The five addresses which appear in these pages form a delightfully complete and helpful study of the witness of Churches of Christ to the Christian message. They were delivered in this same order, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Lygon St. church, and, delivered as they were, by accepted leaders of our movement, they formed a rare contribution to the Brotherhood in a vital and memorable week of witness.

      The addresses are necessarily abridged, yet all the vital points and paragraphs have been preserved. Their presentation and circulation in this permanent form will not only fulfil the unanimous wish of the interested audiences which heard them delivered, but will make a fine addition to the existing literature of our movement, and serve to place a needed emphasis on the great aspects of our witness.

--S. RUSSELL BAKER.      

      WE are to study a great picture. It is called "Our Witness"--the witness of people known as the Churches of Christ. Before we give attention to the main features of the picture we are to study the background.

      This in itself is a striking feature. Light and shade are here. There are mountain peaks, rising clear in the sunlight, and there are deep gorges, dark and sombre. Far in the distance a highway is seen, leading from the city of light. As it approaches it divides, and divides again, until the landscape is crossed and recrossed, and the roads become confused or lost altogether.

      We look nearer. There are still many roads, and we cannot always see whence they come, but generally they converge towards a broad highway, upon which marching multitudes are moving towards a fair ideal. Let us note these details more particularly.

The Distant Scene.

      The church of the Lord Jesus began its witness with songs of triumph and joy. The challenge of the Master in the world-wide commission was accepted by his followers with ardent enthusiasm. In spite of opposition, the work of the gospel moved on with resistless energy. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers took counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed, but they could not stay his hand. The history of the early church reads like a romance. A great host, whom no man could number, rallied to the banner of the King of kings, and marched on, victoriously, sanctifying the world as they passed.

      Two things especially marked the church in those triumphant days, which were largely responsible for the progress that was made: First, the church was united; second, the church was free. Three centuries after the population in Jerusalem had hounded Christ to death with the cry, "We have no king but Caesar," the Caesar himself acknowledged Christ as King. During those years several emperors had used all the power of Rome to crush the church, but in the face of all opposition the church had now become so strong as to win the allegiance of the Emperor. Gibbon said, "While the Roman Empire was invaded by open violence, or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion gently insinuated itself into the minds of men, grew up in silence and obscurity, derived new vigor from opposition, and finally erected the triumphant banner of the cross on the ruins of the capitol." It seemed to be a great victory, but it did not indicate a spiritual achievement. Political power was won by the church that day, and with it came the decay of moral and spiritual life.

The Valley of Shadow.

      The church which had thus far followed the way of light, despite the ominous forces which ranged themselves against it, now descended into shadows. All the movements cannot here be seen-we are studying a background merely. The progress of the church here was marked by a great apostacy. The simplicity and purity of the early church was lost. Sacerdotalism crept in. A distinction was made between priests and laity--priests who attended to divine things, and people who could not approach God and had no rights in the church, except through the priests. Other evils revealed themselves.

      The glad message of redemption through Christ, which was proclaimed over land and sea at the first, became silent. The freshness and beauty of the good news was destroyed. The free gift of God was rejected. It was as though the sacrifice of Christ had been found in some way deficient, and devout men were taught to offer other satisfactions to God for their sin.

Mountain Peaks.

      But now some happier features are to be seen in the background of our picture. The Spirit of God found receptive hearts, and here and there strong men rose in protest against the evils which for long had afflicted the church. There were Wycliffe, and Tyndale, and Luther, and Calvin, and Zwingli, and many another, who became readers of the Word of God. They saw, in part at least, how far the church had departed from its first faith. They raised their voices in protest. The ecclesiastical forces in the church resisted them, persecuted them, often killed them. But these men could not be stayed. Many a brave scene was witnessed, over which angels must have rejoiced, as these heroes gave their testimony to the truth in their hearts. There was Luther, for instance, summoned before the Emperor Charles the Fifth at the Diet of Worms. He was called to stand for Christ before the most august assembly in the world. It was demanded that he retract certain things he had written. He could expect nothing but death if he refused. But refuse he did. "Unless, therefore, I am convinced through proofs from Holy Scripture," he said, "am vanquished in a clear manner through the very passages I have cited, and my conscience imprisoned thus by the Word of God, I neither can nor will retract anything. Here I stand. I can do nothing else. Gold help me. Amen." He did not lose his life that day. He was enabled to carry on a mighty work of reformation. But many a man died at the stake for his loyalty to Christ.

      The reformation broke out in many countries of Europe. Here are the mountain peaks in our picture. But there was one unfortunate result. The people of God became divided. We are not surprised at that. Once men had breathed the air of freedom they would not submit again to intolerance. Sectarianism was born in these great days. Someone has said, "Roman Catholicism has accentuated unity and sacrificed liberty, resulting in religious despotism. Protestantism has accentuated liberty and sacrificed unity, resulting in division and religious anarchy."

      The unfortunate thing was that when men become discoverers of truth they tend to

regard their precious possession as the whole of truth. They gather followers, who range themselves around the truth revealed, and close their eyes to further light. Pastor John Robinson, the godly pastor of the Pilgrim Fathers, when he said farewell to his people who were leaving for the new land of America, reminded them that they also stood on the border land of limitless resources in the spiritual life. He regretted that the reformed churches had come to a period in religion. Each church had acted as though the new truth it had received was the complete and final revelation of God's Word. This was the tragedy of the Reformation. And then John Robinson uttered words that are worthy to be written on the tablets of every truth-loving heart, "I am very confident that God hath more light and truth to break forth from his holy word." Pastor Robinson was counted as a heretic for those words, but they express the central principle of the Reformation, and more, they express the secret of our own loved witness, to the study of which we are now giving ourselves.

