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FO) tore settee tpaeririaiey Saris ro ivd~s- 3 Sens i s . Aya reser. Biaietahce eS : : pesca ie hy AU AW WG gE SKS ww Book OD ha S ke LW SS aw MG CE, SS CGF GE EG EE KK EG ° UG Library of the A e : 2 es se s ° Y United Christian Missionary Society (A Y Indianapolis G | y a Accession No. Y “yy oo SS SKS Sy we 4 IN WS Sd PV. GCG GEE. gE > od ss LIBRARY OF PRINCETON THECLOGICAL SEMINARY -BX7343.S3 B3 1926 Baxter, William, 1820-1880. Life of Elder Walter Scott. eit vast ii! ' i ee LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT pe he ei ee iah | LIFE OF BEDER IWALTER SCOTT By WILLIAM BAXTER THE WALTER SCOTT CENTENNIAL EDITION Abridged by B. A. ABBOTT Editor of “The Christian-Evangelist”, author “Life of Chapman S. Lucas”, “The Disciples”, “At the Master’s Table’’, etc. LIBRARY OF PRINCETON JAN 1 8 2012 THEGLOGICAL SEMINARY THE BETHANY PRESS ST, LOUIS, MO. 1926 Copyright, 1926 The Bethany Press St. Louis, Mo. DEDICATED TO THOSE MINISTERS AND LAYMEN WHO, LIKE SCOTT, STAKE THEIR LIVES FOR TIME AND ETERNITY ON THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT tes he re A ee, ae ieee a Nee > em, ‘.. ae PREFATORY HIS volume is sent forth by the Christian Board of Publication in response to the request of many people, and especially of the leaders of the Walter Scott Centennial of Evangelism, which is to be ob- served during 1927. It is a condensation of The Life of Walter Scott by William Baxter. At first the com- plete republication of this very exhaustive and in- teresting work was contemplated but it was thought that this would make the book too costly for the wide circulation desirable under any circumstances and especially under the present, and that its size would very much reduce the circle of actual readers. It was decided, therefore, to condense it, which, owing to the clear and orderly manner in which it is written, could be done satisfactorily. The original volume was published in 1874 by Bos- worth, Chase and Hall, Publishers, Cincinnati, and contained 450 octavo pages. It was not only a life of Scott but carried “sketches of his fellow laborers, William Hayden, Adamson Bentley, John Henry and Diets enitrewas | easy (to élimitiate’ these. ‘lives’: though it was done with regret because they are in- teresting and valuable historically, but the purpose was to make the figure of Scott stand out alone in his personality and teaching. William Baxter, who wrote the original biography of Scott, was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1820 and was brought to Allegheny City by his parents in 1828. He grew up and joined the Disciples, attended Bethany College, and became a leading preacher, teacher, and an author of considerable standing. His work was done in Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Louisi- 7 Pa PREFATORY ana, Arkansas, and Ohio. He occupied the Chair of Belles-Lettres in Newton College, Mississippi, and later was president of Arkansas College, Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was the author of a volume of poems, and a regular contributor to the Ladies Repository, Southern Literary Messenger and Millennial Har- binger. He published a volume entitled Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove; or Scenes and Incidents of the War in Arkansas. ) It was not from a mere whim that Baxter decided to write the life of Walter Scott. They had been workers in the same cause across the years, and were somewhat alike in bent of soul. But in any circum- stances the romantic, eloquent Scott, who was a burn- ing light, who gave such impetus to the evangelistic life of the Disciples and to religion in general in America, was destined to attract a lovely soul like William Baxter. It will be an immeasurable blessing to all and especially to young preachers to make the acquaintance of Walter Scott through this volume and from any other available sources—which, alas, are all too few. The burning spirituality of the man, his unbounded faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, his deathless love for the Bible, his burning and burden to preach and to win souls to Christ, his sacrificial life—his almost pathetically sacrificial life—combine to make the study of his life a fertilizing and quickening experience. He was a kinsman of the “Great Sir Walter” and in some ways stood taller in dream and gift. His career is unusually interesting from the time he stood on the bridge and sang to the crowds to help fill the hat of the blind beggar, through the days when he swept through Ohio and Kentucky like a living PREFATORY 9 flame of gospel fire, to the time of the westering sun when he could only carry Bibles about in a basket and sell them to the people on the installment plan (probably the origin of that plan of selling books) until he fell asleep at Mayslick, Kentucky, with the words on his lips: “I have been greatly blessed; it has been my privilege to develop the Kingdom of God. I have been greatly honored.” It is hoped that thousands and thousands will read this “Life of Elder Walter Scott” for the sheer in- terest in it, for the inspiration it will give, for the grateful remembrance of a man to whom all of us owe a very great deal, and for lessons on the way to the heart of the Master and on how to light and carry the torch that will make sure the feet of the frail children of earth on their glad journey along the way everlasting. B. A. ABBOTT. NPG { t Fu fs UT eat ce Bh i hae i, ¥ PAN Vay ie ; tafe Sill LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT CHAPTER I ALTER SCOTT was born in Moffat, Dum- friesshire, Scotland, on the 3lst of October, 1796. He was of the same ancestry as his world-re- nowned namesake Sir Walter Scott, whose poems and historical novels created such an interest in the read- ing world in the early part of the present century, and which have given him such a distinguished and permanent place among British authors. In the veins of both ran the blood of the heroes of the famous border feuds, among whom Wat. of Harden held so notable a place for deeds of daring not so honorable now as then; but blood will tell, and the spirit which made Wat. of Harden the most chilvalric and fearless of raiders, under different and more benign influences, made one of his descendant the foremost author of his day, and another, one of the chief movers and promoters of the greatest religious Reformation of modern times. The immediate ancestors of the sub- ject of these memoirs were John Scott and Mary Innes, who were the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters, of which Walter was the fourth son and the sixth child. His father was a music teacher of some celebrity, a man of considerable cul- ture and agreeable manners. Both were strict mem- bers of the Presbyterian Church, in which faith all their children were diligently instructed. His mother was deeply and unfeignedly pious—a woman full of kindness and sympathy, sweet of speech and 11 12 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT fruitful in good deeds. She was, moreover, of a deeply sensitive nature, of which her death afforded a striking and melancholy proof. Her husband was taken ill in the neighboring town of Annan, and died very suddenly. The shock was so great to her sensi- tive and loving heart that she died immediately after hearing the sad tidings; and they were both buried at the same time in the same grave. Ata very early age Walter gave such evidence of decided talent, that his parents determined to give him every advantage for its development; and though at that period a colle- giate education was in the reach only of the sons of the wealthy, the moderate resources of the family were so husbanded and economized as to enable him, after the necessary academic preparation, to enter the University of Edinburgh, where he remained until the completion of his college course. In affording him these opportunities, it was the wish and prayer of his parents that he should devote himself to the ministry of the church of which they were members. With these wishes and prayers his own feelings were in full accord, and all his preparations had that end in view. During his stay in Edinburgh he made his abode with an aunt who resided there, and pursued his studies with a zeal and success that fully met the predictions of his friends and the hopes of the family. Al- though of a cheerful disposition and fond of social pleasures, he happily avoided the follies and dissipa- tions into which many of his fellow-students were drawn; and he even made his recreations not only agreeable but improving. He had naturally a good voice and a fine ear for music, both of which had been cultivated at home, under the instructions of his father. LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 13 The talent and skill of Walter in this respect at- tracted the attention of an eminent musician in Edin- burgh, who had formerly been leader of a military band in the expedition to Egypt, in which Sir Ralph Abercrombie lost his life. This gentleman, admir- ing the talent of young Scott, volunteered to give him instructions on the flute, and such rapid progress did he make that he soon surpassed his teacher, and was acknowledged to be the most skillful performer on that instrument in the whole city. While attending the University an incident took place which is spe- cially noteworthy from the fact that it was eminently characteristic of the man in all his after life—small in itself, yet one of those keynotes to the whole life and conduct ever to be found in the lives of the great and good. Among the Scotch great importance ‘is at- tached to the individual who first crosses the thresh- old after the clock has struck twelve at midnight on the 31st of December, or who, as they phrase it, is the “first foot” in a house after the new year has begun. The first visitor or “first foot’? stamps the “luck” of the house—the good or evil fortune of its ‘inmates for the year. Hence, every house at that season has its company passing the evening in a pleas- ant way, enlivened by song or story, and among one class by what they misname good liquor. As soon as the hour of twelve has struck all present rise, shake hands, and wish one another a happy New Year, and not a few drink the health of each other, with some such sentiment as “May the year that’s awa’ be the warst o’ our lives.”’ But whether there be the drinking or the more temperate greeting and good wishes, in all companies is heard the question, “I wonder who will be our first foot,’ or, as we would 14 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT say, our first caller in the New Year. In consequence of this custom the streets at midnight on the last night of the year are as densely crowded as they usu- ally are at midday, the throng, too, a happy one, each one intent on being “first foot’ in the house of some friend, each one hoping to bear with him good luck. On one of these nights Walter, then about sixteen years of age, in company with his brother James, went over the old Edinburgh bridge to put “first foot” in the house of some friend. Having accomplished their object, they went forth on the still crowded streets, and after recrossing the bridge Walter was suddenly missed by his brother, who, supposing that something had for a moment attracted his attention among the crowds they had been constantly meeting, hastened home, expecting to meet him there. Walter, however, had not come, and, after waiting until his fears began to arise, he went to the bridge where he had missed him. Here he found quite a crowd assembled, and from the midst of it came the sound of the clear sweet voice of his brother, singing one of the sweet- est of Old Scotia’s songs. Wondering what could have so suddenly converted his youthful and some- what bashful brother into a street minstrel at mid- night, he pressed his way to the midst of the throng, and found a scene which told its own story. The young singer was standing upon the stone steps of one of the shops near the bridge, and a step or two below him stood a blind beggar holding out his hat to receive the pennies which ever and anon in the intervals between the songs the crowd would bestow. All day long the blind man had sat and begged, and, knowing that the street would be crowded that night even more than it had been during the day, he hoped LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 15 that night would yield him the charity which he had implored almost in vain through the livelong day. But the crowds were intent on pleasure and friendly greet- ings, and few responded to the appeal of him to whom day brought no light, and whose night was no darker than his day. Young Walter drew near, and his heart was touched by his mute imploring look, which had taken the place of the almost useless appeal, “Give a penny to the blind man.” He had neither gold nor silver to give, but he stopped and inquired as to his success, and found that few had pitied and relieved his wants. His plan was formed in a moment; he took his place by the beggar’s side and began singing, in a voice shrill and sweet, a strain which few Scotch- men could hear unmoved. The steps of nearly all who passed that way were arrested; soon a crowd gathered, and when the song ended he made an appeal for pennies, which brought a shower of them, mingled now and then with silver, such as never had fallen into the blind man’s hat before. Another and an- other song was called for, and at the close of each the finger of the singer pointed significantly, and not in vain, to the blind man’s hat; and thus he sang far into the night; and when he ceased, the blind beggar implored heaven’s richest blessings on the head of the youthful singer, and bore home with him the means of support and comfort for many a coming day. This story came from the lips of his brother, who found him engaged as already described; but were its truth less clearly established, all who knew him in after life would readily believe it; they would say it is true—it is just like Walter Scott. Martin Luther is said to have sung and begged for the brotherhood of monks to which he belonged. He sung because 16 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT he was sent in the interest of the lazy drones of the monastic hive; it was with him a duty, and doubtless | a painful and degrading one; but the youthful Scott sang from the fullness of a sympathetic heart in the in- terest of suffering humanity. Not long after he had completed his education a sudden and unexpected turn in his history took place, which, without being intended as a prelude to the part he was to act in life, proved to be in reality one of the most important steps in his whole career. That event was his coming to the United States, a matter which had not entered into his own plan of life, or been contemplated by his friends and family. His mother had a brother, George Innes, in the city of New York, who had years before obtained a place under the Government in the custom-house. Such was his faithfulness and integrity that he retained his place through several successive administrations; and having succeeded well himself, he was anxious to further the interests of his relatives still in his native land. He, therefore, wrote to his sister to send one of her boys over to this country, promising to do all in his power for his advancement. The proposal was very agreeable to the family, and, as Walter was best fitted by his superior education for the emergencies and opportunities of a new country, it was decided that he should go, and accordingly he sailed from Greenock in the Good ship Glenthorn, Capt. Stillman, and arrived in New York on the 7th of July, 1818, and on his arrival was kindly welcomed by his uncle, through whose influence he soon obtained a situation as Latin tutor in a classical academy on Long Island. In this position, however, he did not long remain. He had made some acquaintances in the city of New LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 17 York, and from them heard glowing reports of the West, as all the region beyond the Allegheny Moun- tains was then called; and he resolved to see for him- self the land of which he had heard so much. On foot, with a light heart and a light purse, with a young man about his own age as a traveling com- panion, he set out, not dreaming that in that far land he would find a home, and without a suspicion of the part he would be called upon to play in the great religious movement then in its incipiency through the labors of the Campbells, father and son, but of which at that time he was in total ignorance. This journey of Scott and his young comrade, though a long one, was far from being wearisome and tedious. Each day’s travel brought new scenes, and each night new society, and the lessons drawn from nature and human nature were not without their worth in after years. Our young collegian, having passed much of his life in the city of Edinburgh, had never seen a forest until he visited this country ; and it was.indeed a new world to him when he passed through the rich and varied forest scenery of the Atlantic slope, the great pines of the Allegheny Moun- tains; and gazed with wonder and admiration from their summit at the then almost unbroken forests of the West. What a contrast, too, he found between the mode of life, the comforts of civilization, and the society to which he had been accustomed in Edin- burgh and New York, and the manners and customs of the dwellers in the humble abodes where he found shelter for the night; but it mattered not to him whether nightfall found him at some wayside inn, amid a throng of hardy yet somewhat rude teamsters, who then did all the carrying trade between the sea- 18 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT board and the West, by the camp-fires of an emigrant family, or the log cabin of some recent settler, or the more comfortable farm-house. Youth, high spirits, and active exercise gave zest to every scene, and made whatever society he found enjoyable. Often during the journey did the travelers beguile the hours with songs that had never wakened echoes in those forests before; and as the evening shades drew on, mindful of the home scenes from which they were parted, they lifted up their voices in the solemn yet joyful psalm. Every night’s sojourn gave them an unfailing subject with which to lighten the next day’s travel; and the memories of that journey were cher- ished long after its close, and were sweeter than the experiences of after years in passing over the same route in coach or car. Reaching Pittsburg on the 7th of May, 1819, he began to seek for some employment, and soon had the good fortune to fall in with Mr. George Forrester, a fellow-countryman, and the principal of an academy, by whom he was immediately engaged as assistant in his school. Somewhat to the surprise of the young teacher, he soon made the discovery that his employer, though a deeply religious man, differed very much in his views from those which he himself had been taught to regard as true. Mr. Forrester’s peculiarity consisted in making the Bible his only authority and guide in matters of religion, while his young friend had been brought up to regard the Presbyterian Stand- ards as the true and authoritative exposition and summary of Bible truth. Differing as they did, they were, nevertheless, both lovers of the truth, and the frequent and close examinations which they made of the Scriptures resulted in convincing Mr. Scott that LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 19 human standards in religions were, like their authors, imperfect; and in impressing him deeply with the conviction that the word of God was the only true and sure guide. Often, after the labors of the day had closed in the schoolroom, they would prosecute their examinations of the Scriptures far into the night, not in the spirit of controversy, however, but with an earnest desire to know the will of God, and a determination to follow wherever his word, the ex- pression of his will should lead. Mr. Scott now felt that he had discovered the true theology; the Bible had for him a meaning that it never had before; that is, it now meant what it said, and to devoutly study it in order to reach its meaning, was to put him- self in possession of the mind and will of God. It was no longer a repository of texts, from which to draw proofs of doctrines of modern or ancient origin, which could not be expressed in the words of Scrip- ture, but a revelation, an unveiling of the will of God —the gospel was a message, and to believe and obey that message was to be a Christian. He was not long in making the discovery that infant baptism was with- out the vestige of a divine warrant; that wherever baptism was enjoined, it was a personal, and not a relative duty; that it was a matter that no more ad- mitted of a proxy than faith, repentance, or any other act of obedience; and as he had rendered no service, obeyed no command, when he had been made the sub- ject of that ordinance as taught and practiced by Presbyterians, he had not obeyed the command, “be baptized.” How must this command be obeyed? Next engaged his attention, and his knowledge of the Greek lan- guage and a careful examination of the New Testa- 20 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT ment, soon enabled him to discover that sprinkling and pouring were human substitutes, which required neither the going down into, nor the coming up out of, the water, of which the Scriptures speak when describing this ordinance. The modern modes also failed to agree with the allusion in Scripture to bap- tism as a burial, and were singularly unlike the bap- tism of Christ by John in the river Jordan; and, in accordance with his convictions that there was but one baptism taught in the word of God, he was im- mersed by Mr. Forrester, by whose instrumentality the change in his views had been affected. After his baptism he united with a small body of baptized be- lievers, which had been gathered together and formed into a church by the labors of Mr. Forrester; and in their society he found that peace and joy to which his mind had been a stranger during the period that the change we have described was going on. ‘To this little congregation Mr. Scott proved a very valuable acquisition ; his superior education, his gifts, zeal, and piety rendering him not only useful but causing him to be greatly beloved. Realizing what the gospel had done for him, in freeing his mind from narrow sec- tarian prejudices, admiring its