institution a solemnity, a significance, and an importance which no art or ingenuity of corrupted Christianity can long obscure or successfully deface. It will give to it an authority and a claim upon the understanding, the conscience, and the affections of the humble and devout, which no sophistry or hardihood can weaken or destroy. To associate faith and baptism as antecedents whose consequent is salvation, no matter what the connexion may be, will always impart to the institution a pre-eminence above all other religious institutions in the world. The Lord does not say he that believeth and obeys this or that moral precept shall be saved; but "He that believeth the gospel and is baptized shall be saved." This very intelligible and prominent annunciation, just before his ascension, greatly explains and justifies the new precept promulged by Peter a few days afterwards when the ascended Lord had sent down his Holy Spirit to advocate his cause. Peter, after the new light imparted in the commission, feared not to say to the inquiring Jews, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the remission of sins.” Nor did any one, so far as the history of the apostolic labours is reported, ever express a doubt or an inquiry upon the connexion thus solemnly established between faith, repentance, baptism, and remission or salvation. So far from this, that the Apostles frequently allude to the subject in their epistles as though by universal consent it was understood to be a symbol of moral purification—a —a washing away of sin in a figure, declarative of a true and real remission of sin-a release of the conscience from the feeling of guilt and all its condemnatory power.

There remains in the historical books of the New Institution another very striking evidence of the proper design of Christian baptism. It being a charge of the verbiage of Peter and from another speaker, and addressed to a great sinner, it is peculiarly striking and impressive. It is the address of Ananias to Saul of Tarsus, than whom had not then lived a more fierce and hostile spirit opposed to the claims of Jesus of Nazareth. When commanded to wait for a message from the Lord, Ananias waited upon him; and after a very short introduction he said to Saul of Tarsus, Arise, brother Saul, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, invoking the name of the Lord." A most unguarded and unjustifiable form of address, under the sanction of a divine mission, if baptism had not for its design the remission of sins, according to the Pentecostian address.

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From the express authority and evidence of Apostles and Evangelists, without any inferential reasoning, we feel constrained to conclude that the baptisms of the New Testament, both of John and Jesus, were for the true, real, and formal remission of sins through faith in the Messiah and a genuine repentance towards God. We shall, however, for the sake of some of our readers who are slow to believe all that the Apostles have spoken, devote to the subject another essay, in the further examination of the sacred writings, and in some notices of the traditions of the Fathers. A. CAMPBELL.

CO-OPERATION MEETING AT CHESTER.

Mollington, October 7th, 1847.

[DEAR BROTHER.-I have made an effort to forward you the Report by the time you desired it, and believe I have succeeded. It is not so trim as I could have wished; but its errors I beg you to charge to my inexperience, and the little time I have had in which to revise it, rather than want of good will.— Yours, &c., P. STEPHENS.]

THIS meeting having been duly announced, was convened in Chester on the 1st. day of October. The assembly consisted of messengers from congregations in Great Britain and Ireland, advocating original Christianity, and contending for the ancient order of the church of God—the doctrines and institutions delivered to the faithtul by the holy Apostles. The occasion was one of great interest, gratifying to every mind that desires the extension, and prays for the triumph of divine truth. The number of brethren convoked, the distances many of them had travelled, the deep interest manifested in the transactions, and the order, propriety, and affability that prevailed at this meeting,—all indicate, that the principles for which we plead are firmly established among us, that they are fully appreciated by the understandings and deeply rooted in the hearts of many devoted servants of God, and that they have exerted an influence, and obtained an ascendency in this realm, which even the combined opposition of the eager partizans of the many system of human device which unhappily distract this nation, shall never be able to destroy.

We were favoured with the presence and counsel of our approved brethren Campbell and Henshall, beloved and esteemed for their works' sake. This was an advantage of which the brethren were duly sensible-a privilege in which they rejoiced. Brother Campbell was unanimously called to the chair, and brother P. Stephen of Mollington was appointed to act as secretary. The meeting being thus constituted the presence and blessing of God were sought in fervent prayer, and the divine aid and direction humbly supplicated in all deliberations. The president then rose to make some preliminary remarks, of which the following is a synopsis :

It is a commu

"The church of Christ is one grand community. nity of communities. The sure Foundation was laid in Zion, and the Lord said, 'On this rock I will build my church.' It is obvious, that in this, as in many other places, the word church denotes the whole body or aggregate of the faithful. This collective body of believers, however, this large community, comprises many small communities. Hence the word is applied in the plural form, and we read of the churches in Judea,' the churches in Galatia,' and' the churches in Asia.' The church of Christ may thus be contemplated as one, and yet as many. As Israel was one nation, and yet contained many tribes, and these many families-so there are churches in families, in cities, in states, and these collectively form the church of Christ. Every family has its own inalienable duties and obligations; rights, immunities, and privileges; to the full discharge and

