USA > Kentucky > A history of Kentucky Baptists : From 1769 to 1885, including more than 800 biographical sketches, Vol. I > Part 54
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would appear to be drained from the people."* As he proceeds in his denunciations, they grow more bitter against the clergy. " Why should it be supposed " says he, "that clergymen are better able to teach us Laics, the Bible, than we to teach one another. They are, in nineteen instances out of twenty, very ignorant of the Bible, and impudent in their approaches toward good men. Who has not observed their pomposity and their ill breeding-but they are generally from the meanest families in society, and their education is mostly obtained by charity." He adds, in the same article : "It is the policy of clergymen to shut, and obscure, and pervert the divine word, in order to carry on their gainful speculations."; It would be difficult to find, in the whole range of infidel writings, a more bitter and indiscriminate denunciation of the teachers of the Christian re- ligion than is contained in these extracts. True, he says, in the first number of the Christian Baptist, that in his remarks on the " Christian clergy," he never includes "the elders and deacons of a Christian assembly, or those in the New Testa- ment called Overseers and Servants of the Christian church." But it would be difficult to determine whom he means to desig- nate by these terms. Elsewhere, he describes one of these overseers as one who "pleads no inward call to the work, and never sets himself to learn it." It would be rare, indeed, that such a man-one that has neither been called of God, nor prepared himself to the work of the ministry-it would be rare to find such a one the overseer of a moderately intelligent church.
But it is not difficult to determine whom he does not in- clude in his class of faithful, New Testament preachers. He is sufficiently explicit on his negative propositions. For a short time, he was very cautious, and wrote in so ambiguous a style that his terrible anathemas might be construed as if hurled only against Romish priests and clerical dignitaries of some of the more corrupt of the Protestant hierarchies. But he soon threw off this disguise, and specified by name the denominations, or
#Much of the original matter of the Christian Baptist is left out of the later editions of the work. We quote from the original except when it is otherwise specified.
+Chr. Bap., v. i., pp. 74, 75.
#Ib. v. iii, p. 213.
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at least some of them, that he included. The Christian Bap- tist was only fifteen months old, when he headed the first arti- cle of the October number, of 1824, with the following sentence: "There is but one spirit in all the clergy, whether they be Romanist or Protestant, Baptist or Pedobaptist, learned or un- learned, their own workmanship or the workmanship of others." That the sentence is a quotation from a sentimental journal, which was his own production, does not mitigate against the directness of Mr. Campbell's teaching, in as much as he only here makes public, what he had before written in private. Or if it should be supposed that he here quotes from some other sentimental journal, the article which follows the sentence fully endorses it.
In January 1825, he warns the people of a still greater dan- ger to be apprehended from the clergy, than that of defrauding them of their money. "The clergy," says he, "have ever been the greatest tyrants in every State, and at present they are, in every country in Europe, on the side of the oppressors of the people, who trample on the rights of men. Nor are we to suppose that this is accidental, but the essential characteristic of their assumptions." "While we cheerfully discriminate, let us cautiously, and with a jealous eye observe their manoeuvres as a fraternity ever to be feared, especially as respects the affairs of this present world."* One other quotation shall suffice to complete the list of specimens of this furious and persistent as- sault on the character of the Christian ministry. "Upon the whole," says he, "I do not think we will err very much, in making it a general rule, that every man who receives money for preaching the gospel, or for sermons by the day, month, or year, is a hireling in the language of truth and soberness."t
The effects of such teaching, reiterated from month to month, and from year to year, upon the profligate and skep- tical, and even upon ignorant, suspicious and covetous Chris- tians, can be readily conceived. It would be no marvel if Mr. Campbell should be quoted liberally in grogshops, gam- bling houses, and other places of infamy, and, in church disci- pline, called to the defense of the insulter and slanderer of his pastor.
*Chr. Bap., v. ii, p. 143.
*Ib. v. iii, p. 213.
