CONCLUDED TO GO TO ST. LOUIS--COMMENCED THE GOLDEN ERA--ASSOCIATION
IN CRAWFORDSVILLE--DEBATE IN DAYTON--MAN IN GOD’S IMAGE--GOD THE
FATHER OF ALL--MAN IMMORTAL--MAN A SPIRIT--HIGH WATERS--IN ST.
LOUIS--WHY MOVED TO ST. LOUIS--BUT FEW FRIENDS--FIRST JOURNEY IN
MISSOURI--WET, HUNGRY, OUT IN THE COLD--IN TROY--IN ASHLY--FOUR
BROTHERS--IN LOUISIANA--OPPOSITION IN LONDON--IN HANNIBAL--GOOD
FRIENDS--QUESTIONED IN PALMYRA ABOUT SLAVERY--CONVERSATION
ON JUDGMENT--IN MEMPHIS--QUESTIONED--A PRESBYTERIAN PREACHER
REPLIED--WAS TO DEBATE IN NEWARK--COVERED WITH ICE--MISSOURI
RIVER--DISCUSSION IN GEORGETOWN--IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI--QUESTIONED IN
WARSAW--IN JEFFERSON CITY--HARD WORK IN DANVILLE--RETURNED TO ST.
LOUIS.
Having disposed of the paper I had published for several years,
I resolved to move to St. Louis, and establish one in that city.
Accordingly, in the fall of 1850, I went to St. Louis and issued the
first number of a magazine of twenty-four pages, called the _Golden
Era_. I proposed publishing it monthly, at one dollar per year.
Returning to Indianapolis, I remained there till the succeeding spring,
and then left that place for the new home on the banks of the “Father
of Waters.” We, that is, Mrs. Manford, baby Mae, and self, with horse
and carriage, proceeded to Crawfordsville, Ind., where we attended the
annual meeting of the Upper Wabash Association. Dr. I. D. Williamson
was present, and all were much edified with two or three excellent
discourses by that gifted clergyman. Josiah Davis was then residing and
preaching in Crawfordsville. For many years he was a prominent minister
of the United Brethren Church; but his faith had gradually enlarged,
and for three years previous to this date, he had been an ardent
defender of the doctrines of the Restitution.
Proceeded to Dayton, and there spent four days in discussion with Mr.
Russell--the same man I had previously debated with in Park county.
One of his propositions affirmed that the “wicked will be destroyed,”
and by that he meant, _annihilated_, soul and body. “Man,” he said,
“by nature is all mortal; and immortality is only conferred in the
resurrection on those who are regenerated in this world.” I combatted
this materialistic position thus:
As I read the Bible, man is a child of God, created in his image, and
is therefore a spirit, endowed with an immortal nature. The account we
have of the creation of our race runs thus: “And God said, Let us make
man in our _image_, after our _likeness_.... So God created man in his
own _image_, in the _image_ of God created he him.” Gen. i. 26, 27. “In
the day that God created man, in the _likeness_ of God made he him.”
Gen. v. 1. It is also said, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall
his blood be shed; for in the _image_ of God made he man.” Gen. ix. 6.
In the first book of the Bible, then, it is repeated four times, that
man was created in the image of God. Some tell us, that image was lost
in Adam, and that all his posterity have been created in the _image_
of the infernal, but this is not the theology of the New Testament.
The apostle Paul says, “Forasmuch as man IS the _image_ and _glory_
of God.” 1 Cor. ii. 7. And another apostle testifies to the same,
“Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men,
which ARE _made_ in the _similitude_ (or image) of God.” James iii. 9.
We may then safely affirm, that mankind from the morning of creation
to the present time, have been created in the _image_ and _glory_ of
God. The fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the
forest, were all created--but not in the image of God. Man only is thus
distinguished.
