Columbia ^nitjeisftp 
 mt^fCftpofBfttigtirk 
 
 THE LIBRARIES 
 
 Bequest of 
 
 Frederic Bancroft 
 
 1860-1945 
 
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 § - 
 
The Plea and the Pioneers 
 in Virginia 
 
 A History of the Rise and Early Progress of tlie 
 
 disciples of Christ in Virginia, with. 
 
 Biographical Sketches of the 
 
 Pioneer Preachers 
 
 BY 
 
 FREDERICK ARTHUR HODGE 
 
 RICHMOND, VA. 
 
 EVERETT WADDEY COMPANY 
 
 1905 
 

 Copyrighted 1905 
 
 by 
 
 Frederick Arthur Hodge. 
 
 ^ :^-^3C3 
 
CK 
 
 
 Dedication 
 
 To the descendants of the Virginia pioneer preachers, whose lives were 
 given to the restoration of the Christianity of Christ and his Apostles in both 
 doctrine and practice, this volume is respectfully dedicated. 
 
 "1 sent you to reap that whereon ye have not labored; others have 
 labored, and ye are entered into their labor." — John 4:38. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 In the crowning religious reformation, which had 
 for its object the restoration of the primitive Chris- 
 tianity of ApostoHc times, Virginia took no secondary 
 part. Her pioneers were in the front ranks of the 
 movement, and never did men contend more earnestly 
 for the faith once delivered to the saints than did they. 
 
 Our object in presenting this little volume to the 
 public is threefold. First: The reformation in Penn- 
 sylvania and that part of Old Virginia now known as 
 West Virginia has been set forth in Richardson's 
 "Memoirs of A. Campbell"; Haley's ''Dawn of the 
 Reformation" performs a similar work for Missouri; 
 the reformation in Ohio has been depicted in Hayden's 
 "Early History of Disciples in Western Reserve"; 
 the pioneer history of the movement in Kentucky is 
 derived from the biographies of John Smith and Jacob 
 Creath; Virginia alone, of all the States that took a 
 prominent part in the restoration of primitive Chris- 
 tianity, has up to this time had no written record of 
 her pioneer reformers. Our second reason is: That 
 the younger generation about to become the pillars in 
 the churches of Christ know little if anything of the 
 lives of those grand old men, their forefathers, who 
 fought so nobly the good fight of faith; nor can they 
 justly appreciate the necessity of standing firm on 
 the bedrock principles of the Old Jerusalem Gospel. 
 Third: Doctrinal points are more easily understood 
 when their application is in the concrete than when it 
 is abstract. Our history as a people is the story of our 
 plea in the concrete. 
 
 During the year 1901 the author embodied some 
 of the material found in this work in a series of essaj^s, 
 
6 Preface 
 
 which were published in the Christian Guide. Owing 
 to the interest manifested in these essays, and at the 
 request of several Virginia Disciples, he has ventured to 
 put this material into a more connected and permanent 
 form. From the '^ Sketches of Deceased Virginia 
 Ministers,'' published in the Christian Examiner of 
 1870 and 1871, by Elder Peter Ainslie, also from 
 "Sketches of our Pioneers," by F. D. Power, the 
 author has drawn much information found in the 
 second part of this work, one or two sketches having 
 been copied nearly verbatim from Bro. Ainslie's. The 
 sources of information from which the first part of the 
 work is drawn are mainly the "Millennial Harbingers," 
 "Christian Baptists," and Richardson's "Memoirs of 
 A. Campbell." We take this opportunity of acknowl- 
 edging our indebtedness to the works named. 
 
 To a large number of friends and brethren who have 
 rendered valuable assistance in gathering the material, 
 we are deeply indebted. 
 
 We wish also to acknowledge our indebtedness to 
 Bro. F. D. Power, D. D., of Washington, D. C, for the 
 able address which appears as our Introductory 
 Chapter; also to Bro. O. B. Sears, Ph. D., of Farmville, 
 Va., who has rendered valuable assistance as literary 
 critic. 
 
 Hoping that this volume may make us value more 
 fully the labors of our forefathers, and bring us to a 
 clearer knowledge of God's will as revealed in his word, 
 we send it forth on its mission. 
 
 F. A. Hodge. 
 
 Virginia Christian College, Lynchburg, Va., May lOtli, 1905. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 INTRODUCTORY page 
 
 History and Doctrine of the Disciples of Christ 9 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Dawn of the Reformation 29 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The Campbell and Semple Controversy 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Mr. Campbell in Richmond 50 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Publication of Decrees • • 66 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Thomas Campbell's Visit to Eastern Virginia 73 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Dover Decree 84 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Organization and Progress 95 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Defection of Dr. Thomas 109 
 
 1^- 
 
8 Contents 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Charlottesville and the Shenandoah 118 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Jeter and Lard Controversy 127 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Helps and Hindrances 137 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Our Status in this State 152 
 
 PART 11. 
 
 Lives of the Pioneers: 
 
 George W. Abell 163 
 
 Elder Peter Ainslie 173 
 
 Elder Atkinson 184 
 
 Elder James M. Bagby 189 
 
 Dr. Chester Bullard 200 
 
 Reuben Lindsay Coleman 206 
 
 Benjamin Creel 211 
 
 Elder John Curtis 217 
 
 Elder John Dangerfield 220 
 
 Dr. John Du Val 225 
 
 James W. Goss 232 
 
 Thomas M. Henley 243 
 
 John G. Parrish 254 
 
 Silas Shelburn 265 
 
 Charles Talley 269 
 
 A. B. Walthall 273 
 
 Matthew Webber 276 
 
 XJnbiographed 274 
 
INTEODUCTORY CHAPTEE. 
 
 History and Doctrines of the Discii^les 
 of Christ.* 
 
 FREDERICK D. POWER. 
 
 We Americans owe our national privileges, our civil 
 liberties and our world influence to the Bible. Young- 
 est of religious bodies that have sought America's 
 good, and distinctively American in its origin, is the 
 body of believers known as the Disciples of Christ. 
 The various schools of Christians, according to the 
 figures of Dr. H. K. Carroll, rank numericall}^ as 
 follows: Roman Catholic, Methodist Episcopal, Bap- 
 tist South, Baptist South (colored), Methodist Episco- 
 pal South, Disciples of Christ; that is, the Disciples are 
 sixth in rank, while in 1890 they had the eighth place; 
 and the increase of the Disciples in the decade from 
 1890 to 1900 was 84 per cent., or over 8 per cent, per 
 annum. These are the census figures. In any showing, 
 then, of our American religious forces this people must 
 have consideration. ''That this religious reformation 
 has very seriously influenced the theological and 
 ecclesiastical developments of the last half century, 
 and won for itself a significant place in the religious 
 
 * Address delivered in Festival Hall, Woild's Fair Grounds, St. Louis, 
 on " Disciples of Christ Day" at the World's Fair, October 30, 1904, fol- 
 lowing the great international convention of the Disciples. 
 
10 Introductory 
 
 movements of the age, and affected all churches, no 
 one can deny," says a writer in the New York Inde- 
 pendent. 
 
 The origin of the Disciples as a distinct body dates 
 back to the early part of the last century. In different 
 parts of the United States simultaneously arose teach- 
 ers among the religious denominations who pleaded 
 for the Bible alone, without human addition in the 
 form of creeds or formulas of faith, and for the union 
 of Christians of every name upon the basis of the 
 Apostles' teaching. This movement assumed most 
 notable proportions in Western Virginia and Pennsyl- 
 vania, and in Kentucky. In 1S23 Alexander Campbell, 
 of Bethany, W. Va., began to set forth with great 
 vigor and learning, in a periodical entitled the Chris- 
 tian Baptist, the plea for the restoration of the simple 
 Gospel, the order of things as under the Apostles. It 
 was not a reformation that was sought, but a restora- 
 tion; not the organization of a new sect, or the refor- 
 mation of an old one, but a return to Jerusalem, a 
 renewal of the ancient landmarks of the Christian 
 religion, a restoration to men of Apostolic Christianity 
 in doctrine, ordinances and fruits. 
 
 Alexander Campbell was a native of Ireland, and 
 educated in the University of Glasgow. In 1807 
 Thomas Campbell, his father, came to America, and 
 the son followed him two years later. Thomas Camp- 
 bell was a regular minister among the Seceders, and, 
 as such, assigned to the Presbytery of Chartiers, in 
 Washington County, Pa. His view of union, however, 
 and of the sufficiency of the Bible as a religious guide, 
 
Introductory H 
 
 caused his withdrawal from that connection. In 
 August, 1809, he formed 'The Christian Association of 
 Washington," and in September of the same year 
 issued his celebrated ''Declaration and Address." 
 This paper deplored the tendencies of party spirit 
 among Christians and the enforcement of human 
 interpretations of God's Word in place of the pure 
 doctrine of Christ, and pleaded for the restoration of 
 simple, original, evangeUcal Christianity as exhibited 
 upon the sacred page, without attempting to inculcate 
 anything of human authority, of private opinion, or 
 invention of men, as having any place in the constitu- 
 tion, faith or worship of the Christian Church; or any- 
 thing as a matter of Christian faith or duty for which 
 there cannot be expressly produced a "Thus saith the 
 Lord," either in express terms or approved precedent. 
 Commencing with the admitted truth that the 
 Gospel was designed to reconcile and unite men to 
 God and each other, the address proceeded to consider 
 the sad divisions that existed, and their baleful effects 
 in the angry contentions, enmities, excommunications 
 and persecutions which they engendered, and set forth 
 the object of the association "to come firmly and fairly 
 to original ground, and take up things just as the Apostles 
 left them/' that, "disentangled from the accruing em- 
 barrassments of intervening ages,'' they might "stand 
 upon the same ground on which the church stood at the 
 beginning." 
 
 The proposition was, to begin anew— to begm at 
 the beginning, to ascend at once to the pure fountain 
 of truth, disregarding all decrees of popes, councils, 
 
12 Introductory 
 
 synods and assemblies, traditions, perversions and 
 corruptions; to work not a reformation of the church, 
 as sought by Luther, Calvin and Wesley, but its com- 
 plete restoration at once to its original purity and 
 perfectness. The conclusion was that Christian union 
 could result from nothing short of the destruction of 
 human creeds and confessions of faith, inasmuch as 
 human creeds and confessions of faith had destroyed 
 Christian union. 
 
 The principles of this address were cordially endorsed 
 by Alexander Campbell, and in the following year, 
 1810, he began pubHcly to urge them. May 4, 1811, 
 the first organization was made at Brush Run, Pa., 
 with thirty members. In June of the following year, 
 Alexander Campbell, in examining the question of 
 infant baptism, and abandoning all uninspired au- 
 thorities, and appealing to the Scriptures with critical 
 search for the significance of words rendered from the 
 original Greek, '^baptize" and ''baptism," became 
 satisfied that they could mean only immerse and im- 
 mersion, and accordingly he and his father were 
 immersed. From that hour Thomas Campbell gave 
 way to his son, and Alexander Campbell became the 
 master spirit of the movement. In 1813 the Brush 
 Run Church united with the Redstone Baptist Asso- 
 ciation, and ten years after with the Mahoning Asso- 
 ciation. At this time, 1823, Mr. Campbell began the 
 publication of the Christian Baptist, in which his 
 teaching was set forth, and began to attract universal 
 attention. Opposition was aroused, and his views 
 denounced as heterodox, but great numbers accepted 
 
Introductory 13 
 
 them. Many new churches were organized under his 
 preaching and that of Walter Scott, an evangelist of 
 the Mahoning Association, until the Baptists became 
 alarmed, and began to declare non-fellowship with 
 those who pleaded for the Bible alone, thus forcing 
 these brethren to organize themselves into separate 
 communities. 
 
 This was in 1827. From this time we may date 
 the rise of the people known as Disciples of Christ as 
 a distinct organization. 
 
 To understand this movement we must know some- 
 thing of the religious conditions of the time. The 
 Church was sorely divided. Human creeds were au- 
 thoritative and binding. Sectarianism was rife every- 
 where. Party lines were rigidly drawn. Christian 
 union was ridiculed. Sects were pronounced essential 
 to the purity, health and vigor of the body of Christ. 
 True religion was lost sight of in contentions over 
 rival dogmas, and human opinions and speculations 
 were preached rather than the Gospel. Total heredi- 
 tary depravity and unconditional election and repro- 
 bation were commonly taught. The regeneration of 
 the sinner was therefore a miracle, and could come 
 only through special and direct operation of the Holy 
 Spirit. Every case of conversion was a distinct act of 
 direct and irresistible grace, and supernatural voices, 
 dreams, visions or trances were to attest the fact of 
 acceptance with God. So the Word of God was a dead 
 letter. The Bible with the multitude was a sealed 
 book, its teachings confused, its dispensations not 
 
14 Introductory 
 
 understood, its word not rightly divided, its command- 
 ments made of none effect by human tradition. The 
 privilege of private interpretation was withheld from 
 the people, and the clergy alone were supposed to hold 
 the key of Divine knowledge. Sunday-schools and 
 missionary societies were regarded by many as hereti- 
 cal. Unbelief was widespread. ''The Age of Reason" 
 had not long been published, lotteries were chartered 
 to build churches, men and women were bought and 
 sold, the stocks, the pillory, the whipping-post and the 
 branding-iron, and the imprisonment of the poor 
 debtor, were still known in America; the moral tone of 
 the people was low, intemperance w^as general, and 
 amid the feuds and bickerings of sects and schisms the 
 Church was as barren as she was belligerent. 
 
 In such a state of religious society the Campbells 
 and their helpers began the advocacy of a return to 
 the ancient order of things as revealed in the New 
 Testament. The principle they inscribed upon their 
 banners was ''Faith in Jesus as the true Messiah, and 
 obedience to Him as our Law-giver and King the only 
 test of Christian character, and the only bond of 
 Christian union, communion and co-operation, irre- 
 spective of all creeds, opinions, commandments and 
 traditions of men." The spirit of liberty was the 
 spirit of the movement. American in origin and 
 genius, born when the clang of the old Liberty Bell, 
 "proclaiming liberty throughout the land to all in- 
 habitants thereof," and the thunder of the guns at 
 Lexington and Yorktown still reverberated in the 
 ears of the nations, and standing for the commonwealth 
 
Introductory 15 
 
 of faith, it lifted a banner which symboHzed in rehgion 
 what the stars and stripes symboHzed in government — 
 hberty and union — Hberty in Christ, union under 
 Christ. 
 
 This was but one of a great number of movements 
 on the part of godly men, deploring the evils that 
 existed, and anxious for a restoration of Christianity 
 on its original basis — the Haldanes in Scotland, O 'Kelly 
 and others in Virginia and North Carolina, B. W. 
 Stone and his coadjutors in Kentucky, Walter Scott 
 and others in Ohio, Bullard in the mountains of Western 
 Virginia — ministers of different denominations, un- 
 known to each other, pleading for the Bible alone, 
 without any addition in the form of creeds or confes- 
 sions of faith. When Campbell, in 1823, began to 
 plead for the original gospel and primitive order, and 
 the union upon the Apostles of all who loved the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, these workers began to touch hands 
 and blend together in one great common purpose and 
 service. The most notable of these movements, that of 
 Alexander Campbell in Western Virginia and Pennsyl- 
 vania, and that of Barton W. Stone in Kentucky, were 
 united in 1831. For the next thirty-five years Camp- 
 bell was the foremost figure in this movement. Of his 
 published writings there are sixty volumes. His great 
 debates with Owen on 'The Evidences of Christianity," 
 with Archbishop Purcell on 'The Infallibility of the 
 Church of Rome," w4th Rice on ''Baptism, Conver- 
 sion and Creeds as Terms of Communion;" and his 
 "Christian Sj^stem," set forth his principles. 
 
16 Introductory 
 
 In substantial agreement with all evangelical Chris- 
 tians, the Disciples of Christ accept the divine inspira- 
 tion of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ments; the all-sufficiency of the Bible as a revelation 
 of God's will and a rule of faith and life; the revelation 
 of God in threefold personality of Father, Son and 
 Holy Spirit, as set forth by the Apostles; the divine 
 glory of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, His incarnation, 
 doctrine, miracles, death as a sin offering, resurrection, 
 ascension and coronation; the personality of the Holy 
 Spirit and His divine mission to convince the world 
 of sin, righteousness and judgment to come, and to 
 comfort and sanctify the people of God; the alienation 
 of man from his Maker, and the necessity of faith, 
 repentance and obedience in order to salvation; the 
 obligation of the Divine ordinances of baptism and the 
 Lord's Supper; the duty of observing the Lord's day 
 in memory of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; the 
 necessity of holiness on the part of believers ; the divine 
 appointment of the Church of Christ, composed of all 
 who by faith and obedience confess His name, with its 
 ministers and services for the edification of the body 
 of Christ and the conversion of the world; the fullness 
 and freeness of the salvation that is in Christ to all Avho 
 will accept it on the New Testament conditions; the 
 final judgment, with the reward of the righteous and 
 punishment of the wicked. If these things constitute 
 orthodoxy, then the Disciples are orthodox. 
 
 The Disciples of Christ, however, have their distinc- 
 tive position. While in these cardinal and fundamen- 
 tal matters they are in harmony with all evangelical 
 
Introductory 17 
 
 Christians, and therein rejoice, in other respects they 
 are a pecuHar people. 
 
 1. In their plea for restoration. Others have sought 
 to reform the Church. The Campbells and their co- 
 workers aimed to restore in faith and spirit and practice 
 the Christianity of Christ and his Apostles as found on 
 the pages of the New Testament. It was not to recast 
 any existing creed, or reform any existing religious 
 body, but to go back of all creeds and councils, all sects 
 and schools since the days of the Apostles, and to take 
 up the work as left by inspired men. For existing evils 
 they claimed the remedy is to return to the beginning 
 and build anew upon the Divine foundation. To be- 
 lieve and to do none other things than those enjoined 
 by our Lord and His Apostles, they felt must be in- 
 fallibly safe. Whether practical or not, this was their 
 purpose, and for this to-day the Disciples continue 
 to stand. The word of Christ and the body of Christ 
 as in the beginning. 
 
 2. In the rejection of human creeds. They claim 
 to stand strictly upon the original Protestant principle — 
 the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the 
 Bible, the religion of Protestants. They affirm that 
 the sacred Scriptures as given of God answer all pur- 
 poses of a rule of faith and practice, and a law for the 
 government of the Church, and that human creeds and 
 confessions of faith spring out of controvers}^, and 
 instead of being bonds of union, tend to division and 
 strife. Bible names for Bible things. Where the 
 Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Scriptures are 
 silent, we are silent. 
 
18 Introductory 
 
 3. In their emphasis upon the Divine Sonship of 
 Jesus. In place of all human confessions they would 
 exalt that of Peter: ''Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
 the living God." As the fundamental fact of Holy 
 Scripture, as the central truth of the Christian system, 
 as the essential creed of Christianity, as the one article 
 of faith in order to baptism and Church membership, as 
 the rock truth upon which the Church is founded, and 
 the ultimate creed of the universal Church, they place 
 this statement of the Divinity and Christhood of Jesus. 
 ''What think ye of Christ?" the great question. "Thou 
 art the Messiah, the Son of the living God," the great 
 answer, "On this rock I will build my church," the 
 great oracle. 
 
 4. In their division of the Word. They believe, 
 that of old, "Holy men of God spake as they were 
 moved by the Holy Spirit," yet do not regard the Old 
 and New Testaments as of equally binding authority 
 upon Christians. "God, who at sundry times and in 
 divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by 
 the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us 
 by His Son." A clear distinction is made between the 
 law and the gospel, the old covenant and the new, and 
 the New Testament, it is claimed, is as perfect a con- 
 stitution for the worship, government and discipline 
 of the New Testament Church as the Old was for the 
 Old Testament Church. We are not under Moses, 
 but under Christ. 
 
 5. In the plea for New Testament names for the 
 Church and the followers of Christ. ''The Disciples 
 were called Christians first at Antioch." As the bride 
 
Introductory 19 
 
 of Christ the Church should wear the name of the bride- 
 groom. Party names perpetuate party strife. Disci- 
 ples of Christ have been charged with presumption in 
 calling themselves Christians and their churches 
 Christian churches, or churches of Christ. They do 
 not deny that others are Christians, or that other 
 churches are churches of Christ. They do not claim 
 to be the Church of Christ, or even a Church of Christ . 
 They simply desire to be Christians only, and their 
 churches to be only churches of Christ. Hence they 
 repudiate the name '^Campbellite." The Church will 
 be one only under the name of Christ. In all the world 
 it is enough to be a Christian. When that which is 
 perfect is come, from turret to foundation stone the 
 work of sectarianism shall pass away, and the spotless 
 bride of Christ shall wear only the name that is above 
 every name. 
 
 6. As to the work of the Holy vSpirit in conversion. 
 Accepting the Divine personahty of the Holy Spirit, 
 and holding that in every case regeneration is begun, 
 carried on and perfected through His gracious agency, 
 the Disciples claim the Divine Word is his instrument, 
 the sinner is in no sense passive, regeneration is riot a 
 miracle, the gospel is God's power unto salvation to 
 ever}^ one that believeth, and men must hear, believe, 
 repent, and obey the gospel to be saved. 
 
 7. As to Christian baptism. The Disciples have 
 been charged with making a hobby of this institution — 
 preaching nothing but baptism by immersion, baptism 
 for the remission of sins. This was only incidental to 
 their plea. Recognizing Christ alone as King, His 
 
20 Introductory 
 
 Word alone as authoritative and binding upon the 
 conscience, and finding, in returning to the order 
 instituted by Him through the Apostles, baptism com- 
 manded in order to the remission of sins^ and ad- 
 ministered by a burial with Christ, a planting in the 
 likeness of His death, they take it up as one of the items 
 of the original, divine system over against all human 
 systems. They never taught such a doctrine as baptis- 
 mal regeneration. ^'I have said a thousand times," 
 declared Mr. Campbell in debate with Rice, ''that if a 
 person were to be immersed twice seven times in the 
 Jordan for the remission of sins, and for the reception of 
 the Holy Spirit, it would avail nothing more than 
 wetting the face of a babe, unless his heart is changed 
 hy the Word and Spirit of God.^' The Disciples simply 
 insist upon the purpose of baptism as set forth in the 
 divine testimonies: ''He that believeth and is bap- 
 tized shall be saved," "Repent and be baptized every 
 one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 
 of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," 
 "Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, 
 calling upon the name of the Lord." They would give 
 the inspired answers to the question, "Men and breth- 
 ren, what shall we do?" They would demand no other 
 prerequisite to baptism than the confession of the 
 faith of the whole heart in the personal, living Christ. 
 They would teach the believing penitent to seek through 
 obedience the Divine assurance of forgiveness, and in 
 scriptural surrender to the authority of Christ, and not 
 in sensation or vision or special revelations, to find 
 evidence of acceptance with God. 
 
Introductory 21 
 
 8. As to the Lord's Supper. The Disciples of Christ 
 hold first to the weekly observance of this holy ordi- 
 nance in all their assemblies. Of the Church at Troas 
 we read: ''On the first day of the week, when the 
 disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached 
 unto them," and following this Apostohc model, the 
 Disciples teach that the Lord's Supper should be 
 celebrated by the Lord's people on every Lord's day; 
 and secondly, they emphasize and exalt this institu- 
 tion, not as a sacrament, but as a memorial feast — an 
 act of worship in which all Christians may unite, and 
 from which we have no right to exclude any sincere 
 follower of our common Lord. 
 
 9. As to the Lord's day. This with the Disciples 
 is not the Sabbath, but a New Testament institution; 
 not the day set apart in the Decalogue, but the Lord's 
 day — the pearl of days, consecrated by apostolic 
 example, and to be observed in joyous and loving 
 remembrance of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 10. As to the Church. The Disciples believe that 
 the institution built by Christ, set forth by the Apostles 
 on Pentecost under the special guidance of the Holy 
 Spirit, established upon the foundation of Apostles 
 and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the Chief 
 Corner-stone — the Church of Christ is a Divine institu- 
 tion; that sects as branches of the Church are un- 
 scriptural and unapostolic ; and that the sect name and 
 sect spirit and sect life should in every case give place 
 to the unity of the Spirit, and the union and co-opera- 
 tion that distinguished the Church of the New Testa- 
 ment. 
 
22 Introductory 
 
 The union of Christians, then, upon the original 
 foundation is the plea of this people. They believe 
 that as in the primitive days there was one spiritual 
 brotherhood, one body, with one Lord, one faith and 
 one baptism, there should be but one to-day ; and that 
 as nothing was the basis of that primitive union but 
 the common teaching of Christ and the Apostles, so 
 nothing is essential to the union of Christians to-day 
 but the Apostles' teaching, and nothing essential to 
 the conversion of the w-orld but such a union and co- 
 operation of the people of God. 
 
 In making this plea before the world, how'ever, the 
 Disciples contend, not for unity of opinion, but unity 
 of faith. They recognize that this question is to be 
 approached in the spirit of Jesus Christ, not in the 
 spirit of dogmatism or strife; that no process of com- 
 pulsion can ever bring unity; that no party can ever 
 effect it by lifting up its standard and saying, "We are 
 the people;" that no union will ever stand that is not 
 Christian; that no plan of union can ever succeed that 
 does not respect every man's liberty in Christ Jesus; 
 that no spirit can ever commend itself as the spirit 
 of unity that does not take in all believers, and is not 
 as broadly catholic as the Spirit of the Master on His 
 knees, serving as the High Priest of all the race. 
 "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also 
 which shall beUeve on me through their word ; that they 
 all may be one, as thou Father art in me and I in Thee, 
 that they may be one in us, that the world may be- 
 peve that Thou hast sent me." 
 
Introductory 23 
 
 Alexander Campbell died March 4, 1866. Since 
 then the Disciples of Christ have made their greatest 
 progress. It was predicted when he passed away the 
 movement would disintegrate, and be numbered among 
 the things of the past, seeing that no church could live 
 without a formulated human creed. More rapid and 
 stable than ever before, however, the work has been. 
 The first churches w^ere those of Brush Run and 
 Wellsburg, with less than sixty members, and men are 
 living to-day who joined this movement when there 
 were but a few thousand identified with it. Accord- 
 ing to statistical tables, in 1903 there were 10,983 
 churches and 1,220,000 members, with a church prop- 
 erty of over twenty millions, and the increase in num- 
 bers is over 8 per cent, a year for the last ten years. 
 
 The Disciples take large interest in the cause of 
 education. They are a strong temperance people. 
 In Christian Endeavor they rank third among the 
 Protestant churches. Most hopeful, however, is the 
 outlook among them in the work of missions and 
 benevolence. Their Home Missionary Society was 
 organized in 1849, and employs workers in thirty-seven 
 States and Territories. At its Jubilee in Cincinnati, 
 October, 1899, over 15,000 delegates were in attend- 
 ance, and its great communion service was most mem- 
 orable. Their Foreign Missionary Society, organized 
 in 1875, is doing work in twelve different foreign lands, 
 among them our new insular possessions. The Chris- 
 tian Woman's Board of Missions, organized and con- 
 ducted exclusively by the women of the Church, has 
 accompHshed a notable service in both the home and 
 
24 Introductory 
 
 foreign fields in its quarter of a century. The Church 
 Extension Fund of the Disciples in fifteen years has 
 accumulated half a million and aided over 800 churches. 
 Their gifts to missions the past year will aggregate 
 $700,000. They also have a Board of Ministerial 
 Relief and a General Benevolent Association, and are 
 multiplying their gifts to purposes of charity and 
 educational work. They have missionary societies in 
 almost every State, publish fifty-five journals of 
 various kinds in the interests of the Church, have a 
 growing literature, and an increasing spirit of benevo- 
 lence and appreciation of the great obligations of 
 stewardship that promises much for the work of future 
 years. 
 
 These are some of the direct results of this nineteenth 
 century American religious movement. We would not 
 speak of them boastingly. We might have done far 
 more. We are just beginning to rise to the great 
 height of our responsibility before the world. We are 
 humbled at the thought of our un worthiness. We are 
 hushed at the vision of what is yet to be done. 
 
 Great changes have been wrought in the religious 
 world since this plea was introduced. Old doctrines 
 have shifted. Strongholds of error have surrendered 
 to the onward sweep of Christian thought. Creed 
 authority is no longer paramount. Assent to a human 
 system of opinion is not essential as once to admittance 
 to the churches. Men and women who believe on 
 Jesus Christ and obey him are received on their faith, 
 repentance and submission to his authority. Sinners, 
 in manv churches, are invited to come forward and 
 
Introductory 25 
 
 confess Christ simply. The Bible is the great book. 
 The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Dreams, 
 visions, sensations, are not relied upon, but the Divine 
 testimony. Vices of sectarianism are deplored; the 
 union sentiment has grown, and union movements 
 like the Young Men's Christian Association, Woman's 
 Christian Temperance Union, Young People's Society 
 of Christian Endeavor, International Sunday-school 
 Lessons, Alliances, Federation and Missionary Con- 
 ferences have cultivated the spirit of mutual forbear- 
 ance and co-operation among God's people. The creed 
 of Christianity — the great central truth of the Messiah- 
 ship and Sonship of Jesus — faith in Him as a Divine 
 person over against faith in the decrees of councils, 
 obedience to Him as King and Lord instead of obedi- 
 ence to human authority, trust in Him and love toward 
 Him, and loyalty to Him as the great bond of fellow- 
 ship among all the people of God, we see recognized 
 more and more in all lands. There has been a mighty 
 advance. To say that the Campbells and their co- 
 laborers have contributed toward these ends is simple 
 justice to the truth of history. It is the Lord's work. 
 If the Disciples have helped in it, they are glad. So 
 the work is done, it matters not who does it. God 
 speed the day when all who love Jesus Christ will 
 stand together, confessing one Lord, proclaiming one 
 faith, practicing one baptism, united in one bod}^, 
 filled with one Spirit, inspired with one hope, serving 
 one God and Father over all. 
 
 To a united Church was the grace of Pentecost 
 given. By a united Church was the Roman Empire 
 
26 Introductory 
 
 in three centuries brought to the foot of the cross. 
 Through the united service of his people, Christ means 
 to make the kingdoms of this world his kingdom. A 
 single drop of water is a weak and powerless thing, but 
 an infinite number of drops, united by the force of 
 attraction, form a stream, and many streams combined 
 form a river, and many rivers pour their water into the 
 mighty ocean, whose proud waves, defying the power 
 of man, none can stay save the Almight3\ So resist- 
 less would be the power of God's people thus consoli- 
 dated and hurled against sin. Patience! There is a 
 legend that when Adam and Eve were turned out of 
 Eden, an angel smashed the gates, and the fragments, 
 flying all over the earth, are the precious stones. 
 Patience! In God's good time we shall fit our frag- 
 ments together, and reconstruct the gates of Paradise. 
 
THE PLEA AND THE PIONEERS 
 IN VIRGINIA 
 
 PART T. 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
THE PLEA AND THE PIOI^EERS 
 IN VIRGINIA 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THP] DAWX OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 That religious awakening to the lack of authority in 
 God's Word for the religious practices of the day which 
 preceded by several years the inauguration of the cur- 
 rent reformation, and found expression in England 
 and Scotland through the efforts of John Glas, Robert 
 Sandeman and the Haldanes, was also early felt in Vir- 
 ginia. In 1771, at a meeting of Meherrin Baptist 
 Church in Lunenburg county, one Jeremiah Walker 
 endeavored to introduce the Philadelphia Confession 
 for adoption by that congregation. This confession of 
 faith had been generally adopted by Baptist congrega- 
 tions throughout the State and country. In this con- 
 gregation was a young man, James Shelburne, who had 
 already attracted some attention as a fearless speaker. 
 When Walker's proposition was made he arose and op- 
 posed the adoption of any human creed, maintaining 
 that the Scriptures were a sufficient rule of faith and 
 practice. This, considered in the light of the times, 
 
30 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 was an advanced position to take, and had it been fol- 
 lowed to its logical conclusion, must have resulted in 
 a reformation similar to the one inaugurated by the 
 Campbells nearly fifty years later. James Shelburne 
 became a prominent Baptist preacher, and throughout 
 his life earnestly advocated the abolishment of all ec- 
 clesiastical authority save that of God's Word. He 
 stood on ground in advance of that taken by his breth- 
 ren, but he never lived to see the light of the reforma- 
 tion dawn in the Old Dominion. 
 
 It was the publication of the Christian Baptist, a 
 monthly religious journal started by Mr. Campbell in 
 1823, that first demonstrated to religious professors 
 and teachers in Eastern Virginia the need of a thorough 
 restitution of the primitive Apostolic Christianity. 
 This publication soon gained a widespread circulation 
 throughout the whole country, but nowhere was its 
 effect more marked than in Eastern ^'irginia. From 
 its early settlement Virginia was more advanced in 
 education and culture, and, o^^dng to slave labor, there 
 was more time for reading and discussing such period- 
 icals than was at the disposal of those in more recentl}^ 
 settled communities. 
 
 As Mr. Campbell was at that time a member of the 
 Baptist Church at Wellsburg, Virginia (now West 
 Virginia), which was in full fellowship with the 
 Mahoning Association, the restoration took for a time 
 the form of a reformation in the ranks of the Baptists. 
 This denomination was peculiarly fitted to receive and 
 adopt the principles of the restoration, inasmuch as 
 they alone, of the existing denominations, adhered to 
 
The Dawn of the Reformation 31 
 
 the Scriptural practice of immersion as the only valid 
 baptism. Their church government also, being con- 
 gregational in form, was such that each congregation 
 could decide for itself on the necessity and merits of 
 the reformation without being hampered by the laws 
 and edicts of ecclesiastical authority. When Mr. 
 Campbell united with the Wellsburg congregation it 
 was with the understanding that nothing should be 
 required of himself or his colleagues but for which a 
 ''Thus saith the Lord" could be found. It is a signifi- 
 cant fact that in process of time all but three congrega- 
 tions in the Mahoning Association laid aside all their 
 distinctive Baptist views and became congregations of 
 Christians only, wearing no other name and holding to 
 no other tenets than those clearly set forth in the New 
 Testament as adhered to by the early Church of Christ. 
 
 As the principles set forth in the Christian Baptist 
 were disseminated throughout Eastern Virginia many 
 individuals began to accept and teach them to others. 
 In some cases a majority of members of a congregation 
 became allied with the restoration movement, but on 
 no occasion to our knowledge did they ever attempt 
 the formation of a distinct religious body. They were 
 content to remain in fellowship with the congregations 
 of which they were members so long as their religious 
 liberties were not infringed. Often, however, indi- 
 viduals and sometimes a majority of some congregation 
 were forced to sever their connection with their breth- 
 ren because of the religious intolerance of the latter. 
 
 The first congregation in Eastern Virginia owing its 
 existence to the movement for the restoration of New 
 
32 The Pica and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Testament Christianity was formed in the lower part 
 of Louisa county in 1826. Elders James M. Bagby 
 and N. H. Turner were forced by their Baptist brethren 
 to take letters of dismission from the Old Fork congre- 
 gation, of which they were members. They soon 
 gathered about them a small band of devoted follow- 
 ers of the Lord and built a meeting-house about two 
 miles from what is now Bumpass Station, calling it 
 Bethany. The present Bethany meeting-house is 
 about three miles from the original site. 
 
 The teaching of Bro. Bagby worked like leaven 
 throughout the community. Uriah Higgason, a tal- 
 ented young man living in an adjacent county, soon 
 adopted the views of the reformers, but, not being mo- 
 lested for a time, remained in full fellowship with his 
 Baptist brethren. At the Goshen Association's an- 
 nual meeting held at County Line meeting-house, be- 
 tween Caroline and Spotts3dvania counties, in 1828, 
 the propriety of the General Association was called in 
 question. The basis of representation of the General 
 Associations in the Southern Missionary Conference of 
 the Baptists is the amount of money contributed yearly 
 to missionary work. Bro. Higgason asserted that this 
 was an unlawful amalgamation of the Church and the 
 world. Although the ''popular" cause was repre- 
 sented by three well-known Baptist preachers, J. Fife, 
 Luther Rice, and John Billingsly, so ardent was the 
 desire to lay aside everything that savored of human 
 institutions that Bro. Higgason carried his point by a 
 large majority, and the union between the Goshen As- 
 sociation and the General Association was dissolved. 
 
The Dawn of the Reformation 33 
 
 In the summer of 1826 a Baptist preacher travehng 
 under the auspices of a female missionary society in 
 Richmond, Virginia, when near Natural Bridge, 
 chanced to obtain a few numbers of the Christian Bap- 
 tist and a copy of the ''Campbell and McCalla Debate 
 on Baptism." These he read with much surprise at 
 the views presented. On first reading them he re- 
 solved to attempt a refutation of the principles so 
 seemingly unorthodox, but after a careful examination 
 he found himself unable to refute or even deny the 
 Scripturalness of the arguments. This was Francis 
 Whitefield Emmons, who was born at Clarendon, Ver- 
 mont, 1802, and united with the Baptist Church at 
 Swanton at the age of fourteen. After a good pre- 
 paratory education he was licensed to preach by the 
 Baptist Church at Hamilton. After completing a three 
 3"ears' course in the literary and theological seminary 
 at Hamilton he entered Columbian College, D. C, in 
 1824. While there he edited for a time the Columbian 
 Star. After his missionary work in Virginia before 
 mentioned, he entered Brown University, Providence, 
 R. L, where he graduated. While there he became 
 more and more impressed with the need of such a 
 reformation as that urged by Mr. Campbell, and or- 
 dered three complete sets of the Christian. Baptist, 
 together with the debates and copies of the New Testa- 
 ment, then but recently published by Mr. Campbell. 
 One set of these works was taken by Bro. W. W. Ash- 
 ley, of Eastport, Maine, who, after reading them, 
 preached and taught the principles of the reformation 
 through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Several 
 
34 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 preachers were convinced through his instrumentality 
 and churches were estabhshed according to the primi- 
 tive order. One of the remaining sets of the same 
 pubUcations was sent by Mr. Emmons to Jonathan 
 Wade, missionary to Burmah, and was read by him 
 and the other missionaries there with profit. E. Kin- 
 caid, upon his return to the United States some years 
 later, assured Mr. Emmons 'Hhat he had been much 
 interested in the reading, that the work had helped 
 him much, and by directing him to the living Word 
 had enabled him to preach to the Karens the ancient 
 Gospel better than he otherwise would have done." 
 Mr. Emmons w^as an extensive traveler, and every- 
 where he went he planted the seed of the reformation. 
 He became a regular correspondent of the Millennial 
 Harbinger, and his letters were full of interest. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 THE CAMPBELL AXD SEMPLE CON'TROVERSY. 
 
 In the summer of 1825 Alexander Campbell visited 
 Eastern Virginia as a Baptist minister and preached 
 the doctrine of the restoration in a number of Baptist 
 Churches in that section. He was well received; the 
 people flocked to hear this new reformer and his views. 
 They began to study the Scriptures with greater ear- 
 nestness, and many saw the necessity for the restora- 
 tion and allied themselves with its adherents. The 
 more intelligent and advanced thinkers had profited 
 by careful reading of the Christian Baptist, then in its 
 third year, and were therefore better prepared to un- 
 derstand the position taken by its editor. Mr. Camp- 
 bell formed numerous acquaintances among the Bap- 
 tist ministry, of whom Robert B. Semple and Andrew 
 Broaddus deserve more than passing notice, as they 
 were leaders in their denomination. 
 
 Robert Semple was born of Episcopal parents and 
 early studied law. While trying to convince a farmer 
 of his acquaintance of the errors of the Baptists, he 
 found himself outgeneraled, and immediately set to 
 work to study the Scriptures anew in order to meet the 
 arguments of his opponent. In the course of this study 
 he saw the unscripturalness of affusion and soon after- 
 ward united with the Baptist Church. In less than a 
 year he was called to the pastorate of Bruington Church, 
 and was there ordained to the ministrv. It was while 
 
36 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 attending the Dover Association at Upper Essex Bap- 
 tist Church, in Essex county, that Bro. Campbell met 
 Robert Semple. Semple saw in Campbell a man of 
 great talent, and resolved to try and win the reformer 
 over to the established customs and usages of the 
 Baptists. To that end, before they parted, Bishop 
 Semple promised soon to begin a letter in the Christian 
 Baptist for the purpose of reconciling their differences 
 of opinion. In December of the same year Bishop 
 Semple wrote a letter to that periodical, in which he 
 begins by comparing the preaching of Mr. Campbell, 
 on his late visit to Eastern Virginia, to that of the elo- 
 quent Apollos, who was also ''mighty in the Scrip- 
 tures," and inasmuch as Apollos had been taught the 
 way of God more perfectly, and that, too, by a me- 
 chanic and his wife, might not he, Semple, "though 
 inferior to Aquila, attempt a reformation in prin- 
 ciple of one not only eloquent and mighty in the 
 Scriptures, but -deeply learned in all the wisdom of the 
 Greeks and Romans." In the letter that follows this 
 introduction Bishop Semple characterizes Mr. Camp- 
 bell as substantially a Sandemanian or Haldanian in 
 his views, and, like these sects, lacking in Christian for- 
 bearance. ''Among the Haldanians," said he "(judg- 
 ing from writings), a gentle spirit is rarely to be found. 
 Harsh and bitter sarcasms are the weapons with which 
 they fight their opponents. This, too, I am the more 
 disposed to think, applies to them as a sect, because I 
 have known some of their party who have appeared, in 
 private conversation, to be mild and gentle indeed, and 
 ever}^ way pleasant ; but when brought out in writing 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 37 
 
 or public speaking, seemed to have another kind of 
 temper. If you will bear with me, I will suggest that 
 this seems to be the case with the editor of the Christian 
 Baptist. As a man, in private circles, mild, pleasant 
 and affectionate; as a writer, rigid and satirical, be- 
 yond all the bounds of Scripture allowance." 
 
 Bishop Semple was of a kind, lovable disposition, and 
 the bold, non-compromising stand on the Word of God 
 taken by Mr. Campbell, involving much controversy, 
 seemed to him to cultivate an unchristian spirit in 
 the reformers. 
 
 In his reply, Mr. Campbell thanked the Bishop for 
 his admonition and promised to profit by it. Continu- 
 ing, he disposed of each of the objections offered, in a 
 kind but firm manner. Referring to the charge of 
 Sandemanianism, he said: "I have not, myself, ever 
 read all the works of those men, but I have read more 
 of them than I approve, and more of them than they 
 who impute to me their opinions as heresy." Again 
 he said: ''I appropriated one winter season for ex- 
 amining this subject. I assembled all the leading 
 writers of that day on these subjects. I laid be- 
 fore me Robert Sandeman, Harvey, Marshall, Bel- 
 lamy, Glas, Cudworth, and others of minor fame in this 
 controversy. I not only read but studied and wrote 
 off in miniature their respective views. I had Paul 
 and Peter, James and John, on the same table. I took 
 nothing upon trust. I did not care for the authority, 
 reputation, or standing of one of the systems, a grain 
 of sand. I never weighed the consequences of em- 
 bracing any one of the systems as affecting my standing 
 
38 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 or reputation in the world. Truth (not who says so) 
 was my sole object. I found much entertainment 
 in the investigation, and I will not blush, nor do I fear 
 to say that, in this controversy, Sandeman was like a 
 giant among dwarfs. He was Uke Samson with the 
 gates and posts of Gaza on his shoulders. I was most 
 prejudiced against him and the most in favor of Har- 
 vey when I commenced this course of reading. Yet, 
 I now believe that not one of them was exactly on the 
 track of the Apostles. I have also read Fuller's ''Stric- 
 tures on Sandemanianism, " which I suppose to be the 
 medium of most of the information possessed on that 
 subject in this country. This is the poorest perform- 
 ance Andrew Fuller ever gave to the world." 
 
 Continuing the same thought, he said: ''I candidly 
 and unequivocally avow that I do not believe that any 
 one of them had clear and consistent views of the 
 Christian religion as a whole. Some of them, no doubt, 
 had clear and correct views of some of its truths, nay, 
 many of them, but they were impeded in their inqui- 
 ries by a false philosophy and metaphysics, which fet- 
 tered their own understanding in some of the plainest 
 things. For instance, with the exception of Fuller 
 and McLean, they all contended for the popish rite of 
 baby baptism or sprinlding. " In regard to the lack 
 of forbearance of the above sects alluded to in Bishop 
 Semple's letter, Mr. Campbell wrote: ''You seem to 
 think they are defective in forbearance. This may be 
 still true for anything I know; but one thing I do know, 
 that several congregations in this connection are far 
 more forbearing than the Baptists in Virginia ; for sev- 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 39 
 
 eral of them receive unbaptized persons to the Lord's 
 table on the ground of forbearance. I know that we 
 all use this term, forbearance, in a very unwarrantable 
 sense, and that it is difficult to find a term every way 
 appropriate to communicate correct ideas on this sub- 
 ject. To bear with, or allow a brother to exercise his 
 own judgment, is no doubt all that you intend by this 
 term, and this is certainly inculcated in the Apostolic 
 writings. And I am willing to carry this principle to its 
 greatest possible extent, though, as you say, there is 
 and must be a stopping place. So long as any man, 
 woman, or child declares his confidence in Jesus of 
 Nazareth as God's own Son, that he was delivered for 
 our offences, and raised again for our justification; or, 
 in other words, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of 
 man; and so long as he exhibits a willingness to obey 
 Him in all things according to his knowledge, so long 
 will I receive him as a Christian brother and treat him 
 as such." In these last words is set forth the founda- 
 tion of the restoration; in faith, unity; in opinions, 
 liberty. Mr. Campbell stood on the only safe ground, 
 that nothing but belief in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and 
 obedience to him, could constitute one a Christian. 
 The Bible furnished the evidence to be believed and 
 man had the will-power to obey. 
 
 In July of the year 1826, following this exchange of 
 ideas wdth Bishop Semple, Mr. Campbell received a 
 letter for publication from Andrew Broaddus under 
 the nom de plume '^PauUnus." Mr. Broaddus had 
 been for some time a regular reader of the Christian 
 
40 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Baptist, and now, having made the personal acquaint- 
 ance of the editor, on Mr. Campbell's Virginia tour, he 
 writes a very interesting letter, in which he says: "I 
 find much to approve, something to doubt, and some- 
 thing, too, from which I must dissent. Possibly, how- 
 ever, my dissension may be owing (in part at least) to 
 the want of a full and correct understanding of your 
 sentiments. I said, 'much to approve'; I might use 
 a stronger term and say, 'much to admire.' With 
 several of your essays, I have been not only pleased, 
 but delighted. Many of your remarks, too, in oppo- 
 sition to the errors and foUies too prevalent in the re- 
 ligious world, meet my own views and receive my warm 
 and hearty commendation. In a word, I am greatly 
 pleased with what appears to be your drift and aim, 
 viz., to clear the religion of Jesus of all the adventitious 
 lumber with which it has been encumbered and bring 
 back the Christian Church to its primitive simplicity 
 and beaut}^" 
 
 Mr. Broaddus then proceeded to endorse the views 
 of Mr. Campbell in the following particulars : The pre- 
 cedence of the Christian dispensation over the Jewish; 
 the necessity of opposition to all creeds as standards of 
 faith ; and the need of reformation in the Baptist Church 
 even, in a measure, to the restoration of the ''ancient 
 order of things. " On the subject of spiritual regenera- 
 tion, however, he clung to the theory as set forth by 
 the Baptists. His statement of this position in his 
 letter appears in a somewhat modified form, but when 
 thoroughly sifted, it varied nothing from the popular 
 theory then extant. He called upon ^Ir. Campbell to 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 41 
 
 make clear his standing upon this question, as he, 
 PauHnus, believed the editor of the Christian Baptist 
 to have been very much misrepresented. 
 
 In his answer Mr. Campbell made the following 
 statements relative to his position: "Were it not for 
 the pernicious influence of the theories afloat on this 
 subject, I would assert my concurrence in opinion with 
 you. This may appear a strange saying, but it is in 
 accord with the genius of this work. I am determined, 
 by the grace of God, not to abandon the stand I have 
 taken. I will lay down no new theories in religion, 
 contend for no old theories, nor aid any theories now in 
 existence. For why? Because no theory is the Gos- 
 pel of Jesus the Messiah. Nor can the preaching or 
 teaching of any theory be the preaching or teaching 
 of the Gospel. And, please mark it well, no man can 
 he saved by the belief of any theory, time or false; no man 
 will be damned for the disbelief of any theory. ^^ Continu- 
 ing, he wrote: "Whatever the Scriptures say, I say. 
 The only question with me is to understand each sen- 
 tence in the light of its context. And I will not refrain 
 from any inquirer my views of any passage without 
 either theorizing or dogmatizing. To make new the- 
 ories is the ivay to make new divisions; to contend for 
 the old is to keep up the old divisions; either of which 
 would be in direct opposition to the decisions of the 
 Holy Spirit.'' 
 
