LIFE OF DR. W. H. HOPSON.



   " During the summer of 1870 Bro. Hopson spent his vacation
from Louisville in and around Georgetown, where I was then
located. Among the meetings of this tour, he held one at New-
town, and this one stirred up the venerable and venerated Thomas
P. Dudley. I happened at Father Dudley's Saturday meeting at
Georgetown, the first one held after the Doctor's visit to Newtown,
and I found all the particular Baptists on hand, and their preacher
on the war-path. After pointing over towards the Baptist College
and comparing it sarcastically to bullet-molds, because it was a
machine for making preachers, he proceeded to Doctor Hopson's
heretical teaching at Newtown. 'One of these has just closed
a meeting at Newtown. He actually denied any divine call to
the ministry. He examined the Presbyterian, the Methodist and
the Baptist ministers in turn, and found each claimed to be called
and sent to preach, and yet each was preaching a different ism'
He, therefore, argued that each was mistaken about this divine
call. " And now, so far," said he, " as I am concerned, I do n't
claim to have any call, and yet I preach what I believe just as
they do." No doubt he was right about it, brethren; a man
who preaches heresy need not tell me he has no call to preach-
his preaching will show that.'
    " This last sentence brought out quite a smile over the audi-
ence. A few who knew me cast humorous glances at me. He
continued: 'He actually preached so much about baptism that
one of my sisters, that is, one who has long been a child of God
by faith, and has told us, around the fireside, of God's work of
grace upon her heart, but who, for some reason, we could never
get to make a public profession, having heard all this talk about
baptism, was taken sick one night and sent for me, and wanted
me to go and baptize her in the night. I endeavored to show
her how absurd the idea was that a child of God could ever be
lost, whether baptized or not. What heresy! what heresy!'
I met Dr. Hopson a few days after this and told him about
it. He laughed immoderately while he expressed a profound
respect for Thos. P. Dudley, whose honesty and piety none
could doubt; at the same time it was amusing to him to know
that it took just such 'heresy' as he was preaching on the neces-
sity of baptism to get Bro. Dudley's converts to make a public
profession, and obey Christ in the ordinance of baptism.
    "It would be curious to know how many are members of
other religious organizations, who would not have been there to-



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