The record cannot mean, that the _body_ is in the image of God, for
God is a spirit. The body rather is in the image of the _earthy_. “And
as we have borne the image of the _earthy_.” 1 Cor. xv. 49. But the
body is not the whole of man. There is a thinking, reasoning, willing,
propelling power within this physical organism. It is designated by
various names in the Bible. It is called a “spirit,” the “inward man,”
“the mind.” It is doubtless this inward man that is created in the
image and glory of God.
As we have seen, the apostle asserts, that the outer man, the body,
is in the image of the earthy. What does he mean? Doubtless that all
the elements, laws, forces, of the physical universe are represented,
imaged in man’s physical form; hence, wise men in ancient and modern
times have regarded man physically as an epitome, microcosm of the
outer universe. It is then the _inward man_, the _spirit_, that is in
the image and glory of God, and consequently all the elements of the
Great Spirit are represented, imaged in man’s spiritual organism, but
in a finite degree. God is a spirit, an immortal spirit, a being of
infinite wisdom, love and power. Man’s spirit being in his image, and
partaking of his glory, must possess all these qualities, but in a
finite degree. He is a finite spirit, a spark from the central sun, and
partakes of the immortality, wisdom, love and power of God.
The objector has said, “I know man has a body for I see it; but I
do not see the spirit you talk about, and cannot believe it has an
existence.” Do you not see that this statement lands you in Atheism?
You believe there is a physical universe for you can see it, or at
least, part of it. But you cannot see God, therefore, according to
your reasoning, there is no God. The apostle Paul did not reason in
this unphilosophical manner. He said, “The things that are _seen_ are
_temporal_; the things that are _unseen_ are _eternal_.” As God is an
invisible spirit, and the inward man is in his image, of course it
must be invisible to mortal eyes.
The truth is, all the controlling forces of the universe are as
invisible to our material vision, as are God and the spirits which are
in his image. The laws of gravity, of repulsion, of cohesion, are all
invisible; but they are at work in all things, from a pebble to the
sun. We cannot see them, but we experience their effects every moment
of our existence. We cannot see electricity, but we behold it rend the
mountain oak, and melt the hardest metal; we cannot see the atmosphere,
but we behold it prostrate the forest, and dash to atoms the work of
man; we cannot see steam, but we see its effect--it drives the heavy
train on its iron track, and propels the giant ship across the ocean
against wind and tide. So we cannot see God, only as we behold him in
all his works.
“God hath a being, and that we may see
In the fold of the flower, the leaf of the tree;
In the sun of the noon-day, the star of the night,
In the storm-cloud of darkness, the rainbow of light,
In the waves of the ocean, the furrow of land,
In the mountain of granite, the atom of sand;
Turn where we may, from the sky to the sod,
Where can we gaze that we see not a God?”
We cannot see the spirit that inhabits this mortal body, but we can
behold its work. It builds up and controls the body; gives strength to
the muscles, vigor to the hand, brightness to the eye, manliness to the
form, and genius to the brain. It constructs our railroads, steamships,
and performs all the works of art. It employs human bone and muscle;
but they are only its servants; the indwelling spirit plans all,
executes all. What the spirit is to the body, God is to the universe. I
can as easily comprehend the Great Spirit as I can my own spirit; I can
as easily understand how God can be present in the whole universe, as
I can understand how my spirit can be present in the whole body. Take
the spirit from the body and the body dies; take God from the universe
and the universe would die--become an immense corpse. When we know our
spirit, we know God; when we know our body, we have a philosophy of
the universe. Man, then, is godlike in his nature; he is a spirit, has
the attributes of a spirit, one of which is _immortality_. If God is
immortal, man is, as he is in the image of God. I see no way to avoid
the conclusion, if the premise is admitted, and if we deny that, we
discard the plain teachings of the Bible.
What has been said concerning man being in his nature in the divine
image, is confirmed by the scriptural testimony, that God is the
_Father_ of mankind. “Have we not all one Father?” Mal. ii. 10. “For
to us there is but one God the Father.” 1 Cor. viii. 6. “One God and
Father of all.” Eph. iv. 6. Jesus instructs us to pray, “Our Father who
art in heaven.” “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh.” Num. xvi.
