastical Government, in one creed, and using the same ritual and cer¬ emonies: as the English Church, the Gallican Churchy the Presbyte¬ rian Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Church. 5lh. The followers of Christ, in a particular city or province: as the Church of Ephesus or Antioch; 15. 6th. The Disciples of Christ assembled for worship in a particular place: as a private house.