 Mr. Campbell had early seen the tendency to specu- 
 late on religious matters, and he believed that the si- 
 lence of the Bible was as much to be respected as its 
 most positive declarations. It contained the Gospel, 
 
42 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 and that was sufficient to save the worlds if strictly 
 adhered to. Our part was plainly told, and if God saw 
 fit not to reveal all of his own methods and ways 
 of working, then it did not become us to theorize on 
 the subject, much less to bind our theories on the necks 
 of others. He resolved, therefore, to be content with 
 the plain declarations of the Word, and would make no 
 statement beyond it. He neither doubted, denied, 
 nor affirmed the direct operation of the Holy Spirit in 
 conversion. The commandment for man was, ''Re- 
 pent and be baptized every one of 3^ou in the name of 
 Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall re- 
 ceive the gift of the Holy Spirit;'' hence, he could only 
 reiterate God's promise of his Spirit to penitent, 
 obedient believers in Christ. To any who might infer 
 from anything he said against these theories that he 
 contended for a religion without the beneficent offices 
 of the Holy Spirit, he wrote: ''All whom I baptize, I 
 baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Spirit. I pray for the love of the Father, 
 the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy 
 Spirit to remain with all saints. A religion of which 
 the Holy Spirit is not the author, the subject-matter, 
 and the perfecter, is sheer Deism." 
 
 Mr. Campbell's answer to Paulinus caused a great 
 deal of excitement in religious circles in Eastern Vir- 
 ginia. Some boldly took their stand with the great 
 reformer, the clergy hugged the more closely their pet 
 theories on spiritual regeneration and endeavored to 
 force him to the advocacy of some theory of spiritual 
 operations, either old or new, but their efforts were in 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 43 
 
 vain. He was misrepresented as denying the office and 
 even the existence of the Holy Spirit, and his silence 
 was as grossly misinterpreted as was the silence of the 
 Bible. More was laid to his charge for what he would 
 not say than for anything he did say. 
 
 Mr. Broaddus again wrote a very kind, Christian let- 
 ter, in which he expressed his sorrow that Mr. Camp- 
 bell had not given a more direct answer, and doubted 
 the necessity of being so ''tremblingly alive to the dan- 
 ger of theory and system as to avoid the direct ex- 
 pression of a sentiment on any proposed subject in re- 
 ligion." 
 
 Mr. Campbell replied by stating his willingness to 
 answer any question on the teachings of the Bible, but 
 he stated that religious subjects were of two kinds: one, 
 on which the Bible had nothing to say, and the other on 
 which there was teaching in that sacred book. But, he 
 added, ''I am governed more in speaking upon this sub- 
 ject by the following than by all other considerations: 
 The Apostles preached Christ and riot the Holy Spirit; or 
 rather, they preached the Holy Spirit when they 
 preached Christ. So the Savior instructed and com- 
 manded them. They preach the Spirit with most suc- 
 cess who say nothing about His work in conversion. 
 So did the Apostles. In all the sermons pronounced 
 by the Apostles to unregenerate persons, of which we 
 have so many samples in the Acts of Apostles, they 
 never once spoke of the work of the Spirit in conversion. 
 Not one example in all the volume, not one model of the 
 discourses we ever}^ day hear about the work of the 
 Spirit. The Apostles remembered that the Spirit was 
 
44 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 not to speak of Himself, His own office and work, but 
 of Christ. Their good news, therefore, was about Christ 
 crucified." 
 
 Following the correspondence between A. Campbell 
 and Mr. Broaddus, the latter had several interviews 
 with Bishop Semple, who thought him too dangerously 
 near the views of the reformers. Mr. Broaddus stood 
 with Mr. Campbell in opposition to creeds, but in his 
 conversation with Mr. Semple he admitted that he 
 could see nothing improper in a written declaration or 
 explanation of our rehgious sentiments. In this Mr. 
 Broaddus conceded nothing more than any of those 
 more intimately connected with the reformation would 
 have clone. In regard to the nullification of the law b}' 
 the Gospel, Mr. Broaddus also stood on the ground 
 taken by the reformers, and in their friendly inter- 
 views Bishop Semple maintained the ''perpetual ob- 
 ligation of Old Testament injunctions only in so far as 
 they were of a moral nature," while Mr. Broaddus ac- 
 knowledged that all such injunctions were sanctioned in 
 the New Testament. Thus, we see, they occupied 
 about the same ground in principle, if not in practice. 
 By some unknown process of reasoning. Bishop Semple 
 became persuaded that he had caused Mr. Broaddus to 
 change his views materially from those he had pub- 
 lished in the Christian Baptist. Accordingly he re- 
 marked in a letter to Silas M. Noel, D. D., of Kentucky, 
 in 1827, that ''he (Paulinus) wrote something last 
 year in which he certainly went too far. He is con- 
 vinced (I am persuaded), and is guarded against our 
 friend Campbell's chimeras." The letter was meant 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 45 
 
 for a private communication, but Dr. Noel, in an edi- 
 torial in the (Kentucky) Baptist Recorder, could not 
 refrain from using the above quotation as an evidence 
 of the decline of the reformation in Virginia. A cor- 
 respondent living in Kentucky, and signing himself 
 Qucrens, immediately wrote to the Christian Baptist, 
 calling on the Bishop to expose Mr. Campbell's chi- 
 meras. He referred to the uniformly excellent character 
 borne by Bishop Semple, and presumed that there 
 must be reasons for his statement. If Mr. Campbell 
 was promulgating chimeras, then duty to God and man 
 required that they should be exposed, so that all might 
 be guarded against them. Moreover, Bishop Semple's 
 reputation for piety, learning and talents designated 
 him as the very fittest person for attempting such a 
 refutation. 
 
 Paulinus immediately followed the publication of 
 these remarks by a note of explanation, in which he 
 vindicated the Bishop of any wrong motive in what 
 was intended as a private letter to Dr. Noel. He re- 
 iterated his own position as identical with that formerly 
 taken by him in the Christian Baptist. 
 
 In answer to Querens, Bishop Semple published a 
 letter in the Baptist Recorder, in which he clings to his 
 old hobby that Campbell was a disciple of Sandeman, 
 and as Andrew Fuller had, in his estimation, fully 
 answered these in his " Strictures on Sandemanianism, " 
 that he (Semple) would refer Querens and all such to 
 Fuller's work as a complete refutation of this system. 
 ''If, however," he continues, ''I should be induced to 
 become a controversialist, I believe I should as soon 
 
46 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 enter the lists with my friend Campbell as any other, for 
 three reasons: One is, on the points on which we differ 
 I am persuaded he is palpably on the wrong side, and it 
 would not be a hard task to make it manifest. A sec- 
 ond is, he is so much of a champion that to be beaten 
 by him would not be so discreditable as it might be with 
 some other antagonist. A third is, I think him a gen- 
 erous combatant with one who wishes nothing but fair 
 play." 
 
 In Mr. Campbell's answer to this letter he says that 
 if he is in the wrong he is open to conviction; he "most 
 unequivocally and sincerely" renounced each and every 
 one of the systems attributed to him, and used every 
 argument to show that it was the Bishop's duty to 
 give his reasons for opposing the principles of the res- 
 toration. ''I call upon you," he wrote, ''as a man, as 
 a scholar, as a Christian, and as a Christian Bishop, to 
 come forward and make good your assertions against 
 your 'friend Campbell.' My pages are open for j^ou. 
 You shall have line for line, period for period, page for 
 page, with me. I pledge myself to treat you as a gen- 
 tleman and a Christian ought to do. You will not find 
 an insinuation nor a personality in all I may say of you. 
 I wish to give you a fair specimen of that sort of dis- 
 cussion which I approve, and to show what reason, 
 demonstration, and Scripture declaration can achieve 
 with an able and an honorable opponent. There is no 
 man in America I would rather have for an opponent, 
 if I must have an opponent, than you. Come forward 
 then. Brother Semple; choose the topics, one at a time; 
 numerically arrange 3- our arguments and proofs; make 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 47 
 
 everything plain and firm; and in good temper, spirit, 
 and affection, show me where I have erred, and if I 
 cannot present reason, Scripture, and good sense to 
 support me, I will yield to your superior discernment, 
 age, and experience, one by one, the points in which we 
 differ. And as this work is generally bound in volumes, 
 your essays, the antidote or the remedy, will descend 
 with the poison to future readers." 
 
 After waiting in vain for some months for a reply 
 from Bishop Semple, Mr. Campbell thought it due the 
 cause he advocated to analyze one of the Bishop's let- 
 ters to Dr. Noel, published in the Baptist Recorder, in 
 which the writer had spoken disparagingly of the 
 restoration movement and advocated the use of 
 creeds. ''Creeds/' said the Bishop, "are good servants 
 but bad masters. Give them too much authority, 
 and they will tyrannize; but let them, as messengers, 
 carry the digested opinions of one set of men to another, 
 and their effect is excellent. The Baptists have been 
 a divided people ever since my knowledge of them, 
 owing (I think) to the want of proper respect for estab- 
 lished opinions, customs and regulations, whether 
 written or otherwise." 
 
 In his analysis of this letter, Mr. Campbell wrote: 
 ''On the supposition that you trace these divisions to 
 the want of sufficient respect for a creed, then you have 
 made a creed to mean 'established opinions, customs 
 and regulations.' Is this the servant? Surely if the 
 opinions, customs and regulations are established, they 
 are, or must be, masters; and we must submit. To this 
 I have no objections, provided the authority that es- 
 tablishes them be paramount to every other. 
 
48 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 ''But what right has one generation to estabUsh 
 'opinions, customs and regulations' for another? And 
 wliy should you and I submit to the 'opinions, customs 
 and regulations' established by any human authority? 
 If I must examine for myself, what shall I examine? 
 The creed or the Bible? If I must not take the creed 
 upon trust, but if you say I must go to the Bible as well 
 as to the creed, may I not as well go to the Bible at 
 first as at last? Say, Bro. Semple, may I not — ought 
 I not — go to the Bible at first? If I take the creed at all, 
 you will say: — Take the creed in one hand and the Bible 
 in the other. And of what use then is the creed? 
 Why, say you, it will help you to understand the Bible 
 or guide you in the examination of it. If so, then I 
 must make the creed a pair of spectacles instead of a 
 staff, and wear it upon my nose instead of keeping it 
 in my hand. If I must examine the Bible through the 
 creed, then the creed is my eyes; my artificial eyes (for 
 it cannot be my natural eyes), my spectacles. If my 
 spectacles are green glass, the Bible is green; if blue, 
 the Bible is blue; and as is the creed, so is the Bible to 
 me. I am a Calvinist, or an Arminian, or a FuUerite, 
 according to my spectacles or my creed, my 'estab- 
 lished opinions, customs and regulations.' " 
 
 This is but a sample of the searching analysis given 
 to Bishop Semple's letter. When the original letter 
 first appeared, a venerable bishop in Kentucky re- 
 marked that he regretted to hear such sentiments fall 
 from the lips of any Baptist, especially from the pen 
 of a man renowned for his wisdom, piety and divinity; 
 and that he expected that Mr. Campbell would wound 
 
The Campbell and Semple Controversy 49 
 
 the writer of them deeply. Even James B. Ta3dor, in 
 his biography of Robert B. Semple, says: ''These 
 letters were too hastily written." 
 
 This controversy between Mr. Campbell and Bishop 
 Semple awakened great interest in Eastern Virginia, 
 where Bishop Semple was regarded as the champion 
 of the Baptist cause. His refusal to give his reasons 
 for opposing the reformation was regarded by many as 
 a virtual acknowledgment of the weakness of his po- 
 sition. So rapidly did public interest in the restora- 
 tion increase that in three months following the analy- 
 sis of Bishop Semple's letter more than two hundred 
 new subscribers were gained for the Christian Baptist in 
 Eastern Virginia. This rapidly increasing circulation, 
 leading to a more widespread dissemination of the prin- 
 ciples of the restoration, was the means of firmly estab- 
 lishing it in that section. The interest and excitement 
 were greatly increased when Thomas M. Henley, of 
 Essex county, one of the most earnest and talented 
 Baptist preachers in the State, began to publicly teach 
 the Gospel as advocated by the reformers. By his 
 side stood Dr. John Du Val, of King and Queen county; 
 Peter Ainslie, Dudley Atkinson, M. W. Webber, and 
 John Richards, all fearless proclaimers of the Word of 
 God. These were all men of strong convictions, fear- 
 less soldiers of the cross, who cared not a straw for 
 persecution. Their lives constituted a large part of 
 the warp and woof of the restoration in the Tidewater 
 region. May their names ever be cherished by a 
 brotherhood loyal to the principles they fought so hard 
 to establish. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 MR. CAMPBELL IN RICHMOND. 
 
 In the fall of 1829 Mr. Campbell was elected delegate 
 from his district to the Constitutional Convention 
 which convened in Richmond on the fifth day of 
 October of that year. The convention, composed in 
 all of ninety-six delegates, numbered among its mem- 
 bers James Madison and James Monroe, Ex-Presi- 
 dents of the United States, together with Chief-Justice 
 Marshall, John Randolph of Roanoke, Judge Upshur, 
 and others of equal fame. Mr. Campbell was a member 
 of the Judiciary Committee. During the course of the 
 convention he delivered many able speeches, but never 
 did he forget his great calling and mission. Ex- 
 President Madison, in returning to his home from the 
 convention, passed the night at the home of Mr. 
 Edmund Pendleton, in Louisa county, and early the 
 next morning, as he and Mr. Pendleton were walking 
 the piazza, the latter, who was somewhat of an admirer 
 of Mr. Campbell, asked Mr. Madison for his opinion of 
 the Reformer. Mr. Madison, in answer, spoke in very 
 high terms of the ability shown by him in the conven- 
 tion. ''But," continued he, ''it is as a theologian that 
 Mr. Campbell must be known. It was my pleasure to 
 hear him very often as a preacher of the gospel, and I 
 regard him as the ablest and most original expounder 
 of the Scriptures I have ever heard." 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 51 
 
 His stay in Richmond contributed in no small degree 
 to promote the cause Mr. Campbell advocated, and led 
 to many warm friendships being formed. Among the 
 many interesting and profitable conversations held 
 with the citizens of Richmond was one with a venerable 
 Jew, Mr. Judah, the ruler of a Synagogue of the Jews 
 in Richmond. He was seventy years old, but in good 
 health and possessed of a vigorous mind and body. 
 Having signified his desire to meet ^Ir. Campbell, they 
 were invited by a mutual friend, together with a small 
 party, to his home, where a conversation was held, 
 as follows: 
 
 After being seated side by side, Mr. Campbell said, 
 ''I feel myself particulary happy in being seated by 
 the side of a son of the patriarch Abraham." 
 
 Judah. — And I am happy in becoming acquainted 
 with one who so ably defended the divine mission of 
 Moses against the infidel Owen. 
 
 Campbell. — Have you read the debate with Mr. 
 Owen? 
 
 Judah. — I have carefully read it all, and have not a 
 single objection to anything in the first volume of it. 
 So far as you argue the authenticity of the Jew's 
 religion, your arguments are substantially such as our 
 Rabbins use; and your stripping the Deists of their 
 natural religion is one of the best things I have read 
 from any Christian. You know I differ from you on the 
 Christian part of your argument ; but one thing I will 
 say to you, I have heard some of your lectures on the 
 Christian rehgion since you came to the city, which, 
 with what I have read from your pen on that subject, 
 
52 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 assure me that you teach the rehgion which Jesus and 
 the Apostles taught, if I know anything of the meaning 
 of what the New^ Testament says. And, let me add, 
 you are the only Christian preacher I have heard in a 
 long life that does not abuse us poor Jews. I was 
 wont to attend the Christian meetings in Richmond, 
 but was constrained to abandon them because of the 
 insults offered us Jews. 
 
 Campbell. — I never can reproach a Jew. We 
 Gentiles are debtors to the seed of Abraham for all 
 that gives us elevation of character, and although the 
 remnant of j^our people were to be treated as you say 
 the Christian preachers now treat them, and your own 
 Prophets foretold, still, I never will be the person 
 who will speak contumeliously of a Jew as such. For 
 your Fathers' sake I must always respect A^our nation; 
 and glad would I be if your reproach among the 
 nations was taken away. But there are a few ques- 
 tions which I would wish to propose to you for my own 
 information. 
 
 JuDAH. — It will give me pleasure to answer them. 
 
 Campbell. — Do you continue to read the Law, the 
 Prophets, and the Psalms in your Synagogues, as your 
 people were accustomed to do at, and before, the 
 Christian era? 
 
 JuDAH. — In our Synagogues every Sabbath-day the 
 Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms are read, and 
 all once through every year — just as you stated in 
 debate with Owen. We have these sacred writings 
 divided into weekly lessons, and so divided as to make, 
 in all, only fifty-two lessons. 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 53 
 
 Campbell.— You have not much time for ''preach- 
 ing," then, as we Christians call it. 
 
 JuDAH. — No, nor much need of your sort of preaching 
 or expounding. We hear Moses and the Prophets. We 
 chant the Psalms of David, and invoke the God of 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But we have no sermons. 
 Sometimes an exhortation is tendered; but it is short, 
 and only occasional. We teach our children the Law, 
 without creed or catechism. We often hear in your 
 Christian Synagogues sermons upon a sentence in 
 Moses or the Prophets, very unlike, however, what 
 Moses or the Prophets taught. Your preachers make 
 all our Scriptures typical, and your own too. They 
 often fault our Rabbins, and talk about the traditions 
 of our Elders; but I find that Rabbi Luther, Rabbi 
 Calvin, and Rabbi Wesley, are as venerable as any of 
 our Rabbins, and their traditions as sacred as those 
 of our Elders. 
 
 Campbell. — Does your reading of the Law and the 
 Prophets correspond with our version of them? 
 
 JuDAH.— Substantially it does; excepting some pas- 
 sages in the Prophets and in the Psalms, and these are 
 not numerous. 
 
 Campbell.— W^hat do you mean by the Spirit of God? 
 
 JuDAH. — We mean not what you mean. You rep- 
 resent the Spirit as a person distinct from the Father. 
 We believe that Jehovah is one Jehovah; that the 
 Spirit is his power, his wisdom, his goodness in opera- 
 tion; but have no idea of a distinct person or being. 
 
 Campbell. — I have thought that the distinction of 
 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a Christian revelation 
 
54 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 and not a Jewish, and that some of the criticisms upon 
 Aleim and other words and phrases in your writings, 
 applied by our Christian Doctors to this Christian 
 development, were forced and unnatural. 
 
 JuDAH. — They are all so. Aleim, with us, denotes 
 one Jehovah. ''The Lord our God is one Lord." 
 
 Campbell. — As I merely inquire after your views 
 and customs, permit me to inquire. Do 3^ou use bread 
 and wine in eating the Passover? 
 
 JuDAH. — There have been from time immemorial a 
 loaf of bread and a flagon of wine upon the same table 
 on which the Passover is served; and both are used by 
 us prett}^ much as Jesus is said to have used them. 
 We give thanks for them, and distribute them among 
 the family which partake of the lamb. We cannot tell 
 how they came to be used; but our fathers have used 
 them as a thank-offering, and we still hold this among 
 our sacred customs. 
 
 Campbell. — Do you use immersion in water, as a 
 religious institution, for any purpose? 
 
 JuDAH. — It was used in proselyting a Gentile; but 
 since proselytism has ceased this custom has ceased. 
 When any foreigner was added to the congregation, 
 he was first circumcised, then sprinkled with sacrificial 
 blood, and immersed in a running stream, or bath; for 
 we have a tradition that ''onl}^ by circumcision, sacri- 
 fice, and immersion, can a Gentile be received into the 
 congregation;" for it was by circumcision, the blood 
 of sprinkling, and immersion in the Red Sea, or in the 
 cloud and sea, that we were dedicated to the Lord. 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 55 
 
 Campbell. — Might I request you to state to me 
 your expectations of the Messiah? 
 
 JuDAH. — Our people are now very far from agreed 
 upon this subject. I beheve that our nation will all be 
 converted in one day — not to Jesus, however; but that 
 the Messiah will come, and all the people shall know 
 him and receive him cordially when he comes. Then 
 "a nation shall be born in a day." Our people, Mr. 
 Campbell, will never be converted by your missionaries. 
 Those of them who have been said to be converted 
 were hypocrites, and apostatized from us for interest, 
 
 like your Missionaries, and . I agree with 
 
 Paul in some things; but Paul stole them from the 
 Prophets and pretended to have been inspired. But 
 it is true that .''all Israel shall be saved, when the 
 Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and shall turn away 
 impiety from Jacob." Then, too, shall all the Gentiles 
 acknowledge Him, and never will you convert all the 
 Gentiles to Jesus. You can neither convert the Jews 
 nor the Gentiles to your Messiah; but when the Son 
 of David comes, all nations shall do him homage. 
 
 Campbell. — Do you know to what tribe you belong? 
 
 JuDAH. — No; the family hneage and th^ tribes are 
 all lost. 
 
 Campbell. — Was it not foretold that the Messiah 
 should be of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of 
 David? 
 
 Judah. — Certainly it was. 
 
 Campbell. — Was not this foretold in order to enable 
 you to recognize and prove the pretensions of the 
 Messiah when he came? 
 
56 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 JuDAH. — It was. 
 
 Campbell. — How, then, can these prophesies be of 
 any use to you when the hneage of families and the 
 tribes were lost? The purpose for which they were 
 given cannot now be accomplished if the Messiah be 
 yet to come ! 
 
 JuDAH. — I will tell you how I understand this may 
 be accomplished: When the Messiah comes, he will tell 
 every man to what tribe and family he belongs. 
 
 Campbell. — But will his assertion of that which you 
 cannot prove but upon his own testimony be a testi- 
 mony in his favor! Could such an imposition be de- 
 tected? Is not this to open the door for imposture? 
 If you cannot prove the family and the tribe of every 
 pretender, the prophesies concerning the family and 
 tribe can serve no purpose whatever. 
 
 JuDAH. — Mr. Campbell, we do not want proselytes 
 to our rehgion. I do not talk with you to convert you. 
 We want no converts. Your Master commanded you 
 to make proselytes; but Moses gave us no such 
 commands. 
 
 Campbell. — I admit he did not. I do not expect to 
 convert you to the Christian faith; but as you have 
 been so condescending as to answer my questions, I 
 wish, for my own information, to know by what argu- 
 ments you reject Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 JuDAH. — As a matter of information, but not with a 
 design to convert you, I will continue to answer your 
 questions. 
 
 Campbell. — What was the most heinous offence 
 against God which your nation, according to the 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 57 
 
 tenor of your covenant, or constitution, could commit? 
 
 JuDAH.— There were many very heinous offences 
 which we could and did commit. 
 
 Campbell.— But was it not treason for your nation, 
 and the most flagrant sin which, under your govern- 
 ment, you could be guilty of, to apostatize into idolatry? 
 
 JuDAH. — It was. As a national sin, it was our great- 
 est sin. 
 
 Campbell.— And was it not a sin to be punished 
 with the utmost severity, as Moses declared? 
 
 JuDAH.— Most unquestionably ; it merited the severest 
 punishment. 
 
 Campbell. — And when your nation, as such, fell 
 into this sin, was not the seventy years' captivity in 
 Babylon, together with the destruction of your Temple 
 and city, the punishment inflicted upon you for this 
 sin? 
 
 JuDAH.— It was the punishment visited upon us for 
 that sin, and the severest punishment ever inflicted 
 upon our nation for fifteen hundred years. 
 
 Campbell. — But a punishment still more severe has 
 since befallen you; and w^ere we to estimate sin by 
 temporal punishments, we would be constrained to 
 think that as your Temple w^as razed to its foun- 
 dation, your city laid in ruins, and your nation 
 carried captive into all nations, and banished from 
 your own land for almost two thousand years, you must 
 about that time have committed a sin as much more 
 aggravated in its character than simple idolatry as 
 the punishment consequent upon it has been more tre- 
 mendous in its nature and protracted in its duration 
 
58 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 than was the Babylonish captivity with all its con- 
 comitants. 
 
 JuDAH. — We have committed some great sin, it is 
 true ; but what that sin was it is not so easy to deter- 
 mine. 
 
 Campbell. — But have you not been led to suspect 
 that as this evil came upon your nation shortly after 
 your rejection and crucifixion of Jesus, that probably 
 it came upon you on that account? 
 
 JuDAH. — Josephus said it came upon us for the mar- 
 tyrdom of James the Just; but I profess not to know 
 on what account it came upon us. 
 
 Campbell. — Did not Moses say that if you would 
 not obey that Prophet of which he informed you, that 
 such a calamity would befall you? 
 
 JuDAH. — Whom do j^ou think that Prophet to have 
 been? 
 
 Campbell. — Jesus the Nazarene. 
 
 JuDAH. — That cannot be; for Jesus of Nazareth was 
 not raised up like Moses; and the Prophet of whom 
 Moses spoke was to be raised up as Moses was. 
 
 Campbell. — And who do 3^ou say that Prophet 
 was? 
 
 JuDAH. — We believe that Moses was then speaking 
 of Joshua, his successor. 
 
 Campbell. — And was Joshua raised up like Moses? 
 
 JuDAH. — He was a man like Moses; but you say 
 Jesus was God. And he pretended to be equal with 
 Jehovah. 
 
 Campbell. — Jesus professed to be the Son of God; and 
 sustained his pretensions by works equal, if not superior, 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 59 
 
 to those which certified the mission of Moses. And 
 Jesus was raised up, just as Moses was raised, from 
 obscurity, by the mighty power of God. But how 
 can you think that Joshua was regarded in these words 
 of Moses, when he is not named nor alluded to for 
 ten chapters afterwards? 
 
 JuDAH. — What was more natural than for Moses, 
 in the book of Deuteronomy, when he was delivering 
 his valedictory address to our fathers, than to allude 
 to his successor, and to caution the people on the 
 subject of obedience to his successor? 
 
 Campbell. — This he does afterwards; but nothing 
 in the context of the eighteenth chapter of Deuter- 
 onomy will warrant the application of those words 
 to Joshua. Besides, I know not on what authority 
 you could call Joshua a prophet. A prophet like 
 Moses, Joshua was not; nor, indeed, could any other 
 prophet which God ever sent your people be at all 
 compared to Moses. So illustrious was Moses that it 
 was no disparagement to Jesus to be compared to him. 
 For although he far excelled Moses, yet there were 
 more points of coincidence ■ between him and Moses 
 than between him and an}' other prophet. Joshua 
 was, as a leader to Israel, the successor of Moses; but 
 pray tell me in what respect was he like Moses as 
 a prophet? 
 
 JuDAH. — I do not expect you, Mr. Campbell, to 
 agree with me on this subject, and you know I told 
 3'ou that I did not aim at proselyting you to my faith. 
 
 Campbell. — True, you said so; but I hope you will 
 indulge me a little farther, as I wish to know what 
 
60 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 you have to offer against our faith, and what reasons 
 influence you in rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. 
 
 JuDAH. — We have many, many reasons; more than 
 I could tell you in a long time. 
 
 Campbell. — Pray how do you apply the prophecy 
 of Jacob: ''The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, 
 nor a law-giver from among his descendants, till Shiloh 
 come; and to him shall the gathering of the people be." 
 
 Judah. — I do not read that passage as you do. I 
 read it, 'The sceptre shall not depart from Judah till 
 they come to Shiloh; then shall the people assemble to 
 him" — that is, to Saul) for it was at Shiloh the people 
 assembled and made Saul king. 
 
 Campbell. — But how will this accord with the fact? 
 Was the sceptre in Judah before it was in the family 
 of Saul? This passage intimates that the sceptre 
 should continue in Judah for a long time; but your 
 reading puts it in the family of Saul before it was in 
 the tribe of Judah; for David was not made king until 
 Saul was rejected. 
 
 Judah. — Judah was prince or chief amongst his 
 brethren from Jacob's time till Benjamin, in the 
 person of Saul, became chief; and this fact, together 
 with the place, Shiloh, where the people assembled 
 to Saul, proves the interpretation. 
 
 Campbell. — But doubtless you must confess that 
 the sceptre did not depart from Judah when Saul was 
 made king; for in the person and family of David it 
 continued almost a thousand years after it departed 
 from Benjamin. 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 61 
 
 JuDAH. — You talk about the peaceable kingdom of 
 the Messiah; I mean, you Christians are always preach- 
 ing about this Prince of Peace. But show me this 
 peaceful kingdom, and I will renounce my opposition 
 to your Messiah. 
 
 Campbell. — Here I admit the force of your objec- 
 tion; and candor compels me to say that there is some 
 strength in this objection. I feel my inability to stand 
 up for the modern Christian profession. But one fact 
 consoles me, viz., Paul, John, Peter and Jude assure us 
 that this state of things would come to pass; therefore 
 it shakes not my faith, for it was foretold. That the 
 Messiah should be a man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief; that he should be led as a lamb to the 
 slaughter; and that in his humiliation his condemna- 
 tion should be extorted, is not more plainly foretold 
 in Isaiah in the fifty-third chapter of his prophesies 
 than is the apostasy of Christians which we now witness. 
 But this can constitute no objection against the re- 
 ligion, more than that those incidents in the life of 
 the Messiah should be an objection to his divine mis- 
 sion. A reformation has commenced which will never 
 cease till Christians and Christianity be what they 
 once were. 
 
 JuDAH. — You apply Isaiah as other Christians; but 
 I apply it to the Jewish nation — and make the term 
 he stand for the nation. 
 
 Campbell. — But for this arbitrary appropriation of 
 the term he no good reason can be adduced. There 
 is one consideration which I beg you to reflect upon. 
 I will suggest it in the form of a query, and will not 
 
62 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 farther impose upon your good nature for the present. 
 What proof can any Messiah ever give of his mission 
 more convincing than did Jesus of Nazareth? Tell 
 me what signs or evidences can your Messiah adduce — 
 only mention one — that our Messiah has not afforded? 
 
 JuDAH. — If all that is testified of Jesus by His 
 historians were true, I would say that the evidence 
 was as satisfactory as necessary. But how will you 
 prove that? 
 
 Campbell. — By all the same arguments by which 
 you would impugn their testimony will I impugn that 
 of your own Moses. But you told me that my argu- 
 ment for the divine mission of Moses was irrefragable. 
 My argument for the testimony of Matthew, Mark, 
 Luke and John is just the same. 
 
 JuDAH. — I read the New Testament more than most 
 of my brethren. I blame you not for your proselyting 
 zeal. Do try "and convert your Christians to that 
 book. I respect you as an honest Christian: believe 
 me to be an honest Jew, who cannot believe for the 
 reasons assigned by your Paul in his letter to the 
 Romans. I shall always be glad to see you. But I 
 must await the conversion of my countrymen: for 
 Israel will all be converted in one day. 
 
 Campbell. — One word more. How do you Jews 
 expect to obtain the remission of your sins, as you 
 have neither temple, nor altar, nor priest? 
 
 JuDAH. — By prayer. 
 
 Campbell. — I know of no promise nor institution in 
 your religion which warrants a hope or remission with- 
 out sacrifice. 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 63 
 
 JuDAH. — Sacrifice we cannot have; for we have 
 neither temple, nor altar, nor priest: and therefore, 
 if God forgives us not through prayer, forgiveness we 
 cannot gain. But our trust is in Jehovah, whose mercy 
 endureth forever. Farewell. 
 
 Mr. Campbell remained in Richmond till the close 
 of the convention, in January, 1830. His stay in 
 Richmond proved to be an important step in the 
 advancement of the restoration. As a delegate to the 
 Constitutional Convention, he obtained a prestige that 
 could not have been gained in any other way. Then, 
 too, owing to the length of his visit, he was enabled 
 to come in touch with many well-known reformers 
 whom he had never before known face to face, and 
 also, by his preaching in the First Baptist Church, he 
 had the opportunity of correctly presenting the funda- 
 mental principles of the restoration where his views 
 had been grossly misrepresented. The majority of the 
 people heard him with pleasure and interest, but 
 waited to see whereunto this thing would grow. 
 Several, however, were constitutionally received into 
 the kingdom of Christ. One, a young physician, who 
 had become enhghtened as to his duty through reading 
 the Christian Baptist, traveled over a hundred miles 
 to hear the great Reformer preach, and was baptized 
 by him. Before returning home Mr. Campbell visited 
 several churches in Carohne, King and Queen and 
 Essex counties. The following account of his visit 
 to the home of Thomas M. Henley, wTitten by Mr. 
 Campbell himself, is interesting: 
 
64 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 ''I had the pleasure of an interview with the vener- 
 able Bishop Semple, on my way from Richmond, as 
 well as with most of my former acquaintance, friends, 
 and brethren in the counties of Louisa, Hanover, 
 King William, King and Queen, Essex, Caroline and 
 Spottsylvania. My interview with none of the 
 Bishops was so interesting as was that with Bishop 
 Semple. From the collision into which we had fallen, 
 through Dr. Noel's instrumentality, and from the 
 notoriety of the differences existing, our meeting 
 derived additional interest. While I was lecturing in 
 Upper Essex meeting-house, the Bishop arrived 
 nearly two hours before I had finished my address. 
 After an interchange of the most friendly salutations, 
 we repaired together to enjoy the Christian hospital- 
 ities of our common friend and brother, Bishop Henley. 
 Many guests accompanied us, and we had quite a 
 little congregation around the social, and, I might add, 
 the Christian fireside. 
 
 ''After the Bishop and myself had felt the cheering 
 influences of the fire and the inspiring influences of our 
 mutual friends and acqviaintance, we got into a four- 
 hours' very agreeable fireside discussion of many 
 matters and things pertaining to the Christian insti- 
 tution. Not a word was said nor an allusion made 
 to what had formerly transpired between us. All 
 was as though it had never been. And after compar- 
 ing the grounds and reasons of our respective views 
 and courses in the Christian profession, and after we 
 had united in prayer and praise, we reposed together 
 upon the same couch, until the eyelids of the morning 
 opened upon us, and bade us look to Heaven. We 
 arose. And after we had dressed, and the family and 
 guests had assembled, we repaired to a pond, on which 
 the ice was about an inch thick, not more than one- 
 fourth of a mile from the house; and there, while the 
 sun was lifting his golden locks over the tops of the 
 
Mr. Campbell in Richmond 65 
 
 trees, and the little congregation standing round the 
 pool, I immersed a disciple from King William into 
 the Christian faith, as they were wont to do before 
 Antichrist was born! We returned to the house, 
 united in worship, breakfasted; and after some friendly 
 conversation, we prepared to depart, each one his own 
 way. Bishop Semple and I, after expressing for each 
 other our mutual good wishes, bade each other adieu — 
 he proceeding to King and Queen, and T to Caroline. 
 
 ''It would be unbecoming for me, and it is a task 
 for which I was never well qualified, to give any account 
 of the topics, arguments and discussions which filled up 
 the hours we were together. There were a goodly 
 number of very intelligent brethren and sisters present 
 who could do this much better than 1. What 1 ad- 
 mired most of all was the good temper and Christian 
 courtes}^ of this venerable disciple, who, although 
 unable to rise above all of his early associations and 
 the long received opinions which a long course of read- 
 ing and teaching had riveted upon his mind, 3^et he 
 did not lose sight of the meekness and mildness, the 
 candor and complaisance, which the religion of Jesus 
 teaches, and without which, though a man's head 
 were as clear as an angel's intellect, his reUgion is vain." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 rUBLICATlON OF DECREES. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that such differences 
 crept into the ranks of the Baptists as to force a separa- 
 tion between them and the reformers, and such separa- 
 tion ought to be blotted out to-day by the union of 
 these two great rehgious bodies, which agree in so 
 many important particulars and disagree in so few and 
 unimportant points. That our forefathers in the 
 reformation were blameless, we would not for a moment 
 assert. But that the leading reformers in Eastern 
 Virginia were conspicuous for their forbearance, cannot 
 be truthfully denied. They endured with patience 
 the misrepresentations and injuries of their opponents, 
 who in their hasty zeal to save what they supposed to 
 be essential Baptist principles from the fiery trial of the 
 Word of Truth, in many instances destroyed by their 
 rashness the fundamental principles so long cherished 
 by the Baptist denomination, — the rights of con- 
 science, church independency and Christian liberaHty. 
 flad the publication of proscriptional decrees not been 
 resorted to the separation might have been delayed 
 for a time, but owing to the religious feeling of the 
 times it probably would have come sooner or later. 
 In the then existing state of feeling it needed but a 
 gentle zephyr to fan the kindling spark of sectarian 
 and fanatical dogmatism into flame. This came from 
 an unexpected quarter and in an unexpected manner. 
 
Publication of Decrees 67 
 
 The Mahoning Association, of which Mr. Campbell was 
 a member, was an extensive one, embracing a large 
 number of churches in Southeastern Ohio. All of 
 these churches had adopted the principles of the restora- 
 tion with the exception of three congregations adjoining 
 the district comprised under the Beaver Association. 
 These, taking exceptions to the restoration movement, 
 had left the Mahoning and joined the Beaver Associa- 
 tion. Through their influence the Beaver Association 
 was induced to issue a circular anathematizing the 
 Mahoning Association and Mr. Campbell as "disbe- 
 lieving and denying many of the doctrines of the Holy 
 Scriptures," of which alleged heresies a large number 
 were catalogued. This action of one association 
 excluding another was as unwarrantable as for one 
 Church member to exclude another of equal standing. 
 The document was circulated with the utmost diligence 
 and republished in the leading Baptist papers with 
 commendations. The crisis was now on. Every- 
 where Baptist churches and associations, unable to 
 refute by logic and Scriptural testimony the doctrine 
 of the reformers, tried the high hand of ecclesiastical 
 authority. The result was that discord and confusion 
 reigned in Baptist circles throughout the country. 
 
 The idea of proscriptional decrees soon found root 
 in the hearts of the Eastern Virginia Baptists. This 
 was a summary way of ending the controversy. Abner 
 W. Clopton was one of the leading Baptist preachers 
 in Eastern Virginia. He had at first been pleased 
 with the views advanced by Mr. Campbell, but, like 
 Andrew Broaddus, he had become offended at his 
 
68 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 views on "experimental religion," and became one 
 of the most bitter partisans in the Baptist ranks. 
 Many of his associates in the Meherrin Association 
 took sides with the reformers, among whom was 
 Silas Shelburne. He had preached with his father, 
 James Shelburne, till the death of the latter, when he 
 was called to the care of the churches to which his 
 father had ministered. The intolerant spirit of Abner 
 Clopton could not brook the indecisive policy of the 
 Meherrin Association in allowing Brother Shelburne 
 and some of his co-laborers to preach the simple doc- 
 trine of the New Testament unadulterated with 
 Baptist dogma. He resolved to imitate the example 
 of the Beaver Association, and accordingly, at the next 
 meeting of the Appomattox Association, of which he 
 was clerk, and the territory of which adjoined that 
 of the Meherrin, he introduced and procured the 
 passage of the Appomattox Decrees. These decrees 
 began with the preamble from the Beaver Anathema, 
 which was followed by the following resolutions: 
 
 "1. Resolved, That it be recommended to all the 
 churches composing this Association to discounten- 
 ance the writings of Alexander Campbell. 
 
 "2. Resolved, That it be recommended to all the 
 churches in this Association not to countenance the 
 new translation of the New Testament. 
 
 ''3. Resolved, That it be recommended to all the 
 churches of this Association not to invite into their 
 pulpits any minister who holds the sentiments ex- 
 pressed in the Beaver Anathema. 
 
 ''Abner W. Clopton, Clerk." 
 
Publication of Decrees ' 69 
 
 This last resolution was undoubtedly intended as a 
 blow to Silas Shelburne and his associates, who often 
 preached within the bounds of the Appomattox Asso- 
 ciation. In a subsequent meeting of the Meherrin 
 Association one of Mr. Clopton's men made an attempt 
 to have the reformers cast out. Failing in this attempt, 
 he declared a non-fellowship from the body, and 
 vacated his seat. 
 
 This method of deaUng with the reformation by 
 proscribing its advocates was destined to become 
 quite popular among the Eastern Virginia Baptists. 
 In 1830 report was made to Bruington Church, in 
 King and Queen county, that certain persons within 
 the bounds of this Church had been baptized contrary 
 to the usual Baptist custom, i. e., they had been im- 
 mersed upon the confession of their faith in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and that similar occurrences had taken 
 place in neighboring churches. Bishop Semple, who 
 was pastor of Bruington Church, took matters into 
 his own hands, and appointed a committee to confer 
 with the other churches adjacent to them and recom- 
 mend to the Church what measures should be taken. 
 Without waiting for the committee to report, the 
 Bishop then went to Andrew Broaddus, and they 
 appointed a day for a conference of the churches 
 affected by this breach of custom. 
 
 Eight churches were in attendance at this confer- 
 ence, which was held in the Upper King and Queen 
 meeting-house, December 30 and 31, 1830. The 
 object of the meeting was stated, and a committee of 
 nine was appointed to sit at night and form a report 
 
70 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 to be brought forward and considered next day. The 
 report, after a lengthy preamble, which asserted the 
 cause of their distress and conference as being a 
 ''system of religion known by the name of Camp- 
 bellism," introduced resolutions on the following 
 points : 
 
 1. That we consider Spiritual regeneration as a 
 fundamental doctrine of the Scriptures; 2. That to 
 maintain baptism to be conversion, — regeneration, — 
 the new birth, etc., is a radical error founded in popery; 
 3. That to substitute the word reformation for re- 
 pentance is to do away with one of the main pillars of 
 the Christian religion; 4. To maintain the sufficiency 
 of human nature aided by the mere written word, in 
 salvation, is an attempt to resurrect Pelagianism; 
 5. It was resolved that when any members of the 
 churches represented maintained any of the above 
 radical errors that the churches be recommended to 
 try and convince them of their errors in love, and if 
 this failed they were to declare non-fellowship with 
 such; 6. It is advised that the churches take decided 
 stand against preachers who perform baptism in this 
 new way, etc.; 7. Persons so baptized should not be 
 received into fellowship, except upon strict examina- 
 tion as to their experience and the motives which led 
 their taking such a step. In conclusion, the churches 
 were recommended to observe a day of ''solemn 
 humiliation, with fasting and prayer, with reference 
 to the state of religion and the distress which has 
 given rise to this meetins;." 
 
Publication of Decrees 71 
 
 These decrees were dubbed by Mr. Campbell the 
 Semple and Broaddus Decrees. They received their 
 death blow when they were rejected by Mr. Semple 's 
 own Church, Bruington, on March 5, 1831, when 
 brought up for ratification. This was ' a severe re- 
 proach to Bishop Semple. ''The very Church," 
 wrote Mr. Campbell, ''which, it is said, was so aggrieved 
 at the spread of our views as to justify R. B. Semple 
 and Andrew Broaddus in calling a council to pro- 
 scribe us; that very Church, which, it is said, the 
 mover of these decrees planted, and in which he 
 has labored for so many years, has done itself the 
 honor to reject the decrees of the elders. Thus has 
 the sceptre departed from Judah and a lawgiver from 
 Dover." 
 
 The meeting of the Bruington Church was a large 
 one; every white male member was present except 
 one, who was sick. One was sent for who had applied 
 for a letter twelve months before, and who had lived 
 for two or three years in another county. The decrees 
 were read, and Dr. Du Val proceeded to pick them to 
 pieces. His defence of the reformation was powerful 
 and eloquent; his expose of the injustice done in the 
 decrees was lucid and convincing. Messrs. Todd, 
 Broaddus and Semple used all their talents, eloquence 
 and authority to induce the Church to receive them 
 and enter them on the Church book. But the Church 
 would not hear them. R. B. Semple then insisted 
 that his "opponents," those who would not vote with 
 him, should take letters of dismission, and join some 
 other Church. But this they would not do. He then 
 
72 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 ordered ever}- man's name to be written down and 
 called over, so that each man would answer and 
 record his vote. They continued firm, and gave 
 their vote in writing against the decrees. The Bishop 
 then moved a postponement of the business of the 
 meeting, which was already completed. The brethren 
 voting against the resolutions were immovable. He 
 then proposed to modify the resolutions, but they 
 would not have even a modification of them. Bishop 
 Semple then remarked in the presence of all that if 
 they had put the resolutions on the Church book no 
 split in the Church would have taken place; but now 
 a split must be the consequence. He was informed 
 that if any split occurred, the fault, if any, would be 
 his. The meeting broke up, and so ended the affair. 
 The next day Messrs. Semple and Broaddus preached 
 human inability and sovereign grace to the people, 
 and then invited sinners to come. To crown all, they 
 broke the loaf together, reformers and anti-reformers. 
 The good old Bishop's heart relented — he shed many 
 a tear — and all had a fine time in peace and unity. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 THOMAS Campbell's visit to eastern Virginia. 
 
 In December, 1831, Thomas Campbell, the father 
 of Alexander Campbell, visited Eastern Virginia. His 
 first stop was made at Fredericksburg, where Robert 
 Semple was then acting as pastor of the Baptist 
 Church. In this congregation were many who fa- 
 vored the doctrines of the reformation, and accord- 
 ingly Father Campbell was asked to preach. The 
 invitation being seconded by Mr. Semple, Mr. Camp- 
 bell addressed the congregation the following Lord's 
 Day morning and night from Titus 2:11 — 3:9. At 
 the close of the morning sermon Bishop Semple made 
 a few remarks commending the sermon as the gospel, 
 but desiring some further treatment by Mr. Campbell 
 as to his views of the word ''grace" in the text. To 
 this request Mr. Campbell replied that he would speak 
 more to this point at night. ]\Ir. Semple then closed 
 the meeting with a fervent prayer that the blessing 
 of God might accompany the truth that had been 
 delivered, and also for Brother Campbell, that God 
 might spare his life many years and go with him 
 wherever he went and bless him abundantly in his 
 labors. 
 
 They then went together to the house of Brother 
 Abner Leitch, where they dined. After dinner Mr. 
 Campbell exhibited to the company some papers that 
 he was bringing before the churches, in which were set 
 
74 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 forth the principles of the restoration. After reading, 
 Mr. Semple expressed his approbation of these princi- 
 ples except in one item, viz., that the New Testa- 
 ment as it now stands is sufficient for all purposes of 
 Church discipline. He thought that general princi- 
 ples were inculcated in the New Testament, but that 
 particular rules might be advantageously drawn from 
 them. Nothing but the most friendly feelings pre- 
 vailed between them. 
 
 They left Bro. Leitch's house together to go to 
 Church for the evening meeting. As this was the day 
 on which the Church was to partake of the Lord's 
 Supper, Bishop Semple took George Adams, his leacUng 
 elder, aside and asked what he thought of the pro- 
 priety of inviting ]\Ir. Campbell to commune with them. 
 Bro. Adams answered that he thought baptism was 
 the great point which prevented communion with 
 other denominations, and that in this case such objec- 
 tion did not exist. After some further talk ]\Ir. 
 Semple remarked that he had had some conversation 
 with the venerable Bro. Campbell, and was much 
 pleased with him; that he believed him to be a good 
 and pious man, though in error. They went to the 
 table together. Mr. Semple and Mr. Adams presided, 
 and Bro. Campbell was invited and communed with 
 them. After the Supper they parted. Mr. Semple 
 gave to Bro. Campbell his benediction and bade him 
 Godspeed in the work in which he was engaged. 
 Father Campbell resumed his discourse at night, but 
 Mr. Semple's health precluded his being present. 
 Throughout the day Bishop Semple had manifested 
 
Thomas CampbeWs Visit to Eastern Virginia 75 
 
 the spirit of love, and seemed to desire to live in 
 unity with his brethren. It was the last discourse 
 he was permitted to hear. A severe cold, which he 
 had previously taken, terminated in pleurisy, and in 
 two weeks he was no more. He departed this life on 
 Christmas Day, 1831. 
 
 Thomas M. Henley wrote Mr. Semple's obituary for 
 the Millennial Harbinger, in which he referred to the 
 love that prevailed during this last public day of his life, 
 and made especial mention of Mr. Semple's communion 
 with Thomas Campbell and his benediction. Upon the 
 publication of this notice Andrew Broaddus wrote to 
 Robert Baylor Semple, son of the deceased, who 
 had been with his father on the occasion mentioned, 
 and represented that a great injustice had been done 
 to the memory of his father in making it appear that 
 he had bidden Godspeed to the reformation. This 
 led to a controversy, which was carried on in the 
 Religious Herald and Millennial Harbinger. The facts 
 as we have stated them were fully proven by letters 
 from a number of brethren present when they occur- 
 red. Justice compels us to say that this action on 
 the part of Mr. Broaddus was below the known standard 
 of his character, and must be viewed in the light of 
 those times. Mr. Broaddus had come to regard the 
 doctrines of the reformation, especially that of 
 regeneration, as subversive of pure Christianity, in 
 fact as heretical, and he could not look complacently 
 upon any step toward fellowship with such a people. 
 