The Nearer Landscape.

      We are still in the background of our picture, and the details are not so prominent as the main features. But they are numerous, and we cannot study them all. Here is one that stands out clearly. Thomas Campbell, a Seceder Presbyterian minister from the north of Ireland, went to America, and in 1807 began work in Western Pennsylvania, then a frontier country. His heart yearned over the scattered people of God--many of them not of his own congregation--and he called them together in a communion service. For this he was censured by his presbytery. We can hardly imagine such narrowness and bigotry, but the hostility among the churches in that day was bitter. The series of events which began then caused him to leave the Presbyterian church, and to initiate a plea for the unity of the people of God. That message is heard everywhere today--then, his was a lone voice in the wilderness.

      Two years later, his son, Alexander, joined him in America. He, too, moving along independent lines, had come to the conclusion

that unity was the imperative need of the church of that day, and father and son rejoiced to discover that they were in perfect accord in the great object to which they were devoting their lives. Both in England and America, forces were operating, in quiet ways, to re-establish the Christianity of the New Testament, and to recall the divided church to its original unity. An interesting illustration of this is seen in the "Christian Baptist," a monthly periodical published by Alexander Campbell, 1823-1830. In Volume V. a series of letters was published, setting forth the faith and order of several churches on both sides of the Atlantic. They were written in response to a circular sent out by a New York church, which desired to have fellowship with other churches which like itself were endeavoring to establish themselves on a scriptural basis. The letters showed there were such congregations In England, Scotland and Ireland, some of them dating well back into the eighteenth century. We know the names of some pioneers in this movement, such as John Glas, Robert Sandeman, and Robert and James A. Haldane, who became dissatisfied with the condition of the sectarian world, and sought to build up churches on the original New Testament foundation. You may find in the writings of these men, who lived early enough to belong to the background of our witness, ideas, interpretations of scripture and even phrases that our movement has made familiar to the world.

Pleasant Pastures.

      There are many places in this landscape where it would be pleasant to linger and reflect. We can pause at but a few.

      1. There was a burning passion for unity. This matter which filled the heart of Christ, and was voiced in his high-priestly prayer on the night of his betrayal; this matter which was so often the subject of the apostle Paul's concern and exhortation, burned in the hearts of these men in whose minds our witness took shape. Let us be mindful that we lose not the urgency of the plea for unity in academic discussions on how it is to be brought about.

      2. There was an honest searching after truth, and a willingness to accept it when it

was discovered. The attempt to make the New Testament the sole authority meant a change of view with regard to baptism. Thomas Campbell and his friends became convinced that infant baptism was unscriptural, and they abandoned it, though it meant the surrender of old and dear convictions.

      3. The essential oneness of the church was then recognised. Thomas Campbell, in his famous "Declaration and Address," published in 1809--a document which set out the aims and principles of our witness-declared that "the Church of Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally and constitutionally one." There are many sects; there is but one body. It was thought to be a great gain when in 1937, at Edinburgh Conference, the Christians assembled declared, "We are one in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . one in our allegiance to him." But Thomas Campbell had made the same declaration nearly 130 years before.

      4. There was a wonderful unity in diversity. Alexander Campbell wrote: "We have among us all sorts of doctrines preached by all sorts of men." Some of the revelations of that fact we should find startling to-day. Thus, a movement initiated by Barton W. Stone, which antedated the movement by the Campbells by several years, was marked by decided Unitarian tendencies. But these people accepted the Bible as their rule of faith and practice, and adopted the name "Christian" for the disciples of the Master. Despite their anti-trinitarian views, a union firm and abiding was established between the two bodies. These two parties differed also in their methods of church government, even as differing sections in our own Victorian brotherhood once differed. (See "Pioneering for Christian Unity," by A. W. Stephenson, M.A., p. 89.) But these differences did not prevent these brethren from maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

      Here, then, are some of the essential details in the background of our witness-a witness by which we seek to recall the divided and weakened Church of Christ to the purity and power of its first great days, when it was united and free.

      WE have a witness to bear in common with all evangelical believers in the Christ--a witness to the exceeding sinfulness of sin, to the manifestation of the love of God through Christ, to the redemptive power of the sacrifice of our Lord, to the cleansing efficacy of his blood, to the mediatorial work he is now doing, to the promise of his return, to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, and so on. Clearly and unflinchingly we should bear such testimony, but there is nothing distinctive about such. The pronoun "our" used in the title suggests a witness that is distinctive, one peculiarly ours. What is that peculiar witness? What is the great distinctive purpose for which churches known as churches of Christ exist? You will remember that, standing before the Roman governor, Jesus said: "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth." And just as Jesus came into this world for a great definite purpose, so the churches known as churches of Christ came into existence for a definite purpose too. It was this, purpose that animated the pioneers. And it is this great purpose that should fill us with enthusiasm today.

      The witness the pioneers gave, and the witness we need to bear to-day is

1. A Witness to the Essential Oneness of the Church.

      In the year 1809 Thomas Campbell drew up for the Christian Association of Washington a "Declaration and Address," in which thirteen propositions were submitted. The first of

these declared "that the Church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." The second set forth "that although the Church of Christ upon earth must necessarily exist in particular and distinct societies, locally separate one from the another, yet there ought to be no schism, no uncharitable divisions among them." The tenth proposition said "that division among the Christians is a horrid evil," that "it is antichristian, as it destroys the visible unity of the body of Christ."

