through Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in, and obedience to him, in all things according to his word, is all that is absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into his church."

Here we find a distinct enunciation of the difference between a direct union to Christ, and an assent to a systematic and doctrinal scheme of religion. We have here also a definition of doctrines, as inferential reasonings and deductions of the human mind, to be carefully distinguished from the express declarations of the word of God; and it will be noted, farther, that it is here even declared to be unnecessary "that persons should have a particular knowledge or distinct apprehension of all divinely revealed truths in order to entitle them to a place in the church." Thus in the very beginning of this effort to reform religious society, the subject matter of a saving or essential faith was distinguished both from the uninspired deductions of human reason, and from those divine teachings which, however necessary to enable the believer to make proper advances in Christian knowledge, are by no means necessary to the Christian faith.

In making this last distinction it was evidently not designed to underrate the value of any religious knowledge which might be either directly or indirectly obtained from the sacred oracles. The object was to oppose and correct, if possible, that prevalent and pernicious error of partyism which exalted not merely the remote deductions of the inspired writers, but the speculative inferences of fallible teachers, to an equal rank with the fundamental facts and principles of the gospel. It seemed as if the passion for system and for doctrinal views of Christianity had blinded the minds of the whole religious community in regard to the actual simplicity of saving truth, and rendered them incapable of making a just discrimination between the prescribed basis of an evangelical faith, and the appointed means of a progressive Christian knowledge, or the visionary speculations of a religious philosophy. This was abundantly exhibited, not only in the prevailing zeal for elaborate standards of doctrine, on the part of members of churches, but in the character of the instruction which was supposed requisite to enable others to make an intelligent and acceptable profession of religion. Even catechisms for children, in which one would have expected to find the simplest and most elementary lessons, were filled with doctrines the most abstruse; with opinions and speculations the most doubtful, and with questions the most vexed in all theology. These constituted the spiritual spoon-meat for infant souls, torn by unnatura custom from the bosom of evangelical truth and the unadulterated

and nutritious milk of the word, to become the sickly, rickety, and mishapen nurslings of a sectarism which confounded art with nature, and error with truth; and sought, by its peculiar machinery, to conform all minds to its own admired standard of distortion.

The case was far different, in the first promulgation of the gospel. In the very commission given by Christ himself to his Apostles, in which he commands that the nations shall be first discipled, and then taught, we have this distinction between the means of discipleship and Christian edification clearly stated. And such we find, in the subsequent progress of the gospel, to have been the precise method pursued by the divinely accredited ambassadors of heaven. Not that we would be here understood, however, as entering a plea for an ignorant profession of Christianity, or as imagining that our Lord authorized the discipleship of any one not duly prepared by an intelligent reception of the gospel. Neither would we have it supposed that we object to a diligent and careful impartation of biblical truths to youth, to the utmost extent of their capacity to receive them; or to the study of the divine oracles on the part of the unconconverted adult. All knowledge thus acquired is profitable, and even indispensable to the special purpose for which it was designed; but this purpose is as evidently distinct from the one under consideration, as is preservation different from creation; or the process or means of nurture from that of birth. The objection is, therefore, to the practice of confounding things that are different, and requiring, in order to admission to church privileges, proficiency in doctrine, instead of belief in gospel facts; and especially to the introduction of opinions and systems of speculative theology, as a part of the Christian faith.

The very matters, however, which religious parties have confounded with the gospel itself, are those to which they have seemed to exact the most uncompromising submission. Party zeal appears to augment in proportion to the increased distance from the simplicity of revealed truth. And as it has been this intolerant prescription of such unnecessary complications of the gospel with doctrinal deductions,whether divine or human, that has been the fruitful source of the divisions and strifes that have desolated the religious world, so the remedy proposed by the present reformation is a return to the original and simple method pursued by the Apostles in the first promulgation of the gospel. They dwelt upon the gospel facts; they made known a crucified Redeemer; they laid the only true foundation, which is Jesus Christ. They prescribed no elaborate formulas of faith; no systematized exposition of doctrine; no rubric ritual of wor

ship; nor did they ever authorize such innovations upon Christian liberty—or such departures from the beautiful simplicity of truth.

In proposing thus to return to the pure and unadulterated sources of Christianity, the originators of the present movement assumed a very peculiar position in respect to the religious parties around them. Their address was indeed deprecatory and conciliatory, but their attitude was of necessity reprehensive and condemnatory.— Their course, too, lay in a direction entirely different from that of the parties around them, and to practise upon the principles they professed was to increase more and more the distance between them; yet their own principles required them to practise what they proposed to others, since, having formally chosen the scriptures as their only guide, they could not fulfil their duties by merely urging the adoption of their own views upon others. They had not merely exchanged one theory of religion for another, as would have been the case had they merely exchanged one party for another. They had adopted a divine rule of action which required conformity; a standard of perfection which demanded progress. It was hence impossible for them to play the part of intercessors between modern and ancient Christianity, or to remain content within the precincts of any existing denomination. The covering of partyism was too scanty for protection, and its couch too narrow for repose. They sought, therefore, in the enlarged philanthropy of primitive Christianity, to find rest from the unavailing toils of sectarian controversy, and an all-sufficient and divine basis for the unity of the Christian church.

