Alexander, it is true, as appears from one of his discourses already referred to (page 376), seems in the spring of 1811 to have taken a simple and just view of faith as a "trusting in Christ," a "hearty reliance upon him for salvation." Subsequently, he read and reflected much upon faith, and occupied himself in considering the various conflicting theories upon the subject, both as it regards the nature of faith itself, and the manner in which it is produced. During the fall of 1811, and the winter of 1812, he carried on an interesting correspondence with his father upon various religious topics, among which a large space is allotted to this particular subject. This correspondence he carefully transcribed, giving to his father the pseudonym of Philologus, and assuming himself that of Philomathes. A few extracts from this correspondence will serve to exhibit their views of this important matter at that time.

      In the first letter, dated October 17, 1811, Philomathes speaks of a work by Thomas Taylor, published in 1661, upon "The Necessity and Efficacy of Faith in Prayer," and quotes him as saying, "True saving faith may exist in the minds of persons apt to doubt, or, in other words, true faith is not always accompanied by certainty in the mind that the things we desire by [413] prayer shall be obtained, but the prayer of faith is sometimes accompanied with doubting." The letter is then devoted to the discussion of the correctness of this position, that saving faith may coexist with doubt, and also of a distinction which is made between the "faith of reliance" and the "faith of assurance," during which a number of cases are cited from the Scriptures. To this Philologus, the father, replies at considerable length, in part as follows:

      "The subject you have introduced must, on all hands, be acknowledged to be one of leading importance. Next to the revelation of salvation for guilty men, that by which we are made partakers of it, and by which alone we must live, and be actuated while in this world, as legitimate expectants of the heavenly felicity, is to us of all things most important, for it is written, 'The just by faith shall live.'"

      With characteristic caution, he then first considers the source from which true knowledge must be obtained and the spirit in which it must be sought:

      "Allow me, then, on entering upon this subject, to defer an immediate reply to your quotation and statements respecting your author's views of the subject, reserving this for the sequel. Whatever respect we may have for our own or others' opinions upon Divine subjects, yet in every commencement to consider or discuss these things, on set purpose, for our own or others' advantage in the knowledge and belief of the truth, it behooves us to have immediate recourse to the Sacred Oracles, that we may stand upon sure ground; be the better educated in the truth ; have its impression deepened in our minds and behold it with still greater advantage. Thus shall our certainty of the truth and attachment to it increase with our labors; and thus shall we be delivered from being servile followers and copyists either of ourselves or others. Having 'The Truth' for our motto, and [414] 'What is truth?' for our simple, single and upright inquiry, let it not be apprehended that such a procedure can justly implicate the lovers and students of sacred truth in the charge of ignorance or instability. It will rather evince the simplicity and purity of their hearts from the noxious inmates of pride, self-confidence and vain presumption of infallibility, to which the contrary practice may, with too great an appearance of justice, be imputed. The apostle's maxim, however, fully justifies what I plead for: 'If any man thinketh that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.' Besides, what does such a practice amount to, but what in similar cases is just and natural, namely, to behold or contemplate things in the light? 'In Thy light shall we see light,' and 'he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God.' Of course, he that speaketh truth in like manner--that his words may be made manifest that they are of truth.'

      He now goes on to dwell upon faith as being "the belief of the truth," and gives a general definition of "the truth" as comprehending everything that God has revealed of himself concerning his being and perfections, his works and will, and the present and future state of his creatures. Taking thus, in the first instance, the whole Divine Testimony as the subject-matter of faith, he further remarks that the Divine veracity is the ground, foundation or reason of our faith, and "God in Christ the only proper and qualified object of it."

      "For as such," he adds, "he revealed himself from the beginning, and as such only is he the subject of supernatural revelation, and as such only can he be justly considered by all them that truly believe it; for, as such, is he held forth to have been 'from everlasting,' from the 'beginning or ever earth was,' though not so revealed till after the fall, and then, at first, but obscurely. But no sooner did he reveal himself in relation to the redemption and recovery of fallen man, than [415] he did so by the means or mediation of Jesus Christ. And, since then, in the process of the revelation with which he hath favored the Church, he hath declared himself acting or proceeding in and by Jesus Christ, in the creation of all things and in all his managements. See Prov. viii. 22: 'The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way before his works of old;' and 30: 'Then I was by him as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.' See also John xvii. 5: 'And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.' 2 Tim. i. 9: 'His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began;' and again, 'He hath created all things by Jesus Christ;' and again, 'He is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power; by whom also he made the worlds.' 'By whom he will judge the world.' Acts xvii. 31. So that in no instance is God revealed to us but as in Christ.     *     *     *     *     But, God in Christ, or God, laying and executing all his purposes of creation, sustentation, gubernation, redemption and judgment, in and by Jesus Christ, is the adequate, comprehensive and adorable object of the Christian faith.     *     *

