P to this time the labors of Scott had been confined, in a great measure, to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; but he now began to turn his attention to Kentucky, where the Reformation was making great progress. Several of the preachers from that State had visited him at Carthage, and had formed a very high opinion of his ability as a preacher; he was widely known also to many there through his paper, and there was a great desire to see and hear him; and, in the spring of 1835, he spent some six weeks in what is known as the "Blue Grass region."

      His first discourse was at Georgetown, and failed to come up to the general expectation, which, as is usual on such occasions, was far too high; but the brethren gathered round him and spoke encouragingly, and when they gathered for the evening discourse every thing was more favorable than it had been in the morning; then, all was expectation and curiosity, a strange audience, and a strange preacher were before each other, the former eager and critical, the latter aware of it, and doubtful of sustaining the opinion which those who had heard him elsewhere had widely and freely expressed; now, however, a change had taken place, [308] the extravagant expectation on the part of the audience had abated--the morning discourse, though not brilliant and eloquent, was felt to be thoughtful and instructive, and the preacher, if not an orator, an earnest and cultivated man. The preacher felt that too much was not expected, as in the morning; the songs which preceded the sermon were cheering, the confidence which showed itself in the faces of his brethren encouraging; he felt that he had a place in their hearts, and that their prayers were going up in his behalf. He arose to speak, a different man, his discourse far surpassed all that his most sanguine friends had hoped--the public were surprised and delighted.

      Elder L. H. Jameson, who had accompanied him from Ohio, says: "His theme was the struggle of the Messiah against the reign of sin, and the glorious victory of the Son of God. The after-part of the discourse was a continued series of most eloquent passages. One passage is fresh in my memory still. He undertook to describe the casting out of the Prince of Darkness. Satan falling as lightning from heaven. Hurled from the battlements of light down to eternal darkness, and interminable woe, by the all-powerful hand of the Son of God. Then was heard the glorious song of redemption, through all the heavenly clime. Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands of angels, on harps of gold, responded to the glorious song, and filled the heaven and the heaven of heavens with such a strain of praise as never before had greeted the ears of the first-born sons of light. The appearance and manner of the speaker was fully up to his theme. He [309] made us see and hear what he was describing. The discourse was in keeping with his train of thought--at the time on the death of Christ--in its relations and uses, in the great plan of human Redemption."

      He next visited Lexington, and, while there, he says:

      "We did ourselves the honor this morning to visit, at his own farm, one and a half miles from Lexington, the distinguished American statesman, Henry Clay. We passed from the main road to the mansion-house of Mr. Clay by a circular avenue of poplars and pines, which made me fancy myself once more in old Scotia, where such trees form the common timber of the country, and must be remarkable in this only because they are a species of evergreen, and do not shed their crop of green needles until they are pushed from their places by those of the succeeding year.

      "The farm must be a delightful spot in the spring, summer, and autumn, as its appearance was beautiful even at this early season; but circumstances did not admit us delaying to examine it and the imported breeds of cattle with which, we were informed, it has been stocked by its distinguished owner. We only gave an en passant glance at its extended lawns and spreading forests as we advanced to the house. When we had ascended the flight of stone stairs which lead to the front door, we were received by a well-bred colored servant, who invited us into the saloon, and announced us to his master. Mr. Clay received us in a very gracious manner indeed, and by an act of real kindness instantly dissipated the slight trepidation which I, for one, felt as a person visiting, for the first time a great and celebrated man whom I had never seen, and to whom, even now, I had no letter of introduction. The parlor, in which we found Mr. Clay, gave evidence, by its furniture and ornaments, both of the taste and quality of its owner; it [310] was of a semi-circular form, with windows in the corners reaching from the floor almost to the ceiling; these were hung with sky-colored curtains which gave it an air of great cheerfulness. The floor was covered with carpet, and the pieces of furniture were few in number; this last incident very much suited my taste, for, of all things in the world, I dislike a room crowded with furniture till there is scarce space left to turn about in without incommoding your fellows. Those who do so, display much wealth and taste, and would seem to trust their cause for respect rather to the animal than to the rational among those who visit them. Portraits of Washington and other eminent individuals were hanging around the room; and, upon the whole, it was a sweet apartment, containing nothing that could make either poor men afraid or rich men ashamed. Men in public life should be careful how they furnish their houses and clothe their persons; for to dress in such vulgar garments as to make the rich ashamed, or in such courtly ones as to make the poor afraid, is, to say the least of it, injudicious; good and great men should trust their cause for respect chiefly to their own public performances, to their private virtues, and to the more estimable and exalted qualities of their superior minds.

