their importunity, to take any mea- | Baptist church, and to sell them the next sures on the subject. by public sale, or otherwise, to the highest bidder, as they do the horse, the ox, or the ass; tearing asunder those whom God hath joined together.' This is the Campbellite's obedience to the gospel-with vengeance. From such apostolic commiscialism, we earnestly say, Good Lord desion and gospel obedience, as well as Soliver us. Perth, 17th August, 1847. J. W. J. Jeffers Wilson, Printer." On which Mr. Robertson desired to know if I would lecture on the subject. I replied the gospel and the church, and neither slavery nor abolition, occupied my mind, and filled up the objects of my mission. On being farther pressed, I added, that although I cared not if all Scotland knew my opinions on the subject, my published appointments would not give me a single day, till late in September, for any purpose, unless by changing the subjects already announced for Edinburgh, which I could not, as yet advised, with propriety change to a lecture on American slavery or on Scotch anti-slavery. On which, after bidding me an apparently friendly adieu, the gentlemen departed. But a few hours afterwards the following placard was posted in every prominent corner, and at every centre of rendezvous in Edinburgh, in capitals so gigantic that a man on horseback might read it as he passed along : Citizens of Edinburgh-Beware! beware! The Rev. Alexander Campbell, of Virginia, U.S. of America, has been a slaveholder himself, and is still the de fender of man-stealers." Not having with me here a copy of the placard, I am sorry that I cannot transcribe it. But that you may have an idea of the spirit and character of the party that issued this one, and that filled all Scotland with them at every point we visited, I will give you a full copy of one that I happen to have before me. Their common heading was-"People of Scotland beware! Mr. Alexander Campbell and his colleague, Mr. Henshall, from Virginia, U.S. are at present lecturing throughout Scotland on Christian Union." Here follows one posted up at Perth: "American Theology. Lectures. Apos tolic Commission. The obedience of the gospel, or how to baptize a family the one day into the fellowship of the American Some even went further than this. At Paisley and Glasgow they were so violent as to be actionable in law. I was announced in a Paisley paper, without any qualification, as a manstealer"-"beware of the man-stealer" and in terms as gross and disreputable at Glasgow. 66 But to return to Edinburgh. Before the first placard appeared in Edinburgh, I had delivered three public discourses-two of them in the Waterloo Rooms, as before stated. One lady had signified to me a desire to be baptized. On the evening of the 11th August, the placard to the contrary notwithstanding, I found, on entering the rooms, a large audience in waiting. On rising, of course I adverted to the placard informing the audience that in addition to what they had seen and heard, I had also received from the Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society a challenge to discuss with him my position to American slavery, after he had particularly inquired and understood from myself, my whole list of appointments, times, and places; and, therefore, he knew, before he wrote it, that I could not possibly accept it at this time. I I then stated to the audience that was both misrepresented and calumniated in the placard-that it was grossly false, and I feared malicious; but that I would presume so much upon their candour and impartiality as to proceed with my lecture for the evening, promising them, on Friday evening, a full view of my position on American slavery, and also that I would read to them on that evening Rev. James Robertson's challenge and my response to it. Without fur T ther notice of the subject I proceeded ble of such uncandid, ungenerous, to my lecture, and enjoyed a respectable attention to its close. The brethren, fearing a riotous meeting on Friday evening, resolved to demand sixpence admission, which after defraying expenses of the room, was to be given to the Royal Infirmary. My debates with Owen and Bishop Purcell having been much read in Scotland, many of the Socialists or Owenites, with some Catholics, were not very kindly disposed to favor my person or my views on any subject; and as now-a-days Edinburgh has become somewhat distinguished for tumultuous meetings, it was thought expedient to prevent a certain class of auditors from too easy and cheap access on that evening. At the appointed hour I appeared before a crowded auditory in the Waterloo Rooms, with my documents -among which were the two placards printed by the Anti-slavery Society, the aforesaid Rev. James Robertson, the Christian Baptist, the Millennial Harbinger for 1845, containing the discussion between Dr. Wayland for the American abolitionists, and Dr. Fuller, of South Carolina, in response; my Bible, two letters from Mr. Robertson, with my responses to them. I commenced with a narrative of my manner of life since I left Scotland to this day, and with the statement of my present mission, noticing my position, first to Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, and the present Reformation. I also noticed the opposition and calumny to which I had been subjected in the New World, the progress of the controversy there, and its present position; declaring that in all my efforts, from the Atlantic cities to the Indian territory, from Vermont to Georgia, I had never been more rudely, more violently, and more truthlessly assailed and calumniated than I had been within the present week, in this metropolis of Scotland, the last place on earth that I would or could have thought capa and discourteous proceedings. Nay, I might say I never was so maltreated, so outrageously calumniated, as in this city by its Anti-slavery Society. I then showed the Edinburgh placards, read them, and commented on them. I next read Mr. Robertson's challenge and my response, his second letter and my response. On these, also, I made some passing remarks, alluding also to his manner of placarding his letters to me before I had time to answer them-having