22. This is repeated (Num. xxvii. 16) and the apostle Paul (Heb. xii.
9) quoting it substitutes “_Father_ of spirits” for “God of spirits.”
As God is the Father of mankind, we are his children--his offspring,
hence the declaration, “Inasmuch as we are the offspring of God.” Acts
xvii. 29. Children always partake of the nature of their parents.
As God is the “Father of spirits,” we must partake of his spiritual
nature--be in his immortal image. This body is of mother-earth and
partakes of earth’s perishable nature; the spirit is of Father-God, and
partakes of his immortal nature. And when death severs the connecting
link between body and spirit, the earthy returns to the earth whence it
came, and the spirit to God whence it came.
If these premises are correct--if the spirit of man is in the image of
God, if God is the “Father of spirits,” it follows that man, with other
rich endowments, is blessed with an immortal nature, and Mr. Russell’s
position, that man is _all_ mortal is incorrect. This heaven-endowed
spirit is often spoken of in the Bible. When man was created, it is
said that God breathed into his body, and he became a “_living soul_.”
We are also told that he formeth the _spirit_ of man within him; (Zech.
xii. 1) that “the body without the _spirit_ is dead.” We read of “the
_spirits_ in prison;” Jesus on the cross gave up his _spirit_ to God,
committed his _spirit_ to God; when he appeared to his disciples they
thought they saw a _spirit_; but he told them that a _spirit_ hath
neither flesh nor bones. We are informed that the Sadducees believed
in neither angels nor _spirits_, but the Pharisees believed in both;
and when the latter heard the apostle Paul say, that the risen Christ
had appeared to him, they said, if a _spirit_ had appeared to him, they
ought not to fight against God.
From all this testimony, we learn that God is the Father of mankind,
and that consequently we partake of his nature--are created in his
image; and as God is a spirit, man is a spirit; as God is immortal, man
is immortal. Man’s _moral character_ may or may not be godlike, in the
divine image. The Christian only is said to be in God’s _moral_ image,
to be a partaker of the divine character; but it is the _nature_ of
man I speak of at this time, not his moral character. Children always
are of the _nature_ of their parents, but their _moral character_ may
be very different. So mankind, being the children of God, partake of
his divine nature, but their moral character may be ungodly. And it is
the purpose of heaven that man’s nature shall unfold till his moral
character shall be in harmony with the divine as his nature now is.
Corrupt as may be man’s moral character, he still retains the image
and glory of God his Father in his soul, but in various degrees of
distinctness. Some, by the great apostle, are compared to the sun,
others to the moon, and others still to the stars, (1 Cor. xv.) and we
are taught by the wise man that this divine glory will grow “brighter
and brighter to the perfect day.”
From Dayton I proceeded to Joliet, Ill., about one hundred and forty
miles distant. There had recently been heavy rains, and the bridges
on the Illinois’ rivers were nearly all swept away or much damaged,
and I had to swim my horse across the streams, or repair the broken
bridges to get my precious charge over the turbulent waters. We had
some dangerous passes through the streams, and over the frail bridges
I had repaired. In pulling the carriage over one bridge I came within
an hair’s breadth of being pushed into the creek, and the buggy falling
on me. The flood of this year was not quite equal to the flood of 1844,
spoken of in a previous chapter, but it probably did more damage,
as the country was more improved. When I reached Alton, some of its
streets were navigable for skiffs, and the levee at St. Louis was all
submerged. But after much hard traveling and toiling we made Joliet;
and from thence I went to St. Louis alone, leaving Mrs. Manford to
spend the summer with her sisters in Joliet and Lockport.
