the cross

on which their eternal interests depend-an interest, for which every man and woman on earth would forego every other inheritance, until eternal things become the most important with them-an interest, which is the life of every man in nature- this interest is, to escape of Christ and save the life: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and he that will lose his life shall find it." If you have no interest in being wrong, you must reasonably conclude, that others have as little, especially those who sacrifice more than you for the sake of being right. You have not sacrificed all for Christ. You have reserved the most precious of your idols. Ananias-like you held back part of the price with this pretext, that Christ does not require that part-that which is more dear to you than life-more precious than Christ. Was it not in opposition to the testimony of God borne to you by his witnesses, that you told with your own mouth, that you felt a disposition to blaspheme God? It wrought in me, said one, all manner of concupiscence. Was it not through opposition to the same testimony, and your grief at finding some of the people likely to bear their cross, that you spat blood a considerable part of one night, or perhaps more? And thus, while some are called, and obey the call, to resist to blood striving against sin, did you not resist to blood striving for the life of an idol ? And have you no interest in being wrong? If we are right, we presume you have. And none have yet been able to show us that we are wrong, in not reserving that most precious jewel, when we make our surrender to Christ. For it is poor reasoning to us that you believe we are the people, "who creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away of divers lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth," because we reject, in word and works, every sin, and every fleshly lust, lawful and unlawful, and remain abidingly established in the knowledge of the truth. Our logic tells us, that such Scriptures better apply to those who live after the course of the world and are always more or less in uncertainty, or changing from system to system and then reverting to the relinquished system.

"

After complaining of the flood of opposition which you have had to meet, you add: “We are not to be driven from our sentiments by bare assertions or ill-natured scurrility-heretical names, or pathetic lamentations. These substitutes for argument have been frequently tried; but to me and many others in vain." (Address p. 1.) In the last of your reply to Campbell you say: "Let us, after this, ever keep in mind that memorable description of a citizen of Zion. (Psa. xv.) "He backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour." "People," you continue, "in these days are as they were in the days of Jeremiah; they hated Jeremiah, and wanted to blast his reputation. Report, say they, and we will report." Let us not take up ungrounded reports any longer. After this, and any longer-after the preceding paragraph, in which the most ungrounded reports which heaven ever witnessed from a malignant heart are liberally poured forth against an innocent people who have forsaken all for Christ -who have given up more than you have done to be right, and therefore if possible have less interest in being wrong-a people who never interrupted you, or any of your adherents, or any other people, in any sense, except by urging on them the necessity of salvation, and claiming the

privilege to freely minister the Gospel, publicly and from house to house, to all who would hear it—a people against whom all manner of evil is spoken falsely for His name's sake whose reproach they bear and who once bore for us the reproaches with which they reproached God—a people against whom you can support no charge except what is included in pursuing the light of the revival to the end, that is, to the introduction of the everlasting kingdom; as things appeared according to our understanding as well as that of many who are not willing to lose all for Christ, and which could not be very far from your own understanding, if you spoke the sentiments of your heart, of which I have no doubt, when you said your preaching had just prepared the way for the Shakers and in that you were not alone.

But you state that there has been a "lamentable departure of two of our preachers, and a few of their hearers, from the true Gospel into wild enthusiasm. They have," say you, "made shipwreck of faith, and turned aside to an old woman's fables, who broached them in New England about twenty-five years ago. While we weep for them many rejoice, and hope and expect this will be the end of us all.” But what is this wild enthusiasm? That with which you were more completely swallowed up than any thing you ever heard, until you found the people in the kingdom did not marry? That kingdom for which you were then looking and which you said had already begun? That Millennium which, when one of your brethren asked you to help him out, that he saw there was some devil about marriage, you said was just at hand, and then there would be none of these things? For did you not preach boldly that Christ had already come and was in his people? And did you not say once and again, that if any man wants to see Christ, let him look at a Christian, and he will see him? and that Christ would never be seen any other way in the judgment of this world? But what are these old woman's fables? These: That no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven-that if any man will be a disciple of Christ indeed, he must deny himself, and bear his cross daily, and come after Christ-that the true Gospel teaches us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world-that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. These and such like being the fables of that woman, young or old, bear witness that she was a heavenly-minded woman, that she was indeed a lovely Mother in Israel, and an heiress of glory— quite likely to be the one who the people with her say she was—the woman whom God has chosen to reveal Christ the second time to those who were looking for him.