      Such statements re-echo the teaching of the New Testament. Our Lord spoke of "one fold," "one Shepherd" (John 10:16), and just before He went to Calvary he prayed for the visible unity of his people (John 17:20, 21). The doctrine of the "one body" is clearly taught by Paul; just as clearly as is the doctrine of the "one Lord" (Eph. 4:3-6). And John placed great emphasis on the doctrine of love-love for the Father, and love for all his children (1 John 4:20); and the love atmosphere is that which makes real unity possible.

      In all the nearly 150 years of history churches of Christ have ever pleaded for unity. They have insisted that division is sinful; they have urged that division has crippled the church's efforts. And that pleading is in harmony with the mind of the Master.

      Yes, the church is essentially one, and only in such unity can her work be thoroughly and efficiently done. To this we have borne and are bearing, witness.

2. A Witness to the Scriptural Platform of Unity.

      Reference has already been made to some of the propositions in that masterly document called "Declaration and Address." Under this heading further reference becomes necessary. Proposition three declares that in order to unity "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 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 expressed terms or by approved precedent."

      In that great pioneer document then a call was made to respect the authority of Christ and of the Word, and the suggestion was made that in the teaching of the New Testament the platform of unity would be found.

      On turning to that collection of sacred writings, we soon come to the passage in Ephesians (4:3-6), where it is urged that an endeavor be made "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." That would be the unity of which the Holy Spirit is the author. It consists of seven items--one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. That platform or basis is perfect. Not one item can be omitted if that perfection is to be maintained. As you know, the rim of a wheel consists of a number of curved pieces of wood; if one of these pieces was left out you would not have a perfect rim, but you would have one that would be fatal to the use of the wheel. So if one of the units be left out we would not have a perfect unity. Not one of the seven items can be spared; the Holy Spirit has put them all in.

      To recognise and understand those seven items we must take the sacred Scriptures as our sole rule of faith and practice. A correct interpretation of them can be arrived at by listening to the sanctified scholarship of the Christian world. Take the matter of the "one baptism." The scholarship of the Christian world is practically unanimous in testifying that the baptism of the New Testament was the immersion of the penitent believer.

      And so it means clinging to the old slogan, "Where the Scriptures speak we will speak, and where the Scriptures are silent we will be silent."

      At one time the witness to the sinfulness of division and the need for Christian unity was an essential part of our distinctive witness; but. on every hand to-day we hear men making a similar protest against division and a similar plea for unity. Thank God for

      that! At the present time our distinctive witness is largely for the scriptural way to unity. As that means a return to the simple Christianity of the New Testament then our witness is--

3. A Witness to the Need for a Restoration of New, Testament Christianity to the World of To-day.

      It is not likely that finality can be reached in any other way. And so we must continue to cry "Back!" "Back to New Testament Christianity!" "Back to New Testament unity!" "Back to Christ!" That will mean unity in faith, but not necessarily unity in opinion or methods of work. And it will demand an atmosphere of love and tolerance.

      A restoration of New Testament Christianity will involve--

(1) A Restoration of the New Testament Church.

      The New Testament church was not an ecclesiastical organisation ruled by ecclesiastical lords. It was a simple society of the redeemed, a simple fellowship of believers. It was not a national institution, but a divine, and its portals were open to men of all nations.

      That church was generally known as the church, sometimes as the church of God and sometimes as the church of Christ. The party spirit and party names to represent the spirit were alike condemned.

      That church had a very simple creed. It was just an avowal of faith in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of the living God. Upon that truth Jesus said he would found his church.

      That church had an initiatory rite, which has been called by B. A. Abbott "The Faith Ordinance." That ordinance was the baptism of the believer. That was a beautiful spiritual act symbolising the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

      That church met on "the first day of the week" to keep what Abbott has called "The Love Ordinance." That ordinance is referred to in the New Testament as the Lord's supper, the breaking of bread, the communion;

with that as the central thing other acts of worship were associated. That feast was a simple remembrance, and it did not require the presence of any official to make its observance valid.

      In that church every member was a priest, and all had a right to participate in the ministry of the church according to ability. And yet that church set apart men to be elders, deacons, evangelists.

(2) A Restoration of the New Testament Gospel.

      The gospel preached was one of power, and being preached with conviction, it won multitudes to the Lord Jesus. In Jerusalem, in Samaria, in Antioch, in Philippi, in Thessalonica, in Berea, in Corinth, in Ephesus, and in Rome itself, it was preached, and believed by many who heard it. The thrilling story is told in that book called "The Acts of the Apostles."

      A careful consideration of the records found in that book by Dr. Luke will reveal to us that the Gospel then preached was a message concerning the Christ--who he is, what he did, and what he commands.

(3) A Restoration of the New Testament Life.

      That life was one of absolute surrender to Christ; a life that had "put off the old man," and had "put on the new"; a life that visited "the fatherless and widows in their affliction" and kept one's self "unspotted from the world"; a life in which the will of God was patiently sought and willingly done. And that means more than abstinence from the sins of the flesh; it demands renewed spirits.

      To bear effectively witness to this New Testament life will call for more than verbal description of it; it calls for living it day by day. Perhaps just here we touch the greatest weakness in what we call the Restoration Movement. Our lives are no higher, no more heroic, no more self-sacrificing than are those of many of the believers in other communions; but they should be because of the plea we make.

      This, then, is the great purpose why we exist as a people. It is to bear witness to

the sinfulness of division, to the essential oneness of the church, to the need for the restoration of New Testament Christianity in order to unity. Such was the witness of the pioneers, and such must be ours. "For this cause" came we into being.

