I daily and hourly interruptions. would desire (as many seem to think I ought) to revise and improve them, to enlarge upon some items and incidents too hastily passed over, adding others wholly omitted, and to present them together in a neat duodecimo volume. But this must depend on two or three conditions: First, whether my health and time will permit; secondly, whether a sufficient number of copies might be desired to authorize a new and improved edition of them. These matters, like all things human, must await the developments of the future. Your affectionate father, A. CAMPBELL. NOTE. We have now furnished our readers with the entire series of Alexander Campbell's Letters from Europe," which have been read with much interest on both sides the Atlantic. the apostolic age to the present time, have been either to a greater or lesser extent, both hated and persecuted by the popular religionists for the time being. And why should it be so? Simply because the message of the one is diametrically opposed and antagonistic to the principle and practice of the other. These preliminary remarks, we conceive, introduce us with much good grace into the leading circumstances attendant upon the recent visit of Brother Alexander Campbell to this country. Beyond the boundaries of the rolling Atlantic this devoted gentleman has gone on for upwards of thirty years, the untiring advocate for Bible Christianity and Bible Worship. During that lengthened period of time he has, as might be expected, met with much opposition, not unmixed with persecution; but certainly, at the same time, with splendid and gratifying success. The great primitive Some of the author's intimate friends have requested him to correct, enlarge, and reprint the whole in a separate volume. Whether, how-facts and principles of Christianity ever, he will do so or not, is at present unknown, at least in this country, and is, perhaps, yet undecided by the writer himself, whose time is fully occupied in promoting the best interests of society, and the glory of God. Should the enlargement and reprinting of the series of letters be determined upon by Brother Campbell, we have no doubt of being able, at an early period, to inform our readers on the matter, and we shall have great pleasure in doing so when the time arrives for such information to be given. The article following, entitled "The Reformer's Reward," was forward ed to us some time ago by a brother who has since emigrated to the United States, requesting, if possible, that it might appear at the conclusion of these letters. As, therefore, we desire to oblige all parties as far as possible, we have given it in full. ED. A REFORMER'S REWARD. It is an axiom too long and too well settled and understood to require either proof or confirmation, that all true, faithful, intrepid, and uncompromising Christian Reformers, from have, by his gigantic exertions, taken deep root in the mind of American tined, to all intents and purposes, to society generally, and are still desyield a more abundant harvest than what has as yet been realized or expected. He has done much to Christianize the people of the young, but mighty and growing republic; and he has done more to infuse into the religious mind generally, proper and consistent views of theological interpretation and biblical criticism. servant of the Lord, was long desired A visit, therefore, from this honored and earnestly expected. That has now been realized, and its attendant facts have been also consecutively recorded for the benefit of the future historian. The visit of Mr. Alexander Campbell to this country was one no less remarkable and eventful in its character and progress, than it has been in its present effects, and will be in its future consequences. Doubtless he is but a man. Yes, but if there be a nobility of genius-if there be one of plodding and indomitable talent-if there be one whom God has been pleased to honor, as the great instrument for resuscitating an ancient but glorious Christianity from the rubbish of an ignorant and a superstitious age -he certainly is the man. Whatever expectations may have been previously entertained of his visit, or what hopes and fears may now be ultimately realized by his friends or his opponents on this side of the Atlantic, when he actually made his appearance on our shores, we will not now stop either to inquire or determine. For ourselves we shall merely say they were of no ordinary character. We had long known Mr. C. through his writings. After the duties and anxieties of business were over for the day, we have sat down to the perusal of his Christian Baptist, his Millennial Harbinger, or one or other of his celebrated debates, with as much anticipated gusto, as if we were about to enjoy the richest feast of the choicest dainties. He has steadily entertained us for hours together; and when the last drop of the midnight oil had run to support the flickering flame-thus warning us to retire for the night-our minds were yet unsatisfied, and we could still have gone on devouring that rich, fresh, and substantial food, which his powerful and penetrating mind drew forth from the lively oracles of divine truth-whose beauty and glory he set before us in all the wisdom and power of sublime and beautiful reality, as opposed to all that was powerful or unsubstantial in theory, or unsuited and unsound in practice. To see such a man, and perchance to converse with him, we long and earnestly desired: and when the news had reached us that the "Luther of the Western World" had landed on our shores, we felt fairly on the qui vive, and congratulated ourselves that our anticipations were now at last to be realized, and com pletely satisfied. We will not detain our readers by reciting to them what were our feelings when first we saw Mr. Campbell in propria persona : they were such we cannot adequately express, and therefore which we will not presume to pen, in case we render either ourselves