We design, by the grace of God, to continue in the exercise of those functions which belong to us as ministers of the Gospel, confidently trusting in the Lord, that he will be with us. We candidly acknowledge that in some things we may err, through human infirmity; but he will correct our wanderings and preserve his Church. Let all Christians join with us in crying to God day and night to remove the obstacles which stand in the way of his work, and give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. We heartily unite with our Christian brethren of every name in thanksgiving to God for the display of his goodness in the glorious work he is carrying on in our western country, which we hope will terminate in the universal spread of the Gospel. (Biography of B. W. Stone, pages 51-55.) PRACTICES MODIFIED IN MANY PARTICULARS The stand they now took drove them to modify their practices in many particulars. Among the first things to which they turned their attention was infant baptism. Previous, indeed, to the great excitement in 1801, Robert Marshall had become satisfied that infant baptism was not taught in the Word of God; upon which Stone tried to set him right, but in the course of the discussion he became so thoroughly convinced of its unscripturalness that he discontinued the practice entirely. The religious awakening, however, soon engrossed the minds of all, and for some years baptism was left out of view. At length, many becoming dissatisfied with their infant baptism, a meeting was convened to thoroughly consider the subject, and, after a friendly investigation, and discussion, it was decided that each member should act in accordance with his convictions. As none among them had been immersed, it was a question whether any one was qualified to administer baptism, which was finally settled upon the ground that authority to preach carried with it the authority to baptize. In the performance of this newly-discovered duty, the ministers first baptized each other, and then their congregations. The practice of immersion soon prevailed generally among the churches.