employed a man to walk through the streets of Edinburgh between two boards, one on his back and one on his breast. On his back, Beware! beware!! of A. Campbell-on his breast Rev. James Robertson's challenge to A. Campbell, of Bethany College. This was not enough: he had him, or a second one, standing between two boards at the entrance to the Waterloo-hall, showing to every one as he entered, the courage and orthodoxy of this Reverend Secretary of the Anti-slavery Society. I next proceeded to inform my auditory that the United States could not abolish slavery in a single state of the Union. England and Scotland always speak of American slavery as if it were a constitutional or a national affair, which a simple congressional majority could any day abolish. I gave a history of the institution—the position of the several estates to it, and spoke of Virginia and her views, as indicated in the last convention, with her present views and prospects. I also spoke of Maryland, Delaware, and Kentucky, as well as of the free states, and of their views and feelings as I could judge on the premises. I went at some length into the various hindrances and difficulties in the way of those disposed to emancipate, especially the opposition shown to free persons of color in free states, developed in the treatment of the late Mr. Randolph's slaves, &c. I then proceeded to my own posi tion to American slavery, declaring | litical, English and American, I could that I never approved of, nor defended not legislate on the subject beyond the any system of slavery, ancient or mo- passages of scripture which I read— dern, Anglican or American-that viz. 1 Cor. vii. 22, xii. 13; Gal. iii. in the statute books of all slave states 28, iv. 22-30; Eph. vi. 5-8 ; Col. iii. there were sundry laws and enact- 11-22; 1 Tim. vi. 1-3; Titus ii. 9; ments that no Christian man could Philemon 16th verse. On these I sanction or practice: alleging, also, commented at some length, opening that no Christian man in America and alleging that Paul enjoined conwas either obliged to approve them or tinuance in the relation, except a bond to put them into practice in his own servant had it in his power to be case. I had myself emancipated seve- emancipated, and in that case he ral slaves that came into my pos- might prefer it. He also commanded session, had bought others with a obedience to all masters, especially reference to their emancipation, and to Christian masters, enjoining upon had emancipated them, and for seve-masters the duty of paying to their ral years had not had any property in any human being except in my wife and children. I also gave a summary of Dr. Way servants what is just and equal to the value of their labour, knowing that in heaven there was a master to whom they should all account. With regard to those without the church, as Christian men, we have nothing to do. I believe that it would be much more advantageous to masters than to most slaves that emancipation was practicable, and that in all grain growing states slavery was an incubus on their industry, and a great state misfortune, and that I would give my vote for its final abolition; but I must dissent wholly from the ground taken by the Scotch Anti-slavery Society, as from that assumed by many abolitionists. land's and Dr. Fuller's debate on slavery, my own views of their respective merits, and the grounds on which they closed that controversy. I then took up the Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian enactments on the subject, and showed that no man had ever been enjoined on pain of excommunication to emancipate his slaves demonstrating from the last precept of the Decalogue, and from the first precept of the Jewish civil code, that the Lord did recognize and sanction, in certain cases, that one man might Such were my views, and I feared have property in another man as his not to avow them; but I came not bond servant, both for a term of to Scotland to open my mouth upon years, even though he was his own such questions, and regretted, exnatural and religious brother, and tremely regretted, the means taken that he might own an alien for life. to elicit my opinions on the subject. So decreed the Apostles also, and, I farther said that I did not believe therefore, no one church or individual the question was now mooted in Edcould, with any show of divine autho-inburgh out of humanity, or from rity, make it sinful to hold property in man or enact it into a term of communion, provided only that the duties due to a Christian or Pagan servant were duly and faithfully performed. Christianity regulated, but did not annihilate the relation of master and bond servant; and that although was constitutionally, politically, economically, and morally opposed to all forms of slavery, ecclesiastic and po I sympathy with the slave, but from hostility to my views of reformation, and of the present condition of Christianity in Great Britain, by those who were unable to oppose them, and therefore agitated this question rather to turn away the ears of the people from listening to me than to profit African or any other slaves in Europe or America. Such, in substance, were my re Mr. Robertsou had the recklessness of what was due to truth and to himself to stand up and deny that he invited me to lecture one evening on the subject; so oppressed with the occasion, pale and ghastly, and in great perturbation of mind, he seemed to forget alike the decencies of social life, and what he himself had positively and repeatedly said to me. But indeed, the whole display on the part of the anti slavery society was more mobocratic than philosophical, more tumultuous than sedate, more fanatical than rational, more rude and violent than polished or humane; alike disgraceful in the superlative degree to the age and to the city in which such scenes were enacted: more like a French Jacobin or revolutionary tribunal, than a cool, deliberative, and candid people. marks, and such were the documents half of the only evening I had to spend produced and commented on during in this city! a discussion of some two hours, often interrupted with every sort of feeling and expression of feeling-hisses, cheers, groans, clapping