      "The full and firm persuasion, then, or hearty belief of the Divine testimony concerning Jesus, comprehensively considered as above defined, is that faith, in its proper and primary acceptation, to which the promises and privileges of salvation are annexed. See Peter's confession and the recognitions of John in his First Epistle: 'Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God;' 'Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,' etc., etc.; 'Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God;' 'Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?'     *     *     *     *

'PHILOLOGUS."      

      Continuing the subject in a second letter, he enters minutely and somewhat philosophically into the consideration of some of the effects of faith; but, [416] correcting himself and expressing his dislike of metaphysical distinctions and definitions, he concludes with some deductions from the whole premises, among which are the following:

      "1. That he who would harmonize as a teacher or preacher with the intention and scope of the Divine economy, should be careful to exhibit in a distinct and faithful manner the whole testimony of God concerning himself, his works and will, and the present and future conditions of his creatures. Especially, a pure simple gospel view of God as in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself; of Christ in his person, offices and performance; of the Holy Spirit in his offices and works, and of the absolute unconditionality of salvation, in respect to any entitling or previous recommendatory qualifications whatsoever, as requisite to qualify the sinner for partaking of the offered salvation, or to lay a foundation for his confidence toward God through Jesus Christ; even to the exclusion of faith itself in its secondary import, that is, considering it as an act or exercise of confidence in Christ, his office and work; such confidence being the native and proper result of a true knowledge and belief of the truth or truths exhibited in the Divine testimony.

      "2. That he that would be saved should hearken diligently to the testimony of God, by the knowledge and belief of which alone, testified to all who hear it for their salvation, he may be delivered from the wrath to come, the guilt and bondage of corruption, and have access into the glorious liberty of the children of God, in the possession of that confidence which casts out all fear. An effect this, which no systematic theory can either produce or promote, and of course makes no part of the preacher's business. See 1. Cor. ii. 12.

*             *             *             *             *             *             *            

      "5. From the aforesaid investigation, I further infer that all the distinctions, directions and cautions about kinds and acts of faith, thrust upon the public attention by preachings and [417] writings, polemical and practical, are little, if anything, better than fallacies and amusive speculations, tending to divert and distract the mind from the truth--the great subject of salvation--turning many aside after vain jangling, and greatly deceiving others. For what other end serve the distinctions about 'historical faith;' 'miraculous,' 'temporary' and 'saving faith;' 'the faith of reliance,' 'assurance,' 'an act of faith;' the 'direct' and 'reflex' acts of faith; 'appropriating faith,' 'the faith of adherence,' etc., etc., if not to perplex or amuse? Have we anything like this in the Scriptures? 'So we preach and so ye believed,' say the apostles, and so the matter ends. The Scripture, it is true, lays a great stress upon faith, and in many places reproves hypocritical pretensions to faith, and also exhibits evidences of genuine faith, and also exhorts to self-examination on that subject, but how? Is it by the intervention of those metaphysical, I might say barbarous, distinctions of modern times? No such thing. The Scriptures exhibit no such theory. They consider the subject through a different medium. 'Show me thy faith by thy works' is the Scripture test, to distinguish the true from the false, the genuine from the counterfeit professor, and not the light, airy, cheap way of metaphysical distinction. It is true, the ground that we have assumed and the plan we have prescribed to ourselves, which is simply returning to the original standard, and taking up and treating all religious matters as we find them there, would, if strictly adhered to, for ever extricate us from all the labyrinths of later inventions and practices; but it will take some pains, and much watchfulness and caution, to bring ourselves to this. We are children of yesterday, moderns in the newest sense of the word, and, therefore, will find it no easy matter to look back over the heads of eighteen hundred ages, and to think, speak and act, in matters of religion, as if contemporaries with the apostles and members of the primitive Church. Lastly, I infer, from the whole premises, that the great reason why the doctrine of faith has been so perplexed and obscured, is the legal tendency of the human heart, that constant self-flattering bias [418] which leads us to look for something in ourselves to distinguish us in the sight of God from others, were it but a single act of faith--some felt formal confidence, or 'appropriating act,' as they call it; something in ourselves as entitling or interesting. Whereas no one does, nor indeed can, take any merit to himself for believing a testimony where the truth is conspicuous from the strength of the evidence. To withhold belief in such a case is utterly impossible to rational nature. Therefore, no thanks to the believing subject, except for being rational, or for hearing a testimony, which, when brought to his ears unsought, he could not avoid hearing--if these things merit thanks. But, methinks, I hear it queried by the proud, self-preferring heart, can such an involuntary, unavoidable faith, such a bare belief of the naked truth, save me? Yes, surely, if the truth thus believed be sufficiently interesting to influence the conduct of the believer. If otherwise, let him know assuredly that the merit of believing it will not save him. Moreover, if it be sufficiently influential to affect his conduct, no thanks to him for that; for, who, in his senses, having drunk a poisoned bowl, would not, when duly certified of his fatal mistake, gladly receive an antidote? Where is boasting, then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law of faith. We see, then, upon the closest investigation of the subject, that every kind and degree of boasting is, and must be, for ever excluded by the law or tenor of the New Covenant, which communicates its special and saving blessings only and wholly by faith. I conclude this subject by observing that the forbidding, discouraging sense of our deep unworthiness, which we are prone to entertain in reference to God, is not to be regarded as interfering with our confidence toward him through Jesus Christ, as if we were at any time, or in any case, ever to be conscious of anything else, or better than the deepest unworthiness in reference to God and his salvation.     *     *     *     *