 Mr. Semple, on the other hand, had long been openly 
 opposed to the reformation, but in his latter days was 
 
76 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 beginning to recognize the good in his self-made op- 
 ponents and desired to Uve at peace with all men. 
 The spirit of hostility shown by him at the King 
 and Queen Conference had given place to the desire 
 for peace and unity, and on one occasion he had told 
 certain of his brethren of the Bruington Church that 
 he was pleased that the Church did reject his decrees. 
 At the last Dover Association before his death, in 
 October, 1831, when Andrew Broaddus and others 
 had made a personal attack upon Bro. Henley, Bishop 
 Semple opposed the violent measures introduced, and 
 publicly proposed conciliatory measures. He even 
 characterized Bro. Henley's course toward the Asso- 
 ciation as magnanimous, and exhorted the brethren 
 to forbearance and long-suffering. During the same 
 Association, in a debate as to the best method of de- 
 ciding such questions as were then continually arising 
 in the churches, he declared himself as decidedly in 
 favor of deciding by a majority. He said that it had 
 happened to himself occasionally to be in the minority 
 when he was confident that he was right, but he had 
 found by experience that it was always best to yield 
 to the majority. Undoubtedly this was a reference to 
 the King and Queen Decrees which were rejected by 
 Bruington Church. These actions on the part of 
 Bishop Semple show conclusiveh' that his latter daj^s 
 were filled with a desire for harmony and unity. He 
 was not reconciled to what he termed ''Campbellism," 
 nor did Bro. Henley nor any other of the reformers 
 endeavor to give such an impression. The love of 
 Christ had simply predominated over sectarian preju- 
 
Thomas Campbell's Visit to Eastern Virginia 77 
 
 dice, while in the case of Andrew Broaddus the latter 
 was gaining the victory. 
 
 After leaving Fredericksburg, Thomas Campbell 
 preached in Essex county, from whence Robert Y. 
 Henley accompanied him to Richmond. Here he met 
 Andrew Broaddus, and exhibited to him the document 
 before mentioned, setting forth the principles of the 
 restoration. Father Campbell was bringing this docu- 
 ment before the churches of Virginia for their assent or 
 dissent, and in order to show more clearly what was 
 contended for by the reformers. Such cries as "bap- 
 tismal regeneration," '^self-salvation," and the im- 
 plication that the reformers denied the beneficent 
 offices, and even the existence of the Holy Spirit, were 
 current. If the churches could be persuaded to give 
 their assent to certain well-defined articles setting 
 forth principles held by the reformers the threatened 
 breach between them and the Baptists might be 
 avoided. Thomas Campbell was endeavoring to main- 
 tain the unity of the Eastern Virginia congregations by 
 bringing them to a better understanding of what was 
 really advocated by the reformers. When the docu- 
 ment was presented to Andrew Broaddus he approved 
 of the principles set forth without exception, but later 
 he WTote an admonition in the Religious Herald disap- 
 proving of them, not for anything they said, but for 
 what they did not say; and to cap the climax, warned 
 the churches against assenting to them. In the same 
 article he says, "That the general principles to which 
 I have alluded are, in the main, good and wholesome 
 principles, as far as they go, I readily allow. They 
 
78 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 hold out the Scriptures as the only rule and standard 
 of faith and practice to be imposed on men, discarding 
 all human inventions in religion, and considering 
 prudential regulations as matters of expediency only. 
 We have long avowed these principles, and can see no 
 good reason at this time for a formal recognition of 
 them." The logical contradictions in this are too 
 apparent to need comment. 
 
 Thomas Campbell arrived in Richmond on Januar}^ 
 5, 1832. A considerable number of members of the 
 First Baptist Church had long been studying the New 
 Testament with diligence and zeal, and had become 
 satisfied that a reform in the Church was necessary. 
 They had for some time striven to set forth the biblical 
 teaching in regard to faith, baptism and the Lord's 
 Supper. The visit of Alexander Campbell in 1829-30 
 had measurably strengthened their position, but they 
 had alwa3'S granted to all the right of opinion. The 
 day after his arrival in Richmond, Thomas Campbell 
 visited the pastor of this Church, Elder John Kerr, 
 who, after some friendly conversation, invited him to 
 preach for him that evening. Father Campbell ac- 
 cepted this invitation, and continued for several suc- 
 cessive evenings at the request of the pastor. On 
 Sunday evening, January 15, before the night meeting, 
 several members of the Church were at the house of 
 one of the brethren. Elder Campbell's preaching was 
 talked of, and a general desire expressed that he should 
 preach often; and three of the brethren were requested 
 to wait upon the pastor, and ask his permission. They 
 waited upon him that evening and informed him of the 
 
Thomas CampbeWs Visit to Eastern Virginia 79 
 
 wish of the brethren, that, as he occupied the pulpit 
 but one night in the week, he would give notice for 
 Elder Campbell to preach on the other nights; and 
 that as many persons in the adjoining country were 
 anxious to hear him, and could not unless he preached 
 in the morning, they wished him to preach on the next 
 Lord's Day morning; to all of which Elder Kerr as- 
 sented. After the services that night he gave notice 
 that the venerable old brother in the pulpit with him 
 would preach every night that week except Friday 
 night, and on that night both would be present, and 
 one or the other would preach. He said nothing about 
 the appointment for the following Sunday morning. 
 It was thought by the members that it had been over- 
 looked and would be announced some night early in 
 the week. On Monday night Bro. Campbell preached. 
 The pastor was not present, and there being several 
 persons from the country at meeting, it was thought 
 a favorable opportunity^ to spread the information; at 
 the request of several members a deacon of the Church 
 gave the notice that Elder Campbell would preach in 
 that place on the next Sunday morning. Elder Camp- 
 bell preached on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 
 nights, and no difficulty was apprehended about the 
 Sunday morning appointment till Friday night. On 
 that occasion Elder Kerr preached, and after the sermon 
 gave notice that he himself would preach on next Sun- 
 day morning. Immediately one of the brethren who 
 had asked for the use of the house for Elder Campbell 
 went up into the pulpit and asked him if he had not 
 
80 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 made a mistake in making the appointment for him- 
 self. He responded in the negative, remarking at the 
 same time that he had not promised the use of the 
 house. The notice had then been sent to the two 
 daily papers, and the notice of the appointment having 
 been very generally circulated, man}^ of the brethren, 
 upon consultation, decided, if possible, to obtain a 
 place for Elder Campbell to preach. Upon application 
 to the Universalist preacher he very readily consented 
 to give up the use of the Capitol, which had been 
 granted him for that morning by the Governor; and the 
 notices were changed accordingly. Many members of 
 the Church and others attended the services at the 
 Capitol, and nothing more was heard of the matter until 
 the following Sunday morning, when Elder Kerr gave 
 notice that on the following Saturday there would be 
 a Church meeting on business of the highest importance. 
 Inquiry was at once made as to the business, when it 
 was intimated that the meeting at the Capitol had 
 been highly offensive, and that certain members whom 
 others chose to call " Campbellites " would have to 
 withdraw. The three brethren who had asked the use 
 of the house, thinking it best if possible to settle the 
 difference between the pastor and themselves so that 
 the question might come before the Church unconnected 
 with private differences, waited upon him the next 
 morning, but were unable to come to any understand- 
 ing, he still maintaining that he had made no such 
 promise, and they that he had. 
 
 On Saturday night, February 4, the Church con- 
 vened, and after an address of about two hours from 
 
Thomas CampbeWs Visit to Eastern Virginia 81 
 
 the pastor he concluded by offering an oral resolution 
 that certain members who were said to have imbibed 
 the sentiments of Alexander Campbell should with- 
 draw. After some discussion an amendment, also 
 oral, was offered by a brother, to this effect: That 
 all those members of the Church who were so dissatis- 
 fied with their brethren on account of their opinions 
 as not to be able to live in harmony with them, be 
 allowed to withdraw. The Church soon after ad- 
 journed, not having reached any definite conclusion. 
 On Tuesday night, February 14, they again met, when 
 the following preamble and resolution was offered by 
 the pastor in writing: 
 
 "Whereas it is evident that a party has arisen in 
 this Church entertaining opinions of Scripture doctrine 
 and Church government materially different from 
 those of the great body of this Church, and all the 
 Regular Baptist churches in Virginia; and whereas, 
 out of these discordant opinions and views a state of 
 feeling has grown very unfavorable to the peace, 
 honor, and piety of the Church: therefore, 
 
 ^^ Resolved, That this Church earnestly recommend 
 to those who have embraced these new doctrines 
 and opinions to withdraw from us and become a sepa- 
 rate people, worshiping God according to their own 
 views of propriety. 
 
 "Simon Frayser, Clerk." 
 
 The brother who had offered the amendment of 
 February 4 then offered it in writing. The amend- 
 ment appeared to be very unpalatable. After much 
 discussion and parliamentary usages never before heard 
 of the amendment was sidetracked without ever 
 6 
 
82 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 coming to a v-ote and Elder Kerr's resolution was 
 adopted. 
 
 On the Monday or Tuesday night following many 
 of the brethren met together to consult as to what 
 would be the best course to be pursued by them. 
 They knew that about eight members, in whom they 
 had high confidence, were the only persons whom 
 the Church had then determined to get rid of, and 
 being themselves entirely dissatisfied with the proceed- 
 ings of the majority, and further believing that if 
 these brethren were removed they themselves would 
 have to renounce their belief, or in turn be severally 
 excluded, they determined upon the following pre- 
 amble and resolution: — 
 
 ''Whereas a resolution, connected with a preamble, 
 stating that certain members entertaining opinions 
 of Scripture doctrine and Church government materi- 
 ally different from the great body of the Plrst Baptist 
 Church and all the Regular Baptists in Virginia, was, 
 on the 14th of February, 1832, adopted b}^ a majority 
 of said Church; and whereas we are satisfied that 
 the above preamble and resolution are intended to 
 operate upon the opinions we hold, though we have 
 disclaimed, and do disclaim, any opinion not founded 
 upon the New Testament; and wiiereas they have 
 invited us to withdraw^; therefore, 
 
 "Resolved, That we whose names are hereunto sub- 
 scribed do withdraw ourselves from the First Baptist 
 Church." 
 
 Appended to this document were the names of 
 sixty-eight members of the Church, including all of 
 the trustees and many other prominent and influential 
 
Thomas Campbell's Visit to Eastern Virginia 83 
 
 members. This was accepted by the Church. A 
 subscription hst was immediately started by the 
 reformers, and in two days $2,000 had been subscribed 
 for a new meeting-house. The subscription Hst soon 
 reached 15,000, and a lot was purchased on Eleventh 
 Street between Broad and Marshall, and adjoining 
 the City Hall and Capitol. On this site a brick Church, 
 fifty by seventy feet, was erected. From a large 
 sycamore tree which threw its refreshing shade over 
 its entrance this was called Sycamore Church. 
 
 Thus began the restoration in Richmond. David 
 S. Burnet came to Richmond soon after this Church 
 was organized. He preached in the County Court- 
 house until the meeting-house was completed and 
 became the first minister of the congregation worshiping 
 in old Sycamore Church. He was succeeded by 
 James Henshall, R. Lindsay Coleman, and others of 
 the sainted dead, whose memory is so carefully treas- 
 ured in the hearts of our Virginia brotherhood. God 
 has blessed their labors. From that little band of 
 sixty-eight members the Gospel has become the power 
 of God unto the salvation of some twenty-five hundred 
 now living in Richmond, besides the many who have 
 come and gone. From this one Church have sprung 
 six congregations. But like the grain of wheat that 
 dies in the bringing forth more abundant fruit, the 
 Sycamore Church is no more. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE DOVER DECREE. 
 
 The events narrated in the last two chapters show 
 that the relations existing in Eastern Virginia between 
 Baptists and those known as reformers were becoming 
 more and more strained. Under the existing condi- 
 tions it needed but the suggestion to launch the Baptist 
 Churches of that section upon a course that savored 
 strongly of the ancient spirit of Romish bulls and 
 interdicts. This suggestion was given in the fall of 
 1832, just before the annual meeting of the Dover 
 Association, by Eli Ball, editor of the Religious Herald, 
 when he pubUshed an editorial in which he advised 
 the necessity of casting out the reformers from the 
 Baptist ranks, at the coming Association. To make 
 the work of ejection doubly sure he advised the packing 
 of the jury for the coming meeting of the Dover Asso- 
 ciation, and admonished the brethren not to send any 
 one as a messenger of the churches who was suspected 
 of having any attachment to the principles of reform. 
 In order to have everything in readiness, so that the 
 time of the association might not be consumed in con- 
 sideration of details, or the object sought be endan- 
 gered by too much open discussion, the Decree was 
 drafted in Richmond by Elder John Kerr, and all 
 the arrangements were made for carrying it into effect 
 before the Association met. 
 
The Dover Decree 85 
 
 The Dover Association of 1832 met at Four-Mile- 
 Creek Baptist Church, Henrico count3^ 
 
 When the Association convened a committee was 
 appointed, in accordance with the custom of such asso- 
 ciations, to receive the letters from the various churches 
 naming their delegates and reporting their general 
 condition. Five of the churches within the bounds 
 of the Association presented a report representing 
 the churches of the Association as in the most dis- 
 tracted and disastrous circumstances, and asking that 
 steps be taken to alleviate the conditions. One 
 member of the committee had the courage to oppose 
 this report before the committee with the six following 
 arguments : — 
 
 1. The report represented the churches as in most 
 distracted and disastrous circumstances; whereas the 
 letters from the churches to the Association repre- 
 sented them as in peace and general harmony. 
 
 2. But if the letters give a false representation, and 
 they were actually as represented in the report, then 
 the^ churches themselves, and not the Association, 
 could take the proper steps to obtain peace. 
 
 3. That it was expressly contrary to the constitu- 
 tion of the Association to interfere with the internal 
 affairs of the churches. 
 
 4. That the member who addressed the committee, 
 though generally acquainted throughout the Associa- 
 tion, knew of no person who maintained the things 
 set forth in the report. 
 
 5. That until the churches were consulted to know 
 what was their wish in the case, it was premature to 
 take any steps upon the request of five churches who 
 alone wished the Association to take up the subject. 
 
86 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 6. That it was unjust to take any final step at the 
 present meeting, because many churches were not 
 represented in it. 
 
 Argument was, however, of no avail. The inevitable 
 crisis was at hand. No ecclesiastical committee 
 determined on proscription was ever more influenced 
 by reason or argument than that committee which 
 reported (with their fingers in their ears) in favor of 
 the stoning of Stephen. 
 
 The Dover Association convened in October, 1832, 
 just fifty-one years to the month after the surrender 
 of Lord Cornwallis in the same district. In the 
 surrender of the latter political liberty was vouchsafed, 
 in the Dover Association religious liberty expired. 
 Without even the form of a trial, which was granted 
 to Christ and Paul by heathen governors, the Dover 
 Asssociation passed the following Decree: — 
 
 *'We, therefore, the assembled ministers and dele- 
 gates of the Dover Association, after much prayerful 
 deliberation, do hereby affectionately recommend to 
 the churches in our connexion to separate from their 
 comn^union all such persons as are promoting contro- 
 versy and discord under the specious name of ''Re- 
 formers." That the line of distinction may be clearly 
 drawn, so that all who are concerned ma}' understand 
 it, we feel it our duty to declare, that, whereas Peter 
 Ain.'=^lie, John Du Val, Matthew W. Webber, Thomas 
 M. Henley, John Richards, and Dudley Atkinson, 
 ministers within the bounds of this Association, have 
 voluntarily assumed the name of ''Reformers," in 
 its party application, by attending a meeting publich^ 
 advertised for that party, and by communing with 
 and otherwise promoting the views of the members 
 
The Dover Decree 87 
 
 of that party, who have been separated from the fellow- 
 ship and coniniunion of Regular Baptist Churches,— - 
 "Resolved, That this Association cannot consistently 
 and conscientiously receive them, nor any other 
 ministers maintaining their views, as members of their 
 body; nor can they in future act in concert with dele- 
 gates from any Church or churches that may encourage 
 or countenance their ministrations." 
 
 In the preamble to this decree there was no one 
 fact or truth of the Christian religion specified which 
 the above brethren were said to deny — no one error 
 stated which they were said to hold. But they were 
 said to differ ''in their views of faith, repentance, 
 regeneration, baptism, the agency of the Holy Spirit, 
 Church government, the Christian ministry, and the 
 whole scheme of Christian benevolence," from those 
 who issued the decree. Regarding these points of 
 difference, Mr. Campbell replied as follows in the 
 Harhinger: 
 
 "The excommunicated brethren, with whom we 
 are proud to fraternize, view "sin" as the transgression 
 of the law; "faith," as the belief of the testimony of 
 God; "repentance," as sorrow for sin; "regeneration," 
 as being born again; "baptism," as an immersion 
 into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Spirit, on confession of faith in Jesus, for the remission 
 of sins; "the agency of the Spirit," as essential to the 
 demonstration of the mission of Jesus, and to our faith 
 in the testimony of God; "Church government," as 
 the government of the Church by the laws of Jesus, 
 executed by the public servants of the Church; "the 
 Christian ministry," as the ministers of Jesus Christ, 
 called and sent by his authority; "the whole scheme 
 of Christian benevolence," as the Church of the living 
 
88 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 God. But such it appears are not the views of John 
 Kerr, who, it is pubhshecl by Eh Ball, had the honor 
 to pen this preamble and decree, nor of those v/ho 
 voted with him in excluding these brethren from 
 what they call the " Kingdom of God." 
 
 The die was cast. Henceforth, within the bounds 
 of the Dover Association the so-called "Reformers" 
 were to be separate and distinct from the Baptists. 
 They had preferred forbearance and peace either to 
 separating themselves from their once acknowledged 
 brethren or to separating the minority of any Church 
 from their communion. They were willing, in the 
 cause of peace, to be known as Baptists, but now they 
 were cast out of that communion; they were still, 
 however, members of the Church of Christ, and as 
 disciples of their excommunicated chief they now 
 took upon themselves the simple name of "Christians" 
 in conformity with Acts 11: 26. This indeed was 
 one of the reforms they had urged as Baptists. They 
 did not assume to be only Christians, but forced to 
 cast off their sectarian or divisional name, and taking 
 the Bible as their guidebook, they became Christians 
 only. As Abram, when called of God, became Abra- 
 ham, Jacob became Israel, and Saul was called Paul, 
 so the "Disciples were called Christians first at An- 
 tioch;" and the reformers in Eastern Virginia were 
 called Christians first by the publication of the Dover 
 Decree. 
 
 Much, however, as the Dover Decree affected the 
 position of the reformers, in the Baptist denomination 
 its results were even more apparent. The adherents 
 
The Dover Decree 89 
 
 of the latter had always been the champions of relig- 
 ious liberty, but they now forfeited their right to this 
 title, and discord, ever the result of extreme restric- 
 tion upon a liberty-loving people, reigned in their 
 ranks. In order to show some of the results of this 
 Decree, as also the spirit of the times that made its 
 promulgation possible, we may well notice two in- 
 stances out of the many that were directly attributable 
 to this proscription. The first records its effect upon 
 an individual congregation, the second is simply an 
 account of the Dover Association of the following 
 year, 1833. 
 
 In the Baptist Church at Petersburg, in 1833, the 
 pastor, Mr. Valentine Mason, offered two resolutions, 
 the first to prevent Alexander Campbell and others 
 (his adherents) from being permitted to preach in that 
 Church; the second, to approve of the Dover Decree. 
 In consequence of these resolutions and the attendant 
 stir over them, three brethren, H. J. Anson, A. Pond, 
 and A. Johnson, fell into disrepute. On March 4 Mr. 
 Mason, the pastor, came to Bro. Anson to have a friend- 
 ly conversation, in the course of which he acknowledged 
 his wrong in having the resolutions passed, and asked 
 Mr. Anson on what terms he would come back to work 
 in the Church. The reply was, ''On the New Testa- 
 ment." This met with the approbation of the pastor, 
 and a Church meeting was called for the following 
 Saturday night, at which the former resolutions were 
 rescinded, not, however, without considerable oppo- 
 sition. Mr. Anson then made an effort to return into 
 
90 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 the Church, but this was not effected. On the follow- 
 ing Sunday night Mr. Mason announced to his congre- 
 gation that he would leave that Church and the Baptist 
 denomination, and on the next night would publicly 
 give his reasons for so doing. After he had dismissed 
 some of his members prevailed upon him not to do so 
 for another week, to which he consented. The Church 
 then called a council of ministers, consisting of Messrs. 
 Ball, Kerr and Taylor, Mr. Mason also being present, 
 and a Church meeting was held, Mr. Kerr presiding. 
 The pastoral question was discussed. Mr. Mason 
 stated that he was at a loss how to act in order to unite 
 the Church; that ''in attempting to restore to the 
 Church one party, there were others who said they 
 would leave the Church, and thus he was — knowing 
 not what to do — almost crazy." Mr. Kerr then made 
 an apology for his situation. A motion was made to 
 forgive the pastor, which was accordingly done. He 
 was next restored to the pastoral charge of the Church 
 and the following resolutions offered: 
 
 ''Whereas this Church has been unfortunately 
 thrown into disorder and strife by certain persons 
 who have assumed the name of reformers, and who 
 approve and support the leading sentiments of Alex- 
 ander Campbell: 
 
 "Resolved, That we, as a Church, cannot retain or 
 receive into our fellowship any such persons, nor will 
 we commune at the Lord's Table with them, nor will 
 we receive into our pulpit any persons who shall 
 privately or publicly approve, countenance, or en- 
 courage said sentiments. 
 
 "And be it further resolved, Having suffered sorely 
 the painful effects of CampbelHsm, and having delibe- 
 
The Dover Decree 91 
 
 rately and solemnly adopted the above resolution, we 
 hereby pledge ourselves, individually and collectively, 
 to carry it into full operation; and it shall be deemed a 
 forfeiture of our fellowship for any member to move to 
 suspend or rescind it." 
 
 Mr. Mason was the first one to address the meeting 
 in favor of the passage of the above resolutions, which 
 would have made Roger Williams blush for shame. 
 He was again satisfied, from what Mr. Kerr had told 
 him, that the Dover Decree was right, and that it was 
 passed by that body constitutionally; and now he was 
 in favor of abiding b}^ it. Mr. Ball next advocated the 
 passage of the resolutions. He spoke much against 
 the Christian Baptist and the Harbinger; and as for the 
 new translation of the New Testament, — 'Hhat black 
 thing," especially the prefaces to the books (written 
 by Mr. Campbell) — ''could you but see it," (raising 
 his hand and pausing) "Unitarianism!" A member 
 of the church, then arose and said he could not vote for 
 the resolution; he had heard Mr. Ainslie preach, and 
 believed that he preached the Gospel; therefore, he 
 was unwilling to become the means of preventing him- 
 self and other members from hearing him and such 
 like men preach; at any rate, he wished to hear and 
 judge for himself. 
 
 The Moderator (Mr. Kerr) next arose, and highly 
 complimented the member for his candor. He then 
 explained the intention of the resolution to mean the 
 exclusion of all who should be opposed to its adoption, 
 and who would not be satisfied with it after it was 
 adopted. He also advised the members not to read 
 
92 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 the Harbinger, saying, ''It is necessar}^, however, that 
 I should read it, I being a watchman on the walls of 
 Zion, and therefore I take it regularly." Mr. Ball also 
 remarked, ''The Harbinger comes to my offce as an 
 exchange paper, and I read it because I hate it." 
 These are certainly two unique reasons for reading a 
 religious paper. The resolutions were finally passed, 
 with three dissenting votes, and these three were forth- 
 with dismissed from fellowship. 
 
 The second illustration of the results of the Dover 
 proscription is found, as before stated, in the proceed- 
 ings of the Dover Association of 1833, and bears more 
 of the stamp of the ridiculous than of the harmful. 
 The Association convened at Williamsburg in October. 
 Andrew Broaddus presided, but his situation was a 
 rather unhappy one as Moderator of a vast ecclesias- 
 tical body which, like all humanly devised machinery, 
 had no sympathetic feeling, no bowels of mercy. The 
 lion that he had been prodding for several years had at 
 last been roused from its lair, and now this self-styled 
 keeper of the faith found difficulty in restraining the 
 great dogmatic beast. The first item of business was 
 the reading, by request, of the Decree of the previous 
 year, denouncing six of the most worthy men in Vir- 
 ginia, together with all Baptists or churches who would 
 deign to offer them a cup of cold water, or even listen 
 to the Gospel from their lips. Immediately after the 
 reading several speakers arose and gave it as their 
 opinion that, according to the form and spirit of the 
 resolutions, several churches, who, they understood, 
 remonstrated in their letters to this Association against 
 
The Dover Decree 93 
 
 the unconstitutionality of last year's action, were cut 
 off from the Association and had no right to representa- 
 tion. But as the letters lay unopened at this time 
 upon the table in an undistinguishable mass, it would 
 be difficult to determine which of them should be con- 
 signed to the flames, and which of their bearers should 
 be ecclesiastically decapitated. Various suggestions 
 were offered, and in the multitude of counsel there 
 might have been found the desired safety, had not one 
 of the party, who, presumably, had not been present 
 with the lobbyists in their pre-breakfast council, asked 
 whether the Association could attend to any business 
 before the letters were read, as they contained the ele- 
 ments of which the body was to be organized. Both 
 Moderator and moderated were much perplexed. The 
 Chair was disconcerted by such a rational suggestion. 
 and the movers and the moved dismayed. The Mod- 
 erator seems to have forgotten the plan laid down before 
 breakfast that morning at the Raleigh Tavern, and he 
 unwittingly threw himself between the lines. Thus ex- 
 posed to opposing fires, nothing but his great tenacity 
 of purpose and the exhibition of much excitement en- 
 abled him to decide that, the old Moderator and Clerk 
 being present, the Association could pass resolutions if 
 they desired. Just at this point a lawyer, suspected of 
 heresy, moved that all doubtful letters be laid on the 
 table until the others were read, after which they could 
 have a hearing and their destinies be decided. This 
 was well approved, but the Moderator, in stating it, 
 discovered a new difficulty. He could not see how the 
 body, not now organized, could by motion control its 
 
94 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 proceedings subsequent to organization; and he cur- 
 tailed the resokition accordingly by striking out the 
 last clause, and in this form it was finally carried. The 
 desired end of all this quibbling and squabbUng was to 
 obtain parliamentary law that would justify actions 
 which could not be justified by common sense or the 
 Spirit of Christ. About ten churches were eventually 
 excluded from the Association, or turned over to the 
 mercies of inquisitorial special committee torture, at 
 whose hands they could be reinstated to fellowship with 
 the Association by recanting and dismissing the here- 
 tics from their midst. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 ORGANIZATION AND PROGRESS. 
 
 The publication of the Dover Decree gave a forward 
 impetus to the movement for the restoration of the 
 principles and practices of the Apostles, in Eastern Vir- 
 ginia. It was a confession of the inability of Baptists' 
 principles to hold their own members. Bro. Peter 
 Ainslie was employed by the Christian churches of the 
 Tidewater District in the fall of 1832 to act as general 
 evangelist of Eastern Virginia. He was to set the 
 churches in order and organize new congregations 
 wherever possible. Bro. William Bootwright, of Rich- 
 mond, was appointed to receive contributions both 
 from the churches and from individuals for the support 
 of Bro. Ainslie. who did excellent work in this capacity 
 up to the time of his death, which occurred in LSSo. 
 The year 1833 marked a rapid advance in the history 
 of the restoration. New congregations were organ- 
 ized at Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Lower and Upper 
 College Church, in King William county; also one in 
 Mangohick district, one in Essex and one in Caroline 
 county, and a union church from the old Bruington 
 congregation. Several of these were entirely new con- 
 gregations, while others were formed by expulsion from 
 the Baptists. 
 
 At Fredericksburg a party of Calvinists became dis- 
 affected at the views held by thirteen of the members 
 of the Baptist Church at that place. They accordingly 
 
96 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 drew aloof and declared themselves to be the Church 
 and the others schismatics. They then invited P. Mon- 
 tague, A. W. Clopton, John Kerr and others to come 
 and act as a council to decide matters, and the result 
 was three resolutions, as follow^s: 1, declaring non-fel- 
 lowship w^th Alexander Campbell; 2, declaring non- 
 fellowship with all who held him in fellowship; and, 3, 
 making it unlawful to invite into the pulpit any 
 preacher holding the sentiments advanced by Mr. Camp- 
 bell. The result was a new congregation of Christians 
 only at Fredericksburg, and by the winter of 1833 they 
 had erected a neat and commodious brick meeting-house 
 on the ground on which the old theatre had stood. This 
 cost $2,500, and all but $500 of the amount was raised 
 during that year. This congregation started with fif- 
 teen members, and in one year had increased to thirty- 
 six. 
 
 In April, 1833, the first general attempt at a co-op- 
 erative meeting in Eastern Virginia was made. This 
 meeting was held at Acquintain Church, in King Wil- 
 liam county, and lasted from Friday till Monday after- 
 noon. About sixteen proclaimers of the Gospel were 
 present, and the greater part of them addressed the as- 
 semblage. About seven hundred disciples of Jesus 
 broke bread on the Lord's Day. The scene was very 
 impressive, not to say unusual. They were neither 
 open nor close communionists ; the}' sought not to usurp 
 the authority of the Lord at his table, nor did they sit 
 in judgment one on another to decide each other's fit- 
 ness to partake. The table was the Lord's; Let 
 every man examine himself, and so let him eat, and so 
 
Organization and Progress 97 
 
 let him drink. The simplicit}^ and liarniony that 
 prevailed among the disciples on this occasion was 
 marked by all present. They had agreed to walk in 
 the light of God's word and be guided by it alone, thus 
 were untroubled by the thought that some one might 
 stand up in their midst and by Scriptural quotation 
 overthrow some of the foundation stones of their faith. 
 For many years Associations and Conventions of the 
 religious bodies of Eastern Virginia had been the scenes 
 of turmoil and dissent. They had been lorded over by 
 ecclesiastical popes, and their records were filled with 
 by-laws and decrees. The present instance was a nota- 
 ble exception, the beginning of a new order of things. 
 No laws or regulations, constitution or decrees, were 
 enacted. The Bible settled all disputes if any arose. 
 They walked in the freedom of the truth and were 
 free indeed. The right of free speech was granted 
 to all as far as time would permit. In short, the 
 gathering was a practical exhibition of the princi- 
 ples for which the disciples of Christ contended, 
 in doctrine, regulations, unity, peace, hospitality, 
 preaching, decorum, spirituality, forbearance, liberty 
 and love. It was such as might be expected to 
 result from a close study and application of the Word 
 of God. Not that all were perfect, but they had sub- 
 mitted themselves to a perfect system rather than be 
 governed by a human, and therefore an imperfect one. 
 This meeting, being the first general attempt at co- 
 operation, is worthy of a more extensive notice, but 
 details of it are meagre. The time was occupied mainly 
 with sermons from the various preachers present. The 
 7 
 
98 The Plea and the Pioneei^s in Virginia 
 
 salvation of souls was not lost sight of, and several made 
 the good confession. One old brother by the name of 
 Short, sixty-five years of age, trembling in limb and 
 with feeble voice, exhorted the brethren in simplicity 
 and godly sincerity. He said he felt for his Baptist 
 brethren, having himself lived so long under the sys- 
 tems of men. He was now resolved to die in the ser- 
 vice of his Tvord and King. As a result of the meeting, 
 Bro. Peter Ainslie agreed to continue his work as evan- 
 gelist. Many urgent appeals were received and read 
 from all over the State, asking that the ancient Gospel 
 might be preached in the communities represented. 
 The meeting adjourned to meet in Richmond, in Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 Closely connected with the "Organization and Prog- 
 ress" of the work in the Tidewater district is the history 
 of what is now known as Olive Branch Church. This 
 congregation is one of the oldest in that district, and 
 its origin is so largely due to the actions of the Dover 
 Association of 1833, mentioned in the last chapter, that 
 we record it here. 
 
 In 1830 Mrs. Catharine Norville Henley, then living 
 in James City county, after a careful study of the Scrip- 
 tures, and some conversation with Thomas M. Henley, 
 became convinced of the divine origin of the Christian 
 rehgion, and desired to be baptized. Her husband, 
 who was a brother of T. M. Henley, and, like him, 
 had been reared an Episcopalian, gave reluctant con- 
 sent, and wrote for his brother to come and baptize her. 
 Following the baptism, Bro. Thomas Henley conducted 
 prayer-meeting in her home, and her brother, G. B. 
 
Organization and Progress 99 
 
 Lightfoot, together with E. R. Coke, obeyed Christ. 
 These three began to hold meetings in an unoccupied 
 house, and regularly observed the Lord's Supper. 
 They were soon joined by others, among whom were 
 some Baptists who had settled in the neighborhood 
 and had no church home nearer than Williamsburg. 
 Bro. R. H. Whitaker, Sr., whom A. Campbell called the 
 "Indefatigable Brother Whitaker," used to come nearly 
 twenty miles to meet with them. At this time, which 
 was previous to the publication of the Dover Decree, 
 this was a Baptist Church, although held in suspicion 
 by the regular orthodox Baptists. 
 
 The passage of the Dover Decree did not suit the 
 liberal views of these disciples of Jesus, but they waited 
 patiently for the proper time to arrive in which to ex- 
 press their disapprobation. Accordingly, in October, 
 1833, they sent Brethren Robert Morris, Wm. Jones, 
 and John Ratcliffe as messengers to the Association 
 meeting at Williamsburg with the following letter: 
 
 '' James City Church to the Dover Association to be 
 held at Zion's Church in the city of Williamsburg on 
 the 2Uh inst., sendeth Christian salutations. 
 
 ''Dear Brethren: — We thank our Heavenly Father 
 that His providential care has been over us through 
 the changing scenes of another year, and that we are 
 once more permitted to correspond w4th you by letter 
 and delegates. Though we have nothing very remark- 
 able to state, we can say that an unusual degree of love 
 and union exists among us, having gotten over the dis- 
 cord and prejudice which were caused by the proceed- 
 ings of the last association. We have chosen Brethren 
 
100 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Robert Morris, William M. Jones and John Ratcliffe to 
 sit with you in your deliberations, whom we unani- 
 mously instruct to use all the influence which they 
 are capable of using to rescind those resolutions passed 
 by the last Association in relation to the exclusion of 
 Brethren Ainslie, DuVal, Richards, Webber, Henley 
 and Atkinson, the most of whom we are personally 
 acquainted with, and whom we hold near and dear to 
 us, and have often heard them preach, and do not be- 
 lieve THAT THEY TEACH DOCTRINES EITHER DEMORALIZ- 
 ING OR disorganizing; and therefore we pray that you 
 may reconsider the matter. And they are also in- 
 structed to cause you, if possible, to revoke the resolu- 
 tion which sa3^s "that this Association cannot con- 
 sistent! 3^ and conscientiously receive them, nor any 
 other minister maintaining their views, as members of 
 their body; nor can it in the future act in concert with 
 delegates from any church or churches that may en- 
 courage or countenance their ministrations." Brethren, 
 we do not think that difference of opinion should be a 
 bar to fellowship; and as to the ministrations of the 
 above named brethren, we trust we shall never in the 
 slightest degree discourage or discountenance, so long 
 as they teach what we have heard fi'om them. We 
 will now close by giving the number, etc. 
 
 "May the Lord be with you and direct you by His 
 word in the path of truth unto the end. 
 
 "Signed, by oj-der of the Church, 
 
 "John Ratcliffe, Clerk." 
 
 This was one of the letters that were laid aside on 
 suspicion at the Dover Association, as mentioned in the 
 last chapter, and when opened and read, the odium of 
 forgery was deliberately cast upon Bro. Ratcliffe. 
 Upon the return and report of the delegates to the 
 
Organization and Progress 101 
 
 church the letter was compared with that entered upon 
 the church record, and found to be Hke it in every par- 
 ticular. The congregation, then, by a unanimous vote, 
 declared that the above letter had been written accord- 
 ing to the instructions of the church, that it was the 
 church letter, and that, therefore, their delegate could 
 not, in the slightest degree, be charged with forgery or 
 improper conduct in relation thereto. 
 
 Bro. George B. Lightfoot then moved ''that the 
 Church do now withdraw from the Association. ' ' Four- 
 teen members withdrew and six thought it best to re- 
 main with the Association. This was the beginning of a 
 growing church. The present Olive Branch m.eeting- 
 house was built in 1845. Sister Henley continued her 
 earnest labors for this church until her death. She 
 lived to see her husband submit to the yoke of the lowly 
 Nazarene, as also many of her friends. 
 
 During the months of September and October, 1833, 
 Bro, D. S. Burnet, who was then preaching at Syca- 
 more Church, Richmond, made a preaching tour 
 through about a dozen of the counties between there 
 and the bay coast. He baptized about sixty penitents 
 and did great good by his simple yet powerful presenta- 
 tion of the Gospel. In Norfolk he preached in the 
 court-house to large audiences, and great interest was 
 manifested, insomuch that the members of the Bap- 
 tist Church at that place voted down, by a large ma- 
 jority, a series of proscriptive resolutions submitted 
 and pleaded for by their pastor. He arrived at Wil- 
 liamsburg about the time of the session of the Associa- 
 tion, and preached in the court-house. At the request 
 
102 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 of a number of citizens he preached twice each day 
 throughout the week. Such was the interest that the 
 house at no service could hold all who came. The re- 
 sult of this tour was to correct many of the misrepre- 
 sentations that had been made concerning the teaching 
 of Mr. Campbell and his co-workers. Bro. Burnet 
 returned to Richmond in due time to be present at the 
 co-operative meeting, along with the Campbells and 
 other leading brethren. 
 
 On October 4, 1833, Alexander Campbell, together 
 with his father and son, also Dr. B. F. Hall, Robert Y. 
 Henley, and M. L. Henley, left Bethany on a tour to 
 Eastern Virginia, to be in attendance at the co-operative 
 meeting to be held in Richmond, October 25, 26 and 27. 
 Passing safely over the mountains, they arrived in Fred- 
 ericksburg Saturday, October 12. Their announce- 
 ment had not arrived there, and therefore their coming 
 was unexpected. Bro. Ainslie, who happened to be in 
 town, preached to a small audience that night. On 
 Sunday A. Campbell preached in the morning, Thomas 
 Campbell in the afternoon, and Dr. Hall at night. 
 They remained there over Monday and preached to 
 large congregations. One lady was immersed in the 
 Rappahannock river. From Fredericksburg the}^ pro- 
 ceeded to the "Bowling Green," in Carohne county, 
 Vv^here they preached in Antioch Church. This congrega- 
 tion was a new one that arose out of the world by the 
 instrumentality of the old Gospel, and never was con- 
 nected with the Baptists. They then numbered about 
 forty members, and had built a commodious brick 
 meeting-house, thirty-two by forty feet in size, a little 
 
Organization and Pi^ogress 103 
 
 below the present Bowling Green. Bro. Ainslie oc- 
 casionally preached for them at that time. From here 
 the party proceeded fourteen miles to Newton, King 
 and Queen county, where they preached to an atten- 
 tive congregation in the yard adjoining the home of 
 Bro. Lee Roy Boulware. A congregation had been 
 recently organized there, and at the time of this visit 
 several had been added and some seven or eight hundred 
 dollars raised for the erection of a meeting-house, which 
 was built the following summer, and was known as 
 Old Horeb. This church prospered until the war broke 
 out, but the house is now gone and but few live to tell 
 of its former days. At the home of Bro. T. M. Henley 
 the brethren next proclaimed the Gospel, and here they 
 tarried three days, preaching also at Rappahannock 
 and Smyrna Churches. At both of these places the 
 brethren had recently erected neat and commodious 
 brick buildings. The party from there pushed on to 
 Richmond, preaching on the way at Aquintain and 
 Bethesda. This latter congregation was formerly a 
 part of the old Black Creek Baptist Church, which had 
 two places of meeting. When they separated they 
 divided the spoils, and this meeting-house became the 
 property of about one hundred Christians constituting 
 Bethesda Church. This was located about ten miles 
 from Richmond, and here the party was joined by Bro. 
 Burnet. They proceeded to the home of Bro. Curtis 
 Carter, some four miles from the city, and the next 
 evening arrived in Richmond. 
 
 By previous appointment Bro. A. Campbell preached 
 the ni2:ht before the convention opened. His thoughts 
 
104 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 were introductor}^ to the object of the meeting to be 
 commenced the next day. He spoke of God's com- 
 munications to men — the variet}^ of messages He had 
 sent — the persons by whom sent — the manner in 
 which He had spoken to men — the intelhgibihty of 
 His addresses — their suitableness to our condition — 
 and, above all, the profound reverence with which 
 his last communication to men by his Son should 
 be regarded. 
 
 Next morning the meeting was opened with an 
 address by Father Campbell. Two sermons were 
 preached each day by such able men as Dr. Hall, Dr. 
 DuVal, Brethren Burnet, Ainslie, and Albert Anderson, 
 of Spottsylvania. There were from one to two sessions 
 each day of the brethren representing the different 
 congregations, to hear the history of the progress of 
 the cause in their respective vicinities. Representa- 
 tives of sixteen congregations were present. These 
 congregations were scattered over a district of country 
 running from Fredericksburg to the Seaboard. The 
 account from these churches was not sufficiently de- 
 tailed to give a full view of their labors, nor were six 
 or seven churches in the same district which were 
 known to have recently throw ofT the yoke of human 
 authority heard from at all. 
 
 The congregations represented constituted about 
 twelve hundred disciples, and seemed generally awaking 
 to the importance of giving more liberally of their 
 means in order that more laborers might be put into the 
 field to proclaim the ancient gospel. In this region 
 there were about fourteen proclaimers of the Word, 
 
Organization and Progress 105 
 
 but few of whom spent their entire time in the work. 
 Bro. Ainslie, who, for the past eighteen months, had 
 been the only laborer constantly in the field, found the 
 field too large, and but little could be effected in the 
 way of organization by labors scattered over such a 
 territory. 
 
 Bro. D. S. Burnet, whose preaching tour had been 
 productive of so much good, was importuned to take 
 up steady work in the field, but for some reason did 
 not do so. 
 
 This meeting was very beneficial in cultivating the 
 spirit of unity and interdependence among the churches. 
 During its progress twenty-five persons w^ere added 
 to the Sycamore Church — sixteen by primary obedience 
 and nine from the Baptist churches of Richmond and 
 vicinity. 
 
 After the close of the meeting in Richmond, Father 
 Campbell and Dr. Hall departed for North Carolina. 
 A. Campbell continued preaching in Richmond for a 
 few days, and then started for Amelia county, where 
 was to be held a gathering of the disciples of that 
 district.* He stopped first at Deep Run Church, about 
 twelve miles from Richmond, with Bro. DuVal. This 
 Church had long been in a state of fermentation, a 
 majority being in favor of reformation. Mr. Ball was 
 the pastor there, and during the meeting at Richmond 
 he had held a four days' opposition meeting at Deep 
 Run, which passed off without a single convert. Pre- 
 viously to Mr. Campbell's visit to this Church a com- 
 mittee, under the auspices of Mr. Ball, had waited 
 upon all the members who read the Harbinger, to lay 
 
106 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 before them the danger and iniquity of reading that 
 ' 'pernicious and infidel pubHcation," (the exact words 
 used). Mr. Ball also supplicated and exhorted, and 
 even commanded the Church not to hear Mr. Campbell 
 preach. He said it would hurt his feelings if they 
 went to hear him. Without knowledge of these 
 circumstances, Mr. Campbell preached on I John, 4 — 
 '^Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.'' Mr. 
 Ball's faithful servants obeyed orders and stayed at 
 home, but a good audience was present notwithstand- 
 ing. 
 
 About six months after this the Regulars drew up 
 certain resolutions against the Harbinger and requested 
 all members of the Church to sign them. All who 
 refused they turned out of the Church. Thus the 
 majority, who had long refused to take any action 
 against the minority, were turned out by the minority. 
 Aided by Bro. Ainslie, they organized a Christian 
 church of seventeen members, and were soon joined 
 by others. 
 
 Bro. Campbell proceeded from Dry Run to the home 
 of Bro. Pascal L. Townes, in Amelia, and from there 
 to Bro. Jeter's, at Paine ville, where the meeting was held 
 in an old free church erected by the Church of Eng- 
 land in colonial times. This building had been seized 
 after the Revolutionary War by the Commonwealth, 
 and made free for all parties. During the three days' 
 meeting there, four were baptized. 
 
 From Amelia they returned to Richmond, visiting 
 on the way several points in Goochland and Powhatan 
 counties. Most of the preaching through this section 
 
Organization and Progress 107 
 
 was done in private houses or in. the open air. On 
 Wednesday morning, November 13, at dawn, they 
 boarded the steamer Patrick Henry and went down the 
 James to Jamestown. While on their way to the 
 steamer they beheld the wonderful meteoric shower 
 of 1833. Writing of this event, Mr. Campbell said: 
 "It literally rained meteors for some hours before day, 
 and about six o'clock in the morning the scene was 
 beautiful and subHme beyond description." Leaving 
 Jamestown they journeyed by land, preaching as they 
 went at Williamsburg, Yorktown and Hampton. At 
 Norfolk the party were joined by Father Campbell and 
 Dr. Hall, who had been making a tour of North Caro- 
 lina. 
 
 The work in Norfolk began in the spring of 1832, when 
 J. R. McCall held a meeting in the Baptist Church, 
 which lasted six weeks and resulted in many conver- 
 sions. Mr. McCall was in sympathy with the restora- 
 tion in its attitude against human creeds, but he could 
 not agree with the reformers concerning the operation 
 of the Holy Spirit. While in Norfolk he used the 
 mourners' bench, but, notwithstanding this fact, some 
 branded him as a ''Campbellite." He left Virginia soon 
 afterward and went to Mississippi. In the summer 
 of 1833 Dr. Hall proclaimed the Word with general 
 acceptance in the Baptist Church. Bro. Burnet 
 preached a few discourses in the court-house while on 
 his preaching tour in September of the same year, and 
 such was his influence that the members of the Baptist 
 Church voted down the series of resolutions submitted 
 
108 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 and pleaded for by their pastor, Mr. HowelL as already 
 mentioned. 
 
 When Mr. Campbell and his party arrived in Norfolk 
 they found that Mr. Howell's party had already been at 
 work, and arranged for other meetings in the court-house 
 on Lord's Day. Mr. Campbell spoke in the court-house 
 on Saturday evening. Sunday morning they crossed 
 over to Portsmouth and preached, and in the after- 
 noon again made use of the court-house in Norfolk, 
 The reformation gained many friends and adherents at 
 this time, although some years passed before a dis- 
 tinct work was organized in Norfolk. On Monday 
 morning Mr. Campbell and his party left Virginia for 
 Maryland and the North. 
 
 The year 1833 marks the thorough establishment of 
 the restoration in Virginia. Truly it was a fruitful 
 season. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DEFECTION OF DR. THOMAS. 
 
 In the summer of 1834 occurred a schism in the ranks 
 that seemed for a time Ukely to become a great hin- 
 drance to the work. Dr. John Thomas was an EngUsh- 
 man by birth, and had come to this country a few 
 years before. He was well educated, being an M. D., 
 and was also well versed in theology. We will let 
 his own words tell the story of his uniting with the 
 reformers : 
 
 "When at sea" (on his way to America, beating on 
 the sands of Sable Island in imminent peril of ship- 
 wreck) ''and surrounded by the subjects of despair, 
 my vow ascended to Heaven that if ever I was per- 
 mitted to set foot on terra firma, I would not rest 
 until I found the true religion. Circumstances led me 
 to Cincinnati. I set out upon a tour of the religious 
 houses of that city. I went first to the Baptist Church, 
 under the superintendence of W. Ljmd. The food 
 was husky; I could by no means swallow it. I next 
 heard Bro. Challen. I shall not attempt to describe 
 the satisfaction I experienced in listening to his address. 
 They said he was a ''Campbellite." I had never 
 heard of such ites as these in England, though I remem- 
 bered a caution 1 once received from a Baptist preacher 
 in New York to beware of Campbellism. You know 
 I am of rather an independent turn; in fact, I once 
 belonged to the Independents, and therefore the name 
 had no terrors for me. 
 
 ''But, thought I, if what I have heard be Camp- 
 bellism, it is one of the most delightful, scriptural. 
 
1 10 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 intelligible isms I ever lieard dpfended. I determined 
 to hear it again. In the meantime, Bro. Scott encoun- 
 tered me and baptized me, not into your ism, but into 
 Christ, and thus I became a Christian, and found at 
 last the true religion." 
 
