day, with the classes of society just discribed, he could fraternize, and with that particular class who had assumed the semblance of an ecclesiastical community, he and his followers could, and did actually, hold fellowship in religious worship and ordinances.* Whilst Mr. C. did not, because he could not, deny this fact without contradicting some of his own statements, and especially as contained in his incidents on his "tour to Nashville," he loudly complained in his reply to my observations, of the injustice done him, by what he asserted to be a calumnious charge that he was an Arian. To which it was replied, that I had not expressly charged him with being an Arian, but only adverted to the fact, that whilst he denounced the evangelical churches as wholly corrupt, and unworthy of confidence, he and his followers did fraternize with the only avowed sect of Arians in our country. Indeed I was not then sufficiently acquainted either with the writings or opinions of Mr. C. in relation to the doctrines of the Trinty, or the divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to enable me to make any positive declaration, as to what were his views in relation to these important subjects. I would however observe, that the thanks of the christian community are justly due to the Rev. Mr. Jamieson, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, by whom Mr. C. was met in pursuance of a general and public challenge, at Mount Holly, Ky. Though Mr. C. evidently declined a contest, after he himself, or at least one of his followers with his approbation, had cast the gauntlet; yet in the altercation upon that occasion, he could not but acknowledge his Arian principles or that he did not believe Jesus Christ to be the Supreme God. The christian public will hereafter be better qualified to judge of Mr. C.'s pretensions, as a reformer, when they understand that the great object of his reformation is not to suppress vice, reprove wickedness, correct abuses of that which is good, or warn sinners to repent, and flee from the wrath to come, but to

* See note E.

delivered to the saints." That the doctrine of the saving influence of the Spirit of God upon the minds of men, was by him not only denied, but held up to ridicule and contempt, and though he talked much about, and seemed to lay much stress on, historic faith, it was evident that he made works the instrumental, if not the meritorious cause of justification. That, in perfect accordance with one of the most unscriptural, and absurd tenets of the church of Rome, he made justification to consist in, or at least to be attainable, only through baptism, (immersion.) He endeavored to maintain some semblance of adherence to the doctrines of the gospel, by alleging that we are not to believe, as the apostle to the Gentiles teaches us, (Rom. 5: 1,) that we are justified by faith," or a reliance of the heart upon the Saviour of sinners, but by one, and only one, (outward,) act: and this (which he calls an act of faith) he asserts to be immersion.

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It is true, Mr. C. would have us to believe, that he is the restorer of the ancient gospel, and the primitive order of things in the church; but, as was observed in examining his claims to be a reformer, he appeared rather to resemble some of the characters which the apostle, in his second letter to Timothy, (chap. 3:1-6,) declared should come in the last days; especially, such as he describes. as "boasters, false accusers, despisers of those that are good, heady, high minded, having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof."

After having thus briefly noticed the claims of Mr. C., as the pretended reformer of what he calls" this sectarian age," I began, as he states in his narrative, "a defence of the sects, (of evangelical christians,) from [against] the severe condemnation" he had, in his public harangues, previously delivered in Nashville, pronounced upon them. And truly it was a condemnation as severe, as it was presumptuous and unwarranted by the word of God. It was nothing less than "the vengeance of eternal fire," against every one who was guilty, or at least should continue to be guilty, of the dreadful crime, of knowingly or wilfully connecting himself as a church member with

ly it will be admitted that the contention and subsequent separation of these eminent servants of God, were not things, abstractly considered, to be desired, but rather to be deprecated; and yet it was evidently overruled for the furtherance of the gospel. Upon the same principle, it was alleged, in defence of the several sects, that although the division of the church into various denominations, might, when viewed abstractly, be considered an evil, and in some instances may have been productive of evil, yet that all who adhered to these different sects, were not, on that account, guilty, and especially so culpable as to be the subjects of the anathemas of God, is evident from the consideration, that God has also overruled these divisions of his church for the furtherance of the gospel, and the salvation of souls. Thus, for instance, can any pretend to allege, that the cause of truth and the knowledge of the gospel, have not been promoted, in consequence of the existence of the sect of the Moravians, and that too, to an extent far beyond what it would have been if such a sect had never existed? Again, if the Methodist Episcopal church had never been established, will any pretend to assert that so large a portion, even of our own population, could have been in the enjoyment of the privileges and hopes of the blessed gospel, as is now the case?

It was, moreover, alleged, by way of defence or apology for the various sects, that whenever the minds of men are freed from the shackles of ignorance and superstition, and they are permitted freely to investigate the important subject of religion, and the system of truth which we must believe is contained in the bible, provided it is received as the word of God, this division of the church into various families or religious communities, could not, perhaps, have been prevented, unless by the continued miraculous interposition of its great Head.

It is true, we have reason to believe, the time is approaching when that measure of divine light and gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, which has been shed upon a benighted world, and which is at present evidently increasing, shall be so greatly and abuntantly enlarged, that