or our subject somewhat absurd and ridiculous in the estimation of our readers. As the published narrative of Mr. Campbell's peregrinations in Great Britain, &c. has already, to a great extent, been placed before the world by that gentleman himself, we are now in a comparatively favorable position for viewing all the circumstances attendant upon his memorable and interesting progress. The most effectual manner for judging of the general character of any man, and more especially one whom we look upon in the light of a great moral Reformer, is to see him placed amongst us in all shades and varieties of circumstances, in order that we might alike test the power of his principles and the genuineness and stability of his faith. Mr. Campbell's pilgrimage was characterized by all the vicissitudes of fortune, and all the transitory changes of circumstance which ever mark the journey through life. In "merrie England" every thing seemed to smile upon him. He passed through some of its richest and most romantic scenery, and he has already expatiated upon. these with the denomination of the philosopher and the eye of the poet. He was every where received with that honor and esteem which became the reception of a distinguished foreigner. He was recognized by the literati and the grandees of the land as one of themselves, and his brethren and friends every where hailed him with enthusiasm and delight. But lo! the scene changes. A new chapter begins. The mighty Reformer crosses the Tweed, and approaches "the land of the mountain and the flood”—the land of honest Had we seen Scotch independence and Calvinistic facing hand of time. coldness-a land, nevertheless, dear him in all the plenitude of his influto him from early associations, and ence as president of Bethany College where he expected, and certainly did had we seen and heard him as the find, a few warm hearts and hands indomitable debatant of Robert Owen ready to greet his welcome to "bonny or Bishop Purcell; or had we enjoyed Scotland." But, generally speaking, the privilege of seeing him in the Scotland is still the land of clerical midst of his brethren in the accomdomination, tyranny, and bigotry. plished church at Wellsburgh, of Mr. Campbell was known there as which he serves as one of the pastors the enemy of sects, and the uncom- -we could not have felt ourselves promising opponent of the clergy; more highly honored, than when we and for his pains to write them down, were of the privileged few, who they rewarded him with eight days' waited upon him to condole with, imprisonment in the city of Glasgow and comfort, under the disagreeable where, thirty years before, he and somewhat painful circumstances studied within its venerable university in which he was placed as a martyr with all the enthusiasm of one who for the truth. Although, of course, then, to all human appearance, was we beg to be distinctly understood, destined at no distant date to become we, in common with all our brethren, one of themselves-a sterling but exceedingly regretted at the time the stern Presbyterian minister. A good causes which led our beloved brother Providence, however, ordained it to be placed in such an unfortunate otherwise. He was sent across the position, still, viewing it in the light mighty deep, and the land of political of God's providence, and now when freedom and religious liberty infused the whole is matter of history, and into his active, ardent, and naturally the affair so far as it has gone turned independent mind, a spirit of uncon-out "for the furtherance of the gostrolled thought and feeling :-a circumstance which at once released him from the shackles of priestly power, and eventually led him to the proper and complete realization of that "glorious liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free." It is unnecessary for us to recount the circumstances which led to Mr. Campbell's incarceration in the jail of Glasgow: these have already been amply detailed by his own master pen, and consequently are not unknown to the great majority of our readers. During his imprisonment it was our good fortune-or, as some would rather be inclined to say, misfortune, although we do not think so-to be a daily visitor to the cell of this truly great man; and we frankly confess they were interviews we shall never forget neither will the salutary impressions made on our minds at the time be easily obliterated by the de It pel," we do rejoice that we had the have said tested and tried. When we take all the previous circumstances into consideration-how he was so kindly and honoredly received by his friends in England, not only as we have already said as an influential American citizen, but as a valued Christian and a great social reformer-and contrast all this with the virulent, hot-brained, and stupid persecution which he endured in Scotland, from whence he expected better things—we say Mr. Campbell's imprisonment was in its first aspect calculated to be a bitter disappointment to him; and if he had not had the conviction, the deep conviction of innocency, righteousness, and justice on his side, and felt that he was incarcerated for conscience sake-for the Christian cause which he so much loved, and which, all his life time, he so vigorously and faithfully advocated -if he had not been a man conscious of his own moral rectitude, and who was in possession of a mental development and temperament which have, in his lifetime, been so often tried by the keen fire of fanatical opposition and priestly arrogance, and found to be proof against them all-he would most certainly have sank under the weight of the affliction he was called upon to endure: more especially, too, as it was all endured far from the sympathies and endearments of home, and the attentions of his more immediate friends and relatives. The following incidents are illustrative of the sort of prison life Mr. Campbell was constrained to lead. On one occasion, when