beautiful simplicity, and rejoicing in the assurance which walking in the truth imparted, he found himself possessed by an irresistible desire to bring others to that Savior whose truth had made him free. Having given up so much that was dear to him, but having gained a truth for every error that he had yielded, he supposed that all who were holding error, sincerely regarding it as truth, would gladly, like himself, be undeceived. He LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 4 devoted himself earnestly to the instructions of such, in many instances with success; but found in, alas, too many cases that time honored and popular errors were cherished as if they were saving truths. He had not, however, at this time the remotest idea of anything like a great religious reformation; the posi- tion he had taken, it is true, was in opposition to much of the religious teaching of the day; but he was like a traveler who had just entered upon a new and untried path, not knowing whither it would lead. But truth is always revolutionary, and the clearer the truth became to his own mind, the greater need there seemed of a bold and fearless advocacy. Had he seen this at first, he might have shrunk from thé labor and the opprobrium which such a course would inevitably bring; but for the present he felt only as most young converts feel: a sincere and earnest desire for the welfare of the souls of his fellow-men; and with a very humble estimate of his abilities strove to do good to all within his reach as he had opportunity. The little company of believers, with whom he had asso- ciated himself, were diligent students of the word of God, humble, pious people, mostly Scotch and Irish; greatly attached to Forrester, their religious teacher and guide, whose life was in full accord with his teachings, and among them Mr. Scott found a nearer approach to the purity and simplicity of the primi- tive church than ever he had seen or expected to find on earth. Amid such surroundings, giving his days to the instruction of his classes, and his leisure hours and much of the night to the study of his Bible, the time glided swiftly and sweetly away; a quiet, peace- 22 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT ful, useful, but humble life seemed all that the future had in store for him, and more than this seems not to have, at this period of his history, entered into his thoughts; but he who called David from the sheep- fold to the throne had a greater work for him to do, and the events which led to that work, began rapidly to unfold. CHAPTER II CHANGE in the plans of Mr. Forrester made it necessary for him to give up his school, and as Mr. Scott had proved himself to be admirably qualified for the position, the entire management of it fell into his hands. The superior advantages in point of education which he had enjoyed, and a nat- ural aptitude for imparting instruction, made up for his lack of experience; and in addition to these he possessed the rare faculty of so attaching his pupils to himself that he soon was regarded by them as a warm, personal friend; and the result was that the prosperity of the school was increased by the change. His method of teaching was original, his manners pleasing; politeness and morality were marked feat- ures in his school, and as the necessary result he be- came daily better known and appreciated; his labors were well remunerated, and had success in his career as a teacher been his great object he might have been satisfied. But few things, however, were less in his esteem than worldly prosperity ; the more he studied his Bible the greater became his concern for the spiritual wel- fare of his fellow-men; and as he himself obtained broader and clearer views of the plan of redemption, his desire for wider usefulness increased. The ad- mirable powers of analysis and classification which he had hitherto applied to the sciences and languages, he now began to apply to the Holy Scriptures, and with such happy results that at times he felt a joy akin to that of the ancient philosopher, who, when a great scientific discovery flashed upon his mind, cried out 23 24 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT in his ecstasy, “Eureka! Eureka! I have found it! I have found it!” It is not intended by this to claim that Mr. Scott discovered any new truths; that in the nature of the case was impossible; but he discovered relations which the truths of revelation bore to each other that had for a long time, in a great measure, been lost sight of, and in consequence of which confusion and dark- ness had usurped the place of order and light. He observed that the advocates of religious systems, as opposite as Calvinism and Arminianism, claimed that their respective views were taught in the word of God—both claiming to be right and each asserting that the other was wrong; but to his mind the thought that the inspired volume taught views so contradic- tory was most abhorrent. In nature he saw order and harmony and an invariable relation between cause and effect, and he concluded it could not be otherwise in the plan for the recovery of our lost race. In the word of God he found precepts, duties, ordinances, promises, blessings, and between these a proper re- lation and dependence; that the duties, in the nature of things, could not precede the precept, or the bless- ing the promise, or the ordinance the commandment by which it was enjoined. Nothing, to his mind, seemed more reasonable than that precepts should set forth what duties must be performed, what ordinances obeyed; that promises should serve as a motive to obedience; that blessings should follow the doing of that which precept made known as duty, to which promise was the encouragement and blessing the re- ward. The conversion of a sinner to God had long been a subject that perplexed him, on account of the mys- LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 25 tery thrown around it by theological writers; but when he read the accounts given in the Acts, of the course pursued by the apostles in turning men to God, he found that all mystery fled; that those who heard, believed, and obeyed the glad message, which it was their mission to make known, were filled with joy and peace in believing. His noble and candid nature, and his profound regard for the truth, led him to ex- amine carefully all the common or orthodox views in which he had been brought up, and which he had long entertained without a doubt as to their correct- ness; from these he eliminated to be held sacred all that was clearly taught in the unerring word, and re- jected all he had heretofore cherished for which he could find no divine warrant. In the meantime, his intimacy with Mr. Forrester, his religious friend and guide, continued to be of the most pleasant and endearing nature; and the little congregation under his care, which met in the court- house, were his most valued associates. With the former he was accustomed to walk to the place of worship in company, and then to sit meekly at his feet as he expounded the word of God; and with the latter to engage in the service of God as brethren be- loved. But a sad and unexpected change came. Mr. Forrester was drowned while bathing in the Alle- gheny river, and Mr. Scott was deprived of his dear- est friend and the little flock of its beloved and faith- ful shepherd. This calamity brought upon him new duties and responsibilities: to comfort and assist the widow and orphans of his lost friend, and to care as best he could for the spiritual welfare of the stricken and bereaved church. ‘To these duties he addressed himself manfully; the boy who sung at midnight in 26 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT the streets of Edinburgh to help an unknown blind beggar, now that he was a man, could not be wanting in sympathy and helpfulness to the widow and or- phans of one that he had, while living, so esteemed and revered; and the wants of the church soon called into activity those gifts for teaching and preaching for which he afterwards became so distinguished. He now began to feel more deeply than ever that there were thousands as sincere and earnest as him- self who were yet under the bondage of the system from which he had been emancipated, and he desired that they should, like him, enjoy the freedom those enjoy whom the truth makes free. Under the pres- sure of such thoughts the duties of the schoolroom became burdensome. What was the enlightening of the minds of a few youth, and leading them up the difficult yet pleasant steeps of literature and science, compared with the work of rescuing humble, earnest souls from the spiritual darkness in which they were groping, and of turning sinners from Satan to God. At this juncture a pamphlet fell into his hands, which had been put into circulation by a small con- gregation in the city of New York, and which had much to do with deciding the course he should pursue. The church alluded to was composed mainly of Scotch Baptists, and held many of the views taught by the Haldanes, and were, in many respects, far in advance of the other religious bodies. The pamphlet men- tioned was published by this congregation in 1820, and was intended to set forth the views which they entertained. The publication was quite a remarkable one for the times, as it set forth, with admirable sim- plicity and clearness, the teaching of the Scripture with regard to the design of baptism, which had been LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 27 almost entirely lost sight of, and the practical value of which even its authors did not seem to realize. In it were to be found the germs of what was years after- wards insisted upon by Scott in his plea for baptism for the remission of sins, and also by Alexander Campbell in his celebrated Extra on Remission. The reading of this tract had much to do with the subsequent course of Mr. Scott; he thought that a visit to the people holding the views which it set forth would add greatly to his Christian knowledge, and at the same time give him a favorable opportunity for making known the views which he had adopted, and for the spread of which he had such an anxious de- sire. Dismissing, therefore, all thoughts of personal interest, and considerations of gain, he abruptly brought his school to a close, and set out for New York, to engage in labors and studies which he deemed more important, and, therefore, more congenial. The result of his visit, however was a sad disappointment ; he found the practice of the church far in the rear of what he had been led to expect from the publication which had led him to seek a more intimate acquaint- ance; nor did there seem to be any disposition on their part to fall in with his views, which began to look in the direction of a radical reform. He remained there but three months, long enough, however, to discover that the simple and self-evident truths of Christianity, which he fondly hoped would be accepted as soon as made known, were not to achieve the triumph he had anticipated. His hopes had seemed reasonable; he had only the word of God in all its primitive simplicity to present; he had in- vented no new creed, advocated nothing that the Bible did not sanction; he had sacrificed as much in his 28 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT abandonment of sectarianism as he asked at the hands of others; he felt that the happiness of all professors of religion would be enhanced by laying aside every thing that savored of party; that the cause of Christ would be immensely benefited by the healing of all unseemly divisions; and to find such an unwillingness to enter on a course that promised so much happiness to man and glory to God filled him with sorrow and despondency. In the meantime, his loss was deeply felt in Pitts- burg; the patrons of his school found that his place as a teacher could not be filled, and a vigorous effort was made to induce him to return. Mr. Richardson, whose son Robert had been one of Mr. Scott’s most promising and affectionate pupils, proposed the en- gagement of Mr. Scott as a private tutor for his own and a few other families. This plan met with warm approval, and a handsome salary was pledged. Mr. Richardson made the proposal to Mr. Scott, who was still in New York, and earnestly urged his acceptance. The interest manifested in him at a time when suffer- ing under keen disappointment caused him to regard the offer favorably, although he did not positively accept it. He left New York, however, and visited Paterson, New Jersey, and found there a few profes- sors of religion in a disorganized condition, but nothing to encourage him to labor among them. From thence he proceeded to Baltimore, and found a small church in a very low condition, but kept alive by brethren Carman and Ferguson. Then learning that there was a small body of worshipers in Washington City, to whom he might possibly be of some advantage, he LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 29 says: “I went thither, and having searched them up I discovered them to be so sunken in the mire of Calvinism, that they refused to reform; and so find- ing no pleasure in them I left them. I then went to the Capitol, and, climbing up to the top of its lofty dome, I sat myself down, filled with sorrow at the miserable desolation of the Church of God.” CHAPTER Il N this spirit of dejection he continued his travels on foot to Pittsburg, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, and reached there weary and travel- worn; but the warmth of his welcome on his arrival did much toward dispelling the gloom with which his late disappointments had filled his mind. He made his home in the family of Mr. Richardson, who was mainly instrumental in inducing. him to return, who fitted up a room in his own house for the accommo- dation of the few pupils to which his school was re- stricted; and he devoted himself with such zeal and success to the advancement of his pupils that he gained a reputation such as no other teacher in that city had ever enjoyed. His pupils were regarded in the light of younger companions and friends, and while he led them in the various pathways of science and literature, he strove at the same time to mould their manners and improve their hearts. He possessed great tact and an almost intuitive perception of char- acter, which enabled him to adapt himself to the dif- ferent dispositions and capabilities of his pupils, and to make study more of a pleasure than a task. His rules were few and might be summed up in the words obedience, order, accuracy; and the result in after years was, that some of his pupils ranked among the finest scholars and most useful men in the State. Among them were Chief Justice Lowrey and the eminent author and professor, Dr. Richardson, who, in his biography of Alexander Campbell, nearly a half a century after, thus writes of his beloved teacher and friend: 30 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 31 ‘I would sometimes invite him to walk out of an eve- ning to my father’s garden in the vicinity of the city; but his mind could not be divorced, even amid such recreations, from the high theme which occupied it. Nature, in all its forms, seemed to speak to him only of its Creator; and al- though gentle and affectionate as he was, he sought ever to interest himself in the things that interested others. His mind would constantly revert to its ruling thought; and some incident in our ramble, some casual remark in our conversa- tion, would at once open up the fountain of religious thought, which seemed to be ever seeking for an outlet. Thus, for instance, if I would present him with a rose, while he ad- mired its tints and inhaled its fragrance, he would ask, in a tone of deep feeling, ‘Do you know, my dear, why in the Scriptures Christ is called the Rose of Sharon?’ If the answer was not ready, he would reply himself: ‘It is because the rose of Sharon has no thorns’; and would then go on to make a few touching remarks on the beautiful traits in the character of the Savior. Then, in the exercise of his powers of ac- curate perception and his love of analysis and object-teach- ing, descanting on the special characteristics of the flower, and calling attention to the various elements which, by their assemblage, produced such a charming result—the graceful, curving lines that bounded the petals and the foliage, so much more beautiful than the straight and parallel edges of the blades of grass or maize; the winding veinlets, the delicate shadings of carmine, and their contrast with the green foliage; the graceful attitude assumed by the flower, as, poising itself upon its stem, armed with thorns, it shone resplen- dent in queenly beauty; he would pass, by a natural and easy transition, to dwell yet again upon the infinite power and glorious perfections of the Creator—the Lord that ‘was God,’ that ‘was in the beginning with God,’ and without whom nothing was made that was made. Nor did he neglect, even amidst the daily duties of the schoolroom, to lead the minds of his pupils to similar contemplations, so that they might be induced to ‘look through nature up to nature’s God.’ The revelations of God in the Bible, however, formed his chief delight, and, in accordance with his feelings, he took especial pains to familiarize the students of the ancient 52 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT tongues with the Greek of the New Testament, for which purpose he caused them to commit it largely to memory, so that some of them could repeat, chapter by chapter, the whole of the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Greek language. It was also his invariable practice to re- quire memorized recitations of portions of the ancient classic authors, as well as written translations of them. These tasks, irksome to those of feeble memory, and exacted, perhaps, in some cases, with too much rigor, tended, nevertheless, to im- prove the pupils in taste and accuracy, and to store their minds with charming passages for use in future life.’’ His return to Pittsburg was highly gratifying to the little flock that had been gathered by the labors of the lamented Forrester, whose place, in a measure, they hoped this promising young convert would sup- ply. The members of this church, in which he was afterwards to act so distinguished a part, were all diligent readers and students of the Holy Scripture; and in their desire to conform to primitive usages in every respect pressed, perhaps, too far some matters which had their origin in the social life of apostolic times, the spirit of which can be manifested by differ- ent acts in our own day. They read, for instance, the apostolic injunction “salute one another with a holy kiss,” and they carried it out in practice, and in con- sequence came to be known in the community as the “Kissing Baptists”; but while it was true that such was the practice of the primitive church, they did not take into account the fact that it was not enjoined on the church as a custom to be practiced for the first time, but that it was the usual mode of salutation among the orientals, and only gave a higher signifi- cance to an established custom, just as the shaking of hands now, our common mode of greeting, becomes more significant when Christians meet and clasp hands LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT ns as members of the family of God. The washing of feet was also practiced by them, not, however, as a church ordinance, but an act of brotherly kindness and Christian hospitality. But this, as well as the former practice, soon fell into disuse, doubtless from the fact, that to have insisted upon it would have obliged them, in order to be consistent, to have revived the use of sandals and the style of dress prevalent in the primitive age, which Christianity did not originate and was not designed to perpetuate. But their regard for these unimportant matters by no means rendered them negligent concerning the weightier matters of the law: reading and committing to memory the holy oracles ; bringing up their families in the fear of God; social and family worship; and all the sweet charities of a Christian life were cultivated in that little church, and in its bosom were found men and women as pious, devoted, and useful for their means and opportunities as the world has ever seen. The Darsies, Erretts, McLarens, and many others, who have proved such blessings to the world, and promoters of the cause of Christ in the earth, were members of that little band, and where the influences that were set on foot there will end eternity alone will disclose. The following incident will show the spirit that prevailed among them—a spirit noble as it is rare. One of the members had in some way injured and deeply wounded the feelings of Mr. Scott and Mrs. Darsie; and as the aggressor showed no disposition to repair the wrong he had done, Bro. Scott went to Mrs. Darsie, and said: ‘‘We have now an opportu- nity of praying the Lord’s prayer; let us go and for- give him who has trespassed against us”; and to- gether they went, and assured him of their free and 34 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT full forgiveness of the wrong he had done them, and in such a kindly spirit did they perform their mission that the offender burst into tears, confessed his fault, and a perfect reconciliation was effected. It was not long after Mr. Scott’s return from New York, in 1821, that his mind became possessed by what proved to be the great thought of his life; namely, that the great central idea of the Christian religion is the Messiahship; that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; a proposition around which, in his esteem, all other truths revolve as planets around the sun. To prove this he regarded as the great aim of the evangelists in the four Gospels, and which certainly was the avowed purpose of John, for, near the close of his life of Jesus, he says, in ref- erence to all he had put on record: “But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John xx: 31. His reputation as a teacher, in the meantime, con- tinued to increase; his school, as already intimated, was select, the number of pupils being restricted to fifteen; but when he gave public examinations the proficiency of his pupils and the superiority of his method of instruction was so apparent, that many of the principal citizens urged that his school should be thrown open, that a larger number might receive the benefit of his instructions; and as soon as this was done the number ran up to one hundred and forty. The