of your nation since Jesus was crucified? Nay, is there not every sort of evidence which the nature of the case permits, that he has not? and that he cannot, we argue from three topics. You have no promises that he will hear you; you have no mediator on earth nor in heaven, through whom he can hear you; and he has positively said that while you continue out of his covenant he will not, he cannot hear you. Truly spake Moses when he said, "Whosoever shall not hear that Prophet shall be cut off from the congregation of the Lord."

Give then, my dear sir, a candid hearing to that Prophet whose knowledge of God's character and purpose never was surpassed-never was equalled; whose sincerity, humility, and benevolence, cast your own distinguished Moses into the shade, and outshine all the prophets of the olden school. His zeal, his self-denial, his philanthropy, his compassion for Jerusalem and for his own people who rejected him, have no parallel in the annals of the world. What was there in his doctrine, in his deeds, in his example, in his miracles, in his death, unworthy of him or the errand on which he came, Moses and all the prophets being judge? "Kiss the Son" and the God of Abraham will embrace you in an everlasting covenant never to be forgotten. A. C.

LETTER FROM ENGLAND TO A. CAMPBELL. Nottingham, January 29th, 1844.

DEAR BROTHER CAMPBELL.-By the desire of our esteemed brother James Wallis, editor of the Christian Messenger, who is at present from home on business, I am requested to address you on a subject which has engaged the attention, and has been a theme of anxious solicitude to the disciples of our Lord and Master, throughout England and Scotland, during the last six or seven years, viz. the probability and practicability of your visiting the land of your forefathers, with the honourable intention of lifting your voice in the defence of that gospel which is "the power of God to the salvation to every one that believes it;" also, that you might in the strength of Jehovah, be instrumental in dissipating the clouds of darkness, ecclesiastic, speculative, and mystic, which for ages by-gone, have obscured its primitive simplicity, glory, and saving power.

We are not insensible to, neither would we treat with indifference, the numerous and highly important duties and engagements which, from the peculiar circumstances in which an unerring providence has placed you, inevitably devolve on, and are more than sufficient to occupy the whole of your time in the country where your lot has been cast: still, from reports which have reached us from time to time, we have cherished an unwavering hope, that should the time ever arrive, when, in our esteem, it would be judicious to send the cry across the broad waters of the Atlantic, "Come over and help us," our petition would bring to us your hearty response in the affirmative, if at all within the compass of your ability. Confident we are, that should this request meet with your negative, urgent and inflexible necessity will compel you to deny what you could neither consistently nor possibly grant.

The reasons which have induced us to desire your presence at this particular time, are the following:

1. During the last seven years, every plan which propriety would allow or ingenuity could invent, has been adopted, specially on the part of brother Wallis, to place before the public of this nation, your various and valuable works on Infidelity, Baptism-its mode, subject, and intention, and the Christian system in general, and though we have by no means accomplished all we anticipated or could desire, yet, by the circulation of these and other works of similar character, there are few, even of the literary religious world so called, who are not aware of their existence, and notwithstanding their violent opposition, have been obliged to acknowledge the unflinching morality, literary acumen, and in many respect scriptural correctness of the author.

2. In the midst of much and frequent bitter opposition, we have within the above-named period, succeeded in planting some forty congregations in England and Scotland, who though generally speaking, without talent or other human influence, are endeavouring according to their ability to exhibit among themselves, and send to the seduced and benighted around them, the hallowing and salutary principles and institutions of the apostolic gospel.

3. It is intended so soon as the supply ordered of your recent debate with Mr. Rice, shall have arrived, to advertise it in several of the most popular periodicals of this country,

so that all readers, religious and literary, will be put in possession of the fact that such discussion has taken place.

From these reasons we conclude there is not the least danger of obtaining for you a very large audience of intelligent and religious professors in any city or town within these realms. The gospel, my esteemed brother, requires to be `known, and thousands there are doubtless who earnestly desire to know it, but without suitable instrumentality this cannot be effected. That instrumentality we do not at present possess, neither have we been able hitherto to bring the power we have to bear on the masses of the people. A mighty alteration in this respect could be obtained, we are certain, by your appearance amongst us even for a short time, not merely as regards what you might personally accomplish, but particularly by your thus opening a way for us who are at present labouring in the field, and for those who may yet be raised up to proclaim, salvation to the guilty, miserable, and helpless.

