FROM

THE

MILLENNIAL HARBINGER:

FOURTH SERIES.

VOL. III.]	BETHANY, VA. APRIL, 1853.	[NO. IV.

      [THE following letter, from Thomas Campbell to Bro. Frame, was furnished me by request. It may be of some value to Christians in general, and to heads of families and Christian teachers in general. It was written in his 83d year.--A. C.]

MONDAY, January 8, 1844.      

      DEAR BROTHER FRAME: I have been so situated for some months past, that I could pay but little attention to letters-writing; and my mind has been so occupied with a variety of things, that I must confess that I do not recollect whether I have already answered your letter of the 27th September, now before me. The contents of your [214] letter, respecting the practical improvement of the brethren in family culture, and the success of your labors in the additions to the churches since I left you, are very interesting. I earnestly hope they will both continue to increase. The great intention of ministerial labors is to disciple and teach; see the Commission, Math. xxviii. 18-20.

      Baptism but brings us into the church--the school of Christ. We have then to be taught to observe all the things which he commanded his Apostles to teach the discipled; of which we have a faithful record in the Acts of Apostles, and in their epistles to the churches; amongst which, the training up of their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, is a most important item. Children cannot have one religious idea but what they learn from their parents and teachers. They obtain the ideas of sensible objects by the natural use of their senses; but not so of spiritual things, for faith comes by hearing the word of God. Nor, indeed, can families grow in grace without the constant prescribed use of the divinely appointed means; namely, the word of God and prayer. See Deut. vi. 4-9, and xi. 18-21, with Psal. i. 2--"Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in his law day and night." See, also, 2 Tim. iii. 15-17--"And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation," &c. And with respect to prayer, we are divinely commanded to "watch and pray continually;" "to pray without ceasing;" "to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs," &c. And thus giving all diligence, be constantly adding to our faith courage, knowledge, &c. See 2 Peter i. 5-9. And for these blissful purposes we are to exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day, lest any should become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For this purpose, see, also, Paul's account of his labors during his continuance at Ephesus--Acts xx. 17-31--how that for the space of three years he not only taught them publicly, but from house to house, warning every one of them, night and day, with tears; and so concludes his labors by a most solemn charge to the elders, so to feed the church of God which he had purchased with his own blood.

      You see, then, dear brother, that laboring to make disciples, and duly training them afterwards, are two very different thing; and that the latter is by far the more important, for what use in persuading a person to go to school, unless he be duly taught afterwards? Will his merely joining the school make him an accomplished scholar? Paul labored three years amongst the disciples at Ephesus, night and day, publicly and from house to house, and yet it appears there was still need for the continuance of such labors, as we see by the solemn [215] charge he gives its elders at his departure. Indeed Christianity, which may be justly called the science of salvation, is as far superior to all other sciences as the heavens are to the earth, both as to its nature and importance, for both are infinite. "For this is the life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John xvii. 3. Also, this divine science is not only speculative, but is really practical, for we must not only know the divine character, but we must also be "imitators of God, as dear children, and walk in love, as He also loved us." We must also be perfect, "even as our Father who is in heaven is perfect." Now, this certainly requires all the practical attention that the Scriptures demand. Wherefore, our teaching, both public and private, should be always practical, not controversial, except we be attacked. Even if we have heard that our scriptural teaching has been attacked or misrepresented, we should not defend ourselves controversially, but doctrinally, by a simple, direct exhibition of what the Scriptures teach upon the subject, with the necessity and importance of the knowledge and practice of it, for the divine word teaches nothing that is not of real practical importance.

      Suppose, then, for instance, that we are misrepresented as denying the operations of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners, or in the edification of the saints; let us, then, both in our prayers and teachings, avail ourselves of the declarations and promises of the Holy Scriptures, respecting the operations and influences of the Holy Spirit for both these purposes. In our prayers, let us always supplicate the assistance of the Holy Spirit for all the purposes for which he is promised--"for our heavenly Father giveth his Holy Spirit to them that ask him." "And we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself helpeth our infirmities." "And no man can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy Spirit." In order to this, "he must be born of the Spirit." "And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "For it is only as many as are led by the Spirit of God, that are the children of God." So that as Christ is our Creator and Mediator, the Holy Spirit is our regenerator and sanctificator--without whose special influence we can do nothing truly holy, just or good. Now, as these things are so clearly taught in the blessed Book, and thus constantly held forth in our praying and teaching, we will need no other argument to convince our hearers that we ascribe our whole salvation, efficiently considered, to the blood and Spirit of Christ--the former being the primary cause of our justification, the latter the efficient cause of our sanctification; "for whom God thus justifies and sanctifies, them he also glorifies." Rom. viii. 26-30, &c. So that through the love of God we are [216] complete in his Son; "who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption;" "that he that glorieth might glory in the Lord, in whom the true believer is complete," having in him all that his case requires for his present and eternal comfort and salvation. Christ is, therefore, the pearl of great price; for he that findeth him findeth life; and when, at last, Christ our life shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory.

      My beloved friend, it is not about notions and opinions we are contending, but for the faith formerly delivered to the saints by the inspired Apostles, and the obedience divinely connected with it. See the Commission, Math. xxviii. 18. It is this that constitutes the genuine Christian. It is gospel faith and love that constitutes Christian character. This faith receives the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. This blessed hope anticipates and terminates upon the blissful effects of the divine love, favor and fellowship. This heaven-born love embraces God and man, and all the holy beings of the universe. It is the principle and bond of universal attachment and concordance throughout the, whole rational creation. These blissful principles, and the means and ordinances that produce and maintain them--namely, the daily and diligent perusal of the Holy Scriptures, with meditation and prayer; family education, with religious conversation. See Deut. vi. 4-9 and xi. 18-21. The due use of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the Lord's day, with those works of faith and labors of love divinely inculcated in the Sacred Volume; these are the things for which we are divinely bound to plead, and not for the doctrines and commandments of men, which minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith, (1 Tim. i. 4.;) all which we are divinely bound to show not only as useless, but as injurious. For while they can add nothing to Christian character, they tend to subvert it. See Lev. iii. 9. Instead, therefore, of those unprofitable contentions and vain janglings, let us attend to the apostolic exhortation--"But ye, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jude 20-21.

      These important documents you may communicate to the brethren in any manner you please, presenting my grateful regards to as many of them as I had the pleasure of seeing while with you.

            Yours affectionately,

THOMAS CAMPBELL.      

[The Millennial Harbinger (April 1853): 214-217.]

      Thomas Campbell's "Christian Training" was first published in The Millennial Harbinger, Fourth Series, Vol. 3, No. 4, April 1853. 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, 1853), pp. 214-217.

      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. 216:    af the saints; [ of the saints;
 p. 217:    dilligent [ diligent
            (1 Tim. xiii.;) [ (1 Tim. i. 4.;)
            Jude. ii. 6. [ Jude 20-21.
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 28 March 1998.
Updated 9 July 2003.