FROM

THE

MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

SERIES III.

VOL. IV.	BETHANY, SEPTEMBER, 1847.	NO. IX.

RICHMOND, April 16, 1832.      

THOMAS CAMPBELL sendeth Christian salutation.

      Dearly beloved Brethren--My principal object in visiting this part of the State, at this time, was to explain and defend a reformation, which appeared to be illy understood and greatly misrepresented by many--a reformation which it pleased God, through my weak instrumentality, to originate in the western part of Pennsylvania, in the year nine of the present century. Through my humble labors, my son's, and many others whom the Lord raised up to labor with us, it has been spreading ever since to the uttermost bounds of the United States, and beyond them. Owing to this circumstance, upon which I lay no stress, but merely the advantage of being in possession of the authentic documents upon which the reformation is predicated, and according to which it has hitherto proceeded with the most undeviating consistency, as can be evidently demonstrated, I thought myself authorized, and in duty bound, to volunteer my humble services to this part of the state, at this time, for the above purpose. The reason, principle, and object of the reformation for which we humbly plead, as well as the proposed means for carrying it into effect, being precisely stated in the accompanying documents contained in our printed Address, it puts it in the power of all concerned to form a discrete and decisive judgment of the merits of the cause, [492] --that all may know what they have to oppose, or to advocate. But, if there be such a thing at all as moral or religious certainty; that is, if certainty be at all an attribute of moral and religious truth, whereby it may be distinguished from falsehood, then, most assuredly, it will appear from the said documents, that the reformation, therein defined and urged, is the very and immediate duty of every one, who is capable or making a scriptural profession of the truth.

      Is it not written, "He that loveth not his brother, abideth in death"? But who is my Christian brother? Surely every one that has made the necessary confession, and walks uprightly.

      But still it recurs, Who does that? Why, if Paul's word of faith may be credited, he says, that he that confesses with his mouth the Lord Jesus, and believes in his heart that God has raised him from the dead, shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. Rom. ix. 9, 10. No doubt, both the belief and the confession must correspond respond to the apostolic testimony concerning Jesus. He, then, that is heartily persuaded of the truth of the gospel testimony concerning Jesus, and makes the good confession which the gospel calls for; or, to use the words of the Saviour, "He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved." He is the saved character, provided he walks in love; which he most certainly will do, if he understood and believed what he confessed. He, then, that walks by this faith, and in the love which it elicits, is born of God: consequently, he who, under any pretence whatever, does not love such a character as his Christian brother, abides in death. O Sectarianism, What an insuperable barrier hast thou erected against the exercise of this love! How hast thou mingled and confounded the divine simplicity of the gospel, and then denounced, as execrable heretics, all that would not admit thy corruptions!

