FROM
THE CHRISTIAN RECORD.

VOL. I.]	BLOOMINGTON, IND., MAY, 1844.	[NO. XI.

Greenville, Ind., April 20th, 1844.      

      My Dear Brother: I take the liberty of writing to you, (though a stranger,) as a co-worker with you in the cause of primitive Christianity, to request the publication in your periodical (the Christian Record,) of the within document, from the pen of the venerable Father Campbell, on church Government and Order. I take pleasure also, in informing the holy brethren, through the agency of your useful paper, of the progress of the good cause in this part of the State.--I commenced my labors in Floyd county in January last, since which time about 50 have "become obedient to the faith;" which has stirred up the unmitigated hostility of the traditionized, and sectarianized parties; and of the last and most detestable of all heresies--Mormonism.

      God speed you my brother in your labors of love; for I know that [247] you breathe the pure air of Canaan, from the mild and benevolent spirit, manifested by you toward your brethren of the press, and to all men.

      On last Monday, I received intelligence or the death of a beloved sister, which has filled my heart with pleasing grief, and mournful joy. Sorrow for her death; but joy that she died in the Lord. "Blessed be the name of the Lord!!"

      Respectfully your brother in the one Lord,

J. P. MARSHALL, Evan.      

      The document referred to by brother Marshall is the following.--Most cheerfully we comply with the request of our beloved brother, to publish it in the Christian Record. We have on file a number of queries upon the subject of which Father Campbell treats; to which we expect to respond, so soon as we shall have time to write a few essays on the subject: but in the mean time we commend the following brief, but comprehensive essay, to the prayerful consideration of the brotherhood.--ED.

BETHANY, VA., NOVEMBER 12, 1843.      

      Brother J. P. Marshall: At your request, and through your agency, I would address our beloved brethren in Texas upon the subjects you propose.

      And first of all, dear brethren, I would observe, that in order to get rid or the corruptions of our holy religion, we have fallen back upon its divine directory and standard, the New Testament, in which we are divinely favored with the divinely authenticated record of the Gospel and laws of Christ, the belief and obedience of which constitute genuine Christianity; to it therefore, we directly look for instruction, in relation to every thing we ought to believe and do. Wherefore with respect to the qualifications of Bishops, Deacons and Evangelists, we should strictly advert to all the places where these officers are mentioned. See Phil. 1: 1; 1 Tim. 3: 1-7; Titus 1: 6-9; 1 Tim. 5: 17-19; 1 Pe. 5: 1-4; Acts 20: 17-25. So much for the qualifications and duties or, Bishops and Elders; which are two names for the same office, where ruling and teaching are implied, as is the case in the above quotations. They must be elderly persons, heads of families, to qualify them, and to evince their qualifications, for teaching and ruling the church of God. "For if a man know not how to teach and rule his own family, how shall he take care of the church of God." The duties also of the christian people to their Bishops and Elders are expressly taught. See Gal. 6: 6-9, with Heb. 13: 7-17, and 1 Tim. 6: 17-19. With respect to their ordination, see Acts 13: 1-3, and 14: 21-23, with 1 Tim. 4: 14. It [248] appears from these quotations, that both Bishops and Evangelists were set apart; that is, ordained to their sacred office of teaching and ruling, by the imposition of hands, with fasting and prayer. And that even the Deacons who were neither to teach nor rule, but to assist the church in the performance or its special relative duties, were so ordained. See Acts 6: 1-6. And must also be elderly men, heads of families, of the same moral and religious character with the Bishops. See 1 Tim. 3: 12. Neither the one nor the other, young inexperienced persons, novices or new converts; but such as had proved themselves competent and trustworthy characters. Wherefore, the Apostle charges Timothy to lay hands suddenly on no man, lest he should be a partaker of other men's sins, by committing a sacred trust to persons not duly qualified. See 1 Tim. 5: 22. As for the Evangelists Timothy and Titus, it appears that they were both young men when they were set apart to the evangelical office: that is, to the office of preaching and teaching, and of assisting the Apostle by his direction, in the management of the affairs of the churches. See Acts 16: 1-3, and Rom. 16: 21; 1 Thess. 3: 2; 1 Tim. 1-4. Also, 2 Cor. 7: 6, 7, with Titus 1: 1-5. Whence it appears that these persons, though comparatively young, were nevertheless specially qualified persons. With respect to the former, see 1 Tim. 4: 12-16. And from what the Apostle says of the latter, in the above quotations, he appears to have been another of the same description of character. Such therefore are worthy to be entrusted with the evangelical office.

