RESPECTED SIR,--As the grand object of your periodical, titled the "Christian Baptist," is, as I understand it, the restoration of the ancient gospel and discipline, or order of things (as you term it) as the same was published and inculcated by the apostles, those divinely qualified and authorized teachers and founders of the christian religion, I take the liberty of suggesting to you, and, with your permission, to your numerous readers, the imperious, and indispensable necessity of a strict and undeviating practical use of the holy scriptures in the inculcation of every item of faith and obedience. It may, perhaps, be thought strange, that, at such an advanced period in the progress of this work, and after all that has been urged in behalf of the all sufficiency and alone sufficiency, perfection, and excellence of the holy scriptures, for every purpose of religion and morality, a constant and attentive reader should think it expedient to suggest or add any thing to excite the friends and advocates of the desired restoration to a strict practical use of the holy scriptures in preaching and teaching. However this may be, the writer of this, who is also a constant reader of your valuable paper, and a zealous advocate for the proposed restoration, feels deeply impressed with the urgent necessity of a much more strict and universal compliance with the above proposition. And, indeed, till this strict and appropriate use of the holy scriptures become the established and universal practice of the advocates of the proposed restoration, it appears impossible to conceive how it ever can be effected. What is it, that at first, and hitherto, has corrupted the purity, and broken the unity, of the christian profession? Was it not, and is it not, the teaching of human opinions in human propositions; that is, in words suggested by human wisdom, instead of divine declarations in divine terms, chosen and suggested by the revealing Spirit? So did not the apostles. See 1 Cor. ii. 9-13. &c.

      Now if this departure from the apostolic doctrine at first corrupted the christian religion, produced divisions, and continues them; how shall they ever be remedied, but by ceasing from the noxious cause that produced and continues them? Is it possible? Surely no. It is asked if this be the case, what shall be done? Must preaching and teaching cease in order to restore and rectify the church, that it may resume and enjoy its original constitutional unity and purity? By no means. The christian religion was introduced, promoted, and maintained by preaching and teaching. Human agency was employed in propagating as well as in corrupting the christian religion, and will be again employed in its restoration. All that is necessary, in the mean time, is to make the pro or distinction respecting the subject matter of preaching and teaching. The primitive preachers and teachers were duly qualified, instructed, and authorized to preach the gospel and teach the law of Christ. Compare Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15, 16. with Luke xxiv. 44-49. and Acts i. 1-9. &c. The propagation and establishment of the christian religion in the world was the immediate, direct, and proper effect of the above commission and instructions, by the personal ministry of the apostles:--the production of the New Testament--the complete and permanent record of their preaching and teaching, that is, of what they preached and taught--was the next and permanent effect of said commission, &c.--Wherefore, being thus furnished with a faithful and authentic record of what they preached and [608] taught by divine authority, for the conversion and salvation of the world, let us go and preach and teach the same things--the same identical propositions. We are not left to our own wisdom or discretion as to what we should declare in the name of the Lord, more than they;--though we don't receive it in the same manner, that is, immediately from the Holy Spirit, as they did; but, at second hand, front them that first received it: nevertheless if we really receive it as they have delivered it to us, and so declare it to others, it will do us and them the same good as it did to those who received it immediately, at first hand. See 1 John i. 1, 2, 3. ii. 24, 23, &c.