      Which are they, and where are they, of all the sects, that do not require something more, something else, to constitute Christian character, than the gospel requires? The man who, according to it, believed the testimony of God concerning his Son, and was immersed into his death, was declared saved. Saved from what? From his own sins; from the guilt, the power, that is the love, and also from the final punishment of his sins. How? By the blood and spirit of Christ, through faith. Faith in his blood; that is, the belief of the import of the testimony concerning it. Faith in the Spirit; that is, the belief of the promise concerning it--"That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Gal. iii. 14. For who knows not, that faith is the sole principle of Christianity--of all religious enjoyment? "According to thy faith, so be it unto thee." Now the man who has received the blood and spirit of Christ, is cured; that is, he who has realized the import of the divine testimony concerning them. The proof positive of which is, that he henceforth walk in love to God and man. But now which of the sects will receive such a one as a saved character, without something superadded? Our historian Benedict, in his history of all religions, tells us there are fifteen sects of Baptists, and fifteen of Presbyterians: now which one of these thirty would receive such a character, or whether any of them would or would not, I am not able to say; but [492] sure I am, that every such professor ought to be universally received, because Christ has received him. See Rom. xiv. 17, 18, & xv. 7. If the justified and sanctified, who are confessedly the saved (for there is no other salvation in this life but justification and sanctification;) I say, if those whom the gospel pronounces saved will not pass for Christians, whereabouts are we? Surely not amongst the liege subjects of Prince Emmanuel. But what is the practical consequence of rejecting those whom Christ has received? It tends to their destruction. See Rom. xiv. 15. What was the malignity of the error attempted to be imposed upon the Galatian churches, which the Apostle so indignantly resents? Was it not a putting them to perfect, by a spurious addition, that which was already perfect, and thereby detracting from the all-sufficiency of the blood and spirit of Christ, of which the Apostle had left them in complete possession, by the belief of the gospel which he had declared? Wherefore he positively asserts, that if the proposed addition was admitted, Christ should profit them nothing. Whatever, therefore, goes to invalidate salvation, which the Lord himself has provided--namely, the blood and spirit of his Son, goes to make the cross of Christ of none effect. But every thing proposed, as necessary to perfect the state or character of the believer in these, except his walking righteously, (to which he stands pledged by his profession,) has evidently this ruinous subversive tendency. Nothing, therefore, can be lawfully required to entitle a person to a place in any Christian church, but what was required by the Apostle from the beginning, and which is patent to every one that reads the New Testament. But when we contrast the ancient with the modern exhibition of Christianity we are confounded? Every thing is reversed--wrong end foremost. From the beginning, from the apostacy of Adam, God called upon men to be religions, and furnished them with the means. I need not here mention the divine conduct towards Cain; nor the divine procedure afterwards towards the world by the ministry of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of Melchisedec, of Moses, and the subsequent Prophets, till the days of the Messiah; by each and all of whom the Lord was testifying against the sins of men, calling them to reformation by threatenings, promises, and punishments, having previously furnished them with a declaration of his will. But especially in these last days, since he spake to us by his Son, hath he commanded all men every where to repent. He sent his Apostles with the gospel to all the world, to publish it to every creature, with certification that every one that heard, believed, and obeyed the gospel, should be saved; and that he that rejected it should be condemned. Accordingly the Apostles, who were entrusted with this mission, went forth--and preached every where, testifying to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ; using great plainness of speech, beseeching and praying men, in the name of God and of Christ, to be reconciled to God; also, appealing to the terrors of the Lord to persuade them to repent, and turn to God, and to do works meet for repentance--assuring every one that heard, believed, and was baptized, that he should be saved; and that whosoever was [493] willing was welcome. Thus they proceeded teaching every man, and warning every man, that they might present every man perfect in Christ.

      But how is it now with the present teachers of Christianity? I mean those of the Protestant sects. How do they go to work? Do they not expostulate with men to get religion--to become religious? But how is this to be accomplished? Why, by physical influences, over which they have no control. How, then, are they to proceed? Are they not directed to pray, to get others to pray for them? To cry to God night and day for this physical operation, that they may be converted? To come to anxious seats, and mourning benches, that their teachers may intercede for them? With these, the other means of sympathetic excitement are frequently employed; such as, protracted exercises for nights and days in succession, violent exertions of voice and gesture, high-wrought descriptions of the joys of heaven, the torments of hell, and the horrors of the last day; with arguings and pleadings, one while with God; another while with the people; prostrations, humiliations, &c. &c. Now, he that gets not religion by these means, cannot be saved; for faith comes by feeling, and feeling by sympathetic, that is, physical excitement. How striking, how shocking, how deplorable the contrast between these two ways of managing the all-important interests of religion!