of hands, questions, objections, inquiries, and long-continued commotions of mingled feeling, some crying "hear, hear," others " no, no," &c. evidently having a decided majority against my views at times, but always a much more respectable minority than I had antici- | pated. I gave in proof that ecclesiastical intrigue more than anti-slavery conscientiousness or sympathy was now predominating :-the fact that other men, such as Dr. Beecher, and sundry members of the Alliance Evangelical were allowed to preach here without interruption, although differing nothing in theory or practice from myself. Some one muttered that Dr. Beecher and some other person were called to explain their views in some other places, if not in Edinburgh. But were they placarded in advance? This had not been so done. On several occasions during the evening, so excited was the assembly, so clamorous and so noisy, that I was obliged to eulogize their new logic, their new mode of proving a proposition by three claps of the hand and one of the feet, and of disproving what they did not like by three logical hisses and one rhetorical groan, instead of the old-fashioned way of offering the evidence of reason, the force of argument, or the energy of truth, in support of their position or in opposition to mine. By such means I was enabled to protract my discourse, through numerous interruptions, with perfect composure, till after ten o'clock Meantime Mr. Robertson and his friend Mr. Kennedy, and other brethren of that connection, using their feet, eyes, and hands to keep alive the anti-slavery spirit, while some of them were crying for Mr. Robertson to speak, even before I got through, annoyed me no little. I was obliged to say that it was rather strange that after all the means taken to publish and placard my alleged pro-slavery views--after all the pressing importunities that I should deliver one lecture when my strength lagging and their on my position to American slavery-passions rising, some cried one thing that the gentleman himself who requested me, would not allow me one evening without interruption, to develope my views before an audience to which he had invited me, and which himself and others were continually haranguing on the subject-appeal to the press. To the press, that they could not trust them to me said I-the press is just what I want one night, but must demand half the to that I am always ready to appeal time allotted to a single lecture, even when a proper antagonist appears. and some another; some saying I was speaking against time, others invoking Mr. Robertson. I made a pause, Robertson arose, and with much gesticulation said that since time had been denied him, he would the Mosaic dispensation was delivered upon Mount Sinai, in commemoration of which the Feast of Pentecost was kept. This law of the Christian dispensation was delivered when this feast had fully come, and embodies the Christian institution in a preceptive form. Secondly. It was delivered in answer to a most solemn question, involuntarily propounded by thousands, under the influence of such sensible displays of the divine presence as had never before been seen since the creation of the world. It should be re The concourse being in great commotion, much like one at Ephesus, I gathered up my documents, when myself and friends beginning to move, the congregation broke up in much disorder. And here I must bid you good night, referring you to my next letter, accompanying this, made up of documents printed in the Christian Messenger for this month. These documents are my correspondence with Mr. Robertson, read in Edinburgh during my lecture; also a letter from me, afterwards written from Dundee, addressed to the Editor of the Edinburgh Weekly Journal, giv-membered that these thousands were ing a succinct view of my position, and indicating a challenge from me to the Scottish Anti-Slavery Society to select their man, and I would meet him, either orally or in writing, on the Bible alone, and seek to sustain all my allegata. Your affectionate father, IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. DEAR SIR-From your repeated kindness to me, I am free to ask you the following question, being well assured you will give me a full, definite, and candid answer :-Why do you, as a religious people, give so much prominence to the 38th verse of the 2nd chapter of Acts? Q. of the most devout and pious out of every nation under heaven-the best representatives of the living world. Thirdly. It was delivered by a person, Peter, to whom the Lord Jesus Christ had committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven, sustained by the presence and countenance of all the Apostles, to whom, just before, the Lord had given the charge of converting the world-of "binding and loosing, of remitting and retaining sins." Fourthly. It was delivered in perfect accordance with the arrangement of the Lord Jesus Christ, who with reference to this very occasion had said, "Repentance and remission of sins shall be preached in my name, beginning at Jerusalem." I cannot, dear Sir, pretend to give Fifthly. It was delivered in acthe answer why others of my fellow-cordance with the appointment of laborers have attached such import- God himself, as revealed by the Proance to the passage you refer to; but phets Isaiah, Joel, and Micah; and I will give you, in brief, seven reasons is, therefore, the law of the Lord why I so frequently refer to it when which he promised should go forth attempting to preach the gospel of from Jerusalem. Jesus Christ. First. It was delivered on the day of Pentecost, the last under the old dispensation-a feast which was kept as an anniversary of the giving of the law, and may, therefore, be regarded as the new law of the new Lawgiver, Jesus Christ, made known according to the typical indications of the preceding economy. The law of Sixthly. It is the first precept promulged upon the earth after the descent of the Comforter, which Christ had declared would lead into all truth. Seventh.-It is the first command promulged upon earth after Jesus Christ had taken his seat as Prince and Saviour, on the throne of God. You will allow me to add that it |