David Benedict Campbellites or Reformers (1848)

A

G E N E R A L   H I S T O R Y

OF THE


BAPTIST DENOMINATION

IN


A M E R I C A

AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

 


BY DAVID BENEDICT

 

SECOND THOUSAND.

 

NEW YORK:
L E W I S   C O L B Y   A N D   C O M P A N Y,
1 2 2   N A S S A U   S T R E E T.

1848.

 

 

 

 

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by
L. COLBY & CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the
Southern District of New York.

 

 

 

 

Stereotyped by C. Davison & Co.,
33 Gold street, New York.

 

 

C H A P T E R   X X I X.

Historical Sketches of various communities of Baptists who differ from
the main body of the denomination, and also from each other.

SECTION VI.

C A M P B E L L I T E S   O R   R E F O R M E R S.

      I AM am exceedingly embarrassed to know by what name to distinguish the community whose affairs I am about briefly to describe; they sometimes call themselves Disciples, and at others Christians. It is no part of my business to settle the cognomen of any religious party, or to challenge the correctness of the one it may assume; my great object is to ascertain how each prefer to be distinguished. As long names are inconvenient in historical relations, I have in all my narratives, when this people are referred to, styled them Campbellites, or Reformers, and so I shall at present.

      Again, I have found objections on both sides against placing this society among the branches of the great baptist family; but as they hold to two great primordial principles of all baptists, viz., immersion on a profession of faith, and are thorough-going anti-pedobaptists, without any formal permission from either my own people, or my quondam or quasi brethren, on my own responsibility, as they are baptists de facto, I shall regard them as such in my statistical accounts.


ORIGIN AND HISTORY.

      Rev. Alexander Campbell, who, I believe, is admitted on all hands to be the Corypheus of this very wide-spread community, is a native of Scotland, where he was educated among the pedobaptists. For some years after his conversion to baptist sentiments, he operated with the associated order in western Pennsylvania, where I find he was the clerk of the old Red Stone Association, some thirty years since. [916]

      With the causes of his dereliction from the baptist communion, and the circumstances under which he got up a new interest, which has been so mightily augmented, I am not informed, and of course shall not attempt to describe them. But so it fell out, that an increasing company gathered around his standard, and soon spread into most of the western, a portion of the southern, and a few of the northern States.

      Of no community of religious professors of modern date have I found it so difficult to collect any suitable facts for my usual historical sketches; relative to almost every thing about them I have general, but vague ideas; so that when I cast around, for some documents to guide me I am utterly at a loss where to find them, except in Indiana. In this State some good correspondents have gone into details which I have no where else found. From these it appears that the whole number of communicants in Indiana is twenty-eight thousand.3 The number of their churches and of their elders or bishops is given but in part, and indeed their numerical strength here is made out, in part, by estimate.4

      From no other State have I had any thing but sweeping statements, founded on conjecture.

      From Mr. Campbell himself I have received some summary statements as to the number of his denominational friends in different States and sections of the country: they were not, however, sufficiently definite for the construction of my usual historical narratives. He estimates the whole number of communicants at two hundred thousand. This by many is thought to be an over-statement; if it is so, the fault is with the leaders of the community. I know of no good reason for challenging their statements, and if I should do so, I should not know what number to name as the amount of their numerical strength.

      I do not discover that this people have any Associations, Conferences, or annual gatherings of any kind, or that they publish any statistical accounts of their community; and I doubt whether any of them can come within many thousands of the number of their communicants.

      Church Discipline, Doctrinal Sentiments, &c. On all subjects of this nature I am also unable to give any definite statements; but this much I will say, that whatever theories have been projected by Mr. C. or any of his coadjutors of a peculiar character, as far as I can learn, there is an evident tendency in the whole party to settle down on the credenda and modus operandi--the belief and practice of the baptists in general.5

      The reports of their evangelizing excursions, as to their converts, and the results of their labors in their fields of operation, are all much like those of the regular baptist order, with whom many of them were formerly connected.

      Bethany College is, I believe, the principal literary institution of this community. It is located in Brooke Co., Va., at no great distance from the Ohio river.

      Rev. A. Campbell is its president; it has a regular corps of officers, and is, I should judge, in a flourishing condition. Its full history must be deferred to my next volume.

      Periodical publications. The Bible Baptist was one of Mr. Campbell's early works of a periodical nature. It was continued about seven years.

      The Millennial Harbinger, in a pamphlet form, is now in its twentieth year; it is an 8vo. pamphlet, and is probably the principal organ of the denomination.6

      3 Rev. J. M. Mathes, a minister of this State, computes the whole number in it at twenty-five thousand.
      4 Four intelligent correspondents have made communications, relative to this people in Indiana. Their names are Nathaniel Field and ---------- Jameson, of the Campbellites or Reformers; John Vawter and H. Bradley, baptists.
      Mr. V. writes as follows: "Indiana, so far as these people are concerned, is divided into four districts, and there is an equal number of presiding bishops, teachers, or preachers for each. They are, and have been, a very laborious denomination of people in sustaining their peculiar tenets, and have done much in shedding light on the true mode of baptism. Many of them are highly respectable in point of moral worth, wealth, &c.
      Inclosed was a letter from Mr. Bradley, from which the following extracts are made: "This denomination is increasing rapidly in many places; their number and influence in the state legislature is much greater than I supposed, until I began to operate among them. All seem to be engaged, and put forth every effort to promote the prosperity of their sect. Many of them are very bold in defense of their peculiar sentiments; and when met with equal boldness call it persecution. Nevertheless, I am inclined to think that they are doing much to overthrow the popish tradition of infant baptism and sprinkling, instead of baptizing christians.
      "I wish the baptist denomination was as active and willing to support the gospel as that people. It would be a great blessing to community, and the means of the salvation of thousands of souls."
      5 Mr. C.'s Christian System, a 12mo. work of between 300 and 400 pages, is before me. It is similar to other epitomes of theology, and I see nothing peculiar in it, except a decided stand against all creeds and confessions of faith, which these reformers repudiate and condemn, whatever theological views they may inculcate.
      6 Rev. Mr. Henshall, of Richmond, Va., a few years since, made me out a full list of the periodicals, which were then published by this society, some eight or ten in number; it is now mislaid, and probably some of them ere this have been placed on the bill of mortality for works of this kind.
      Correspondents.--A. Campbell, H. Henshall, H. T. N. Benedict, N. Field and J. M. Mathes are the only names I have to report under this head. I am sorry to say I have found a disagreeable shyness and backwardness on the part of nearly all the members of this community, with whom I have sought acquaintance and correspondence. [917]

[GHBD 916-917]

ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC EDITION

      David Benedict's "Campbellites or Reformers" was published in his A General History of the Baptist Denomination in America and Other Parts of the World (New York: Lewis Colby and Company, 1848), pp. 916-917. The electronic text has been produced from a copy of the book held by St. Vincent College Library. Thanks to Carol Reiner for arranging the interlibrary loan through Adams Memorial Library.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained; however, corrections have been offered for misspellings and other accidental corruptions.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
373 Wilson Street
Derry, PA 15627-9770
724.694.8602
stefanik@westol.com

Created 24 January 1999.

David Benedict Campbellites or Reformers (1848)
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