      God from the beginning spake not to men about seeking or getting religion; he sent it to them; he proposed to them the religion he would have them to possess, and urged it upon them by every kind of motive and argument, calculated to influence and actuate rational sensitive creatures; so that, at length, he appeals to all concerned, saying, "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" Nor has he been less explicit and urgent in these last days, by the ministry of his Son, and of his holy Apostles, as we have observed above. He spake not of waiting for supernatural influence, physical or moral; much less of prevailing upon him by a kind of violence of supplication, vehemence of expostulation, earnest importunity of reiterated requests--to grant them what was necessary for obeying his voice, as if he were averse to men's becoming religious, as if it must be extorted from him by importunity. On the contrary, be has always taken the foreway, commanding and urging all men every where to repent; endeavoring to prevail upon them by every kind of persuasion to obey his voice, anticipating all their wants by the most gracious declarations, invitations, and promises, to the removal of every possible discouragement, assuring them in the most solemn manner, that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live; and that whosoever cometh to him, in the appointed way, he will by no means reject. Why, then, all this human machinery? This doleful caricature of religion? This doctrine of physical operations to produce feelings, and of making these feelings the principle and ground of faith, instead of the oral testimony of God addressed to our ears or eyes--according to which it used to be, "Faith cometh by hearing;" but now the case is altered, for it cometh by feeling; accordingly, the faith that is not preceded by these expected feelings, that originates not from them, is little worth; it is only the [494] belief of recorded testimony, it is merely historic. But it is argued, "If all the influence, physical and moral, that is necessary be in the word, and inseparably connected with it, why are not ail equally influenced by it?" Our Lord gives an answer to this question in the parable of the Sower, Matth. xiii., in which he lays nothing to the account of the presence or absence of supernatural influence; but merely to the account of the previous condition and character of the different kinds of hearers. But even supposing that a special supernatural influence was necessary to the salvation or any by the gospel; then, of course, in as far as the salvation of any was intended, this special influence would be always present, and could neither be hastened nor retarded; nor, indeed, any wise affected by human agency, being a fixed and fundamental principle in the divine plan of salvation, without which nothing could be done; and depending absolutely upon the immutability of him, "who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

      These things being so, what has man to do with the subject of special influence, even upon the above supposition, more than if there were no such thing at all? Has the Lord in any wise subjected it to his interference? Has he so much as taught him to pray for it, much less to wait for it, in order to qualify him to understand or obey his word? Did any Prophet or Apostle ever pray for such an influence, in the first instance, to dispose or qualify the people, to whom they were sent, to understand or comply with their message? No, not one. Not a single instance of such a thing on record. That God has taught his believing people to look to him, and depend upon him, for every thing necessary to the performance of their duties, and the enjoyment of their privileges, is a blissful and precious truth. But where has he once taught the impenitent, unconverted unbeliever, to pray to him for faith or conversion? Such an assumption is not less absurd than antiscriptural; "For he that cometh to God, must first believe that he is; and that he is the rewarder of all such, as diligently seek him." "And without faith it is impossible to please God." And again, "How shall they call upon him on whom they have not believed?" And again, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." There neither is, nor can be, therefore, any praying for faith before faith; for, according to both scripture and reason, faith cometh by hearing, and neither by praying nor feeling. What, then, shall the unconverted non-professor do? There is of right a previous question--Pray what is he disposed to do? Is he disposed to be saved,--to be converted,--to become a Christian? Why, then, in so; for he is a believer. He believes there is a God--that there is salvation and damnation; let him also know there is a Saviour,--who he is--what he is, and has done; when he knows these things, or if he knew them already, Peter has answered his question; "Let him reform, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and he shall receive the promised influence, the gift of the Holy Spirit." And as all reformation consists in obedience, the first act of obedience to which the believer is called, which is baptism, is, of course, the first act of reformation. And, indeed, the whole of the reformation which God requires of men, in order to salvation, is the belief and obedience of his Son. [495]

      These things being so, what shall we say of the present teaching, which sets the unconverted upon laboring for conversion, upon seeking it not by faith, but by feeling--by immediate and supernatural influence, which they are to obtain by storming heaven, as it were, not only by their own supplications, prostrations, humiliations, and incessant agonizing importunities, but also by the importunate intercessions of their teachers; as if the divine reluctance, or inattention to the salvation of men, were thus to be overcome; whereas, the reluctance and opposition is all on the other side; God being infinitely more willing to save sinners, than sinners are to be saved. Hear the divine lamentation over reluctant obstinate sinners: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children, as a hen doth her chickens under her wings. but ye would not." Again--"You will not come to me, that ye might have life." Even as far back as the days of Noah, we hear the Lord reluctantly giving up an obstinate incorrigible world; saying, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." And of his ancient chosen people it is said, "They rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit." And again, "Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye." And again, "All the day long, have I stretched forth my hands, to a disobedient and gainsaying people." But, according to the present doctrine, what a mighty change must have taken place, both in God and man, since the completion of the sacred canon. For now unbelieving, unconverted sinners, are become so tractable and well disposed towards God and religion, as to be desirous to get it, and therefore willing to take directions how to come at it. The great difficulty is, to prevail upon God to let them have it; whereas, the great difficulty used to be, to prevail upon them to accept it. Strange metamorphose! But this is not all. They have invented a system of means adapted to their views of God, of man, and of religion. For having made religion to commence, if not to consist, in physical impulses direct from heaven, of the conveyance of which they exhibit themselves the appointed medium, like the ancient Priests and Apostles of divine appointment, they go to work accordingly; and by vehemence of speech and gesture, affecting personifications, and picturesque descriptions of things supernatural and infernal, they affect to move heaven and earth.

