N order to be nearer the field of his labors, Mr. Scott now removed to Canfield, on the Reserve; and, elated by the remarkable success which had attended his labors at New Lisbon, and not doubting but that the divine blessing would accompany the Word when faithfully proclaimed, he paid a visit to Warren, on the Western Reserve, at which place was the largest and strongest church within the bounds of the Association. This congregation had enjoyed for many years the labors of Adamson Bentley, to whose ministry, in a great measure, its prosperity was due. No Baptist minister was better known or more highly esteemed than he in all that region. He sympathized with Mr. Campbell in his views as set forth in the "Christian Baptist," and had, in a great measure, under these enlarged views of Bible truth, outgrown the limits of the narrow creed of the religious body with which he was identified, and had, moreover, expressed in public the same views in regard to the design of baptism as had recently been turned to such practical account by Mr. Scott.

      Some months before this time, in company with Jacob Osborne, a minister of great promise, he had [127] gone to Braceville to hold a meeting, and during its progress, while speaking with regard to baptism, he stated that it was designed to be a pledge of the remission of sins. After meeting, on their way home, Mr. Osborne said: "Well, Bro. Bentley, you have christened baptism to-day." "How so?" said Mr. Bentley. "You termed it a remitting institution." "Well," rejoined Mr. Bentley, "I do not see how this conclusion is to be avoided with the Scriptures before us." "It is the truth," said Mr. Osborne, who was a great student of the Bible, "and I have for some time thought that the waters of baptism must stand in the same position to us that the blood of sacrifices did to the Jews. The blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sins, as Paul declares, yet when offered at the altar by the sinner, he had the divine assurance that his sins were forgiven him. This blood was merely typical of the blood of Christ, the true sin-offering to which it pointed prospectively; and it seems to me that the water in baptism, which has no power in itself to wash away sins, now refers retrospectively to the purifying power of the blood of the Lamb of God."

      Mr. Scott, not long after, fell in with them, and all three went to Howland together; the discourse of Bentley at Braceville came up, in course of conversation, and Scott expressed his agreement with the view he had taken of the subject. Mr. Osborne preached at Howland, and in his remarks advanced the idea that no one had the promise of the Holy Spirit until after baptism. The remark seemed to strike Mr. Scott with surprise, and after meeting he said to Mr. Osborne: "You are a man of great [128] courage;" and, turning to Mr. Bentley, he added: "Do you not think so, Bro. Bentley?" "Why?" said Mr. Bentley. "Because," said he, "he ventured to assert to-day that no one had a right to expect the Holy Spirit until after baptism."

      These events took place before the occurrences at New Lisbon, and, doubtless, being fresh in the mind of Scott, he naturally expected not only a warm welcome from the church in Warren, but also the earnest co-operation of its pastor, Elder Bentley, and Mr. Osborne, who was teaching an academy there, as they both held the views which he had been so ably and successfully advocating. In this, as far as Elder Bentley was concerned, he was at first disappointed; the views which he had expressed at Braceville, with regard to the design of baptism, were his views still, but he never had thought of making them practical or operative, as they recently had been made by Mr. Scott, the report of whose doings at New Lisbon had preceded him to Warren, and had made the impression on the mind of Bentley that his course was one differing widely and dangerously from Baptist usage, and indeed from the practice of all other churches, and in consequence he could not but regard him with suspicion.

      Immediately after his arrival, having met with Elder Bentley, Scott asked concerning the condition of the church, and was told in reply that it was getting on much as usual; whereupon Scott intimated that he was pursuing a course very different from that usually taken, but, as he thought, in perfect accordance with the teaching of the New Testament and the practice of the apostles. He, moreover, [129] frankly told him that the views he entertained were such as would unsettle the minds of the brethren, and if adopted would lead to the giving up of many things which they as Baptists held dear, but that the result would be a purer and more useful church. "I have," said he, "got the saw by the handle, and I expect to saw you all asunder"--meaning by this, that their creed and church articles must give way before the truth of God, which he proposed to insist upon as the only rule and guide for the church.