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With Mr. Campbell's attack on the clergy, it was but nat- ural that he should dissuade the people from supporting their preachers. This was a most pernicious teaching at that period, especially among the Baptists of the West, among whom his paper had its principal circulation. It is highly probable that not one Baptist minister in the whole Mississippi Valley received enough for his ministerial labor to liberally support an average sized family ; a very large majority of the Baptist pastors received no stipulated amount, and many of them, who preached to four churches, and were good preachers, did not receive, upon an average, five dollars a year from each of their churches. The writer of these pages remembers to have heard an aged minis- ter, who is still (1885) living, say that for preaching monthly to the wealthiest church in one of the counties of Kentucky, he received, in the aggregate, not more than five dollars in eight years. To a writer, signing his article, Layman, who rebuked Mr. Camp- him for discouraging the support of the ministry. bell replies through the Christian Baptist: "All that the clergy sell is breath, and that is one of the most common things among the living. It is as little expense to a man who can talk, to talk, as it is for the laity to hear. He sells you divinity which is supposed to be a heavenly commodity, and costs no money."*
That " the preacher has as much time to preach as his listeners have to hear," was an old argument of the covetous church member, who must have felt very grateful to so learned and talented a preacher as Mr. Campbell, for his endorsement.
Mr. Campbell's opposition to theological schools and an ley or educated ministry, was equally persistent with his endeavors to destroy Missionary and Bible societies. Of the truth of this, sufficient evidence has been given in the extracts already quoted to from his writings. If the reader desires to investigate the subject further, he is referred to the Christian Baptist in its original form; not to the more recent publications under that titie.
The effects of these teachings were felt as far as the Chris- ian Baptist was circulated, and nowhere more than among the Baptists of Kentucky. The preachers who had hitherto received f his out a small pittance from their charges, were further reduced in their resources of living. The friends of education were dis-
#Chr. Bap. vol. 1, p. 238.
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couraged in their endeavors to erect a college. The Baptist missionary societies, that started under such auspicious circum- stances, were dwarfed, and ultimately perished. The ministers were brought into disrepute among those who most needed the restraints of their teaching, and practical benevolence was well nigh destroyed in the churches, at least, so far as any effort to spread a knowledge of the gospel was concerned. It required the labors of thirty years to bring the Baptist churches of Ken- tucky up to the standard of christian benevolence, to which they had attained, in 1816, and a considerable fraction of them con- tinued their downward course, in this respect, thirty years longer. We shall see more of the workings of Mr. Campbell's anti-missionary leaven in the decades following the period of which we write. Not that Mr. Campbell was the originator of oppositions to missions, but he was its most successful advocate.
When Mr. Campbell commenced the publication of the Christian Baptist, like Elijah the Prophet, he deemed himself alone, but he soon drew around him a corps of writers who were animated by kindred spirits, and who reiterated his sentiments with less adroitness but with equal confidence.
He commenced, with the first number of his pamphlet, an indiscriminate war, not only on all creeds and confessions of faith, but, in general and ambiguous terms, all that they taught. To his conception "the present popular exhibition of the christian religion was a compound of Judaism, heathen philoso- phy and chrisuanity." The true gospel had not been preached since the apostolic age, and "the ancient order of things," per- taining to the Kingdom of God was all utterly corrupted or perverted. His first aim seemed to be to destroy all existing religious institutions, and bring into discredit all religious teach- ers with all that they taught. He had one article of faith-the Bible is the Word of God. He had discovered, after a long and tedious investigation, that immersion was a Bible institution; but its use had been altogether perverted. Everything in reli- gion was wrong ; what was right was yet to be ascertained, or, if he had private knowledge of what was right, in the doctrine and practice of religion, he was not yet ready to impart it. His own faith was as negative as he represented that of others to be erroneous. He avers that he has no system of his own, nor of others "to substitute in lieu of the reigning system.'
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He neither advocates "Calvinism, Arminianism, Arianism, Socinianism, Trinitarianism, Unitarianism, Deism or Sectarian- ism, but New Testamentism."* Here he comes round to the same point. He advocates "New Testamentism," but has no idea what it is. All other religious teachers advocate "New Testamentism " intelligently, but he, blindly. He would des- troy their systems, but has none of his own to substitute in their place. Like Bishop Colenzo, he launched his "little barque on a fathomless sea without a shore."
For a time his teaching was almost entirely negative, and, indeed, a majority of it continued to be such to the end of his life. After a time, he began to advance a few dogmas, which ultimately took something of the form of a very loose, confused system. The analysis of the system belongs rather to the theo- logian than the historian. The specifications of heresy, alleged against him, by the Baptists, on account of which they with- drew fellowship from him and his disciples, will be given when we come to give the history of that transaction.
