crastination, then its tendency is condemnable. If the fixing of a just value upon immersion be more injurious than regarding it as a mere ceremony, then is the bearing of this doctrine to be denounced. If the resolving of the virtue of any christian institution into the blood of Jesus, and faith in that blood, be pernicious, then is the tendency of our preaching to be reprobated. If the making the value of the blood of Jesus to depend upon the divine excellency of his person, as the true and only Son of God, as having all the fulness of the Deity abiding substantially in him, be mischievous, then is the tendency of baptism for the remission of sins, through faith in the person, glory, majesty, and worth of the Divine Saviour, Emanuel, of destructive consequences to all who with this faith are buried in water and raised with Jesus for their adoption and translation into the kingdom of the Messiah. But I shall for the present leave it to our opponents to show the good tendency of their gospel, while we challenge them to show the pernicious tendency of the ancient gospel. EDITOR. [Communicated for the Millennial Harbinger.] Brother Campbell, LEXINGTON, KY. February, 1832. YOU are informed before this of the four days' meeting held here during the Christmas holy days, in the Christian meeting-house, by brethren B. W. Stone, J. T. Johnson, J. Smith, Rogers, T. Smith, J. Craith, Sen. and others, for the purpose of effecting a union between the societies of Christians and disciples in this place. The subject having been agitated, they were called upon to dispose of it in some way. The brethren of both societies, believing the subject of union of christians a lawful and noble enterprize, embarked in it. After several friendly interviews by committees, it was finally agreed, on the 12th inst. by the brethren of both societies (nearly all being present) that they would unite upon the New Testament, and take that alone for their guide in matters of faith and practice. This agreement was solemnized by a pledge of shaking of hands, while we sang an appropriate song. The 26th inst. was agreed upon for the final consummation of the union, when we were publicly to come forward and have our names enrolled together as one new society. On the 19th we met for worship at the Christian brethren's meeting-house, at which time we attended to the breaking of the loaf, (Thomas Smith, their preacher, being absent notwithstanding) But this is to inform you of our unfortunate blow up. Being informed by the Christian brethren during the last week, that some of them, and all the sisters, were not prepared to go into the union, in consequence of a difference between some of the brethren on the subject of choosing an Elder after we should get together, which was expressed in a private conversation. In consequence of which the brethren were consulted, and a meeting held to dissolve the pledge; which was accordingly done on the 25th, as the Christian brethren expressed a wish not to unite under present existing circum-. stances. So we find ourselves on the same ground as we were, which we will endea. vor, by the help of the Lord, to maintain-and no embark in a perilous voyage in a frail vessel again. We have, however, probed to the very bottom of the matter, and ascertained what the true difference between us is, and console our selves by a fond recollection of having done our duty. It is the Clergy-the hireling system-the called and sent-the rulers-that keep us apart. No, we cannot unite under present existing circumstances. The present existing circumstance is this: there is not a member in either society at present whom we could appoint Elder, according to divine direction; and some of the Christian friends wished to know if they could not hire one from a sister church, with her consent, to administer the ordinances? For they believe that no person but a preacher has a right to administer the ordinancessuch as the breaking of the louf &c. and become very much alarmed at the idea of us common folks receiving the name of kings and priests to the Lord; or, as it is in the common version, according to Griesbach's standard Greek text, by Nathan Hall, “a kingdom of priests to God." Yes, sir, it is this hireling system, this divine call and mission, which forbade our union; because our union forbids this state of things. This clerical authority, this thing of Elder here, and there, and yonder, at the same time, is what caused our blow up. We are said to be reformers. It is true we have been endeavoring to reform, and are yet reforming; but one of two things is certain—in fleeing from mystic Babylon we have run past Jerusalem, or our Christian friends have not got out of the suburbs of the old city yet. Yours in the Lord, &c. No room for comment on the above at this time. H. C. C. Editor. NOTICES. AN attempt to fix the reproach of "a wicked attempt" upon the reputation of some leading reformers, will, we