only difference which took place between his pa- trons and himself was in regard to the nature and ex- tent of religious instruction in his school, he being in favor of the New Testament being read daily, and they, who were mainly Presbyterians, preferring that LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 35 the Westminster Catechism should be taught. Against this he took a decided stand, and gives as his reason, that even at that early date of his religious profession he was thoroughly convinced that in regard to Chris- tianity it was his duty to teach it, not as found in creeds and party standards, but just as it was written. Being unable to agree upon the matter, a compromise was made; all catechisms were laid aside, and a chap- ter in the New Testament allowed to be read every Saturday. For the good of his pupils he determined to make the most of this, and having, as he says, had his whole. soul aroused, and astonished by the views of Christ which were unfolded to him during his in- tense and prayerful study of the gospels, he deter- mined that the lessons should be drawn from the four evangelists; that Christ should be the theme of each Saturday’s lesson; and that the great point might be kept before the minds of his pupils during the week he wrote with chalk, in large letters, over the door of his academy, in the inside, the words “Jesus is the Christ.” It was in Pittsburg, while thus engaged, in the win- ter of 1821-22, that he first met Alexander Campbell, with whom his own history and efforts in the future were to be so intimately blended. Mr. Campbell, who was nearly ten years his senior, had been well edu- cated, and, like himself, intended for the Presbyte- rian ministry; but being of an original turn of mind, a bold and independent thinker, he found, at an early age, that he could not be limited by the narrow bounds of a party creed, but desired to explore for himself the ocean of revealed truth. In regard to this meeting with Mr. Campbell, Mr. Scott says: “When my acquaintance with him began, 36 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT our age and feelings alike rendered us susceptible of a mutual attachment, and that was formed, I trust, on the best of principles. If the regard which we cherished for each other was exalted by anything purely incidental, that thing was an ardent desire in the bosom of both to reform the Christian profession, which to each of us appeared in a state of the most miserable destitution.” At that time there were few, if any, better educated ministers in America than the elder Campbell; and he was not less remarkable for his perfect courtesy of manner and well developed Christian character, than for his natural ability and literary culture; and looking at the trio, Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, and Walter Scott, as we now can in the light of their finished lives and work, it may be said truthfully that they were not surpassed in genius, elo- quence, talent, learning, energy, devotion to the truth, and purity of life, by any three men of the age in which they lived. The esteem which Mr. Scott and Thomas Campbell soon learned to entertain for each other was after- wards strengthened by much personal intercourse and united labor in presenting to the world the views which they held in common, and to the spread of which they contributed so much, so that their natural affection and regard seemed like that of father and son. In regard to this intimacy, the elder Campbell wrote thus to Scott many years after: “I think I should know you, and that you also should know me. We have participated in the most confidential inti- macy, and I know of nothing that should abate it. Our mutual esteem and unfeigned attachment to each other have been to me precious items of comfort and LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 5/ satisfaction, the privation of which would inflict a serious wound, more especially because it is so inti- mately connected, I had almost said identified, with my feelings in relation to the promotion of the inter- ests of the Redeemer’s kingdom within the limits of our mutual co-operation.” Alexander Campbell, nearly twenty years after they first met, thus writes to Scott: ‘‘We were associated in the days of weakness, infancy, and imbecility, and tried in the vale of adversity, while as yet there was but a handful. My father, yourself, and myself were the only three spirits that could (and providentially we were the only persons thrown together that were capable of forming any general or comprehensive views of things spiritual and ecclesiastical) co-operate in a great work or enterprise. The Lord greatly blessed our very imperfect and feeble beginnings ; and this is one reason worth a million that we ought always to cherish the kindest feelings, esteem, admir- ation, love.” This feeling was fully reciprocated on the part of Scott. And now, having brought topether these three men of such great and varied talents, animated by a pur- pose at once great and good, the reader cannot fail to discern the hand of Providence in the matter; and now that the instrumentalities are prepared and brought together, it will not surprise us to see the work to which, in the providence of God, they were called, spread and prosper. CHAPTER IV N the 3rd of January, 1823, Mr. Scott was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Whitsett, at that time a member of the religious body known as Covenanters ; she afterwards united with the church then under the care of her husband, to whom she proved to be a faithful and affectionate helper, who shared without murmuring the toils and privations incident to such a life as his labors and sacrifices made it necessary to lead. ‘He was at this time about 26 years of age, about the medium height, slender and rather spare in person, and possessed of little muscular strength. His aspect was abstracted, meditative, and sometimes had even an air of sadness. His nose was straight, his lips rather full, but delicately chiseled; his eyes dark and lustrous; full of intelligence and tenderness ; and his hair, clustering above his fine ample forehead, was black as the raven’s wing.” Such, doubtless, he appeared then to his favorite pupil, to whom we are indebted for the above description. But it must be remembered that the teacher is often an object of reverence and awe to the pupil, and this may have rendered the picture less attractive than it would have been if drawn by another hand. The writer knew him well in after years, subject, at times, it is true, to hours of depression, but in the main, genial and even mirthful; abounding in anecdotes and brilliant flashes of wit and repartee, and especially delighting in, and delightful to, the young. His entrance into a room full of young people, instead of checking or clouding their mirth, served only to increase it; and was like the letting in of additional sunshine. 38 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 39 It was in this year that his friend A. Campbell pro- jected his first publication, which afterwards became so famous; but before issuing the work he consulted Mr. Scott in regard to it. He intended to name his paper “The Christian”; but Mr. Scott suggested that it might disarm prejudice and secure a wider circula- tion were he to call it “The Christian Baptist,” espe- cially as it was expected to circulate mainly among the Baptists, among whom the elements of reform had for some time been slowly and silently spreading. Mr. Scott’s suggestion met his approval, and the peri- odical, which produced the greatest revolution in reli- gious thought in this century, was issued in August, 1823, under the name of “The Christian Baptist.” From the time of his first meeting with Mr. Scott, Mr. Campbell had felt that he had met with no ordi- nary man, and having discovered, he was not slow to acknowledge, his ability, and urged him to set forth his views through the medium of the new periodical to which he had given a name. In accordance with this invitation he prepared an article for the first num- ber, with the caption, “A Divinely Authorized Plan of Teaching the Christian Religion.” Mr. Campbell himself had an article headed the “Christian Reli- gion”; and his father contributed an essay on the “Primary Intention of the Gospel.” The publication of this paper marked a new era in religious literature; the novelty of the views, the ex- traordinary ability with which they were set forth, the reforms for which they called, and, above all, their evident truth, created an interest and an inquiry such as has seldom been equaled. Mr. Scott continued his essays on the theme above- mentioned through four numbers of “The Christian 40 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT Baptist,” and in them he says or suggests all that is needed on that subject. They are, in a word, exhaus- tive, embodying, as they do, the earnest and prayerful reflections of years; and in vigor of style and felicity of expression they will not suffer by comparison with the finest productions of the present day. These essays and the powerful articles from the pen of the editor in each number, soon created a profound sensation. In many of the communities in which “The Christian Baptist” circulated the foundations of reli- gious belief were carefully and earnestly re-examined ; and the result was that many of its readers, to whom religion, as popularly taught, was a mysterious and altogether unintelligible affair, now saw in it, as set forth in the Scriptures, a beautiful harmony and sim- plicity, and began to spread among their neighbors the light which they had received; and being of neces- sity placed on the defensive, they were obliged to maintain by an appeal to Scripture the views they had espoused. In some instances entire churches with their pastors were led to lay aside their creeds and > much of their theology and to accept the Word of God as their only guide. The publication of this re- markable sheet continued for seven years with in- creased interest and a largely augmented list of sub- scribers, and only ceased to give place to a larger and more widely-circulated monthly called ‘““The Millennial Harbinger.” During the existence of “The Christian Baptist” Mr. Scott was a frequent contributor to its pages, and his numerous articles under the signature of “Philip” gained him a reputation scarcely inferior to that of the editor—A. Campbell himself. CHAPTER V R. SCOTT remained in Pittsburg teaching his academy and instructing the church until some- time in 1826, when he removed to Steubenville, Ohio. It was in the summer of this year also that he made his first appearance at the Mahoning Baptist Associa- tion, within the bounds of which he afterwards be- came so famous. ‘The association met on the 25th of August. Mr. Scott was not a member of this body, but is mentioned in the Minutes simply as a teaching brother, but was by courtesy invited to par- take in its deliberations; and probably from the fact of his being a stranger was, by a similar act of cour- tesy, invited to preach on Sunday, at 10 o’clock a.M., the hour usually occupied by the best talent. His sermon, based on the 11th chapter of Matthew, was a powerful one and made a deep impression. A. 5S. Hayden, then quite a youth, was