 Soon afterward Dr. Thomas moved to Philadelphia 
 and began the pubhcation of ''7'/ie Apostolic Advocate/' 
 a monthl}' periodical devoted to the interests of the 
 restoration of primitive Christianity. 
 
 He subsequently made a few evangelizing tours in 
 Virginia, and was called to the charge of the Sycamore 
 Church, Richmond, in 1835. Late in the summer of 
 the same year he began to practice and advocate the 
 reimmersion of all who came from the Baptists, and 
 soon had reimmersed three deacons and several mem- 
 bers of Sycamore Church. Bro. Albert Anderson, an 
 earnest preacher of primitive Christianity, was also 
 reimmersed. Bro. Campbell clearly demonstrated the 
 uselessness of the act, but owing to the times he de- 
 clined to enter into a discussion with Dr. Thomas, 
 through their respective papers, on so unimportant 
 a matter. He felt that such a discussion would give 
 too much publicity to the defection, and preferred to 
 put it off for the time. 
 
 It was intimated by the Baptists in Richmond that 
 A. Campbell winked at errors in a reformer that would 
 be openly rebuked in an alien. Mr. Campbell then 
 in a lengthy article and kindly manner set forth the 
 errors of Dr. Thomas. In conclusion he said: ''There 
 are but few brethren of whose reasonings and views 
 I could speak so freely; whose errors or mistakes — (Oh! 
 
Dejection of Dr. Thomas HI 
 
 lliat I had a softer name!)— 1 could notice with more 
 freedom and more hopes of success. To him I need 
 offer no apology. He is but a stripling in the kingdom, 
 a bold and courageous champion; but, like other young 
 converts of a noble ambition, he aspires to outstrip 
 himself and his years. There are few, j^erhaps none, 
 who would dare to be more faithful in such a matter 
 than himself, if he were as old as I am and I as young 
 as he." This consideration of his views, however, did 
 not serve to turn Dr. Thomas. He had gained a few 
 followers. He envied Mr. Campbell's position and 
 power, as will be shown more fully in the development 
 of his later actions. He began to drift rapidly into 
 the realm of speculation. He entered upon an investi- 
 gation of the Scriptures concerning the soul, and soon 
 built up a set of doctrines and speculation that seem at 
 best to be but a species of Sadduceeism revamped. The 
 following brief statement of doctrine will set forth his 
 principal views and better enable us to understand the 
 nature of the schism and later events connected with it. 
 He held to the fundamental doctrines advanced by 
 Mr. Campbell, but added to them the following: 
 
 1 _The soul is the breath of hfe and dies with the 
 body. 
 
 2. — In the resurrection, both soul and body will be 
 raised and stand before the judgment seat of Christ; 
 between death and the resurrection the soul sleeps, is 
 not active or conscious. 
 
 3. — In the resurrection all arise and judgment is 
 pronounced, the wicked will be totally annihilated, 
 and the righteous remain forever \\nth God. Thus the 
 resurrection and eternal life are for the righteous only. 
 
112 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 These views \yere not set forth in the form of a creed, 
 but were preached by Dr. Thomas and his co-laborers. 
 The above is but a brief statement of them as they are 
 proclaimed by the Doctor's followers, now known as 
 the Christ adelphians. 
 
 In the fall of 1838 Alexander Campbell visited 
 Charlottesville and Richmond. While he was preach- 
 ing in these places, Dr. Thomas published and circu- 
 lated a pamphlet setting forth his speculations. On 
 seeing it, Mr. Campbell immediately started for Paine- 
 ville, Amelia county, where the Doctor then lived, 
 for the purpose of exposing its sophistries in the 
 presence of the author and his friends. He left it to 
 them to choose the way, and they decided upon a pubhc 
 discussion, which was held in their meeting-house. 
 Before they commenced Mr. Campbell objected to any 
 publication of the conference, on account of the 
 scandal to the cause of reformation which he appre- 
 hended from the publication of his exposure of the 
 Doctor's views and arguments, the Doctor being at 
 that time a member of the Christian Church and a 
 leader in the reformation. Mr. Campbell then occu- 
 pied about ten hours in exposing some of the leading 
 fallacies of Dr. Thomias as set forth in his pamphlet. 
 He regarded the Doctor not only as a brother, but 
 also as a fellow-laborer in the reformation, but so 
 clearly did he show the sophistries of his positions that 
 the brethren, desirous of saving the Doctor from further 
 humiUation, and being fully satisfied with the discus- 
 sion, interposed and proposed to settle the difference 
 some other wav. They proposed reconciliation on 
 
Dejection of Dr. Thomas 113 
 
 the broad principles of Christian forbearance and 
 forgiveness. Mr. Campbell, believing that they were 
 fully satisfied with the developments made, and that 
 Dr. Thomas was truly humbled and desirous of a 
 restoration of Christian harmony and co-operation, 
 responded that he was ready to hear such propositions 
 as they might deem expedient to offer. It was accord- 
 ingly left to the brethren to say what ought to be done. 
 A council was organized consisting of twenty-three 
 members, representing both sides. They sat some 
 hours, and finally reported the following resolution, 
 signed by them all: 
 
 "We, the undersigned brethren, in free consultation, 
 rnet at the house of Bro. John Tinsley Jeter, at Paine- 
 ville, and, after frankly comparing our views, unani- 
 mously agreed upon the resolution subjoined, and 
 submitted the same for the consideration of Brethren 
 Campbell and Thomas; and Brother Thomas agreeing 
 to abide by the same, all difficulties were adjusted, and 
 perfect harmony and co-operation mutually agreed 
 upon between them. 
 
 "Resolved, That whereas certain things believed 
 and propagated by Dr. Thomas in relation to the 
 mortality of man, the resurrection of the dead, and 
 the final destiny of the wicked, having given offence 
 to many brethren, and being likely to produce a divi- 
 sion amongst us, and believing the said views to be 
 of no practical benefit, we recommend to Bro. Thomas 
 to discontinue the discussion of the same, unless in 
 his defense when misrepresented. 
 
 ''Paineville, Amelia Co., Va., November ]o, 1838. 
 
 Signed by ''Council of twenty-three." 
 
114 The Pica and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Dr. Thomas promptly asquiesced in this resohition, 
 and a reconciliation between him and Mr. Campbell 
 took place. The following morning Mr. Campbell 
 noticed the much dejected and humbled air of the 
 Doctor, and in most cordial sympathy asked him 
 to draw up such a statement of the affair as would 
 place the whole matter of their interview fairly on 
 record, and without waiting to see it he (Mr. Camp- 
 bell) would write his publisher to copy it in the Millen- 
 nial Harbinger wdthout note or comment. 
 
 Mr. Campbell, being away much of the time, did not 
 see the Doctor's account for some four months. It 
 was a month after the interview before the Doctor 
 published the account in his own paper. During this 
 time he seems to have conferred with flesh and blood. 
 The resolution and preamble were correct, the rest was 
 mainly a defense of the principles he had preached. 
 Thus in the very annunciation of the covenant it was 
 broken. Mr. Campbell decided not to answer this, but 
 to wait for a time to see what the Doctor would do. 
 
 Meantime the latter left Virginia and settled in 
 Illinois, where he immediately began again to propagate 
 his views. Mr. Campbell noticed the effect of these 
 views in Virginia through the Harbinger, in order to 
 warn the brethren in Illinois. Then the Doctor pub- 
 lished with his Investigator an extra filled with asper- 
 sions and calumnies. He tried to show that every 
 movement of Mr. Campbell's for the past three years 
 was but a settled opposition to his rising claims and 
 merits. The refusal of Mr. Campbell to publish the 
 interview in Amelia was, said he, a clear demonstration 
 
Dejection of Dr. Thomas 115 
 
 of Mr. Campbell's jealousy of his transcendent powers. 
 He impeached Mr. Campbell as aiming at a lordship 
 over the Christian communities, because the latter had 
 warned them against the untaught and skeptical 
 c|uestions advocated by the Doctor. 
 
 The following letter, published in the Harbinger from 
 Dr. Thomas' home Church in Philadelphia, shows more 
 clearly than anything we can now write the spirit 
 shown by both parties: 
 
 ''Philadelphia. December 24, 1837. 
 ^^ Beloved Brother Caviphell: 
 
 ''Favor and peace be nmltiplied to you, through 
 the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 
 
 "The Church of Christ, meeting at Pear street 
 (formerly Bank street), Philadelphia, having in com- 
 mon with you long mourned over the aberrations and 
 speculatiA'e wanderings of the Editor of the Apostolic 
 Advocate, have come to the painful yet imperative 
 conclusion that further forbearance, or silence, may 
 be construed into a tacit acknowledgment of those 
 errors which are at once abhorrent to right reason 
 and the testimony of the Living Oracles — as w^e think 
 you have conclusively shown. 
 
 With anxious solicitude have we attended to the 
 progress of this affair. We have desired and hoped 
 that your scriptural admonitions would be heeded by 
 him; that he w^ould stay in his erratic course, nor 
 longer prostitute his fine talents in attempts schis- 
 matically to rend the "body of Christ." 
 
 "We have waited in the fond expectation that 
 those whose more immediate duty it would seem to be 
 to act in his case would proclaim to the Disciples and 
 to the world their non-fellowship with such an incor- 
 rigible factionist. 
 
116 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 "We have waited in vain! And therefore con- 
 clude that the congregation with whom he asso- 
 ciates justifies and sustains him in his wayward 
 propensities. It becomes, then, the duty of the other 
 congregations in this reformation, which repudiate 
 those abominable and subversive speculations and that 
 bitter spirit with which the Apostolic Advocate, (or 
 which has at least pervaded the numbers that have 
 fallen under our notice), publicly to disclaim all con- 
 nexion with him, and those who hold fellowship with 
 him in his pernicious views. 
 
 "It is for this purpose we write, by the unanimous 
 appointment of the Church in Philadelphia, to make 
 known to the brethren and to the world, through the 
 the Millennial Harbinger — 
 
 "1st. That we disapprove and disallow all the specu- 
 lations of Dr. John Thomas, of the Apostolic Advocate. 
 
 "2d. We approve the course pursued by our Brother 
 Campbell towards the Doctor, and think it has savored 
 much of the meekness and love that ought ever to 
 adorn the Christian character. 
 
 "3d. We think no further argument or discussion 
 ought to be held with such a dogmatic and vindictive 
 spirit as Dr. Thomas has evinced towards Brother 
 Campbell while mildly endeavoring to reclaim him.. 
 
 "4th. We henceforth separate and withdraw from 
 all intercourse of Christian fellowship with Dr. Thomas 
 and those who sustain him until he and they shall 
 publicly renounce and abjure all speculations, and 
 take the Word of God, the Living Oracles, as their 
 only guide; and we pray they may speedily come to 
 reformation and a real knowledge of the truth. 
 
 "James Heaslitt, Isaac Cole, 
 
 "J. L. Rhees, Wm. Rowzee, 
 
 "J. Hall, Thomas Davis, 
 
 "John Wingfield, Owen Flanagan. 
 
 "J. Harpham, Benj. Andrews." 
 
Defection of Dr. Thomas 117 
 
 Dr. Thomas was a writer of abilty, and had it not been 
 for his speculative tendency would have been a strong 
 proclaimer of the Word. His principal works were 
 ''AnatoHa/^ '^Elpis Israel," and "Eureka; An Exposi- 
 tion of the Apocalypse." 
 
 His views gained but few adherents. The re- 
 ligious body known as Christadelphians, of which 
 he was the founder, numbered in 1890 but sixty-three 
 organizations, with 1,227 members, scattered over 
 twenty States. Turning, as they do, their attention 
 to speculative theology rather than to the practical 
 phases of the gospel, they can never become a force in 
 the evangelization of the world. The Sycamore Church 
 was many years recovering from the effects of Dr. 
 Thomas's pastorate there. There are a few scattered 
 followers still in Tidewater district. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CHARLOTTESVILLE AND THE SHENAXDOAH. 
 
 We have traced the fortunes of the restoration during 
 the formative period in the Tidewater district, and 
 now, coming westward to the foot of the Blue Ridge, 
 let us notice the beginning of the work at Charlottes- 
 ville; from there we will pass over the Blue Ridge 
 into the famous Shenandoah Valley. 
 
 In 1831 two Baptist preachers. Porter Cleveland and 
 John Goss, at the instigation of Elder Goss' son, James, 
 who was then attending the University, began a regular 
 monthly preaching service in Charlottesville. They 
 soon organized a Church of thirty-one members. R. 
 L. Coleman, a young man of the county, who was just 
 entering on the work of the ministry, soon came to 
 their aid, and in companv with Gilbert Mason, also 
 a young Baptist preacher, held a meeting which 
 doubled the membership of the Church. 
 
 Mr. Coleman had heard Alexander Campbell preach 
 in Richmond during the Constitutional Convention in 
 1830, and was captivated by his views. It will be 
 remembered that Mr. Campbell was at that time a 
 Baptist, but known among them as a reformer. The 
 stigma attached to so-called Campbellism had not 
 yet found expression among these members at Char- 
 lottesville, and in May, 1831, Bro. Coleman was or- 
 dained pastor of the Church by Elders John Goss and 
 Porter Cleveland. He continued preaching there for 
 
Charlottesiyille and the Shenandoah 119 
 
 a number of years, often preaching the doctrine, which, 
 if some of his hearers had known was the same as that 
 advocated by Mr. Campbell, w^ould have made him 
 much trouble. Meantime the leaven of the reforma- 
 tion was working. The members saw the need of a 
 return to the old Jerusalem gospel. 
 
 In January, 1834, Dr. B. F. Hall went to Charlottes- 
 ville and preached some fifteen or sixteen sermons in 
 the Baptist Church. He developed the ancient gospel 
 and plead for a return to the primitive order of things. 
 A number of the members had been for some time 
 readers of the Harbinger, and were disposed to reform, 
 others who formerly objected to that paper were led 
 to read it, and expressed astonishment at their former 
 unfounded prejudices. A few of the very orthodox 
 were not favorable to the reformers' occupying the 
 house. One acknowledged that he could find no 
 fault with their preaching, another, when urged to point 
 out an idea advanced contrary to the Bible, said, 
 "The Devil preached the truth to the Savior." The 
 result of this meeting was greatly increased light on the 
 Scriptures, and a growing sentiment in the congrega- 
 tion favorable to the restoration. 
 
 Late in the year 1835, at a meeting of the Church, 
 Robert Ryland, Professor in the Baptist Seminary 
 and Chaplain to the University of Virginia, denounced 
 the reformers as heretics, and a motion was put for a 
 division of the congregation. The majority of the 
 members being favorable to the reformation, the 
 motion was lost. At a subsequent meeting held 
 Januarv 15, 1836. the same motion was earned bv a 
 
120 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 majority of one. The Baptists were asked to name one 
 single sentiment or practice held to by the reformers 
 that was not consistent with the Word of God, but 
 they declined to do so, Mr. Ryland stating that the 
 reformation flourished by controversy. By this action 
 between thirty and forty reformers were cut off. 
 Among them were the pastor, Bro. Coleman, also James 
 Goss and one other preacher, probably Porter Cleve- 
 land. These soon organized themselves into a Church 
 of Christ, and, as in ancient times, the disciples went 
 everywhere preaching the Word. Associational de- 
 crees were passed against them, newspaj^ers proclaimed 
 their heresies, and they were locked out of meeting- 
 houses. Public and private attacks were made and 
 misrepresentations were current, yet the cause so 
 prospered that in nine months three churches had been 
 organized in Albemarle county. 
 
 In the year 1840 a great co-operative meeting 
 was held at Charlottesville. About fifteen preachers 
 were present, fifty-six churches were represented, 
 directly or indirectly, and about three thousand mem- 
 bers reported. It was early made known that Mr. 
 Campbell was to be present, and brethren came from 
 far and near to hear him. He preached several times 
 during the meeting, and also delivered a lecture before 
 the Charlottesville Lyceum on "Is Moral Philosophy 
 an Inductive Science?" This is one of Mr. Campbell's 
 most famous lectures. At this meeting Dr. Bullard 
 and Mr. Campbell first met and arranged to unite their 
 forces. Dr. Chester Bullard had been baptized in 
 1831 at Sulphur Springs, Giles county, by Landon 
 
Charlottesville and the Shenandoah 121 
 
 Duncan, who was a member of the Christian Connection. 
 Dr. Bullard was studying medicine at the time, but was 
 much interested in the matter of his salvation, and 
 had long ago come to the conclusion that he ought to 
 be immersed, but could find no one to perform that 
 ordinance except the Baptists, who would only im- 
 merse into the Baptist Church. This he was unwilling 
 to submit to, as he could not approve of many of their 
 tenets sufficiently to unite with them. He also dis- 
 sented to some of the views advanced by Landon 
 Duncan, but the latter willingly immersed him. On 
 the evening of his baptism Dr. Bullard delivered his 
 first discourse, and by degrees gave more and more of 
 his time to preaching the Word. He presented simple 
 views of the Gospel, declaring that salvation was for 
 whosoever wills, and showing that faith comes by 
 hearing and that he that believes and is baptized shall 
 be saved. 
 
 About two years after his baptism he organized his 
 first Church near the source of the Catawba. Because 
 they gave allegiance to no sect these people were called 
 ''Bullardites." The Doctor used to tell of an old 
 German brother who in his public prayers besought 
 the Lord to open the eyes of the Methodists, ''dot dey 
 might all come over and jine Bullard!" In 1839 Dr. 
 Bullard happened to take up and read Campbell's 
 ''Extra on Remission" at the house of his brother-in- 
 law. Up to this time he had been strongly prejudiced 
 against Campbell, He was at once surprised and 
 delighted with the view of the Gospel as set forth in 
 the Extra, and hunted out the back numbers of the 
 Hurhinger. He found as he read that Mr. Campbell's 
 
122 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 views of the Gospel were as clear as a crystal, and very 
 different from the slanderous misrepresentations circu- 
 lated by press and pulpit concerning him. He im- 
 mediately began to circulate these writings, and 
 preached with great success the reformatory principles 
 that he had before set forth, but now with greater 
 clearness. Happy in finding himself associated with 
 a host of fellow-laborers in the same cause, and hearing 
 that Mr. Campbell was to visit Charlottesville, he deter- 
 mined to see him and unite their forces. The mutual fel- 
 lowship and esteem there begun was ever after kept up. 
 
 Closely connected with this account of Dr. Bullard's 
 work, and also forming a fitting introduction to the 
 work in the Shenandoah Valley, is the beautiful story 
 of the White Pilgrim. 
 
 Living at Winchester, in the Shenandoah Valley, in 
 the early part of last century, was one Joseph Thomas, 
 better known as the ''Wliite Pilgrim." In person 
 he was tall, straight as an Indian, with fair skin, gray 
 eyefi, beautiful nose and mouth, a lofty forehead, long 
 chestnut locks, parted over the middle of the head and 
 falling upon his shoulders. He travelled much on 
 foot and wore a long white robe, from which he derived 
 his name. Few who heard him ever forgot the wild 
 beauty and sublimity of his eloquence. Early in life 
 Thomas had been associated with O'Kelley in the 
 Christian Connection, but afterward he became con- 
 vinced that immersion is the scriptural baptism, and 
 was immersed in Philadelphia by Elder Plummer, of 
 whom we shall speak further in this chapter. 
 
 While making a tour through Southwestern Vir- 
 ginia Joseph Thomas met with Landon Duncan, and 
 
Charlottesville and the Shenandoah 123 
 
 after some conversation between them Mr. Duncan 
 adopted the views of the Christian Connection and was 
 immersed by the White Pilgrim. 
 
 In 1808 a few persons in the lower end of the Shenan- 
 doah Valley met at Strasburg and organized themselves 
 as a Church of Christ, agreeing to wear the name Chris- 
 tian, and no other. They also expressed themselves in 
 opposition to human creeds, agreeing to be guided by the 
 Bible alone. This, however, was but the faint flicker- 
 ing of the Hght so soon to burn. This organization 
 was an expression of the ideas advanced by James 
 OTvelley in the infancy of the Christian Connection. 
 
 Mr. O'Kelley had been a Methodist, but was rapidly 
 undergoing a change of views. He was then living 
 in North Carolina. An earnest and able preacher, he 
 was strongly opposed to the unscriptural creeds and 
 divisions in the Church. Thus his movement partook 
 somewhat of the nature of that of Mr. Campbell, but was 
 not carried so far as the latter. Mr. O'Kelley visited 
 the Valley in 1808, and preached for the Church above 
 mentioned. At this time O'Kelley was accustomed 
 to immerse when requested to do so, but he favored 
 pouring. In 1809 Frederick Plummer visited the 
 Church and was well received. He was the first 
 to assert in that community that neither sprinkling nor 
 pouring was the one baptism mentioned in the Scrip- 
 tures. The meetings were held at four different points, 
 all within five miles of Strasburg, as there was no 
 settled place for worship. 
 
 In the year 1821 Robert Ferguson, then a young 
 man, settled among this peo])le, and continued his 
 
124 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 la])ors among them for twenty-five j^ears. The year 
 that he settled there a meeting of the congregation was 
 held in Strasburg to consider means for the extension 
 of the work, and as an outgrowth of this meeting a few 
 years later a meeting-house was erected at Walnut 
 Springs, this being more centrally located for the 
 membership. The building of this meeting-house was 
 the beginning of a forward movement in the Valley. 
 As 3^et they knew nothing of the movement with which 
 Mr. Campbell was connected. The work instituted 
 by Mr. Kelley was a reaching out after the truth, and 
 consequently along the same lines as that of Mr. 
 Campbell, but manj^ of these old Christian (Connec- 
 tion) churches have since drifted off into sectarianism. 
 This Church continued in the teachings of OTvelle}' 
 until about 1835, when Bro. Ferguson found out that 
 in following out the original trend taken by O'Kelley 
 he was working on the same ground with a larger, more 
 widespread movement under the leadership of Mr. 
 Campbell. The whole church of some fift}^ members, 
 who had thus been prepared, were now taught the 
 principles of the Word of God in their fullness, and all 
 became more earnest in the proclamation of the ''faith 
 once delivered to the saints." In September, 1835, 
 Bro. James Henshall, of Baltimore, accompanied by 
 Bro. Charles Farquharson, started on a preaching tour 
 of Western Maryland. They stopped at Hagerstown 
 one night and went to hear Bro. Samuel K. Hoshour 
 preach in the town hall. 
 
 Bro. Hoshour, v/ho afterward became one of the 
 foremost pioneer preachers of Indiana, had formerly 
 
Charlottesville and the Shenandoah 125 
 
 attended a theological institute at New Market, in 
 the Valley of Virginia, in order to fit himself for the 
 ministry of the Lutheran Church. In 1831 he had 
 taken charge of a church of that denomination in 
 Hagerstown. The year 1834 saw a revival of religious 
 interest in the Beaver Creek region, near Hagerstown. 
 A preacher appeared in the place who called himself 
 simply a ^'Christian" or a ^'disciple of Christ." He 
 established a church. Hoshour was called upon by his 
 brethren to refute this new doctrine, especially that in 
 regard to immersion. In his investigation , preparatory 
 to the debate, he became convinced of the superior 
 authority for immersion as baptism. He became a 
 reader of the Harbinger. He had seen a copy of the 
 Christian Baptist some years before, and was much 
 impressed with the views there advanced. In the 
 early spring of 1835 Bro. Hoshour was immersed, but 
 owing to the aggressiveness of his former brethren, 
 churches and school-houses closed their doors against 
 him and he was denied a hearing. In order to support 
 himself and family he began teaching school at New 
 Market, in the Valley of Virginia. From here he used 
 to go out and preach at points within reach, but his 
 scanty means hindered him from devoting much of his 
 time to the work. It was while on a short tour to his 
 old home in Hagerstown, Maryland, that Bro. Henshall 
 met and heard him preach. 
 
 We have digressed to show how the upper part of the 
 Valley was prepared for future victories in the cause of 
 truth by this eminent preacher; let us now return to 
 the work at Walnut Springs. Bro. Henshall proceeded 
 
126 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 to this place from Hagerstown, in order to attend 
 a co-operative meeting of the disciples at Walnut 
 Springs. He preached at several points along the way, 
 and at Williamsport was met by Bro. Ferguson. They 
 had known each other for some five years. This co- 
 operative meeting was the first one held in the Valley, 
 and was more of a general assembly of the scattered 
 disciples for the purpose of hearing the Word preached 
 than a co-operation on the business matters of the 
 kingdom. The preaching that ensued during the meet- 
 ing resulted in five souls' obeying the Gospel. The people 
 saw more clearly the necessity of organizing themselves 
 into congregations and meeting every Lord's Day to 
 break the loaf. Growth, however, was very slow, 
 owing to the isolated condition of the work. Bro. 
 Ferguson was the only preacher located in the Valley 
 for more than ten years after this time. The pro- 
 claimers in Tidewater District rarely ever crossed the 
 Blue Ridge, and the Valley of Virginia had to contend 
 with conditions not found in other sections of Virginia. 
 Between 1845 and 1850 James Cowgill and George W. 
 Abell began to preach there, and the work began to 
 grow under their laljors. 
 
 We have now practically covered the pioneer history 
 of the v/ork in Eastern Virginia. It was a period of 
 controversy, persecution, decrees and schisms. From 
 1840 the churches settled down to a more healthy 
 growth. The animosit}^ aroused between the Baptists 
 and the reformers greatly subsided and the spirituality 
 of the churches increased. We have yet to notice in 
 the remaining chapters some of the later developments 
 and hindrances to the work thus inaugurated. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 .lETPJR AND LARD CONTROVERSY. 
 
 In 1855 Dr. Jeremiah B. Jeter, a leading Baptist of 
 Eastern Virginia, published a book entitled ''Campbell- 
 ism Examined. " This work was followed a year later 
 by "Campbellism Re-examined," from the same au- 
 thor. These books were vigorously circulated, and the 
 friends of the restoration appealed to Mr. Campbell for 
 such a reply as would vindicate the movement from the 
 false charges and lack of logic and Scripture shown in 
 the above-named works. At that time Mr. Campbell 
 was heavily burdened with work. Besides being the 
 active president of Bethany College and editor of the 
 Millennial Harbinger, he was almost daily the recipient 
 of requests for lectures and addresses, and in addition 
 to this, like the Apostle Paul, he had upon him ''the 
 care of all the churches." It was, therefore, impossi- 
 ble, without superhuman efforts, for him to give the 
 time necessary to the work of a reply. Bethany Col- 
 lege had, however, produced many defenders of the 
 faith who were equal to the task, and from these Mr. 
 Campbell selected Moses E. Lard, a comparatively 
 young man, to wTite a review of Dr. Jeter's books. The 
 delay occasioned before the choice was made gave am- 
 ple time for Dr. Jeter's books to do the work they had 
 been wTitten to accomplish. They had been read and 
 accepted by many as a true representation of the posi- 
 tions assumed by the reformers. The objections urged 
 
128 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 against the restoration by Dr. Jeter are of the variety 
 that are standard to-day. In order to show the able 
 refutation made by Bro. Lard, and at the same time give 
 to our readers some of the ever current objections to 
 the movement with which we stand identified, and the 
 answers to such, we will introduce quotations from 
 each work on the same topics. 
 
 ON THE XP:EI) of A REFORMATION. 
 
 Jeter: — "That a reformation was needed by the 
 Christian sects of that time, none who possess a toiera- 
 able acc|uaintance with their condition and the claims 
 of the Gospel will deny. Indeed, what Church, or 
 member of a Church, does not, in some respects and in 
 some degree, need reformation? There was needed 
 then, as at all times, an increase of religious knowledge 
 in the churches; but more than this, an increase of 
 piety. The reformation demanded by the times was 
 in spirit and practice, rather than doctrine." 
 
 Lard: — ''Well may Mr. Jeter admit that a 'refor- 
 mation' was needed by the 'Christian sects' of that 
 time; and yet he does not blush to sneer at the man 
 who aspired to the honor of effecting it. As to whether 
 the reformation demanded was a reformation 'in spirit 
 and practice rather than doctrine,' we shall leave those 
 best ac([uainted with the wretched state of doctrine 
 at the time to decide. 
 
 "But Mr. Campbell never proposed a reformation of 
 'Christian sects' as such. He proposed that all sin- 
 cere and pious Christians should abandon these 'sects, ' 
 and, uniting upon the great foundation upon which, as 
 upon a rock, Christ said he would build his Church, 
 form themselves into a Church of Christ, and not into 
 a sect. A 'Christian sect' we pronounce simply an 
 impossible thing. Sects there may be, innumerable; 
 
Jeter and Lard Controversy 129 
 
 but Christian, as sects, they can never be. A Church 
 of Christ is not a sect, in any legitimate sense of the 
 term. As soon as a body of believers, claiming to be 
 a Church of Christ, becomes a sect, it ceases to be a 
 Church of Christ. Sect and Christian are terms denot- 
 ing incompatible ideas. Christians there may be in 
 all the sects, as we believe there are; but, in them 
 though there may be, yet of them, if Christians, 
 clearly they are not. Mr. Campbell's proposition 
 never looked to the reformation of sects as such. A 
 sect reformed would still be a sect; and sect and 
 Christian are not convertible terms. Sectarianism 
 originates, and necessarily, in the Church, but has its 
 consummation out of it. Hence, Paul, in addressing 
 the Church at Corinth, says, 'There must be also 
 heresies (sectarianism) among you, that they who are 
 approved may be made manifest.' But here is some- 
 thing w^hich seems never to have struck the mind of 
 Mr. Jeter. With the Apostle, sectarianism origi- 
 nated with the bad, and the good were excluded; but 
 with Mr. Jeter it includes the good, and the bad are 
 excluded. How shall we account for the difference? 
 As soon, however, as the 'heretic' (the sectarian) is 
 discovered in the Church, he is by the apostle's direc- 
 tion, to be admonished a first and second time, and 
 then, if he repent not, to be rejected. Now, we 
 rec|uest to be informed by Mr, Jeter how, according 
 to this rule, a 'Christian sect' can exclude her 'secta- 
 rians ' and still remain a sect? Heresy and sectarianism 
 are identical, being both represented by the same 
 term in the same sense in the original ; and that which 
 they represent has its origin in the flesh. Hence the 
 same Apostle, in enumerating the works of the flesh, 
 mentions, among other things, strife, sedition, heresy 
 (sectarianism). Heresy or sectarianism, we are taught 
 by the Apostle Peter, is introduced into the Church by 
 
130 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 'false teachers/ and is 'damnable'; and yet Mr. Jeter, 
 with true foster-father tenderness, can talk of 'Chris- 
 tian sects.'" 
 
 ON THE EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR BAPTISM. 
 
 Jeter: — "Philip did not baptize the Ethiopian 
 eunuch, who requested baptism, until he had cate- 
 chised him. True, the evangelist propounded but one 
 question to the candidate; or, at least, in the concise 
 narrative furnished by Luke, only one is recorded, — 
 that, under the circumstances, being deemed suffi- 
 cient. This example, so far from restricting pastors 
 or churches to this brief and single question,— a 
 question neA^er, so far as we are informed, proposed 
 to any other applicant for the ordinance in apostolic 
 times — fairly authorizes them to make such inquiries 
 as the intelligence, known characters, and circum- 
 stances of the candidates may appear to require." 
 
 Lard: — "That is, one question put by an inspired 
 teacher authorizes uninspired 'pastors or churches' to 
 put, if they see fit, a thousand, or to require a candidate 
 for baptism to relate a Christian experience. When 
 the Holy Word of God can be thus scandalously 
 perverted by its professed friends merely to serve a 
 purpose, for consistencj^'s sake let the clamor of 
 Christians against infidel injustice be hushed forever. 
 
 "But, gentle reader, will 3^ou turn to the eighth 
 chapter of the Acts, and read from the twent3^-ninth 
 verse to the close of the chapter? You will observe 
 that, on approaching the eunuch. Philip says to him, 
 'Understandest thou what thou readest?' But this 
 is not the 'one question" to which Mr. Jeter refers; 
 therefore read on. You are through? Now say 
 whether you have found even one question put b}^ 
 Philip to the eunuch before he would baptize him. 
 No. Such a question is not in the passage. Philip 
 
Jeter and Lard Controversy 131 
 
 states the condition on which the eunuch might be 
 baptized, but he propounds to him no question. But 
 Mr. Jeter, in his blind zeal to find an example which 
 would justify him in catechising- candidates for bap- 
 tism, confounds a condition with a question; or, if he 
 has not done this, then he is guilty of inventing for 
 the Bible what it does not contain." 
 
 ox THE PO\\ER THAT PRODUCES COX VERSION. 
 
 Jeter: — ''If all the converting power of the Spirit 
 is in the arguments addressed by him in words to the 
 mind, then it follows that every minister of the Word 
 must be successful in converting souls to Christ in 
 proportion to the distinctness with which he presents 
 the arguments of the Spirit to the minds of his hearers. 
 The same measure of power must, under similar cir- 
 cumstances, produce similar results. But does this 
 conclusion agree with the experience and observation 
 of Christian ministers?" 
 
 Lard: — "We reply, if the power be luiiform, and 
 the circumstances precisely similar, then the results 
 will be so too. Now, we maintain that the convert- 
 ing power is in the Truth, and, hence, that the power is 
 uniform. But are the circumstances precisely similar? 
 ^Ir. Jeter knew that they are not, and yet he has 
 the front to put the case as against us. But are the 
 circumstances so far similar as to justify the expecta- 
 tion of even nearly similar results? They are not. 
 But, on the contrary, they are so very dissimilar as 
 to justify the expectation of the most dissimilar 
 results. This is the conclusion which agrees with 
 the experience and observation of Christian ministers. 
 
 "Audiences vary in ways which are almost infinite; 
 each one of which will serve to prevent a uniform 
 result from preaching. No two can be found command- 
 ing precisely the same amount of intellect; and then 
 
132 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 in point of cultivation the}^ differ most widely. These 
 two circumstances of themselves are enough to account 
 for the most dissimilar results. But, in addition to 
 these, prejudices innumerable, and as various as 
 numerous, have to be encountered. The resistance 
 met with by the truth from all these sources is such 
 as to cause us rather to wonder that the results are 
 so nearly uniform as they are than to expect them to 
 be completely so. 
 
 '' In further proof of his objection, Mr. Jeter pre- 
 sented the following so-called 'fact':" 
 
 Jeter: — ^'But I need not appeal in this argument 
 to unquestionable evidence. Christ was an unrivalled 
 preacher of the Gospel. Jno. 7: 46: 'Never man 
 spake as he did.' .... But what was the result of 
 his ministry? It was unsuccessful: not wholly so; — 
 but it produced no such results as from his pre-eminent 
 qualifications might have been expected; no great 
 moral resolution, and no extensive revival of true 
 religion." 
 
 Lard: — ''Christ's ministry, then, was unsuccessful; 
 only it was not wholly so. Be it so then. But was 
 it unsuccessful because of any want of power in the 
 Truth? If so, Mr. Jeter has not shown it. No. It 
 was unsuccessful, as far as it was so at all, because of 
 the deliberate resistance offered to the Truth by the 
 Jews. This is the reason why it was unsuccessful. 
 Upon various occasions, and in different language, 
 did the Savior account for his lack of success. Now, 
 to what causes did he attribute it? Among others, 
 we mention the following: — 
 
 "1. 'This people's heart is waxed gross, and their 
 ears are dull of hearino;, and their eyes they have 
 closed, lest at any time they should see with their 
 eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand 
 with their heart, and should turn again, and I should 
 heal them.' 
 
Jeter and Lard Controversy 133 
 
 '' 2. 'Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed 
 me: for he wrote of nie. But if ye believe not his 
 writin<rs, how shall ye believe my words?' 
 
 ''3. 'How can ye believe, who receive honor one of 
 another, and seek not the honor that cometh from 
 God only?' 
 
 " 4. 'Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.' 
 
 "But, among all the causes assigned by the Savior, 
 did he ever once mention a want of power in the 
 Truth? Whether then is it safer to ascribe his w^ant 
 of success to the causes which he himself mentions, 
 or to such as he never even once alludes to? 
 
 "But how does Mr. Jeter account for the vSavior's 
 want of success? ^The converting "power of the Spirit/ 
 is his own language, 'was not present, — ivas icithheld in 
 ivisdom and riyhteovs judgmerit.' We blush for the 
 pen that drew this libel upon the divine character. 
 In charity, let us hope its author penned it in haste, 
 under the influence of some dreadful pressure, without 
 stopping to reflect on his deed. 'The converting power 
 of the Spirit was withheld,' lience conversion was 
 impossible; and yet the Savior said to the multitude, 
 'Ye will not come to me that ye might have life,' 
 when he perfectly knew that they came not, not be- 
 cause they would not, but because they could not! 
 Ihe converting power of the Spirit was withheld, 
 hence conversion could not be; and yet the uncon- 
 verted were, by the high decree of Heaven, doomed 
 to perdition for refusing to be what they could not be! 
 What is this but to tender to man a religion which 
 he cannot accept, and then to damn him for rejecting 
 it? And all this is coolly charged to the account of 
 'wisdom and righteous judgment'!" 
 
134 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 ON BAPTISM FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS. 
 
 Jeter: — '^ Objection First. — Baptism, according to 
 the ancient Gospel, is not the figure or formal acknowl- 
 edgment of the remission of sins, but the indispensable, 
 and, it would seem, the only, condition of obtaining 
 it Is this scheme of forgiveness scrip- 
 tural? Is baptism, like repentance and faith, an 
 indispensable condition of the remission of sins? Let 
 the reader notice, — first, that this scheme of remission 
 flatly contradicts plain and numerous Scripture 
 testimonies." 
 
 Lard: — '' Candidly, we are not seldom at a loss to 
 know^ how to characterize some of Mr. Jeter's asser- 
 tions without transcending the limits which courtesy 
 imposes. To call this assertion a downright false- 
 hood would be too harsh, and to call it the truth would 
 be a falsehood. Nameless, then, we let it stand. Mr. 
 Campbell maintains (and Mr. Jeter is perfectly ac- 
 quainted with the fact) that there are three conditions 
 on w^hich remission of sins depends — to wit: belief, 
 repentance, and baptism. Wherefore, then, the pre- 
 ceding false and slanderous assertion?" 
 
 Jeter: — ^'Objection Fourth. — That salvation may 
 be entirely beyond the reacli of the most humble, 
 obedient, and faithful servants of Christ. Let me 
 suppose a case. Fidelis, after a careful examination 
 of the subject, became a convert to Christianity. 
 Deeply conscious of his guilt and unworthiness, he 
 cordially embraced Christ as his Prophet, Priest, and 
 King, consecrating to him, in the unfeigned purpose 
 of his heart, his body^ soul, and spirit. Enraptured 
 wdth the Savior's charms, he rejoiced in his w^ord and 
 w^orshiped from day to day. Having settled his view^s 
 on the subject of baptism, he designed at his earliest 
 opportunity to take on him the badge of discipleship 
 in baptism."; But, by order of Tyrannus, an inveterate 
 
Jeter and Lard Controversy 135 
 
 enemy of Christ, he was arrested and cast into prison 
 for his ardent zeal and dauntless testimony in the 
 Redeemer's cause. To him baptism is now impos- 
 sible. And poor Fidelis cannot enjoy the remission 
 of his sins." 
 
 Lard: — ''But what of the case of poor Fidelis? 
 First. The case is purely imaginary, and is hence no 
 ground of argument except with a man who prefers 
 the vagaries of his fancy to the Word of God. 
 
 ''Second. But did 'poor Fidelis' enjoy, while evinc- 
 ing his 'ardent zeal' and bearing his 'dauntless testi- 
 mony' and rejoicing in the Savior's worship 'from 
 day to day,' no opportunity to be baptized? Rather 
 let it be said of him, that, by neglecting his duty 
 during this time, he proved himself a disobedient 
 wretch, who, if cast into prison, deserved to suffer the 
 whole consequence of his folly. Clearly he was not 
 taught by a man who practised after the Apostle's 
 example, else the same hour of the night in which he 
 heard the Truth and believed it he would have been 
 baptized; what then would have signified his im- 
 prisonment? 
 
 "Third. Or did he neglect his duty because taught, 
 as Mr. Jeter teaches, that baptism is not essential to 
 remission? If so, let him be condemned for prefer- 
 ring the counsels of wicked men to the counsels of 
 God, and hold the presumptuous preacher responsible 
 for the lie that led him astray. But, if he had not 
 the opportunity to be baptized, then it was not his 
 duty. It is no more man's duty to be baptized, 
 where baptism is impossible, than it is to believe 
 where belief is impossible. It is not what men cannot 
 do, but what they can do, and have the opportunity 
 of doing, that God requires at their hands. Where 
 there is no ability there is no responsibility." 
 
136 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 The foregoing extracts do not properly set forth the 
 works in question. They are too brief. Sufficient ex- 
 tracts have been made, however, to demonstrate two 
 things: First, that Mr. Jeter's ideas of what he termed 
 ''Campbellism" were not the ideas advanced by Mr. 
 Campbell, but those which were imputed to him by his 
 enemies. Hence many of the views he assailed were 
 never held by Mr. Campbell or any of his co-laborers. 
 Second, that Mr. Lard's ''Review" was clear and logical, 
 but there was in it a spirit of invective which, what- 
 ever the justification it might have had in the hght of 
 those times, we would not wish reproduced in this our 
 day. 
 
 It is a matter greatly to be regretted that Mr. Jeter 
 made such an unprovoked attack, and especially at 
 just the time when these two religious bodies w^ere draw- 
 ing closer together. There had been much talk of a new 
 translation of the Scriptures, and in the providence of 
 God, Baptists and disciples were called together to 
 consider the work. Just at that time ''Campbellism 
 Examined" appeared. All the old party dogmatism 
 and prejudices in both ranks were aroused. The work 
 of reconciliation was thrust aside for a time, to be begun 
 anew when the feelings of both had subsided. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 HELPS AND HINDRANCES. 
 
 The design of this little volume is to set forth the 
 work of the pioneers, those grand old men who counted 
 no sacrifice too dear in the cause of their Savior. We 
 have now passed the period of their work, and they are 
 resting from their labors. Before we draw the veil 
 that hides them from sight but not from memory, let 
 us take a brief glance at the fortunes of the work they 
 were instrumental in establishing. 
 
 The restoration movement in Virginia suffered from 
 two great backsets. The first was Dr. Jeter's books, 
 mentioned in our last chapter. The second one was 
 the war between the States. 
 
 Our reader might not at first be able to understand 
 how the work could have suffered from the first cause 
 mentioned when these books were so ably refuted by 
 Mr. Lard. This will be clear, however, when it is re- 
 membered that nearly two years passed between the 
 publication of Mr. Jeter and the review of it by Bro. 
 Lard. This gave ample time for the former to do its 
 work. It was accepted by many as a true relation 
 of the principles of the reformation, and their minds 
 were prejudiced against the movement to such an ex- 
 tent that they never read the refutation when it finally 
 appeared. We are very prone to form adverse views 
 to any movement upon the published statements of its 
 enemies. Many have been turned against the Christian 
 
138 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 religion by reading Mr. Paine's ''Age of Reason," who 
 have never read any of the numerous refutations of 
 that work, nor studied the evidences for the divine 
 foundation of this rehgion. It was many years before 
 prejudice in the pubhc mind in Virginia could be over- 
 come, and to this day there remain in the minds of 
 some false ideas concerning the movement with which 
 we stand identified, which, from their nature, are 
 plainly attributable to "Campbellism Examined." 
 Even Dr. Jeter himself confessed at a general conven- 
 tion of the Disciples, held in Seventh-Street Christian 
 Church, Richmond^ in 1876, that if the Disciples had 
 stood fifty years ago where they stood then, and the 
 Baptists the same, there would never have been any 
 split, and many things in ''Campbelhsm Examined" 
 would never have been written. The change alluded 
 to had taken place in Dr. Jeter's views concerning the 
 Disciples rather than in them. The second cause from 
 which we suffered was, as before stated, the w^ar. This, 
 indeed, caused all religious bodies to suffer. The coun- 
 try was impoverished for years, and had to deal with 
 the vexatious problems of political and social as well 
 as religious reformation. But the movement for the 
 restoration of the primitive Christianity of Christ and 
 His Apostles suffered more than others because it was 
 not so well nor so thoroughly established as the older 
 religious bodies. It had withstood the shock of many 
 theological battles, never faltering, but now it must 
 give up devoted followers to the demands of the more 
 dreaded foe, — war. Years must be taken from the 
 proclamation of the truth and given to test the rights 
 
Helps and Hindrances 139 
 
 of States. The will of God, but freshly learned and 
 understood, must be driven from the mind by the awful 
 pictures of unholy war. Churches were closed up but 
 to be broken open and polluted or riddled with shot 
 and shell. The beautiful groves that are ever to be 
 seen around the country meeting-house in Virginia 
 were often made the burial-ground for the soldier dead. 
 A skirmish occurred in the church-yard of Olive 
 Branch Church, James City county. The remains of 
 five Federal soldiers are buried there, and a bullet may 
 still be seen imbedded in the door. This church was 
 robbed of its doors and windows and set on fire, burn- 
 ing a large hole in the floor before it was extinguished 
 by the neighbors. The communion set was also stolen 
 by a Federal soldier. A few years after the war he 
 returned it, with a note saying his conscience con- 
 demned him. 
 
 In the desperate battles of Fredericksburg and the 
 Wilderness the meeting-house at the former place was 
 torn and shattered with shot and shell, the member- 
 ship was scattered, and the church left completely dis- 
 organized. In the terrible bombardment of December, 
 1863, for twelve hours a deluge of shot and shell was 
 poured upon the streets and houses of Fredericksburg. 
 The inhabitants fled for their lives from this leaden 
 hail that was beating their homes to pieces, and the 
 town was virtually left to the ravages of war. Amid 
 these scenes the old Fredericksburg Christian Church 
 met its doom. After being badly damaged, the build- 
 ing was turned into a hospital for the wounded Federals. 
 The laroe windows were torn out, the floors stained 
 
140 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 with blood, the benches made into coffins, and fences 
 and all other available material burned for firewood. 
 The communion service also was carried off, and for 
 thirty-five years, so completely was the work demoral- 
 ized, this ''house of the Lord" was left unto its people 
 desolate, the eyesore and common property of the 
 town and a disgrace to the cause for which it was dedi- 
 cated. It has since been remodeled, and during the 
 past year the United States Government has paid in- 
 demnity for the damage done to the building. 
 
 But while the work of desolation and destruction 
 went on there were those who could not be turned from 
 the preaching of the Gospel. The following incident 
 is related of Bro. Abell: 
 
 While Lee's army lay on one side of the Rapidan, 
 watching Grant's on the other side, George Washington 
 Abell was vigorousl}^ attacking Satan's host with the 
 sword of the Spirit. A goodly number of South Caro- 
 lina's gallant sons surrendered to Prince Messiah. As 
 Bro. Abell descended into the water, preparatory to 
 the burial of the slain ones, he touchingly alluded to the 
 fact that these individuals, following the example of 
 the banner State, had nobly seceded from Satan's 
 kingdom and rallied to the banner of the Cross. Then 
 solemnly immersing them, and raising them up again, 
 he invoked Heaven's richest benediction upon them, 
 and sent them back to camp. 
 
 At the sacking of Richmond the office where the 
 Christian Intelligencer was published was burned and 
 all the records of former years destroyed. This left 
 the Virginia Disciples without a medium of communi- 
 
Helps and Hindrances 141 
 
 cation for a few years, but finally this paper was suc- 
 ceeded by the Christian Examiner. 
 
 Much has been said about the dissension between 
 Baptists and Disciples in this volume, and no more fit- 
 ting close can be given it than a brief account of the 
 historic conference of representatives of these two bod- 
 ies in Richmond in April. 1866, for the purpose of con- 
 sidering the differences between the two bodies, and, if 
 possible, effecting a union of them. There were six- 
 teen representatives from each Church. Among the 
 Baptists were such men as Jeter, Poindexter, Burrows 
 and Broaddus, and among the Disciples were Pendleton, 
 Goss, Henley, Ainslie, Walthall, Du Val, Hopson and 
 Shelburne. According to the plan mapped out, the 
 Baptists were to submit a statement of their belief, to 
 which the disciples were to respond, and the Baptists 
 to furnish a final rejoinder. These documents we give 
 in full. 
 
 Declaration of Belief Submitted by Baptists. 
 
 We utterly repudiate all creeds or confessions of 
 faith as of binding force upon the consciences or 
 conduct of men ; yet we deem it essential that churches 
 should, in some form, state distinctly and unec^ui vo- 
 cally their understanding of the fundamental doc- 
 trines and duties taught in the Word of God, in order 
 to union among themselves, and that they may be 
 understood by others. We therefore offer to the 
 Convention the following as such a statement of the 
 views of the Baptist denomination regarding the 
 subjects embraced therein: 
 
 Art. 1. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ments were given by inspiration of God, and are the 
 
142 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all 
 saving knowledge, faith and obedience. 
 
