1. Christ had forbidden it.

2. No party would receive into communion all whom God would receive into heaven, that God loved his children more than he did man's creeds, and that the Bible was made for man, and not man for the Bible. Anticipating a question, he declared that he could not join a party and let those things alone, for:

3. The man who promoted the interests of a party stood next in guilt to the man who made it.

4. All parties opposed reformation. "They all pray for it, but they will not work for it. None of them dare return to the original standard. I speak not against any denomination in particular, but against all. I speak not against any system of truth, but against all except the Bible. . . .'

About this time, Alexander Campbell formed the acquaintance of a Mr. John Brown, a wealthy farmer friend of his father. This rich agriculturist became his father-in-law on March 12, 1811, when he married Margaret Brown. One evening, just before this marriage, Mr. Brown managed to start a debate on baptism between Alexander Campbell and a traveling Baptist minister. The controversy waxed warm. The speakers compared the Christian and Jewish institutions. Campbell took up the cause of pedobaptism with more than usual skill, but the direct Scripture quotations of his opponent baffled him; hence he took the position

ހ

38 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 853, 354.

that infant baptism, like circumcision in the early church, should be considered a matter of forbearance. The close communion Baptist vigorously attacked this claim, and the talk was prolonged until near morning. Before separating, the debaters agreed to meet again in two weeks in order to continue the discussion. The meeting took place at the appointed time, but Campbell did not feel satisfied with the arguments which he had prepared; consequently he asked for a further adjournment. The debate was never renewed."

40

Since Thomas Campbell soon came to the conclusion that it was necessary to form an independent church because of the attitude the religious bodies had taken, the question was considered and agreed to at the next meeting of the Association. He then proposed that each person should be required to give a satisfactory answer to the question, "What is the meritorious cause of a sinner's acceptance with God?"" Most answered satisfactorily, but two did not; hence their admission was postponed. Both later proved unworthy, and were denied admission. James Foster did not attend this meeting; therefore, when all assembled Saturday, May 4, 1811, for the purpose of organization, the question came up, "Is James Foster a member, not having been present at the time the test question was propounded?"" Alexander Campbell, who

Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 354-363. 40 Ibid., I., 367.

41 Ibid., I., 367.

was not convinced that there was authority for such a test, arose at once and said: "Certainly James Foster is a member, having been with us from the beginning, and his religious sentiments being perfectly well known to all."" The test question, consequently, was not asked him nor any one else thereafter.

At this meeting Thomas Campbell was appointed elder, Alexander Campbell was licensed to preach the Gospel, and four deacons were chosen. On the next day the church held its first communion service, and the newly licensed minister preached from John 6:48, "I am that bread of life." The speaker discussed the communion service, and the duties and joys of a Christian in celebrating the Lord's Supper. Some of the members noticed, however, that Joseph Bryant and one or two others who had given satisfactory answers to the test question did not commune. When the first was asked for a reason, he replied that he did not consider himself authorized to partake, because he had never been baptized. This proved to be the case with the other two members-Margaret Fullerton, whose father had been a Baptist, and Abraham Altars, whose father had been a deist. The question of baptism thus assumed a new and more practical aspect.

43

The elder Campbell had serious scruples about baptizing those who had already been recognized

Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 867.
Ibid., I., 367-372.

as members of the church, but he had no objections to baptizing the three mentioned above, for not one of them had received baptism in any of its so-called forms. Neither did he appear to have any doubt in regard to immersion, for he at once agreed with Joseph Bryant that it alone was baptism. He said: "Water is water; and earth is earth. We certainly could not call a person buried in earth if only a little dust were sprinkled on him.”“ Without hesitation, therefore, he consented to perform the ceremony, which occurred July 4, 1811, in a deep pool of Buffalo Creek, about two miles above the mouth of Brush Run, on the farm of David Bryant. The pool here was narrow, but the water came up to the shoulders of the candidates. Campbell stood on a root that projected over the edge of the pool, bent down the heads of the candidates until they were completely covered, and at the same time repeated the baptismal formula. James Foster did not entirely approve this method. Neither did he think it fitting that one not scripturally baptized should immerse others. Nevertheless, Thomas Campbell, who had been the first to introduce the reformatory movement, became the first to introduce immersion," which soon became a distinguishing mark in the advance of that movement.“

44 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 372. 45 Barton W, Stone, about 1804, had attempted to convince Robert Marshall that pedobaptism was right, but had himself been converted to "believer's immersion" (Rogers, J. R. The Cane Ridge Meeting House, Autobiography, 182, 183).

46 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 372, 373. Affairs were not entirely smooth for the new church at Brush Run.

The question of infant baptism, so frequently mentioned, had not been as carefully considered by Alexander Campbell as it should have been. True, while discussing the Declaration and Address with his father, he had asked if infant baptism would not have to be given up. The inquiry had perhaps been suggested by a conversation with a Mr. Riddle of the Presbyterian Union church. The latter had said of the Declaration and Address: "Sir, these words, however plausible in appearance, are not sound. For if you follow these out, you must become a Baptist." "Why, sir," replied Campbell, "is there in the Scriptures no express precept, nor precedent for infant baptism?" "Not one, sir,' was the answer." Campbell was mortified because he could not find such a reference. He immediately ordered from Andrew Munro, the principal book seller of Canonsburg, all the treatises he had in favor of infant baptism. He asked for no books on the other side, for at that time he knew little of the Baptists and regarded them as ignorant and uneducated. He, of course, had often read John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, but he had not yet learned that Bunyan was a Baptist. He took the question

47 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 250. Many who had been identified with the Christian Association became indifferent. Others who still sympathized with the movement hesitated about entering into a church relation. Many, on account of distance and other obstacles, were unable to attend the meetings. Because of these hindrances the church could count on only about thirty regular members, who met by turns at the Crossroads and Brush Run. Common ties and opposition, however, threw these members into closer relationship and gave them greater zeal than usual.