      Now this only limits us in our preaching and teaching, as were the apostles. Their preaching was limited to the gospel, which, as we learn from their practice--from the records of their sermons, was Jesus Christ, and him crucified; and their teaching was limited to all the things whatsoever Christ commanded them; so that, in, this respect, we have no more reason to complain of restriction than they had. They were limited to what was given them by the Holy Spirit, and just so are we, according to our profession, to what the Spirit has given us by their ministry; for we profess to be followers of them, as they also were of Christ--to preach and teach the very self-same things that they preached and taught; that is, the ancient gospel and order of things established by the apostles; and these, not in the words that man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches us by their ministry; and surely he knows best what words and phrases will best convey his meaning. But upon the sacred importance of holding fast the form of sound words, selected by the Holy Spirit, for revealing to us spiritual things, Dr. Straith's Essays in the previous Nos. of this volume, may suffice. What we here insist upon, is, the moral necessity of the constant, strict, and undeviating use of the language of the holy scriptures upon every item of divine truth, that whether we preach or teach, it may be in the words of the Holy Spirit; that by so doing we may neither corrupt the truth nor cause divisions. Compare 1 Cor. i. 10. and ii. 12, 13. with 2 Cor. ii. 17. and iv. 1, 2, &c. We say, "the moral necessity," for we are bound both by our profession, and by the divine authority, to a strict and undeviating adherence to the letter of the divine testimony; professing, as we do, to preach and teach neither more nor less than the apostles' doctrine, originally delivered to the churches; and acting under the high responsibility of the divine injunction of "holding fast the faithful word as we have been taught,"--"the form of sound words" used by the apostles,--"that we all speak the same thing, that there be no divisions amongst us; but that we may be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment." Now, therefore, as professed restorers, as healers of the breaches, as faithful disciples, and followers of the apostles, we must, upon principles of fidelity and self-consistency, feel ourselves morally bound, by those high considerations to a strict and undeviating adherence to the letter of the divine testimony upon every article of faith and duty.

      It may be still objected, however, that if thus restricted, there is an end to all preaching and teaching. All that can be morally and consistently done henceforth, is to read the apostolic writings, for the edification of saints, for the conversion of sinners, for the restoration of the ancient gospel and order of things, &c. The writer of this thinks otherwise. He thinks, however, that the present views and forms of preaching and teaching are derived from unscriptural models--that they are generally founded in ignorance and error--in ignorance of the very nature and design of the christian religion, which is love--love to God, love to Christ, love to one another, love to all mankind--the love of all moral excellence, the abhorrence of all moral evil. In ignorance also of the provision which the Heavenly Father has made by his Son Jesus Christ, and by his holy apostles and prophets in the holy scriptures, for all those divine and blissful purposes. Let this threefold ignorance, the ignorance of the nature, and of the design, of the christian religion; and of the provision made in the holy scriptures for carrying it into effect and supporting it:--I say, let the ignorance of these three things be once fairly removed, and the erroneous specimens of public teaching so universally prevalent, will soon disappear.--Fairly understanding the divine character and intention, in connexion with the actual condition and character of mankind, as delineated on the sacred page, we will clearly perceive, that the Divine Author has made adequate provision for carrying into effect his benign and gracious intention; that he has adapted the means to the end; so that all that now remains to be done is a judicious exhibition of the provision he has already made;--is, to give every one his portion of meat in due season. This discovery, I say, will go very far, indeed, to correct the present erroneous and unscriptural manner of preaching and teaching.

      It will be clearly perceived that the exhibition of the ancient gospel and law of Christ, in the very terms in which we find them recorded in the sacred volume, presents every necessary instruction, calculated to produce the above effects; as also to maintain and increase them. Let us take, for example, Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, Acts ii. He first gives us a, scriptural account of the wonderful phenomena of that ever-memorable day;--he next introduces the grand subject of the gospel; viz. Christ, and him crucified, and now highly exalted by the right hand of God, made both Lord and Messiah. His propositions and proofs had the desired effect to convince three thousand of the audience of their sin and danger; and having answered their anxious and important inquiry, he proceeded "with many other words to testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." Now, in this specimen of apostolic preaching, after an appropriate introduction originating in the peculiarity of his circumstances, having clearly stated the gospel with the proofs, and distinctly informed his audience how they might become partakers of the benefit--viz. of remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the apostle continues to testify and exhort, with many other words not recorded, that his hearers might be excited to save themselves, by a prompt compliance with his gracious and saving proposal, from the judgments about to come upon that unbelieving and impenitent generation. Thus, like Paul upon a certain occasion, he might have continued his speech till midnight, for the excitement of his hearers, without adding a new proposition to his premises, or so much as attempting to explain one of those he had advanced. Moreover, it is equally certain, that his audience believing the propositions recorded, and yielding the obedience of faith, as directed, were instantly made partakers of the promised [609] salvation, as appears from what immediately follows, being all filled with righteousness, peace, and joy, by the Holy Spirit, as we see in the close of the chapter. Now, it is just as certain, that the belief of the same propositions, connected with the obedience required, will introduce the believing and obedient subjects into the actual enjoyment of the same blissful privileges that they enjoyed who first believed and obeyed.