 Art. 2. Agreement in the belief of the fundamental 
 facts and doctrines of the New Testament is essen- 
 tial to Christian union. 
 
 Art. 3. There is one God, the Maker, Preserver, 
 and Ruler of all things, having in and of himself all 
 perfection, and being infinite in them all. He is 
 revealed to us as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, 
 each with distinct personal attributes, but without 
 division of nature, essence or being. 
 
 Art. 4. God originally created man in his own 
 image, free from sin, but, through the temptation 
 of Satan, he transgressed the commandment of God 
 and fell from his original holiness and righteousness, 
 whereby his posterity inherit a nature corrupt and 
 wholly opposed to God and his law, are under condem- 
 nation, and as soon as they are capable of moral 
 action, become actual transgressors. 
 
 Art. 5. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, 
 is the divinely appointed and onl}- Mediator between 
 God and man. He perfectly fulfilled the law; suffered 
 and died upon the cross for the salvation of sinners; 
 was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended 
 to his Father; at whose right hand he ever liveth to 
 make intercession for his people. 
 
 Art. 6. Regeneration is a change of heart, wrought 
 through the truth by the Holy Spirit, wdio quickeneth 
 the dead in trespasses and sins, enlightening their 
 minds spiritually to undertsand, and savingly to 
 believe the Word of God, so that they love and practice 
 holiness. 
 
 Art. 7. Repentance is that change of mind and 
 heart in which the sinner, being m.acle sensible of the 
 evil and pollution of sin, turns from it with godly 
 sorrow and abhorrence. 
 
Helps and Hindrances 143 
 
 Art. 8. Faith is a sincere belief of the Gospel, in 
 fThe exercise of which we heartily receive and rest 
 upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. 
 
 Art. 9. Justification is that act of God in which 
 he pardons and accepts the believer as righteous, 
 through faith in the atonement of Christ, and not on 
 account of the performance of any duty. 
 
 Art. 10. Those who have been regenerated are also 
 sanctified by God's Word and Spirit dvv'elling in them. 
 This sanctification is progressive, and is carried for- 
 ward through the supply of divine strength unto 
 eternal life. 
 
 Art. 11. A visible Church of Christ is a congregation 
 of ba])tized behevers associated in the faith and 
 fellowship of the Gospel, subject only to the authority 
 of Christ, governed by His laws, and observing His 
 ordinances with the officers of His appointment, to wit: 
 the pastors, or bishops, or elders and deacons. 
 
 Art. 12. Ministers of the Gospel are called of God 
 and set apart by the churches to their office. It is 
 their duty to labor to secure a continual increase of 
 knowledge and fitness for their work, and to devote 
 themselves earnestly to it, and it is the duty of the 
 churches to support them while thus engaged. 
 
 Art. 13. Christian baptism is the immersion of a 
 believer in water in the name of the Father, of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Spirit; to show forth in a solemn 
 and beautiful emblem his faith in a crucified, buried 
 and risen Savior, and the remission of sins through 
 that faith. It is prerequisite to Church m.embership, 
 and to a participation of the Lord's Supper. To this 
 ordinance it is the duty of every believer to submit. 
 
 Art. 14. The Lord's Supper is an institution of 
 Jesus Christ, in which, by partaking of bread and wine 
 as emblems of his body and blood, we commemorate 
 His dying love; and only members of the Church in 
 good standing are entitled to receive it. 
 
1 44 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Art. 15. The first day of the week is the Lord's 
 Day, and it is to be kept sacred to religious purposes 
 b}^ abstaining from all secular labor and recreation, by 
 the assembling of the Churches for worship, and by 
 diligence in the exercises of private devotion. 
 
 Art. 16. It is the duty of Christians and Christian 
 Churches to labor for the propagation of the Gospel 
 throughout the world, and in doing so, they may unite 
 in missionary and other associations, provided that 
 such associations shall have no ecclesiastical authority. 
 
 Art. 17. There will be a resurrection of the dead, 
 both of the just and of the unjust. 
 
 Art. 18. God hath appointed a day in which he 
 will judge the world by Jesus Christ, when every one 
 shall receive according to his deed; the wicked shall 
 go away into everlasting punishment, the righteous 
 into life eternal. 
 
 Response by the Disciples. 
 
 preamble. 
 
 We agree in utter repudiation of creeds. But we 
 dissent from the position that churches state their 
 understanding of fundamental doctrines, etc., in order 
 to union among themselves, etc. 
 
 Article 1. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 2. Substitute ''truths" for ''doctrines," and 
 "Gospel" for "New Testament." 
 
 Art. 3. Substitute: "The Holy Scriptures reveal 
 the divinity, and personality, and unity, of the Father, 
 Son, and Holy Spirit." 
 
 Art. 4. Substitute: "That sin having entered into 
 the world b}^ one man, in whom all have sinned, and 
 death by sin, and so death passed upon all men; man 
 is therefore by nature sinful, and by transgression a 
 sinner, and thus, dead in trespasses and sins." 
 
Helps and Hindrances 145 
 
 Art. 5. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 6. Regeneration, as used in the Scriptures, 
 is a process which inchides a change of heart, wrought 
 by the Hoh^ Spirit, through the truth, and a birth of 
 water in an immersion into the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Art. 7. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 8. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 9. Substitute: ''Justification is an act of God 
 pardoning the sinner and treating him as righteous, 
 through faith in the atonement of Christ. 
 
 Art. 10. Substitute: ''Sanctification is a separa- 
 tion to the service of God, in which the children of 
 God perfect holiness, through the Word and Spirit 
 dwelling in them." 
 
 Art. 11. Agreed, with ''immersed" for "baptized," 
 and erase "visible." 
 
 Art. 12. Accept, with the omission "called of God," 
 because equivocal, and as a very incomplete state- 
 ment of duties, etc. 
 
 Art. 13. Substitute: Christian baptism is the im- 
 mersion in water of a penitent believer, into the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 
 for the remission of sins; and is a prerequisite to 
 Church membership, and to a participation of the 
 Lord's Supper. 
 
 Art. 14. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 15. Altered. The first day of the week is 
 the Lord's Day, and should be sacredly devoted to 
 religious culture, in assembling the churches for cele- 
 brating the Lord's Supper, and in other acts of public 
 worship, and in diligence in private devotion. 
 
 Art. 16. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 17. Agreed. 
 
 Art. 18. Agreed. 
 
 10 
 
146 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Baptist Rejoinder. 
 
 Art. 1. Adhered to; adding ''written or unwritten" 
 after form. 
 
 Art. 2. Accept ''truths" for "doctrines," but 
 adhere to "New Testament." 
 
 Art. 3. We prefer ours. 
 
 Art. 4. Adhered to. 
 
 Art. 6. Adhered to. 
 
 Art. 9. Substitute for our article and yours: Justi- 
 fication is that act of God in which he pardons and 
 accepts as righteous every man immediately upon 
 the exercise of faith in the atonement of Christ. 
 
 Art. 10. Adhered to. 
 
 Art. 11. Accept your amendments. 
 
 Art. 12. We propose, "moved bv the Spirit," or 
 "called of God." 
 
 Art. 13. Adhered to; inserting (after your example), 
 "penitent" before "believer." 
 
 Art. 15. Adhered to; with explanation by the 
 president, that "we would not bar churches from 
 weekly communion." 
 
 It will be seen that eighteen articles were presented; 
 eight of which were accepted by the Disciples with- 
 out any change whatever; seven others accepted 
 with som^e verbal changes, and leaving only three in 
 which there was not substantial agreement. These 
 three were articles, 9, 6 and 13, respectively, treating 
 of the doctrines of justification, regeneration and Chris- 
 tian baptism. The Baptists held justification to be an 
 act of God irrespective of any works on the part of man. 
 The disciples simply struck out the clause pertaining 
 to works. On the doctrine of regeneration, the Bap- 
 tists taught that it was a spiritual change wrought in the 
 
Helps and Hindrances I47 
 
 heart, while the disciples taught that it comprised both 
 change of heart and a birth of water. As to baptism, 
 the Baptists taught that it was to be performed on ac- 
 count of, or as a sign or emblem of, the remission of 
 sins, while the disciples taught that it was to be per- 
 formed for the remission of sins. 
 
 When the articles, together with the Baptist re- 
 joinder, were read before the Convention, the gifted 
 and far-seeing Jas. W. Goss (disciple) arose and said: 
 ''Mr. President, the differences existing between 
 us are apparent to all. Are they sufficient, in your 
 estimation, to prevent fellowship, ecclesiastical or other- 
 wise?'' 
 
 President.— ''Well, we have approximated so 
 closely to each other that we think we can get nearer 
 together upon mutual explanation." 
 
 Mr. Goss.— "Mr. President, my question is not an- 
 swered. If we cannot subscribe to that document, and 
 I tell you frankly that we cannot, will you have church 
 fellowship with us? We have expressed ourselves 
 plainly. We think you understand us. We think we 
 understand you. Are these differences great enough, 
 in your judgment, to prevent ecclesiastical union?" 
 
 Several speeches were made at this point. Mr. 
 James D. Coleman (disciple) expressed himself as be- 
 highly gratified at the meeting; glad to find that the 
 differences were so few, and that upon explanation even 
 these had dwindled into insignificance. Mr. Shaver 
 (Baptist) thought that the differences were far wider 
 and greater than any of the speeches on either side indi- 
 cated; hoped that the proceedings would be published— 
 
148 The Pica and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 was not willing to trust to treacherous memory, es- 
 pecially since it had been stated on that floor before 
 the adjournment of the Convention tliat the differences 
 had dwindled into insignificance. 
 
 Dr. Poindextcr (Baptist) and W. K. Pendleton (dis- 
 ciple) engaged in some metaphysical rencounters, after 
 which Dr. Hopson (disciple) said: 
 
 ''Mr. President, you invited us here for a friendly 
 talk with reference to union. We both belong to the 
 same great family of immersionists; we both baptize the 
 same character. We differ, not with regard to what 
 God does nor what the sinner must do. We both teach 
 that men must believe, repent and be baptized. We 
 differ as to the time God passes an executive act in His 
 own mind. Will you take the responsibility of saying 
 that while we have invited these peo]:)le to meet us in 
 friendly, social talk with reference to union, and tliough 
 we agree in nearly all of the eighteen articles submitted, 
 we will not have church fellowship with them?" 
 
 Mr. John Hart (Baptist) rose and said: 
 
 ''Mr. President, I do not agree with Dr. Hopson 
 that we both baptize the same character. You bap- 
 tize the penitent behever; we baptize the penitent, par- 
 doned, justified believer. It is time for Bro. Goss's 
 question to be answered. As for myself and church, 
 we are not willing to have church fellowship with them 
 so long as these differences exist." 
 
 Mr. Goss then said: 
 
 "Mr. President, Bro. Hart has fairh- and justly 
 stated the differences between us on this question. We 
 both baptize the penitent believer. Here we begin to 
 
Heljui and Hindrances 149 
 
 differ. We baptize the penitent believer; you baptize 
 the penitent, pardoned, justified beUever. But there 
 is a practical difference. I beg leave to illustrate: A 
 young man comes to you, sir, and tells you that he be- 
 lieves in Jesus and repents of his sins, but that he has 
 no assurance of pardon. He remembers that Jesus 
 said, ' He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ' ; 
 and he wishes you to baptize him, that he may claim 
 that promise. You, sir, cannot baptize him. He 
 comes to me, tells me that he believes in Jesus and 
 wishes to put himself under Christ's government and 
 care. I say to him, ^ Arise and be baptized and wash 
 away thy sins'." 
 
 He took his seat. Silence reigned for a minute. To 
 this speech there was no reply. There could be none. 
 All felt its power. A motion to publish the minutes of 
 the meeting was offered and discussed, and then the 
 Convention adjourned. 
 
 Tt was thought advisable not to publish the minutes 
 of the Convention, but a copy was placed with one mem- 
 ber of each party in the Convention, and these brethren 
 were instructed not to publish the minutes unless they 
 should hereafter, on account of some necessity not now 
 perceived, jointly agree that the publication of said 
 minutes would do good. At the same time an address, 
 which had been reported by a committee in an imper- 
 fect state, was referred to a committee for revision and 
 publication. As it set forth the spirit of the Conven- 
 tion and received the endorsement of both parties, we 
 append it. 
 
150 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Address of the Convention of Baptists and Disciples 
 held in Richmond April 24, 25, 26 and 28, 1866, 
 to the Churches of these two bodies in the State of 
 Virginia. 
 
 Dear Brethen: — We have met in this Conven- 
 tion, not as delegates appointed to transact business 
 for you, but as a voluntary convention of professed 
 Christian men, earnestly desirous to promote the 
 cause of Bible truth, and to bring nearer to each other 
 the divided forces of our Lord's great army. 
 
 It had been hoped by many that the influence of 
 time, and the more thorough study of the divine 
 Word, had brought us so near to each other in mind 
 and heart, and in the interpretation of the Scriptures, 
 as to make it manifest that we could jointly recom- 
 mend to our churches in Virginia a more intimate 
 ecclesiastical co-operation than has heretofore existed, 
 hoping that fraternal, mutual courtesies would sooner 
 or later lead to a cordial ecclesiastical union of the two 
 bodies. 
 
 With a view fully to ascertain each other's views of 
 the teachings of the Bible, we have for four days met 
 for conversation and kind discussion of the ciuestions 
 deemed necessary to be discussed on the occasion. We 
 have frequent!}" united in appealing to the God and 
 Father of our I^ord Jesus Christ that he would by the 
 Holy Spirit lead us to right conclusions in the premises. 
 During our entire session there has prevailed as much 
 of Christian courtesy and brotherly kindness as we 
 have ever seen manifested in a body of thirty men 
 engaged in the discussion of questions involving 
 Christian fellowship. But, after all, we have reached 
 the conclusion deliberately, however reluctantly, that 
 the time has not yet come when the Baptists and 
 Disciples are, on both sides prepared, with a prospect 
 of perfect harmony, to commit themselves to any 
 degree of co-operation beyond such courtesies and 
 
Helps and Hindrances l5l 
 
 personal kindnesses as members of churches of different 
 denominations may individually choose to engage in. 
 
 We would express, however, with much gratitude 
 to our common Father, the gratification we have felt, 
 and still feel, in having developed by this interview 
 an agreement of views as to the great facts, and 
 truths, and duties of the Gospel, far more extensive 
 and practically identical than many of our brethren 
 had supposed to exist; and we would earnestly recom- 
 mend to the brethren of the two bodies in the State of 
 Virginia to cultivate the spirit of fraternal kindness 
 and Christian courtesy toward each other — to keep 
 in mind the prayer of our T.ord that all his people 
 might be one; and while they cultivate the spirit of 
 peace, to refrain as far as possible from everything 
 that would tend to alienate from each other those 
 who, in regard to so many precious and important 
 truths taught in the Word of God, give the same inter- 
 pretation, and in regard to so many Christian prac- 
 tices are of one mind. 
 
 Signed by the direction of the Convention. 
 
 W. F. Broaddus, 
 J. W. Goss. 
 April 27, 1866. 
 
 Thus passed into history the memorable congress of 
 Baptists and Disciples. If it fell short of the accom- 
 plishment of its greatest object, it was not an entire 
 failure. Some prejudices that had long kept these two 
 great bodies of God's people apart were swept away. 
 The very fact of their meeting together in such an as- 
 sembly was in itself a triumph. We hope and pray 
 that the day may not be far distant when they shall be 
 united on the Apostles' testimony, and plead with their 
 united strength the Gospel of a risen Savior in its pris- 
 tine purity and primitive simplicity. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OUR STATUS IN THIS STATE. 
 
 The following address on ''Our Status in This State" 
 was delivered before the Christian Ministerial Associa- 
 tion of Yiroinia by Dr. Bullard at the session held in 
 Lynchburg in May, 1879. It presents a review of the 
 work throughout the State by one intimately ac- 
 quainted with the work in its pioneer days, and forms 
 a fitting chapter with which to close the first part of 
 this work. 
 
 The Christian Church is a child of stern necessity, 
 the offspring of moral law as inviolate as the physical 
 law which is now pressing the flowers to fruitage. 
 Those of us who came first were compelled to read, 
 compelled to think, and compelled to pray with deep- 
 felt groans known only to ourselves and to God. We 
 had power to resist neither our convictions nor the 
 utterance of them. Hence, under God, that bodv 
 called 'The Disciples," or "Christian Church." Now 
 it is a small matter that we can say that it is lurger 
 than any other church for its years; that its teachings, 
 once deemed soul-damning, are echoed from most every 
 pulpit. This would not prove it the offspring of God. 
 To settle this question we must see whether those who 
 have fled from other churches to us for refuge have 
 found themselves nearer to God; more in earnest to 
 know and do his will; fed on more spiritual food; im- 
 proved in liberality and piety. Do we constitute 
 a soul-saving organization? Seventy winters have 
 cooled the blood of some of us. We have come here to 
 
Our Status in This State 153 
 
 consider and to realize what we are, what we have done, 
 what we are doing. That which I have to present, 
 however, will deal largely with the past, and must par- 
 take, in a measure, of the nature of personal reminis- 
 cences. 
 
 I turn first to Tidewater, the orient of our movement, 
 and ask what has she done with her means and oppor- 
 tunities, with a large instalment of members from the 
 Baptist churches, her clever resident preachers — Hen- 
 ley, Ainslie, Duval, Curtis, Dangerfield, and pretty 
 earlv Henshall and others; to say nothing of Burnett, 
 and*^the frequent presence of the Campbells, the syn- 
 onym of victory? We cannot overpraise the heroic 
 conscientiousness, zeal, and perseverance of these men, 
 which, in some instances, greatly exceeded their pru- 
 dence, temperance and charity. It was neither wise, 
 kind nor just to trace the lineage of the churches around 
 us to the ''^Mother of Harlots." And did not some of 
 our old brethren deem it hardly prudent to express the 
 conviction that honest unimmersed persons would be 
 saved? — while some of them sympathized with Dr. 
 Thomas in the sentiment that Baptist immersions 
 were invalid. But those were the days of conflict. 
 What a joy it must have been to some of them 
 to discover that we had not monopolized all the fruits 
 of the Spirit! Such discoveries are helpful to the 
 soul. If, then, when the battle waned, our Tidewater 
 brethren could have retained their original zeal and 
 concentrated it on Sunday-schools, evangelizing, and 
 training young men for elders, truly able to feed the 
 flock of Ciod, who could estimate the results? Not that 
 she has been behind other districts in these labors of 
 love, for, though lying pretty much upon her oars for 
 some time, with few Sunday-schools, with sparse 
 monthly preachings, content to share with all the other 
 districts in the State in one evangelist, yet, since the 
 war, with half her former means, she has more than 
 
154 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 doubled her former zeal! In two years after the war 
 hundreds were converted, of whom three young men — 
 Trible, Dunn and Ainslie, — with two former converts, 
 Wynne and Power, were educated for the work where- 
 unto God had called them. Not all of these, however, 
 were educated by the churches. New churches were 
 planted and Sunday-schools started into new life. 
 Thus much for Tidewater, with her thunders checked 
 mid- valley. The banner district in the work for edu- 
 cating young men for the ministry, yet her flag floats 
 at half-mast, in mourning, we hope, that she has done 
 no more. She does not support even one elder in every 
 church; and what bread of life is she sending to the 
 destitute? 
 
 If Richmond desires a personal notice, I have only 
 to say that in the year 1835, from the most auspicious 
 beginnings, her lamp was almost extinct; while now 
 she is a power greater than some whole districts. 
 
 Piedmont, not so early in the field, was, with the ex- 
 ception of less foreign aid and a powerful Pedo-Baptist 
 resistance, not behind Tidewater in men and means, 
 comparing territory. Hear these names — Bagby, 
 Webber, Higgason, Pendletons, Hunter; last, but not 
 least, Coleman and Goss, each, in his way, the peer of 
 the best preachers of the day. What an auspicious 
 dawn at Gilboa ! Nor has she disappointed hope. And 
 Charlottesville, without rebuffs, would to-day have 
 numbered five hundred members, covering Albemarle 
 with her satellites. She had Coleman, Goss and Poin- 
 dexter, and early the only religious paper in the town. 
 But, oh, what a blunder to have Dr. Thomas, at the 
 organization of the church, to insult the Episcopalians 
 in their own home, kindly tendered for our use! The 
 animus of this visit of his, together with his trailing 
 Advocate, threw a pall over the church not lifted for 
 twenty years. Even A. Campbell, who, in 1840, spoke 
 to the great congregation as I thought I never heard 
 
Our status in This State 155 
 
 any one speak, could not remove the blighting mildew. 
 The brethren at Charlottesville are good men, true men; 
 have done as nearly what they could as any others, 
 and God will not forget their patience and labors of 
 love. I expect even before I die to hear of the develop- 
 ment of her latent strength. How bright was the ris- 
 ing of Scottsville. When first I knew her she had only 
 eight members. There was no promise of any more. 
 And then, in a short time, I saw a great church, in a 
 good house of worship, reaching out her helping hands 
 into Buckingham and Fluvanna. Since that time the 
 town has gone down, the railroad having robbed it of 
 its trade from the Valley; and Barclay, Trice, Tyler, 
 Staples, Spencer, and that mother in Israel, Sister 
 Staples, and many others have gone over the river. 
 When I think of those dear brethren, I think of the ex- 
 hortation, ''Cast not away thy confidence which hath 
 great recompense of reward." Still, there is left a 
 nucleus, a seed pit, that may yet gladden the whole 
 land. But why should I individualize the churches of 
 Piedmont? I have selected those which had most to 
 bear to illustrate the vitality of Christianity. 
 
 No point of our endeavors presented a finer prospect 
 of success than Southeastern Virginia. Silas Shel- 
 burne, in his acknowledged purit}^, integrity, good 
 sense and piety, borrowed a lustre from his father. 
 Confided in by the whole Meherrin Association, their 
 last appeal in Bible exegesis, in his mental maturity, 
 we cannot fail to appreciate his strength. And then 
 in Lunenburg, Pettie, Wilson and Barnes; in Nottoway, 
 James Jeter, suave, genial, gentlemanly, sensible, while 
 ardent, a good speaker, though so modest I never heard 
 him but once, and then by a surprise; in Amelia, 
 Townes, Young C. Day and T. E. Jeter, and though not 
 then a preacher, Walthall, whom we all know so well, 
 and what his influence must have been (he diffused the 
 Christian Baptist in 1824—5, and was the first elder in 
 
156 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Paineville in 1830) ; in Powhatan the saintly Wren. 
 What prevented the conquest of the whole land? 
 Mainly, if not simply, Dr. John Thomas, whose advent 
 into this district was signalized by his refusing to pray 
 with a pious Methodist family with whom he first found 
 shelter in lAinenburg, because his host had not been 
 baptized! Before he left there were very few who 
 wanted to be baptized, though he had fine success in 
 diffusing his incendiary views in the churches. His 
 partisans increased with his every visit until, in 1840, 
 a mere handful still affiliated with Shelburne and 
 Pettie, for Campbell's and Thomas' reconciliation had 
 gone for nothing. Do not for a moment imagine 
 that Thomas' friends were worthless. In all the 
 country no better men could be fovmd than many who 
 supported him with all their strength. Here please 
 make a note, and tell me what ought to be done with 
 good men whose heads are full of nonsense, while their 
 hearts and lives are right? The cause did indeed seem 
 dead in Southeastern Virginia. But ''God had not 
 cast away His people whom he foreknew." In 1841 
 what seemed to be the cold cheek of death began to 
 glow, and in five years a thousand were added to the 
 Church, new churches were established, new houses 
 were built, old ones repaired, Sunday-schools sprang 
 up, the people began to sing and weep and pray. In 
 1869 I found them still a live people. As an evidence, 
 they educated Bro. James Wilson, of whom they were 
 so early and sadly bereaved. I am hoping to hear of 
 more being schooled, and of an able resident teacher in 
 every church. 
 
 Following the course of the sun, we come to Southern 
 Piedmont, where forty-odd years ago we find one good 
 Disciple, John T. Wooten, a native of Prince Edward 
 county, where he heard Jacob Creath, on a visit from 
 Kentucky to his relatives, and where he probably heard 
 the powerful sermon of old Bro. Ainslie, at Sandy River, 
 
Our Status in This State 157 
 
 in the Baptist Church so long under the care of the 
 estimable Daniel Witt. If it had occurred to Bro. 
 Wooten, he no doubt would have employed a preacher 
 (for he was able to do so) to preach to his neighbors. 
 But those were not the days for this sort of enterprise, 
 nor was it believed that money had much to do with 
 religion. And so this most worthy and sensible brother 
 was induced to do what he could in private conversa- 
 tions. Thus he secured Doyle and Shelton; subse- 
 quently, Reuben Short, living forty miles west on 
 the crest of the Blue Ridge. He was once a primitive 
 Baptist preacher. This is the man so eloquently al- 
 luded to by Dr. Duval in Richmond, where he said: 
 "We have gems from the mountains and pearls from 
 the ocean." But of Bro. Short it must be said that, 
 with all his brains and zeal, he was wont, like a boat- 
 man, to land his hearers on the bank opposite that on 
 which he fixed his eyes. 
 
 When I first visited Henry county, two, besides 
 myself, broke the loaf. To blunt whatever of hope 
 attached to South Piedmont (I regret so frequently to 
 mention his name). Dr. Thomas came along with his 
 Advocate, happily read by few, but as well calculated as 
 any document could be to prejudice our cause, and 
 nowhere did I find more jealous ears than those I first 
 addressed in Henry county. Subsequently a rich 
 harvest was gathered in that and adjacent counties. 
 And if our brethren there could realize that their soil 
 is still comparatively virgin, and would multiply by 
 ten their missionary, Sunday-school and educational 
 zeal, it would soon be seen that South Piedmont is 
 as much our best field for Christian enterprise as it is 
 for fine tobacco. God help our dear brethren to pre- 
 empt the land before others lay warrant upon it. They 
 have done well in securing Bro. Stone. 
 
158 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 The lower Valley of ^^irginia was a good field, con- 
 siderably occupied by the Christian Connection and 
 other independent thinkers. Bro. Ferguson, of the 
 Christian Connection, a strong man in his prime, was 
 as early as 1840 preaching what we call ''The Ancient 
 Gospel.." His sons were very clever, and if they had 
 known the beauty of serving God with the whole heart 
 we might have had in reality what we have in story, 
 "The Happy Valley." And if that grape-vine man, 
 alias Doctor, imported from Eastern Virginia, had been 
 a good hand with the vine in God's husbandry, and a 
 good Doctor of souls, how the solitary places would 
 have rejoiced. But our Valley brethren have had their 
 reverses, too. What nmst have been their heart- 
 wealth to present their present spiritual status? I 
 have never lost sight of them for more than forty 
 years, nor lost faith in their sturdy race. 
 
 And now we go up — ascending — whether morally 
 or not, to Southwest Virginia, the field of most meagre 
 promise and agency. The people are Scotch-Irish. 
 Presbyterian, Lutheran and Methodist — Pedo-Baptist; 
 a good people, Init given to have both ears on one side 
 of the head; having always been proof against Baptist 
 aggression. The agent essaying our interest, a poor, 
 ignorant boy, deprived by his father's fallen fortunes 
 of a proper education, knowing nothing of the Church 
 established in the West, and then struggling into 
 being in Tidewater Virginia. He was, therefore, without 
 the help of precedent or sympathy. The Baptists 
 would not baptize him unless he would unite with 
 them. He was finally baptized by Landon Duncan, 
 of the Christian Connection, under special stipulations. 
 This was the faint rushlight attempting the narrow 
 path in the surrounding gloom. For a long w^hile 
 there w^as no foreign help, and it was not until many 
 churches were established that Bro. Duncan gave in his 
 adhesion. So there was no Achan in the camp. If 
 
Our Status in This State 159 
 
 none to aid, then none to help us to ruin. The Apos- 
 tolic Advocate was indeed subscribed for, but some 
 officious person, when its drift was seen, had it stopped, 
 and the subscribers went to the postoffice for naught. 
 A truer set of men than our preachers, taking them in 
 the aggregate, could nowhere have been found, while 
 those not so true were not very strong, and those who 
 came for mischief made short A^sits. I cannot say we 
 have not had some false doctrine, for the youth who 
 first opened his mouth to plead for the ''Ancient Order 
 of Things" did all a man could do to make his brethren 
 sting}^; so that even to this day some of them can sit 
 in tolerable comfort under a Gospel that costs them 
 not a cent. I do not think they would let their preach- 
 ers maul their rails and plow their fields for nothing; 
 this is looked upon as harder work than preaching; 
 but there can be no doubt that from the Blue Ridge 
 and the Alleghanies to Tennessee and Kentucky not 
 one-twentieth of the Master's checks have been hon- 
 ored. I am happy to say that the father of this mis- 
 chief, as I have heard him say, is heartily penitent for 
 having shorn his brethren of half their triumphs and 
 of half the blessedness of being Christians; and that he 
 realizes a considerable alleviation of pain in seeing 
 an effort to educate a young brother, as also in a little 
 branch of "The Christian Woman's Board of ^lissions," 
 with an animus Avhich, could it pervade the Church, 
 would justify its being called Christian. Evangelizing 
 efforts, still feeble, are on the rise. Any Eastern brother 
 disposed to look askance upon us should know that we 
 are doing fifty times as much as in our first years. 
 What then may be expected of us in our next fifty 
 years? The same man who made the stingy Christians 
 set the example, which he had inherited, of family 
 prayers once a day, and had his own trouble to reform 
 
160 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 his brethren to prayers nio;ht and morning. I will 
 say nothing of the capabilities of the men he set to 
 feed the flock of God. But I can say with heartfelt 
 emotion, he is conscious of his shortcomings, and 
 earnestly desirous to see himself and brethren set right 
 before the world, the whole Church of God and its 
 glorious Head, well knowing that the crucial test as to 
 whether the Christian Church in Virginia is of divine 
 parentage is holiness of heart, the fruits of the spirit, 
 and, with all the might, working for God and not for 
 party. 
 
THE PLEA AND THE PIONEERS 
 IN VIRGINIA 
 
 PART II. 
 
 LIVES OF THE PIONEERS 
 
 Containing- Brief Biographical Sketches of 
 the following Preachers: 
 
 George W. Abell, 
 Elder Peter Ainslie, 
 Elder Dudley Atkinson, • 
 Elder James M. Bagby, 
 Dr. Chester Bullard, 
 Reuben Lindsay Coleman, 
 Benjamin Creel, 
 Elder John Curtis, 
 Elder John Dangerfield, 
 
 Dr. John Du Val, 
 James W. Goss, 
 Thomas M. Henley, 
 John G. Parrish, 
 Silas Shelburne, 
 Charles Talley, 
 A. B. Walthall, 
 Matthew Webber, 
 Unbiographed. 
 
 11 
 
LIVES OF THE PIONEERS 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON ABELL. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was not one of the early 
 pioneers, but it was his lot to ably second the work 
 they had begun. He was born on the 11th of Decem- 
 ber, 1818, in Albemarle county, two miles west of the 
 University of Virginia, where his father and mother 
 resided for fifty years. His father, John S. Abell, 
 was a Baptist minister, and his mother a member of 
 that denomination, and both, by precept and example, 
 early impressed him with religious reverence. He 
 was taught to read and reverence the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, and to offer up regularly his evening prayer. 
 It was not then the custom, as now, to advance chil- 
 dren in the knowledge of the Word, the plan of Salva- 
 tion, or the obedience of Faith; consequently, very 
 little, if anything, in that direction was taught him. 
 This arose, not from any lack of interest in his relig- 
 ious welfare, but from their lack of knowledge in 
 the plan of Salvation, and the false ideas then preva- 
 lent concerning election, irresistible grace, and a 
 divine influence in conversion. 
 
 George began to attend school when about seven 
 years old, and had to walk two miles, both morning 
 and evening. He attended country schools only 
 five or six years, Avhen he left school to become clerk in 
 a store at Charlottesville; a position which was soon 
 
164 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 exchanged for that of an assistant in the post-office 
 of that town. But he soon left this and entered a 
 classical school, taught by a Mr. Powers. Here he 
 advanced rapidly in his studies, and soon his whole 
 character underwent a change. He was respected 
 by all who knew him for his high moral character, 
 and also for his veneration for his pious father and 
 his love for his Christlike mother. When about 
 sixteen years of age he became deeply concerned about 
 his salvation, and was not long in reaching a determina- 
 tion in the matter. He approached his elder brother 
 on the subject, informing him of his faith in Christ 
 and his determination to be baptized. This gave 
 much joy to his parents and brother. He was bap- 
 tized forthwith by his father, near Charlottesville, 
 and united with the Baptist Church of that town. 
 He resolved to sacrifice all for Christ by preparing 
 himself for the Christian ministry. He commenced 
 at once to exhort and pray in prayer-meetings. He 
 was regarded as a prodigy of learning, and was en- 
 couraged by every laudable means to carry out his 
 determination to preach the Gospel. 
 
 His progress in the classical school of Mr. Powers 
 made him well prepared to enter the University of 
 Virginia, which he did when he was about twenty 
 years old. Here he showed the same marked deter- 
 mination that had characterized his previous course. 
 He was a hard student, and carried it to such an 
 extent that his health became impaired. He seemed 
 for a time to sacrifice everything for his studies; 
 even his religious duties were neglected, and he 
 
George Washington Ahell 165 
 
 partly, if not entirely, abandoned his high purpose 
 of consecrating himself to the Gospel ministry. For 
 a time he thought of entering the political arena, 
 and after gaining a position of influence he would turn 
 all to the advancement of the cause of Christ. For 
 this end he studied day and night, even trespassing 
 upon the Lord's Day, denying himself relief or rest 
 until his health was crushed and his mind trembled 
 beneath the pressure. But there is a superior and 
 superintending Power, with sleepless eyes, ever watch- 
 ing the affairs of his children. They may propose, 
 but he disposes, 
 
 "And works his gracious will." 
 
 He mercifully laid the hand of affliction upon this 
 young man, and for many long months his friends 
 despaired of his life. But the same Power that had 
 brought him so low raised him up, chastened, reflned, 
 purified, and with all the devotion and zeal of his 
 conversion to God. 
 
 After his recovery Bro. Abell began to study the 
 Scriptures with renewed earnestness, and on one 
 occasion, in conversation with Bro. Samuel Teel, 
 an old schoolmate and a disciple of Christ, their talk 
 turned upon the remission of sins and its kindred 
 subjects. They then and there entered into an agree- 
 ment that they both should study these subjects 
 as if they had never studied them before, and the one 
 who was convinced he was wrong should own it and 
 act accordingly. They had frequent interviews after 
 this compact, and talked freely together upon the 
 
166 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 differences between them, and in course of time 
 Bro. Abell began to feel that he was standing upon 
 rather a shaky foundation. 
 
 Brother Abell was regarded at this time as rather 
 a bright star in the Baptist ecclesiastical heavens. 
 He was learned above most young men, zealous and 
 devoted, had a strong will, bent upon success, and of 
 such independence of spirit that he read every book 
 worthy of being read; and would go and hear any 
 one preach who could impart to him any information. 
 
 One Lord's Day evening, in 1840 or '41, he was in 
 Charlottesville, and desired to hear a discourse before 
 returning home. It being inclement weather, no 
 other church w^as open but the disciples', and he con- 
 cluded to go and hear Bro. R. L. Coleman. There 
 was nothing in the congregation to inspire the preacher 
 to an extra effort until this young man entered and 
 took a seat in the rear. Immediately Brother Cole- 
 man was inspired with the hope of doing this young 
 Baptist preacher some good. As soon as he arose to 
 speak all saw that he Avas about to give them some- 
 thing rich in thought and comforting to the heart. 
 It has been said that he delivered one of the finest 
 sermons of his life upon that occasion. His sermon 
 was based on Rom. 10: 6-11, the arrangement was 
 well made, and the arguments powerful and unan- 
 swerable. He closed with a very instructive appeal 
 in favor of the old Gospel. Bro. Abell went there to 
 hear with candor, and his attention was secured from 
 the first to the last; and so absorbed was his mind 
 with what he had heard, that in walking home he 
 took no notice of the path he trod. 
 
George Washington Abell 167 
 
 The next day he sought an interview with Bro. 
 Coleman, in which he informed him of the effect of 
 his discourse; how it absorbed his thoughts and en- 
 hghtened his mind, especially upon that part of the 
 Christian system concerning the plan of salvation, and 
 closed the interview by saying, ''I cannot remain 
 with the Baptists,. with my present views, and shall, 
 with the help of the Lord, be at the Christian Church 
 next Lord's Day and unite with j^ou on the Bible 
 alone." 
 
 His determination was carried out on the following 
 Lord's Day, much to the astonishment of his parents 
 and his Baptist brethren. This strange act on the 
 part of George W. Abell must be explained, so as not 
 be creditable to the disciples. So it was soon cir- 
 culated far and near that George W. Abell was de- 
 ranged. And to such votaries of sectarianism there 
 could be no other explanation. Former bosom 
 companions treated him with coldness, but he was at 
 all times the same sweet-tempered and quiet-minded 
 Christian young man, and bore meekly their taunts 
 and ridicule. To cap the climax of religious pre- 
 judice and bigotry, the Baptist Church of Charlottes- 
 ville acted against him as they would have acted 
 against a drunkard or a debauchee, and upon their 
 Church record is found these words: ^'George W. 
 Abell; excluded February 26, 1842." And for what 
 was he excluded? There it stands recorded, — a pure, 
 holy, and godly man! — one that believed in Christ 
 with all his heart, had repented of his sins and been 
 baptized in the name of Jesus by his father, John S. 
 
168 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Abell, and from the day of his baptism to the day of 
 his death was an ornament to the rehgion of the Lord, 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Brother Abell now continued his studies at the 
 University, taking a very extensive course of study, 
 and finally graduating in every school except in 
 the school of Chemistry. Brother Abell was now 
 free from the University; but he was in appear- 
 ance nearly a physical wreck. He desired to preach, 
 but he had doubts as to whether he could become 
 a preacher or not. On this point he consulted his 
 friend James W. Goss, who in turn told Kro. Abell 
 some of his own early difficulties in that line; and 
 seeing that their experiences were similar, he gathered 
 courage and determined to die in the harness. 
 
 He began preaching around Charlottesville, and 
 soon took a trip through Tidewater district in com- 
 pany with Bro. Goss. From this time his former 
 Baptist brethren ceased in a large measure their per- 
 secution. They were now satisfied that his convictions 
 were deeply founded, and that they could not move 
 him by their sarcasm, ridicule, or pseudo-arguments. 
 He became more cheerful at this relief and began to 
 use to the best effect his superior educational advan- 
 tages. 
 
 In 1845 Bro. Abell was married to Miss Mary Ann 
 Nalley, of Nelson county. He had baptized her the 
 previous year, and at the time of their marriage he 
 was twenty-seven and she nineteen years old. During 
 the next five years he taught school and preached as 
 he had opportunity; but other duties hung heavy 
 
George Washington Ahell 169 
 
 on his hands, for he desired to give his whole time 
 to the proclamation of God's Word. Through the 
 influence of Brethren Coleman and Goss, at the annual 
 meeting of the Disciples, held in Richmond in the 
 fall of 1849, Bro. Abell was appointed State Evan- 
 gelist, and entered upon his duties in February, 1850. 
 
 He now commenced the labor that gave him a name 
 long to be remembered among Virginia disciples, and 
 from that day to the day of his death he was wholly 
 devoted to his high and holy calling. In the small 
 space at our disposal it would be impossible to give 
 anything like a connected account of his labors. This 
 has already been done in a separate volume by Bro. 
 Peter Ainslie, to whom we are much indebted for the 
 material found in this sketch. 
 
 On the 11th of November, 1867, Bro. Abell was riding 
 horseback before daybreak to join his family, with whom 
 he was to move to Tazewell county, when his horse fell 
 with him. Bro. Abell's right leg was broken between 
 the knee and the ankle. As the horse rose, he rose on 
 him, and rode five miles to Dr. Anderson's, who set it, 
 and putting him in his own carriage, sent him home. 
 He got home about dark, and rested tolerably well that 
 night. The next day he insisted on starting, as they 
 had their goods already packed. His wife and family 
 tried to dissuade him from going, but he thought he 
 could undergo the trip. They were on the road in all 
 about three weeks. They rested at Snowville, Pulaski 
 county. On Lord's Day after their arrival Bro. Abell 
 had himself propped up between a table and a chair, 
 and in that situation he preached to the people. He 
 
170 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 alwa^^s looked upon the body as onh^ the house — 
 the tent — in which the "I" — the real self — was to 
 sojourn, and he could endure heat, cold, pain, labor, 
 all things, so that it but helped him in his chosen work. 
 An acquaintance of his once charged him rather 
 warmly with spending too much time away from his 
 family; to which he promptly gave the characteristic 
 reply: ''The Devil told me so before, but I did not 
 believe him." 
 
 In 1869 Bro. Abell held a debate with Mr. Gilbert, 
 of the M. E. Church, South, at Newport, Giles county, 
 Virginia. Three days were spent on the Action of 
 Baptism, and then they adjourned to meet a week or 
 two later and discuss Infant Baptism. In the inter- 
 mission between the debates Bro. Abell preached at 
 Pembroke, only a few miles distant, and baptized 
 one hundred persons; a goodly number of whom were 
 Methodists. Major Samuel Lybrook, the president 
 moderator of the debate, was among the number who 
 obeyed the Lord, and tliis brother is still an active 
 elder of the Pembroke congregation. No further 
 comment upon the result of the debate is needed than 
 the above stated results. Mr. Gilbert, who was a 
 shrewd debater of twenty-five years' experience, 
 became irritable the last day of the debate, perhaps 
 owing to the fact that on that morning Bro. Abell 
 had baptized three more of his ]\Iethodist brethren. 
 
 The last year of his life Bro. Abell moved to Tennes- 
 see. In his farewell address to the Virginia disciples 
 he wrote: 
 
George Washington Ahell 171 
 
 ''The prime of my life has been spent among you; 
 for nearly one quarter of a century I have been your 
 servant. I have grown gray in that service: the 
 manner in which I performed it, God, men, and angels 
 are witnesses of. I need not appeal to you in regard 
 to it. I have not shunned to declare to you the 
 whole counsel of God; I have kept back nothing 
 that was profitable to you; I have coveted no man's 
 gold, no man's silver, no man's apparel, no man's 
 wisdom, might, elociuence, influence, power, honor. 
 I have sought , humbly, unpretendingly, zealously, 
 to do the will of God, to glorify His name in the con- 
 version of sinners and the edification of saints. To 
 accomplish this, I have exposed myself to winter's 
 storm and summer's heat; traveled through rain, 
 hail, and snow, by day and by night. I have been a 
 stranger at home; so much so, that for a season it 
 will seem strange to my wife and children for me to 
 remain with them. But — and it makes my heart 
 sad when I pen it, and the tears in my eyes obscure 
 my writing — I know, in regard to many of you among 
 whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, 
 / shall see your faces no more. 
 
 "Farewell! my dear brethren and sisters, farewell. 
 Farewell! to the rich; farewell! to the poor; farewell! 
 to the learned; farewell! to the ignorant; farewell! 
 to the white; farewell! to the colored; farewell! 
 Christians; farewell! sinners; to one and all, a long, 
 a last. Farewell! ! ! God bless you all for time and 
 eternity. In the morning of the first resurrection, 
 may we all arise in clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
 air, and thus be 'forever with the Lord. ' 
 
 "G. W. Abell." 
 
172 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 It was indeed a last farewell. This godly man con- 
 tracted pneumonia, and passed away on the last day of 
 the year 1874, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. His latest 
 breath was a prayer and benediction. The eighth 
 article of his will reads as follows : 
 
 ''As I have spent the prime of my hfe in laboring 
 in the cause of Christ, and thereby neglected the 
 worldly interest of my family, I commit and commend 
 them to the protection and guardianship of the brother- 
 hood of Virginia, for whom I have so long and, as they 
 know, so faithfully labored, hoping and praying that, 
 under the blessing and providence of God, they may 
 assist them in what they may need. And to secure 
 this, that a copy of this Eighth Article of my will be 
 sent to the Chairman of the first State Convention, 
 after my death, to be read before that body." 
 
ELDER PETER AINSLIE. 
 
 Virginia has been honored with three preachers of 
 the Gospel, all of whom have borne the same name. 
 The Peter Ainslie of to-day, who preaches in Baltimore, 
 being a worthy son and grandson of the other two. It 
 is of the grandfather, Peter Ainslie, that we write this 
 sketch. He was born at a small village, seven miles 
 west of Edinburgh, Scotland, November 27, 1788. Six 
 months after his birth his father died, and soon after 
 his brother, thus leaving his mother, sister and himself 
 to battle with the world. He was forced to stay at 
 home much with his mother, who was not strong, and 
 this gave him but little time for school. He could read 
 well at seven, and used to rea d much in the New Testa- 
 ment at home. He was soon obliged to rehnquish 
 school altogether, but after a lapse of eight years a Sun- 
 day school was established in the village, which enabled 
 him to pick up many things that had hitherto been be- 
 yond his reach, owing to his lack of schooling. The 
 superintendent, who was a near relative of his mother's, 
 took a deep interest in him and enabled him to advance 
 rapidly in his studies, especially in the Word of God. 
 We shall now quote from a manuscript written by 
 Grandfather Ainslie himself, concerning his life. 
 
 ''In my fourteenth year, though not a member 
 of the Church, I had a great desire to go as a missionary 
 to the heathen, and, stranger still, my superintendent 
 was in favor of such a move, but my mother, with 
 better judgment, would not consent. In my fifteenth 
 
174 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 year I united with the Church of Scotland. I now 
 appUed myself to the close study of the Word of God. 
 I soon saw that the church I had joined and the Word 
 of God were not in harmony. But it was the church 
 of my clear mother — what I was to do I could not 
 determine. I was satisfied that the church was 
 wrong, but what church was right I could not decide. 
 For some time I remained in this uncertain state of 
 mind, though I had determined to break my connec- 
 tion with the church as soon as I could find a church 
 acting in accordance with the Scriptures. 
 
 ''I felt the consequences of such a move, and nothing 
 affected me more than to sever church membership 
 with my dear and beloved mother; and while I write 
 these words, memory carries me back to those days of 
 mental solicitude. During my religious struggles and 
 in the midst of my unhappiness, an additional weight 
 fell upon me in the death of my pious and God-loving 
 mother." * * * 
 
 ''My sister married soon after this, and moved 
 away."^ I was now alone, yet not alone, for I doubled 
 my diUgence in committing the Scriptures to memory 
 and reading every religious book I could, until my 
 twentieth year, when my attention was called to the 
 subjects, mode and design of baptism, and after read- 
 ing, thinking and pra3dng about the matter for six 
 months, my mind was made up; but again, in one 
 sense, I was alone. What to do I knew not. I knew 
 no one who believed in immersion or any church that 
 practiced it. I commenced to talk to the members 
 of my church upon the subject, but I met little favor 
 from them, though there were two who were ready to 
 look prayerfully into the matter, and as soon as they 
 were convinced of the importance of being immersed 
 we looked about to find a Baptist minister, and on the 
 19th of March, 1809, we three were immersed by 
 James Haldane. We asked to remain in the church 
 
Elder Peter Ainslie 175 
 
 of our parents, but were refused; consequently we 
 united with the church of Mr. Haldane." * * 
 
 ''I was now twenty-one years old, and I had a great 
 desire to preach the Gospel of Christ. I had been for 
 some time taking a part in our prayer-meetings by 
 reading, prayer and exhortation. Occasionally our 
 pastor would call upon me to take a more public part, 
 but I or the church never regarded it as preaching. 
 Soon, however, I was ordained to the ministry, and 
 on the 4th day of July, in the evening, 1809, I pre- 
 sented myself for the first time before the people as a 
 preacher of the Gospel. I need not say anything 
 about my feelings upon this occasion; I was in earnest, 
 and felt the responsibility of the step; and if I ever 
 felt my dependence upon the sustaining hand of God, 
 I did that evening. Being now more determined than 
 ever to devote my life to the ministry of the Word, and 
 having the unanimous approbation of the church, and 
 a favorable Providence to indicate the way, I moved 
 to Edinburgh, where my church and educational ad- 
 vantages would be increased. My move was easily 
 accomplished. In Edinburgh my most sanguine desires 
 were fully realized. I remained there the whole of 
 1810. I had a desire to visit the United States of 
 America, and after talking much with the brethren, 
 especially with Mr. Haldane, about such a move, it 
 was agreed that I should go under the auspices of the 
 church, and that Mr. Haldane should give me such 
 books as I needed. One day, while walking on the 
 wharf, I saw a ship from Philadelphia about to sail 
 on her return voyage, and I determined to go on her 
 if the Lord would permit. I soon made ever37- necessary 
 arrangement — the church was called together, fasting, 
 and by prayer and laying on of the hands of the presby- 
 tery, I was sent away. On the first of April, 1811, 
 I went aboard the ship Union, bound for Philadelphia. 
 Manv brethren came down to the wharf to see me 
 
176 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 off, and pronounced the blessing of God on my head. 
 It was certainly to me an affecting separation. To 
 go forever from the home of my birth — the resting- 
 place of my fathers and mothers — from friends and 
 brethren in Christ, whom I should never see in the 
 flesh again, is an event in life never forgotten." 
 
