S might have been expected, the labors and success of Scott aroused great inquiry and opposition, and the wildest rumors were circulated with regard to the course he pursued, the great peculiarity of which was, that it differed widely from that which had hitherto been the rule in all attempts at conversion. Many supposed that, in connecting baptism in some way with the remission of sins, that he attributed to water a virtue kindred to the blood of Christ, and therefore concluded that all the sinner had to do was to be immersed, while he really regarded it as an act of obedience expressive of perfect trust in Christ for pardon, as an acceptance of the offer made in the gospel to all who truly believed and turned away from their sins.

      And yet for teaching what the great majority of the Christian world admit, in theory at least, and what is taught in the Word of God most clearly, he was represented as the author of an hitherto unheard-of and soul-destroying heresy. These rumors reached the ears of his friend and fellow-laborer in the cause of religious reform, Alexander Campbell, who fearing that Mr. Scott might have been carried by his enthusiastic nature beyond the bounds of prudence, sent his father, a man of rare wisdom and judgment, to find out the true state of the case. This venerable and pious man visited the scene of Scott's labors in the spring of 1828, and, after carefully observing the course he pursued, sent the following account of it to his son: [64]

      "I perceive that theory and practice in religion, as well as in other things, are matters of distinct consideration. It is one thing to know concerning the art of fishing--for instance, the rod, the line, the hook, and the bait, too; and quite another thing to handle them dextrously when thrown into the water, so as to make it take. We have long known the former (the theory), and have spoken and published many things correctly concerning the ancient gospel, its simplicity and perfect adaptation to the present state of mankind, for the benign and gracious purposes of his immediate relief and complete salvation; but I must confess that, in respect to the direct exhibition and application of it for that blessed purpose, I am at present for the first time upon the ground where the thing has appeared to be practically exhibited to the proper purpose. 'Compel them to come in,' saith our Lord, 'that my house may be filled.'"

      With regard to Scott's mode of obtaining and separating disciples, he added:

      "Mr. Scott has made a bold push to accomplish this object, by simply and boldly stating the ancient gospel, and insisting upon it; and then by putting the question generally and particularly to males and females, old and young. Will you come to Christ and be baptized for the remission of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit? Don't you believe this blessed gospel? Then come away. This elicits a personal conversation; some confess faith in the testimony, beg time to think; others consent, give their hands to be baptized as soon as convenient; others debate the matter friendly; some go straight to the water, be it day or night, and upon the whole none appear offended."^a

      Fully approving all that he heard and saw, the elder Campbell spent several months in Scott's field of labor, and most heartily co-operated with him, and contributed much to his success, as will appear in the sequel. [65]

      The next scene of the evangelical labors of Elder Scott was at Sharon, a small village in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, situated on the Shenango River, and almost on the line between that State and the portion of Ohio in which the principles of the Reformation had lately spread so rapidly. The Baptist Churches at Warren and Hubbard, only a few miles distant, had embraced the new views almost in a body, so generally, indeed, that both houses of worship passed quietly into the hands of the Disciples; and in the case of Warren, as previously noted, not only the greater part of the congregation, but the preacher also accepted the truth so ably and eloquently urged by Scott, and became himself an earnest and successful advocate of the same. Some of the Sharon Baptists had heard of the great change which had taken place in the two sister churches; some of the members had even gone so far as to visit them, and could find no well-founded objections to what they had heard stigmatized as heresy; nay, it seemed to them strangely like gospel truth; and some of them went so far as to sit down at the Lord's Table with those self-same heretics.

      The new church continued to grow in the favor of God and the people, who knew that they had been called to suffer for the truth's sake. They continued to meet for some time, like the ancient church, from house to house, the Lord adding frequently to their number. Elder Scott, who had been with them in the day of their trouble, visited them in their prosperity, and greatly strengthened them by his earnest and efficient labors, and was himself greatly encouraged to see their growth in numbers and the fear [66] of the Lord, so that he could adopt the saying of the beloved apostle, "I have no greater joy than to see my children walk in truth!" Nor was the effect of his labors a transient one, for though his voice has long ceased to be heard on the banks of the Shenango, and many of those whom he called into the kingdom of Christ have departed in glorious hope, the cause he pleaded is still alive and flourishing. [67]

[LWSA 64-67]