      One can scarcely witness their proceedings without being reminded of Elijah's sarcasm, recorded 1 Kings xviii. 17; for even when addressing heaven, they plead and vociferate, as if the God they invoked was asleep, or on a journey, or otherwise so engaged, as to render every kind of importunity necessary to arouse and procure his attention. Finally, they call upon the people to come and kneel before them: that through their mediation--their importunity, they may receive the blessing--that is, may get religion. The like of which no man of God, either Apostle or Prophet, ever did: witness the Bible.

      But what if, after all, religion be not got; that is, the physical impulse be not felt? Why, the whole round of means moral and physical, having been duly exhibited, what more can be done? The humble seekers must wait in hopes of finding God more propitious [496] at some other time; or die in despair. What an awful catastrophe! Whereas, had these people been addressed in the terms of the ancient gospel, as above stated, they would have been called upon to receive a free and complete salvation, the gift of the love of God in Christ, at the expense of his most precious blood, the heinous nature, and dreadful consequences of sin, being most strikingly evinced and manifested by the sufferings of the Son of God, in order to procure our exemption from its power and penalty; with free access to the enjoyment of this blissful exemption, through the appointed means, to every one made willing to receive it: made willing, by the authority and love of God commanding, inviting, promising, and finally threatening all with the just and dreadful consequences, that would neglect so great salvation. Let this deeply interesting contrast be duly considered, and the desperate and deplorable condition of the present generation, upon the all-important subject of religion, will be awfully manifest. But again, what shall we say of those who obtain the desired favor--who experience the anticipated feelings? We must confess, that in approaching the subject, we feel ourselves encompassed with difficulties. The doctrines, the narratives, the phenomena pertaining to these experiences, are so diversified, so various--nay, in many cases, so opposite, that it appears extremely difficult to come to any certain or consistent conclusion about them. First, the doctrines under which they are produced, and of the truth of which they are often considered as decisive proofs, are so various and contradictory, that it is hard--nay, impossible to suppose, they could all proceed from the same spirit. To mention but a few of the many that have happened in this country since the Revolution; namely, amongst the followers of Jemima Wilkinson, Anna Lee, John Wesley, John Calvin, different sects of Baptists, the Halcyonites, &c., down to the Mormonites of 1827; many of whose pretensions and doctrines were and are as different--nay, as opposite, as the north and south poles. Yet many of the narratives of individual experience, amongst the members of each of these sects, were so similar, as to authorize the imputation of them to the same cause. And again, in many other instances, they were as diverse amongst the members of the same sect, as they were amongst those of the most opposite sentiments; while, in the mean time, the corresponding phenomena were not less anomalous. Thus some have related feelings the most distressful, produced they could not tell why nor how; sometimes instantaneously in a moment; in others, gradually; and these again succeeded, in like manner, by feelings the most blissful, so transporting that they could not refrain shouting, leaping, praying, and praising aloud, and exhorting all about them; sometimes falling prostrate on the earth. Others again relate visions of heaven, of hell, of the Saviour, of angels, of the final judgment; sometimes these impressions are made in dreams. In other cases certain scriptures are brought to the mind in an unaccountable manner, and with such peculiar force as if uttered by a voice from heaven; nay, in many instances, persons have been persuaded of the reality of the voice. Again, under the influence of the system of means invented and [497] adopted for producing revivals, above noticed, the minds of many have been wrought up to such a degree of excitement, as to lose the power of self-government. Such, we learn, was remarkably the case in the great revival that commenced in Kentucky, early in the