      "Mr. Clay was clothed in the most modest suit imaginable, and, by his appearance, made us feel as if we were in the presence of a person not at all beneath us, nor so high above us, but that we could be perfectly easy, and speak to him what we wished to say, and, also, to ask of him what we desired to know. In person, Mr. Clay would be esteemed tall, and he is very well formed; his whole appearance strongly represented to me the person of a very respectable Presbyterian or Episcopalian clergyman in the advance of life.

      "There is nothing striking in the expression of Mr. Clay's face while at ease or unoccupied, but it may be, and I dare say it is, very different, when all his features are [311] lighted up by the inspiration of a great political question, and he stands in the halls of legislation, surrounded by innumerable admiring statesmen, lawyers, ambassadors, orators, and men of science, pouring forth, on a great topic, in deep, mellow tones, the unconstrained deluge of his superior eloquence. There is, in the contour of his face, more reflection than perception; and his eye, consequently, discovers more of the sedateness of supreme talent than the restlessness of peculiar genius. He is exceedingly good looking, and has a kind, condescending address.^a

      "As we had seen the great lawyer and statesman, Henry Clay, so we felt anxious to see the great soldier and statesman, Colonel Richard M. Johnson, also. Accordingly, we set out, after our return to Georgetown, in company with his brother, John T. Johnson, to the place of the Colonel's residence, a distance of about seven miles. The colonel gave us a round, hearty welcome, as was befitting a soldier, and willing to gratify us by every means in his power. Being requested, he spoke freely of the battle of the Thames, and of his own encounter with Chief Tecumseh; but I learned afterward, from an account of that well-fought field, which I got from Captain Wall, who was one of the forlorn hope in the fray, that the colonel had suppressed several very striking incidents relative to his own personal bravery and patriotism on that dreadful day. It was truly affecting to behold the wounds of this gallant old soldier. The bullet shot by Tecumseh passed through his hand and arm, and must have reached his heart had it not been thus intercepted; he has, also, a very dangerous looking wound on one of his legs; and it is said that his mare staggered under him while he shot Tecumseh with no fewer than seven balls in her. The colonel showed us three swords: one presented to him by the patriotic ladies of Scott County, Kentucky; another, which had belonged to the Duke of Suffolk, and was presented to the colonel by General McComb, of the United States Army; [312] and the third, the sword presented to him by Congress as a testimony of that body's respect for his gallant conduct at the battle of the Thames. It cost, I believe, twelve hundred dollars."^b

      He visited several, other points, making, every-where a good impression, and the result was frequent visits, in after years, which were attended by the conversion of hundreds, and the upbuilding of the saints.

      In the year following he began and completed his book called "The Gospel Restored,"^c a full, clear, and systematic view of the Christian Religion, of which it may be safely said, that no book of the present century has done more to explode common and popular errors, and set forth the teachings of the Word of God in their pristine order, simplicity, and beauty. The plan of the work is simple, yet comprehensive, being an analysis of sin; and the gospel is presented as the means of recovery of man from its power and punishment. He says: "In regard to sinners and sin, six things are to be considered: the love of it, the practice of it, the state of it, the guilt of it, the power of it, and the punishment of it. The first three relate to the sinner; the last three to sin. Now, faith, repentance, and baptism, refer to the first three--the love, the practice, and the state of sin; while remission, the Holy Spirit, and the resurrection, relate to the last three--the guilt, the power, and the punishment of sin; in other words, to make us see the beauty and perfection of the gospel theory, as devised by God: faith is to destroy the love of sin, repentance to destroy the practice of it; baptism, the state of it; remission, the guilt of it; the Spirit, [313] the power of it; and the resurrection, to destroy the punishment of sin; so that the last enemy, death, will be destroyed."