      Bentley did not enter into the spirit nor catch the enthusiasm of the ardent evangelist; the course proposed seemed to him revolutionary--one in which there might be great danger, and for which he did not feel prepared, and when Scott urged that an appointment be given out for him to preach that evening in the Baptist church, he intimated that he thought it best for him not to begin his labors just then--wishing, no doubt, to learn more of the course he expected to pursue before he gave it his help and approval. Scott felt, however, that the King's business required haste, and insisted that an appointment should be made, and, after they parted, sent a note to Jacob Osborne, then engaged in teaching, requesting him to give notice through his pupils that there would be preaching that night at the Baptist church, which was done. On learning this, Elder Bentley gave orders that the meeting-house should not be opened that night, in consequence of which Scott procured the use of the court-house, and had the people notified that he would address them there. An audience, mainly of young people, assembled, and he addressed them in such a manner as to make a [130] most favorable impression, and at the close of his discourse he requested them to make it known that on the next night he would tell all who might favor him with their presence something they had never heard before. This, of course, was the means of letting every one in the town and vicinity know that something out of the usual order might be expected.

      The next day Scott met with Bentley and Osborne, and Bentley withdrew his opposition, and agreed that the meeting should be held that night in the church instead of the court-house. A large audience gathered, and the zeal and eloquence of the preacher carried his hearers by storm. He presented Christianity in virgin robes of truth and purity, as when she descended from her native skies--and sectarianism in every form suffered by the contrast. The religion of the New Testament, in all its beauty and simplicity, stripped of the difficulties with which human teaching had encumbered and disfigured it, was shown to be perfectly adapted to human wants and woes, and the fullness and freeness of the salvation which it offered, contrasted with the narrow partialism of the prevailing Calvinism of the times, made it seem like a gospel indeed--glad tidings of great joy to all people. The next night brought a still larger audience and an increased interest. The prejudices of Bentley gave way under the luminous exhibitions of the gospel, and he soon embraced heartily the truth which Scott presented with fidelity and power. With some of these views, as we have seen, he had for some time been familiar, but until now he had never realized their practical significance, nor had they ever brought [131] such joy to his heart before. Soon, too, the unconverted portion of the audience began to yield to the claims of the gospel; and as they inquired anxiously, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" they were met with the same answer which was given to the same question in the days of old. Baptism on a simple confession of faith in Jesus as the Son of God speedily followed, the newly baptized were added to the church, and what was said of Samaria after the preaching of Philip was true of Warren--"there was great joy in that city."

      Scott spent eight days in all at that visit, during which time twenty-nine persons were baptized, and the entire Baptist Church, with one or two exceptions, accepted the new order of things, which had so long been forgotten.

      The work, however, did not stop on the departure of the preacher--the truth wrought mightily in the community, the Bible was read and searched as never before, members of other churches were led to examine the new doctrine, as it was called, and this led them to see the weakness of partyism, and resulted in the conviction that it was true, and led them to abandon their old and long-cherished associations and unite with those who had taken the Word of God alone as their guide. Among the converts during the first visit of Scott, was John Tait, a man of great stature and strong will; he was a Presbyterian, warmly attached to the faith of his fathers, and when his wife, who had attended on Scott's preaching, resolved to confess Christ and be baptized, he opposed her bitterly, and even went so far as to threaten violence to the preacher if he should baptize her. [132] The preacher, not in the least intimidated, gave him to understand that, if his wife wished, to be baptized, he would baptize her even if he, her husband, should stand with a drawn sword to prevent it. The wife, fully convinced that it was her duty to render this act of obedience to her Lord, notwithstanding the violent opposition of her husband, was determined to be baptized. Almost frantic with excitement, he called on Scott, and found him in company with several preachers who were attending the meeting, and forbade the baptism of his wife. Scott and Bentley attempted, but in vain, for a time to reason with him, urging that his wife was acting in accordance with her convictions of duty as set forth in the Word of God, and that in a matter of such moment she ought to be allowed to decide for herself. It was long before he could be calmed sufficiently to reason upon the subject, but the mildness and gentleness with which Scott treated him caused him in a measure to relent and listen to what the Word of God, for which he professed a deep reverence, had to say upon the matter. As the examination of the Scriptures proceeded, and the light began to dawn upon his mind, his manner and feelings underwent a great change, and, deeply moved, he said to Mr. Scott, "Will you pray for me?" "No, sir," said he, "I will not pray for a man who will so rudely oppose his wife in her desire to do the will of God, but perhaps this brother will pray for you." The brother named did so, with great earnestness and fervor, and Tait was so melted during the prayer that, when they rose from their knees, he, in a very humble manner, asked to be baptized. His request was granted, and among the new [133] converts there was none happier or more earnest than John Tait. Not long after his baptism Mr. Tait met with his former pastor, and entered into conversation with him with regard to the change in his views and church relationship. The Scriptures were appealed to, and Tait urged upon him that he should, in accordance with their teaching, be baptized for the remission of sins. "What!" said the minister, "would you have me to be baptized contrary to my conscience?" "Yes," said Tait. "Were you, Mr. Tait," he replied, "baptized contrary to your conscience?" "Yes," was the reply, "I was. My conscience told me that sprinkling in infancy would do, but the Word of God said: 'Be baptized for the remission of sins,' and I thought it better to tear my conscience than to tear a leaf out of the Bible."