The view originally presented, accordingly, of the requirements for admission to the privileges of the gospel, was, that individuals should possess, as we have already quoted, "a due measure of scriptural self-knowledge respecting their lost and perishing condition by nature and practice, and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in him, and obedience to him in all things according to his word." This view has remained unaltered to the present moment. The most critical examination of the divine records has only served to confirm its truth, and to show that a consciousness of sin; a sincere belief in the gospel of salvation, and an unreserved submission to the commands of Christ, were originally the true tests of the Christian profession and character, the ground of admission into the church, and of acceptance with God. In this simple yet comprehensive view of Christianity; this belief of facts; this confession of Christ; this reformation of life, we have the basis of union presented for the ac

ceptance of the religious world—a basis disentangled from the rubbish of ages, uninjured by time, and unmoved amidst all the revolutions of religious society—the rock on which the church securely rests, and against which the raging surges of sectarian strife shall dash themselves in vain.

R. R.

AMERICAN AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY.

AMERICAN AND Foreign Bible SOCIETY,
NEW YORK, February 27th, 1847.

Elder James Challen, Cor. Sec. of the American Christian Bible Society,

Cincinnati, Ohio.

My dear Brother—I have been much interested and gratified in reading the address of your Society, lately published in the Protestant Unionist; that part of the address especially attracted my attention, in which you declare your desire "to co-operate extensively with our Baptist brethren through the American and Foreign Bible Society, in the work of foreign distribution." &c. It will be pleasing to us to further your purpose in this respect, to the extent of our ability. As contributing to this object, I shall recommend to the Board of our Society, at its next meeting, to appropriate to your Board a copy of each of the foreign publications sustained by us, so far as they can be thus disposed of without infringing upon the established rules of our library. The number of books which we can thus dispose of at the present time, is not great, and bears a very small proportion to the numerous publications sustained by our friends; but they will be sufficient to indicate our good will, and we will send you more as we procure them from missionaries. We send, accompanying this, a list of our prices, and would recommend to you to purchase from us such English, German, and Welsh scriptures as you may not be prepared to publish, but may find opportunity to sell or to distribute. Our prices are as low as they can be fixed without constant loss. On the books most commonly used for gratuitous distribution, such as the small Testaments and the duodecimo Bibles, not a cent is added to the cost of paper, printing, and binding. A small additional price is added to costly binding, which goes towards the cost of the stereotype plates. No addition is made to the cost of those imported from Europe in the prices at which we furnish them to auxiliaries, and will afford them to your Society. It would afford us much pleasure if you would assist in circulating a little book, lately published by Colby & Co., No. 122, Nassau street, entitled "Bible Societies," retailed at 25 cents, wholesale at one third less. It was prepared to show the origin of this Society and the Bible Translation Society of Great Britain, and to vindicate the principles on which they are founded. It contains a sketch of the origin of all national Bible Societies up to the Bible Translation,-the history of the Charter Question, and a contrast between the American and the American and Foreign. The special purpose of the publication at the present time, was to prevent co-operation with the American by those friends of pure principles who might not hitherto have made themselves acquainted with the course pursued by that Society.

With Christian regards, your friend and brother,

SERIES III-VOL. V.

WM. H. WYCKOFF, Cor. Sec. 59*

NEWS FROM THE CHURCHES.

SOME of the following reports have been on hand for several months, having been heretofore crowded out; but they will, perhaps, be not the less interesting to many of our readers; and as we wish to foot up all arrears for the year in this the closing number of the volume, we insert them in the order of their dates. It will be found, perhaps, that some of the reports partially occupy the same ground; but the reader will distinguish.

W. K. P..

Yam Hill, Oregon Territory, April 15, 1848.

Brother Campbell-In the Millennial Harbinger of April, A. D. 1846, brought into this country by one of last year's imigrants, I saw an article headed "The Gospel in Oregon," which, I am sorry to say, so far as relates to the labor and co-operation of Judge Burnett and Elder Snelling in building up the ancient gospel, is entirely untrue.

P. H. Burnett, Esq., has himself joined the Roman Catholics, and been married in Oregon by a Catholic Priest to the wife of his youth. And Elder Snelling has been, and still is, engaged in assisting to build up the "Missionary Baptist Church," not upon the Bible alone," but upon the Bible and a little summary of doctrine solemnly adopted.

But I am happy to be able to say that the "ancient gospel" has been planted in Oregon, and numbers are enlisting under the banners of King Immanuel.

I came to this country late in the fall of 1845, and learned that a few families of Disciples lived on Yam Hill, west of the Willamette river. I settled there in January, and in March we organized a congregation upon the Book alone-and this was the first congregation built upon this foundation in the Territory. We numbered at first but thirteen members. We met, as the disciples anciently did, upon the first day of the week, to break the loaf, to implore the assistance of the heavenly Father, to seek instruction from his word, and to encourage each other in the heavenly way.

Brother John Foster, who wintered at the Dalls, came in, in the spring, and settled on the Clackamus, east of the Willamette, and organized a small congregation, consisting of his own family and two or three other members.

During the summer five persons in our neighborhood made the good confession, and were immersed for the remission of sins; and about the same number in the neighborhood of brother Foster.

The imigration of 1846 brought two proclaimers (brothers Dr. James M'Bride and Glen O. Burnett) who, though encumbered with the care of providing for large families, in a new and uncultivated country, have spent much of their time in proclaiming the word.

Their labors have been particularly blessed, and their success beyond any thing that could have been anticipated in a new and thinly settled country. The imigration of last year brought three other proclaimers. Our meetings are well attended, and generally more or less make the good confession at every meeting where the gospel is proclaimed."

There are many calls from various neighborhoods which the teaching brethren are entirely unable to fill.

Would to Heaven that we had a number more brethren of teaching talent and Christian character, to teach the way of life and salvation to an inquiring population!

We now outnumber in the American population any of the sects, and if we only live up to our high profession, Oregon will soon become as noted for the religion of Jesus Christ, as it already is for its ever-verdant pastures, its grand and varied scenery, and its mild and healthy clime.

Your brother in the blessed hope,

AMOS HARVEY.