MY DEAR E.--Every one will agree, that the true basis of Christian union is the Christian faith. All the parties assert this, but, unfortunately, each one adds to that faith, or, rather, substitutes for it, human opinions, and matters of doctrinal knowledge not immediately connected with salvation; and they refuse to receive each other, because they do not happen to agree in these opinions and doctrines, while, at the same time, they may hold in common what really constitutes the Christian faith. This Christian faith, as we have seen, is simply belief in Christ, as he is presented in the gospel, and it s concisely engrossed in the great proposition, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. No one can comprehend the terms of this proposition, without having before his mind the whole Christian faith in its subject-matter. The predicate, "the Son of God," if understood, implies a knowledge of God and a belief in him. The subject, "Jesus Christ," is an expression which can be comprehended only as it involves an acquaintance with the personal history of Jesus of Nazareth, and, consequently, of the great facts which constitute the gospel. The whole proposition thus presents to us--Jesus as the Son of God--the Christ, or anointed one, whom God has appointed to be our Teacher, our [341] Redeemer, and our King; to whose precepts we are to listen; through whose precious blood and intercession we are to obtain forgiveness; by whose word and Spirit we are to be sanctified, and by whose mighty power we are to be rescued from the captivity of the grave. As in nature, the lofty spreading oak was originally contained in the acorn, or, rather, in a single cell of that acorn, upon which were impressed all the nature and laws of development which distinguish the mighty monarch of the woods, so it has pleased God to wrap up, as it were, in a single proposition, that vast remedial system, which may overspread and shelter, in its full development, the whole assembled family of man. In it is presented the simple word, or gospel, which is most appropriately termed "the good seed of the kingdom," and which, when it grows up and is fully matured, produces fruit unto eternal life. It is the same Infinite Wisdom which has dictated the arrangements, both of nature and religion. In both, means apparently the most simple, produce the grandest results. In both, the processes are slow and gradual. It is "first the blade, then the ear; then the full corn in the ear." No where is the ground uptorn with sudden violence that the full grown oak may be planted, or that it may receive into its bosom the spreading roots of grain ready for the sickle. "The Kingdom of God," says the great Teacher, "is as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how." It is the simple gospel which is sown in the heart, and not, as sectarians imagine, complete and elaborate systems of theology. It is with this proposition and its proofs, that God first meets the sinner, and it is in its cordial reception that the latter finds the grace and mercy of God. Oh that the sectarian world could thus contemplate this beautiful simplicity of the truth, as originally presented by Christ and his Apostles, and, adopting it as the true ground of Christian union, could be induced to forsake for it those confused and complicated systems which have no power either to save sinners or to unite saints.

      The above observations are designed for those who may, at first view, suppose this basis of union to be too narrow, and to contain too little, while, in truth, it contains all, and is the very germ from which the whole Christian institution proceeds. But there are cavillers who may object, on the other hand, that it contains, or rather implies, too much; involving questions about which men will differ. They will say, that there are not only in the above proposition itself, but in the preliminary knowledge which it supposes, many matters about which men may and do disagree; and that this formula, then, however simple and concise it may appear, may, nevertheless, give rise [342] to debate and division. To this I would reply, that we might as readily look for the giving of a law by which we could be justified, as expect to obtain any basis of union which men, in their pride of opinion and love of controversy, may not make a ground of disunion. It is true, that men have started a great many questions respecting the nature and attributes of God; about the character and sonship of Christ; the method, object, and extent of the atonement, etc., etc., and that some of the warmest religious disputes are upon these very topics. But they are either untaught questions, with which we have nothing to do, (for we have no business with any questions which are not mooted in the Bible,) or they are vain speculations upon matters utterly beyond the reach of the human intellect, or, lastly, they are sublime truths, which can be fully unfolded only in the chapters of Christian knowledge and experience, and in regard to which we have no right to demand, in advance, even that amount of knowledge which the Scriptures themselves furnish when fully explored. All these disputes, in short, are about doctrines, intellectual conceptions, abstract truths; but, as we have endeavored to show, the Christian faith has respect to facts, by which we do not mean truths delivered, but things really and actually performed, and attested by witnesses. There are, indeed, some general truths, which we must suppose the mind to have received, before it could possibly apprehend the gospel facts. For instance, it must have admitted the being of God. But all such fundamental and elementary truth here required, is either self-evident or of such a nature that it cannot be supposed absent from the mind. Hence the Bible no where attempts to prove the existence of God. It begins by declaring the fact, that "God created the heavens and the earth," but it takes for granted the elementary truth, that there is a God. Now, the great proposition on which the Christian Institution rests, affirms, in like manner, a simple matter of fact, involving the same elementary truth, which requires no new proof, and can justly give rise to no controversy. It is either the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, or it is not. Upon this question rests the whole Christian fabric, and it is one which is not to be proved by reckoning' from abstract principles, but by the testimony of God himself and the evidence of such other facts as are pertinent to the case. Such, accordingly, are the very proofs which are supplied in regard to this great basis of Christianity, which, like the sun in the heavens, is placed far above all those controversies which have so beclouded the religious parties as almost wholly to conceal its splendor and intercept its life-giving beams. It is in this great fact that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is presented to us in his true and proper character, that we may so receive him and trust in him. He is, indeed, the Sun of [343] Righteousness, the radiating and attracting centre of the spiritual system, shedding light on the heavens and on the earth--upon the things of God, and the nature, duty, and destiny of man. In accepting the above proposition, then, we take Christ himself as the basis of Christian union, as he is also the chief corner stone and only foundation of the church. To demand, instead of this, as a profession of faith and basis of union, an exact knowledge of remote points of Christian doctrine, is as unscriptural as it would be irrational, to prohibit men from enjoying the light and warmth of the natural sun until they had first attained a high proficiency in astronomy, and were able to determine the movements and magnitudes of the remote planets and inferior satellites of the solar system.