      This interview made a deep impression upon the minister. The more he looked at the Bible in regard to the matter, the more he doubted his former teaching on the subject, and he soon abandoned his pulpit; he felt that he could no longer preach as before, but he lacked the courage to say that he had been preaching a human theory, and to preach thenceforth only what was taught in the Word of God.

      The interest awakened by Scott's first visit did not prove to be a short-lived one; on the contrary, it continued to deepen and widen; the entire community was stirred and aroused. Many of the congregations in the adjacent towns partook of the prevalent spirit, and the entire winter was characterized by a religious zeal and success such as never had been known in that region before. All the new converts had to defend the faith they had embraced. And, with [134] the Bible in their hands, they fully proved their ability to do so, and numerous additions were made to the church at Warren.

      Bentley and Osborne followed up the work which Scott had begun with great zeal and success. The return of Scott on several occasions within a brief period, added to the prevailing interest, and in five months the membership at Warren was doubled, the additions amounting to one hundred and seventeen. The most important result of Mr. Scott's visit to Warren was the enlistment of Elder Bentley in the adoption and advocacy of his views of the ancient gospel. His untiring and successful labors rendered him one of the most useful men of the time, and no one contributed more than he to the spread of the Reformation over the Western Reserve, and also by means of his numerous converts through the Great West. No permanent record with regard to him has been given to the world, and this seems a fitting place to give some connected account of his life and labors.

      Adamson Bentley was born on the 4th of July, 1785, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and early in life removed to the Western Reserve, at that time almost an unbroken forest. Of course his advantages were but limited, as is the case in all new settlements; yet he, in a measure, made up for the lack of schools and teachers by private study, and thus qualified himself for the useful and honorable positions which he occupied so long and so well. When but a youth his thoughts were attracted to the subject of religion, and he was not slow to carry out his convictions of duty. He became a member of the Baptist Church, [135] and his zeal and piety, as well as his gifts, soon marked him out as one well fitted for the responsible position of a preacher of the faith which his life adorned. He began to speak in public when about nineteen years of age, and some five years after was ordained to the ministry of the Word. In about one year after this he was called to the pastoral care of the church at Warren, which, under his labors, soon became the strongest church in that portion of the State. To an easy and polished delivery was added a fine personal appearance and most engaging manners; he was by nature a gentleman--manly, graceful and dignified, the peer of the best, and yet so affable and kind as to win the esteem of the very humblest. The religious system which he adopted was that of rigid Calvinism, as taught in the Philadelphia Confession of Faith, which, at that time, was the generally received symbol of the Baptist body. It was hard for a frank, generous, benevolent nature like his to accommodate itself to such a harsh and narrow creed; nay, it was impossible for him to be thus cramped; hence, though he held in theory the doctrine of particular election and a limited atonement in practice, his heart full of the love of Christ and perishing sinners, led him often so to present the mercy of Christ through the gospel as to bring many to repentance. At that period of his life he did not doubt the doctrine of his creeds and often made the common yet unsuccessful effort to reconcile the "decrees" with free agency; yet he loved to make the offers of mercy to lost men in the terms he found in the Bible, his feelings and practice thus often getting the better of his theology. [136]