 Passing over his account of the voyage, we again 
 quote from Mr. Ainslie's manuscript: 
 
 ''On the 18th of May we were fastened to the wharf 
 in Philadelphia. Here, again, I was a stranger in a 
 strange land, and among a strange people. No one 
 can enter into the feelings of one in a strange land far 
 distant from his own happy home but one who has 
 experienced the transition. But the Christian, even 
 in such a situation, can gather consolation from the 
 fact that the same God who watched over him in by- 
 gone days in his far distant earthly home is the same 
 who will guard him in a strange land. The Lord has 
 never forsaken me. I reported myself to the pastor of 
 a Baptist Church, who kindly cared for me as far as I 
 wished. I remained in the city three weeks, and as 
 soon as I had recovered from the peculiar fatigue of 
 the voyage, and the church was satisfied that I was 
 a brother in Christ, I was invited to preach, which I 
 did on several occasions. I then went to Baltimore, 
 where I found brethren more of my way of thinking. 
 I therefore concluded to make that my home. Here I 
 met with many warm friends and brethren in the 
 Lord, among them my dear brother Wm. Carman, 
 a man of God and a friend to humanity. He mightily 
 helped me by securing employment for me, by which 
 I was able to replenish my almost exhausted funds. 
 He sent me to Richmond, Virginia, to attend to some 
 business for him, and as soon as I got through I re- 
 turned to Baltimore and remained there all the winter. 
 In the spring I went to Richmond again. I spent 
 the whole of 1812 in the latter city and Baltimore. 
 
Elder Peter Ainslie 177 
 
 ''On the 5th of October, 1812, I was married to Miss 
 Deborah McDonald, in Baltimore, Md. Her parents 
 were from Scotland, though she was born in Maryland. 
 She was a member of the church in Baltimore to 
 which I had attached myself. This church numbered 
 about twenty members. The church was not in full 
 fellowship with the Baptist churches of the city, 
 though she was regarded with some favor by them. 
 The members were spoken of by our Baptist brethren 
 as Scotch Baptists, Glassites, or Sandemanians. 
 
 ''What distinguished this little band of Christians 
 from our regular Baptist brethren consisted in this: 
 
 "1st. They believed that the Holy Scriptures were 
 an all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, without such 
 helps as creeds and confessions of faith drawn up by 
 men. 
 
 "2nd. They believed that faith was the belief of the 
 divine record or testimony, and that the Holy Spirit 
 convinced the world of sin through that record or 
 testimony. 
 
 "3rd. They attended to the weekly administration 
 of the Lord's Supper and the weekly collection for the 
 poor saints. 
 
 "4th. They had a plurality of elders, and they be- 
 lieved in the necessity of the presence of at least two 
 elders in every case of disciphne. 
 
 "I continued in Baltimore, attending to my secular 
 affairs, and preaching on every Lord's Day whenever 
 I could, until January, 1815, when I moved to Rich- 
 mond, Va. Here I engaged in secular business, with 
 great success; but I never forgot the great object I had 
 in view in leaving my native land. I preached when- 
 ever and wherever I could. But in Richmond I 
 labored under one great difficulty in preaching, viz., 
 though I essayed to unite with the Baptists, my views 
 met with little or no favor among them. However, 
 after a while I was identified with them; but I was 
 12 
 
178 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 never regarded as sound in the doctrines of the Baptist 
 Church, consequently no favorable opportunity was 
 presented for me to engage actively in the work that 
 pressed heavily upon my heart. I desired most ear- 
 nestly to be free from secular business, and to be where 
 I could preach the truth as it is revealed in God's Word. 
 At last, as I thought, an opportunity presented itself. 
 I felt that the Lord had answered my prayer. Busi- 
 ness became dull in the fall of 1818, and I had made 
 some mone}^, which I had invested in property in 
 Richmond, and a farm containing 300 acres in Hanover 
 county was offered for sale, which I bought for $2,100. 
 This proved to be a bad purchase. However, I re- 
 mained upon it until 1820, when I disposed of it at a 
 sacrifice. 
 
 ''During my stay there I devoted much of my time 
 to the ministry of the Word. The rest of my time was 
 taken up in attending to my property in Richmond 
 and farming. But I learned by experience that I was 
 never cut out for a farmer. I was now more deter- 
 mined than ever to devote more of my time to preach- 
 ing. But I could not do this and live in the city of 
 Richmond, and knowing that my fellow-countrj^man, 
 James Fife, had a farm in the county of Gloucester, 
 containing about six hundred acres of land, I effected 
 a trade of my real estate in Richmond for this farm 
 and seven slaves. 
 
 ''So in March, 1821, I moved with my family to 
 Gloucester county. As soon as I could do so, I ar- 
 ranged my farming operations, and preaching became 
 my chief business. I preached in the counties of 
 Gloucester, Mathews, Middlesex and King and Queen. 
 
 "In Gloucester and Mathews the Baptists were few 
 and weak, the Methodists having largely the ascend- 
 ancy. Many were the jeering remarks of our Metho- 
 dist friends when I boldly presented in their midst 
 the mode and importance of immersion. I, being a 
 
Elder Peter Ainslie 179 
 
 Scotchman, they spoke of me as the 'Scotch Dipper.' 
 But none of these things move me. Though they 
 thus spoke, they never treated me with personal 
 indignity or discourtesy. '' * * * 
 
 ''I was caUed to the charge of the Baptist Church in 
 Mathews, and though I preached every Lord's Day, 
 I had no other regular preaching place for some time. 
 For some two or three years my labors indicated no 
 immediate results in additions to the churches, though 
 I was gratified in witnessing much improvement in 
 the religious zeal of the members of the churches and 
 a greater disposition to study the Scriptures. 
 
 ''In 1825 there w^as a great and general revival of 
 religion in this section, in which I engaged most heartily. 
 A Church was organized near my residence, of materials 
 collected during this revival, called Ebenezer, for 
 which I became pastor." * * >i^ 
 
 "I continued through 1825 and 1826 to preach as 
 heretofore, and in the spring of 1827 I extended my 
 labors to York county, and in the summer of this year 
 a great work of grace commenced at Grafton, in that 
 county, and large numbers united with all the Baptist 
 churches of that section. I was called to take charge 
 of the Grafton Church, which I accepted, and in the 
 fall of that year I engaged an overseer for my farm 
 in Gloucester and moved with my wife and children 
 to Yorktown, carrying with us two servant women and 
 their children." 
 
 Here ends the consecutive sketch of Elder Peter Ains- 
 lie, as written by himself. This brings us down to the 
 close of the year 1827. It was about this time that the 
 views of Mr. Campbell were first being preached in East- 
 ern Virginia, and Bro. Ainslie, being a pupil of James 
 Haldane, of Scotland, was already well prepared to re- 
 ceive the views advocated by Mr. Campbell. At this 
 
180 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 period, however, Bro. Ainslie did not fully agree with the 
 view of baptism for the remission of sins, as advocated 
 by Alexander Campbell. Peter Ainslie contended that 
 it was the answer of a good conscience, by the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ from the dead, and he was slow to accept 
 of and preach baptism in order to remission. This 
 tardiness on his part caused those who readily em- 
 braced the cause of reformation to look upon him as 
 doubtful, while the regular Baptists gathered much 
 hope from the same cause. His influence and power 
 among the Baptists of his community and in the 
 churches where he preached, caused the leaders of that 
 denomination to fear the consequences should he de- 
 clare himself fully in harmony with Mr. Campbell. 
 
 After settling at Yorktown, Bro. Ainslie became very 
 popular as a preacher and was greeted with large au- 
 diences wherever he preached. He schooled the 
 churches in the Word of God, and gradually, as he 
 studied and preached the Word, he led them along with 
 him to a safer mold of doctrine than that set forth by 
 the regular Baptists. He was still a Baptist preacher, 
 and had not yet accepted all the views of the reformers. 
 
 While living at this place, a Baptist minister, of the 
 prejudiced, sectarian type, by the name of G. L. Corbin, 
 wrote a pamphlet entitled ''The Cat Let Out of the 
 Bag, or Peter Ainslie Unmasked. " If he thought to gain 
 any glory, even in the Baptists ranks, by such proced- 
 ure, he was mistaken. The whole affair was so weak, 
 imbecile and suicidal that they were all ashamed of it, 
 and advised Elder Ainslie not to publish a reply, 
 though he had written one with that object. The reply. 
 
Elder Peter Ainslie 181 
 
 in order to be effectual, had to make damaging develop- 
 ments against Mr. Corbin, which would have injured 
 the Baptist cause. This Mr. Ainslie had no disposi- 
 tion to do, for he loved the Baptists and had many 
 warm friends among them. Mr. Corbin was subse- 
 quently excluded from the ministry. 
 
 Shortly after moving to York, Elder Ainslie bought 
 a farm hard by Grafton Church, and moved upon it, 
 but soon afterward returned to his farm in Gloucester. 
 Soon after his return his self-denying wife was taken 
 sick, and after lingering for months on a bed of pain, 
 passed away. She left seven children, two having died. 
 
 As soon as arrangements could be made he left home 
 for a meeting in the upper part of Hanover county. 
 Here he met with Andrew Broaddus. One night all 
 the preachers, with others, lodged with a Baptist broth- 
 er named Norment. This was prearranged in order 
 to bring Elders Broaddus and Ainslie together in 
 lengthy conversation on the questions that were then 
 agitating all the Baptist churches in Virginia. The 
 Baptists hoped for great results from this conversa- 
 tion, as Mr. Broaddus was a gifted conversationalist 
 and a close reasoner. As soon as the conventionalities 
 of society would permit, the conversation commenced, 
 and continued until the short hours of the coming day. 
 It was Ustened to with profound attention throughout 
 by all except a self-conceited and excitable Baptist 
 preacher, who would throw out his imbecile ejacula- 
 tions, much to the annoyance of the gentlemanly Broad- 
 dus. As a result of the conversation neither party 
 was convinced, but many present were induced to make 
 
182 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 a more thorough examination of the groimds of their 
 faith. 
 
 At the Dover Association of 1832, Bro. AinsHe was 
 one of the six ministers ecclesiastically beheaded. The 
 conversation with Andrew Broaddus, related above, 
 was to sound him, and if possible save him to the ranks 
 of the regulars. When the Dover Association was con- 
 vened Mr. Ainslie was named on the committee to re- 
 port upon the course the Baptists were to adopt in re- 
 gard to ''Campbellism. " This was another effort to 
 win him at the last moment over to their side, and at 
 the same time give an appearance of representing the 
 reformers on the committee. Bro. Ainslie did not at- 
 tend any of their meetings, and they showed the real 
 spirit which led them to name him as a committee- 
 man when they placed his name on the decree as one 
 of those withdrawn from. 
 
 In 1834 he married Miss Matilda Gregory, of King 
 William county, and soon after settled in that county. 
 He was at that time acting in the capacity of the first 
 general evangelist of Tidewater district, having a field 
 extending from the Blue Ridge to the blue sea. His 
 eldest daughter had married Bro. Jos. Bohannon, and he 
 had placed the rest of his children in a good boarding- 
 school, intending to give them a good education. Di- 
 rectly after his second marriage, however, he again 
 gathered his children around him in his new home. 
 The joys of this reunited family were short-lived. Bro. 
 Ainslie owned a negro man whose wife was owned in 
 King and Queen and was about to be sold. The slave 
 appealed to Bro. Ainslie to go over and buy her. Ac- 
 
Elder Peter Ainslie 183 
 
 cordingly they got into a boat to cross the Mattaponi 
 river. It was in February, and the river was just break- 
 ing up after a heavy freeze. The boat was caught be- 
 tween two large cakes of ice and crushed, and they were 
 precipitated into the river. Persons on the shore saw 
 them, but were powerless to save them. Again and 
 again they tried to climb up on the sheets of ice, but 
 in the struggle the rotten ice would break beneath their 
 weight. At last they sank beneath the icy waters. 
 The body of Bro. Ainslie was not found until six weeks 
 later. 
 
ELDER DUDLEY ATKINSON. 
 
 Bro. Atkinson was born in Essex county, Virginia, 
 February 26, 1784. As a child he was regarded as an 
 excellent boy and was very devoted to his parents. 
 He ever preferred to w^alk by the admonitions of a lov- 
 ing mother rather than to enter into the wildness 
 of his schoolmates. There was something in his per- 
 sonality, even as a child, that made people respect and 
 esteem him. There is an idea prevalent in the world 
 to-day that a man to be a successful preacher must 
 first sow his wild oats — enter into all kinds of evil — 
 then he will be better enabled to reach sinners. Such 
 was not the case with Dudley Atkinson, nor is it ever 
 true. A pure mind, untainted by sin, ever has more 
 power to lead others to God than one that has tasted 
 the depths of sin. 
 
 From childhood he was religiously inclined. He 
 loved good books, and was particularly fond of listen- 
 ing to the old Christians relate their experiences. They 
 had mixed up with their piety much superstition, and 
 could tell of sights, sounds, and wonderful experiences. 
 He became deeply interested in these matters. The 
 influence of such things coming from good people was 
 fraught with evil. Their piety had an influence that 
 could not be gainsaid. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four he reluctantly left home to 
 teach a school offered him in the upper part of King 
 WilHam county. Though a full-grown man and sur- 
 rounded by friends, such was his feeling for his aged 
 
Elder Dudley Atkinson 185 
 
 parents that he had Uttle pleasure in his new surround- 
 ings. While separated from them he often visited 
 them and provided for their wants in many ways. As 
 long as they lived he acted toward them the part of a 
 dutiful son, and to his latest hour he cherished their 
 memory with a son's warmest love. 
 
 During the summer of 1808 he became acquainted 
 with Miss Wealthy Ann Pollard, whom he married on 
 December 22, of that year. She was given to him of 
 the Lord. Husband and wife could not have been bet- 
 ter suited to each other. 
 
 His experience as a teacher but better prepared him 
 for the study of the Word of God. In vain he searched 
 it to find the counterpart of the " Christian experiences" 
 that he had so often listened to, but no such thing was 
 taught in the Word. To be sure, there were many pas- 
 sages difficult of interpretation, but as far as the ques- 
 tion ''What must I do to be saved?" was concerned, 
 the teaching was clear and easily understood. He be- 
 lieved with all his heart that Jesus is the Christ, the 
 Son of God, and able and wilHng to save him both from 
 his sins and from the punishment of sin. He sincerely re- 
 pented, and decided to leave the life and course of sin 
 to walk in that of righteousness, and with no other ex- 
 perience than this he approached the beloved Robert 
 B. Semple and asked to be baptized. This was done, 
 and he became a member of the Upper College Baptist 
 Church (now called Cattail) in King William county. 
 He was very retiring in his manners, and never forced 
 himself upon the notice of anyone, but opportunities 
 were not long in developing to prove his usefulness. 
 
186 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Baptist ministers were not very plentiful then, and 
 through the influence of Bishop Semple he was soon 
 made '' a licentiate. " 
 
 There were in the churches of that day, as also now, 
 those who considered their views as a test of member- 
 ship and ministerial qualifications. With this class 
 sights, sounds and dreams were regarded as tests of 
 conversion, and to oppose them as such subjected the 
 unfortunate one to the severest censure. Unfortu- 
 nately, or fortunately, Elder Atkinson never saw a sight 
 or heard a sound which he could not explain on natural 
 principles. The class before referred to took this as 
 evidence that there was something about him not en- 
 tirely Baptistic. When the Christian Baptist first made 
 its appearance in the neighborhood the sight-seers 
 and sound-hearers raised a lamentation, which spread 
 far and wide. Its writings, they said, were infidelity dis- 
 guised, diabolical in origin and purpose, and its editor 
 was a stranger to grace and the regenerating influence 
 of the Holy Ghost. To some, however, this little 
 monthty brought clear rays of light on many a dark- 
 ened passage and doctrine. Among these was Dudly 
 Atkinson. He sought not to offend the prejudices of 
 his hearers, but preached through Christ the remission 
 of sins and the power of the Holy Spirit through the 
 truth. More of his brethren were offended at what 
 they thought he believed and did not preach than 
 anything he did preach. Very soon religious preju- 
 dice reached its climax in the publication of the Dover 
 Decree, and Elder Atkinson was one of those ostracized 
 by good but erring brethren. 
 
Elder Dudley Atkinson 187 
 
 The year following this he was ordained to the work 
 of the ministry by Elders Thomas M. Henley and John 
 Du Val. P>om that day to the end of his life he labored 
 faithfully to advance the kingdom of Christ in the 
 hearts of men. He was not fitted, even in his prime, 
 for the life of a pioneer. He loved home and its asso- 
 ciations too tenderly, and his whole nature shrank from 
 rough contact with the world at large. In his own 
 church, whenever the day of meeting came, he was 
 always to be found bearing his part in building up her 
 waste places. He continued to preach at the Upper 
 College for years, but the infirmities consequent upon 
 a not very rugged constitiition forced him to discon- 
 tinue his monthly visits. He finally moved his mem- 
 bership to Corinth Church, nearer his home, and to her 
 interest and welfare contributed the latter years of his 
 life. 
 
 As a preacher, no one could listen to him without 
 having his heart warmed. He was a man of love. His 
 subjects for preaching were those of love, forbearance, 
 kindness, gentleness, goodness, and he exalted all the 
 virtues of the Spirit. He never voluntarily engaged 
 in polemics, but if forced into it he was found well 
 posted and strong in facts and arguments, while at the 
 same time he was as gentle as his heart was good. He 
 would not intentionally wound the feelings of any one, 
 and if he was in conversation with one who did not re- 
 spect his convictions or feelings, he would close the con- 
 versation and withdraw. Being a man of sound judg- 
 ment and of mild and gentle manners, his society was 
 sought by the good of all churches, and his visits at the 
 
188 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 bedside of the sick or to the chamber of sorrow were 
 highly prized. He was often afflicted himself and often 
 bowed down with melancholy as a consequence of his 
 poor health. During these visitations the world was 
 to him a blank, his life a failure, and his former useful- 
 ness a myth. While in such a state of mind, his dear 
 wife was the only one who could cheer him up or arrest 
 his thoughts. She was a woman devoted to the Lord, 
 possessed of a vivacious mind, and always cheerful. 
 She died but a short time before he passed away. After 
 her death, he, being well stricken in years, sought the 
 seclusion his surviving children were glad to give him, 
 among whom, during the war, and in the arms of a 
 beloved daughter, he closed his eyes upon earth and all 
 its cares for a resting place with God. 
 
ELDER JAMES M. BAGBY. 
 
 This devoted child of God was born in Louisa 
 county, Virginia, March 27, 1800. His father, James 
 Bagby, was in straitened circumstances, consequently 
 he could not give his children the early educational 
 advantages that he desired. But, though his father 
 as well as himself had to labor day by day, his educa- 
 tion was not neglected. His mother was a woman of 
 strong mind and great determination of character, and 
 she not only taught him to read and write, but in- 
 stilled into his character those principles of manly 
 virtue and integrity which are only to be obtained 
 in the college of a mother's love. The nursery where 
 a sensible and loving mother presides is, after all, the 
 school where the truly good and great are made. Im- 
 pressions are made there which are never after erased, 
 nor can they be. As imperishable as the mother love 
 which prompted them are those gentle words which 
 in the nursery fell from a mother's lips. Memories 
 of later events may perish, but they remain. 
 
 This boy — James — was the constant object of his 
 mother's care. Thus he grew up knowing nothing of 
 the wiles of the evil one, nor of the power he exerted 
 over the young and thoughtless. It is not to be 
 wondered at that, naturally desiring youthful society, 
 he formed unfortunate associations; and the conse- 
 quences of such associations were marked with way- 
 wardness and, to some extent, dissipation. During 
 
190 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 this period of his hf e he was sent away to school , ac- 
 companied by the prayers of loved ones, from which 
 school he usually returned at the close of each week. 
 The Baptist brethren had a prayer-meeting at private 
 houses in the neighborhood of the school every I<>iday 
 afternoon. On one of these occasions he attended, 
 but gave no attention to the exhortations nor to the 
 exercises, but acted with wanton levity, and was more 
 disposed to mock than attend to the religious exer- 
 cises. 
 
 From the meeting he started for home, and the jour- 
 ney gave him an opportunity to think — to think of that 
 of which he had just been guilty at the prayer-meeting — 
 of his nursery training, and of a vow he had made 
 during a recent illness ; and being belated by engrossed 
 thought he was obliged to stop at a neighbor's house 
 for the night. That night his sense of sinfulness 
 drove sleep from his eyes, and before he left there in 
 the morning the truth of God, with its blessed promises 
 and awful threats, impressed him with a consciousness 
 of his guilty and accountable state. On his way 
 home every step but increased his alarm and con- 
 viction. He determined to go and see an old negro, 
 who was a Baptist and regarded as an earnest Christian, 
 and unbosom his state to him, but from him he could 
 learn nothing. This rather increased his agony than 
 removed it. On Tuesday morning following he re- 
 turned to school, and on entering the room his teacher 
 was so struck with his changed and melancholy appear- 
 ance that he enquired concerning his health and that of 
 his dear ones at home. James then related to him 
 
Elder James M. Bagbij 191 
 
 how he had scoffed at religion at the prayer-meeting; 
 how he had broken a solemn vow made to God while 
 upon a sick bed, and trampled upon a mother's heart. 
 His mental agony was intense. He had no pleasure 
 in his studies that day, and in the afternoon his 
 teacher accompanied him to the house of a very well- 
 read Baptist family named Diggs. The object of the 
 visit was explained, and they listened to his tale of 
 sorrow and anguish, which he related with great 
 minuteness. No sooner had he got through than 
 Mrs. Diggs exclaimed: ''Mr. Bagby, you must be 
 converted." He, knowing the lady well, and having 
 great confidence in her intelligence and goodness of 
 heart, received great comfort from this announcement, 
 and was soon composed. His teacher had much 
 conversation with him during the week, and on the 
 Lord's Day following there was a meeting at Fork 
 meeting-house, at which Elder B. Watkins preached. 
 After preaching Mr. Bagby walked forward and 
 related his experience. He was cordially received, 
 and some time afterward was baptized by Elder 
 Timothy Swift, and united with Hopeful Church, in 
 Hanover county. 
 
 Although his conversion was sudden and unexpected, 
 and as some thought mysterious, there was nothing 
 about it that was unaccountable from a perfectly 
 natural standpoint. A more excitable temperament 
 than Bro. Bagby's might have imagined heavenly 
 voices and other wonderful accompaniments, such as 
 were commonly supposed to be a part of conversion, 
 in that day. His deep anxiety and depression arose 
 
192 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 from not knowing his own condition, or understanding 
 what God would have him do under the circumstances. 
 His reUef after leaving the home of Mrs. Diggs was 
 occasioned by the assurance of that good woman 
 that he was converted. Of the process of conversion 
 he was as ignorant as she was, and rejoiced that the 
 supposed mysterious process had been working out in 
 his being through the divine election and grace of God. 
 Had he been acquainted with God's plan of salvation 
 or had one to guide him aright, as he guided others in 
 later years, he might have been saved much anxiety 
 and deed despair. However, 
 
 "God moves in a mysterious way 
 His wonders to perform," 
 
 and it is indeed a mystery how that sometimes, when 
 the blind lead the bhnd, God keeps them both from 
 falling into the ditch. In Bro. Bagby's case the results 
 were apparent, hence we will say nothing further as to 
 the means. 
 
 Bro. Bagby was an exceedingly conscientious man, 
 and in after years, when his mind was much better 
 informed as to God's will, he looked back upon those 
 ill-informed days of seeking after God and became 
 dissatisfied with his baptism. He had based his hope 
 of pardon upon his feelings rather than upon his faith 
 and obedience. He had been baptized as a sign of the 
 remission of his sins, having already felt the burden 
 lifted from his heart, rather than ]or the remission of 
 his sins. Bro. Bagby was not one to give to baptism 
 an undue prominence, neither was he one to wrest it 
 from its scriptural place as the culminating act of 
 
Elder James M. Bagbij 193 
 
 regeneration; but had he been scripturally baptized? 
 To be right before God was his highest aspiration, 
 and if he could be right, he was determined to be so at 
 any cost. Hence, after much reading, thought, prayer 
 and conversation with his friends, he was rebaptized. 
 Had Bro. Bagby Hved in the age in wliich we hve he 
 would no doubt have spared himself this repetition. 
 As it was, sectarianism had clouded nearly all the 
 teachings and practices of the Bible, and to conform 
 to the Word of God was a praiseworthy motive. As 
 to the validity of the former action, he had believed 
 with all his heart, had become deeply penitent, and 
 in baptism he had been buried with Christ, and had 
 arisen to walk in newness of life. Because he thought 
 his sins were forgiven before he was baptized, in 
 no wise changed or invalidated his act of obedience. 
 
 Bro. Bagby never insisted that others under similar 
 circumstances should be rebaptized. With him it was 
 purely a personal matter, not a doctrine. In 1850 
 Dr. Du Val refused to admit, without rebaptism, a 
 lady who had been immersed by a preacher who had 
 himself simply been sprinkled. Bro. Bagby wrote 
 an article on this point, which was published in the 
 Christian Intelligencer and copied in the Harbinger. 
 He closes this article as follows: 
 
 ''But regarding this question still as one of opinion 
 and not of faith, I conclude, as at present advised, 
 that by assuming a positive answer to the question 
 with which we set out, and acting accordingly, we might 
 keep out of the Church of Christ some of his saved 
 ones. For himself hath said — and blessed be his name — 
 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.' " 
 
 13 
 
194 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 In the summer of 1827 Bro. Bagby immersed into 
 the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit several 
 persons residing in the vicinity of Fork Church. These 
 desired to be received into the above mentioned 
 (Baptist) church. It became a question with the 
 church as to whether they should be received into 
 fellowship or not. The formula used by Bro. Bagby 
 in their baptism was, ''I immerse thee into the name/' 
 etc., instead of, ''I baptize thee in," etc. At this 
 rate the name Baptist would soon be a thing of the 
 past, and the dignity of the church could not over- 
 look, much less accept, such a change. There was one 
 old negro who was very anxious to be taken into 
 fellowship with these brethren and thus become a full- 
 fledged Baptist; so they finally agreed to hear his 
 experience, and if acceptable they would rebaptize 
 him. On the first Lord's Day in June, 1829, he re- 
 lated his experience, and was accordingly rebaptized 
 by Timothy T. Swift. The poor negro had been dis- 
 appointed so often that when he finally felt the oppro- 
 brious epithets of his fellowmen washed away he could 
 no longer contain himself, but, as he came up out of 
 the water, joyfully shouted, 'T ain't no Campbellite 
 now!" 
 
 We cite this to show the difference between a re- 
 baptism which, as in the case of Bro. Bagby, however 
 unnecessary, was the result of a conscientious mind, 
 and that of one which was required simply to build 
 up and sustain sectarian interests. The former was 
 unnecessary but no mockery, the latter was both 
 unnecessary and a mockery. Bro. Bagby never re- 
 
Elder James M. Bagby 195 
 
 quired it in others as a term of admission into the 
 kingdom. 
 
 We will now return to Bro. Bagby's career after 
 first uniting with Hopeful Church. He was considered 
 quite an acquisition. He was zealous and determined 
 in his religious positions, and a good speaker, being 
 possessed of a natural eloquence, and an easy, grace- 
 ful manner that gave a polish to all his talks. He had 
 a very sharp, piercing eye, that made opponents shrink 
 before him. It is not surprising that with these at- 
 tainments, combined with a good English education, 
 he was soon regarded as one destined to preach the 
 unsearchable riches of Christ. His brethren, who 
 loved him and clustered about him their best hopes, 
 manifested their confidence in him by having him 
 ordained to the ministry in Hopeful Church. Up to 
 this time he had accepted most of the Calvinistic 
 extravagances of Baptist theology. Dreams, visions, 
 sounds and other fanatical experiences related by 
 zealous converts soon made his thoughtful mind turn 
 to the Bible for their counterpart, but there he found 
 none. About this time the Christian Baptist fell into 
 his hands, and he became a regular reader of it. This 
 stimulated him to a more complete study of God's 
 Word, and soon he began to plead for a return to the 
 Christianity of the New Testament. Few now living 
 can appreciate the cost of such a course. His brethren 
 of yesterday became his avowed enemies. As they 
 could bring no charge against his moral character they 
 were forced, against their will, and nuich to their 
 chagrin, to give him an honorable dismission from the 
 
196 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Church. In order to cover his pathway with thorns, 
 at a church meeting a committee of two were appointed 
 to demand his Ucense to preach. This he refused to 
 surrender upon a demand, though he was wilhng to 
 Hsten to the committee if they were bearers of a re- 
 quest. This was too humihating for a powerful de- 
 nomination to be held in abeyance by a young man 
 standing virtually alone in the midst of his enemies. 
 Soon after this he applied for license to solemnize the 
 rite of marriage. One of his former brethren was a 
 member of the court, and saw that if he retired from the 
 bench the court could not proceed. This was done, 
 but the spectators saw through the move and soon had 
 another magistrate in place, and the application was 
 granted. The meeting-houses were now closed against 
 him and every effort resorted to to prevent him from 
 having a hearing; but so much the more did his con- 
 gregation increase and his popularity extend. Another 
 of his former brethren, who was very active in throw- 
 ing every difficulty in his pathway, in a year or two 
 aspired to political promotion; and as Bro. Bagby 
 had become a power in the county, wishing to 
 secure his influence, he wrote him an apology for 
 his religious intolerance. This was too much for Bro. 
 Bagby. He could see how a religionist could be 
 blinded by prejudice so as to resort to intolerance and 
 act very unworthily. With this view he bore with 
 patience the many hard things that were said and 
 done against him ; but when a man could set aside for 
 political promotion, that which he had already told 
 
Elder James M. Baghy 197 
 
 him was the conscientious religious conviction of his 
 heart, his confidence in him was gone. 
 
 The author has often heard it related by the friends 
 and descendants of Bro. Bagby that at one time 
 religious intolerance rose to such a height that his 
 opponents threatened to burn him at the stake. 
 Whether or not this threat was actually made, it is 
 certain that only the laws of the land ever kept many 
 of our forefathers from personal violence, so deep- 
 seated was the religious intolerance of that day. 
 
 Soon after his separation from the Baptists, he, with 
 others from several churches, and some who had been 
 recently baptized upon a confession of their faith in 
 Christ, built a meeting-house in the lower end of 
 Lousia county, which they named Bethany. This, 
 we understand, w^as the first meeting-house built by 
 our brethren in Eastern Virginia. Mention of this 
 has already been made in the first chapter of this 
 work. Bro. Bagby was chosen their regular evange- 
 list, which position he faithfully occupied until the 
 day of his death. 
 
 Much has already been said of the conscientiousness 
 of this earnest man. He owned several slaves, but 
 would not permit his children to have a piano, for 
 which his slaves would have to toil, bearing the burden 
 and heat of many days. Although he often preached 
 showing the utter abrogation of the Law, yet he always 
 refused to have his picture taken because of the second 
 commandment: 'Thou shalt not make to thyself any 
 graven image, nor the likeness of anything in heaven or 
 earth." These little incidents show how truly he 
 
198 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 sought to serve God. While we regard them as vaga- 
 ries, we cannot but admire the motive that prompted 
 him to forsake all that was vain and worldl3Mn order 
 fully to serve Christ. 
 
 He was married to Miss Catherine Turner Cocke in 
 1826, and in her found a true partner in all his sorrows 
 and joys. They had four children, three daughters 
 and one son. Bro. Bagby died in 1856, surrounded by 
 his family. His work will ever live. 
 
 Bro. Peter Ainslie (Second), in wTiting a sketch of 
 him in the Christian Examiner, in 1871, said: "He 
 was a good and laborious man, in fact he w^orked 
 beyond his strength. He was a self-sacrificing man. 
 He would work all the week, in winter's cold and 
 summer's heat, and preach on Lord's Day for churches 
 W'hich never considered properly that the laborer was 
 worthy of his hire. Many a night, after working hard 
 from early morn until late dewy eve, tired and worn 
 by fatigue, he would have to sit up studying, in order 
 to preach the coming day to those who at that very 
 moment were reposing in their downy beds. Brethren, 
 these things ought not to have been, nor ought they 
 now to exist. Some time last year, I visited the late 
 home of our departed brother, and enjoyed the hospi- 
 tality of our wddowed sister and two of her children; 
 but my enjoyment was to some extent blighted, as I 
 could see from where I sat the waving boughs that 
 overshadowed the resting place of the sainted dead. 
 And when at night w^e were about to retire, the very 
 same New Testament, well worn, and bearing the 
 
Elder James M. Baghy 199 
 
 evidences upon its pages that it had been closely read, 
 was put into my hands, I felt not only that I was 
 handling the Word of God, but also a sacred memento 
 of my brother's fidelity. Faithful man of God — 
 
 " 'Tossed no more on life's rough billow, 
 All the storms of sorrow fled 
 Death hath found a quiet pillow 
 For the aged Christian's head. 
 
 Peaceful slumbers 
 Guarding now his lowly bed.' " 
 
DR. CHESTER BULLARD. 
 
 Dr. Chester Bullard was the child of Baptist par- 
 ents. His early childhood was spent in Montgomery 
 county, in Southwest Virginia, near the source of the 
 Roanoke river, about three miles from Christiansburg. 
 This section was rife with irreligion, there being but 
 three professing Christians among the four hundred 
 inhabitants of Christiansburg. In the midst of such 
 society it was the constant prayer of Bro. Bullard's 
 parents that he might be led to Christ, and the family 
 altar was never neglected. How much better would 
 be the condition of our children under the superior 
 advantages of this later age if we never let the fires 
 on the family altar die out. As Chester Bullard grew 
 up into manhood he showed a remarkable interest in 
 matters of religion, and finally began to experience 
 much distress of mind concerning his salvation. He 
 had been taught the prevailing doctrine of spiritual 
 regeneration, with all the attending phenomena of 
 signs and visions, and earnestly did he seek for 
 that feeling of assurance that his sins were pardoned. 
 
 About this time the Methodists made their appear- 
 ance in the community, and Bro. Bullard early became 
 a seeker at the mourners' bench. He finally professed 
 conversion, but could not subscribe to many of the 
 doctrines of that body, so he remained unconnected 
 with any religious body. He was now seventeen years 
 of age and began to study the Bible with renewed 
 vigor, and devoted much time to this pursuit. He 
 
Dr. Chester Bullard 201 
 
 was possessed of an independent mind, a deep love of 
 God, and an earnest desire to learn his will, and with 
 these qualifications he soon saw that after faith in 
 Christ and repentance from sin, baptism was required. 
 
 About this time his eldest brother happened to be 
 travelling in Pennsylvania, and, after supper at a 
 pubHc house, found, upon retiring to his room from 
 the uncongenial company at the inn, a number of the 
 Christian Baptist lying on the table. He read this 
 before retiring, and was so much pleased with it that 
 he advised his brother-in-law upon his return to 
 Montgomery county, Va., to subscribe for it, telling 
 him that the editor was a half century ahead of his 
 age. This advice was taken, and the last number of 
 the Christian Baptist and the first of the Millennial 
 Harbinger were duly received, but for lack of interest 
 in the matters treated most of the numbers were 
 thrown aside unread. 
 
 During that year (1831) Mr. Bullard, w^ho had 
 studied medicine a little, decided to complete his 
 studies wdth Dr. D. J. Chapman, near the Sulphur 
 Springs, in Giles county. Here, where the Sinking 
 Creek flows for four miles under Thomas mountain 
 and empties itself beneath the cliffs into New River, 
 he took up the study of medicine. But religious 
 matters were uppermost in his mind. He had decided 
 to be immersed, but could find no one to immerse him 
 except the Baptists, and if immersed by them he 
 would have to unite with that denomination, as they 
 baptized into the Baptist Church. This he was un- 
 willing to submit to, as he could not approve of many 
 
202 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 of their tenets sufficiently to unite with them. During 
 this period of his isolation Landon Duncan, being tax 
 assessor for the county, happened to be in the neighbor- 
 hood on official business. Since his baptism by the 
 "White Pilgrim/' Duncan had become something of 
 a preacher. On this visit he met Dr. Bullard, and the 
 two soon fell into a conversation on the matters of 
 religion, uppermost in both minds. Mr. Bullard freely 
 connnunicated his views and wishes, and, although he 
 frankly expressed his dissent from some of the views 
 held by Mr. Duncan, the latter agreed to baptize him. 
 This w^as done without dela)^, and Bro. Bullard now 
 felt himself qualified by obedience to proclaim the 
 simple gospel of a risen Christ. 
 
 After his baptism Chester Bullard at once began to 
 labor in the word and doctrine, delivering his first 
 discourse on the evening of the day in which he was 
 baptized. He avoided the speculative doctrines of the 
 day, such as that concerning the atonement, with 
 which Landon Duncan and the Christian Connection 
 were much occupied. On the contrary, he presented 
 simple views of the Gospel, showing that faith comes 
 not as a gift of the Holy Spirit, but by hearing the 
 Word of God; and that he that believeth and is bap- 
 tized shall be saved. Two years of hard labor passed 
 before a single soul made the good confession and was 
 baptized for the remission of sins. The seed he had 
 been diligently sowing had taken root, and now the 
 harvest time was near at hand. In a short time a 
 small band had been gathered and formed themselves 
 into a Church of Christ. This congregation met near 
 
Dr. Chester Bullard 203 
 
 the source of the Catawba. By degrees those who 
 were members of the Christian Connection, inchiding 
 Landon Duncan, gave in their adhesion to the new 
 ''Bullardite" movement, as it was called, and one James 
 Redpath and others began to aid in the public ministry. 
 From 1835 to 1840 a number of churches were organized 
 throughout that section. 
 
 In 1839 Dr. Bullard happened, while at the home of 
 his brother-in-law, to pick up a copy of the Harbinger, 
 which turned out to be Mr. Campbell's ''Extra on 
 Remission." Up to this time he had shared the com- 
 mon prejudice against what \vas termed ''Campbell- 
 ism." He was now surprised and delighted with the 
 new views this Extra gave of the Gospel, and imme- 
 diately sought out all the back numbers of the Har- 
 hinger. He was overjoyed to find how clear and 
 consistent were ^Ir. Campbell's views, and how different 
 they were from the slanderous misrepresentations that 
 had been circulated through pulpit and press. He 
 immediately began to circulate these writings, and 
 preached with greater clearness than before the faith 
 once delivered to the saints; being strengthened by 
 the thought that he was not alone in the work he had 
 already been doing in a small waj^, but surrounded 
 by a host of brethren, all laboring in the same cause. 
 Hearing that Mr. Campbell was to visit Charlottes- 
 ville in 1840, Dr. Bullard decided to meet him. They 
 met and had many lengthy interviews during the few^ 
 days of Mr. Campbell's visit, and formed an acquain- 
 tance and mutual admiration that continued through 
 Hfe. 
 
204 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 On a notable occasion the Methodists chose one of 
 their preachers, T. J. Stone, to represent them in a 
 debate with Dr. Bullard on the subject of baptism. 
 The debate was to be held in a grove at a place some 
 distance from Dr. Bullard 's home, and he had to start 
 the day before to get there. Late in the afternoon of 
 the first day 's journey the Doctor fell in with the preacher 
 who was to be his opponent of the following day. Mr. 
 Stone had been studying the Campbell and Rice 
 Debate in search of argument to sustain his side of 
 the question. As they rode along together their talk 
 turned on the debate to be held the next day, and Bro. 
 Bullard noticed rather a lack of confidence in the 
 language of his opponent. The wily Doctor adjusted 
 the conversation so that he might find out the cause 
 of this, and soon came to the conclusion that his op- 
 ponent had but little relish for the affair, and, in short, 
 in his research his confidence in affusion had been up- 
 set. Bro. Bullard finally said, ''Bro. Stone, you better 
 let me baptize you to-morrow instead of debating." 
 Mr. Stone answered that if it were not for one or two 
 objections, he would. 
 
 That night they spent at Mr. Stone's home, and the 
 quick-witted Doctor soon perceived that one of the 
 greatest objections was Stone's wife. Accordingly he 
 gave her much attention, and the three searched the 
 Scriptures till the small hours of the night. 
 
 A large crowd was assembled next day to hear the 
 debate. Bro. Bullard announced that there would 
 be no debate, but that he would preach that morning 
 and Bro. Stone in the afternoon, also that there would 
 
Dr. Chester Bullard 205 
 
 be an immersion directly after the morning services. 
 Much to the surprise of all, both Bro. Stone and his 
 wife presented themselves for baptism when the in- 
 vitation was given. This couple are still living, having 
 preached the Old Jerusalem gospel for many years in 
 Virginia.* 
 
 Dr. Bullard travelled all over Virginia preaching, 
 baptized thousands, and organized a great number of 
 churches. For many years he was the only real 
 preacher of the reformation in Southwestern Virginia. 
 He was an earnest man, a strong preacher, an ex- 
 horter of great force and an untiring worker. He 
 lived to see much fruit of his early labors and enjoyed 
 the honor, esteem and love of all who knew him. 
 
 *Bro. Stone has passed away since this was written. 
 
REUBEN LINDSAY COLEMAN. 
 
 Reuben Lindsay Coleman was born May 13, 1807, 
 near Scottsville, Va. His parents were Baptists, and 
 he was early of a religious turn of mind. The story of 
 his conversion is not unlike that of Dr. BuUard. When 
 only nine years of age the death of his mother pro- 
 duced a profound religious impression and led him to 
 much reflection and prayer. At the death of his 
 eldest brother, when Reuben was sixteen years old, 
 these early impressions were so deepened that he 
 resolved to become a Christian. Here arose a new 
 difficulty. He knew not how to enter upon the 
 Christian life. The prevailing theology of that day 
 taught that he must wait for the Spirit to give evi- 
 dence of pardon, that this must be sought with prayer; 
 that he must become dejected and downcast until 
 such time as that the Spirit should bring to him the 
 joys of salvation. To attain this end he attended a 
 meeting in the Methodist Church near his home, and 
 sought peace at the mourners' bench. Many prayers 
 were offered for him, but he failed to find the peace he 
 sought. Bro. Coleman was not of an emotional nature, 
 to be easily misled by his feelings. When he sought 
 for a sign of forgiveness, he looked for something more 
 than that w^hich found its genesis in the excitement 
 of the hour, and would not be deceived He sought 
 a change of heart when a change of heart would have 
 been the worst thing that could come to him. He 
 already loved the Lord and hated sin; had his heart 
 
Reuben Lindsay Coleman 207 
 
 (i. e., affections) been changed, he would not love the 
 Lord but would love sin. He had both believed and 
 repented but knew it not, because of the cloud super- 
 stition had cast over his mind. Many there be who 
 seek a change of heart when their heart is already 
 changed. They look for some inward spiritual testi- 
 mony when the best testimony that could be offered 
 is their own obedience. For three years Bro. Coleman 
 applied himself to the study of his Bible with such 
 earnestness that his health finally gave way. Realizing 
 that he was a sinner that desired salvation, and that 
 Christ came to save such, he asked himself: '^Why am 
 I not saved? Christ needs not to be made willing by 
 the intercession of prayers, for 'Him that cometh 
 to me I will in no w4se cast out.' I love God and 
 the people of God. I pray to God and desire to 
 serve him, yet have no assurance that my sins are 
 forgiven." He saw that both God and himself being 
 willing, nothing remained but for him to become an 
 obedient servant of the kingdom. He determined to 
 offer himself for baptism. This he did to the Baptist 
 Church, and though he could give no experience of 
 acceptance with God, they regarded his experience as 
 an evidence of the w^orking of the Spirit of God, and 
 declared him a fit subject to receive God's appointed 
 ordinance. No sooner did he arise from the waters 
 of obedience and the bath of regeneration than he felt 
 that evidence he had so long sought in vain. His faith 
 was now made perfect in obedience. The dark clouds 
 that had bothered him passed away. He knew he w^as 
 saved because the Spirit witnessed with his spirit 
 
208 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 that he was a child of God. It was a part of the 
 testimony of the Spirit that ''Whosoever beUeveth and 
 is baptized, shall be saved/' and again the same Spirit 
 testified, ''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 Spirit." This 
 was the "witness of the Spirit," and the witness of his 
 spirit was that it had become subject and obedient to 
 the Spirit of God. The Spirit bore witness with his 
 spirit that he was a child of God when his life testified 
 with the Word of God. In both was the Spirit bearing 
 witness. 
 
 Soon after his baptism Bro. Coleman began to 
 accompany Gilbert Mason on his preaching tours. 
 Mr. Mason was a young Baptist preacher, and after 
 much urging he induced his companion to take a text 
 and deliver a sermon. Soon after this the two were 
 urged to hold a series of meetings at Charlottesville, 
 which they did, and organized a Church of about sixty 
 members. This was probably about the year 1831. 
 
 Mr. Coleman early became a reader of the Christian 
 Baptist, and during the Constitutional Convention in 
 1830 he heard for the first time the principles of the 
 reformation advocated by Alexander Campbell, in 
 Richmond. On this occasion Mr. Campbell discoursed 
 for three hours on the relation of the Jewish and 
 Christian Covenants. Mr. Campbell was at that time 
 connected with the Baptist Church. Mr. Coleman 
 embraced the views set forth, and became one of the 
 most zealous fellow-workers of this prince of reformers. 
 
Reuben Lindsay Coleman 209 
 
 Soon after the meeting at Charlottesville, Bro. Cole- 
 man was ordained pastor of the church there by 
 Elders John Goss and Porter Cleveland. This was in 
 May, 1831, and he continued to serve this church for 
 many years. Late in the year 1835 the church was 
 divided by a minority, who tried to exclude the ma- 
 jority, as related in the Ninth Chapter of our Historical 
 Sketch, and Bro. Coleman continued \\-ith the main 
 body of the church. These threw aside sectarian 
 practices and reorganized themselves as a Church of 
 Christ. The same year, in company with Bro. James 
 W. Goss, he began the pubUcation of the Christian 
 Publisher, the first paper published by the reformation 
 in Eastern Virginia. 
 
 Bro. Coleman soon came to be looked upon as one 
 of the leading reformers of his State, and often ac- 
 companied Mr. Campbell on his preaching tours. On 
 one occasion, when the two were on a visit to Philadel- 
 phia, Mr. Campbell announced that Bro. Coleman was 
 present and would speak alternately ^dth him during 
 the evenings of the week. Accordingly Mr. Coleman* 
 spoke the next evening, but feeling that the people 
 would rather hear Mr. Campbell he next day took the 
 train for home, and left Mr. Campbell, as he said, ''to 
 alternate with himself." 
 
 Xo better description of Bro. Coleman can be given 
 than the following from the pen of Mr, Campbell in the 
 Harbinger of 1845: 
 
 "His eloquence is truly evangelical. It is the 
 eloquence of good sense, of refined sentiment, of deep 
 feeling, and of impassioned earnestness. He has been 
 
 14 
 
210 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 so much in communion with apostles and prophets, 
 so long and so intimately conversant with their writ- 
 ings, as to have caught their spirit and acquired their 
 solemn and impressive manner of presenting the Will 
 of God and its sovereign claims upon the affection and 
 the acquiescence of all his hearers." 
 
 The above description gives a vivid picture of the 
 impression produced by this Gospel preacher. He 
 reminded his hearers of one of the old prophets. An 
 ungodly man once said that he would go farther to hear 
 Lindsay Coleman say ''0 Lord!" than to listen to a 
 sermon by any other preacher that ever lived. 
 
 Bro. Coleman was one of the representatives chosen 
 by the disciples to represent them at the Union 
 Conference in Richmond, in 1866, and took an impor- 
 tant part in that conference. He was the lifelong 
 friend and co-laborer of Geo. W. Abell, who was led to 
 the clear light of the Gospel through the preaching of 
 Bro. Coleman, as related in the Hfe of Bro. Abell. He 
 died in Florida, April 21, 1880. 
 
BENJAMIN CREEL. 
 