present century, amongst the Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists, called by way of eminence, on that account, "the falling down work." During the progress and continuance of this revival, which commenced by protracted meetings, and was continued and promoted principally by camp-meetings; the subjects of the work, who were very numerous were prostrated into a state of apparent insensibility--of suspended animation; many of them frequently, and for a considerable time. Out of these fits they would awake up differently affected--some praying, some praising, some exhorting all around them, and some without any apparent effect at all, more than if awaking out of sleep. Others were affected with jerkings, twitchings, jumpings, and even barkings. The like phenomena, with some additional variety, of which whirling about like a top was one, befell the followers of Anna Lee, &c. Last of all, the Mormonites have exhibited in full tale all the experiences of visions, joys, and horrors, accompanied with all the phenomena above described, except the barking, jerking, and whirling. In the mean time, all we can say, with certainty, of these and all such things, is, that they make no part of the divine plan, as revealed in the holy scripture for the salvation of men. Also, that it would appear unreasonable to attribute them to the agency of the Divine Spirit, seeing that the subjects of these affections, and the authors and abettors of the means by which they are produced, are in manifest opposition to each other; judging, rejecting, and exposing each other--in direct opposition to the law of Christ. And lastly, that they all go to make the word of God of none-effect; for if the Lord intended to save men by such means, we have no occasion for the Bible, nor for that beautiful scheme of doctrine and practice which it exhibits. It may be asked, then, how shall we account for such things? The answer is obvious: There are other spirits besides the Holy Spirit, by whose agency such effects, if preternatural, might be produced. Witness the Magicians of Egypt that withstood Moses, the Witch of Endor, the lying spirit in the four hundred prophets of Ahab; 1 Kings xxii. 6, 19-23; the Pythonic damsel, Acts xvi. 16-18. See also the predicted agency of Satan in the delusions of these last days, 2 Thess. ii. 2-12, with many other explicit testimonies that might be adduced; which all concur to show that there are revealed causes, sufficient to account for all the effects we have noticed above. But, alas for those that lay the stress of their salvation upon such a sandy foundation, instead of the sayings of Jesus Christ! Has he any where said, He that thinketh so, and so; he that feeleth so and so; he that has been so and so affected with visions, voices, dreams, impulses, &c. &c. shall be saved? Surely no, nothing like it is to be found in the Book; but, on the contrary, it is written, 'He that believeth the gospel and is immersed shall be saved.' Thus are we brought back again to the true foundation, to that which was spoken and heard from the beginning, upon which, with confidence, we may lay hold for eternal life. Instead, therefore, of the gross and injurious [498] misrepresentations of the character both of God and man, and of the religion which he has prepared and proposed for our present and future happiness, upon which we have been animadverting in the preceding pages, let us conscientiously, strictly, and steadfastly adhere to the scripture account of these things. We will there find that God is every thing that is excellent, amiable, and adorable; that he is spirit, light, and love; that he is infinite, eternal, and immutable in his power, wisdom, goodness; justice, truth, holiness; mercy, condescension, and love; that all his works and ways bear the stamp of his glorious character; that he made man upright, in his own image, crowned with glory and honor: that he set them over the works of his hands--put all things under his feet--and invested him with the power of immortality upon the principle of obedience; thus conferring upon him the blissful privilege of manifesting his gratitude to his bountiful and glorious Creator, and of enjoying his approbation through obedience. That, notwithstanding, in being tempted, he transgressed, became a disobedient, ungrateful rebel, sinner--and so incurred the penalty of excision according to the divine sentence in case of disobedience; that, nevertheless, the divine