      To that witness our pioneers were faithful, although they often had to bear it in the face of opposition. For us it is easier. We preach the unity message largely to hearts glowing with a desire for such to be achieved. We need to gird up our loins for a great effort. It is his will. Our witness is needed. To this end we must maintain our own unity; to this end we must cultivate that love that "thinketh no evil" of each other; to this end we must push on with the work until every community in our own land has a congregation to bear witness to these things; to this end we must send the message across the seas to other lands and to other peoples. And we need to become enthusiastic about it. We must, my brethren, because our Christ must be a sad Christ as he sees the weakness that has come out of division, and that division in spite of his prayer "that they may all be one." Let us cry aloud to each other--

      And let us do it with all our might. Amen!

      "PERMANENCE"? In a world like this? What changes members of this church have seen since 1865! Swiftly those who bore a witness have passed away. We, too, are hurrying on, soon to give place to others. Yet you ask me to speak of the permanence of our witness, though the witnessing tongues and lives will shortly vanish.

      Some pre-Christian philosophers regarded an incessant change, an infinite flux, as belonging to the very nature of things. Heraclitus (who died B.C. 475) put it, "All fleets." To some the astonishing changes of this present age may seem to confirm the pagan philosopher's word. A social change almost amounting to a revolution has taken place In our lifetime, and the surest prophecy any one can make regarding the issue of the present world conflict is that it will be succeeded by changes in the social and economic order greater by far than those which followed what we have hitherto called "the great war." Scientific advances which have made us realise the greatness of the human mind, inventions which have contributed to the enrichment and pleasure of life, as well as those which have been the instruments of devastating war, bear witness to a ceaselessly changing world. The modes of our preaching, teaching and thinking, have altered. We scarcely dare attempt to mention the world changes showing the impermanence of many things formerly regarded as fixed. We have seen the fall of rulers and the ruin of nations, the destruction of thousands of homes, the loss of countless thousands of lives, war waged on defenceless women and little children, and such broken trust, faithlessness and

ruthlessness as to make many fear the crash of civilisation, freedom and faith, and the destruction of principles of the religion to which we have been giving witness.

Abiding Things.

      Yet we Christians do not believe that nothing is permanent. Changes without have been matched by changes within ourselves; each one is conscious of bodily, mental and spiritual change--growth and possibly decline,--but the ego persists. The "I" who thought and spake as a child is the "I" who has put away childish things. I am not just as I was forty years ago, but I abide. Our basic needs remain the same. Our virtues and vices have altered but little. We have the same experience of doubt and fear, disappointment and baffled hope; of failure to live up to ideals; of sin which leads to remorse and, but for the grace of God, to eternal ruin and death.

      Thought of the changing world but lifts our minds to the changeless things which cannot be shaken--to the immutable God, the Christ who is the same to-day as for ever, and the eternal Spirit. The abiding Godhead, the abiding truth and the abiding graces are of an infinite value as contrasted with the changing things which are apt to cause us bitterness and fill our minds with corroding anxiety.

      We can still stay our souls on the thought of permanence, and find renewed courage and strength for future witnessing.

      It is not my task merely to affirm the permanence of our witness but also to indicate some of its permanent elements.

      Let me remind you that because of special needs, or opposition of men to great truths, or by the neglect or denial even by professing believers of part of the essential truth of God, there is a varying emphasis in each era of some portion of the Christian witness. For a time certain truths need to be stressed and given unusual emphasis until the need has been met or the opposition turned. Consider the church battles in different ages over such subjects as the divinity of Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, man's freedom and accountability, the Fatherhood of God, divine

immanence, human rights and the sanctity of personality as opposed to slavery, a proper social conscience, missionary activity, Christian union. With each of these great themes the emphasis has changed, but the truth abides.

      Again, our appreciation of the will of God and our knowledge of his word changes--I trust it grows,--but the word of God abides for ever. Occasionally I wonder if some Christians do not mean to question the right of a man of sixty to believe the same essential truth that he accepted at twenty. Of course he has this right; no thing that was a part of God's truth has altered with the passing years. We may with simple faith such as we had when we first accepted Christ, but with increasing appreciation and devotion, put our trust in the Lord and proclaim his age-abiding Gospel.

      Some permanent things in our witness can now be indicated and stressed.

Witness to All Essential Christian Truth.

      You will appreciate, I trust, my motive in emphasising that our witness is not merely for what we have been accustomed to call "our distinctive position." It includes all that great mass of permanent and important truth, questioned in certain regards and in some quarters, but held in common by all true believers:

      The Godhead--Father, Son and Holy Spirit;

      The death of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sin and his resurrection for our justification;

      The Holy Spirit's converting and sanctifying work;

      The Scriptures given to be the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path;

      The Gospel as the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;

      Salvation by grace, not by works;

      The church of the redeemed, with its worship, fellowship and service;

      The necessity of a life of godliness, love and benevolence;

      The coming again of our Lord to be the Judge of the quick and the dead.

      These are all included in our "first principles," and for us, as for myriads of other believers, are amongst the permanent elements of witness. Let us not limit the thought of "our witness" to something less than the whole round of essential Christian truth.

      In addition to this general statement, some more particular and specific elements may be noted--things which, whatever the course religion may take in the future, will remain permanently good, and for which witness should continue to be given.

Our Plea In One Sentence.

      If I were asked to state in one sentence what I regard as the essence of the plea which churches of Christ have made, the supreme thing in our witness, I think I should say that it is for the putting of the pre-eminent Christ in his rightful place, and for the profession and practice, now as in the early days, of a religion which expresses itself in terms of Christ--so that in name, message, creed, ordinance, life and hope he, our blessed Lord, may be exalted and given the central place in our lives. It is inconceivable that until our Lord come, such a witness can ever become out of date.