present, and saw and heard Scott for the first time. He says that his fancy, imagination, eloquence, neatness, and finish as a preacher and a man attracted his attention, and fixed him forever on his memory. Alexander Campbell, whose reputation was already great, was present, and many who had been attracted to the meeting by his fame supposed that they were hearing him while listening to Scott, and when he closed left the place under that impression. ‘The Association met the next year, 1827, at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio. Alexander Campbell had been appointed by the church of which he was a member, at Wellsburgh, Va., to attend as its messenger, and on his way he stopped 41 42 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT at Steubenville and invited Mr. Scott to go with him. He was somewhat disinclined to do so, as he was not a member of the body, or of any church represented in it; but being urged, he went. This seemingly un- important event proved to be one of the most impor- tant steps of his life, as the sequel will show. In regard to the proceedings of the Association, Mr. Scott was again invited to a seat. This might have been expected ; but is it not very remarkable that when a committee was appointed composed of preachers who were members of the Association, and also of those who were not, to choose an evangelist to travel among the churches, that one should be selected who was not a member of the body, and who neither agreed in his religious views with many of those who selected him for so important a task, nor took any pains to conceal this difference? Nor could the choice have been made on the ground of peculiar fitness in con- sequence of great success in the evangelical field, or greatness of reputation; it was not a matter of neces- sity—a choice of a giant from among pigmies. Bentley was known and esteemed throughout the entire Asso- ciation; Campbell’s great and admirable talents were well known and acknowledged; Rigdon had the repu- tation of an orator; Jacob Osborn gave high promise of future usefulness; Secrest and Gaston were popu- lar and successful evangelists; and yet by the voices of all these, and others of less note, Walter Scott was unanimously chosen for the most important work that the Association had ever taken in hand. He proved to be, however, as we shall see, the man of all others for the place and the work—a work LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 43 which neither he nor they who called him to it had the remotest idea that it would result, as it did, in the dissolution of the Association and the casting away -of creeds and the unexampled spread of clearer and purer view of the gospel—nay, a return to it in its primitive beauty and simplicity. CHAPTERGVE HE scene of his first practical and successful ex- hibition of the gospel, as preached in primitive times, was at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, the place at which he was appointed as traveling evan- gelist a few months before. The Baptist Church at that place had become acquainted with him at the As- sociation, and received with pleasure an appointment from him for a series of discourses on the ancient gospel; and the citizens were glad to have a visit from the eloquent stranger. On the first Sunday after his arrival every seat in the meeting-house was filled at an early hour; soon every foot of standing room was occupied, and the doorway blocked up by an eager throng; and, inspired by the interest which pre- vailed, the preacher began. His theme was the con- fession of Peter, Matt. xvi:16: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and the promise which grew out of it, that he should have intrusted to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The declaration of Peter was a theme upon which he had thought for years; it was a fact which he regarded the four gospels as written to establish; to which type and prophecy had pointed in all the ages gone by; which the Eternal Father had announced from heaven when Jesus came up from the waters of Jordan and the Spirit descended and abode upon him, and which was repeated again amid the awful grandeur and solemnity of the transfiguration scene. He then proceeded to show that the foundation truth of Christianity was the divine nature of the Lord Jesus—the central truth around which all others revolved, and from which they a4 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 45 derived their efficacy and importance—and that the belief of it was calculated to produce such love in the heart of him who believed it as would lead him to true obedience to the object of his faith and love. To show how that faith and love were to be mani- fested, he quoted the language of the great commis- sion, and called attention to the fact that Jesus had taught his apostles “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” He then led his hearers to Jerusalem on the memorable Pentecost, and bade them listen to an authoritative announcement of the law of Christ, now to be made known for the first time, by the same Peter to whom Christ had promised to give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which he repre- sented as meaning the conditions upon which the guilty might find pardon at the hands of the risen, ascended, and glorified Son of God, and enter his kingdom. The man of all others, however, in that community who would most have delighted in and gladly ac- cepted those views, so old and yet so new, was not there, although almost in hearing of the preacher, who, -with such eloquence and power, was setting forth the primitive gospel. This was Wm. Amend, a pious, God-fearing man, a member of the Presby- terian Church, and regarded by his neighbors as an “Israelite indeed.” He had for some time enter- tained the same views as those Mr. Scott was then preaching in that place for the first time, but was not aware that any one agreed with him. He was invited a day or two before to hear Mr. Scott, but knowing nothing of his views, he supposed that he preached much as others did, but agreed to go and hear him. It was near the close of the services 46 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT when he reached the Baptist church and joined the crowd at the door, who were unable to get into the house. The first sentence he heard aroused and ex- cited him; it sounded like that gospel which he had read with such interest at home, but never had heard from the pulpit before. He now felt a great anxiety to see the man who was speaking so much like the oracles of God, and pressed through the throng into the house. Mr. Dibble, the clerk of the church, saw him enter, and knowing that he had been seeking and longing to find a man who would preach as the Word of God read, thought within himself, “Had Mr. Amend been here during all this discourse I feel sure he would have found what he has so long sought in vain. I wish the preacher would repeat what he said before he came in.” Greatly to his surprise the preacher did give a brief review of the various points of his discourse, insisting that the Word of God meant what it said, and urging his hearers to trust that Word implicitly. He rehearsed again the Jeru- salem scene, called attention to the earnest, anxious cry of the multitude, and the comforting reply of the apostle, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” He invited any one present who believed with all his heart, to yield to the terms proposed in the words of the apostle, and show by a willing obedience his trust in the Lord of life and glory. Mr. Amend pressed his way through the crowd to the preacher and made known his purpose; made a public declaration of his belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and his willingness to obey him, and, on the same day, in a beautiful, clear stream which flows on the southern border of the LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 47 town, in the presence of a great multitude, he was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. This event, which forms an era in the religious his- tory of the times, took place on the 18th of November, 1827, and Mr. Amend was, beyond all question, the first person in modern times who received the or- dinance of baptism in perfect accordance with apos- tolic teaching and usage. CHAPTERIWVAI HE baptism of Mr. Amend occasioned no small stir in the community. No one had ever seen any thing in all respects like it, and yet it seemed to correspond so perfectly with the teachings and prac- tice of the apostles that few could fail to see the re- semblance. Mr. Scott continued his labors during the following week, and many others who had been unable to accept the popular teaching of the day had their attention arrested by a gospel which they could understand, and with the conditions of which they could comply, and the result was, that by the next Lord’s day fifteen others followed the example of Mr. Amend by publicly confessing their faith in Jesus as the Son of God and being immersed. Of course, much opposition was aroused. One man went so far as to threaten to shoot Mr. Scott if he should baptize his mother, who had sought baptism at his hands; but threats and scoffs only served to increase the zeal of the preacher; and it was found, moreover, that all the converts were able to give such reasons for the course they had taken, that no one that admitted the Bible to be true could gainsay. Another very happy result was, that nearly the whole community began to search the Scriptures, many in the spirit of the Bereans, to see whether these things were so; others with no higher object than to find objections to the new doctrine, and many of these were forced to the conclusion that if it were false the Bible could not be true, as the chief feature of the new doctrine was that the preacher could tell every 48 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 49 honest inquirer his duty in the very language of Holy Writ. Mr. Scott, after the events narrated above, paid a visit to several points on the Western Reserve, and in three weeks again returned to New Lisbon. He ° found the interest awakened by his first visit undimin- ished, and seven more were added to the number al- ready baptized. His labors were now in great de- mand, calls from various quarters poured in upon him, and night and day found him engaged, wherever op- portunity afforded, in the Master’s work. He soon visited New Lisbon again, and over thirty more joyful and willing converts were made. The members of the Baptist Church received the Word gladly, and almost to a man accepted the truth which he presented with such force and clearness, and resolved that thence- forth the Word of God should be their only rule and guide. In this visit Elder Scott was accompanied by Joseph Gaston, a minister of the Christian connec- tion, who had heartily embraced the truth, and who by his tender and pathetic exhortations greatly aided in promoting the success of the gospel. The excitement consequent upon the great reli- gious changes in New Lisbon soon spread through the county, and Scott and Gaston were urged to visit East Fairfield, a village some eight miles distant. The community was composed mainly of Quakers and Bible Christians, many of whom accepted the gospel as presented by the new preachers, and the re- sult was, that after a meeting of three or four days a large congregation, including several of the most in- fluential people in that locality, was established upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. 