benevolence continued towards him, which was manifested not only by reprieving his natural life for an indefinite time, but also by pronouncing defeat and destruction on the tempter by an avenger of human offspring; also, by clothing the guilty pair, and instructing them in the knowledge of the remedial institution by means of appropriate symbols, through which they might approach with acceptance to worship their gracious benefactor. That, when through the morose, envious, jealous temper, of the first born of our fallen progenitors, distress and destruction was about to invade their family, the vigilant attention of our gracious preserver and bountiful benefactor, promptly interposed to prevent the sad catastrophe; and when, notwithstanding, the horrid deed was perpetrated, with what mild forbearance, with what gentleness does he address the criminal, and with what condescending attentions to his guilty fears does he dismiss him from his father's house, to which appertained the symbols of the divine presence; the privation of which Cain seems to have considered as a grievous item of his punishment; saying, "And from thy face I shall be hid." Also, that in the whole process of the divine procedure from the expulsion of Cain to the present day, the Lord has been dealing with the human family for the repression and suppression of sin; making provision for their deliverance from it, and urging upon them by every suitable means the reception of the remedy which his philanthropic benevolence has graciously provided. So that, instead of any thing being necessary on our part, to induce the Lord to grant us any and every thing that his wisdom and goodness have seen meet to provide or promise, for our deliverance from the guilt, the power, the pollution, and punishment of sin; he is employing all the influence of hie almighty power, authority, and love, to induce us to comply with his wise and gracious appointments, for the reception and enjoyment of his benign salvation: thus manifesting himself infinitely more willing to give, than we are to receive his saving mercies. His gracious invitation is, "Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock [499] and it shall be opened to you; for every one that asketh receiveth," &c. &c. Why, then, all this ado to get religion--to obtain from God the things necessary to salvation, all of which he has not only graciously promised to give, but actually urges us to come and receive in the appointed way? Such is the scripture account of the divine character. But what does it say of fallen degenerate man? "That the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." See Gen. viii. 21. And that, anon, as he comes to maturity, "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually." Gen. vi. 5. That "there is none righteous, no, not one." Rom. iii. 10-12. "There is none that understandeth; there is none that seeketh after God; they are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good; no, not one." For, "the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then, they that are in the flesh--that is, in this state, cannot please God." Rom. viii. 7, 8. For, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart." Jer. xvii. 9, 10. Thus and so, according to the scripture, is the whole world become guilty before God. Rom. iii. 19. But what saith it respecting the divine procedure toward man, in this guilty apostate perishing condition? Why, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." John iii. 16. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that be loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John iv. 10 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some will even dare to die. But God commendeth his love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Rom. v. 6-10. "Who gave himself for us, that be might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus ii. 14. "For God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in, or under Christ Jesus; that, in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are we saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Eph. ii. 4-10. "For we were formerly foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy [500] Spirit, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying: and concerning these I will that thou affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God be careful to maintain good works: these things are good and profitable to men." Titus iii. 3-8.