      These things being so, what then should hinder us from taking the same course, from following the recorded examples both of the primitive preachers and hearers of the ancient gospel, first delivered to the apostles, to be by them published to the nations, without a single exception of man or woman, with a special certification by the Divine Author, that whosoever believed it, and was baptized, should be saved. Are we not in possession of the whole doctrine of Christ,--of all that the apostles and prophets have left recorded concerning him? yea, of every proposition? Are we not also aware of the circumstances in which we are placed?--of the character of the generation with which we have to do? If not, we are but illy prepared to assume the office of teachers. But if we are, let us act rationally and faithfully, as did the apostles--Rationally, by introducing ourselves to the attention of our hearers, with an appropriate introduction adapted to their character and circumstances, as did the apostle Peter both in the courts of the temple, and in the house of Cornelius. Compare Acts iii. 11, 12. with ch. x. 25-35. Both rationally and faithfully, as did the apostles upon every occasion, by holding forth such particular statements concerning Christ, as the immediate condition of their hearers seemed to demand, (see 1. Cor. iii. 1. 2. 3. &c.) and in the very terms in which they received them from the Holy Spirit, (see 1. Cor. ii. 9-13;) and lastly, by every pertinent and impressive argument testifying and exhorting to a prompt obedience of the truth. Compare Acts ii. 40. with chapter xiii. 40, 41. Thus uniting faithfulness with zeal and intelligence, we shall have the goodly assurance, that our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord. We shall neither corrupt the word nor offend the brethren;--produce new divisions, nor keep up old ones, by substituting our guesses and glosses, our comments and paraphrases, for the diction of the Holy Spirit; while we faithfully, with the apostles, teach the things of God in the very terms in which the received them, and in which they have delivered them to us.

      Let it not be supposed, while we thus speak, that we are altogether unacquainted with the apparent difficulties that have originated upon the subject of translation, some alleging that if we will thus strictly confine ourselves to the diction of the Holy Spirit, we must speak the very words of the Hebrew and Greek originals, for these only are the very words of the Holy Spirit. Formidable as this objection or dIfficulty may appear, there is nothing in it; it is a mere bugbear. In the beginning, on the day of Pentecost, in the very first instance, the revealing Spirit spoke in almost all the languages of the then known world; so that the strangers then dwelling at Jerusalem out of every nation under heaven, heard the apostles speak, in their proper languages, the wonderful works of God. Also, the commission was, "Go you into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature," &c. Therefore, the gospel, and the New Testament that contains it, was to be the common property of all nations. And although the autographs of the New Testament, the gospel of Matthew only excepted, were all found in the Greek, this can afford no relevant objection against the just and pure exhibition of the communications or dictates of the Divine Spirit in the languages of the nations, seeing that from the beginning they were actually published in all nations and were to be their common property,--the vehicle of the common salvation. Besides', the current translations, or copies of the holy scriptures in the various living languages, may be compared with, and corrected by, the most perfect copies of the Hebrew and Greek originals; they may also be compared with each other. So that upon the whole, while we allow the possibility of a fair translation in connection with the truth of the above allegations, which cannot be denied, we feel ourselves perfectly at ease upon this subject. It has never been supposed that a fair translation of any author, ever destroyed its authority; or that such a translation of the bible into any language, was not the word of God. Neither have the different sects originated in the mere difference of translations; but in the different expositions, theological comments, and forced interpretations of certain passages of holy scripture.

