St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-02-11

ton, Pa. From thence he wrote il
January, 1903. for his family to follow
and join him in America. The family
finally reached Philadelphia October z
| 1909, and from thence proceeded by
stage to the fathers home in western
Pennsylvania.
In the meantime the latter had been
| assigned to the Presbytery of Char
tiers of Washington, by the Secedel
Synod of Philadelphia. But he had not
been long officiating before there arose
in the minds of his Ministerial brethren g
conviction that Thomas Campbell was
inclined to swerve somewhat from rigid
church rule and cherish fraternal feel
ing for other denominations. He was
gradually adjudged guilty of not adj
herring to the Secession Testimony
his case was submitted to the Synod
meeting, and in spite of his submission
to the judgment of the synod commit
tee was subjected to such antagonism
and hostility that he eventually with
drew from the synod. This, however,
occasioned little interruption in his
ministerial labors, because his constant
and strenuous advocacy of Christian
union and fraternity drew large num-
bers to his ministrations from other de-
nominations. This finally resulted,
August IL, 1909, in the forming of a
regular association, called ''The Chris
tan Association of Washington;" thus
conclusiyely proving that even this
tentative organization, and this the
third in America of similar purpose
and conviction, was not founded by
Alexander Campbell, who at this date
had not yet stepped foot on American
shores; although his subsequent life
work was truly tremendous and ma
jestic devotion to and power in promul-
CATION of the simple faith of the Chris
tan Church-which, briefly told. has
for its declared purpose no attempt at
interference with, or reformation of,
other churches, but an effort for return
OF all Christians coming within it's in
fiuence to primitive Christian faith and
practice; profession of amplitude and
sufficiency in the Bible. solemnly self
interpreted. for all requisite guidance
in right living; and as a single cardi-
nal doctrine, the teaching of repent
ance, faith and baptism by immersion.
The impossibility of the little Wash
ington Christian Association entering
the Presbyterian Synod, the latter
peremptorily refusing the same, and
the manifest necessity of preserving it
as against the many existing hostile
influences, convinced Thomas Camp
bell and his son that a formal church
organization was essential to life.
Thisswas consummated in the spring of
1911, s'for the sole purpose of promot-
ing simple evangelical Christianity"
with thirty regular members, but it
was not until year later that Alexan-
der Campbell, whose first sermon from
a text was preached July Is, 1910, in
the Templeton Farm grove, near Wash
ington, and whose mighty evangelical
powers were beginning to re .eive wide
determined, and began to
teach, that immersion was the divinely
form Of baptism.
But back here in the wilderness of
Kentucky, influences and events were,
nearly a quarter Of cent ry earlier,
making possible reformation out of
which the Christian Church of to-day
should have it's real origin. The settlers
of this region were principally Presby-
terrain. Their piety knew no bounds
Rude churches were built and presby-
teries formed, almost before farms were
cleared or families housed in cabins.
Over there, within sight Of my window,
were it now standing. a theological
seminary was built just one hundred
years ago; and in the same year the |
little church at the corner yonder was
made of logs on the ridge in the
cane-brake; hence, "Cane Ridge" the
name OF the neighborhood, the post
office and the church itself A Rogers
was the first clerk Of old "Cane Ridge
church; Rogers has ever been its
clerk, and Rogers descendant of
that first clerk, my host. through whose |
care and munifcencc its rotting logs |
and oaken roof have been sheathed |
from ravages of storm and time-is its
clerk to-day.
: But here at olden .'Cane RIDGE was
The center Of religious interest at that
early time. The Springfield Presby-
terry had its sittings here. That Chris
tian hero and intellectual giant, Barton
W. Stone, was the Cane Ridge minister.
Under his preaching David Purviance,
of North Carolina, became an
slider in the church; and this man, Pur-
rance, from his election to the Ken
.ucky Legislature in 1896, until his or
lination as minister some six years
alter, was by all odds the most COM
figure as citizen, Christian and
legislator Kentucky had known, or has
since owned. Through the influence
1t these and other pious men, . mighty
revival wave swept over Kentucky
md Tennessee in the latest part Of the
asst century, eliminating in the great
Kentucky Revival Of 1901, itself Gull
in August of that year in the
a - - sas5 Z