St. Louis at that time contained eighty thousand inhabitants, and was
rapidly increasing in population, in business, and in wealth. At the
present time it contains two hundred and ten thousand inhabitants--an
immense increase in fifteen years. It is built on the west bank of the
Mississippi river, eighteen miles below the junction of the Missouri
river with the “Father of Waters.” The ground on which this noble
city stands, is high and rolling, its streets are well paved, and the
buildings generally are of a substantial character, being mostly of
brick. Its beautiful site, its central location, its sixteen hundred
miles of river navigation, its railroads extended or being extended in
all directions, the vast agricultural region of which it is the center,
the immense mineral and coal fields at its door--these advantages all
combined must ultimately make St. Louis one of the largest cities of
the world.
Several spasmodic efforts had been made to establish a Universalist
society in St. Louis. J. Libbey, G. T. Flanders, N. M. Gaylord had
preached there, but for two or three years previous to my removal to
St. Louis all effort in that direction had been abandoned. I lectured
in the city occasionally; a society was organized, and the next year G.
S. Weaver from Ohio became pastor of the society.
I had moved to St. Louis to publish a paper there, and to travel and
preach in Missouri and in the neighboring states. An immense field
was before me, a vast amount of labor was to be performed, and I
went to work with a resolute heart. In all Southern Illinois we had
not a minister, a meeting-house, nor a society, and, of course, our
friends were few and unknown. It was the same in Missouri, with two
or three exceptions. There were a society and preacher just emerging
from Dunkardism, in the southern part of the state. In Troy we had a
meeting-house, but the society was dead. In the southwest part of the
state L. C. Marvin had labored some, but then he was not residing in
Missouri.
Leaving Mrs. Manford in charge of the paper, in September I commenced
a long and laborious journey through Missouri, among entire strangers,
expecting to be absent three months. Crossed the Mississippi river at
Alton, four miles above where the Missouri flows into it, to go to
Cottleville, thirty miles distant, where I had my first appointment.
The rain poured down in torrents nearly the whole day, and to add to
my troubles I got lost in the woods and swamps at the junction of the
two rivers. Regaining the road, I traveled till dark, and finding that
I could not reach Cottleville that night, made application at a dozen
houses for lodging, but all said, “No; we are full.” The night being
intensely dark, the rain falling fast, and the roads in a horrible
condition and unknown to me, I resolved to go no farther. Stopped at
a house, called the man thereof to the door, and solicited a resting
place till morning. “We have no room; they will keep you at the next
house.”
“What are you in this country?--heathens? At ten or fifteen places I
have been refused admittance, each telling your story, that I could
be accommodated at the next house. Whether you take me in or not, I
shall go no farther till morning. I am wet, and cold, and tired. It is
so dark I cannot see my horse, the road is nearly impassable, and I
am a stranger in the country; I know no one, and no one knows me. If
you will not shelter me in your house, I will sit under this tree till
morning, for I am determined to proceed no farther to-night.”
“Oh, well,” said he, “come in, come in; we will do the best we can for
you.”
Arrived at Cottleville the next morning, and spoke to the people in
the evening. The next day proceeded to Troy, and on the succeeding day
delivered three discourses. Found a respectable number of friends there
and in the vicinity, and obtained forty subscribers for the _Golden
Era_. As elsewhere remarked, N. Wadsworth resided and preached in Troy
a year or two previous to his death, and I found many who blessed his
memory for the beautiful truths he had taught them. Have frequently
spoken in this place since that first visit, and have some highly
esteemed friends there. Mrs. Manford often retreated to it from the
scorching sun of St. Louis.
Lectured in Prairieville, Louisville, and then proceeded to Ashley,
where I spoke several times. There were four brothers by the name of
Hendricks residing near this village--all elderly men, of considerable
wealth, and had long been citizens of the county. If the world were
composed of men of the sterling worth of those brothers, there should
be no need of “camp or court.” It has been my sad duty to perform the
funeral service for two of those brothers, and for the wife of one of
the survivors. “Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord,” and the
living who make virtue their choice. Lectured in Bowling Green, and
then in Louisiana, a beautiful town on the Mississippi river. W. K.
Kennedy, a noble man, and ever my steadfast friend, resided in this
place. He served his country through the great rebellion, and soon
after he returned home was murdered, as is supposed, on the Mississippi
river.