The spirit of Mr. Campbell's teaching greatly aggravated the discord, produced by his doctrines. He affirmed that he took the Bible for his sole guide-just what every Protestant sect in Christendom claimed-and so artfully pressed the claim, or rather his exclusive right to make such a claim, that his disciples heartily accepted it. Every objection made to his doctrine was promptly assumed to be an objection made to the Bible. The whole tenor and spirit of his teaching might have been expressed in language like this; which, for aught we know to the contrary, may have been written in his "sen- timental journal" from which he published severeal extracts in
the Christian Baptist : "I take the Bible for my sole guide. I cannot possibly be wrong in any particular. None but my- self (and my disciples) take the Bible as their guide. Wherever they differ from me, they differ from the Bible." He did not allow it to appear possible for him to misunderstand the Bible. The sophistry was so shallow, that its bold and constant repeti- tion, by him and his infatuated admirers, irritated grave, hon- est Chriatians, to such a degree, that it would not be strange if they sometimes spoke hastily, and with imprudent warmth.
*Ch. Bap. vol. 1, p. 120.
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Mr. Campbell's disciples not only adopted all his teaching, but they were deeply imbued with his spirit. They all imag- ined themselves endowed with superior wisdom, and made no effort to conceal the fact that they commiserated the ignorance of all who differed from them and Mr. Campbell. None were too aged, experienced, wise or learned to escape the pity of the most ignorant and illiterate young convert to Campbellism. The distinguished Dr. J. B. Jeter of Virginia gives some strik- ing illustrations of this trait, from his personal experience, of the period. In his admirable work, titled "Campbellism ex- amined," he relates the following incidents : "A girl of my ac- quaintance, still in her teens, quite illiterate, and possessing no uncommon genius, had been immersed for the remission of sins. On meeting her, I found that she had entered fully into the spirit of the reformation. I inquired of her, whether she was satisfied that her new views were correct. She replied, 'I can't be wrong-I follow the Book.' I answered, I acknowl- edge that the Bible is an infallible guide; 'but I am not quite certain that you are an infallible interpreter of it.' Our con- versation was continued for some time, and I could not, by any argument or appeal, extort from her the confession that she might possibly misinterpret the Scriptures. 'I follow the Book, and can't be deceived,' was her unchanged reply. I re- member a similar case. A Reformer invited me to his house for the ostensible purpose of seeing his sick wife, but for the real purpose, as it appeared, of affording me an opportunity of learning the principles of the Reformation. He could not read, but had a young daughter, who entered fully into his spirit and views. He called on her to read certain portions of Scripture he had selected for the occasion, and she complied with an air and manner which indicated how deeply she thought I was in- debted for her kindness. He then commenced an oration, to which I listened without reply, and without a smile, though I found it difficult to maintain my gravity, until, my edification having ceased, I abruptly took my leave."*
It was not possible to reason with the disciples of Mr. Campbell. They did not think it possible for them to be ir error. They were exceedingly anxious to dispute, not with
*Pp. 85, 86.
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the view of gaining any information themselves, but for the more benevolent purpose of enlightening, and converting to the truth, such as did not agree with their great teacher at Buffalo. Such expressions as, "I stand on the Bible," "I take the New Testament," "I am governed by the Word," and "I follow the Book," became more familiar than the most popular by- word. This confidence was not assumed; it was real. They had such confidence in Mr. Campbell's wisdom, that they did not deem it possible for him to err in leading, nor them to mistake in following. Their confidence was greatly emboldened by Mr. Campbell's ingenuity in identifying his teachings with those of the Bible in the apprehension of his followers, in such an adroit manner as to make them believe that they were fol- lowing the Bible instead of himself. Never was infatuation more complete.