      The appeal, rightly made and understood, has not been that people come to us, but rather that we all come to Christ, hear him and obey him as our Lord and Master, making a common faith in and loyalty to him the bond of union and test of Christian fellowship. That is a fundamental and permanent principle.

      From the beginning we have borne witness (not always so consistently in practice as in words) to the imperative need of Christian union--the preservation of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, a unity which must include the seven elements enumerated by God's apostle who made the plea to the Ephesian Christians: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all. Till the end of the age it will be in order to repeat the apostolic witness.

      Just as we rejoice to note the new feeling after unity In the Christian world--a feeling

kindled and fostered largely by our brethren in bygone days,--so are we glad to see the increasing desire for a simpler creedal statement, in which Christ the Son of God is confessed, in place of the elaborate creeds of the ages. Undoubtedly the witness of over a century and a quarter has borne fruit; and that witness will never become obsolete.

      With many fellow believers, but more insistently than most, we have borne a stedfast witness to the great New Testament doctrine of the common priesthood of believers. We have opposed the thought of a special priesthood and any hierarchy, however venerable or powerful,--which is inconsistent with the priesthood of the humblest Christian or with the high-priestly and mediatorial Work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have stressed the fact that the church of Christ is his body, of which every redeemed person on earth is a member. In the nature of the case, these must be perpetual elements of witness.

      Regarding the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, a brief word must now suffice. The great majority of Christians and all churches agree in regarding these as not only ordained by Christ but intended by him for perpetual observance throughout the Christian era. We have sought to regard these, and pleaded with others to observe them, in the manner of our Lord's appointment. May I say that if in a desire for unity there should be an agreement on the part of all uniting bodies to practise and preach something other than the clearly expressed will of Jesus Christ our Lord, there would still be need of a permanent witness to the things of his appointment? It would still be a duty to practise the baptism which symbolises so expressively death, burial and resurrection and sets forth the believer's union with the experience of his Lord. The time can never be when it will be right to withhold from seekers for salvation the words of the Holy Spirit through Peter to the believing inquirers on Pentecost: "Repent ye, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The passing on of such instructions cannot mislead, unless the Spirit himself misleads us.

      The witness in favor of a converted church membership, composed of those who not by proxy but by personal faith and personal surrender accept Christ as Saviour, will ever be necessary. We must warn the religious world against the thought that an unconscious infant stands in need of a baptism unto remission, or that the doctrine of baptismal regeneration as frequently expounded is other than a "fundamental error of Christendom."

      The supper of the Lord, in which the Christian remembers his Saviour and has blessed communion with him and his fellow believers, finding nourishment for his soul as by faith he feeds upon him who is the Bread of Life, is also a permanent privilege. On the Lord's day in the Lord's house the Lord's table should be spread--the world needs this perpetual showing forth of the Lord's death till he come. So we shall endeavor still to witness.

Not Less but Better Witnessing.

      Whatever changes take place in our Brotherhood--and many have come, and many others will come, some for the better and probably others for the worse--I trust that we shall still give witness to the things of which I have spoken. On a number of these points it is most gratifying to note the remarkable changes in the religious world.

      What heartening things we have seen! Many things for which our brethren pleaded, and almost alone, are accepted by most Protestants to-day. The witness of our fathers was not in vain. Almost every communion has been influenced in its faith or practice by their faithfulness. For the new-found desire for Christian union especially we give thanks unto God. Yet we might and should have done more to help the Christian world and all for whom the Saviour died. Not enough change has come in the religious world to make our witness unnecessary, but rather sufficient to cheer us on to a renewed and better, because more Christlike, witnessing. But whether others come to regard Christ's will on the points enumerated, whether or not we depart from them, there will still be need for some faithful men to witness to the Lord's appointments.

      In closing, I may emphasise the other thought of the permanence of our witness, even though our work on earth will soon be done. Those faithful men and women of pioneering days, those valiant preachers of the word of God, have gone; but has the influence of their witness also vanished? Not so. It never can be so. The influence of faithfulness lasts for ever. You and I are what we are because Christians centuries ago were true to Christ in face of persecution and the terrific onslaught of Satanic hate and power, because of the faithfulness of Christians generations ago in this and other lands, because of the gracious influence of some humble disciple, parent or Sunday school teacher, in our childhood days. In generations to come, how good it will be if some are Christian, true and loyal and loving, because we--you and I--were loyal to Christ. Long, long afterwards the song you sing may be found in the heart of a friend, the word you speak may cause someone to turn to righteousness and so to hear the Master's "Well done!" in that great day when all stand before the throne; the life you live may influence others who but for you would never have known or walked in the way which leads to life eternal.

      No strife or turmoil, no opposition of devils or men, can destroy one particle of divine truth, or frustrate permanently the will of God. No life lived for our Lord, no true word of witness spoken in love for him, can be wholly unfruitful. Herein may be our eternal reward. Let us be faithful to that great deposit of truth which we hold in trust for God.

      THE body known as Churches of Christ came into being as the result of an earnest desire of many to plead for the unity of all God's people. It came as the union of many streams as they flowed into one great river. It is difficult to say the exact date upon which the movement commenced, but we can learn how wonderfully God was working in the hearts of many ere they became united in one devoted body. In 1793 James O'Kelly, after wards joined by Rice Haggard, led the Republican Methodist body which declared that the followers of Christ should be known as Christians only, and that the Bible itself should be taken as their only creed. In 1800 Abner Jones left the Free-will Baptists in New England to organise an independent church with the name Christian only, and to discard all human creeds.