      "Upon the whole, it is not theory, but a believing experience of the power of truth upon our own hearts, that will qualify us either to live or preach the gospel of a free, [419] unconditional salvation through faith, and we may as well look to the north in December, for the warming breeze to dissolve the wintry ice, as to extract this believing experience of the power of the truth out of the most refined and exquisite theory about the nature and properties of faith, or of justification, or of any other point of the Divine testimony, abstracted from the testimony itself, as exhibited and addressed to us in the Scriptures. Let us, once for all, be convinced of this, that we may addict ourselves to study, believe and preach our Bibles, and then shall we study, live and preach to profit.     *     *     *     *     And may the Lord direct you in all things, and make you one of his own preachers, and then, like his renowned apostle, you will pour contempt upon the wisdom of this world in all its most imposing forms, which comes to naught; then will your maxim be, 'Not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth.'

      Such were the views of faith entertained by Thomas Campbell, and in which his son Alexander always substantially agreed. Thus the whole Divine testimony was to be received as the only source of spiritual light and truth. But that testimony was essentially a revelation of God in Christ reconciling a guilty world. Christ being the way, the truth, and the life, to believe on him, to trust in him, was to attain the great purpose of all the Divine communications. A complete acquaintance with the Bible, however, though necessary to a full understanding of the Divine character and will, was not required in order to produce faith in Christ; this being more immediately dependent upon the gospel as preached by the apostles and exhibited in the New Testament. As all the promises and types of preceding institutions were verified in Christ, who was the [420] end of the law for righteousness to the believer, and as the great work of salvation which he accomplished was embraced in a few grand, comprehensive facts, adapted to the humblest understanding, a knowledge of these was sufficient in the first instance as the basis of faith, however this might be subsequently evolved and enlarged by an increased knowledge and experience. Thus, as in every seed there is a germ of the future plant, so in the simple gospel there was contained essentially the entire plan of redemption. And, as in the germ of every seed there are two points, one of which always develops itself downward to form the root, while the other as invariably extends itself upward to form the stem; so the revelation of Christ in the gospel spreads its rootlets throughout the entire Old Testament, reaching to the first promise in the garden of Eden; while, in the New, it rises, in all the excellency and glory of the work of redemption, until it reaches the very heavens. Hence it was, that the primitive faith, a simple trust in Christ, embodied in it all the power of the Christian life, and that a simple confession of this faith was all that was demanded in the apostolic age in order to discipleship. Such in substance was the view of faith which Mr. Campbell had now adopted; and such was the primitive confession of that faith which he now, by his example, first restored to the world.

[Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. I, pp. 413-421.]

      The extracts of Thomas Campbell's letters to his son (1811) were first published in Robert Richardson's Memoirs of Alexander Campbell, Vol. 1 (Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott, 1871), pp. 413-421.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. The extracts of Thomas Campbell's letters have been set in Century Schoolbook typeface and set off as block quotations. Robert Richardson's narrative has been included to provide historical context and continuity. I have let stand variations and inconsistencies in the author's use of italics, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in the letter.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 5 January 1998.
Updated 8 July 2003.