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But," you continue, "we find that nothing new has happened under the sun. *** Of the twelve who followed Christ, one proved a devil, and another denied him, and all the rest forsook him; but all repented, except Judas. This may yet be the case with our deluded brethren. In Paul's day, Hymeneus and Alexander, Hermogenes and Philetus, and all them of Asia, made shipwreck of faith. If it is an argument that we are wrong, because two of our preachers have revolted from the truth-the argument is equally strong against the truth of the Christian religion, because many of its professors in every age have done the same. **It is rather in our favour that we are right,

because wolves always go among the sheep for prey. These wolves, in sheep's clothing, have smelt us from far, and have come to tear, rend and devour." Thus you have condemned without hearing and knowing what we do, and hated without cause, as the enemies of Christ always do; have used bare assertions, scurrility, and heretical names, without argument, just as preposterously as you complain that others do with you. Have you ever shown to us or to the world, in this public manner, what proof we carry of being wolves in sheep's clothing? Have you told them or us, what is the sheep's clothing, whether a fair profession or a righteous life? O Barton! O Barton! when will you be as liberal to others as you ask them to be to you? Whether is this paragraph of yours reasoning or scurrility? If we as a people are wolves in sheep's clothing, why do you not show us and the world wherein, and not be daubing about your heretical names and pathetic lamentations, without offering the shadow or pretence of a reason? All which you have yet to lift at your own expense. But what do these tear, rend and devour? Have they, now in ten years, spoken a word against any thing but the flesh and its lusts, or all sin? Or have they ever usurped or asked any power, except the power of the Gospel and the person's own faith, to persuade any man or woman to believe as they do? And do not you publish your faith in the most forcible and engaging manner you can ? But these Shakers have disturbed and even broken up some congregations, they must therefore be wolves. And have not you and your brethren disturbed or even broken up some congregations of other professors, often divided them, and swept, not a few, but many of the people, and caused them to be rejected as heretics, as you reject us? Are ye not therefore wolves in sheep's clothing? But these Shakers, according to some, are the best calculated to deceive of all people-they make the fairest appearance and look the most like Christians-they can tell a man all his experience in religion, and a great deal more, (didst thou not talk this way?) they must therefore be deceivers, or wolves. But if the best appearance, the most righteous life and deepest knowledge in religion, be the sure marks of wolves, what are the true marks of the sheep? Are they in ignorance of God, a carnal life and ungodly deportment, or wearing a wolf-skin and appearing just like the rest of the world, without knowing who is a Christian and who is not? Let reasonable men consider. But these Shakers, according to some, have devoured and broken up many families. Yea, true enough; by preaching and propagating the spirit of faith and unity, in Christ, many families have united together for the salvation of all, in the joint work of the Lord, as it is written: "They shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord." And again : "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul; neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common;" (Acts iv. 32;) where the rich and the poor feed in common bounty and good-will, and all other families, or as many as choose, are invited to partake of the same bounty on the same principles-just to confess and forsake all sin. Perhaps you may remember your reply to an opposer of the work of God, in the revival, when he said it was of the devil : A good devil; I should love to have fellowship with him." These are good wolves; I should love to be devoured by them.

But I look on this last page of your reply, and wonder, if you were so far lost to all sensibility and reason, as to suppose that the treachery of Judas for money, the forsaking of the disciples and the denial of Peter through fear, and departure of Hymeneus and Alexander, of Hermogenes and Philetus and them of Asia, who forsook Paul to escape the persecution and the cross, and thus made shipwreck of the faith, bore any resemblance to our case, who received and kept the faith of Christ, which involves tenfold more opposition than we had to meet before as well as an infinitely greater cross to human nature. It is true, similes prove nothing. But a man who uses them to gain illustration or energy to his statements, ought to see that they are apt. The introduction of the above characters proves nothing; universal logic forbids it. It gives no illustration; because there is not the smallest likeness between the two cases. It can only therefore be a disingenuous burlesque-mere scurrility. It is a pity a man of your light and reason should descend to such measures. But you had no better weapons. But perhaps you thought you saw great likeness to us in Hymeneus the friend of marriage, and Philetus the carnal lover, because they taught that the resurrection was already past, or perfected; consequently, that there needed to be no difficulty in using the bodies they then had in marriage and the indulgence of sexual love; while we teach, near two thousand years afterwards, that the resurrection is not past yet; that it is a fountain of deep waters through which no man can pass, and that in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, and therefore, that all who come into it give up marriage and carnal love forever. The judicious may discern how much resemblance there is in the two cases.