      Neither do we, on the other hand, at all concede that this great fact may be confounded with any thing else in the Divine testimony, or that its splendor may be at ah diminished by comparison with any one or all other facts presented to the mind. It stands alone in all its sublime grandeur, amidst the revelations of God. There is nothing, indeed, which may be justly compared with it. All other propositions in religion are subordinate to this, and can be rendered visible only by the light which it sheds upon them. Allow me here to offer a few additional considerations from the Scriptures, which will serve to give a just view of the position which this fact occupies in the Christian institution.

      1. The proposition which asserts it is a DIVINE ORACLE, in a specific and peculiar sense. For it was announced by the Father himself from heaven. It is seldom, indeed, that God has directly addressed himself to men, and when he lays aside the ordinary methods of communication and presents himself, as it were, in person, to speak to mortals, we may be sure the communication is one of the most transcendent importance. Such was the case when, at the baptism of Jesus, in presence of the assembled multitude upon the banks of the Jordan, there came a voice from heaven, saying, "THIS IS MY BELOVED SON." Such was also the case at the transfiguration, when the same declaration was repeated to the chosen disciples in presence of Moses the giver, and Elijah the restorer of the law, with the significant addition, "HEAR YE HIM."

      2. This proposition is the rock upon which Christ himself declared he would build his church. I refer here to Matt. xvi. 13-19, where we are told that Christ, after inquiring what were the conclusions of the people in regard to him, and receiving, in reply, a statement of their various opinions, put to his own disciples the question, "But who say ye that I am?" To this Peter promptly replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

      This is a most remarkable passage, and is, of itself, quite sufficient to show the position which this declaration occupies. It was because [344] Peter was the first to make this direct confession of Christ, that the Saviour honored him by committing to him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; that is, the privilege of opening the gates of this kingdom to the Jews and also to the Gentiles--an office which he fulfilled, as recorded in Acts, chaps. ii. and x. This, of itself, indicates the high value attached to this declaration. But we are not left to judge of its importance merely from the honor awarded to him who was the first to make it. Christ himself expressly declares here, referring to Peter's confession of his Divine sonship, that upon this rock he would build his church, and that against it, thus founded, the gates of death should not prevail. Now, it must be evident to every mind, that the foundation of the church can be the only basis of Christian union. The church is but the general assembly of saint's, and the basis on which it rests must, of necessity, be the ground of union and communion of its members. Whatever is a sufficient basis for the whole church, muse, of course, be sufficient for each individual member of that church. Upon that basis they can be united together as a church of Christ, and upon no other basis. "Upon this rock," says Jesus, "I will build my church." "Other foundation can no man lay," says Paul, "than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus the Lord," who was announced in his divine and proper character in the above declaration.