Preached in Frankfort, and passed on to London. As soon as it became
known I was to lecture in London, a man went post haste to Hannibal,
nine miles distant, and brought out a preacher to reply. The moment
I was through he opened on me pell mell, without regard to sense
or syntax. He evidently believed it was thunder that killed, not
lightning. He knew nothing about the liberal faith, but thought he had
perfect knowledge of it. In noticing his noisy harangue, I cut him
right and left, and he very considerably “subsided.” Drove to Hannibal
and lectured four times. Have often preached in that place, and have
some dear friends there. The Browns, the Westfalls, and others, I shall
esteem as long as this heart beats. The latter have a charming home on
the bluff overlooking the Mississippi river, embowered in trees, vines
and shrubbery. All the fruits of this latitude grow to perfection and
in wonderful profusion on their grounds. There are the apple, pear,
cherry--the best varieties--plum, peach, grape, and berries of all
kinds. It is, especially, a delightful summer home, and Mrs. Manford
frequently fled to it from the melting sun of St. Louis.
A certain doctor of Hannibal published some very coarse and false
articles in a St. Louis paper about Universalism: and I replied to him
in such a manner that he armed himself to shoot me when I was in the
town to fulfill an appointment, but his friends kept him from me till
I had left, and he had cooled off. I knew nothing of the wrath of this
second Achilles till I returned to Hannibal a month after. I was not
blameless, but hardly merited being shot.
Lectured in Palmyra, in the Court-House full of men--one woman only
being present. A preacher said he had one or two questions to ask.
“State your questions and I will try to answer them.”
“Are you from the East?”
“I have the honor of being a son of old Massachusetts.”
“Are you an abolitionist?”
“Yes, sir; I believe in the abolition of the devil and all his works.”
“That is not what I mean. Are you a political abolitionist?”
“I think every wrong in politics should be abolished, and finally will
be.”
“But are you for abolishing slavery in Missouri, and the other Southern
states?”
“I believe negro slavery to be wrong in morals and in politics, and a
curse to the white man and the black man; but it is sustained by the
laws of the land, I do not expect to do anything unlawful against it.
But what is your object in questioning me in this public manner?”
“I wanted to know your sentiments.”
“You have them on slavery; and now I will give them concerning
yourself. My opinion of you is, that you are a very meddlesome and
officious fellow.”
Although, probably, nearly all present were intensely proslavery, for
Palmyra was always strong in that direction, they generally condemned
the preacher for his impertinence, and treated me kindly. I journeyed
to Tully and lectured several times. Had the following conversation
with a church member:
“You told us last evening, that the common theory of a judgment day, at
the end of time, was a delusion. The Scriptures certainly teach what
you were pleased to term a delusion.”
“Do you think that God judges in the earth?”
“I do. We are in his presence every moment of our earth-life, and he
judges between the good and the bad; the righteous are exalted, and
the wicked are debased. The Bible expressly says, ‘There is a God who
judgeth in the earth.’”
“Very good. You also contend, that at death we are sent to heaven or
hell. Of course this is not done till we are judged. Civil tribunals do
not hang a man and then judge him. He is judged first. The Divine Judge
surely does not consign any to hell without a previous judgment. I have
heard ministers of your faith at funerals tell the mourners, that the
departed have gone to the bar of God to give an account of the deeds
done in the body, and that justice will be meted out to them. Do you
believe that we go at death to the bar of God?”
“That is a solemn truth, and we should have that judgment in all our
thoughts from the cradle to the grave.”
“You think, I suppose, that there is to be a judgment day at the end of
the world.”
“I certainly do; and that is what I understood you to deny.”
“According to your theology God will judge the world three times. 1.
All are judged in this world, you assert. 2. All are judged at death.