"But God," say you, "has lifted up a standard against them;" (Ibid.) that is, against the Shakers. And what is it? This kind of opposition which you justly reprobate, as being ineffectual with you and others? Or is it the preaching of you and your brethren? one of whom would not thoroughly perform a candid, open conversation with one of our preachers, on the faith of Christ, for all his religion, because it would surely cost that and more in the end. Therefore, as in your words, they fly from us as from the face of a serpent. But why should any man who knows the truth and walks in it, be afraid of being charmed by the serpent? It is a proof that such people are not right. But what has this standard done, which God has lifted up? The people of the revival have not been able to stand by its protection; they are scattered, like the Jews, to the four winds of heaven, and have no more the power which they once had; whilst the Shakers, in possession of that Gospel which shakes all and can be shaken of none, are abundantly more numerous than when those things were written, as well as much more like the Jerusalem of God, compactly built together. But,

No doubt you have also increased in numbers; and would to God ye were tenfold as many as ye are, and all in the genuine spirit of the revival. I am not going to count on numbers to confirm the faith, or on any thing else which is according to the honour and glory of this world. But I mention these things as a visible sign that God has not lifted up a standard against us. I desire that they who are willing to see, may see things as they are, and know, as the people are learning

For our faith is not of the But your faith it cannot hate, As far as it is different from

more and more, that no religion which comes in opposition, is able to stand against the sharp two-edged sword which is put into our hand and goes out of our mouth; that is, the Gospel. There are two methods now in practice to keep from visibly falling before it: the one is not to come into contact, or to avoid all free conversation, and the other to determine not to submit, true or false and the way of God, the nature of the Gospel, is not to force but to invite. But I have no feeling to contest the ground with you in respect of credit in the world. I should there have no prospect in respect to faith. For though it will be found true, that the present work of God will carry the palm in every thing which is truly worthy of a rational man, so that it will be true as it is written: "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him;" (Prov. xvi. 7;) yet the faith and cross of Christ will always be hateful to the world, while such a world exists. world, therefore the world hates it. farther than as it coincides with ours. our faith, people will generally bear with you; for in it you have no death, no cross against the old man. It is true, you have spoken of self-denial in a Christian. (Reply, p. 66.) But what do ye deny? Not self; not the old man with his deeds; for ye live after the course of the world, marrying and giving in marriage, as the rest of the world; your bodies are not dead because of sin; they do the appropriate works of the first Adam, and bring forth the appropriate fruits of the world; ye partake of the honours and friendship of the world like the rest. Your people fill posts of honour and profit, civil and military, and are therefore of the very members of the world. Your brother, Elder David Purviance, seems to have had no scruple of conscience for years, against filling a place in the State Legislature, since he has lived in a State whose constitution admits preachers to the House of Assembly; although some years ago, when in the spirit of the revival, he rejected that seat, if I am not misinformed, as not being the place of a Christian. He must therefore be of the world, and the world love him, or they would not appoint him to make their laws. Where then is your cross against the old man? ligion is accommodated just to his wishes. You may talk, Calvinistlike, of Christ bearing the cross for you. But without sparing Calvinist or anti-Calvinist, Jesus talks of every one bearing his own cross, and that daily, and coming after him, otherwise he cannot be his disciple. You may talk of the cross of Christ, or self-denial, in the spirit. But who will believe that a man denies himself, or follows Christ in the spirit, and the world in his works? Not one who knows the Gospel. On the whole it is evident, that they who participate in these things which are of the world, bear no real cross against the old man.

Your re

Those things which have been written so long ago, I suppose I should not have noticed now, had it not been, that in your last publication you have shown the same ungenerous opposition and the most disingenuous misrepresentation, by which you show that your former enmity against the faith of Christ in his second appearing remains entire. And it is not necessary that your unprovoked slanders should remain unnoticed. You have misrepresented us with the pretext of