in all good works, and the most conscientious and devout in the service of God," The most vexing of problems, the Trinity, has bothered the Disciples little. Alexander Campbell seldom wrote on the question; when he did write, it was under protest. Under such a condition, he gave an exposition of John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Campbell said: "As a word is an exact image of an idea, so is 'The Word' an exact image of the invisible God. As a word can not exist without an idea, nor an idea without a word, so God never was without 'The Word,' nor 'The Word' without God, or as a word is of equal age, or coetaneous with its idea, so 'The Word' and God are co-eternal. And as an idea does not create its word, nor a word its idea; so God did not create 'The Word,' nor the 'Word' God. "Such a view does the language used by John suggest. And to this do all the scriptures agree. For The Word' was made flesh, and in consequence of becoming incarnate, he is styled the Son of God, the only Begotten of the Father. As from eternity God was manifest in and by 'The Word,’ so now God is manifest in the flesh. As God was always with 'The Word,' so when 'The Word' becomes flesh, he is Emanuel, God with us. As God was never manifest but by 'The Word,' so the heavens and the earth, and all things, were created by 'The Word.' And as 'The Word' ever was the effulgence or representation of the invisible God, so he will ever be known and adored as 'The Word of God.'"'" Barton W. Stone questioned some of Campbell's views. In the form of an interrogation, he stated: 58 Millennial Harbinger, II., 155. The Christian Baptist, May 7, 1827. "That the Word (di'hou) by whom all things were made, was not the only true God, but a person that existed with the only true God before creation began; not from eternity, else he must be the only true God; but long before the reign of Augustus Cæsar." Campbell replied at once, and among other things said: "But, Brother Stone, I exceedingly regret that you have said and written so much on two topics, neither of which you, nor myself, nor any man living, can fully understand. One of these is the burthen of your late letter to me. You do not like my comment on John, Ch. 1, ver. 1st.-Well, then, just say so, and let it alone. I said in presenting it I was not about to contend for it, nor to maintain any theory upon the subject. My words are, Nor would I dispute, or contend for this as a theory or speculation with anybody.' Why, then, call me into the field?''" Towards the conclusion of his answer, he wrote: "But I adopt neither system, and will fight for none. I believe that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son; that Jesus was the Son of God, in the true, full, and proper import of these words; that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, which was sent by the concurrence of the Father and the Son to attest and establish the truth, and remain a comforter, an advocate on earth, when Jesus entered the heavens. If any man's faith in this matter is stronger or greater than mine, I have no objection. I only request him not to despise my weakness, and I will not condemn his strength." 60 58 The Christian Baptist, October 1, 1827. 50 Ibid., October 1, 1827. * Ibid., October 1, 1827. The popular slogan of the "Reformation" movement was: "Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent."" Disciples still believe in granting freedom of opinion" in non-essentials, but they stand firmly for two things which all Protestant religious bodies do not accept; namely, immersion and the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper, and, in spite of their desire for Christian unity based on the Bible alone, they will not yield on these two points, which are pre-eminently the distinguishing characteristics of the Disciples of Christ. The man who, more than any other human person, shaped their teaching was Alexander Campbell. His doctrines, as summarized by a personal acquaintance and the greatest editor of the Disciples, Isaac Errett, will be given in review: 61 Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, II., 852. 69 They define opinions as inferences of human reason with regard to things not actually considered in the Bible (Millennial Harbinger, II., 331). The severest test came in the case of Aylett Raines, a gifted young minister of the Western Reserve. Raines held "Restorationist" opinions, which he frequently preached; many ministers opposed him for this reason. Both Campbells, however, favored him. The older preached to the association on the text, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations;" or in Thompson's new version, "without regard to differences of opinion." The younger defined again the difference between faith and opinion, and stated that Mr. Raines' views on the restoration of the wicked after they had undergone a certain amount of punishment was only an opinion, for there was not a single passage in the Bible affirming it. Campbell then asked Raines to express his willingness to preach the Gospel as the apostles preached it, and to retain his opinions as private property. Raines agreed; consequently a large majority of the association decided that he did not merit condemnation (see Richardson, R. Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, I., 244-246). "Christ, the only master; involving a rejection of all human names and leaderships in religion. The Bible, the only authoritative Book; necessitating a denial of the authority of all human creeds. The Church of Christ, as founded by Him, and built by the apostles for a habitation of God through the Spirit, the only institution for spiritual ends; logically leading to the repudiation of all sect religions as unscriptural and dishonoring to the Head of the Church. Faith in Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of God, and repentance towards God, the only prerequisites to baptism and consequent church membership; thus dismissing all doctrinal speculation and all theological dogmata, whether true or false, as unworthy to be urged as tests of fitness for membership in the Church of Christ. Obedience to the divine commandments, and not correctness of opinion, the test of Christian standing. The Gospel the essential channel of spiritual influence in conversion; thus ignoring all reliance on abstract and immediate influence of the Holy Spirit, and calling the attention of inquirers away from dreams, visions, and impressions, which are so liable to deceive the living and powerful truths of the Gospel, which are reliable, immutable and eternal. The truth of the Gospel, to enlighten; the love of God in the Gospel, to persuade; the ordinances of the Gospel, as tests of submission to the divine will; the promises of the Gospel, as the evidences of pardon and acceptance; and the Holy Spirit, in and through all these, accomplishing His work of enlightening, convincing of sin, guiding the penitent soul to pardon, and bearing witness to the obedient believer of His adoption into the family of God.” 68 es Quoted by McLean, A. Alexander Oampbell as a Preacher, 88-40, VIII METHODS OF WORK VARIOUS ways were used to spread the teach ing of the Reformers. The most prominent were by preaching, by debates, by means of the press, by educational work, and by missionary activities. Of course, one of the most successful methods of spreading religious teaching is by preaching. The Reformers were favored greatly by having or developing a set of able ministers. The Campbells and their immediate followers, with the exception of Walter Scott and a few others, were not great evangelists at first, but with the Kentucky union, the evangelistic ardor of Stone's followers began to permeate the whole mass. Consequently, great numbers were added to the Disciples or "Christians." Most of the great leaders have already been mentioned. A few more will be given, but many deserving of mention will have to be omitted. One 1 Some of the greatest leaders about 1830 were: Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, Robert Richardson, Philip S. Fall, William Hayden, Adamson Bentley, Cyrus Bosworth, Marcus Bosworth, John Smith, D. S. Burnett, James Challen, John Henry, Jacob Osborne, Sidney Rigdon, A. J. Ewing, Darwin Atwater, Aylett Raines, Jacob Creath, Sr., Jacob Creath, Jr., John T. Johnson, Barton W. Stone, Samuel Rogers, John Rogers, John A. Gano, John Whitaker, John Flick, Joseph Gaston, Thomas M. Allen, John Secrist and B. F. Hall. |