      In dismissing this subject, let it not be thought that the writer means to detract any thing from the authenticity or authority of the gospel by Matthew, by the above exception. The genuineness and purity of that gospel being as satisfactorily established by the proper authorities, as that of any of the others. If, then, upon the whole, the professed advocates for the restoration of the ancient gospel and order of things, would act consistently with their profession, they would studiously and conscientiously avoid inculcating their own opinions upon divine subjects; and also the use of a factitious, systematic, technical phraseology, in their religious communications; confining themselves to a scriptural purity of speech, and to the inculcation of scripture doctrine in the terms in which it is recorded; avoiding the dangerous and unauthorized practice of theological explanation, that fertile source of corruption and error. In short, if the advocates of a genuine, radical, scriptural reformation would justify their profession, and prove successful they must labor to evince the abundant and complete sufficiency of the holy scriptures for the formation and perfection of christian character, independent of the learned labors of the paraphrast or commentator. It must be fully understood and evinced that the belief and obedience of the gospel perfects the conscience, gives peace and joy, gratitude and gladness to the heart, (see Acts ii. 41-47;) and that the obedience of the law of Christ perfects the character,--secures the practice of every virtue, and prohibits the indulgence of any vice. In a word, that the simple exhibition, reception, and obedience of the gospel and law of Christ, in the very terms of the record, without explanation, comment, or paraphrase, are abundantly sufficient to make the christian disciple perfect, thoroughly furnished to all goo works. This being clearly demonstrated, as a thing most clearly demonstrable, what remains to the faithful and intelligent friend and advocate of the ancient gospel and order of things, but that he zealously and constantly call the attention of his hearers to that which is written for their instruction in righteousness; always bearing in mind, and clearly evincing, that christianity is a practical doctrine, the design of which is to stamp or form a character, that shall be happy in itself, pleasing to God, and acceptable to men;--Rom. xiv. 16-19; [610] --that shall, at least, be such, as men may have no just reason to except against. That the formative principles of this character being knowledge, faith, and love; namely, the knowledge of the only true God, and of Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, and of the actual condition of mankind to whom, and for whose sake, he sent him;--together with the end and design of his coming, what he has done, is doing, and will do for his people, and the means he has ordained for their coming to the complete enjoyment of all this; every item of which is most expressly and explicitly declared upon the sacred page; so that he that runs may read it: as are likewise the items of that faith and love, which reconciles us to God and man, and renders us acceptable to both; see Titus iii. 1-8. Wherefore, the genuine advocate of the desired restoration will thus find himself sufficiently occupied without dealing in human opinions, either his own or any one's else, whether of ancient or modern date. He will find his materials made ready to his hand by the holy apostles and prophets; so that his sole and sufficient business will be to hand them out, to hold them forth as occasion requires, to give every one his portion of meat in due season; earnestly laboring with all persuasion, like Peter on Pentecost, (Acts xxi. 10.) and Paul with the Corinthians, (2d Epis. v. 10. 11. 20,) to prevail upon men to receive it. Thus will every scribe well instructed for the kingdom of heaven, in bringing forth out of his treasures, of the Old and New Testaments, things new and old, find himself sufficiently employed, without racking his invention, or pillaging the labors of the learned, to procure and prepare materials for the entertainment, not the edification, of his hearers.

      To conclude, respected sir, this much too lengthy address, for which, I hope, the importance of the subject will apologize--I would beg leave to assure you, that all your labors, and those of your most zealous co-operants, will be measurably lost, nay, must eventually fail, unless those who professedly labor in the good cause, confine themselves to the inculcation of scripture doctrine in scripture terms; abstaining from all sectarian controversies, ancient or modern, and from inculcating any thing as matter of christian faith or duty, not expressly contained on the sacred page and enjoined by the authority of the Saviour and his Apostles upon the christian community.

      Yours very respectfully,

T. W.      

[The Christian Baptist, November 2, 1829, pp. 608-611.]

      The identity of T. W. is revealed in the signature line ("T. W., alias THOS. CAMPBELL") to his "Reply" to a Constant Reader in The Christian Baptist (Vol. 7, No. 4, November 2, 1829). See College Press reprint (1983) of the Burnet edition (1835) of Alexander Campbell's The Christian Baptist, p. 598.

      Thomas Campbell's "To the Editor of the Christian Baptist" was first published in The Christian Baptist, Vol. VII, No. 5, December 7, 1829. The electronic version of the letter has been produced from the College Press (1983) reprint of The Christian Baptist, ed. Alexander Campbell (Cincinnati: D. S. Burnet, 1835), pp. 608-611.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. I have let stand variations and inconsistencies in the author's (or editor's) use of italics, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in the letter.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 12 January 1998.
Updated 7 July 2003.