FROM

THE

MILLENNIAL HARBINGER.

THIRD SERIES.

VOL. I.	BETHANY, VA. MARCH, 1844.	NO. III.

February, A. D., 1844.      

      Dear brother D.,--YOUR kind letter of the 21st ult. came to hand yesterday. I am much pleased to hear from you, though much [121] displeased and grieved with its contents. I had no idea that such a state of things, as you describe, could be found in your enlightened State. A church, too, apparently furnished with didactic talents, to live and act as you describe, is shockingly lamentable --"An Elder living convenient, and attending the meetings on the Lord's day not more, upon an average, than once a-month; and, even then, but sometimes addressing the congregation."-- Another,--preaching once or twice every week, and, yet, spending much of his intermediate time in reading and talking politics with his Masonic brethren, &c. What! A Christian Bishop a Masonic politician!! No wonder, indeed, that such Bishops, as you describe, "would only reprove their people for 'unpopular' sins." Not such the Bishops that Paul describes; see 1 Tim. iii. 2-7; and Titus i. 7-9; also, his charge to the Bishops of the church at Ephesus, Acts xx. 17-35--"Ye know, that from the first day I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons;--How I kept nothing back, that was profitable; but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house.--For I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God. Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, (i. e. Bishops,) to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.--Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day with tears." In this solemn charge the Apostle exhibits himself as their example, both as to matter and manner, verse 35; "I have showed you all things," &c.--The subject of his teaching was most comprehensive; it was the "whole counsel of God." His manner of doing it was most urgent and incessant; "night and day, publicly and privately, warning every one of them with tears." Great was his concern for them. And no wonder, for they were a most precious charge,--the purchase of the divine blood. They cost God more than the creation of the universe; for he created all things with a word:--He said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Not so the redemption of his church; it cost his life's blood!! Alas! alas! that this amazing condescension and love could ever be practically forgotten; as it most evidently is amongst the majority of the professors, you have described in your letter. And no wonder, for, according to the old adage,--"Like priest, like people." If, instead of Masonry and politics, the former of which has been evidently demonstrated, in our free country, to be as impolitic as it is antichristian; and the latter, not being the Christian's proper business, "whose kingdom is not of this world:"--I say, if instead of minding these things, your teachers had occupied themselves publicly and privately, night and day, as the Apostle did, they would in three or four years have taught the people of their charge "the whole counsel of God;" that is, the whole Bible. For--"All holy scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for all good works." 1 Tim. iii. 16, 17. If we want to make perfect Christians, let us thus do as Paul did. And in so doing, we will teach them in the first place to make the divinely prescribed use of the divine word; see Deut. vi. 6-9. and xi. 18-21. "Ye shall lay up these my words in your hearts and in your souls, and bind [122] them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes; and ye shall teach them diligently to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and upon thy gates." See also Col. iii. 16. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, with all wisdom reaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." And 1 Cor. x. 31. "Whether ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God." "Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him." Col. iii. 17. "Let no corrupt conversation proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." Eph. iv. 29. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption"--verse 30. "Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates in his law day and night." Psal. i. 1, 2. Again--"Pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, in every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thess. iv. 16-18. Again--"Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. xii. 1, 2. "For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Cor. v. 17. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." 1 John ii. 15, 16. "Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God." Jas. iv. 4. &c. &c. &c.