      Barton W. Stone, a Presbyterian at Cane Ridge Church, Kentucky, led a wonderful revival of more than 30,000 people, and eventually formed an Independent Presbytery based upon the belief that the Bible alone is our only rule of faith and practice. This movement grew in a remarkable manner.

      In 1810 John Wright in Indiana dropped the name Baptist and adopted the Bible as a creed without note or comment. He afterwards joined the New Lights, as the followers of Barton Stone were called.

Thomas and Alexander Campbell.

      Thomas Campbell had sought to unite the Burgher and Anti-Burgher movements in Ireland, and when he came to America in 1807 he still longed to see the unity of the churches

for the furtherance of the gospel. He formed the Christian Association of Washington, though he still remained in the Presbyterian Church. In order to set forth his views on Christian union he published his famous "Declaration and Address" in 1809. He said that a divided church is a self-contradiction and contrary to the will of Christ. He declared that the supreme authority of the church was the New Testament, and pleaded for a union of all Christians under the supreme authority of Jesus Christ. He frequently referred to "our brethren of all denominations," and pleaded with them to unite. His appeal to the clergy to destroy denominationalism was considered by many of them an impertinence, and sadly disappointed, he was forced to form the Association into a separate church. In this new church at Brush Run, the matter of baptism came to be one of great importance, and Alexander Campbell, who had been actively associated with h is father, was baptised with others on June 12, 1812. While Christian unity was the first great plank in the platform of the new body, it became clear that if they were only to speak where the scriptures speak infant sprinkling and other traditional practices would have to be renounced. Sometimes we are accused of making baptism too important, but we only seek to give it the place Jesus gave to it. This is the only position for those who believe in his supreme authority.

Campbell and Stone Unite.

      The Campbells joined the Redstone Baptist assembly in 1813, and sought to work within the church instead of starting another sect. They eventually united with the Mahoning Baptist assembly, but in 1830 this was dissolved, and they accepted the name of Disciples of Christ, believing that human names were contrary to the scriptures. All this time those who followed Barton W. Stone were faithfully seeking a union of God's people, and they had attained a good deal of success. They had assumed the name of the Christian Connection. The leaders of both movements conferred, and in 1832 a union of these two bodies was consummated at Georgetown, Kentucky. There were 12,000 of Campbell's followers and 15,000

of Stone's. The union took about three years to complete, and was a great demonstration of Christian unity. The united body went on to greater victories for Christ, and was greatly heartened.

      The first era of our movement was an effort to reform the churches, and was largely a teaching movement. Alexander Campbell, Dr. Robert Richardson and Isaac Errett were eminently suited for this work. Campbell engaged in memorable debates with Owen, Rice, Walker, Purcell and others. Up to 1820 there were only four churches and 200 members, but this did not discourage the leaders. They went faithfully on with their plea for union, and became greatly respected. They did not appeal to the emotions, but to the intelligence of the Christian world.

      Some accused Campbell of being all head and no heart, but he was establishing the work on a solid basis. In order to accomplish its divine purpose the church must be sufficiently instructed in the great truths it has been called to set forth. There was, however, something more needed, and this came in due time.

An Evangelistic Era.

      In 1827 Walter Scott was set aside for the work of an evangelist, and this was the commencement of a new era of remarkable progress. Scott was especially adapted for this wider field of service. "Raccoon" John Smith and others joined in the same work, and hundreds were led to accept Christ by these men of God. Scott introduced the plan of inviting people to confess Christ publicly, and this met with a wonderful response. The old mourners' bench and penitent form gave place to direct appeal and public response. Everyone who openly confessed Christ was an added witness for him, and often others were led to make the great decision. Scott called his work the gospel restored, and he and his fellow evangelists had hundreds to respond during the year, and it was necessary to call for more workers to care for the converts. It is this spirit of evangelism that has ever since characterised our movement and has contributed so largely

to our growth. We must be sure that this passion for the spread of the gospel does not wane. Whenever the church fails to be evangelistic it will fail to grow.

      All the long line of faithful men who have served so admirably in the field of evangelism call us to follow in their train, and ever to seek to bring to men the redemptive gospel of Christ our Lord. The supreme business of the church is to preach the gospel.

Organised Work.

      With the growth of the work there came the necessity for more organised effort and closer co-operation. The American Christian Missionary Society was started in 1850. In 1874 the Christian Women's Board of Missions was commenced. In 1875 the Foreign Christian Missionary Society was launched. This came to be a mighty force largely through the heroic work of Archibald McLean. To-day the work of our churches has extended to many lands. It was only natural that the added organisation led to some differences of opinion as to methods of work. There have been some who, while not opposed to foreign missions, have opposed organised societies and conventions; but the work has continued to grow. There was a time when the organ question was warmly debated, and great men like Moses E. Lard and J. W. McGarvey very strongly opposed the use of an organ in the worship of the church. This did not interfere with the zeal of these brethren in the preaching of the gospel. It is a cause for thankfulness that these differences did not lead to great division. In things that were fundamental there remained a unity of heart and purpose.

Religious Education.

      The needs of the work called for a united effort in the field of religious education. Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and afterwards the College of the Bible became a centre of training. Alexander Campbell established Bethany College in West Virginia. Many other universities and colleges followed. A more definite attention was given to Bible schools among the young, and this

teaching department of the church has grown in a remarkable degree. We are learning more than ever that the training of the young for Christ is the hope of the church and of the world.

Social Service.

      There arose, as in the early church, the necessity for caring for the poor. There came the establishment of homes for the aged, orphanages, and a pension fund for aged preachers. Throughout the brotherhood there are many excellent homes, that all give evidence that the churches have not failed to care for those in need. These institutions will assuredly grow and bring added blessing to the churches as they continue to support them.