3. All will be judged at the end of the world. Here are three distinct
judgments. I, on the other hand, contend, that God judges us but once,
and that will continue as long as we live. His law is stamped on the
soul, and our eternal life will only increase its impression, its
vividness, and by that immutable law, ingrained in the soul, we are now
judged, and ever will be judged. If our character is in harmony with
that law, peace, bliss, heaven is our portion. If we are disloyal to
that law, we are crushed on the iron track. And what is true now ever
will be true--obedience ever will lead to heaven, and disobedience to
hell. Instead of their being three judgments, there is only _one_; and
instead of three seasons of judgment, the true judgment is eternal. I
believe, then, in an everlasting and universal judgment.”
“I should like to hear a discourse on that kind of a judgment, for it
is a new idea to me.”
“I will deliver a discourse on that subject this evening.”
Traveled to Memphis, where I spoke six times. Delivered a discourse on
the occasion of the death of C. S. Webber, who had departed this life
about one year previous. He was from Ohio, and had labored in Missouri
two years. The good cause lost an active and efficient laborer in
his death. He was untiring in his efforts, and it was his delight to
proclaim the unsearchable riches of heaven. At a subsequent visit to
this place, a clergyman arose in the congregation, and propounded some
thirty or forty questions, which he had written for the occasion, and
desired me to answer them, which I did as I best could.
“You teach that punishment is designed to reform the sinner. What
evidence is there that you are correct?”
“Every sorrow, every pain, resulting from transgression, is a voice of
God telling the offender that he has done wrong, has violated a law of
the Creator, and is on the open road to ruin, and urges him to retrace
his steps. It is a thunder-clap from the Almighty, reverberating
through the soul and body of the transgressor, telling him of his
prodigality, warning him to flee from the wrath to come, and begging
him to return to truth and duty. Pain is as clearly and as certainly
the voice of God condemning vice, and urging the offender to abandon
the forbidden path, and walk in virtue’s ways, as any word ever spoken
by a living prophet. It is God speaking directly to man, face to face.
“Happiness also being the natural and sure result of virtue, is a
divine approbation of the christian life; it is the voice of God
sanctioning virtue and encouraging the good man in righteousness. And
this approbation of virtue, and condemnation of vice, is a revelation
to man in all climes and ages. It is older than the written Bible, and
is proclaimed to all the sons and daughters of earth, ‘Day unto day
uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no
speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.’ Ps. xix. 2, 3.
“True, it is often drowned in the clamor of passion, disregarded by the
ignorant, and unheeded by the thoughtless; but its testimony against
all wrong, and for all right, constantly sounding in the ears, and
being telegraphed through the soul and body of every human being, has
ever more or less curbed the passions of the vicious, and promoted
righteousness. Happiness is man’s end and aim. For that he toils from
the cradle to the grave; and he is assured from his own experience,
which is the revelation from God to man I have been speaking of, that
vice surely brings misery, and virtue surely brings happiness. This
fact in every one’s experience has every where lessened vice and
increased virtue, notwithstanding passion, ignorance, false philosophy,
and false religion--flesh and the devil--have blasphemously called it
delusion, irreligion, infidelity.”
“You remarked in your first discourse, that there is an analogy between
the earth and man. Is not that infidelity?”
“I can see no infidelity in it. It is best not to be afraid of
the truth. That there is a striking analogy between man’s physical
organism, and the earth of which it is a product, is certainly correct.
1. The rock of the earth corresponds to the bones in the human frame.
2. The dust covering the rocky skeleton of the earth corresponds to
the flesh spread over these bones. 3. The veins of water meandering
through the earth answer to the purple currents coursing every part
of the body. 4. The earth has internal fires, the body has internal
heat. 5. The hair of the head, which is a vegetable, corresponds to the
vegetable growth covering the earth. 6. The earth is even sometimes
_sick_, like man, and is only relieved by vomiting forth its feverish
contents. 7. The earth is surrounded by an atmosphere; philosophers
tell us, that every man is enveloped in an atmosphere, emenating from
his body. 8. The earth was once in a ruder condition than it is now;
man was once coarser, more brutal than he is at the present time. 9.
