VISITS THE KENTUCKY BAPTISTS The debate was attended by great crowds of people from far and near. Mr. Campbell’s reputation as one of the first pulpit orators of the day was fully established; and wherever he could be induced to speak he was met by throngs of hearers. His most important reception on this trip was at Lexington, where he spoke in the Baptist meetinghouse, of which Dr. Fishback was minister. At the hour for the meeting the house was crowded to its utmost capacity. When Mr. Campbell rose he was not able to stand erect during the delivery of his discourse. “This was based on the first chapter of Hebrews, and led him to dwell upon the divine glory of the Son of God—a theme on which he was almost surpassingly eloquent. It lasted two hours, during which the audience sat in rapt attention.” He made a very profound impression on the entire audience. They recognized in him the mightiest intellect that had ever visited their city. The freshness of his thoughts, the extent and accuracy of his Biblical knowledge and his grand generalizations of the wonderful fact of redemption opened up trains of reflection wholly new, and presented the subject of Christianity in a form so simple and yet so comprehensive as to fill every one with admiration; so that from this time forward Mr. Campbell was esteemed by the people of Kentucky as great among the greatest of her public men, and without a rival in the department to which he had devoted his powers. Immediately after the close of the debate with Mr. McCalla, Mr. Campbell made preparations for its publication. This was done from his own notes and those taken by Sydney Rigdon during the debate, and notwithstanding Mr. McCalla’s effort to discredit it before its appearance, its general accuracy was attested by those who heard the discussion. Its publication and circulation proved the severest blow that pedobaptism ever received.