      3. This is the "good confession" which Christ himself "witnessed" before his judges, and for which he was condemned to be crucified. During his ministry he had forbidden his disciples to tell any one that he was the Messiah, reserving to himself to make this confession at this awful moment, before the great tribunal of Israel. When all other evidence had failed his enemies, and he was adjured by the high priest to say if he was the Christ, the Son of God, he replied in the Hebrew style of affirmation, "Thou hast said." "What further need," cried the high priest, "have we of witnesses; behold, we have heard his blasphemy." And they answered, "He is worthy of death." Can any thing more clearly display the true character of this great proposition, than the fact, that Jesus thus honored it by dying for it? He was himself thus laid as the foundation corner stone of the church of the living God.

      4. But finally, it is abundantly evident from the Scriptures, that it was this very confession which was made by those who, during the ministry of the Apostles, were admitted to the institutions of the gospel and the fellowship of the church. I have already referred you to the discourses of the Apostles, which have all the same object--to produce the belief, and, of course, the acknowledgment of this great fact. I need only refer again to the detailed case of the Ethiopian eunuch, who, after JESUS was preached to him by Philip, demanded baptism. Philip said, "If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest." And he [345] answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." We see, then, that as Christ declared he would build his church upon this rock, and was himself laid as its foundation stone, so the Apostles and Evangelists proceeded to build upon this tried foundation, as living stones, those individuals who, through the simple faith in Christ, were made alive to God.

      From what I have already said, you will doubtless fully comprehend our views of what constitutes the true basis of Christian union. A truth-loving mind is not disposed to cavil, and knows how to select the most favorable point of view from which to judge correctly of the questions at issue.

      Sectarians, however, are a race of cavillers. Partyism narrows the mind and perverts its powers, so that it is rendered incapable of appreciating or even perceiving the beauty or excellence of truth. Self-satisfied and confident in its own infallibility, it has no love of progress, and desires no change, so that it necessarily opposes itself to any overture that can be made to heal the scandalous divisions that exist, and restore the original unity of the church. It will, doubtless, start many groundless objections to the above basis of union, which are unworthy of notice. There are some, however, sometimes presented, which, as they involve misrepresentations of our views, I will here briefly consider. Thus, it will sometimes be asked, Do you propose, then, to receive persons into the Christian Church upon a simple confession of their belief in Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, without repentance or a change of heart, or even baptism? Would you receive any one to communion with the church upon such a declaration, without any inquiries as to the sense which he attaches to the expression, "Son of God," or in respect to his feelings and experience of the grace of God in his heart? May you not thus receive and fraternize with those who are Unitarian or Sabellian in faith, or mere formalists in practice?

      As a general answer to all such objections, I might say, that it is enough to know that any course of procedure has a Divine warrant, in order to adopt it without the slightest fear of any consequences which may ensue. But to be more particular, I would say in regard to the reception of those who would attach a peculiar, or Unitarian sense to the words of the above proposition, that such perversions are natural results of preconceived theories and speculations, which lead men to explain away the plainest statements of Scripture, or wrest them by specious glosses; and that, since, according to the fundamental principles of this Reformation, all such speculations are to be abandoned, and the word of God itself to be taken as the guide into all truth, there its not the slightest room for apprehension. And this is, thus far, fully confirmed by our experience, for I presume there is not a religious body [346] in Christendom, which renders a more true and just honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, or receives with a more sincere faith, all that the Scriptures declare concerning him. With us, he is the Son of God, in the strict sense of these words. He is the Word which was in the beginning, which was with God and was God: the Word by whom all things were made; in whom was life, and who became flesh and dwelt among men, revealing his glory--the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is Emmanuel, God with us, who, having brought in an everlasting righteousness, and made an end of sin by the sacrifice of himself; and having for us triumphed over death and the grave, has been invested with all authority in heaven and in earth, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, where he must reign until all his enemies are subdued, and from whence he shall come the second time in his glory, with all the holy angels, to judge the world. In short, whatever character, office or relation, is assigned to the Father, to the Son, or to the Holy Spirit, in the sacred Scriptures, we most sincerely acknowledge in the full sense and meaning of the terms employed, and it is for the express purpose of securing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, upon this most momentous subject, as well as upon all others in religion, that we desire to adhere to the exact language of the Bible, and repudiate all that scholastic jargon which theologians have presumed to substitute for the diction of the Holy Spirit, and which mystifies, perverts, dilutes, and enfeebles the sublime revelations of God.

