THE CHRISTIAN BAPTIST
Though preaching the doctrine of the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, he now found himself ill at ease. The strange inconsistency of his position embarrassed him. Why urge sinners to repent if they were already safe, and if among the non-elect they could not repent. As the situation flashed upon him in the midst of an impassioned exhortation, he immediately closed his remarks and sat down, saying: “Brethren, something is wrong; I am in the dark—we are all in the dark; but how to lead you to the light, or to find the way myself, before God I know not.” Retiring on his knees he prayed that he would take God’s Word as his only guide, examine it carefully, and follow its teachings wherever they might lead him. In the keeping of this pledge he began anew to study the Bible. When his day’s work in the field was done, he would sit by his candle with his Bible upon his knees, and often spend the whole night in solemn meditation in his search for light.
It was while in this state of mind that the prospectus of The Christian Baptist fell into his hands, and he read it with profound interest. He ordered the paper sent to him and induced others to subscribe for it. He hoped that Mr. Campbell’s discussion of scriptural themes would greatly assist him in solving his own doctrinal difficulties. The first numbers were read with great interest, and through them light began to break along his darkened pathway. He read each succeeding number with great care to ascertain to which of the contending parties Mr. Campbell belonged, and soon found himself in a realm of truth entirely beyond the range of the popular systems. Among other things that specially appealed to him was the following from the trenchant pen of Mr. Campbell:
We have no system of our own, nor of others, to substitute in lieu of the reigning systems. We only aim at substituting the New Testament in lieu of every creed in existence; whether Mohametan, Pagan, Jewish or Presbyterian. We wish to call Christians to consider that Jesus Christ has made them kings and priests to God. We neither advocate Calvinism, Arminianism, Arianism, Socinianism, Trinitarianism, Unitarianism, Deism, or Sectarianism, but New Testamentism. We wish, we cordially wish, to take the New Testament out of the abuses of the clergy, and put it into the hands of the people. (Christian Baptist, Vol. 1, page 90.)
FETTERS CAST OFF
So thorough did these views accord with his that he determined at the first opportunity to meet Mr. Campbell and learn from him by personal interview more of the new order that he was advocating. During his visit to Kentucky in 1824, to which I have already referred, the opportunity presented itself. Mr. Campbell was to speak at Flemingsburg, and Smith rode twenty miles on horseback that he might see and hear him. He reached the town on the day that Mr. Campbell was to preach. Shortly after his arrival he met William Vaughn, a Baptist preacher, with whom he was well acquainted, when the following conversation took place:
Vaughn—Brother John, have you met Bro. Campbell yet?
Smith—No, sir, I have not. Have you seen him?
Vaughn—Why, I have been with him for eight days and nights, through Mason and Bracken counties, and have heard him every day.
Smith—Do, then, tell me what his views are on doctrinal points. Is he a Calvinist or an Arminian, or Arian, or a Trinitarian?
Vaughn—I do not know. He has nothing to do with any of these things.
Smith—Well, I can tell when I hear him just what he is.
Vaughn—How?
Smith—If a man of sense and takes a position, even though he should not run it out into any ism, I can do it for him, and tell exactly where he would land. But tell me, Bro. Vaughn, does he know anything about heartfelt religion?
Vaughn—Lord bless you, he is one of the most pious, godly men that I was ever in company with in all my life.
Smith—But do you think he knows anything about a Christian experience?
Vaughn—Bless you, he knows everything. Come, I want to introduce you to him.
Of this meeting with Mr. Campbell he afterward said: “I then felt as if I wanted to sit down and look at him for one hour, without hearing a word from any one. I wanted to scan him who had been so much talked of, and who had in The Christian Baptist and in his debates introduced so many new thoughts.” But the hour appointed for the address had come, and they walked into the house together. Smith was determined now to ascertain the theory of religion to which he held, if, indeed, he held to any; for he was still full of doubt and suspicion.
Mr. Campbell read the fourth chapter of Galatians. After giving a general outline of the whole epistle, he took up the allegory of Sarah and Hagar, and in a simple, plain and artless manner, leaning with one hand on his cane, he delivered his discourse. “He seemed,” as Smith afterward remarked, “to move in a higher sphere or latitude than that in which the isms of the day abounded.” At the conclusion of the services Smith remarked to Mr. Vaughn, “Is it not hard, Bro. Vaughn, to ride twenty miles, as I have done, just to hear a man preach thirty minutes?” “You are mistaken,” said Mr. Vaughn; “look at your watch, for it certainly has been longer than that.” He looked at his watch, and, to his surprise, saw that the discourse had been two hours and a half long. On discovering this he said, “I have never been more deceived. Two hours of my life are gone, I know not how, though wide awake, too, all the time!” On being questioned as to whether he had ascertained whether he was a Calvinist or an Arminian, he replied: “No, I know nothing about the man; but be he saint or devil, he has thrown more light on that epistle, and on the whole Scripture, than I have received in all the sermons that I have ever heard before.”