Man had a beginning--‘in the beginning God made the heavens and the
earth.’ 10. This mortal body must die, be decomposed, return to the
source whence it came; will not this earth die, be decomposed, and
return whence it came? The gentleman may call this infidelity if he
pleases. He can then finish the chapter of folly by calling summer,
winter; heat, cold; light, darkness; truth, error; virtue, vice; and
God, devil.”
A Presbyterian minister replied to one of my discourses, and after
answering his objections, I proceeded southward, and lectured in Sand
Hill, Milford, Edina and Newark. Subsequently I had an appointment to
debate four days with a man in Newark. He was to try to sustain this
proposition--“Universalism is no better than infidelity.” But it being
impossible for me to reach there at the appointed time, the discussion
did not take place, and I never could induce him afterwards to discuss
that proposition. I delivered a series of discourses in Newark soon
after this disappointment, and thus noticed the gentleman’s proposition:
Mr. Matlock, I understand, when he was here to debate with me, told
you in what respect “Universalism is no better than infidelity.”
Universalism, he made out, agrees in one or two points with infidelity,
therefore he wisely concluded that the whole system is no better than
infidelity. Let us see what Campbellism is according to this rule.
Mormonism says, there is a God, and that he will torment millions of
mankind eternally; Campbellism says the same, therefore Campbellism
is no better than Mormonism, and Mr. Matlock might as well go to Salt
Lake and marry a dozen of his Mormon sisters. Paganism says, there is a
burning hell for the wicked; Campbellism says there is a burning hell
for the wicked, therefore Campbellism is no better than Paganism, and
Mr. Matlock had better sacrifice his jackass to appease the wrath of
his offended God. Catholicism teaches, that the unbaptized will all be
lost; Campbellism teaches the same, therefore Campbellism is no better
than Catholicism, and Mr. Matlock had better join the “mother church,”
migrate to Rome, and sanctify himself by kissing the great toe of “his
holiness,” the pope. Atheism tells us, that man is mortal and must
die; Campbellism tells the same; Campbellism, then, is no better than
Atheism.
But no system can be farther from infidelity than Universalism. It
is all aglow with wisdom, justice, mercy, goodness, holiness, truth
and virtue. It teaches, that there is a God who rules in heaven and
on earth, that man is in his image, and in imitating him we derive
our chief good, and that we are destined to approximate his adorable
perfections forever and ever. A person must have a dark and deformed
mind, who can denounce that spiritual system, and brand it with
infidelity.
At another time in going from Newark to Edina, the rain poured down
in torrents till I was about half way through, when the wind suddenly
changing to the north, and the thermometer fell in one hour to four
degrees below zero. When I reached a haven I was encased in a thick
coat of ice, and could not get out of the saddle without assistance.
The next day I rode thirty miles over the prairie in the face of a
northwest wind, that cut like a razor.
From Newark I proceeded to Shelbyville, and spoke several times. Have
often lectured there since. Thence to Paris, Middle Grove, Columbia,
in all of which towns I had large congregations. Lectured in Fayette,
and then crossed the Missouri river, one hundred and sixty miles from
St. Louis, and preached in Booneville, a beautiful town on the bank of
“Big Muddy,” as the Missouri is often called. This is a mighty river.
Its waters, from hundreds of fountains in the Rocky Mountains, after
dashing through deep gorges, tumbling over vast precipices, and winding
over the immense deserts of the far west, all combine and make one of
the largest rivers in the world. Although it is here a wide, deep and
rapid stream, it is nearly two thousand miles to where it pours its
vast contents into the salt sea. The bluffs on each side of it, two or
three hundred feet high, are about seven miles apart, and show what
this river has been doing these many years. The clay and rock that once
filled that vast channel, seven miles wide, three hundred feet deep,
and thousands of miles long, has all been floated away in its ceaseless
and resistless tide--carried south, and helped to redeem Louisiana and
Mississippi from ocean’s dominions.