      Such, then, according to the scripture, are the principles and effects of the divine procedure towards man, in his guilty, apostate, perishing condition. But what are the means of divine appointment for putting guilty rebellious man in possession of those blissful privileges of salvation. Preaching and teaching, saith the scripture: see Matth. xxviii. 19, 20; Mark xvi. 15, 16. "Go ye into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature; disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo! I am with you always, even to the end of this state. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be condemned." The provisions of the gospel are compared to a feast, to a royal marriage feast: compare Matth. xxii. 2, with Luke xiv. 16, &c., to the enjoyment of which the primary intended guests are duly invited, but would not come. They were again invited by a second set of messengers; but they treated it with contempt, and went about their business, some of them; while others, more spitefully contemptuous and ungrateful, maltreat the messengers and slay them. The sovereign Benefactor, however, still persevering in his kind intention, that some part of the creatures for whom the costly preparation had been made should enjoy it, sent his servants into the streets and lanes of the city, also into the highways and hedges of the country, to invite the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind; yea, to compel them to come in, that his house might be filled. Hence, we find the Apostle, not only preaching and teaching publicly and from house to house; beseeching, praying, and persuading men by every moving consideration, to be reconciled to God; but also warning them night and day with tears. Such, then, are the practical means of divine appointment for turning sinners from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an Inheritance among them that are sanctified through faith in Christ Jesus. Acts xxvi. 13. The next point of inquiry in this connexion is respecting the principle of enjoyment. The answer is at hand; see the above quotation; it is faith in Christ Jesus; that is, the belief of the gospel testimony. "I am ready," said Paul, "to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also; for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth." How, or why? Not because of an extrinsic influence preceding or accompanying it; but merely because of its own intrinsic sufficiency: for therein is the righteousness of God by faith, revealed in order to faith. See Rom. i. 16, 17. "As it is written the just by faith shall live. It is the righteousness, then, which the gospel confers upon every one that believes it, that makes it the power of God to salvation to all such--for if justified, we shall, and must be glorified. See Rom. iii. 30. It is by the influence of the Spirit, through the [501] appointed means above described, that we believe the gospel; for no man can, intelligently and sincerely, call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Spirit. See 1 Cor. xii. 3. But the gospel, when believed, justifies us by its own intrinsic provisions, as we have proved above. Upon the whole, compare the scriptural view which we have taken of the divine character, of the character and condition of fallen man, of the divine procedure towards him in that condition, with its principles and effects; also, the means of divine appointment, for putting him into possession of the blissful effects of the divine salvation; and lastly, the principle of enjoyment, and intrinsic sufficiency of the gospel to answer the great purpose of salvation; and you have a picture, a description of this all-important subject, as different from, nay, as contrary to, the common sectarian popular exhibition of it, as noontide splendor is to midnight gloom. According to the scriptural view we have taken, God takes the lead in every thing appertaining and conducive to the salvation of fallen man. He loved him, he pitied him, he cleaved to him when at the very worst. There is no difficulty, then, on our part, to prevail with God to grant us any thing that we should ask for the purpose of salvation. No need of striving to obtain the promised blessings of the Spirit; on the contrary, the Spirit is striving with us to accept of them. No need, then, to delay duty, waiting for his promised help; he urges us to comply, and enjoy it. No room to set men to strive and labor for conversion, to seek and try to get religion; for God is addressing them daily by all the appointed means to embrace the religion that his wisdom and philanthropy have provided for our cure. No room nor reason to exhort unconverted, unbelieving sinners to pray for faith, or conversion; for all such are at enmity with God, and God has appointed preaching and not praying for producing or obtaining faith; therefore, instead of exhorting such to pray, we ought to propound the gospel to them, and pray them to be reconciled to God. There is no room left for supernatural operations, physical or moral, to render the belief of the gospel effectual to salvation, seeing the gospel believed must necessarily justify, by virtue of its own intrinsic sufficiency. For therein, &c. Nor, according to the above view, is there any necessity for any principle but faith alone in order to our enjoyment of salvation; for "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, and believe in thy heart," &c. "thou shalt be saved." Again, as this faith, or belief of the gospel, cometh by hearing, and not by feeling, there is, therefore, no need of feeling in order to the production of it; but, on the contrary, there is great need of faith in order to the production of good feeling; for where there is no faith, there is no love nor fear of God; and only in proportion to our faith, is our piety and charity. Again, according to the view we have taken, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are on the side of the believing, penitent sinner, who appeals to the Father for the enjoyment of sin-pardoning mercy and sanctifying grace, through the precious blood of Christ; for this is what he calls and commands all the sinners under heaven to do, who hear the voice of the gospel. Therefore, such have nothing to fear. Again, and lastly, if any such should feel conscious of having in any thing transgressed, there is an Advocate with the Father, whose [502] precious blood cleanseth from all sin; through whom, upon confessing and asking forgiveness, we have the promise of pardon. Glory to God, through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever! Amen.

THOMAS CAMPBELL.      

[The Millennial Harbinger (September 1847): 491-503.]

      Thomas Campbell's "An Address, to the Brethren to Meet at Matthews the 21st Instant" was first published in The Millennial Harbinger, Third Series, Vol. 4, No. 9, September 1847. The electronic version of the essay has been produced from the College Press reprint (1976) of The Millennial Harbinger, ed. Alexander Campbell (Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1847), pp. 491-503.

      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. 493:    evrey such [ every such
 p. 500:    whosever believeth [ whosoever believeth
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 17 March 1998.
Updated 9 July 2003.