50 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT Returning to New Lisbon, Elder Scott found the truth to be advancing, but as of old, also, some con- tradicting and almost blaspheming; the ordinance of baptism was ridiculed; opprobrious names were given to those who accepted the new doctrine, which was stigmatized as heresy, a Water Salvation, as worse than Romanism—the opposers, in their zeal, forgetting that faith, repentance, and a new life were as much insisted on by the Reformers as those who differed from them in other respects. Chief in the opposition were the Methodist and Presbyterian ministers who, - during his absence at Fairfield, assailed both Scott and his teaching from their respective pulpits. Of this he was informed, and on the first evening after his return a large audience gathered to hear him. Just as he was beginning his discourse the two min- isters came in, and as soon as they were seated Scott said: “There are two gentlemen in the house who, in my absence, made a man of straw and called it Scott; this they bitterly assailed; now if they have any thing to say the veritable Scott is here, and the opportunity is now theirs to make good what they have said elsewhere. Let us lay our views before the people and they shall decide who is right; for my part, I am willing at any time to exchange two errors for one truth. Come out, gentlemen, like men, and let us discuss the matters at issue.” His reverend assailants showing no signs of accepting his invitation, he called them by name, and, addressing some young persons on the front seat, said: “Boys, make room there. Now, gentlemen, come forward.” ‘The min- isters, however, felt that the man and his teachings LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 5] could be more safely assailed in his absence than in his presence; they therefore rose, and arm in arm left the house, leaving behind them the impression that they felt unable to make good their charges of heresy and false doctrine. A report was also set on foot derogatory to the moral standing of Mr. Scott. This attack on his char- acter called forth much sympathy in his behalf. A number of the citizens undertook the investigation of the matter, which resulted in covering his revilers with shame, and adding to his already great influence in the community. A handsome purse was also made up and presented to him by those who were indignant at the base and unfounded charges which had been made against him. Not long after, another Methodist minister an- nounced that he would review and expose the new doctrine. A large audience assembled to hear him, and among them Scott himself. The preacher ad- dressed himself to his task in an unlovely spirit; in- troducing the services by reading the hymn: “‘Jesus, great Shepherd of the Sheep, To thee for help we fly; Thy little flock in safety keep, For oh! the Wolf is nigh;’’ emphasizing the last line in such a way as to leave no doubt as to who was the Wolf that he had in his eye. He assailed Mr. Scott and his teachings in terms neither chaste nor select, grossly misrepresent- ing both the man and his doctrine. When he closed, Mr. Scott begged the liberty of correcting some of 52 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT the statements which had been made, and did so in a manner so kind and gentlemanly that the audience were as deeply impressed with the Christian spirit he exhibited as they had been disgusted with the coarse- ness and rudeness of his assailant, to whom they thought the epithet wolf belonged more properly, than to him it was intended to apply. CHAPTER VIII N order to be nearer the field of his labors, Mr. Scott now removed to Canfield, on the Reserve; and, elated by the remarkable success which had at- tended his labors at New Lisbon, and not doubting but that the divine blessing would accompany the Word when faithfully proclaimed, he paid a visit to Warren, on the Western Reserve, at which place was the largest and strongest church within the bounds of the Association. ‘This congregation had enjoyed for many years the labors of Adamson Bentley, to whose ministry, in a great measure, its prosperity was due. No Baptist minister was better known or more highly esteemed than he in all that region. He sympa- thized with Mr. Campbell in his views as set forth in the “Christian Baptist,” and had, in a great measure, under these enlarged views of Bible truth, outgrown the limits of the narrow creed of the religious body with which he was identified, and had, moreover, ex- pressed in public the same views in regard to the de- sign of baptism as had recently been turned to such practical account by Mr. Scott. - Some months before this time, in company with Jacob Osborne, a minister of great promise, he had gone to Braceville to hold a meeting, and during its progress, while speaking with regard to baptism, he stated that it was designed to be.a pledge of the re- mission of sins. After meeting, on their way home, Mr. Osborne said: ‘‘Well, Bro. Bentley, you have christened baptism today.” “How so?” said Mr. Bent- ley. “You termed it a remitting institution.” “Well,” rejoined Mr. Bentley, “I do not see how this conclu- 53 cn 4 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT sion is to be avoided with the Scriptures before us.” “It is the truth,” said Mr. Osborne, who was a great student of the Bible, “and I have for some time thought that the waters of baptism must stand in the same position to us that the blood of sacrifices did to the Jews. The blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sins, as Paul declares, yet when offered at the altar by the sinner, he had the divine assurance that his sins were forgiven him. ‘This blood was merely typical of the blood of Christ, the true sin-offering to which it pointed prospectively ; and it seems to me that the water in baptism, which has no power in itself to wash away sins, now refers retrospectively to the purifying power of the blood of the Lamb of God.” Mr. Scott, not long after, fell in with them, and all three went to Howland together; the discourse of Bentley at Braceville came up, in course of conver- sation, and Scott expressed his agreement with the view he had taken of the subject. Mr. Osborne preached at Howland, and in his remarks advanced the idea that no one had the promise of the Holy Spirit until after baptism. The remark seemed to strike Mr. Scott with surprise, and after meeting he said to Mr. Osborne: “You are a man of great cour- age’; and, turning to Mr. Bentley, he added: “Do you not think so, Bro. Bentley?’ ‘‘Why?” said Mr. Bentley. “Because,” said he, “he ventured to assert today that no one had a right to expect the Holy Spirit until after baptism.” These events took place before the occurrences at New Lisbon, and, doubtless, being fresh in the mind of Scott, he naturally expected not only a warm wel- come from the church in Warren, but also the earnest LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 55 co-operation of its pastor, Elder Bentley, and Mr. Osborne, who was teaching an academy there, as they both held the views which he had been so ably — and successfully advocating. In this, as far as Elder Bentley was concerned, he was at first disappointed ; the views which he had expressed at Braceville, with regard to the design of baptism, were his views still, but he never had thought of making them practical or operative, as they recently had been made by Mr. Scott, the report of whose doings at New Lisbon had preceded him to Warren, and had made the impres- sion on the mind of Bentley that his course was one differing widely and dangerously from Baptist usage, and indeed from the practice of all other churches, and in consequence he could not but regard him with suspicion. Immediately after his arrival, having met with Elder Bentley, Scott asked concerning the condition of the church, and was told in reply that it was get- ting on much as usual; whereupon Scott intimated that he was pursuing a course very different from that usually taken, but, as he thought, in perfect ac- cordance with the teaching of the New Testament and the practice of the apostles. He, moreover, frankly told him that the views he entertained were such as would unsettle the minds of the brethren, and if adopted would lead to the giving up of many things which they as Baptists held dear, but that the result would be a purer and more useful church. “I have,” said he, “got the saw by the handle, and I ex- pect to saw you all asunder’—meaning by this, that their creed and church articles must give way before the truth of God, which he proposed to insist upon as the only rule and guide for the church. 56 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT Bentley did not enter into the spirit nor catch the enthusiasm of the ardent evangelist; the course pro- posed seemed to him revolutionary—one in which there might be great danger, and for which he did not feel prepared, and when Scott urged that an ap- pointment be given out for him to preach that even- ing in the Baptist church, he intimated that he thought it best for him not to begin his labors just then— wishing, no doubt, to learn more of the course he expected to pursue before he gave it his help and approval. Scott felt, however, that the King’s busi- ness required haste, and insisted that an appointment should be made, and, after they parted, sent a note to Jacob Osborne, then engaged in teaching, requesting him to give notice through his pupils that there would be preaching that night at the Baptist church, which was done. On learning this, Elder Bentley gave orders that the meeting-house should not be opened that night, in consequence of which Scott pro- cured the use of the court-house, and had the people notified that he would address them there. An audience, mainly of young people, assembled, and he addressed them in such a manner as to make a most favorable impression, and at the close of his discourse he requested them to make it known that on the next night he would tell all who might favor him with their presence something they had never heard before. This, of course, was the means of letting every one in the town and vicinity know that something out of the usual order might be expected. The next day Scott met with Bentley and Osborne, and Bentley withdrew his opposition, and agreed that the meeting should be held that night in the church instead of the court-house. A large audience gath- LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 57 ered, and the zeal and eloquence of the preacher car- ried his hearers by storm. He presented Christianity in virgin robes of truth and purity, as when she de- scended from her native skies—and sectarianism in every form suffered by the contrast. The religion of the New Testament, in all its beauty and simplicity, ‘stripped of the difficulties with which human teach- ing had encumbered and disfigured it, was shown to be perfectly adapted to human wants and woes, and the fullness and freeness of the salvation which