The Work in Australasia.

      While we have dealt largely with the progress of the movement in America, there has been much cause for thankfulness in the advance that has been made in the work in our own land. The commencement of the cause in New Zealand was followed by the starting of the work in Australia. Thomas Magarey came from New Zealand and commenced the work in a building in Franklin St., Adelaide, in 1846. The cause has since made very steady progress in South Australia. There have been many loyal and faithful brethren whose names are lovingly remembered who have been leaders of the work there. The work in Victoria really started in a tent in Prahran, and afterwards came to the city. It has so grown that Victoria has become a centre of brotherhood work, and has a larger membership than any State. The other States followed in establishing Churches of Christ in centres where interested brethren had gone to live. Dr. Joseph Kingsbury in New South Wales and other loyal workers did splendid service. The South Australian conference really started the work in Western Australia, and sent T. H. Bates as the first preacher. This State has done splendid work in spite of geographical difficulties.

      The work in Tasmania was started as the result of the efforts of George Smith, a Melbourne member, who moved to Hobart in 1871.

He sought the help of O. A. Carr, who had come from America and started the church in a hall in Collins St. Despite many difficulties the cause has grown in the beautiful island.

      J. H. Johnson, who had gone to Queensland from Victoria, introduced F. W. Troy to the movement. He came to Victoria and made a plea at the annual conference for a man to be sent to Queensland. Stephen Cheek answered the call, and went back with him to the northern State. Cheek labored there till his early death in February, 1883. Many faithful brethren have helped to build a good work in this great State.

      The work in Great Britain was more difficult, but James Wallis, David King, the family of Black, and others gave noble service in the Motherland. In Australia we have been helped by Sydney Black, M. Wood Green, the Ludbrook family, the splendid family of Pittman, and others; but few were able to come to our help from England, so Australia appealed to America. In the early days great help was given by the coming of T. H. Milner from England in 1862. This led to the desire to obtain evangelists from overseas. When Great Britain could send no one, H. S. Earl, an Englishman trained in America, responded to the call, and came in 1864. He did a great work in Melbourne and Adelaide. In the first year of his work nearly 300 were added. T. J. Gore and G. L. Surber arrived from America in 1866. Both did a memorable work, the former in Grote St., Adelaide, and the latter at Lygon St., Carlton. G. L. Surber introduced the method of asking for public confession of Christ that had been commenced by Walter Scott. This has since become the regular practice in our churches. Mr. Surber returned to America after some years, but T. J. Gore continued to give yeoman service for more than fifty years, and remained in Adelaide until his death. Just as success followed the evangelism in America, it has done in the churches in Australia.

      Organised efforts were successful In initiating the foreign mission work following the visit of G. L. Wharton in 1889. Miss Mary Thompson was the first missionary sent out,

and our band of missionaries has grown to about 21, in addition to a splendid band of Indian evangelists and teachers. With the founding of our college at Glen Iris there came an opportunity for many to fit themselves for the preaching of the word.

      Looking back on our history, we feel that we have made a worthy contribution toward cultivating the growing desire for Christian unity that prevails to-day. We have sought to co-operate with all in every way possible who are seeking to unite the church of God as it faces its gigantic task. We have demonstrated, too, the efficacy of intensive evangelism, and have sought to emphasise through the years that the preaching of the gospel is the supreme business of the church. We have tried in an imperfect way to show that we must put the principles of Jesus Christ into every walk of life. We feel that God has greatly blessed us in leading us to be nearly two million strong in little more than a century. If we are true to all the principles of our movement and prove worthy of those gone before, we shall continue to grow in usefulness. Let us dedicate ourselves afresh to the task of bringing men to Jesus Christ our Lord.

      "ADVERTISE or fossilise" was a slogan recently aired in a church meeting, and if we may join in the modern craze we would say, "Propagate or perish."

The Need and Right to Propagate.

      In general the need to propagate calls for no argument. Any corporate body that would live must propagate, for its life is maintained by activity and additions. While there is a need for us to live, there is a need for us to propagate. We not only need to live, but we have a right to live if we have a purpose to fulfil. Our right to propagate and live depends upon the reality, quality of our purpose, and the effectiveness with which we are fulfilling it.

      The Christian Association of Washington consisting of persons of different religious denominations, led by Thomas Campbell, appealed to the clergy of that day to destroy denominationalism. The convictions and purpose of the members of the association were laid down in Thomas Campbell's "Declaration and Address" delivered and published in 1809.

      The first proposition asserts the essential, intentional and constitutional unity of the church and the whole document expresses the plea and plan of the Association for Christian Union.

      It is not without ground that Mr. H. E. Tickle, one of the representatives of the British Churches of Christ to the Geneva Conference, made the following statement: "The advocacy of the union of all believers is largely the justification for the separate existence

of the Churches of Christ." Our plea is for unity and the truth that unites. We also offer a plan for the united church, the strength of which cannot be denied, so that while the church remains divided we have a purpose to fulfil and thus we have both a need and right to propagate our witness. When that purpose is fulfilled we shall not only be contented but glad to cease propagating and perish.

Propagation Within.

      The Greek oracle of old said, "Know thyself." In the propagation of our witness nothing is more important than that we as a people should know ourselves. The knowledge of why we exist and what we plead for should not be confined to a narrow group of enthusiasts at the apex, but should be possessed and enjoyed by the widespread multitudes at the base of the pyramid. It is said that we attend to and understand the things in which we are interested. "There is no attention without interest" is a psychological principle that we will not deny, but it is also true that there is no interest in things that we do not attend to and understand.. Many of our people may well be forgiven a lack of interest and enthusiasm concerning our witness if they have not been helped to know fully the movement of which they are members.