 " Parson Creel/' as he was familiarly called, was born 
 in Fauquier county, Va., in 1803. He was the son of 
 George and Mary Creel. His mother, Mary Ball, was a 
 relative of the mother of President Washington. He 
 was twice married, the first time to Mary Ellen Carpen- 
 ter when he was twenty-seven years of age. He was the 
 father of twelve children, all by his first marriage, and 
 lived to see his children's children unto the fifth gen- 
 eration. 
 
 Bro. Creel was a close student of the Bible, even in 
 his boyhood, and professed religion at an early age, 
 uniting with the Baptist Church. 
 
 He had only three months' schoohng, but ac- 
 quired a good knowledge of grammar and the funda- 
 mentals of education by close application to his books 
 at home, and during the long winter evenings he stored 
 away in his mind many useful facts, by the light of the 
 pine knot. When quite a young man he felt called to 
 the ministry, and was encouraged by Joseph A. 
 Mansfield, a Baptist preacher, who then had the care of 
 Good Hope Baptist Church, in Madison county. Dur- 
 ing his ministry as a Baptist he built up Priddy's Creek 
 and Earlysville Churches, in Albemarle county, organ- 
 ized Spring Hill Church, and served Liberty Church, in 
 Greene county, for twenty years. 
 
 ''Parson Creel" was a man that would attract atten- 
 tion in any company of men. He was not considered 
 a handsome man, but his fine, intelligent black eyes 
 
212 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 seemed to partake of eA^ery varying emotion of the 
 mind, and their brilHancy Ughted up his otherwise plain 
 features. His mouth indicated firmness, but the pleas- 
 ant humor lurking around it relieved the general harsh- 
 ness of his mobile face. His dress was of plain home- 
 spun; indeed, anything else would not have been in 
 keeping with his plain, open nature. Truth, honor, firm- 
 ness, and great will power were characteristics that 
 enabled him to surmount the difficulties that lie in the 
 path of every life. He was candid even to bluntness, 
 and possessed an intuition that enabled him to read 
 people at a glance. He scorned a hypocrite or a dissem- 
 bler. Dr. Jennings, a zealous Methodist of Greene 
 county, said that ''Mr. Creel was a man who w^as neither 
 ashamed nor afraid to express his sentiments under any 
 and all circumstances." 
 
 Bro. Creel w^as a tinner by trade, and also worked as 
 a shoemaker, a blacksmith and a farmer, raising his 
 large family by manual labor, as the churches for which 
 he labored paid him little or nothing. He acquired 
 considerable property by his first wdfe, but did not 
 spend much time in efforts to augment it, so his finan- 
 cial career was not a great success. He preferred to 
 labor in the Master's vineyard without money and 
 without price. He often preached in private homes 
 or in the woods, and often rode many miles in bad 
 weather to marry couples, receiving for such service, 
 ''I thank 3^ou." 
 
 Some interesting anecdotes are told of this quaint 
 preacher. On one occasion in the Blue Ridge, after 
 uniting a couple in marriage, he was requested to ar- 
 
Benjamin Creel 213 
 
 range the waiters and show them how to walk to the 
 table. He stepped right off, saying as he did so, "Fol- 
 low me!" which they did. 
 
 For many years Benjamin Creel led a quiet, simple 
 life, discharging his duties as pastor of several Baptist 
 churches, and at intervals working at his trade. But 
 uneventful as this period may have seemed, it was 
 fraught with great responsibility. He had installed 
 himself tutor of an especially rich mind, and every mo- 
 ment that could be taken from his other duties found 
 him poring over his books. He had surrounded him- 
 self with a few well-chosen volumes on many subjects, 
 but his especial delight was in ancient histories and 
 books bearing upon Biblical history. The Bible was 
 the supreme work, and the final decision upon any 
 question must be derived from it if within its scope. 
 
 Thus the years passed, and the great epoch of his life 
 approached with a rapidity that no human power could 
 stay. 
 
 It was in the year 1859 that A. B. Walthall and 
 George W. Abell came to Stanardsville, Greene county, 
 and preached the Old Jerusalem Gospel. They were 
 scoffed at and derided. But in spite of the opprobrium, 
 over twenty souls were baptized by them. The sec- 
 tarians hurled their shafts of ridicule, and sinners 
 vied with them in seeing which could heap the greatest 
 insults on the little band of disciples of their much per- 
 secuted master. Finally it was whispered that Bro. 
 Creel was showing great interest in the meeting. Since 
 it began he had been a regular attendant. Some of 
 his Baptist brethren misjudged his motive when they 
 
214 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 said among themselves, ''Now we'll get the truth about 
 these heretics." But they saw their mistake when, 
 in reply to their interrogations, he said, ''Those breth- 
 ren are preaching the Bible as I understand it." In 
 that moment they forgot what their dear old pastor 
 had done for them during his years of faithful service. 
 The}^ felt that he was disgracing himself and his 
 churches. The entire county was in a turmoil. Some 
 refused to believe that a man of Mr. Creel's sense and 
 stability of character would countenance such im- 
 postors. 
 
 While matters stood thus, Bros. Walthall and Abell 
 closed the meeting at Stanardsville. The following 
 Lord's day was Bro. Creel's appointment at Liberty 
 (Baptist) Church, in the mountains, on Middle river. 
 Brethren Walthall and Abell also were there. The em- 
 blems of the Lord's body and blood were spread upon 
 His table. Little did that large audience know of the 
 sacrifice Parson Creel had decided to make. Standing 
 by the table of his Lord, he addressed his "dear breth- 
 ren and sisters," and told them that for twenty years 
 he had believed and taught the same doctrine that Wal- 
 thall and Abell were teaching, and asked if there was 
 any reason why he should refuse to fellowship them at 
 the Lord's table. 
 
 The awful silence that pervaded the old church was 
 ominous. It was the supreme moment of his life, and 
 he knew it. He had put his hand to the plow and did 
 not look back, although he read his sentence in the sea 
 of faces before him. The tension of that silence could 
 last but a moment. In the wild confusion and general 
 
Benjamin Creel 215 
 
 excitement that followed, he stood, tall, grand, impos- 
 ing, and immovable, as if chiseled from the granite 
 rock. Perhaps his calm self-possession saved the dis- 
 grace of a riot in the house of God 
 
 Above the low, angry murmurings of the swaying 
 crowd arose loud, angry denunciations and false accu- 
 sations. He realized his position, and his very bearing 
 was as oil upon the troubled waters; but his Baptist 
 brethren were determined upon the proscription of this 
 ' ' new-born Campbellite. ' ' 
 
 He was arraigned before Pleasant Grove Church 
 and his course denounced. Bible in hand, he calmly 
 made his defence, dealing sledgehammer blows from 
 the Word of Truth. Every proposition he laid down 
 he asked them, ''Is that right, or is it not? If not, 
 speak out. " But they could make no reply. He stood 
 upon the bedrock of truth. They could separate him 
 from their fellowship, but they could not separate him 
 from the truth. In his preaching or his views there 
 was little if any change. Bro. Abell wrote of him: 
 
 ''Bro. Creel is indeed and in truth a Nathanael of a 
 man, an Israelite in whom there is no guile. Nor does 
 he put on his silk or kid or velvet gloves to do his 
 work, nor has he learned to 'daub with untempered 
 mortar,' but with merciless hands he raises the pon- 
 derous sledge, which falls with mighty force upon the 
 stones of error, which crumble beneath the mighty 
 blow. Bro. Creel is among the very few men with 
 whom I have met who, unaided by any earthly guide, 
 but directed by the light of heaven, discovered from 
 the Word of God that baptism to the believing penitent 
 is 'for the remission of sins.' This doctrine for a 
 
216 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 number of years he preached among the Baptist 
 fraternity, where he would have been now, w^ith many 
 other faithful, honest-hearted men, if he, with them, 
 had only been permitted untrammeled to declare the 
 'whole counsel of God' as proclaimed by the Apostles 
 and evangelists." 
 
 Many members of the Baptist churches in the section 
 where he preached followed Bro. Creel, and Rochelle 
 Church, in Madison county, was soon organized with 
 twenty-three members. While they were building a 
 place of worship he preached in private houses. He 
 served this church as pastor until he was eighty years 
 old, when he resigned as pastor, but continued to preach 
 occasionally for six or seven years longer, and after 
 that conducted several funerals. 
 
 Bro. Creel was a very witty man, and never to be sur- 
 passed in a joke. Often, after preaching, some of his 
 Baptist brethren would tell him that he had preached 
 a "good Campbellite sermon." His answer was, "I 
 preach the Bible; I don't know what Campbellites are. " 
 
 The evening of his life was spent peacefully and hap- 
 pily in the bosom of his family and in visiting among 
 his children and grandchildren. 
 
 He died in 1899 at the ripe age of ninety-six years 
 and three days. His work lives and will live for years 
 to come. 
 
ELDER JOHN CURTIS. 
 
 Elder John Curtis, son of Edmund and Ann Curtis, 
 was born in York county, Virginia, May 15, 1801. As 
 a boy he was not fond of books, and although possessed 
 of some property, his early education was neglected. 
 As a young man he was active and gay, mingled much 
 in society, and was fond of outdoor sports, espe- 
 cially the fox hunt and the deer chase. But though es- 
 sentially a man of the world, he enjoyed the respect 
 and esteem of all who knew him. On the 18th of De- 
 cember, 1823, he married Miss Virginia E. Goodwin, 
 and by the uniting of their means and property they 
 had enough to keep them from fear of want. They 
 loved company and the pleasures of social life, and hav- 
 ing the means to gratify their desires, they indulged 
 themselves. He was possessed of a fine, manly form 
 and gentlemanly bearing, a typical Virginia gentleman, 
 and she was considered beautiful; hence their home 
 was very popular. 
 
 In July, 1827, Elder Peter Ainslie began a protracted 
 meeting at Grafton Church. People came from far and 
 near to hear the word of life. The whole church con- 
 tinued in prayer, praise and thanksgiving. Those who 
 had left their first love returned, and all the members 
 were alive to their opportunities. The immediate re- 
 sults of the meeting were the confession and baptism 
 of fifty-two willing souls, Bro. Curtis being one of the 
 number. 
 
218 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 From the day when Bro. Curtis united with Grafton 
 Church the change in him was noticed by all, and 
 his brethren looked up to him as a leader. His soul 
 longed for the fullness of the blessings of the Holy 
 Spirit, and he saw the barrenness of his life. He longed 
 for knowledge, and applied himself to the improvement 
 of his education, studying the Bible meantime. He 
 soon began to pray in public, then to read, and finally 
 to speak. His speech, as he often said, was ''of his own 
 ignorance, and of the love of God that passeth all un- 
 derstanding. " In 1829 he was made a deacon, and in 
 1830 was ordained a minister of the Gospel. He was 
 a devout man and full of faith, loving God and fearing 
 no man. In the pulpit he never toned down the Word 
 to suit the delinquencies of his hearers, but shunned 
 not to declare the whole counsel of God. He was a 
 strong man, fluent in speech and untiring in the work 
 of the Lord. He always commanded good audiences 
 and close attention at his home church, and when visit- 
 ing other churches his hearers never went away un- 
 satisfied or disappointed. Had he improved his early 
 advantages in educating himself few men would have 
 surpassed him in the pulpit. None could more thor- 
 oughly realize the result of this early neglect than did 
 he, and he made every effort to atone for it. He was 
 gifted in polemics, and in the course of his latter years 
 held two debates upon religious subjects. In the first 
 of these he gained much for the cause of truth. In the 
 midst of the last debate he passed from this world. He 
 had long been a sufferer from heart disease, especially if 
 
Elder John Curtis 219 
 
 he exerted himself. On this account many of his friends 
 were opposed to his engaging in the debate. But the 
 advocacy of the truth was dearer to him than Ufe and 
 health. He commenced his first speech in this debate 
 in Grafton pulpit, and after speaking a short time 
 stopped, took his seat, and in a few minutes breathed 
 his last. This took place on the 29th day of October, 
 1844. 
 
ELDER JOHN DANGERFIELD. 
 
 This pioneer preacher was a native of Essex county, 
 Virginia. He was born in the year 1800, in the vicinity 
 of Tappahannock, and remained in the county during 
 his minority. His father was a man of means, and he 
 was given a Hberal education and admitted to prac- 
 tice at the bar. Being a young man of good education, 
 pleasing address, a thorough gentleman, and hand- 
 some in personal appearance, he was naturally a 
 favorite, and regarded as a prize by the fair daughters 
 of Essex. But, with all these social qvialifications, 
 Mr. Dangerfield was noted for his sobriety and the 
 care with which he chose his associations. The fast 
 young man and the gentleman of pleasure were not 
 numbered among his intimates; hence that class 
 regarded him as proud and exclusive. 
 
 In 1820 he married Miss Judith Braxton, a highly 
 accomplished young lady, and a descendant of Car- 
 ter Braxton, whose name is immortalized as one of 
 the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
 After his marriage Mr. Dangerfield moved to King 
 and Queen county, where he acquired a considerable 
 law practice in the courts of the adjacent counties. 
 In 1825 he became interested in his soul's wel- 
 fare, and obeyed the Lord in baptism, uniting with 
 the Glebe Landing Baptist Church. After this the 
 practice of law lost whatever charms it may have 
 had for him before, and he soon after decided to enter 
 the ministry. As a lawyer, he had persistently 
 
Elder John Danger field 221 
 
 refused to undertake all cases of doubtful propriety. 
 This course had lost him many a plump fee, but secured 
 for him a clear conscience and the confidence of honest 
 and good men. The joys that he became a partaker 
 of when he put on Christ he desired to impart to 
 others, so he gradually withdrew from his law practice. 
 He moved to Mathews county and taught school, 
 occasionally conducting a case before the county 
 court. Here his work in the church was so highly 
 valued, that they soon extended to him a call to be- 
 come its pastor. The invitation was accepted, and 
 he soon had the confidence and esteem of the whole 
 community. Through his ministry the Church took 
 on new life and numbers were added to the saved. He 
 was a thorough Bible student and fond of the old 
 landmarks of the primitive Gospel. His mottoes 
 were, ''How readest thou?" ''What saith the Word?" 
 "To the law and the testimony." 
 
 There were certain members of this Baptist Church 
 who loved the landmarks of Baptistism better than 
 those of the pure Gospel. They worshipped with the 
 face turned toward Philadelphia, instead of toward 
 Jerusalem. The Philadelphia Confession was of more 
 authority to them than the teaching of Christ and his 
 Apostles. This spirit was the cause of internal dis- 
 sensions, as many of the members showed much zeal 
 in opposing a restoration of the ancient order of things. 
 They either could not or would not see the scriptural- 
 ness of the plea that Bro. Dangerfield was presenting, 
 and misrepresented the teaching of their pastor and 
 his fellow-reformers. As in ancient times, they stopped 
 
222 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 up their ears and filled the air with theological 
 bone-dust. In these latter days they try to tell us 
 that we have changed much and have returned to 
 an evangelical faith. Little do they realize that what 
 their forefathers knew as ' ' Campbellism " was not the 
 sentiments or views of Mr. Campbell, but it was the 
 views imputed to him and his co-laborers by their 
 enemies. 
 
 In 1833, the year after the Dover Decree was 
 passed, the Dover Association met at Williamsburg. 
 Here a great effort was made to have the Decree of 
 the previous year either modified or rescinded. Some 
 peculiar measures were adopted by the authorities to 
 maintain their control of matters, for a fuller account 
 of which see Chapter VI. of our Historical Sketch. 
 The Mathews Church, being under the pastoral care 
 of Elder Dangerfield, was looked upon with suspicion 
 and her letter laid aside unread until the Association 
 could be formed from the orthodox members present. 
 After her letter was opened and found to remonstrate, 
 with others, against the Decree, a committee, composed 
 of Dr. Jeter, S. Jones and Mr. Northam, was ap- 
 pointed to visit the Church. Had the Association 
 lived up to the letter of their Decree, they would 
 have been obliged to exclude the Mathews Church 
 from membership in the Association, as Bro. Dan- 
 gerfield had been preaching the doctrine of the 
 reformation, and the members were not, as a whole, 
 opposed to it. The committee above named visited 
 them and preached for several days, and, all things 
 considered, had a good meeting. But the chief 
 
Elder John Dangerfield 223 
 
 object of their visit, namely, to save Elder Danger- 
 field and his adherents, as also the church house, was 
 a failure. A large majority of the congregation were in 
 sympathy with the views of their pastor. Accordingly, 
 they let matters stand without taking any decisive 
 steps until 1835, when another committee, consisting 
 of Messrs. Todd, Ball, Goodall and Northam, met with 
 the Church and continued in a meeting for several 
 days. At this meeting, by div^erse means, members 
 whose claims to church membership consisted only 
 in having their names on the church book were present. 
 At a certain time, when it chanced that a majority of 
 these disaffected ones were present, a resolution was 
 introduced and passed excluding all the members 
 who had avowed the sentiments of Mr. Campbell, 
 and among the excluded was Bro. Dangerfield, the 
 minister of the Church. This sharp action, which 
 would have done credit to the shrewdness of a ward 
 politician, left the meeting-house in the hands of the 
 self-styled orthodox. 
 
 It did not, however, hinder the work of reformation. 
 The excluded members soon organized themselves 
 into a congregation and began meeting in the court- 
 house. Shortly after this they built the meeting- 
 house known by the name of Ephesus. Brother 
 Dangerfield continued preaching for them for many 
 years with much success and acceptance. All who 
 knew him loved, respected and revered him. He 
 lost his beloved wife during these troublous times. 
 
224 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Brother Dangerfield came to an untimely end by 
 being thrown from his sulky against a tree, while on 
 his way from the courthouse to his home. 
 
 He was a good preacher. His language was as pure 
 and chaste as his thoughts were holy and good. His 
 preaching was argumentative — always clear and easily 
 comprehended. He was regarded as a holy man and a 
 standard-bearer of the Cross throughout his community. 
 
DR. JOHN DU VAL. 
 
 Dr. Du Val was the fifth child of WilUam and Mary 
 Du Val, and was born in Gloucester county, Virginia, 
 May 21, 1795. His ancestors on his father's side 
 were Huguenots, and on his mother's side English. 
 Both his parents were Episcopalians. At one time 
 his father had large possessions, but he became in- 
 volved, and was deprived of the means to educate 
 his youngest children to the same extent he had the 
 older ones. John, however, was sent to the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania, and was graduated M. D. 
 His father and mother died before he was nineteen, 
 and in the year 1814 he was called into the army, 
 where he served for six months in the ranks. 
 
 On November 14, 1819, he was married by Elder 
 R. B. Semple to Miss Mary Ann Pendleton, of King and 
 Queen county. They were both of a religious dis- 
 position, but knew not what God required of them. 
 They felt it their duty to love and serve God, but how 
 to become his child they knew not. This was often 
 the subject of their conversation, but, as they were 
 young, they concluded not to be in any haste about 
 the matter. The death of their children caused them 
 to decide to serve the Lord, but now the old question 
 ''how? "came back with all its force. They studied 
 the Scriptures, and even prayed for help from God, 
 and, after many doubts and fears, resolved to unite 
 with the people of God. On November 28, 1824, 
 they were both baptized by Elder Wm. Todd, and 
 15 
 
226 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 united with the Lower King and Queen Baptist Church. 
 Brother Du Val soon began to exercise his gifts as a 
 speaker in the church. He was regarded as a promis- 
 ing man in the church, as a chosen vessel who would 
 one day proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ. 
 What constituted a '^call to preach" was much dis- 
 cussed in those days. Dr. Du Val gave his opinion 
 on this question in the following well chosen words: 
 ''I would say that a Gospel call is four-fold, to wit: 
 Regeneration, inclination, approbation of God's word, 
 and the voice of the people of God." 
 
 After passing an examination, he was on the first 
 Lord's Day in October, 1827, ordained to the ministry 
 by prayer, fasting, and the laying on of hands. He 
 rapidly became very popular as a preacher. About 
 this time, Bishop Semple, who was then minister of 
 Bruington Church, one of the largest, most influential, 
 and wealthy Baptist churches in Eastern Virginia, 
 resigned to go to Washington. Brother Du Val was 
 called to take charge of this church and accepted. 
 
 Brother Du Val was just becoming interested in the 
 movement headed by Mr. Campbell when he took 
 charge of the Bruington Church. His preaching 
 rapidly became more scriptural. Some of the members 
 became loud in their denunciation of what the}^ termed 
 "reform principles." On one occasion, after he had 
 clearly presented the work of the Holy Spirit in con- 
 version as being performed through the Word, he called 
 on an old brother, Josiah Ryland, Sr., to pray. The 
 old man prayed that the church might be delivered 
 from such heresy as had been preached from the pulpit 
 that day. 
 
Dr. John Du Val 227 
 
 Such a church as Bruington could not long endure 
 the teaching of Dr. Du Val. It was a leading church 
 and was looked up to by all the churches in the Dover 
 Association, and could not well listen to and support 
 as minister one who was noted as a leading reformer. 
 Brother Du Val was ordered to appear before the 
 church to answer the following charges: 
 
 1. Innovation. 
 
 2. The denial of the influence of the Holy Spirit 
 in conversion. 
 
 3. Baptism for the remission of sins. 
 
 Bishop Semple presided. The chief speakers on 
 the part of the Baptists were Andrew Broaddus, 
 Josiah Ryland, and A. Brown. Dr. Du Val stood alone 
 for a restoration of the ancient Gospel. When the 
 debate, or trial, was over and the vote of the Church 
 taken, the Doctor was found guilty of the charges, 
 by a majority of one. It was Mr. Semple's personal 
 influence that gained for his party the victory. 
 
 Immediately following this, Mr. Semple returned 
 from Washington, and resumed charge of Bruington 
 Church. Brother Du Val continued preaching to the 
 disciples at Mangohick and at other points. In 1830 
 Bishop Semple and Andrew Broaddus called a con- 
 vention of eight churches and adopted what was 
 afterward known as the Semple and Broaddus Decrees. 
 In bringing these decrees before Bruington Church for 
 their acceptance, as related in Chapter IV. of our His- 
 torical Sketch, Dr. Du Val was the main speaker in 
 opposition to them, and they were rejected. This 
 was their deathblow and a severe rebuke to Bishop 
 Semple. 
 
228 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Brother Du Val used often to preach in the private 
 home of a Mr. Valentine. On one occasion, he had 
 gone thither to conduct a funeral, and during his stay 
 eight confessed Christ. Notice was given out that they 
 would be baptized in what was known as ''Campbell's 
 Pond" on a certain day and hour. At the appointed 
 time a large congregation had assembled to witness 
 the ceremony. All the candidates were present, but 
 Dr. Du Val did not appear, and no one could account 
 for his absence. The brethren present were anxious 
 that the baptism take place. R. B. Semple had 
 preached at the Church that day, and had gone to dine 
 with a Baptist brother near by. One of their number 
 was selected to go and see if Bishop Semple would 
 come and perform the ceremony. Accordingly, the 
 Bishop was informed of the difficulty, and as extra 
 inducement, was told that only eight were to be bap- 
 tized. The amiable Bishop seemed pleased at the 
 request, and smilingly answered: ''Only eight? — just 
 the number saved in the Ark. Now they want to be 
 saved, as the Apostle Peter said, by baptism. Go? 
 Yes; and if you had a hundred I would go and bap- 
 tize them. Come, Bro. Elliot, (the name of his host,) 
 let us start and tarry not." 
 
 He was soon there, and performed the ceremony as 
 the Apostles of old, without ever asking a single 
 question of any of them, he having been informed 
 that all had made the good confession. 
 
 From the day he bade adieu to Bruington Church 
 to the time of his death, Brother Du Val's life became 
 one long day of labor. He had regular appointments 
 
Dr. John Du Val 229 
 
 for every Lord's Day, besides attending to many 
 protracted meetings, when in his power to do so. 
 Added to this, he had a medical practice seldom 
 equalled in his section. He was a man of untiring 
 energy and an excellent speaker. He was gifted in 
 oratory, and could easily bring his audience either to 
 laughter or to tears, as he willed. 
 
 He was particularly happy in speaking of the bap- 
 tism of Jesus — the descent of the Holy Spirit in the 
 form of a dove — the interview Jesus had with Moses 
 and Elijah — the lamentation of Jesus over Jerusalem — 
 Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane — his death upon 
 the Cross — his resurrection, and such like themes. 
 About 1831 or 1832 he commenced holding meetings 
 in an old house on the farm of Brother Philip B. Pen- 
 dleton, and when the weather would permit, they had 
 meetings in a grove close by. From these meetings 
 in a short time sprang Smyrna Church, and for this 
 church Bro. Du Val continued to labor for many 
 years. During his later life he preached for Rap- 
 pahannock and Acquinton Churches also, and was 
 largely instrumental in building Jerusalem Church, 
 which he also named. 
 
 In the fall of 1832 he lost his wife. In the family 
 register, in his own handwriting, are these words: 
 *'Mary Ann DuVal, died about 8 o'clock, P. AL, Satur- 
 day, 17th November, 1832, in the full triumph of 
 faith and 'assurance of hope' in her final acceptance 
 with God. Thanks to his unspeakable kindness 
 in granting her this victory. Amen." She left three 
 children — two daughters and one son; the latter. 
 Dr. P. P. Du Val, is still living in Richmond, Virginia, 
 
230 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 and finds time amid his professional duties, as did 
 his father, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ.* 
 
 Brother Du Val was married again in December, 
 1834, to Miss Mildred R. Downer, of Caroline county. 
 She was an accomplished woman and a great help to 
 him in his later life. 
 
 In 1850 he became involved in a difficulty with the 
 elders of Smyrna Church. A lady who had been 
 immersed by an unimmersed minister of the Methodist 
 Church desired to unite with Smyrna congregation. 
 Brother Du Val claimed that she had not been scrip- 
 turally baptized, inasmuch as he who had adminis- 
 tered the rite had not been qualified by immersion to 
 perform it upon another. The elders of Smyrna 
 disagreed with him in the matter. Bro. Du Val wrote 
 an article for the Harbinger, asking Bro. W. K. Pendle- 
 ton for his opinion. The opinion of the latter was 
 unfavorable to the position taken by Dr. Du Val, but 
 did not change him. In 1853 he sold his place in 
 King and Queen and moved to Petersburg. Here 
 at his own cost he established a place for preaching, 
 but not succeeding so well as he expected he finally 
 sold this meeting-house and extended his field of labor 
 to the counties of Prince Edward, Lunenburg, Char- 
 lotte, and Amelia, all in the Southeastern part of 
 the State. In this field he labored incessantly till 
 the end of his hfe. 
 
 In the summer of 1859 he was called on to mourn the 
 loss of his second wife, who left two daughters. Three 
 
 ♦Since this account was written Dr. P. P. Du Val has passed to his reward. 
 
Dr. John Du Val 231 
 
 years after her death he wrote of her: ''The many 
 years of happiness which she most richly contributed 
 to my mind and heart, are still deeply engraven on my 
 memory." 
 
 Brother Du Val was in feeble health for some time 
 preceding his last illness. He was taken sick with 
 congestion of the lungs on the fourth of December, 
 1863, and continued to fail till the twenty-fourth, when 
 he breathed his last. His last words were, "I am 
 blind — I cannot see." And who shall say that the 
 dazzling light of the city of God was not shining on the 
 dying eyes of the faithful soldier of the Cross, so as 
 to blind his natural eyes with its intense brightness, 
 while his eye of faith looked with undimmed lustre 
 upon the ''Resurrection and the Life." 
 
JAMES W. GOSS. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Albemarle 
 countV; Virginia, December 29, 1812. He was the 
 third child, but the first son, of Elder John Goss, and 
 his mother's maiden name was Jane Walker. His 
 father was a pious man, a minister in the Baptist 
 church. He lived to a good old age, and was gathered 
 home only after he had witnessed the rising usefulness 
 of his son James. 
 
 The early education of James was under the imme- 
 diate supervision of his father. While Jam^es was re- 
 ceiving knowledge concerning the use of the English 
 language he was also receiving the gentler lessons of 
 Christian faith and love for Him who took little children 
 in His arms and blessed them. He was finally sent to 
 a classical school in the neighborhood for a year or two, 
 but this plan was superseded by the employment of a 
 teacher in the family. In this way the children received 
 that most essential part of all education, home influ- 
 ences. After some years of this home education, James 
 was sent to Charlottesville, where he had increased 
 facilities for the development of his inquisitive mind, 
 thus acquiring those qualities which afterward distin- 
 guished him. It was during this period of his life that 
 he determined to study medicine. He commenced 
 this study under a preceptor, and in due time entered 
 the University of Virginia. God, however, had mapped 
 out his life differently. He had always been religiously 
 inclined. His daily prayers were not allowed to be 
 
James W. Goss 233 
 
 crowded out by his studies. His belief in God was co- 
 etaneous with the recollection of his father. It was 
 not strange, therefore, that in the sixteenth year of his 
 age, while at home from college, he made the good con- 
 fession and was buried with his Lord in baptism. He 
 was baptized by Elder Gilbert Mason, a young Baptist 
 minister previously mentioned in the sketch of R. L. 
 Coleman. Mr. Mason was at this time making his 
 home with Elder Goss, where he was prosecuting his 
 studies and preaching under the fostering care of that 
 good man. If all young preachers were to do this, thus 
 following the Scriptural examples of Timothy, Silas, 
 and others, it might be the means of saving them from 
 many perplexities and bitter regrets in after life. Bro. 
 Goss connected himself with the Priddy's Creek Baptist 
 Church, of which his father was minister; and, though 
 very retiring, and modest to a fault, the brethren soon 
 took notice of his deep-toned piety and unwavering 
 fidelity, and induced him to take part in the prayer- 
 meetings. At the opening of the next session of the 
 University he returned to Charlottesville. Finding no 
 Baptist Church there, and but a handful of members, 
 he and a younger brother in the faith began holding 
 weekly prayer-meetings. These were first held in pri- 
 vate houses, but as the attendance increased a hall was 
 rented for the purpose. At these meetings James was 
 the chief speaker, and soon overcame his diffidence. It 
 was not long till some began to show an interest in their 
 soul's salvation, several professed the power of the 
 truth, and Elder John Goss was sent for to baptize 
 them. He and Porter Cleveland, a Baptist preacher 
 
234 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 of that section, soon established a regular monthly 
 meeting at Charlottesville, and in August, 1831, a 
 church was organized with thirty-one members. This 
 membership was soon doubled by a meeting held by 
 Gilbert Mason and R. L. Coleman, and in May, 1831, 
 R. L. Coleman was ordained as minister by Elders Porter 
 Cleveland and John Goss. The demands of the cause, 
 the anxious solicitude of his fellow-citizens, and his sense 
 of duty soon called James Goss forth to a more active 
 rehgious Hfe. On the 22nd day of February, 1832, he 
 was licensed by the Church at Charlottesville to preach, 
 and was publicly ordained on the 7th day of August of 
 the same year, it being the twentieth year of his age. 
 Elder Welch, a traveling agent for the Sunday-school 
 Union, assisted in the services. His field of usefulness 
 was now enlarged, and repeated demands on his time 
 w^ere made by churches in the neighboring country. 
 His modest and retiring disposition only led him to be 
 the more sought after, and he soon found himself not 
 only the right-hand supporter of Bro. Coleman at Char- 
 lottesville, but also rather a leader in the evangelistic 
 efforts in the county. 
 
 Bro. Goss was married on the 29th of September, 
 1835, to Miss Jane Ashley Grigsby, the only daughter 
 of Joseph and Mary Ashley Grigsby, of Rockbridge 
 county, Virginia. The youthful Goss now settled in 
 Charlottesville wdth the loving wife of his choice, who 
 in that endearing relationship was in every respect the 
 solace of his heart. 
 
 Much depends upon the choice of a wife, and es- 
 pecially of a preacher's wife. A preacher's wife is not a 
 
James W. Goss 235 
 
 private woman; she is obliged to be known personally, 
 intellectually, socially and religiously; she must soon 
 learn to pass unheeded the expressions of admiration 
 of friends and the condemnation of enemies. If not, her 
 life will be embittered by melancholy and chagrin on the 
 one side, or disgusted by the absence of a meek and 
 gentle spirit on the other. In the language of common 
 parlance. Sister Goss seems to have been born a 
 preacher's wife! Gentle as the dew, diffusing an easy 
 grace and dignity throughout her household, and as 
 firm as the granite of her Piedmont home, she imparted 
 an impetus to the already deep piety of her husband, 
 and added zeal to the cause that was so dear to his soul. 
 
 After his marriage Bro. Goss settled in Charlottes- 
 ville and started an apothecary store in connection 
 with Dr. John W. Field. His place was always filled 
 at church, and he never suffered his business to inter- 
 fere with his religious engagements. As time rolled on 
 he gathered strength from his experience, and increased 
 in favor with the brethren of his faith and order, while 
 persons of the world pressed to hear him because of his 
 pulpit eloquence. An educated Roman Catholic lady 
 once remarked that while she had no special partiality 
 for Mr. Goss' religious faith, she regarded it a privilege 
 to Hsten to his chaste and eloquent pulpit exercises. 
 This was the general feeling of his religious opponents. 
 
 When we consider the order of his mind, the deep- 
 toned piety and veneration in which he held the Word 
 of God, we are not surprised that he was early a reader 
 of the published works of Mr. Campbell. In these 
 writings he found a counterpart to his own religious 
 
236 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 training in mind and heart. The truth was dearer to 
 him than the cherished love of fond brethren. To 
 know the truth and to obey it was his highest aspiration, 
 hence he read with prayerful care these works, and 
 compared every position and proof text with the Scrip- 
 tures. His wife was not a stranger to his researches, 
 his anxieties of mind, or the workings of his own heart 
 during that period. Her loving heart and quick in- 
 tuition threw many a cheering beam upon his otherwise 
 checkered pathway. Before him, in the near distance, 
 as through a glass darkly, he could see fields of living 
 light, but at the same time, through dimmed and un- 
 faithful lenses made by the hands of human nature, he 
 could see smiles of cheer turned to scowling frowns, 
 and, in place of the hand of affection, the back of scorn. 
 The two had to be weighed in the balances of respon- 
 sibility to God. Jerusalem or Geneva — the ''Word of 
 the Lord" of the former, or the Calvinistic frigidity of 
 the latter, was the question. If he chose the latter, the 
 smiles of affection would continue to greet him on the 
 streets and in the pulpits; but if the former, fields of 
 living light would disclose to him beauteous flowers 
 bordering his pathway to the right hand of God. No 
 sooner were they placed in the balances than the choice 
 was made. On the next Lord's day thereafter he 
 preached ''the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem," and 
 for many Lord's days subsequently. Many a heart re- 
 sponded to the mind-enlightening and soul-confirming 
 doctrine thus developed, but the prejudices of others 
 were as deeply seated and the hostility as great as at 
 any time or place since the Dover Decree was passed. 
 
James W. Goss 237 
 
 Some of the more intelligent and influential of the Bap- 
 tists of Charlottesville conscientioiisl}^ regarded the 
 views advanced by Bro. Goss as erroneous, but they 
 wished to act with Christian moderation towards their 
 gifted but "erring" brother, and suggested many ex- 
 pedients for his reclamation. Among them was the 
 policy of placing him in charge of a metropolitan church, 
 while there were others, of Uttle minds and less hearts, 
 who advocated immediate excision. But he, unse- 
 duced by the kind compliments of the former, and un- 
 moved by the manifest dislike of the latter, determined 
 to follow out the conscientious convictions of his own 
 mind and heart, regardless of the ecclesiastical conse- 
 quences. So, on the 15th of January, 1836, the church, 
 after some days consumed in discussing the questions 
 at issue and the policy of excision, decided, by a ma- 
 jority of one, to separate from the disciples of Christ. 
 The number thus separated were between thirty and 
 forty. The prominent actors on the part of the Bap- 
 tists, as to preachers, were Elder Robert Ryland, then 
 chaplain at the University of Virginia, and Mr. Wm. P. 
 Farish, at that time a licentiate, and subsequently an 
 ordained Baptist minister. On the part of the disci- 
 ples were Elders R. L. Coleman and James W. Goss. 
 
 Soon after the separation from the Baptist Church 
 the disciples organized a church of Christ, and Elder 
 R. L. Coleman became its minister. Although Bro. Cole- 
 man was a few^ years older than James Goss, they were 
 both young men, and the unity of their work and in- 
 terests induced a lifelong friendship. Together they 
 started a monthly periodical in Charlottesville, devoted 
 
238 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 to the cause of reformation. The first number was pub- 
 lished in November, 1836, but, although James Goss' 
 name appeared as one of the editors in the prospectus, 
 he dechned acting as such until 1840. In 1843 he be- 
 came sole editor, and published the paper for two years 
 under the name of The Christian Intelligencer , when, 
 moving to Orange, he ceased to be its editor. This was 
 the first periodical published by the disciples in what 
 now constitutes the State of Virginia. 
 
 James W. Goss for many years would accept of no 
 remuneration for his services in the preaching of the Gos- 
 pel. To say that our forefathers made no mistakes in 
 their efforts to restore the ancient Gospel, the ancient 
 order of things in the churches, would be to say they 
 were infallible. This mistake, however, was a natural 
 one. It has been common in all countries, with all de- 
 nominations, in their efforts to introduce and establis 
 their respective pleas. Were it not for this self-sac- 
 rifice of our forefathers we should not now be the strong 
 people that we are. However, the sooner and more 
 thoroughly we understand that the ''laborer is worthy 
 of his hire, '' and appreciate the labors of our forefathers 
 as a gift from the heart to a great cause instead of a 
 matter of necessity, the sooner shall we enter into the 
 fullness of things that God has prepared for us. No 
 religious body can ever amount to much that depends 
 on the self-sacrifice of its preachers alone. In order to 
 enable him the better to prosecute his work in the min- 
 istry, James Goss became financially interested in a 
 drug store in Richmond. Failure followed through 
 the dishonesty of an employee, and he surrendered all 
 
James W. Goss 239 
 
 his property to liquidate the debts of the firm. This 
 misfortune created in the breasts of his friends and 
 brethren a mingling of pleasure and sadness; sadness 
 because of his loss, but pleasure as they saw the devel- 
 opment of a resignation to his loss, and a quiet deter- 
 mination to look unto the hills from whence was to 
 come his help. 
 
 James W. Goss was a remarkable man. No earthly 
 misfortune could crush his spirit. Though this dark 
 wave swept his fortune from his hand in a moment, his 
 conscious rectitude gave him a firm step and a deter- 
 mined security that called forth the admiration of his 
 fellows. Misfortunes do not spring up out of the 
 ground; they are frequently in mercy sent. ''Thy 
 judgments are a great deep," saith the sweet singer of 
 Israel, and in these judgments, though dark and frown- 
 ing, God hides a smiling face. The loss of Elder Goss' 
 fortune caused him to change many of the currents of 
 his thoughts. It gave a deeper impress to his piety and 
 threw him more into the arms of his loving Heavenly 
 Father. He saw and realized how evanescent are all 
 things here below — that change, fluctuation and un- 
 certainty were enstamped upon all earthly things, and 
 that there is nothing sure on earth but the Word of 
 God and its fruits, which live and abide forever. He 
 resolved to devote more of his time to the work of the 
 ministry, but he could not do this without receiving 
 some remuneration. He now devoted more of his time 
 than ever before to the preaching of the Gospel, and re- 
 ceived a meagre remuneration, too meagre almost to 
 be mentioned. This was not because he was not worthy 
 
240 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 of better consideration — far from it; for every church 
 that engaged his ministry regarded it a great and a rich 
 treat to have the scintillations of his well-stored mind 
 and the fruits of his developed piety. 
 
 While Elder Goss made frequent preaching tours in 
 different portions of the State, and at times remained 
 from home for weeks, he preached regularly at differ- 
 ent times for the congregations at Charlottesville, Free 
 Union, in Albemarle; Gordonsville, Macedonia, in Or- 
 ange; Louisa Court House, Berea in Spottsylvania, and 
 Antioch in Caroline. 
 
 His home was at Charlottesville from the time he left 
 his father's house for school in his boyhood, until De- 
 cember, 1845, except two years spent at Somerset, in 
 Orange county. In the year 1845 he moved into the 
 neighborhood of Orange Springs, where he remained 
 until November, 1851, when he moved to a farm near 
 Gordonsville, and established a female school there the 
 following year. In 1856 he purchased a farm in Albe- 
 marle county, and in the same year he moved to his new 
 home and established his school there. This school was 
 known by the name of ''The Piedmont Female Acade- 
 my." Few teachers have ever made such a deep and 
 pleasant impression upon their pupils, and fewer still 
 whose memories are so sacredly embalmed. James 
 Goss left the imprint of his deep piety and exalted faith 
 upon all the young ladies of his school, and in their 
 lives and the lives of their children he will ever live. 
 ''The good and efficient never die." 
 
 In August, 1867, he moved to Hopkinsville, Ky., to 
 take charge of a female school in that town. The re- 
 
James W, Goss 241 
 
 suit of this move we will quote from a sketch of his life, 
 written by Elder Peter Ainslie, in the Christian Exam- 
 iner. 
 
 ''In making this move, though he was actuated by 
 the best of motives, he did wrong. We all saw it, and 
 those of us who knew his constitution saw it more 
 plainly than others. He was of that pecuhar make 
 that tended to plethora, and consequently to paralysis. 
 He needed much out-door exercise; this he could have 
 at his Piedmont home every morning and evening, 
 attending to his crops and cattle, but in Hopkinsville 
 not so. His school-room and the narrow confines of a 
 town lot were the area of his locomotion, except oc- 
 casionally, urged by necessity, he would extend his 
 exercises. He needed exercise that would not be for 
 the sake of exercise, but for other motives, which 
 would cause him to forget himself by being engrossed 
 in pleasant objects. This he could not find in Hop- 
 kinsville, but it could be found upon his farm. As we all 
 feared, he was stricken with partial paral3^sis, ^larch 
 20, 1869, but remained in Kentucky, at his post, until 
 July, 1870, when, on visiting his home in Albemarle, 
 Va., and finding his health declining, he did not return 
 to Kentucky, but wrote to the stockholders oi the 
 Southern Kentucky Female Institute severing his 
 connection with that institution. This was received 
 by them with much regret, and they tendered to him 
 the expression of their greatest confidence and warmest 
 sympathies. 
 
 ''By 1870 he had accumulated considerable property. 
 Some of his means he had invested in slaves, which of 
 course were swept from him by the war; but he had 
 bought a large and beautiful farm, upon which he had 
 built a show}", comfortable, and spacious house, with 
 all the necessary out-houses, including a well-arranged 
 school-house. 
 
 16 
 
242 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 ''He not only contributed freely his money to the 
 Church for all local expenses and for the support of 
 the evangelists, but his house was always a home for 
 his brethren, and especially a retreat for the preachers. 
 When the duties of his farm or those of his school- 
 room called him, he would leave the preacher surround- 
 ed with a choice selection or books, or there upon the 
 table were pen, ink and paper, so he could be profitably 
 employed. I have myself many pleasant associations 
 connected with the room he called his office; and on one 
 occasion, years ago, in one of my preaching tours, I 
 was taken very ill at his house, and was sick a long 
 time, and I received every attention which could be 
 bestowed. I shall ever remember him and his loved 
 partner T\dth gratitude. His house was the preacher's 
 home. 
 
 ''After returning home, his health continued to 
 decHne, until the 26th day of November, 1870, in the 
 58th year of his age, he breathed out this life in the 
 arms of Him in whom he trusted, surrounded by his 
 heart-stricken family and sorrowing friends." 
 
 He was buried on his farm at Piedmont, about twelve 
 miles from Charlottesville. The inscription on his 
 tombstone reads : " Erected by the Churches of Louisa 
 and Macedonia, which were mainly established and 
 built by him." 
 
ELDER THOMAS M. HENLEY. 
 
 Thomas M. Henley was born in Williamsburg, Vir- 
 ginia, January 6, 1783. His parents were Methodists, 
 but his father, Leonard Henley, was of Episcopal par- 
 entage, the family being one of the old aristocratic fam- 
 ilies of Eastern Virginia. Bro. Henley spent his minor- 
 ity in the town of his birth, and at the age of twenty- 
 three married Miss Sally Yates, a near relative of Bishop 
 Yates, of the Episcopal Church. 
 
 Soon after his marriage he moved to Tappahannock, 
 Essex county, Virginia, and engaged w4th others in 
 opening a coach establishment. His associates in this 
 business were men of the world, so he had much to con- 
 tend with; but, being a man of strict integrity and 
 resolute purpose, he was not to be turned from the path 
 of rectitude and duty. Although he had not espoused 
 the Christian religion, he had been taught its moral 
 principles in his boyhood and would not now depart 
 from them. He feared no man's frown, yielded to no 
 one's flattery, nor followed in the wake of any popular 
 current. Hence, his associates never succeeded in 
 leading him in paths of worldly pleasure. Though a 
 stranger in his new home, he soon gained many friends 
 by the course of his life. Yet, the confidence of men, 
 or the esteem of the world, could not supply food for 
 the longings of the soul. The story of his conversion 
 we give as nearly as possible in his own w^ords, as sup- 
 plied by his son, Robert Y. Henley, and published in 
 the Christian Examiner in 1870: '' I had a pious mother 
 
244 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 who taught me to beheve in the Lord, to love Him, and 
 to pray to Him, and though my associates were irre- 
 ligious and I was immersed in the cares and anxieties 
 of the world, and that mother long since gone from 
 earth, her instructions were not forgotten. In 1810 I 
 became deeply concerned upon the subject of religion, 
 and resolved by God's help that I would become a 
 Christian. I read the Bible, attended meetings, con- 
 versed with religious men and women, prayed and 
 agonized, and yet I could not obtain what was called 
 an evidence of pardon — life was a burden, the future 
 was all darkness, and hope seemed to be displaced by 
 despair. What more to do I knew not, and in this 
 state of mind I resolved to die seeking the Lord, and 
 vowed that I would neither eat nor drink until I found 
 peace with God. I gave up my business, withdrew 
 from society, and retired to my room, and devoted my- 
 self to prayer and reading the Bible ; but the Bible to 
 me was a sealed book. I earnestly desired to see its 
 beauties and receive its consolations, but not one com- 
 fort could I receive. My mental anguish and fasting 
 entirely prostrated me. My good wife was greatly 
 distressed and plead with me to partake of refresh- 
 ment. I refused. She called in my family physician. 
 When he came in I was on my knees in prayer. I was 
 so weak that I was unable to rise without assistance. 
 Doctor tried to engage me in conversation, but I was 
 too w^eak and in too much distress of mind to respond 
 to his kindness. He prepared water and milk for me. I 
 refused to drink. He and my kind and affectionate 
 wife appealed to me and urged me for her sake and the 
 
Elder Thomas M. Henley 245 
 
 sake of my little children to yield. I put the glass 
 to my mouth several times before I could drink. Un- 
 this treatment I regained my strength, but my an- 
 guish was greater. I resolved that I would read the 
 Scriptures more closely. I began to think that some- 
 thing was wrong, and that the error was in me, either 
 in the mode of my seeking or my earnestness. That I 
 was in earnest and desired salvation with all my heart 
 I knew. Then where was the mistake? I came to the 
 conclusion that I had mistaken the mode, and that the 
 views of the pious as to seeking religion were a delusion. 
 But how to read the Scriptures so as to enlighten my 
 mind upon the subject which at that time mostly in- 
 terested me was an important question. ' What must 
 I do to be saved?' was the question I knew must be 
 answered somewhere in the Bible, but where? Not in 
 the Old Testament, because that belonged to the Old 
 Dispensation. Then the answer must be in the New. 
 Such a conclusion gave me comfort. I began to search 
 forthwith. My faith in God's Word was very strong, 
 and I determined to read with order and ponder upon 
 what I read. There were many passages which were 
 full of comfort to the man who had passed from dark- 
 ness to light, but I could not apply them to myself, be- 
 cause I was still in darkness. I then gathered such 
 passages as were suited to my case, and just as soon as 
 I did so my mind became more calm. During this 
 search I read the following passages : ' God so loved the 
 world,' etc; 'He that believeth and is baptized shall 
 be saved. ' I spoke out to myself, ' I do believe with all 
 my heart — I will be baptized in the name of the Lord 
 
246 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Jesus.' God is faithful to his promises. My joy was 
 unspeakable. My sorrow and anguish were gone. I 
 found in the Word of God that joy which I had for 
 months been seeking. I was a happy man — there was 
 joy in believing. I hastened to my chamber with a 
 happy heart and joyous countenance, but, before I 
 could speak, my dear wife arose and fell upon my neck 
 and wept for joy, saying, 'I know you are happy.' 
 Yes, it was a happy meeting. I immediately applied 
 to a Baptist minister to immerse me. I went to the 
 church and told them, I had no Christian experience to 
 relate; I believed in the Lord Jesus; that He had com- 
 manded me to be baptized and had promised that I 
 should be saved. And upon this confession I was 
 baptized." 
 
