Beloved:

      "WE commend not ourselves again to you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf; that you, may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart;--not in reality."

      The reformation for which we plead, is the exhibition of the ancient gospel and law of Christ, as preached and inculcated by the Apostles, and expressly recorded in the New Testament.

      Objection. All professions say so.

      Answer. Do they do so? If, they do, we are all agreed; but if not, that is no reason why we should not do so. And if all do what we propose and urge, whence come our divisions. If all that preach and teach spoke the same things, would not our divisions speedily terminate? And can this ever take place and be maintained till all obey the apostolic injunction, "Preach the word,"--and,--"If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God speak?" Pray how can we do this, but by exhibiting the recorded word as delivered by the Apostles? Have we any authority to preach any thing else? Have we any authority to explain the gospel or law of Christ; much less to add to the propositions either of the law or the gospel, by inculcating any thing as matter of faith or obedience, that is not expressly inculcated as such in the New Testament. We do not, however, question the authority of translating, or of the grammatical exposition of words and phrases,--but, merely, of theological explanation, for the purpose of making these expositions, inferences, and opinions, articles of faith, and terms of communion. Thus new-modelling the christian religion by those additions and alterations, which now distinguish one sect from another.

      Objection. But may not inferences and opinions, formed by just reasoning, be as true as the text? and, if so, ought they not to be received as of equal authority?

      To the latter, we answer, No; and that for the following reasons:--First, because it was the will of Christ to make the knowledge and belief of these propositions a part of his religion; but upon the belief and obedience of what is expressly recorded as such, did confer upon [584] the believing and obedient all the blessings of his kingdom,--viz. righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Second, because it is not the will of Christ to make all moral and religious truth, or every thing that might be fairly deduced from scripture promises, a part of his religion; for were this the case "the world itself could not contain the books that should be written;" as John says of the many other things which Jesu's did, which are not written--not recorded. Third, because inferences and opinions are the proper and immediate effects of human reasoning and judgment; and are, therefore, but of human authority; whereas divine testimony and law are the proper and immediate effects of a divine authority. Wherefore, in the belief and obedience of the former, we obey man; but in the belief and obedience of the latter, we obey God, having an immediate respect to his express authority, and that alone. Fourth, because were all deducible inferences from the holy scriptures, or even a distinct apprehension of every thing expressly contained in them, made a part of the Christian religion, where is the man that could be justly entitled to the name of Christian, and where should we find a society of such? Fifth, and lastly, for the best of all reasons, that the belief and obedience of what is expressly and explicitly revealed concerning Christ, his laws, and ordinances, will render the believing and obedient subject perfect;--thoroughly, furnished for all good works. Thus are we thrown back again upon the gospel and law of Christ, as delivered by the Apostles expressly recorded in the New Testament, that we may find rest to our souls; the belief and obedience of which constitute the Christian religion* and the Christian character.

      But then, "How can two walk together except, they be agreed?" True, unless they be agreed to walk together. But can no two agree to walk together in religious fellowship, unless they think alike in all religious matters? And, if not, where shall we find, the two that can walk together? But, perhaps, it will be said, the necessary agreement is only to be understood of things of an essential character. Well, be it so; but by what rule is this to be determined. The difficulty of agreement here, appears to be as insuperable as in the former case. Does not every sect think the things that they have agreed upon, for that purpose, to be quite essential; yet no two sects agree what these ought to be. But they always happen to be what the supreme will and authority of the sect pleases to make them, and not what their intrinsic importance I would seem to indicate. For instance, the, cutting off a bit of skin of a child eight years old, is quite essential to fellowship in one sect; whilst in another, the aspersion of a few drops of water, accompanied with certain words, is deemed of equal importance. In short, as every religion, true and false, consists of faith and obedience, and is confessedly founded on authority; therefore, the belief and obedience of whatever the respective authors saw cause to put into their respective religions, becomes essential; so that he that offends in one point is guilty of all; and therefore stands exposed to the highest penalty that the author of the religion was pleased to annex to the specified disobedience. Thus it was in [585] the Adamic religion and thus, it was in the Jewish religion, death was the highest penalty annexed to disobedience under either; and was inflicted under both for actions, the intrinsic importance of which was apparently of little moment:--under the former, for eating a bit of fruit; under the latter, for gathering a few sticks, and for touching a chest to prevent it from falling. Hence the dangerous absurdity, the impious presumption of making such distinctions in our holy religion.

      Whatever the Lord has taught and commanded, is essentially incumbent on us to believe and obey: "For he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar;" and "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar." Thus, again, we are compelled to fall back on original ground, not only for the sake of christian unity and fellowship; but also for the sake of personal comfort and safety--that we may have a good conscience, and abide under the promise of eternal life. "Blessed are all they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city."

      Objection. We want personal reformation, practical and experiemntal religion enforced, instead of so much declamation against sectarianism.

      Answer. Who can enumerate the evils of sectarianism! But is there no personal reformation in a strict conformity to the faith and practice expressly inculcated upon the disciples of Christ in the New Testament. Is there no practical and experimental religion in the belief and obedience, of the gospel and law of Christ, as preached and taught by the Apostles? If not, in what does it consist, and where shall we find it? This puts us in mind of the clamorous outcry of the sectarian religionists in our Lord's time, who had made void the word of God by their traditions; they stigmatized him a Sabbath-breaker, a winebibber, and friend of publicans and sinners, as one not sufficiently austere, not addicted to fasting, &c. But he was a reformer.

T. W.      

[The Millennial Harbinger (December 3, 1832): 584-586.]

      Thomas Campbell's "A Word to the Disciples of the Ancient Gospel" was first published in The Millennial Harbinger, Vol. 3, No. 12, December 3, 1832. 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, 1832), pp. 584-586.

      The identity of T. W. is revealed in the signature line ("T. W., alias THOS. CAMPBELL") to his "Reply" to a Constant Reader in The Christian Baptist (Vol. 7, No. 4, November 2, 1829). See College Press reprint (1983) of the Burnet edition (1835) of Alexander Campbell's The Christian Baptist, p. 598.

      Pagination 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.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 28 November 1997.
Updated 9 July 2003.