      Having in the above quotations, (all of which I must earnestly recommend to the serious consideration of our brethren,) a scriptural view of the qualifications and duties or Bishops, Deacons, and Evangelists, and of the respect and obedience with which they ought to be treated in due performance of their official duties; it yet remains to advert to the scriptural mode of their induction into their respective offices, which is also contained in the above quotations; namely, by fasting and prayer, with the imposition of hands upon the candidates. But the question is: who is to do this, and by what authority. The answer is obvious: that as the church was divinely constituted by the Apostles; it is therefore the church's duty to maintain her constitution by keeping up the apostolic order; for which purpose she is divinely furnished with an authentic record. The church, then, is to ordain her own officers, these having the prescribed qualifications are to be set apart by the imposition of hands, with fasting and prayer, by certain elderly persons chosen by the church for said purpose; for it is the church that confers the office by the election, and not the persons that lay their hands on the heads or the candidates; for they do this in the name of Christ, by the authority of the church, which requested them so to do; for they may not even belong to said church, but may have been invited to assist upon that occasion for, certainly, [249] churches being all members of the one, Body of Christ, are all bound to assist each other, according to the doctrine of the Apostles, whose peculiar office it was to teach the disciples (to observe all things,) that Christ commanded them for this purpose. See Matt. 28: 20. So that to believe and obey the Gospel and laws of Christ constitutes the real Christian.

      Next as to the connexion between Baptism and the remission of sins; see Mark 16: 15, 16, with Acts 2: 38, 39, and chap. 22: 16. In these quotations we have the divinely instituted connexion between baptism and the enjoyment of salvation, which consist in justification and sanctification; or in the remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, by the former of which we are justified, and the latter we are sanctified, which constitute our present salvation from the built and practice of sin. And being thus freed from the guilt and practice of sin, we have our fruit unto holiness, and the end, everlasting life. But with respect to all this blissful enjoyment, baptism is only a divinely appointed means; for the blood of Christ is the procuring cause, and the spirit of Christ the efficient cause, and his word the instrumental cause.

      Lastly with respect to occasional communion with unbaptized persons the scripture is silent: there was no such thing in the Apostles' days, therefore I can say nothing about it. When the scripture is silent, we ought to be so too. Upon the whole, if official characters be what they ought to be in principle and practice, according to the scriptures, and if the brethren for whom they labor treat them accordingly, all will be well. The church will be edified, and God glorified. The Lord respecteth the heart. Divine knowledge, faith, hope and love, constitute the christian, and these are derived from a proper use of the word of God and prayer; therefore, blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord; who meditates therein day and night, Psalm 1: 1-3: who lays it up in his heart and in his soul; and who teaches it diligently to children; talking of it when he sits in his house, when he walks by the way, when he lies down, and when he rises up: for, in so doing, his days, and the days of his children, shall be as the days of heaven upon earth. See Deuteronomy 11: 18-21. Thus by making a proper use of the Bible, and the throne or grace, we are to enjoy a foretaste of heaven in a present evil world. Indeed, while here, the Bible is to us in God's stead; though we cannot see him; yet when we open the Bible, we can hear his voice; therefore if we love his company, we will love the good Book.

      Respected brother, be pleased to present these few desultory thoughts to our beloved brethren, with my sincere desires for their present and eternal salvation.

      Yours most respectfully,

THOMAS CAMPBELL. [250]      

[The Christian Record 1 (May 1844): 247-250.]

      Thomas Campbell's Letter to J. P. Marshall was first published in The Christian Record, Vol. 1, No. 11, May 1844, pp. 247-250. The electronic version of the essay has been produced from an electrostatic copy of the article provided by Elaine Philpott, from the collection of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

      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 essay. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 247:    stired [ stirred
 p. 248:    refered [ referred
 p. 250:    salvatiou. [ salvation.
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 14 June 1998.
Updated 8 July 2003.