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enjoyment of which it is called. So is it with every church of God. Now, families are accountable to cities, cities to nations, and nations to empires. Thus though each family has its own peculiar duties and privileges, yet it is amenable to a higher power. Every Christian church, also, while it has its own appropriate obligations and immunities, owes something to its sister churches. Duties grow out of relations; and the relation of the various churches to each other, under Christ the Head, calls for reciprocal duties. These duties will sometimes call for united exertions. Great achievements which

cannot be effected by individuals, or by individual churches, call for co-operation. In the divine word there are various examples of combined effort,-of the churches acting in concert for special purposes, and particularly for the spreading of the gospel. Different crises at different times demand particular duties. There are at the present time certain duties required from the churches in this kingdom. This is a crisis which calls on all who acknowledge the Lord Jesus, all who desire to be guided by the divine word, all who have at heart the extending of the knowledge of Messiah's name,--which calls on all the church, to take counsel together on matters of expediency. And having mentioned expediency, I will add,-it will be distinctly understood that this is the limit of what we have now to do. We are not here as legislators, to enact laws for the kingdom of heaven, the church of God, but we are here to deliberate on various affairs of expediency. There are certain matters determined by God on which no human tribunal may sit in judgment.

"1. The faith is decided. On this point there can be no discussion. The faith may not be altered, amended, or modified. This is not within the limits of the affairs to be digested, disposed, or arranged by the present meeting.

"2. Piety is decided. The sacred obligations of Christian worship, of prayer and supplication, of praise and thanksgiving, were all adjusted before we were born, and are explicitly enjoined in the statute-book of Heaven.

"3. Nor are we here to take judicial notice of morality. This is expressly and fully propounded in the sacred scriptures.

"Our position therefore must be distinguished from the position of those communities that profess to decide what men are to believe : and I would again repeat it, our decisions are limited to details of expediency, to those things, or forms of action which it was impossible, or unnecessary, to reduce to special precepts. The churches now come together by their representatives to consider certain circumstantials belonging to the kingdom. The great and important subject, therefore, to be brought before your notice in the first place, is the following:

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'By what ways and means may the gospel be effectually published in this land?'

"This is a point of primary interest. That the gospel is to be preached, all admit. The important question is, How may this be effectually done? It can be done efficiently only by selecting qualified persons, entirely devoted to the work. None can excel in

two businesses. Christ's work also is all-important, and ought not to be attended to as a merely secondary consideration. Suppose that there are a thousand churches in Great Britain: these can take care of themselves. They can see to their own edification. But there is the world without. What is to be done for them? There must be a standing corps, an army of faithful and devoted soldiers of the Cross, to approach the world without. Their number depends on the exigencies of society. The nation has its standing army: it is as necessary that there should be a standing army of faith; and the church is now under the strongest obligations to put forth her energies to redeem man from sinking down into ruin. We must then have a valiant, a faithful, an educated corps. I mean not a collegiate, but an ecclesiastical education. Let them be men mighty in the scriptures-men who can use the sword of the Spirit well. Qualified men. Men of piety. Thus shall they go forth terrible as an army with banners.'

The president having thus spoken, the various churches represented were ascertained, and are alphabetically described below:

The churches in Cupar and Newburgh, both in the county of Fife, Scotland, were represented by letter.

The brethren were then invited freely to express their views, sentiments, and convictions, relative to the important point already laid by the president before the meeting, and constituting at once both the grand subject of its deliberations, and the great object of its achievement-viz., the effectual publishing of the gospel in this country. That spirit of benevolence and philanthropy towards man which the gospel inspires, now became delightfully manifest. All were unanimous in desiring the promulgation of the gospel; considering, that the greatest boon that could possibly be conferred on man, is, to rescue him from the dominion of sin, from the shades and damps of spiritual death, and from the awful anguish of eternal ruin. Several interesting facts and incidents were related, showing what unexpected and felicitous consequences have resulted from faithfully persevering in the advocacy of the divine truths of the gospel. Various suggestions, exhortations, and addresses, were also made by brother Davies, brother Wallis, and others, tending greatly to edification, comfort, and encouragement.

The present position of the Christian Messenger was then represented to the brethren. Many were, to some extent, and for the first time, made aware of the opposition endured, the difficulties encountered, and the losses sustained, during a period of ten years, in conducting that periodical. Grateful feelings were educed towards the editor for his onerous labours connected with this valuable vehicle of communication, continued by him so long without yielding, in a pecuniary point of view, any advantageous return. The editor explained that he undertook the publication, not for the object of realizing profits by it but to disseminate the truth, and in this diffusion its influence has not been inconsiderable. That brother Wallis should be permitted to lose in this matter of general interest, however, was regarded as highly improper, and provision was made to secure him against future detriment.

Considerable inconvenience and irregularity having been occasioned in various places by one church's receiving, without confession,