up with his father, but the latter replied: "We make our appeal to the law, and to the testimony. Whatever is not found therein we must of course abandon."'"

In spite of reading only Pædobaptist authorities, however, with his prejudices in favor of infant baptism, the conviction grew stronger that such baptism was entirely a human invention. He cast his books aside, and turned to his Greek New Testament, but this only made the matter worse. Again he went to his father, and found himself willing to admit that there were neither "express terms'' nor "precedent" to authorize the practice. Nevertheless, he declared:

"As for those who are already members of the Church and participants of the Lord's Supper, I can see no propriety, even if the scriptural evidence for infant baptism be found deficient, in their unchurching or paganizing themselves, or in putting off Christ, merely for the sake of making a new profession; thus going out of the Church merely for the sake of coming in again.” “

Because of his father's wishes, however, he seemed willing to concede only that they ought not to teach or practice infant baptism without Biblical authority, and that they should preach and practice apostolic baptism for all who made the first profession of their faith." The question thus remained in abeyance for a while, but on March 13,

48 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Oampbell, I., 251.

40 Ibid., I., 251.

50 Ibid., I., 251-258.

1812, Alexander Campbell's first child-Jane-was born. Since the mother and her father were still members of the Presbyterian Church, the question of infant baptism became of more immediate importance to the Campbells.

51

The matter widened in scope also. The earlier attitude of both father and son has probably been sufficiently indicated, but another instance will be given. Alexander Campbell had preached on texts dealing with baptism on February 3, 1810, May 19, 1811, and on June 5, 1811. On the latter occasion, he had distinctly remarked: "As I am sure it is unscriptural to make this matter a term of communion, I let it slip. I wish to think and let think on these matters.' Many members of his church, however, began to think that too little attention was given to baptism, and he gradually came to the same conclusion himself. He studied his Bible carefully, and searched out critically in the original Greek the meaning of the words rendered "baptism" and "baptize." The question with him was no longer, "May we safely reject infant baptism as a human invention?" but, "May we omit believer's baptism, which all admit to be divinely commanded?"" He finally decided that the rite of sprinkling, to which he had involuntarily submitted as a youth, was entirely unauthorized, and that he, therefore, was an unbaptized person and could not preach baptism to others.

51 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 892. 5 Ibid., I., 894.

Having reached this conclusion, Alexander Campbell immediately determined to submit to the rite. He went to Matthias Luce, a Baptist minister with whom he had formed an acquaintance. Luce lived on the other side of his father's farm; hence the son stopped off for a brief visit with his father. His sister, Dorothea, took him aside, told him that she was not satisfied with her baptism, and asked him to take the matter up with her father. Contrary to expectation, Thomas Campbell offered no particular objection. He merely asked Alexander to get Mr. Luce to call with him on his way down. After some difficulty the Baptist minister was induced to perform the ceremony after the New Testament pattern (as interpreted by Alexander Campbell), and thus without a call for religious experiences. On June 12, 1812, the intention having been publicly announced, the baptismal ceremony was performed at the same place where the first three baptisms had been made. Seven persons were immersed-Alexander Campbell and his wife, Thomas Campbell, his wife and daughter Dorothea, and a Mr. and Mrs. James Hanen.

53

58 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 394-308; Millennial Harbinger, II., 406. Thomas Campbell delivered a long discourse in which he admitted that he had been led to overlook the importance of baptism in his effort to attain Christian unity upon the Bible alone. Alexander Campbell followed with an extended defence of their whole proceedings. The ceremony lasted seven hours. Joseph Bryant left just before it began in order to attend a muster of volunteers for the war against Great Britain, which it was reported Congress had declared June 4, 1812, two weeks earlier than the actual d claration. Nevertheless, he returned in time to hear an hour's reaching and see the baptisms.

The importance of this baptismal service is hard to overestimate. It reversed the position of father and son. Up to June 12, 1812, the father had been the leader. He had penned the Declaration and Address, to whose principles the son had given allegiance; he had led in the organization of Brush Run church. The son, however, was the first to recognize the place of baptism, and from that time became the real leader. He was the right man in the right place. The great mission of the father had ended; he had propounded and developed the true basis of union; he had overcome obstacles that thousands of others would have fallen before, but he found it difficult to advance beyond the general principles laid down in the Declaration and Address. His son, however, blessed with youth, decision, untrammeled views, and a conscientious mental independence inherited largely from his Huguenot mother, assumed the leadership and pushed the "Reformation" to success. He became the master spirit; to him all eyes were turned. He believed that God called him to lead; his conscience drove him irresistibly forward. On neither side, though, was there the least rivalry. Each filled fully his assigned place; each co-operated heartily, sympathetically, and lovingly with the other.

At the next meeting of the Brush Run Church, the Lord's Day following the baptism, thirteen others requested immersion, one of them, James Foster, and were baptized by Thomas Campbell. Others requested immersion from time to time,

among the number, General Acheson." Still another result of these early baptisms was the closer connection with the Baptists. Since Brush Run became a church of immersed believers, it soon entered the Redstone Baptist Association, and became with its leader Baptist."

Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 401-408. 55 Millennial Harbinger, II., 406.