      The effect of this volume may be learned, in a measure, from an incident which took place about a quarter of a century after. While on a visit to Missouri, Elder Scott met with the well-known Elder M. E. Lard, who threw his arm around him, and, with great warmth of feeling, said: "Bro. Scott, you are the man who first taught me the gospel." "How so?" was the reply." "It was by your Gospel Restored," said Lard; and this was only one instance among hundreds; and it is common yet to hear from the pulpit his simple, natural, and Scriptural arrangement of the gospel plan.

      The visit of Elder Scott to Kentucky, already mentioned, resulted in many others at the earnest solicitations of brethren there. Each visit seemed to make another necessary; the converts, made on each of these visits, were greatly attached to him, who had been instrumental in bringing them to Christ; the new congregations established needed his care and counsel; and the result was that most of his time was now spent in that State.

      He did not, however, forget his labors and privations on the Western Reserve, nor was he forgotten there; frequent and earnest invitations came from his former companions in toil; and the feeling that led the Apostle John to say that he had no greater joy than to see his children walk in the truth, caused him to earnestly desire to see again their faces in the flesh. This desire he gratified, and he gives the following account of his visit: [314]

      "Having labored for upward of a year among the churches of Kentucky, we came, finally, to the conclusion, in October last, to visit the brethren of Pittsburg, and the churches on the Western Reserve, the region in which the original gospel was, in these latter times, first proclaimed for salvation. Accordingly, availing ourselves of the facilities of a steamer, we set out, in company with brethren Pendleton and Campbell, for these parts. We had not proceeded many miles up the river, till, with equal surprise and pleasure, we discovered we carried aboard, together with her daughter, the widow of the late illustrious patriot, General Alexander Hamilton. She is now in her 84th year; had been on a visit to Wisconsin, and was returning to the city of New York, her usual place of residence. She is a daughter of General Schuyler, and is much devoted to the memory of her husband, of whom she recited some anecdotes of intense interest. She also favored us with a bosom portrait of the great patriot, and said that he both confessed and partook of the Lord's Supper before he expired, testifying, in this manner, his belief in the exceeding greatness of God's mercy.

      "Bro. Campbell addressed the passengers on the morning of Lord's day, on which occasion Mrs. Hamilton and others testified their great satisfaction. Our voyage to Wheeling and Wellsburg was, I trust, both profitable and pleasing. At this latter place I sojourned for a night, under the roof of Dr. Campbell, a gentleman whose hospitality must ever be gratifying to the feelings of his guests. In the morning we proceeded to Bethany, where I spent another night. Hospitality, kindness, courtesy, and religion, are staple virtues there, and, during our brief stay, we partook of them in no ordinary degree. Next morning, returning to Wellsburg, we spent the day and night in the family of Dr. Grafton, my son according to the common faith, and in the morning, at an early hour, found myself once more in a steamer upon the bosom of la belle [315] riviere, bound for Pittsburg, where, having next day arrived, we were most graciously received by brother Samuel Church, who soon found for us an easy and agreeable introduction to the brethren.

      "Touching the Allegheny church there are many things to be admired. To each new convert, for example, is presented, by an Elder, and accompanied with a solemn exhortation to read and obey, a Polyglott copy of the Holy Scriptures. This is very striking. They also hold love-feasts, at which all who attend partake of some slight refreshment, converse freely, pray, and sing praises. This enables them to become personally acquainted with each other. Their overseer, distinguished for every grace of faith and behavior, and as eminent for the munificence of his character as for his stainless devotion to God, and to the Lord Jesus Christ, his blessed Master, is admirable for the great care and solicitude which he manifests for all the flock of God.