      With regard to the other inquiry, respecting repentance and a change of heart, we do certainly expect every one who presents himself for admission into the church, to exhibit satisfactory evidences of both. Indeed, there is no one who can truly receive the Christian faith, as we have defined it, without experiencing that "godly sorrow" for sin which "worketh reformation." It is the contemplation of the love of God in Christ, which leads the sinner to love God; which overwhelms his soul with penitence for the past, and inspires him with hope for the future. These are natural and necessary results of a sincere belief of the gospel. The sinner becomes reconciled to God, when he learns that he has so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him might not perish, but have everlasting life. We do not imagine, as many do, that God is yet to be reconciled to the sinner, and that the prayers, and tears, and penitence, which either he, or others in his behoof, may offer, can possibly render God more propitious, or more willing to save. There is not a more unscriptural or anti-evangelical conception, than that the sinner can do any thing, either to atone for his own sins, or induce the Deity, by an act of [347] special or extraordinary grace, to interpose in his behalf, and to renew his heart independent of the gospel. We have no fellowship with any theory which makes the word of God of no effect, or represents God as requiring to be moved with greater love for man than that which he has manifested in the gift of his Son: we rely upon a willingness to hear and obey the Lord's commandments as an evidence of a change of heart, rather than upon dreams and visions. A sincere belief of the gospel will always produce its appropriate fruits; by these alone can we judge the sincerity of the faith.

[ROBERT RICHARDSON]      

      Christianity is a distinct institution, complete in all its parts, requiring no addition from any system of religion previously established. We make clear and just distinctions between the different religions presented in the Bible. Christianity is not an improved Judaism.

      It is not to be denied that the great principles of morality have been the same in all ages; that the means of access to God and of acceptance with him have remained unchanged since the faith of Abel. But it is equally true, that for special purposes connected with the development of the Divine character and government, there have been established, at different periods of the world's history, peculiar institutions, administrations, or economies, which, differing as they do in most important particulars, it is essential to distinguish from each other, in order to a just comprehension of any one of them. We recognize, then, as remedial systems--1st. The PATRIARCHAL INSTITUTION, which continued from the fall of Adam to the Divine mission of Moses. 2d. The JEWISH RELIGION, which remained in force from Moses until the coronation of Jesus as Lord and Messiah; and 3d. The CHRISTIAN ECONOMY, which continues from that time to the present and is never to be superseded by any other.

      The Patriarchal institutions of religion were adapted to the early period of the world. The head of the family was its officiating priest; religious knowledge rested upon tradition, with special revelations to those who were distinguished for their faith and piety. This age had accordingly, its own proportion of Divine truth; its own special promises; its peculiar faith; and its appropriate religious rites.

      The Mosaic system, also, had its own specific purposes to subserve. It was a theocracy; a peculiar form of government; a civil polity, as it contained the political regulations of an entire nation: yet it was, as the same time, a religion,¹ embodying in its precepts, and shadowing forth in the various types and symbols of its elaborate ritual, the most sacred truths, and revealing the Divine character in new and most important lights. As an institution, indeed, it was so peculiar and so [348] different from any other that has ever existed, that there is not the slightest difficulty in determinating its nature and defining its boundaries.

      Especially is it to be distinguished from Christianity, in whose spiritual and literal truths, its carnal and typical observances found their destined fulfillment; and to whose simple faith and all-embracing amplitude, its outward ceremonial and restricted boundaries gave place. Differing thus in its very nature and in its principles of membership, the Jewish institution contrasts with Christianity in all essential points. In its covenants, its promises, its mediator, its priesthood, its laws, its ordinances, and its sanctions, it is exhibited upon the sacred page as wholly diverse from the gospel institution. How indispensable it is, then, to a just view of Christianity, that these important differences, which are so distinctly noted by the Apostle to the Gentiles, in his Epistles to the Hebrews and Galatians, should be fully understood and acknowledged; and that the simple gospel of Christ should be freed from the corrupted admixture of Judaism, with which it is still contaminated in the minds of so many of the religious public!

[ROBERT RICHARDSON.]      

Sources:

1. Robert Richardson. Extract from "Principles and Purposes of the Reformation: A Brief Account of the Principles and Purposes of the Religious Reformation Urged by A. Campbell, and Others.--III. The Basis of Christian Union." The Millennial Harbinger 23 (November 1852): 610-617.

2. ----------. Extract from "Principles and Purposes of the Reformation: A Brief Account of the Principles and Purposes of the Religious Reformation Urged by A. Campbell, and Others.--IV. Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian Institutions." The Millennial Harbinger 23 (December 1852): 686-688.

NOTE: Included in Robert Richardson's The Principles and Objects of the Religious Reformation, Urged by A. Campbell and Others, Briefly Stated and Explained. 2d ed., rev. and enl. Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1853, pp. 39-55 and 55-59.

[MHA2 341-349]