About the finest country in the world is bordering on this river in the
state of Missouri. On the north side of the river, from Iowa to where
it connects with the Mississippi river, and on the south side from
Nebraska, through Kansas to Jefferson City, Mo., the land is rolling,
well timbered, and the soil rich, warm and deep. Tobacco, hemp, the
cereals, the grasses, and the fruits of the temperate climate, grow
here abundantly, and as near perfection as in any country. Mighty
cities will be built on the banks of this great river, a dense
population will throng its shores, and civilization will here attain
its highest degree of glory.
Journeyed to Georgetown, and lectured several times; a man replied,
I rejoined, when he said no more. Proceeded to Calhoun and preached
twice; thence to Clinton where I spoke three times. This was the limits
of my journey south. I was in the southwest part of Missouri. The
country was thinly settled, and the adherents of the liberal faith were
very scarce. L. C. Marvin had resided in Booneville, and preached some
in this region, but there was no organization, and little was known of
our faith. Still my congregations were large, and the people listened
respectfully. This is an excellent field for a missionary. It is a
beautiful country, and will soon be densely settled.
Traveled east to Warsaw, on the Osage river, and delivered my message.
One preacher replied, and another asked many questions, so I had about
as much as I could attend to. The latter inquired, if we organize
churches, build meeting-houses, and ordain ministers; and was much
surprised when informed of the number of our churches, meeting-houses
and ministers. “Do you profess to be Christians?” said he. When I
replied, yea, he added, “Well, I did not know that.”
Proceeded to Jefferson City; reached there about dark, wet and cold,
for it had rained all day. Stopped at a hotel, and inquired if there
was an appointment for me; the landlord thought there was at the
Court-house. Hastened to the place without supper, as I had no time to
attend to that, and found the Court-house lighted, and seven or eight
very respectable appearing men in the large room. No more came, and
I delivered a long discourse to that small crowd. When I was through,
I mentioned the paper I was publishing in St. Louis, and every man
present subscribed for it; and I found that they were some of the
notables of the state--the lieutenant-governor, secretary of state,
treasurer of state, auditor of state, post-master of the town, and two
lawyers.
The next day crossed the Missouri river to its north side, and rode
to Fulton, where I lectured, and then proceeded to Danville. Here I
meet with opposition. When I had taken my seat in the Court-house, a
man arose in the congregation, and wished me to take for my text, the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus. I spoke one hour on that subject,
although I had rode all day on horseback. As soon as I was through
with my discourse on that text, another wanted an explanation of the
“lake of fire” and “second death.” I accommodated him, when a third
one replied to what I had said on both passages. I spoke another hour,
and was glad to have some rest. Rode next day to Warrenton, thirty
miles, and lectured, and by request, told the people all I knew about
the _devil_. One man in the house seemed to think I had not done that
character justice, and so he added what I omitted with reference to his
being, history, works, character and future prospects. He made him out
to be a very powerful being, more than a match for the Almighty, and
the author of all the sin and woe of this world. I asked the preacher,
whence the devil derived all his power to do so much mischief, and he
would not condescend to inform me. I asked him why God did not kill the
devil if he was such an enemy to him, and he said that was an infidel
question.
I told the people I had not a particle of faith in the devil of the
Methodist creed, for the gentleman was of that order. It represents him
as a god--the god of hell--and the good book does not require faith
in such a god. But there are devils many, that have a real existence.
Every evil thought, purpose, passion; every error we cherish, and every
wicked act we do, is a devil, for each and all of them are enemies to
our peace, happiness and prosperity. Instead of preaching devils, let
us go to work and kill those first in our own heart, and then aid our
neighbors in exterminating those in their hearts. This would be dealing
with devils to a good purpose.
After riding two more days I reached home. Had been absent three
months, delivered eighty-four discourses, and rode about eight hundred
miles. I was well pleased with my journey, for I had made many
acquaintances, obtained a large number of subscribers for the paper,
and had accomplished, I thought, some good. Mrs. Manford issued the
October and November numbers of the paper in my absence.