      Some of his mental exercises at this time were of a most painful character; and years after, when describing how he came to be emancipated from his chilling creed, he thus refers to them: "I used," said he, "to take my little children on my knee, and to look upon them as they played in harmless innocence about me, and wonder which of them was to be finally and forever lost!" "It can not be," he continued, "that God has been so good to me as to elect all my children, before time began, to be saved, and to dwell with him in love forever! No, no! I am myself a miracle of mercy, and it can not be that God has been kinder to me than to all other parents. Some of these little ones are, then, of the non-elect, and to be finally banished from God and all good. And now (and his paternal heart swelling with unutterable emotions), if I only knew which of my children were to dwell in everlasting burnings, Oh how kind and tender would I be to them, knowing that all the comfort they would ever experience would be herein this world! But now I see the gospel admits all to salvation! Now I can have hope of every one for eternal happiness! Now I can pray and labor for them in hope!"

      His prayers were heard, his labors blessed. Years before his departure he enjoyed that greatest bliss of a pious parent's heart--he saw all his children walking in the truth.

      He was present at the formation of the Mahoning Association, and his ability as a preacher, and tact and dignity as a presiding officer, rendered him one of its most prominent members during its entire existence. His name appears on the records of every meeting; he was often chosen Moderator, and [137] delivered the opening sermon at its meeting at New Lisbon, in August, 1827, when Walter Scott was chosen and sent out on what proved to be such an important mission. Owing to the fact that he soon came to have clearer views of the plan of salvation than most of the Baptist preachers in that region, as a consequence his public labors were attended with greater success. At one of the meetings one hundred and three conversions were reported in the bounds of the Association, and of these, fifty-six, or more than half the entire number, were reported by the Concord church at Warren, of which he was at that time pastor. When perfectly free from the shackles of a gloomy and depressing system, he labored with far greater freedom and more abundant success. It was to him a great deliverance to be able to offer, without any misgiving, the gospel of life and peace to all; and how earnestly and effectually he did so thousands can tell. He waited not for opportunities to preach this now no longer terrible but glad gospel; but burning with zeal, sought and made them--in school-houses, barns, and private dwellings; or, as was frequently the case, in the forest shades, with a wagon-bed for a pulpit, and an audience swelling at times to thousands, with all the simplicity and earnestness of the men of Galilee, he preached the same message which they first heralded to the world. "As a preacher, like all men who leave their impression on society, he was like no one else, and no one resembled him. He usually began slowly, with simple and plain statements of his subject, rambling not unfrequently, till, warming in his subject, he broke the shackles of logic, and swept on like a swelling tide, bearing his [138] audience away with the pathos and vehemence of his earnest and commanding oratory. On such occasions his voice became full, sonorous, and powerful. When the shower was passed, the people not caring to analyze the sermon, or to trace their emotions to logical sources, were delighted and edified, and departed with marked and decided respect for the preacher, and a far higher reverence for the adorable Son of God, whom he preached and whom he served. He never trifled in the pulpit. His message was solemn, and seriously and earnestly did he urge it." But it was not in the pulpit alone that his influence was felt; his spotless integrity and pure walk in life gave force to his public ministrations, for his audience knew that they were listening to an upright and good man. We need not here mention the various places at which he labored, nor the results by which those labors were attended, as these will appear in the course of the narrative.

      His powers suffered no sad eclipse, but his sun came to a golden setting; his erect form bent but slightly when on the verge of fourscore, and to the same extreme old age he was able to preach with clearness and vigor. Nearly his last words were, "I rely not on myself; my full and only hope and trust is in the Rock, Christ Jesus, which was cleft for me!" [139]

[LEWS 127-139]