 Because of his union with the Baptists his father dis- 
 inherited him. In the course of time, however, nearly 
 the whole family came into the churches of Christ. 
 The case of Father Henley is one of those cases which 
 furnish an illustration of the evil consequences of the 
 false teaching of that day. Nor is this teaching yet 
 abrogated. Soon after Bro. Henley's baptism he be- 
 gan to pray in pubhc, and when he had given the 
 church evidence of his desire and determination to 
 preach, he was ordained to the ministry. In 1812 his 
 wife died, leaving three children, Leonard, Robert and 
 Mary. 
 
 In 1813 he married Miss Elizabeth Temple, He con- 
 tinued to preach, and was regarded as a man of strong 
 and vigorous mind and great determination of char- 
 acter. He loved the Baptist Church, and would do 
 
Elder Thomas M. Henley 247 
 
 anything to enhance her honor. He was fond of ad- 
 vocating and defending the doctrines of the church, 
 and would buy and read every work written in behalf 
 of her cause. 
 
 About the year 1824 the Methodists commenced to 
 preach upon baptism in his neighborhood, and as that 
 subject had not often been presented to the public in a 
 bold and fearless manner, and as he feared no evil con- 
 sequences from open investigation, and being deter- 
 mined to meet the issue, he purchased the Debate be- 
 tween Campbell and McCalla and read it carefully. 
 He was pleased with it, and determined to have an in- 
 terview with. Mr. Campbell. In 1818 Father Henley 
 was chosen pastor of Upper Essex Baptist Church, and 
 as the Dover Association was to meet with that church 
 in 1825, he wrote to Mr. Campbell and invited him to 
 attend. He did attend. At this Association were the 
 master spirits of the Baptist churches. Here it was 
 that Mr. Campbell first met Robert Y. Semple and An- 
 drew Broaddus. Mr. Campbell presented his views of 
 the restoration of the primitive order of things. There 
 was great diversity of opinion as to the soundness of 
 his views, yet there was no open opposition to them. 
 Mr. Henley was among those w^ho were willing to 
 ''prove all things, hold fast that which is good." Ac- 
 cordingly he gave his subscription to Mr. Campbell 
 for the Christian Baptist. Upon his return home 
 Mr. Campbell appointed Mr. Henley agent, but he 
 objected to the appointment because he was not 
 satisfied as to the soundness of the views advanced. 
 He ordered copies of all the back numbers of the 
 
248 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Christian Baptist, together with all of Mr. Campbell's 
 publications on matters of religion, in order that he 
 might give his views a fair examination. He soon 
 became convinced that many of his former views were 
 wrong, and that Mr. Campbell was echoing the truths 
 taught by Christ and the Apostles. 
 
 Thomas Henley was a fearless man, and no sooner 
 had he become convinced that he had not preached the 
 whole truth as it is in Christ Jesus than he openly pro- 
 claimed the principle of restoration. This caused cer- 
 tain members of the church to raise a spirit of opposi- 
 tion against -him, which soon expressed itself as follows : 
 
 In April, 1828, at the monthly meeting of Salem 
 Church, of which Andrew Broaddus was pastor, the fol- 
 lowing resolution was adopted and sent to Bro. Henley: 
 
 ''Resolved, That this Church disapproves of certain 
 views and sentiments advanced by elder Henley as 
 contrary to the Spirit of the Gospel, particularly that 
 sentiment which considers a sinner as repenting and 
 believing in Christ with a saving faith before he receives 
 any influence from the Holy Spirit, and that this 
 resolution, with their Christian love to Bro. Henley, 
 be made known to him. 
 
 ''By order of the Church. 
 
 "Ira White, S. C. Clerk." 
 
 Bro. Henley sent a reply to the church denying that 
 he had used any such language, or advanced any such 
 sentiment; but stating, furthermore, that he had 
 "searched the New Testament, and could not find 
 therein any express language where God had ever given 
 his Holy Spirit to any sinner previous to his believing in 
 
Elder Thomas M. Henley 249 
 
 Him," and promised, upon their pointing him to such, 
 that he would publicly recall any such statements said 
 to have been uttered by him. He received for answer: 
 "We decline your invitation to bring forward express 
 language," etc. ''On this point our minds, we trust, 
 have long been fixed, viz., that no unregenerate sinner 
 repents and believes with a saving faith, without the 
 enlightening and quickening influence of God's Holy 
 Spirit." 
 
 Information of his '' heresy " was soon brought 
 before the Upper Essex Baptist Church, of which he 
 was pastor. He was tried, Andrew Broaddus present, 
 and the pastoral charge dissolved by a majority of one! 
 The doctrine that was so obnoxious to the non-reform- 
 ers was then discussed. He was then unanimously in- 
 vited to ^^ preach " to them. No comment on the foregoing 
 trial is necessary, as the chief instigator is named and 
 the final result fully vindicated Bro. Henley. 
 
 A second time he was drawn before the church and 
 was ''counted blameless." A resolution was then 
 drawn up by a member of the church, though it was in 
 reality the production of several public teachers. He 
 met them and discussed its charges. A committee of 
 six public teachers was appointed to assist in the trial 
 on July 4, 1829. Before the trial took place the church 
 authorized Dr. A. Somervail to propose to Bro. Henley 
 a letter of dismission without going into trial of the 
 charges. He refused unless the church would also 
 acquit him of the charges and all moral impropriety, 
 and also told them that he could not take a letter in 
 full fellowship owing to the attitude of certain members 
 
250 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 toward him, one of whom said he would never be recon- 
 ciled to him (Henley) while his soul was in his body 
 unless Bro. Henley would confess that he had treated 
 Bishop Semple amiss. The only question put to the 
 church was, '^Was there any moral impropriety against 
 Thomas M. Henley?" The whole church present voted 
 there was none, except the above mentioned individual, 
 and Dr. Somervail wrote the letter as follows: 
 
 ''The Upper Essex Church, after due deliberation, 
 hereby give Bro. Henley a letter of dismission from his 
 Church, not in full fellowship: but only they disapprove 
 of the doctrine he chooses to preach. They have no 
 complaint for immorality, or any other fault, but his 
 doctrine alone. 
 
 ''By order of the Church. 
 
 "Thomas Wright, Jr.-, Clerk." 
 
 According to these proceedings it is obvious that he 
 could unite with any church he chose to, or preach for 
 any church that was satisfied with the doctrine he pro- 
 claimed. 
 
 He united with Acquintain Church, King William 
 county, and in October, 1831, was sent from this church 
 as messenger to the Dover Association. Ascertaining 
 that a few of the priesthood had determined to make 
 him the bone of a personal controversy and thus in- 
 volve the church to which he belonged, he went to the 
 Moderator, Bishop Semple, on the day of his arrival, 
 and withdrew himself as a messenger, hoping thereby 
 to forestall the introduction of personalities into the As- 
 sociation. Philip T. Montague and Andrew Broaddus, 
 aided by George Wright and George Schools, unwilHng 
 
Elder Thomas M. Henley 251 
 
 to let slip a chance for wounding the feelings and de- 
 stroying the character of Mr. Henley, changed a ques- 
 tion on general principles that was before the Associa- 
 tion into a personal attack. Montague and Wright 
 asserted that he had been excluded from the Upper Es- 
 sex Church, to which he formerly belonged. Broaddus 
 asserted that although he was not excluded in form, 
 yet he was persuaded the church so intended it, and 
 labored hard to make the impression upon the Associa- 
 tion that such was the fact. 
 
 Bro. Henley asked leave of the Association to correct 
 this misrepresentation, but was refused the privilege of 
 testifying. It was a scheme laid by Andrew Broaddus 
 and his co-laborers to injure the character of Mr. Hen- 
 ley, and he immediately published in the Harbinger 
 such documentary evidence as was necessary to expose 
 the unprincipled perpetrators. 
 
 It was at this same Association that the Dover De- 
 cree was passed, as related in a former chapter of this 
 work. 
 
 In 1834 Mr. Henley moved to Hillsboro, King and 
 Queen county, and devoted the rest of his life to the 
 cause of restoration of the ancient order of things. He 
 went everywhere preaching the Word until disease 
 caused him to limit his tours and remain more at home. 
 His pen became more active, and he wrote for every 
 paper in the reformation. He was confined to his house 
 for many months, but whenever his health and the 
 weather would permit, he was seen at the Smyrna 
 Church on Lord's Day, bowing in humble reverence to 
 the Lord his God, and partaking of the emblems of his 
 
252 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 body and blood. As the wasting hand of disease rested 
 more heavily upon him his mind and spirit rose to their 
 highest point of activity, and many of the best pro- 
 ductions of his pen were detailed while unable to sit 
 up, and committed to the paper by his son, Robert. 
 Among these were several letters to his friend and for- 
 mer co-worker, Andrew Broaddus, and one to Bro. 
 Campbell from the "Banks of Jordan." He loved Mr. 
 Broaddus, and loved him to the last. He was very anx- 
 ious to see him before he fell asleep, and wrote to him 
 by special messenger, inviting him to visit him, but 
 that coveted pleasure was never realized. 
 
 He quietly breathed his last on March 6, 1846. His 
 wife survived him for several years, and was buried by 
 the side of her sainted husband, at Hillsboro. 
 
 As a writer Bro. Henley was full but concise, his 
 points were well taken, and his proofs clear and conclu- 
 sive. Writing was his forte. His letters, essays and 
 rejoinders to opponents were unanswerable. He was 
 untiring in his energies in collecting statements of facts, 
 conversations, transactions, writings of friends and op- 
 ponents, and everything that passed under his eye; con- 
 sequently it was hazardous to call in question any state- 
 ment or argument from his pen. As a preacher he was 
 plain and direct in language, even to bluntness, and 
 sometimes gave unintentional offence even to his best 
 friends. He condemned errors in both doctrine and 
 life in the strongest language. His language on such 
 occasions was unstudied, spontaneous, and the out- 
 pouring of an honest heart. He was not so strong a 
 
Elder Thomas M. Henley 253 
 
 speaker as he was a writer, his pulpit work being im- 
 paired by an unharmonious voice and the absence of 
 exhortational gifts. 
 
 His son, Robert Y. Henley, accompanied Mr. Camp- 
 bell, when the latter returned from the Constitutional 
 Convention in 1830, to his home in Bethany. There 
 he attended Buffalo Seminary, which school Mr. Camp- 
 bell had been running for over ten years. After a few 
 years he married one of Mr. Campbell's daughters. He 
 became a worthy successor of his father in the cause of 
 reformation. 
 
ELDER JNO. G. PARRISH. 
 
 This sketch is taken m toto from the Christian 
 Examiner of November, 1871: 
 
 Many could be named in the literary, scientific and 
 artistic world who had to surmount the barriers 
 erected by poverty. Nor is the Church exempt in this 
 particular. Without calling up the names of those 
 whom we know only from the pages of history, we can 
 speak of the eloquent Magoon, a Baptist minister, 
 who is known to many of us, and who is not ashamed 
 to speak, upon the platform, of his trowel and mortar, 
 and the days of his poverty. Even the venerable 
 Dr. Jeter has not forgotten his early struggles for an 
 education, and his youthfully ardent wish for exten- 
 sive usefulness. The sainted T. M. Henley, by un- 
 tiring application, from the days of his full manhood 
 to the day of his death, learned to wield a pen, the 
 fruits of which were cheerfully read by the lovers of a 
 pure Christianit}^ and dreaded by the advocates of 
 untaught questions. Nor was his co-laborer, the late 
 Elder Peter Ainslie, more fortimate in earl}^ life. His 
 youthful struggles after knowledge were hindered by 
 poverty ; but in after time, became equally distinguished 
 in the pulpit. And last, but not least, we can associate 
 with these the name of Elder John G. Parrish, the 
 subject of this brief sketch, of whom we will now 
 speak. 
 
 His grandfather came from England with his parent 
 when a j^outh, and settled in Gloucester county, Va., 
 and became a successful farmer in that county. His 
 father became a sea captain, and in a storm met with 
 a watery grave, leaving his son John a small boy. 
 John G. Parrish was born in Fredericksburg, Va., 
 December 23, 1817. The circumstances connected 
 
Elder John G. Parrish 255 
 
 with his early childhood were those common to children, 
 except a most inciiiisitive mind and unflagging will: 
 these marked him as a promising boy. By his own 
 application to books he had made considerable progress 
 in his primary studies before he was sent to school. 
 Very soon, however, in these early struggles, a favora- 
 ble opportunity presented itself, and he entered the 
 school of Mr. John Goodrich, where he advanced in 
 his studies with much gratification to his teacher and 
 friends. He continued at school until he was fourteen 
 or fifteen years of age, and another opportune occasion 
 having offered itself to his energetic and busy mind, 
 he entered the store of the late Samuel Phillips, who 
 was at that time engaged in a large shipping and com- 
 mission business in Fredericksburg. Here he learned 
 much of the ways of the world and the intricacies of 
 mercantile life. During this time he kept up a course 
 of study. His busy mind was never at rest. He did 
 not while his time away by loitering, nor by smoking 
 costly segars, nor in frequenting saloons for pleasure. 
 He felt, even at that early day, that there was a destiny 
 before him. Hence he was called 'Hhe student clerk." 
 A book or a newspaper, whenever he was not engaged 
 in his regular business, was in his hands. He was 
 trusted beyond his years. He had many friends of 
 the better sort. He was baptized in Fredericksburg 
 in 1838, consequently in the twenty-first year of his 
 age. His conversion was regarded as a promising 
 acquisition to the church. On the 4th of December, 
 1839, he was married to Miss Elizabeth S. Bunbury, 
 by Rev. Mr. T. B. ]\Iorgan, of the Methodist Church. 
 About this time he commenced merchandizing in 
 Fredericksburg. He did quite a large business, but 
 he did not lay up much of the fruits of his labors — 
 first, because of his liberality and humane feelings, 
 both of which he possessed to too great an extent for 
 his own prosperity; and secondly, because his mind 
 
256 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 and heart were bent on devoting himself to the ministry. 
 Money-making and the ministry seldom prosper with 
 the same individual at the same time. But of this we 
 will speak as we advance. He was at this period 
 devoting his talents to the upbuilding of the church 
 in Fredericksburg, by religious visits whenever he 
 could during the week, and exhorting in the church 
 on Lord's days and once a week in prayer-meetings. 
 
 The wheel of time rolled on, and his rehgious labors 
 increased, and his gifts as a speaker were more and 
 m.ore effective, and appreciated by the Church and 
 aliens: so much so, that he began to be regarded as a 
 preacher. He moved from Fredericksburg to the 
 Bowling Green, in Caroline county, in the summer of 
 1845. It seems he was in co-partnership with W. F. 
 Cheek, under the firm of Cheek & Parrish, when he 
 left Fredericksburg. He went into mercantile busi- 
 ness at Bowling Green, and continued in it until 1849. 
 He was regularly ordained to the ministry, in old 
 Antioch, in 1847 or '48, and from the best information. 
 Brethren Goss and Coleman officiated upon the occasion. 
 Much of his time was now devoted to the ministry of 
 the Word. He would take long trips from home, 
 and more frequently than otherwise at his own charges ; 
 and his business at home suffered much for the want 
 of his personal attention. His own horse was in requi- 
 sition, rivers were crossed, other expenses incurred, 
 his business at home neglected, and his talents and 
 time employed in preaching to rich churches by their 
 own invitations; and some of the members, who had 
 an abundance of this world's goods, when asked to 
 assist in raising a small sum for him, would open their 
 eyes in astonishment, and exclaim, ''Why, Bro. Par- 
 rish has a store!" Poor little shriveled-up souls! — and 
 if it would not be regarded profane, I would say that 
 such souls ivere too small and covetous for the grace of 
 God to find them. If this is wicked, please pardon the 
 
Elder John G. Parrish 257 
 
 thought, and attribute it to holy indignation and 
 contempt. 
 
 In him we see a young devoted brother, in love 
 with the cause committed to his trust, earnestly pray- 
 ing and laboring for the religious health of the Church, 
 the conversion of the world; sacrificing the comforts 
 of home, and his own business, by which his equally 
 self-sacrificing wife and children are to get their daily 
 bread; leaving all to respond to the apparently earnest 
 solicitation to visit and preach for them, having to 
 return home with the overheard exclamation, ''Why, 
 Bro. Parrish has a store!" And this is the kind of 
 means he has to pay his expenses back to his distant 
 home! Brethren, pardon me — no, I will not write 
 it — for if I were, this ink would turn red and the 
 lurid flames of indignation would curl in consuming 
 heat around some poor covetous heart. Thank the 
 Lord we have not many such in the churches. But the 
 few who remain, if they do not repent and turn to the 
 Lord and plead for mercy, will be bound with the 
 chains of Rhodomanthus to heaps of heated gold. 
 
 No preacher can preach with efficiency while en- 
 gaged in secular affairs ; or if he succeeds as a preacher, 
 his secular interest will suffer. This was the case with 
 the profits arising from the store of Bro. Parrish. 
 His want of success in business did not arise from the 
 absence of capacity, nor from inattention when at 
 home, but because he had to be so often from home 
 and his business, preaching the Gospel and building 
 up the churches. He, seeing the state of his affairs, 
 commenced to close up his business. This he did with 
 honor, and saved something, but nothing compared 
 with what he ought to have realized. 
 
 He had now a growing famil}^, and was determined 
 that his children should be educated. But situated 
 as he was, he could not accomplish so desirable an 
 object; and after much thought, he determined to go 
 
 17 
 
258 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 to California, and try the fortunes of that distant State. 
 This he did in March, 1849. 
 
 There was a native determination and vim in his 
 character that marked him as a man of power; there 
 was no indolence nor muteness in him; if he had a 
 question before him, he gave it the powers of his strong 
 mind, and as soon as he reached a conclusion, he spoke 
 it out with plainness, or, if it required action, he was 
 equal to the task. He was a man of the right stamp. 
 It is said that ''circumstances make men," and no 
 doubt they have much to do with them; but the man 
 who has the inherent seeds of advancement in him is 
 no Micawber, ''waiting for something to turn up," 
 but elbows obstacles out of his way, and passes on with 
 determination. He being just such a man, and having 
 the education of his children in view, and seeing this 
 could not be accomplished if he remained in Virginia, 
 made provision for his family, then committed them to 
 the Lord, and in March, 1849, left for California. When 
 he reached there, he found himself in a strange land, 
 among strangers. He engaged immediately in busi- 
 ness. He visited the gold mines, and worked in them 
 for a short time, but his business chiefly was in more 
 congenial localities. After being there a month or 
 two he found a few brethren, some in organized churches, 
 but the most of them without congregational ad- 
 vantages. He commenced to labor among them by 
 organizing several churches and preaching regularly, 
 not only to churches, but in regions beyond. He was 
 not only popular as a preacher, but as a man, so much 
 so that without any effort on his part the people 
 elected him to the Legislature. This was not what he 
 wished, nor would he consent to accept such honor 
 until after much persuasion. This, however, while 
 it to some extent interfered with his business arrange- 
 ments, presented a wider and more faithful field of 
 religious usefulness, He had access to ears which. 
 
Elder John G. Parrish 259 
 
 perhaps, otherwise would never have heard the ancient 
 Gospel. He made use of all these advantages to en- 
 lighten the minds and convert his fellow-citizens. Nor 
 were his labors in vain. He became an instrument in 
 the hands of the Lord in turning many from darkness 
 to light, and from the power of Satan to God. 
 
 If he had confined himself exclusively to money- 
 making, he w^ould have realized to a great extent his 
 hopes, but wdien he saw the people anxious to hear the 
 Gospel, the chief object of his life w^ould cause him 
 to devote some of his time to the ministry. He accu- 
 mulated considerable, and invested it in property, 
 which he thought would in a short time pay him a fine 
 profit. 
 
 During his stay in California he wrote a series of very 
 interesting letters, which were published in the Christian 
 Intelligencer. They gave not only the results of his 
 religious labors, but many interesting incidents of 
 California life. Those letters were well written, and 
 w^ere the first evidences of his capacity as a writer. 
 
 He remained in California until the spring of 1852, 
 when he returned home to the joy of his loving wife 
 and fond children. In a short time after his return he 
 engaged actively in the ministry. He not only preached 
 regularly for several churches, but his voice was heard 
 at many protracted meetings in other fields. Nor was 
 his pen idle; the readers of the Intelligencer were 
 favored with many rich articles upon religious sub- 
 jects. During this time the Lord afilicted him in the 
 loss of his dear wdfe; she who had been his comfort, 
 and the one who had cared for the family during those 
 two long years he w^as in California. She left him and 
 her dear children for that brighter land on 28th of 
 May, 1855. She is not dead, but sleepeth. Peaceful 
 be her slumbers, and angels guard her resting place. 
 
 He continued to labor for the cause until the spring 
 of 1856, when he returned to Cahfornia, to dispose of 
 
260 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 his property, and make a final settlement of all his 
 affairs in that section. He reached there in safety, 
 but did not find his investments as profitable as he 
 had wished. He had fondly hoped, as he once ex- 
 pressed himself to me, that he would realize enough 
 to secure ample means for himself and family during 
 life. But how uncertain are the things of earth! He 
 remained there one year, preached much, and baptized 
 a great number of men and women, and also engaged 
 in new secular schemes, but his efforts in these were 
 not very profitable. We have, in this third attempt, 
 an evidence that secular business and preaching can- 
 not both at the same time be successful. Inspired 
 wisdom has settled this beyond all question, and it is 
 only to suffer defeat for us to try to harmonize them. 
 "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the 
 affairs of this life, that he may please Him who hath 
 chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive 
 for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive 
 lawfully." If he had confined himself to money- 
 making, and hardened his heart to the promptings of 
 Divine grace, and said to his conscience, "Peace, be 
 still," his talents and energy would have filled his 
 pockets with the riches of that gold region. But 
 would that have been right in the sight of God and 
 good men? No, no. Nevertheless, with all his ad- 
 verses, he realized some of the fruits of his secular 
 labors, and returned to his native State in 1857, and 
 made arrangements for the education of his children. 
 In fact some of them had already entered upon their 
 academic and collegiate studies. When we consider 
 this brother, in the prime of his manhood, with not 
 onty native talents, but much acquired learning and 
 untiring energies — one who had devoted himself to the 
 prosperity of the cause of saving souls, thus struggling 
 to educate his children and support his family — we ask 
 why are such embarrassments in the way of his san- 
 
Elder John G. Parrish 261 
 
 guine desires? Was it his fault, or that of those who 
 had reaped the benefits of his labors? Or rather 
 would you not ask, Is it not a small thing, as he had 
 labored much for our spiritual good, that we should 
 see to his temporal good? 
 
 Brethren, there is a fault somewhere. Jno. G. Par- 
 rish was fitted by nature and education to occupy a 
 high position, at the bar, in medicine, or in any other 
 secular business! But, no, he gave his all to the good 
 of his fellow beings; and when he asked for bread he 
 was given a stone. But you say he never made his 
 wants or desires known. Shame upon you for having 
 such a thought! Did you not reap his spiritual things? 
 Was he making money while he was preaching for you! 
 Were not your secular affairs going on while he was 
 laboring for you? Could he Hve upon the wind and 
 the smiles of fond brethren and sisters? You have 
 not the time to attend protracted meetings— say ten, 
 twenty and fifty miles from home? If so, how could 
 he? My dear brethren, the laborer is worthy of his 
 hire. 
 
 After his return from California he devoted himself 
 exclusively to preaching and to the health of the 
 churches.' He commenced to edit the Christian In- 
 telligencer in 1859. When the war was forced upon 
 us, every department of business, of domestic com- 
 fort, and of religious work, were thrown into confusion, 
 but he continued to edit the paper, frequently at his 
 own expense (and the expense of Bro. Clemmitt, the 
 publisher), and to preach to sinners, and exhort the 
 brethren and sisters to be faithful to the Lord and to 
 the good of their fellow-citizens. 
 
 In 1860 he was married, by Elder R. L. Coleman, 
 to Miss Susan G. Farrar, a devoted Christian and one 
 eminently qualified to be a preacher's wife, and to 
 take charge of orphan children; but she was of a weak 
 constitution, and the war coming on, with all of its 
 
262 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 fatalities, her frail physique gave way to the onus of 
 its increased and increasing burdens, and she hngered 
 in a decline until September 17, 1868, when, in the 
 blissful hope of a better world, she breathed her last 
 in the arms of Jesus, leaving four little children to 
 realize the loss of a mother's love and care. 
 
 During the war he was chaplain, and ranked as 
 major; he did good service to the cause of religion 
 throughout the war, and from the hardships of camp 
 life contracted a disease from which he never recovered, 
 and which ultimately terminated his earthly existence. 
 
 In 1860, while engaged in his study, one of his little 
 children, while kneeling, committing herself to the 
 care of the Lord before retiring to bed, caught fire; 
 he, hearing her screams, rushed into the nursery and 
 found her in flames; and he, in attempting to extinguish 
 the fire, was very much burnt. She was so much 
 burnt that she died in twelve hours after, to her own 
 relief and that of the sympathizing family. This 
 affliction, with the circumstances connected therewith, 
 caused him much anguish of mind, and, in speaking 
 of it, he often exclaimed: ^'How mysterious are the 
 ways of Providence; the judgments of God are a great 
 deep — who can understand His wa3^s." 
 
 After the war, he found his flnances in a depreciated 
 condition, but that same determined wifl which marked 
 his early life had not forsaken him, nor had his love 
 for God and His cause lessened in the least; so he 
 adjusted his finances as w^ell as he could, and com- 
 menced to visit the churches to see his brethren and 
 give them the comforts of the exceeding great and 
 precious promises of the Gospel, and to warn sinners 
 of the wrath of a merciful God. His visits were 
 cordially received, and crowned with the most gracious 
 results. 
 
 The desire of his heart was to be useful — to build 
 up the cause in Virginia and to bring the brotherhood 
 
Elder John G. Parrish 263 
 
 nearer together and give them a means of communica- 
 ing with one another; so, in 1868, in connection with 
 Bro. Hopson, he commenced to piibUsh the Christian 
 Examiner, which he edited with abiUty and prudence 
 up to his death. 
 
 There are many developments of moral character, 
 of mental endowments, and Christian fortitude, in- 
 terspersed in the life of Bro. Parrish, which would be 
 interesting and profitable to the patient reader, but 
 such is the rage for short articles, brief sketches, and 
 small books, that we must forego the pleasure of re- 
 cording them. But we must be allowed to speak of 
 his death, and some few qualities of his mind and 
 sanctified soul, before we close. During the war, as 
 we have said, he contracted a disease which, as a 
 hidden gangrene, preyed upon his physical man and 
 gave him much pain. At first, to look at him, his 
 physical man indicated health, while he was suffering 
 much; but as he never wished to obtrude his cares or 
 his sufferings upon others, the looker-on little knew the 
 pain within. But after a while the wasting hand of 
 disease began to show itself in his sunken features and 
 emaciated frame. His voice, which had thrilled many 
 an audience in clear accents, began to sound heavy, 
 and to show that it was painful for him to speak. His 
 step indicated weakness, and his general appearance 
 the presence of much suffering. And, strange to say, 
 he seldom spoke of himself, either by way of com- 
 plaint or solicitude. He continued to preach until 
 he could hold out no longer, and most reluctantly 
 discontinued his ministrations. For some time he 
 attended Church and worshiped in silence, but after 
 awhile he had to deny himself that gratification. 
 Weaker and weaker he became, until he was confined 
 to his room, thence to his bed. He came down to this 
 stage so gradually, that he hardly realized his own 
 situation. During all this time he wrote for the 
 
264 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Christian Examiner, and when he could no longer 
 write, his daughter Lucie and his sons wrote by his 
 dictation. His mind was clear to the last, and his 
 faith increased as he neared the turbid waters of 
 death. He spoke of his sufferings as divine blessings, 
 and, in gratitude, spoke of the kindness of God in 
 bringing him down so gently to the parting hour. In 
 the midst of loving friends and endeared children, he 
 most quietly breathed his last on Lord's day morning, 
 at ten o'clock, the 30th of July, 187L 
 
 Thus lived and passed away one who loved the 
 truth and its author from a pure heart. He was a 
 disciple in deed and in truth. He was never willing 
 to make any compromise with error, and was unal- 
 terably opposed to every form of sectarianism over the 
 mind of man. He believed in, advocated and defended 
 to his latest breath, a pure Christianity in definition, 
 doctrine, and practice. In connection withDr. Broad- 
 dus, one among the last acts of his life was to revise 
 and prepare for publication the proceedings of the 
 conference between the Disciples and Baptists in 1866. 
 
 He was neither an abstractionist nor a sentimen- 
 talist, but a man of faith — faith in God in all he did, 
 commanded and promised. Hence he never gave any 
 credence to modern dreams, visions, and other vagaries, 
 as evidences of divine grace. He lived by faith, and 
 died in the faith. The Word of God, to him, was "more 
 precious than gold, yea than much fine gold; sweeter 
 than honey and the honeycomb." This was fully ex- 
 emplified in his self-denial and devotion to the cause 
 of God, when, with his talents, he could have been 
 pecuniarily a successful man. But he has gone 
 
 "Where neither gloom nor sorrow shades the mind; 
 Where joys ne'er fade, nor the soul's power decay; 
 But youth and spring eternal bloom." 
 
SILAS SHELBURN. 
 
 Silas Shelburn, ''the 'Raccoon' John Smith" of 
 Virginia, was born June 4, 1790. He was the son of 
 James Shelburn, a Baptist minister, who, as related in 
 Chapter I. of our Historical Sketch, had, at a meeting 
 of Meherrin Baptist Church, opposed the adoption of 
 Philadelphia Confession or any other creed, main- 
 taining that the Word of God is all-sufficient. 
 
 Sometime between the years 1810 and 1815 Silas 
 Shelburn began to accompany his father on his preach- 
 ing tours. In one of the first meetings they held 
 together several persons presented themselves for 
 baptism and Church membership. Father Shelburn 
 said, "Let the candidates be examined to see if their 
 Christian experiences are satisfactory," when his son, 
 Silas, spoke up and said, "Father, that is not in accord 
 with the Scriptures; that is not the way the Apostles 
 did. How can these men, who have been sinners all 
 their lives, and who have never lived a Christian life, 
 give a Christian experience? You might as well require 
 every young couple who comes to you to be married 
 to give a married experience before you perform the 
 marriage ceremony." "Go on, Silas, and do right," 
 said the old man, and from that time forth they bap- 
 tized believing penitents on their confession that 
 "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." 
 
 Silas continued with his father until the death of the 
 latter, in 1820. Shortly before his death James 
 Shelburn addressed himself to his son in the following 
 
266 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 impressive manner: "Oh, my son, the Church Hes 
 heavy, very heavy, on my mind. I fear that a cold 
 and trying time is approaching, and that many will be 
 seeking a more fashionable religion. Watch over 
 their souls, as one who must give an account unto 
 God, and keep yourself unspotted from the world. 
 Do not aspire after men of great swelHng words, but 
 study the Scriptures, preaching the Gospel in its sim- 
 plicity; be meek, lowly and unassuming in your man- 
 ners, with all holy conversation, as becometh the 
 Gospel of Christ. Never aim at things too deep, and 
 incomprehensible for mortals to know, remembering 
 that there is as much made plain as it is the will of 
 our Heavenly Father we should know; for 'secret 
 things belong to God, and things that are revealed 
 belong to us.' Throughout life, whatever difficulties 
 you may have to encounter, never return railing for 
 railing, but contrariwise, in doing which you will 
 overcome ten where you will one by any other method." 
 Under the guidance of such a father, it was but 
 natural that Silas Shelburn should have loved the 
 truth above everything. He now gave up everything 
 else and devoted his entire time to the ministry. He 
 early became a reader of the Christian Baptist, and 
 adopted many reform measures, among which was the 
 weekl}^ observance of the liord's Supper. He was 
 then preaching for the Baptist churches left vacant 
 by the death of his father. Abner Clopton, a leading 
 Baptist preacher of the Meherrin Association, endeav- 
 ored to have Bro. Shelburn disfellowshipped by the 
 publication of proscriptional decrees, as related in 
 
Silas Shelburn 267 
 
 Chapter IV. of our Historical Sketch. In this he 
 failed, and the lack of success of the attempt caused 
 Bro. Shelburn to remain in the Baptist ranks until 
 long after most of his reform brethren in Virginia had 
 thrown off the denominational yoke. Ultimately 
 all the group of churches for which he preached be- 
 came simply churches of Christ. 
 
 Silas Shelburn traveled all over Virginia, doing the 
 work of an evangelist. No record of his work or life 
 can be written. He brought many souls into the 
 Kingdom of God. The remainder of this sketch will 
 be devoted to illustrations from his life that bring out 
 his quaint, humorous, yet frank and brave character. 
 
 He was uneducated, but few could get the marrow 
 and fatness of Scripture as he could. It used to be 
 customary at the yearly State meeting to devote one 
 session to the preachers. After each speech time was 
 given for criticism of the speaker. On one occasion 
 while this was going on Bro. Shelburn, growing weary 
 of such exercises, started to leave old Sycamore Church, 
 Richmond. As he was nearing the door, one of the 
 preaching brethren said: ''I see old Bro. Shelburn 
 going out, and before he goes I want to say to him that 
 I do wish he would stop saying 'agin' for 'against ' and 
 'gwine' for 'going.' The old man without hesitation 
 replied, "Well, if that's all you've got agin me I'm 
 gwine along." A young preacher who had rather an 
 exalted opinion of his powers, after preaching in the 
 presence of Bro. Shelburn, asked him what he thought 
 of the sermon. "Wall, brother," said the old man, 
 "there's a pint down on the Eastern Shore they call 
 
268 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 Tint No Pint.' You were as near there to-day as you'll 
 ever get." Another preacher who had gone rather 
 deeply into some metaphysical speculation in a sermon, 
 to which Silas Shelburn had listened, asked him what 
 he thought of his metaphysics. The reply was, 
 "Metaphysics? Wall I didn't know what kind of physic 
 it was, but it made me mighty sick." Some one asked 
 him at a meeting where he preached in the presence of 
 Alexander Campbell if he was not afraid to preach 
 before Mr. Campbell. "No," he answered, "I have 
 preached before God Almighty many a time, and I 
 don't know why I should be afraid to preach before 
 Alexander Campbell!" Present one day at a bap- 
 tizing in old Sycamore Church, Richmond, as the 
 pastor, Bro. W. J. Pettigrew, withdrew to the dressing- 
 room, old Bro. Shelburn slowly arose from the front 
 bench, where, as w^as his custom, he had stretched him- 
 self, and amid the dead silence which prevailed, turn- 
 ing his beaming countenance tow^ard the congregation, 
 said, "Brethren, sing a song while Brother Pettigrew 
 gets his breeches on." There was rather a sensation 
 as they raised the hymn: 
 
 "How happy are they who their Savior obey." 
 
 He died September 7, 1871. Three of his children 
 and three grandchildren have been preachers of the 
 Gospel. 
 
ELDER CHAS. TALLEY. 
 
 Chas. Talley, or Father Talley, as he was famiUarly 
 called, was the son of William and Christian Talley. 
 He was born near Old Church, Hanover county, 
 Virginia, in October, 1765. His parents w^ere respected 
 people moving in humble life, his mother being a 
 devoted member of the Methodist Church. She was a 
 woman of prayer, and early taught her son Charles to 
 believe in the existence of God — that he could see all 
 he did, hear all he said, and would hold him accountable 
 for both in the day of judgment. Father Talley's 
 father died soon after his birth. He lived with his 
 mother until he was sixteen years old. An incident 
 occurred during this time which showed that he was 
 a youth of determination of character. In the w^ar of 
 the Revolution the Enghsh took from his mother her 
 only horse, and he, at the age of thirteen, had the 
 courage to take from them a valuable horse in full 
 view of their encampment. The quickness of his 
 movements and his size so astonished the enemy that 
 before they could realize the object he had in view he 
 had made good his escape with the horse and brought 
 him home in triumph. At the age of sixteen he went 
 to learn a trade, and served five years' apprenticeship. 
 He worked at his trade for some years, and w^as es- 
 teemed a good workman. He was always moral, 
 truthful and upright, but there was in him a fondness 
 for dancing, and he had made arrangements to organize 
 a dancing school; but the influence of his mother had 
 
270 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 made such an impression upon his mind that he felt 
 ill at ease in such an undertaking. The impropriety 
 of a dancing school, like David's sin, was ever before 
 him; and to the surprise of his acquaintance, he 
 abandoned the idea, made a public profession of his 
 faith in Jesus, and united with the Methodist Church. 
 Now his religious usefulness began. His mother 
 had taught him to read, wTite, and cipher as far as 
 the rule of three. This was, as a general rule at that, 
 day, the highest education attained among the poor. 
 He became a pubHc advocate of the Christian religion. 
 He became an independent preacher, and went every- 
 where preaching the Word, visiting many sections of 
 the State and bringing many into the fold of the 
 church. But his mind was not at rest, for he could 
 plainly see the defects of Methodism. He loved the 
 Methodist Church, he loved her members; it was the 
 church dear to his mother, and all his early religious 
 associations were connected with her. What to do or 
 how to act, gave him much concern. But he prayed 
 and searched for the truth. About this time, O'Kelley, 
 of North Carolina, made his attempt to effect a reform 
 in the Methodist Church. Those who united with 
 this move were known as "O'Kelleyites." Father 
 Talley united with them, and continued to preach; 
 still he did not feel satisfied that this was what the 
 New Testament taught. This was in 1800, and on the 
 18th of January of that year he married Ann W. 
 Mills, a widow, w^hose maiden name was Starke. She 
 was a lady of high respectability. By this marriage 
 he had two children, a son and a daughter. 
 
Elder Chas. Talley 271 
 
 His son became a physician and a useful member 
 of the Church his father afterward founded. Father 
 Talley 's wife died, and on January 11, 1804, he married 
 Elizabeth Crutchfield, a lady of honorable family and 
 high respectability. By this marriage he had two sons, 
 both of whom died young. Father Talley was deter- 
 mined to know the truth, so he continued the study of 
 the Word of God. He became convinced that sprink- 
 ling is not baptism, and one of the great principles 
 of his life was to follow the convictions of his soul in 
 all matters. Here was a test of his faith. He reasoned 
 thus: ''If immersion is baptism, 1 must be immersed; 
 it is equally so for all others;" — and as he could not 
 remain in full fellowship with the Methodist Church, 
 even under the reformation of O'Kelley, and preach 
 his convictions, that fellowship must be severed. He 
 was immersed and united with the Baptist Church. 
 He entered upon his work with renewed zeal, and soon 
 built up one of the largest churches in the Baptist 
 denomination in Hanover county. He was opposed 
 to all human creeds. Though he labored with great 
 energy and success he was not considered a sound 
 Baptist minister. But that did not deter him from 
 searching the Word of God, and preaching what he 
 learned. He saw that the Baptist Church, in some 
 respects, did not preach the whole truth, as it was 
 taught in the New Testament. That the primitive 
 Church met on every first day of the week to break 
 bread, was to him as plainly taught as that ''Remember 
 the Sabbath Day" meant every Sabbath Day. About 
 this time the Christian Baptist made its appearance. 
 
272 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 As he read it, new light began to break in upon his mind. 
 He was confirmed in the opinions he had already 
 gathered from his search of God's Word, and had 
 developed to him equally important truths, facts and 
 commands, with their antecedents and consequents. 
 Without conferring with flesh and blood, he came out 
 fully for the primitive order of things. New light 
 gave him new energy, and having God's Word to guide 
 him, he trusted more to the Holy Spirit for success. 
 He soon had established and built up the largest 
 Christian Church in that section, which became 
 known as Bethesda Church. Nearly all of his former 
 members — both Baptists and Methodists — united with 
 him in his new work. He continued to preach for 
 them with both approbation and success till the day 
 of his death, and lead many to Christ through his 
 earnest words and godlike example. He fell asleep 
 on the 15th day of April, 1847, in the eighty-first year 
 of his age, at his residence, about three miles from his 
 natal place. 
 
ELDER A. B. WALTHALL. 
 
 Careful search has failed to elicit very much direct 
 information concerning the life and labors of Bro. 
 Walthall. He was born in Amelia county, between 
 1800 and 1805, and when a young man became inter- 
 ested in religious matters. Silas Shelburn was at 
 that time preaching through Amelia as a Baptist. 
 Bro. Walthall got hold of the Christian Baptist about 
 the time it was first published, and as the teaching 
 set forth appealed to his sound common sense, he 
 began to circulate the paper among his friends 
 throughout the county. In 1830 he was the leading 
 elder in the Church at Paineville, and often led the 
 meetings of the Church. He soon recognized his 
 calling, and entered upon the proclamation of the 
 Gospel as a life work. He was zealous and ambitious 
 for the truth, and his labors covered such an extensive 
 territory, that it would be difficult indeed to give any 
 definite account of his work. He was the lifelong 
 friend and preaching companion of Geo. W. Abell, 
 and together they visited nearly every section of 
 Eastern Virginia. 
 
 A few little incidents that occurred in the experi- 
 ence of these brethren are worthy of note, as they 
 bring out something of their characteristics. 
 
 On one occasion Bro. Abell was to baptize the sister 
 
 of a Methodist woman. On arriving at the stream, in 
 
 company with Bro. Walthall, they heard the woman 
 
 mentioned venting her religious wrath in a tirade of 
 
 18 
 
274 The Plea and the Pioneers in Virginia 
 
 abuse on Bro. Abell and his religion. When they 
 started for the water the ireful lady ran up and tried 
 to tear the candidate loose from Bro. Abell's grasp, 
 but her husband released her hold. But no sooner had 
 he let her go than she snatched up a stone and, throw- 
 ing it with all her strength, struck Bro. Abell on the 
 heel ere he reached the water's edge. Returning from 
 the baptism, Bro. Walthall Avas just behind the en- 
 raged lady, when she declared that Bro. Abell had 
 baptized a great sinner; ''for," said she, ''that girl 
 has no more religion than I have — and everybody 
 knows that I have none." "That," said Bro. Walth- 
 all," is quite evident, madam." After it was all over, 
 Bro. Walthall remarked to Bro. Abell, "So the serpent 
 bruised your heel; but I think you wounded his head." 
 Relaxing into a smile, the latter replied, "I am satis- 
 fied with the issue." 
 
 At another time they were conducting a meeting 
 together amid much opposition. Brother Abell, as his 
 manner was, had spoken freely of the Devil's work in 
 vilely slandering the children of God, and in putting 
 obstacles in the way of the returning prodigal. 
 
 One night they lodged in the hotel owned by an 
 afflicted brother, whose son-in-law was the active 
 manager. After retiring they were aroused by the 
 noise of a terrible fracas below. Profane utterances, 
 angry threats, mingled shrieks and cries of men and 
 women, all betokened perilous times for the proclaimers 
 of the Truth. The two brethren were up and dressed 
 in a few moments, and Bro. Abell started down. Bro. 
 Walthall called his attention to the danger, and the 
 
Elder A. B. Walthall 275 
 
 prompt answer was, "I am going to meet it." They 
 both went down, and when they entered the room 
 below, the afflicted brother, who earher in hfe had been 
 remarkably active, was on the scene, and bounding 
 from man to man, he soon cleared the room of the 
 dastardly set. The Devil had determined to avenge 
 himself upon the preachers by an effort to break up the 
 meeting; but he signally failed, for the meeting con- 
 tinued several days and was quite a success. 
 
 Bro. Walthall lost a son during the war. He was 
 killed at the battle of Cedar Creek. This was a hard 
 blow to the father, who set great hopes upon his son, 
 but that abiding faith which he had used to comfort 
 others in the hour of trial now sustained him. He 
 was drawn closer to the Saviour by his affliction, and 
 continued to proclaim the unsearchable riches of 
 Christ. He died about the year 1880. 
 
 We regret that this account of the life of this good 
 man is so meagre in details. 
 
MATTHEW WEBBER. 
 
 The details concerning the Ufe of the subject of this 
 sketch are few. He was born during the first decade 
 of the last century. His father, William Webber, 
 was a dissenter from the Church of England, at a time 
 when it was perilous to preach any other doctrine than 
 that authorized by the English laws. He was twice 
 committed to prison and once pubHcly whipped for 
 preaching Baptist doctrine. When in jail he con- 
 tinued to preach through prison bars, and refused 
 liberty on the terms of discontinuing his proclamation 
 of what he deemed the truth. It is not strange that 
 the son of such a father should be a fearless advocate 
 of the Gospel. Matthew W^ebber early united with 
 the Baptist Church. He was an earnest student of 
 the Bible, and his active mind questioned many of the 
 religious practices of that day, unable to find their 
 counterpart in God's Word. He read the Christian 
 Baptist and proclaimed the principles of the restoration, 
 then but just inaugurated. He was a Baptist preacher, 
 but in favor of reformation. By his side stood Peter 
 AinsHe, Thomas M. Henley, Dudley Atkinson and 
 Dr. Du Val. 
 
 He was one of the six who were excluded from the 
 Baptist ranks by the Dover Decree. When IMatthew 
 Webber's father, years before, was imprisoned, his 
 Baptist brethren were indignant at such proscription. 
 They stood for reUgious freedom. But their children 
 would keep the people from listening to the Gospel 
 from the Hps of Matthew Webber, his son. 
 
Matthew Webber 277 
 
 Bro. Webber was naturally eloquent and a fine 
 debater. He preached for several years at the old 
 Temperance meeting-house, in Hanover county, also 
 in a grove in the lower corner of Louisa county. He 
 also traveled much as an evangelist through the Tide- 
 water district. 
 
 On one occasion a man met him in the road while 
 on his way to preach, and with a vindictiveness char- 
 acteristic of the times, said, "Campbelhte! Camp- 
 bellite!" Bro. Webber replied, as calmly as if nothing 
 had been said, " Better be a Campbellite than no light 
 at all." 
 
 Bro. Webber was married three times. He was 
 kind and indulgent to his family, and a good friend 
 and neighbor. 
 
 He moved to West Tennessee in 1837, and accu- 
 mulated considerable property, but lost nearly every- 
 thing during the war. His son, Thomas Morton 
 Webber, was killed in the war. 
 
 Bro. Webber was a man of fine business ability, and 
 after the war again accumulated a large estate. At 
 one time he owned over 800 sheep and cattle. He 
 died at the age of eighty-six, near Memphis, respected 
 and loved bv all who knew him. 
 
UNBIOGRAPHED. 
 
 We bring this volume to a close, not from any lack 
 of able men of whom to write. Eastern Virginia gave 
 a host of able preachers to the Brotherhood, besides 
 those who spent their lives within her borders. In 
 fact, no other State can boast of as many able men 
 given to the current reformation as the Old Dominion. 
 There was Samuel Rogers, born in Charlotte county, 
 in 1789. Virginia gave him to her daughters, Missouri 
 and Kentucky. Then there were the Creaths. Jacob 
 Creath, Sr., was first ordained to preach in old Round- 
 about Meeting-House, Louisa county, Virginia, in 
 1798. Henry Clay pronounced him ''the finest orator 
 that Kentucky has ever produced." His nephew, 
 Jacob Creath, Jr., was born in Mecklenburg county, 
 Virginia, in 1799, and was baptized by James Shelburn, 
 the father of Silas Shelburn, in 1817. He was another 
 gift to Kentucky. Then there was Aylette Raines, 
 who was born near Fredericksburg, in 1797. There, 
 too, was John O'Kane, born in Culpeper county, in 
 1802, Virginia's gift to Indiana. T. M. Allen was a 
 Virginian by birth; Barton Warren Stone spent his 
 early years and did some of his first preaching in 
 Virginia; John T. Johnson and Winthrop Hopson 
 were worthy sons of Virginia parents; and last, but 
 not least, that cultered man of God, W. K. Pendleton, 
 was a Virginian of Virginians. The foregoing list is 
 far from complete. We have not undertaken to 
 
Unhiographed 279 
 
 biograph them, because most of their labors were per- 
 formed elsewhere, but Virginia is proud of the record 
 of her sons in the Gospel. 
 
 There is still a group of pioneers, who labored all their 
 lives in Eastern Virginia, the record of whose triumphs 
 in the Gospel would be equally as interesting as those 
 which have been given, but lack of definite records of 
 their work forces us to pass them with the simple 
 mention of their names: James Henshall, Robert 
 Y. Henley, Peter Ainslie (Second), Cephas Shelburn, 
 James A. Cowgill, John Richards, Hunter, and Hugart. 
 
 Truly, ''Others have labored, and ye have entered 
 into their labors." 
 
938.92 
 
 K66 
 
 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 
 
 0035521910