obedient servants their ten thousand talents of shortcomings, I am, therefore, through his grace, ready to forbear with you; at the same time hoping that you possess the same gracious spirit, and therefore will not reject me for the lack of those fifty forms which might probably bring me up to your measure, and to which, if necessary, I also through grace may yet attain, for I have not set myself down as perfect."

After the reading of this paper and the hearing of the case by the Synod, it was decided that there were such informalities in the proceedings of the Presbytery as to afford sufficient reason to the Synod to set aside their judgment and decision, and to release Mr. Campbell from censure. (Richardson's "Memoirs of Alexander Campbell," vol. i., pp. 222–229.)

It is evident that Thomas Campbell had no desire to separate himself from the fellowship of this church. For many of the ministers, and for the people generally, he cherished sentiments of Christian affection; but more and more it became apparent that an amicable adjustment of the differences between him and his brethren was impossible, and that a separation was inevitable. The feeling against Mr. Campbell on account of his liberal spirit and principles was greater than he was able to resist. He accordingly presented to the Synod a formal renunciation of its authority, announcing that he abandoned all ministerial connection with it, and would thenceforth hold himself utterly unaffected by its decisions.

These proceedings and this step antedated the arrival of his son Alexander and the family in the early autumn of 1809. Alexander, when he heard the story, was in entire accord with his father, and greatly rejoiced when his father told him that for some time he had been preaching to audiences made up of individuals entertaining different

PROPOSITIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 49

conceptions of the gospel-men who were willing to give attention to overtures for Christian union on the basis of the Bible alone.

In due time these persons were united in an organization called "The Christian Association of Washington, Pa.” That all might understand its purpose and method, this association published an elaborate "Declaration and Address." This document is too verbose to find a place in full in this story. It was a carefully prepared and most significant paper. It contained the seeds of coming fruit, nor is the end yet. This paper, prepared by Thomas Campbell, as time goes on is seen to contain a far-reaching wisdom of which its scholarly and pious author had no adequate conception. This was the second document which was given to the public in the beginning of the communion known as Disciples of Christ. The first was the publication made by Stone and his friends in Kentucky, five or six years before. We can only pause, at this point in our progress, to read the following propositions, containing the substance of the "Declaration and Address":

"PROPOSITION I. That the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the Scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else; as none else can truly and properly be called Christians.

“PROPOSITION II. That although the Church of Christ upon earth must necessarily exist in particular and distinct societies, locally separate one from another, yet there ought to be no schisms, no uncharitable divisions among them. They ought to receive each other, as Christ Jesus hath also received them, to the glory of God. And for

this purpose they ought all to walk by the same rule, to mind and speak the same thing, and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

"PROPOSITION III. That in order to this, nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith, nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the Word of God. Nor ought anything to be admitted as of divine obligation in their church constitution and managements but what is expressly enjoined by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles upon the New Testament Church, either in express terms or by approved precedent.

"PROPOSITION IV. That although the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are irreparably connected, making together but one perfect and entire revelation of the divine will, for the edification and salvation of the church, and therefore in that respect cannot be separated; yet as to what directly and properly belongs to their immediate object, the New Testament is as perfect a constitution for the worship, discipline, and government of the New Testament Church, and as perfect a rule for the particular duties of its members, as the Old Testament was for the worship, discipline, and government of the Old Testament Church and the particular duties of its members.

"PROPOSITION V. That with respect to the commands and ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, where the Scriptures are silent. as to the express time or manner of performance, if any such there be, no human authority has power to interfere in order to supply the supposed deficiency by making laws for the church; nor can anything more be required of Christians in such cases, but only that they so observe these commands and ordinances as will evidently answer the declared and obvious end of their in

PROPOSITIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 51

stitution. Much less has any human authority power to impose new commands or ordinances upon the church which our Lord Jesus Christ has not enjoined. Nothing ought to be received into the faith or worship of the church, or be made a term of communion among Christians, that is not as old as the New Testament.

"PROPOSITION VI. That although inferences and deductions from Scripture promises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God's holy Word, yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of Christians further than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so; for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power and veracity of God. Therefore, no such deductions can be made terms of communion, but do properly belong to the after and progressive edification of the church. Hence, it is evident that no such deductions or inferential truths ought to have any place in the church's Confession.

"PROPOSITION VII. That although doctrinal exhibitions of the great system of divine truths and defensive testimonies in opposition to the prevailing errors be highly expedient, and the more full and explicit they be for those purposes the better; yet, as these must be in a great measure the effect of human reasoning, and of course must contain many inferential truths, they ought not to be made terms of Christian communion; unless we suppose, what is contrary to fact, that none have the right to the communion of the church but such as possess a very clear and decisive judgment, or are come to a very high degree of doctrinal information; whereas the church from the beginning did, and ever will, consist of little children and young men as well as fathers.

"PROPOSITION VIII. That it is not necessary that persons should have a particular knowledge or distinct appre

hension of all divinely revealed truths in order to entitle them to a place in the church; neither should they, for this purpose, be required to make a profession more extensive than their knowledge; but that, on the contrary, their having a due measure of Scriptural self-knowledge respecting their lost and perishing condition by nature and practice, and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in and obedience to him in all things according to his Word, is all that is absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into his church.

"PROPOSITION IX. That all that are enabled through grace to make such a profession, and to manifest the reality of it in their tempers and conduct, should consider each other as the precious saints of God, should love each other as brethren, children of the same family and father, temples of the same Spirit, members of the same body, subjects of the same grace, objects of the same divine love, bought with the same price, and joint-heirs of the same inheritance. Whom God hath thus joined together no man should dare to put asunder.

"PROPOSITION X. That division among Christians is a horrid evil fraught with many evils. It is antichristian, as it destroys the visible unity of the body of Christ; as if he were divided against himself, excluding and excommunicating a part of himself. It is antiscriptural, as being strictly prohibited by his sovereign authority; a direct violation of his express command. It is antinatural, as it excites Christians to contemn, to hate, and oppose one another, who are bound by the highest and most endearing obligations to love each other as brethren, even as Christ loved them. In a word, it is productive of confusion and of every evil work.

"PROPOSITION XI. That (in some instances) a partial