About the first of March, 1826, Spencer Clack and George Waller commenced the publication, at Bloomfield, Kentucky, of a periodical, under the style of the " Baptist Register," the name of which was soon aftewards exchanged for that of the " Baptist Recorder.". The object of the publication seems to have been to expose the errors advocated by Alexander Camp- bell. Mr. Clack was an accomplished scholar and a ready writer. A corps of able correspondents contributed to the paper, among whom were R. B. Semple of Virginia, and S. M. Noel of Frankfort, Kentucky. We regret our failure to secure a single number of this publication. Its issue was continued about four years, when it was succeeded by the " Baptist Her- ald," afterwards called the " Baptist Chronicle," edited by Uriel B. Chambers, Esq., at Frankfort, Kentucky. These publica- tions doubtless accomplished much, by way of checking the progress of that system of doctrine which had already been des- ignated by the title of " Campbellism." But Mr. Campbell had already secured the ears of a class of hearers, numbering, in Kentucky, several thousands, who were too much infatuated by his teachings, to be reasoned with. Like the excited multi- tude at Ephesus, every attempt to get their attention called forth, in more vehement cries : " GREAT IS [Brother Campbell's interpretation of] THE BOOK !"
Despite all his efforts to stay the feverish excitement, Camp- bellism became a raging epidemic. The spirit of religious wor-
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ship was almost banished from the churches. Church meetings were scenes of bitter cavil about creeds, confessions of faith, and church constitutions ; the minister was constantly interrupted by impertinent questions and pointed contradictions, while preaching, and the old songs, sung so often, with joyous praise, for a whole generation, were made the butt of ridicule. Rude boys would call out to grave, old ministers, as they rode along the highway, such questions as, "when did the Holy Spirit strike you ?" " Did it enter into your heel ?" " Where did you 'get religion ?' " " Did you find it in the cracks of the meeting-house?" The social circle presented constant scenes of wrangling and heated controversy. The quiet, humble Chris- tian could find no rest from these afflicting tumults, except in the sanctity of his own home, and even that was frequently in- vaded by the advocates of reformation, who felt it their duty to lead their neighbors from darkness to light. Such a state of tumult and confusion could not be long endured. The "ortho- dox," as Mr. Campbell sneeringly called such as did not ac- cept his teaching, must either submit to the reformation, or sep- arate from the reformers.
The impending division was probably suspended by the prevalence of an extensive revival, which commenced, in Ken- tucky, in 1827, and continued three years. The revival greatly favored the reformation. In those portions of the State, where Campbellism was most prevalent, the additions were much the largest. In Elkhorn Association, where the Creaths, William. Morton and Jeremiah Vardeman were among the active labor- ers, more than 1, 600 were baptized in a single year. The Creaths and Morton had fully espoused Mr. Campbell's teaching, and Vardeman wavered so far that the Campbellites claimed, that he " baptized for the remission of sins," during this revival. It is known, however, that he continued to call on the penitent to come forward for prayer, whatever may have been his baptis- mal formula, and that he was shortly afterwards one of the firm est and most successful opposers af Campbellism, in Missouri, whither he moved, in 1830.
In Bracken Association, Walter Warder was the chief la borer, and baptized about 1,000 persons during the revival. He too, had been shaken by the storm from Buffalo. But, like Var deman, if he adopted any of Campbell's peculiar views, he soor
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rejected them again. In this small Association, over 1, 300 were baptized during the revival. In Tates Creek Association, a small fraternity, over 1,600, were baptized, mostly on the refor- mation principle. In North District, 1, 117 were baptized, mostly " for the remission of sins." John Smith, who boasted that, within a year, he had "Baptized 600 sinners and capsized 1, 500 Baptists," was the leading spirit in this, as well as Tates Creek Association. In Boones Creek Association, 973 were baptized, in Long Run, where Philip Fall, Zacheus Carpenter, and Ben- jamin Allen led the reformation, 1,678 were baptized, and 1, 395 were baptized within the bounds of Green River Association. There were baptized, in the whole State, during the revival, something over 15,000. The churches were greatly enlarged in numbers ; but almost proportionately weakened in moral power. It is to be feared, that a majority of those baptized dur- ing the revival, were not converted, in the Baptist definition of that term, especially in the northern and middle portions of the State.
During the progress of this revival, and while there was general confusion, approaching anarchy, in the churches, there was deeply felt the want of a better educated ministry; and a number of enterprising men in different parts of the State, re- solved to secure the establishment of a college, to be under the control of the Kentucky Baptists. Georgetown was selected for its location, and upon petition, the Legislature granted a charter, January 15, 1829, incorporating the following Board of Trustees:
Alva Woods, Thomas P. Dudley, Ryland T. Dillard, Silas M. Noel, W. H. Richardson, Jeremiah Vardeman, John Bryce, David Thurman, Gabriel Slaughter, Joel Scott, Peter Mason, Peter C. Buck, Jeptha Dudley, Benjamin Taylor, Geo. W. Nuckols, Benjamin Davis, William Johnson, Samuel Mckay, Thomas Smith, C. Vanbuskirk, James Ford, Guerdon Gates and Cyrus Wingate.