surrounded by his brethren and friends (we mean half a dozen or thereabouts, and sitting around the turnkey's fire, which, through the kindness and attention of this official, Mr. C. was privileged to enjoy, for the day was rather cold) —we were all busily engaged with some important topic, for all of us made the best use of the hours within which were allowed to see him. Mr. Campbell, on this and similar occa sions, presented us with the results of his extensive and profound investigations, and his previous experience in the word and the ways of the Lord; and while his little audience were thus engrossed with what they were hearing, up started the incarcerated from his seat towards the fire, when, wondering as to the meaning of the action, we soon found to our amusement that he was not unmindful of the contents of a culinary vessel boiling on the fire; and after adjusting it properly with all the celerity of a practiced cook, he resumed his conversation, carrying us along again with him as if no such domestic interruption had occurred. This circumstance is trifling in itself, but such little matters we found were not beneath his notice, for he showed in these acts that his humility and his magnanimity were cheerfully combined, and that with ease and contentment he submitted to the disagreeable circumstances in which he was for the time being placed. But, again, there was one night we received permission of the governor to visit Mr. C. at an hour when the generality of visitors were not admitted. Having entered the large barricaded gates, (for on this occasion we felt as it were all the horrors of the Bastile before our mind's eye, a circumstance which we are sure will excuse a little of the descriptive faculty.) the sonorous sound of the ponderous locks and iron doors, as they were unfastened and shut behind us by the various turnkeys, reverberated with a sort of melancholy noise peculiarly their own, as we passed along the long stone gallery of the prison. At the extreme end we found the cell of Mr. Campbell. When we entered he was sitting in a solemn and contemplative mood with his Greek Bible before him. Amongst the letters we accidentally glanced at one commencing with the endearing words "My dear Clarinda" ancient and modern, and the other the Bible- he gave it as his opinion, resulting as it did from long and extensive experience, that the student of the latter would, at the end of his investigation, know infinitely more of the history and character of man, than the other could possibly do, were he ever to master all the historical documents in the world. In short, he added, the Bible was the book which he studied above all other books, and the love of other volumes was made subservient to the study and illustration of the 'book divine.' Many other interesting matters were brought before our attention, which were discoursed to us with all the brilliancy and force peculiar to his voluminous writings. In all his remarks what struck us so forcibly was, the ease and frankness with which he conversed -in all likelihood the heading of one of his celebrated "Letters from Europe." As we stood before him, his bright eye peered over his silver spectacles, when, having recognized us, he stretched out his friendly hand and bade us welcome. We may observe here, that although the confinement had somewhat of an injurious influence upon him, in consequence of the stony coldness of his confined apartment, still he was ever in high spirits, and congratulated himself that he had, amidst all the bustle consequent upon his progress through the country, received some little time for reading, writing, and contemplation -a very pleasant excuse, certainly, for the malignity of his persecutors, which drove him to such a place, and to the necessity of uttering such a sentiment. We never, however, at all the times we were in his society on these occasions, heard him pro- thing like pedantry: his manner had nounce one ill-natured remark against all the simplicity of a little child, the authors of his imprisonment; mingled as it was with the deep-toned and if he did refer to them, it was solemnity of the venerable old man. always with the language of pity and "But the best of friends must part." forgiveness. As he viewed the mat- The jailer approached with his heavy ter, however, in one aspect-as the step along the lonely passage, and work of the great enemy - he renow stood before us to remind us solved that all the world should that we were in a prison, and that know of it, and having expressed such for the time being we must subject a determination, he at the same ourselves to the inconveniency of its time stated his conviction that good stern regulations, by leaving the inwould flow out of it, and that it terior. We bade our brother good would ultimately tend to the further-night, loathing to leave one so much beance of the great cause he had so much at heart. the absence of every loved alone in such a cheerless looking place, without a friend beside him to As our great object was to make comfort and console him and yet he the best of our visit, and as he always was not alone--his God and Saviour endeavoured to make it so himself, were near him to support and enour conversation invariably turned courage him. Yes! he freely expressed upon the great theme of Bible Chris- the conviction to us more than once, tianity, and on such occasions he that his Great Master had great ends brought forward the rich stores of to serve in his imprisonment, which his mind to illustrate and enforce he would doubtless manifest in his what he had propounded. As a concluding sentiment on one of these occasions, he said "Were two men to begin a series of reading and study, who had never consecutively done so before, the one in universal history, own good time. Let us hope that one of these may be gathered from the preceding pages, viz—the character of Alexander Campbell under the influence of persecution. W. |