      "The deacons are also very reputable men, with a business talent, and very improvable withal. The elders and they, together, hold what they call a meeting of the presbytery every Monday evening, when the interests of the church are attended to, and the bread and state of the poor considered with great care and munificence. The overseer teaches the church for an hour on Lord's day morning, before the proclamation of the gospel at eleven. The brethren speak to each other, and are interrogated by the bishop. This is both a profitable and pleasing exercise. Besides this class of the whole, Bro. Church assumes the arduous but pleasing task of instructing all the children of the congregation. On Monday afternoon, a great number of children recite each a chapter. Another class, composed of younger sisters, and, I believe, a third, of younger men, are all taught by this indefatigable guardian of the flock. If the world is to be converted, the saints also have to be fed and instructed; and it is as necessary [316] that the first principles and privileges of the gospel be announced to the former, as that the commands, worship, and discipline, be taught to the latter. It is of great importance to preserve the equilibrium of good order, and to attend to both of these ordinances in a wise ratio. The church of Allegheny discreetly attends to both according to the means in her power; therefore, sinners are converted and saints instructed. The flock is at once fed and increased. The church of Allegheny is, upon the whole, in circumstances of the greatest comfort, and does, at present, present us with some of the fairest specimens of piety, and heavenly and divine character, that we have ever seen, or ever expect to see on earth.

      "Eleven were added to the assembly during our visit, one of them a relation to Bro. Alexander Campbell, another a daughter of Mr. Church, a child of about nine or ten years of age. On the day after this latter was baptized, taking her father by the hand, and looking up in his face in the most innocent manner, with two big tears ready to drop from her eyes, she exclaimed! 'Father, I do love Jesus Christ--I feel it in my heart.' This offering to the goodness of the Lord was wholly voluntary. 'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou halt ordained praise,' says the prophet.

      "After tasting of the greatest satisfaction--after the most blessed communion with the church, and especially with her overseer--after much speaking, with many prayers, and joy mingled with tears, and benedictions, and salutations, and thanks, and many favors, we were dismissed in peace from the hospitable mansion of the overseer of this flock, in which we had spent a few weeks; the joys of which seemed to atone for all the sufferings which many years labor had made us heir to. Thanks to God our Father, and to Jesus Christ our Lord.

      "We now set out for the Western Reserve, to the 'school of the preachers,' a meeting got up a few years ago [317] by some the evangelists for their mutual improvement. Next morning, against the dawning of the day, we had reached Canfield, and soon after found ourselves under the hospitable roof of our faithful and worthy Bro. Miram Sackett. In the evening we reached Warren, the county seat of Trumbull, and the place in which the meeting was appointed to be held. The apostle Peter predicts, perhaps, of our own times, that scoffers would appear who should say, that 'all things continued as they were from the beginning of the creation.' It is very probable that the Divine Spirit had in his eye those infidel philosophers, namely, Hume, Gibbon, and Volney, whose favorite doctrine was a boasted 'uniform experience.' But although we can not give in to the doctrines of these scoffers, yet we must avow that it would have been exceedingly pleasing to us, while approaching Warren, could we have known certainly that all things continued in this country as we had left them eight years ago. Our apprehensions had thrown us into a melancholy which had lasted the entire day, and we had felt as if the righteous were all dead; we had watered the land with our tears. But our arrival in Warren dispelled our apprehensions by the appearance of almost all our former associates. Besides our numerous acquaintances, who had their residence in the town, many from the surrounding country, and even remote regions, were present at the meeting; and we had the pleasure of seeing nearly all the evangelists of the land, namely, Brethren Atwater, Clapp, Rudolph, Hayden, Henry, Bosworth, Hartsel, Bentley, and many others. But such was the excitement on all sides, that two days had wholly past before I felt myself able to command my feelings. The sight of such a vast number of disciples, the chief of whom I had introduced into the kingdom of God with my own hands; the memory of their original courage and first love; the scorn which they endured while yet our views of the gospel were novel and misapprehended; their many tears, their [318] contrition, and our own fears and endurance for their sake; the sweet communion which was then enjoyed; their former experience, and their present evident fidelity to their profession, the faces of all being perfectly known to me, conspired together on the occasion to spur my feelings to the utmost, and to fill me with an indescribable sentiment of joy and wonder, mingled with a sprinkling of sorrow for those whom I perceived to he absent, either by death or removal to other countries, or by some other cause.