it offered, contrasted with the narrow partialism of the prevailing Calvinism of the times, made it seem like a gospel indeed—glad tidings of great joy to all peo- ple. The next night brought a still larger audience and an increased interest. The prejudices of Bentley gave way under the luminous exhibitions of the gos- pel, and he soon embraced heartily the truth which Scott presented with fidelity and power. With some of these views, as we have seen, he had for some time been familiar, but until now he had never realized their practical significance, nor had they ever brought such joy to his heart before. Soon, too, the uncon- verted portion of the audience began to yield to the claims of the gospel; and as they inquired anxiously, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” they were met with the same answer which was given to the same question in the days of old. Baptism on a simple confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God speedily followed, the newly baptized were added to the church, and what was said of Samaria after the preaching of Philip was true of Warren—“there was great joy in that city.” 58 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT Scott spent eight days in all at that visit, during which time twenty-nine persons were baptized, and the entire Baptist Church, with one or two excep- tions, accepted the new order of things, which had so long been forgotten. The work, however, did not stop on the departure of the preacher—the truth wrought mightily in the community, the Bible was read and searched as never before, members of other churches were led to exam- ine the new doctrine, as it was called, and this led them to see the weakness of partyism, and resulted in the conviction that it was true, and led them to abandon their old and long-cherished associations and unite with those who had taken the Word of God alone as their guide. Among the converts during the first visit of Scott, was John Tait, a man of great stature and strong will; he was a Presbyterian, warmly attached to the faith of his fathers, and when his wife, who had attended on Scott’s preaching, resolved to confess Christ and be baptized, he op- posed her bitterly, and even went so far as to threaten violence to the preacher if he should baptize her. The preacher, not in the least intimidated, gave him to understand that, if his wife wished to be baptized, he would baptize her even if he, her husband, should stand with a drawn sword to prevent it. The wife, fully convinced that it was her duty to render this act of obedience to her Lord, notwithstanding the violent opposition of her husband, was determined to be baptized. Almost frantic with excitement, he called on Scott, and found him in company with sev- eral preachers who were attending the meeting, and forbade the baptism of his wife. Scott and Bentley LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 59 attempted, but in vain, for a time to reason with him, urging that his wife was acting in accordance with her convictions of duty as set forth in the Word of God, and that in a matter of such moment she ought to be allowed to decide for herself. It was long be- fore he could be calmed sufficiently to reason upon the subject, but the mildness and gentleness with which Scott treated him caused him in a measure to relent and listen to what the Word of God, for which he professed a deep reverence, had to say upon the mat- ter. As the examination of the Scriptures proceeded, and the light began to dawn upon his mind, his man- ner and feelings underwent a great change, and, | deeply moved, he said to Mr. Scott, “Will you pray for me?” ‘No, sir,” said he, “I will not pray for a man who will so rudely oppose his wife in her desire to do the will of God, but perhaps this brother will pray for you.” The brother named did so, with great earnestness and fervor, and Tait was so melted dur- ing the prayer that, when they rose from their knees, he, in a very humble manner, asked to be baptized. His request was granted, and among the new con- verts there was none happier or more earnest than John Tait. Not long after his baptism Mr. Tait met with his former pastor, and entered into conversation with him with regard to the change in his views and church relationship. The Scriptures were appealed to, and Tait urged upon him that he should, in accord- ance with their teaching, be baptized for the remis- sion of sins. ‘What!’ said the minister, “would you have me to be baptized contrary to my conscience?” “Yes” said Tait. ‘Were you, Mr. Tait,” he replied, 60 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT > “baptized contrary to your conscience?” “Yes,” was the reply, ‘I was. My conscience told me that sprinkling in infancy would do, but the Word of God said: ‘Be baptized for the remission of sins,’ and | thought it better to tear my conscience than to tear a leaf out of the Bible.” This interview made a deep impression upon the minister. The more he looked at the Bible in regard to the matter, the more he doubted his former teach- ing on the subject, and he soon abandoned his pulpit; he felt that he could no longer preach as before, but he lacked the courage to say that he had been preach- ing a human theory, and to preach thenceforth only what was taught in the Word of God. The interest awakened by Scott’s first visit did not prove to be a short-lived one; on the contrary, it continued to deepen and widen; the entire com- munity was stirred and aroused. Many of the con- gregations in the adjacent towns partook of the prev- alent spirit, and the entire winter was characterized by a religious zeal and success such as never had been known in that region before. All the new converts had to defend the faith they had embraced, and, with the Bible in their hands, they fully proved their ability to do so, and numerous additions were made to the church at Warren. Bentley and Osborne followed up the work which Scott had begun with great zeal and success. The return of Scott on several occasions within a brief period, added to the prevailing interest, and in five months the membership at Warren was doubled, the additions amounting to one hundred and seventeen. LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 61 The most important result of Mr. Scott’s visit to Warren was the enlistment of Elder Bentley in the adoption and advocacy of his views of the ancient gospel. His untiring and successful labors rendered him one of the most useful men of the time, and no one contributed more than he to the spread of the Reformation over the Western Reserve, and also by means of his numerous converts through the Great West. CHAE TH RGEN J°HE year 1827-28 proved to be a year of battle and of victory. Great success in one field was the harbinger of triumph in the next, and after the successful issue of the meeting at Warren, Scott was so well assured of the power of the primitive gospel to subdue the heart, that wherever he went he now preached without the least misgiving, and boldly called on his hearers to submit to the claims of Christ the Lord. He had by this time also several true and earnest fellow-laborers, who entered into the work with all the zeal of new converts, and wherever these preachers of the ancient faith appeared, the truth ran through the community like fire through dry stubble. From this period for some time to come, it will be impossible to preserve the strict order of time in con- sequence of the many changes in fields of labor, which were often as varied as the passing day. Morning often found the tireless Scott at one point, and evening at another, miles away. It was not un- common for him to occupy the court-house or school- house in the morning at the county seat, address a large assembly in some great grove in the afternoon, and have the private dwelling, which gave him shelter, crowded with neighbors at night, to hear him before he sought his needed rest. Sometimes the interest would be continued until midnight; and in those stirring times it was not unusual for those who, on such occasions, felt the power of the truth, to be baptized before the morning dawned. For months together nearly every day witnessed new converts to the truth; several ministers of various denominations 62 LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 63 fell in with the views which he presented with such force and clearness, and these in turn exerted their influence over their former flocks, and led them to embrace the views which had brought such comfort and peace to their own souls. While preaching at Hiram, Portage County, a Revy- olutionary colonel, eighty-four years of age, rose up in the midst of the congregation, and pointing with his finger to the parable of the laborers in the vine- yard, said to Mr. Scott: “Sir ushalleta recetve a penny? it is the eleventh hour.” “Yes,” was the reply, “the Lord commands it, and you shall receive a penny.” ‘The audience was greatly affected, and the venerable soldier was forthwith enrolled in the army of the faith. Another gentleman says, that though a Bible-reader, he had sought in vain for a church that taught as his Bible read. But riding along the public road one day, he saw a number of horses tied in the woods, a great crowd gathered and some one addressing them. Without being aware of the character of the meeting, curiosity led him to turn aside and see; when he came nearer he found that it was a religious meet- ing, and that the preacher was setting forth the gospel just as it had ever seemed to him in his readings ; and before the speaker, who was none other than Walter Scott, had closed, he determined that that people should be his people, and their God his God, and to that resolve he has been true more than forty years. CHAPTERUX S might have been expected, the labors and suc- cess of Scott aroused great inquiry and opposi- tion, and the wildest rumors were circulated with regard to the course he pursued, the great peculiarity of which was, that it differed widely from that which had hitherto been the rule in all attempts at conver- sion. Many supposed that, in connecting baptism in some way with the remission of sins, that he at- tributed to water a virtue kindred to the blood of Christ, and therefore concluded that all the sinner had to do was to be immersed, while he really re- garded it as an act of obedience expressive of perfect trust in Christ for pardon, as an acceptance of the offer made in the gospel to all who truly believed and turned away from their sins. And yet for teaching what the great majority of the Christian world admit, in theory at least, and what is taught in the Word of God most clearly, he was rep- resented as the author of an hitherto unheard-of and soul-destroying heresy. These rumors reached the ears of his friend and fellow-laborer in the cause of religious reform, Alexander Campbell, who fearing that Mr. Scott might have been carried by his en- thusiastic nature beyond the bounds of prudence, sent his father, a man of rare wisdom and judgment, to find out the true state of the case. This venerable and pious man visited the scene of Scott’s labors in the spring of 1828, and, after carefully observing the course he pursued, sent the following account of it to his son: 64 aod LIFE OF ELDER WALTER SCOTT 69 ‘