      Now if these few items of the divine counsel were but duly observed, what a blissful and happy change it would produce upon the great majority of professors, even in the ranks of the proposed reformation. And what is profession without possession? A mere blank. It is neither pleasing to God, nor profitable to man. Such, it appears, was the condition of the church at Sardis. Rev. iii. 1. It had but a name to live; but was really dead. Yet there were a few names, even in Sardis, that had not defiled their garments with the deadly polluting carnality, of the majority: these our Lord graciously distinguishes;--saying, "They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy." The Laodicean church also seems to be in as bad, if not a worse condition; for, with respect to their ruinous disease--"lukewarmness"--there appears not one exception. They were self-conceited formalists; having, merely, a form of godliness, without the power thereof. "For they said, We are rich and have need of nothing;" whereas, "they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."--A wretched condition truly! The Lord was sick of them; but they did not know it. He said, "I would thou wert cold, if not hot: so, then, because thou art lukewarm, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Rev. iii. 14, 15, 16. Yet, in the greatness of his mercy, he calls both these churches to reform; which, if obeyed, always implies pardon. See verse 20th. [123] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Bad, then, as is the case of the majority you have described, it is not altogether hopeless; for the Lord calls them to repent, and promises them his social intercourse in so doing. If they give him their ears, and their hearts, and their homes, he will favor them with his social presence. "He will come in, and sup with them." Indeed, does he not assure us that where even two or three are assembled in his name, there is he in the midst of them? see Matth. xviii. 20. And if so, surely when the whole church is assembled in his name, upon his own day, made ever-memorable by his resurrection from the dead;--the triumphant memorial of his glorious victory over death and hell; he will then, and there, meet with his people, and bless them. For has he not said, "In all places where I record my name, I will come to thee, and I will bless thee"? Exod. xx. 24. And where was it ever more legibly and interestingly recorded, than in the meetings of the church on the Lord's day, and at the Lord's table. "Show me a man's company, and I'll tell you his character; for like likes like. And birds of a feather, flock together." Surely if we loved God, we would frequent his house, and invite him to ours; we would put ourselves into an attitude for enjoying his gracious presence. We would associate around our Bible table with as much punctuality and relish, as we do to our natural meals. We would not feed our bodies, and starve our souls. Nay, if our spiritual appetite were healthy, as it ought to be, we would relish the former much more than the latter, on account of the infinite superiority of the company, and of the life to be enjoyed by it; namely, God, and Christ, and heaven. Christianity is a heaven-born religion, its essence is love; "for God is love:" and faith and hope are the root and stalk from whence it springs; "for we love him because he first loved us." But how do we know this? Why, by faith. 1 John iv. 16-19. "We have known and believed the love that God has to us," &c. And "rejoice in hope of the glory of God."--"Looking for that blessed hope,--the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. For when Christ our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory." Rom. v. 2.; Tit. iii. 13.; Col. iii. 4. "We shall be like him;--we shall see him as he is." "And every one that has this hope in him, purifies himself, even as he is pure." 1 John iii. 2, 3. This faith produces hope, works by love, and purifies the heart. "And now abide these three, faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. xiii. 13. For it is the effect of the two former; and the fulfilling of the whole law. Matth. xxii. 36-40. And therefore the genuine and adequate effect of Christianity. For Christianity was intended to make children, not slaves;--to produce filial love, not slavish fear;--not to fill the soul with the spirit of bondage; but with the spirit of power; and of love, and of a sound mind--the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,--Father. Now these things being evidently so; (I mean all the above quotations and remarks) where is the Christianity of the professors, both teachers and taught, which you have described?--"Teachers that never visit nor reprove their people, but when guilty of unfashionable sins;--that are in fellowship with Free Masons;--that neglect the public worship of God; and the public edification of [124] the people, even when present with them.--A people--that forsake or neglect the assembling of themselves together upon the Lord's day to celebrate his resurrection, and commemorate his death for their salvation; two of the greatest privileges under heaven.--A people, who, of course, neglect the worship of God in their families; and, in so doing, not only deprive themselves of the divine fellowship; but also deprive their children of an education for heaven: thus leaving them to the training of the world, the flesh, and the devil; instead of training them up in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." From such professors may the good Lord speedily deliver the world, either by their conversion and reformation; or by their utter rejection of the Christian name.

      But you earnestly inquire what you should do in existing circumstances. It appears that out on some 200 names in your church catalogue, there are about 30 or 40 that meet on Wednesday evenings for prayer, exhortation, and reading the Good Book; and there are some 4 or 5 that take a leading active part in these exercises. I would humbly say, continue so to do. I think, however, that, in the mean time, your relative situation calls aloud for fasting and prayer, and that this should be done with the mutual consent of all concerned for the reformation of the church. And also, that it should be done publicly, with an express confession of all the sins mentioned, and alluded to in your letter before me. That this should be done with great and real sympathy and godly sorrow. That this should be continued once a-month for some time, and that in your closet and family devotions, those evils should be always remembered and deprecated before God. And that proceeding thus for some months, till every thing scripturally practicable had been done, as far as in the power of the reforming minority; then openly to declare non-fellowship with all such as continued in the practice of the aforesaid sins, or in any other violations of the divine law; that is, of whatever Christ and his Apostles have inculcated. See Matth. xxviii. 20. And in so doing, you will justify yourselves in obeying the command recorded, 2 Cor. vi. 14-18. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness?--Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean, and I will receive you; and will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty," In the mean time, let all things be done with charity. 1 Cor. xvi. 14.

      I shall expect to hear from you in due time. Farewell! Yours in in Christ,

T. C.      

[The Millennial Harbinger (March 1844): 121-125.]

      Thomas Campbell's "Letter from T. C. to D." was first published in The Millennial Harbinger, Third Series, Vol. I, No. 3, March 1844. The electronic version of the letter has been produced from the College Press reprint (1976) of The Millennial Harbinger, ed. Alexander Campbell (Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1844), pp. 121-125.

      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. Emendations are as follows:

            Printed Text [ Electronic Text
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 p. 122:    &c --The [ &c.--The
            Deut. vi 6-9. [ Deut. vi. 6-9.
 p. 123:    Do all [ "Do all
 

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 23 March 1998.
Updated 9 July 2003.