Rev. William Staughton, D.D., an eminently distinguished educator was elected the first president of the college, but died on his way to take charge of the young institution. After some delay, Dr. Joel S. Bacon was elected president, June 11, 1830. He struggled manfully with the embarrassments occasioned by the lack of funds, by suits and injunctions, and controversies
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over the management of the property, until forced to relinquish the effort, after some two years. From this time, till 1838, the college was without a president, and was little more than a high school. In October of the last named date, Rev. Rockwood Giddings accepted the presidency of the institution, and, with- in one year, raised for it a considerable endowment, much of which was lost by a financial crash that ensued. At the end of one year, Mr. Giddings died. He was succeeded in 1840. by Howard Malcom.
Up to this period, the trustees controlled no building, ex- cept a small house, erected for the use of the Rittenhouse Acad- emy, chartered by the Legislature, in 1798, and such other buildings as were rented, from time to time, for the use of the faculty and students. The funds of the college, up to the time of Mr. Giddings' election as president, consisted in $20,000, appropriated by Isaachar Pawling, to the establishment of aBap- tist eollege, and to which the institution owed its existence, $6,000, contributed by the the citizens of Georgetown for the purpose of securing the location of the college, and probably some other small donations.
On Mr. Malcom's accession to the presidency, the commo- dious buildings still in use, were erected with the funds secured by Mr. Giddings; and the college, for the first time had a full faculty and formed a regular system of classes. Mr. Malcom presided over the institution ten years, during which it had a regular course of prosperity.
In 1850, he resigned his position, and was succeeded by J. L. Reynolds, D. D., of South Carolina, who presided two years, and gave place to Duncan R. Campbell, L.L.D. Dr. Camp- bell was a man of eminent abilities and excellent judgment. He was successful, not only in keeping up full classes in the insti- tution, but also in securing a considerable endowment fund for it. He died suddenly, in 1865, in the full vigor of manhood. He was immediately succeeded by N. M. Crawford, D.D., of Georgia, who presided till 1871, when he was succeeded by Basil Manley, Jr. D.D., of South Carolina. Dr. Manley occupied the presidency about eight years, when he resigned to accept a professorship in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was succeeded by Richard M. Dudley, D.D., a native of Kentucky, and a descendant of the famous old pioneer preacher
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Ambrose Dudley. Under his administration the college has been more prosperous than during any previous period since the beginning of the Great Civil War, and the friends of the in- stitution entertain confident hopes, that under his management it will continue to occupy the front rank among the literary in- stitutions of the Mississippi Valley.
In an address delivered at its fiftieth anniversary, June 31, 1879, Dr. Manly says: "The history of the college has never been written, but its influence has been engraven in imperisha- ble characters on men that have moved men, especially in the Baptist denomination in Kentucky, and in much of the Western country. More than 2,000 students (and more than 200 of these were ministers) have attended in its halls, and received the moulding influence of its instructions."
ISSACHAR PAWLING is a name that ought to be held in grate- ful remembrance, by the Baptists of Kentucky. He was a na- tive of New Jersey, where he was born, October 19, 1757. In early life, he emigrated to Kentucky, and settled in the Blue Grass region, where he acquired a considerable fortune. When the subject of erecting a Baptist College, in Kentucky was agi- tated, and a Board of Trustees was incorporated for the pur- pose of effecting this object, Mr. Pawling placed at its disposal $20,000, with a view to aid young men in procuring an educa- tion for the gospel ministry. A large boarding hall, bearing his name, was erected on the college ground, at Georgetown, by means of which cheap board is offered to students preparing for the ministry. He was for many years, a pious and devoted member of the Baptist church. He died of paralysis, at the res- idence of Thomas Dawnton, in Mercer county, April 5, 1832. In an obituary notice written by U. B. Chambers, editor of the Baptist Chronicle, he is justly denominated, the "original found- er of Georgetown College."
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