      Interest and enthusiasm may be aroused by a negative and a positive approach. If, as the Stoics say, "Shame is the source of all the virtues," we may well be provoked to a virtuous enthusiasm by being impressed with the sin of a divided church. To be moved with pain, shame and horror by the contradiction of a divided church which has the temerity to plead for a united world, to see this as the scandal of Christianity will surely arouse a passion for our plea and programme for union.

      On the positive side, if we can see a united church as something vital to the kingdom of God and in that perspective see the bigness of our purpose, task and contribution, we shall surely be stirred to an enthusiasm for our witness. Our people will be less inclined

to drift, less reticent to launch out in aggressive propagation and more ready to liberally support progressive ventures if they understand and are convinced of the reality of our contribution to a great purpose.

      To this end a very definite place must be found in our preaching and teaching to instruct and interest our people in our witness and inspire them to think, speak and act creatively. The Bible class syllabus should provide an effective and appropriately used medium for educating our young people and making them appreciative members of our movement and loyal supporters of progressive propagation. The preparation or laying hold of suitable material for this purpose should not be overlooked. The Sunday school library generally seems to have fallen on degenerate days, but its revival as a teachers' help would serve a most necessary and useful purpose. On its shelves helpful literature concerning our witness would find a rightful place. Beyond the syllabus and teachers the distribution and sale of attractive literature would play an important role in quickening interest, keeping alive the flame and stimulating a wider propagation.

      "Christian Union and Our Witness" or like subjects provide a theme for discussion in youth conferences, which can play a real part as a means of education and stimulus in the propagation of our witness.

      By living in unity in spite of diversity of views, theories, interpretations and convictions we shall prove and propagate our plea. Freedom of expression in pulpit and press without fear of division will at once express our plea, convict us ourselves of its validity and commend it beyond our own ranks.

Propagation Without.

      Catching the ear of the outside world, both Christian and non-Christian, is at once necessary and a challenge. How shall we secure an audience? Our historians tell us that one day Walter Scott rode into a village at the close of day and spoke to a number of school children whom he gathered about him. "'Children,'

he said, 'hold up your left hands. Now, beginning with your thumbs, repeat what I say to you: Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit--that takes up all your fingers. Now again: Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, again; faster, altogether: Faith, repentance, baptism, remission of sins, gift of the Holy Spirit!' Thus he continued until all could repeat it in concert. The children were greatly amused, thinking him a harmless, crazy man. 'Children,' he then said, 'now run home. Don't forget what is on your fingers, and tell your parents that a man will preach the gospel to-night at the school house, as you have it on the five fingers of your hands.' Away went the children, repeating the story until it was all over the village, and long before the hour of meeting the house was thronged to hear the crazy preacher." So Walter Scott gained his audience and propagated his message. While not imitating his method, we may well catch his enthusiasm and reproduce his ingenuity.

      Our voice is one with all Christian people on the great fundamentals of the Christian faith. Even if methods differ we are one in propagating the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and in our aim to win men to make him the centre of their fellowships. Our passion is the gospel of the kingdom and the name of Christ as it was of the New Testament preachers and that of all true Christians. The primary ambition of our preaching is to win men to Christ not to our cause, to establish the kingdom of God not our movement, to call men from infidelity to fidelity, from sin to righteousness, from defeat to victory.

      But in proclaiming the great evangel it is natural and necessary that we should present the truth as we clearly know it, expound our witness and win men to the plea and plan for union even as we win them for Christ and the kingdom.

      As it is necessary that we should know ourselves and understand our witness, it is necessary that other Christians should know and understand the things we would propagate.

      The written word is important here. Literature under universal and not titles of local or sectional interest will best propagate our witness. The Christian world as a whole will not be interested in "The Witness of the Churches of Christ" or the like, but it will be interested in "The Scandal of Christianity", "Christian Union and the Kingdom of God," etc. In such an avenue, as in the channel of the spoken word, we shall most effectively propagate our witness in a positive manner designed to win the attention and sympathy of earnest seekers after truth and unity.

      Conference is an important means of propagation in all fields. The Faith and Order Movement provides an opportunity for exchange of views and witness through conference. The same opportunity is given by the group studies and conferences of the Student Christian Movement in connection with our institutions of learning. Our witness must find a creditable way into these fields. An important factor, then, in the propagation of our witness is the production of men able and equipped to effectively represent us in conference in such circles of influence as will count in the thought and action towards a united church. Mere enthusiasm is not enough. Scholarship and vision are essential if we are to play our part as a people and take our proper place alongside the leaders of Christian thought and action. We must be a big people with a vision equal to the greatness of our witness, for here as in all other fields, "where there is no vision the people perish." We are impressed with our movement, not as a mass movement, but as a rationalistic, pioneer, thought movement. Our impression and contribution will not be made by reason of numbers, but by the truth, strength and quality of our witness and our presentation of it.

      The spirit in which we live and propagate our witness is vital. A narrow, sectarian spirit was one of the irritants that stimulated our plea and to us a spirit that alienates and divides is as foreign and wrong to us as any false tradition of man. Pleading and planning for truth and unity, we stand for conciliation without compromise with manifest error.

      In the spirit of brotherhood we recognise and confer with those whom Thomas Campbell described as "our brethren of all denominations"; in the spirit of love we seek to make our contribution to the spirit of unity which must precede and underlie corporate union of any kind. In this spirit shall we best propagate our witness and most effectively contribute to that goal for which our Lord prayed almost with his dying breath: "That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and, I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."