By the same post I intend writing to brother D. S. Burnet, Mount Healthy, to become your companion to our shores. Should he not be able to accompany you, please to choose one from among the preaching brethren. I should not complete this pleasing task I have undertaken, were I not to say, all expenses of the voyage to and from this country will be cheerfully discharged by our brethren in the Lord Jesus, residing on this side the water.

Your answer to this request will be anxiously looked for as soon as convenient. Address to brother James Wallis, Nottingham, England.

With earnest prayer for your present and everlasting happiness,

Yours affectionately in the truth,

A. CAMPBELL'S REPLY.

G. C. REID.

Bethany, Virginia, April 27, 1844. BELOVED BROTHER REID.-Your very kind and interesting letter of January twenty-ninth was duly received sometime in February while I was absent from home, at Cincinnati, and was, after my return in March, presented to me by my clerk. The weighty import of its contents is my apology

for not answering it forthwith on my return home. My responsibilities are so numerous and various, and so weighty, that I have felt the rival claims of sundry great objects so dividing my attention, and so conflicting in my views of expediency, that I am frequently irresolute and vacillating which to choose or which to prefer. I feel great matters are at stake both in this country and in yours, and that now is the seed time of a great harvest. I wonder less as I advance in life at the perplexities that sometime seemed to distract the prime ministers of the Christian institution. The rival and conflicting minds and claims of brethren on numerous questions of expediency, seemed often to interfere with the views and purposes of even the apostles themselves. Paul often purposed to visit Rome but was hindered by providential interpositions through the instrumentalities of friends and foes. He, in common with his fellow-labourers, Barnabas, Mark, Timotheus, Silas, &c., &c., sometimes of different views, was led to pray, "Now may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ direct our way to you."

I feel deeply interested in all the objects of your letter, and indeed in the progress of the good cause in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the more so because of the noble efforts made by devoted brethren, through whose instrumentality this great work was begun amongst you and so far successfully carried on. Your call for help has the more weight because of the force of the old adage, "they most deserve help who help themselves." We sympathize with those who struggle with great difficulties and feel as though we ought in justice as well as from humanity to help them. Disposed, therefore, as I am to have the honour of striving together with you in this glorious cause, and of co-operating in the same field of labour, I have resolved, the Lord willing, and opening for me a way, to see your faces just as soon as present circumstances and duties will allow. Several months must, indeed, intervene before such an event, however much desired by me, can possibly occur. I cannot hope to be

A. CAMPBELL'S REPLY.

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with you during the present summer, nor indeed before next spring; but should all things favour I may see you during the next year at farthest. Meantime I shall occasionally advise you of the prospects, and do all that I can to hasten the time.

Another inducement of great weight conspires with your importunities to hasten my visit to England. You are aware that at a very considerable sacrifice of my ease, and of my time, I have, from a deep conviction of its importance and utility to the cause of reformation, undertaken to build up a college. It is now in successful operation, and I am glad to say we have a number of young men of high promise, of good talents, and of much devotion to the faith and worship of the primitive church, furnishing themselves with that learning and science, which in the present age, as well as in former times, have been very powerful instruments whether for or against the faith formerly delivered to the saints, The law and the gospel were introduced and established not merely by inspi ration but the learning and science of a Moses and of a Paul were honoured with a very remarkable conspicuity in the introduction of these two sublime institutions. Reformers and translators of the Bible have convinced all how much we are indebted to learning and learned men for our advancement in Christian intelligence and virtue, Thousands can follow in the path which they have opened and be very useful, indeed eminently useful in the way which they have marked out; but without them religion at no time was successfully plead, and still less can it be triumphantly pleaded at present. At most, indeed, we can have but a few of them; and, indeed, we need but a few of them compared with the field to be cultivated. A very great error, and fatal to the prosperity of the gospel, has been the idea of an exclusively learned ministry. While the making of such a ministry indispensable to the proclamation of the gospel has been fatal to its success by confining it to a very inadequate number of agents, the total repudiation of learning