      "The meeting was held from Friday evening till Thursday evening; and such was the urgency of the case, that we could not leave till Monday following. Bro. Bentley, alike 'gentle and easy to be entreated,' abode with us, and truly we were in heavenly places in Christ. In all, thirteen were added to the disciples, and the meeting concluded. We again descended to the Ohio River, touched at Wellsburg, abode two days at Wheeling, and finding that the ice was accumulating in the river, were compelled, in spite of our original intentions, to quit those regions where so many of our beloved brethren dwell; and, without seeing them, returned to our usual residence, Carthage, where we arrived after having been absent just two months."^d

      In August of the same year, he received a letter from the Rev. J. B. Lucas, President of the Methodist Protestant Church, informing him that he fully sympathized with the views of the "Disciples," and wished to change his religious position so that he could freely preach what he firmly believed. He had for some time refused to baptize infants, as he held it to be unscriptural; and went so far as to refuse to administer the ordinance to adults except by immersion; and though held in great esteem among his own people, on account of his abilities, which were of a high [319] order, and the great success that had attended his labors, and enjoying the highest position known in that body, he felt that he could labor best with the people whose views he had been led to adopt. Elder Scott, in reply, informed him that there would be a General Meeting at Carthage early in September, and cordially invited him to be present. He accepted the invitation; was formally received by the brotherhood, and preached a number of discourses at Carthage, making a deep impression upon the public mind, and persuading a number to turn from the error of their ways. Several other ministers of that, and other denominations, about that time, made a similar change, and were gladly welcomed by Scott as fellow-laborers.

      His visit to the Reserve the previous year, so far from satisfying the brethren there, only increased their desire to have him among them again, and earnest and tender epistles urging him to return were frequent. One of these, from the beloved Bro. Bentley, was as follows:

"MY DEAR BROTHER SCOTT:

      "This letter leaves me and my family in usual health, for which I can not sufficiently express the gratitude due to our adorable heavenly Father. We hope it goes to find you and family in the enjoyment of the same blessing. I write this letter by request of your numerous friends, who are anxious to see you, and who anticipate a gratification of their wishes, the Lord willing, on the Friday preceding the first Lord's day in November, at one o'clock, P. M. We feel as though we could, with propriety, solicit a personal interview with Bro. Campbell and yourself. Knowing that your presence and labors will create a desire in others to read your works, and in reading, to find assistance [320] how to understand God's method of saving sinners, as recorded in his holy Word. We also feel as though we had a special claim upon yourself, as this part of the country is the field you first occupied, and where God honored you as the restorer of the ancient gospel. You can never forget New Lisbon and Warren, those places where it commenced and whence it sounded out and has spread into every quarter of our globe. It is a great consolation to me when I reflect that God honored me with being your companion in labor at that time; and to associate me with you and the venerable Thomas Campbell, who came to your assistance, and who labored so indefatigably for five months, and bore with us the contradiction of sinners. I shall never forget the battle we fought at Sharon, on the Shenango; nor will you forget the tears which ran down the manly cheek of father Campbell, when he beheld the distraction of the church of God, and the rejection of the lambs of Christ by the Baptists, because they would not renounce their respect for us who had been instrumental in converting them from sin and sectarianism, to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.

      "Shall it be that, at our November meeting, we shall he deprived, in this part of the State, where the gospel was restored, of the presence of father Campbell, Alexander, Bro. Rains, and yourself? I trust not. Bro. Alexander has gone to the South, the Lord will be with him; father Campbell to Kentucky; Bro. Rains has not been here for many years. Bro. Scott, then, will come, life and health permitting. Blessed be God. Now, Bro. Scott, do not let ordinary circumstances prevent your coming."

      Such an invitation, penned by such a person, to go to a place where hundreds, through his labors, had been brought to God through the gospel, aroused all the tender and godly anxiety of his heart. He [321] realized that these brethren looked on him much as the Galatians did upon Paul, and, that like them, if need were, would pluck out their eyes and give them to him as proof of their affectionate regard; and though many obstacles were in the way, he set them all aside, saying: "I must see them, and they must see me; nothing short of this will please either of the parties." He went, and again his visit was a blessing to them, and a joy to him. This was repeated many times, and the only sad thing at all these reunions was the sorrow of parting. [322]

[LEWS 308-322]