hope, in the estimation of our readers, justify us in interrupting our regular series of essays to give publicity to the facts and documents relative to the obituary notice of Robert B. Semple. A desire to detract from the christian character of persons of the highest reputation for moral excellence, is too often apparent in them who fail to sustain the charge of heterodoxy in the arena of fair discus sion. I HAVE not seen a word from the Universalists since my last notice of their proceedings in reference to the proposed discussion. What is the meaning of this, gentlemen? A QUERY, and an answer prepared for it, on the application of the name Apostles to Silas and Timothy, have been crowded out of this number, with a letter from the correspondent who furnished it. These will appear in our next. SIXTY-EIGHT persons have been compelled to withdraw from the First Baptist Church in Richmond, because they wished to submit to the government of the twelve Apostles rather than to the opinions of a clerical council. EDITOR, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY A, CAMPBELL-Price $2 per annum, THE MILLENNIAL HARBINGER. No. 5. BETHANY, VIRGINIA: Vol. III. I saw another messenger flying through the midst of heaven, having everlasting good news to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth, even to every nation and tribe, and tongue, and people saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgments is come: and worship him who made heaven, and earth, and sea, and the fountains of water.-JOHN. Great is the truth and mighty above all things, and will prevail. THE UNION. The reader will please read the letter from brother Coon, Lexington, Ky. at the close of the preceding number, as prefatory to the following remarks. THE New Testament contains the constitution, laws, ordinances, and discipline of the christian church, if such things belong to it at all. Hence the propriety of proposing this volume as the bond of union among the churches. But what avails a promise to be governed by this book, unless this promise be faithfully fulfilled? Why promise to submit to the constitution, laws, institutions, and rules of discipline found in this volume, and afterwards require submission to institutions and usages wholly human? Such would appear to have been the cause of the recent abortion in Lexington, Ky. Who ever read in the New Testament of one Bishop to two or four churches? Who ever read of a monthly breaking of the loaf, or of quarterly communion? Does any New Testament writer authorize the importation of Bishops from other churches; or a monthly or even a stated weekly meeting for the purpose of "hearing preaching" and the usual fashionable appendages? The Regular Baptists in former times chose Bishops or Presidents from among themselves in every church; but now they have found out an ingenious way of evading what they acknowledge a New Testament institution. A church in Philadelphia wishes to have an accomplished orator from Georgia: he is then called, and the quid pro quo is tacitly agreed upon, or there is "an understanding" upon that subject. He preaches his farewell sermon to his former charge; thinks his labors were not blessed, and hopes that the Lord has something for him to do in Philadelphia, which he did not wish him to do in Augusta, or expect that he could do. He receives his letter of dismission, and hies away to Philadelphia. He there presents it to the church that called him, and is received as a private member; and thus being one of them, he is selected from among them as if he had first "been well proved," and is forthwith ordained or installed Bishop of the church. Thus the forms are kept pretty fair; while, in fact, the true intent and meaning of the apostolic institution is evaded. "The Christians" in Lexington, it would seem, are not Antiochans in these particulars. They could not think of the weekly meeting for christian worship, nor of receiving the emblems and memorials of the great sacrifice, unless consecrated and presented by the hands of one ordained by men to minister at the altar, even though he should be called from a distant church, or have the presidency of a plurality of congregations, The New Testament, indeed, could not be a bond of union to those thus traditionized; for it knows no such usages. A warrant for a Universal Bishop will as soon be found in the apostolic writings, as for one Preacher, Bishop, or Elder, with a plurality of congregations. But a plurality of Bishops or Presidents in one congregation is fully sanctioned in the Christian Scriptures. Oratory is now the rage of Protestant christendom, The good orator is the good divine, and men will be at more pains and labor to gratify this Athenian itch, than to keep the commandments of him who redeemed them by his own blood. But when the orator superadds to his eloquence the charms of his being called and sent by divine authority "to preach to christians" and "to administer ordinances," his authority is irresistible, and his presence indispensable to christian worship. When he is absent the church can do nothing. Like a widow forlorn and desolate, she is solitary and silent. But the presence of this oratorial Pastor is like the meeting of the bridegroom and the bride. But until the christians have more love to Jesus Christ, and more veneration for his Apostles, than for fine oratory, or the warmth of a fervid and boisterous declaimer; until they regard one another as the children of God, and as kings and priests to God; as a chosen generation and a kingly priesthood; until they prefer communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, in keeping his institutions, to the formalities of the kingdom of the clergy, it will be in vain to profess reformation, or a love for the union of christians upon New Testament premises. What is union among christians worth unless it be for the promotion of holiness and happiness among themselves, or for the conversion of the world! And can either the one or the other object be gained, if the ancient order of things is not venerated more than all the mourning benches, anxious seats, camp meetings, protracted meetings, class meetings, quarterly meetings-more than all the sacraments, christenings, holy days, ordinations, festivals, carnivals, and fastings of clerical appointment-more than all the rhapsodies, sermons, orations, pulpits, and religious shows of the scribes and orators, field preachers, pulpit preachers, and revival-makers of this adulterous generation, Union-like sincerity, like zeal is either to be sought or shunned, to be admired or contemned, to be advocated or deprecated, because of that with which it is associated. The union which obtained amongst the first Babel-builders, and which now obtains amongst their antitypes, the impiously self-styled "Holy and Apostolic Church," are curses and not blessings to mankind. If all the sects in the land were to unite with their present views and feelings, sectarian only excepted, how much better for the world or the church would it be! The Lord, in his mercy, and in his wrath, once divided the tongues of men; and it is an act of mercy, as respects the whole inhabitants of the earth, now to divide the tongues of a corrupt people. When, then, we denounce sectarianism, it is only in so far as it keeps the people of God, (in other words, them who would keep the commandments of Jesus) apart. No true disciple of Jesus can be a sectarian in its legitimate import. He that stands up for his party seldom can stand before God with a good conscience. Ulcers on a scrophulous body are neither more natural nor necessary than schisins amongst a corrupted people. No other way of abating the virulence of moral disease, of draining off the corruptions from a vitiated body, than by these outbreakings, which end in the dismemberment of religious associations. Union amongst all the disciples of Jesus in the faith once divinely taught, is supremely to be desired; but a union of sects is as supremely to be deprecated. The evil one has converted sects to his interest as he once did the boasted unity of the papal see. "Will you rend the seamless mantle of Christ?" was Satan's text for a thousand years. Since Luther and Melancthon first differed in opinion, his text has been "How can two walk together unless they are agreed?" As Satan is a Jew in Palestine, a Catholic in Rome, and a Protestant in England, it is no departure from his policy to preach a thousand sermons upon both texts according to the signs of the times. Thus thousands of christians are induced to think that in contending for the peculiarities of their sect, they contend for Christ and his gospel; and in opposing them who differ from them, they imagine they are opposing the enemies of Jesus; while, in truth, very often they are uniting with the enemies of the cross against the real friends of Jesus. This is a master stroke of policy in the arch deceiver, by which he has made sects avail to his interest, as once he triumphed by the boasted unity of Babylon the Great. If the christians in all sects could be drawn together, then would the only real, desirable, and permanent union, worthy of the name of the union of christians, be achieved. How to affect this has long been a question with us and many others. To us, it appears, the only practicable way to accomplish this desirable object, is to propound the ancient gospel and the ancient order of things in the words and sentences found in the apostolic writings-to abandon all traditions and usages not found in the Record, and to make no human terms of communion. But on this theme much must yet be said before all the honest will understand it. One thing, however, is already sufficiently plain to all, that a union amongst christians can be obtained only upon scriptural grounds, and not upon any sectarian platform in existence. EDITOR. |