10 VII. The Restoration No. 2

VII. The Restoration No. 2 VII. THE RESTORATION, No. 2 (Sermon Delivered Over WAPO, May 26, 1940) No more perfect description of true Christianity can be found, than that contained in the New Testament, outlining as it does the teachings of Jesus, the great fundamentals of the gospel, the establishment of the church, the spread of the church, and the missionary endeavors of these early Christians, followed by the description of our Christian obligations. New Testament Christianity is the standard by which all else is to be measured, since it was guided by the apostles who gave their inspired teachings and directed by their labors the early Christian activities. Certainly if any part of church history has the sanction of God it is this age. In studying the Restoration plea-the plea to go back beyond all human organizations, creeds, and councils of men, and brush aside the accumulations of centuries of man-made religion, it is especially essential that we clearly keep in view the characteristics of the New Testament church. In this study we have noted that it came into being on the Day of Pentecost, and with the preaching of Peter on that day, the gospel was first announced and the terms of entrance into the church accepted for the first time. Of great importance is the fact that the early church did not have any centralized authority on earth, and possessed no great organization such as was found in the Gentile world. Each group of Christians was independent one of the other, and while possesing the same faith neverthelesa was guided by elders or bishops, Acts 20:28, and deacons, Acts 6:1-6, each congregation having a plurality of such officers. These with the evangelists formed the principal officials of the church. The worship of these early Christiana was exceedingly simple, not characterized by elaborate ritual, nor a sacredotal class, but rather was built upon the spiritual element of glorifying Christ the Savior. They met upon each first day of the week, the day of His resurrection, and sang hymns and psalms of praise unto God, likewise speaking and exhorting one another through them, Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16-17. They also continued in the apostles’ teachings, given by inspiration, and in prayer, and in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper, Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7. They also laid by of their money and earthly possessions upon the first day of the week that the work of the Lord might be carried on and charitable deeds performed for the help of the needy. The church was not split into many sects and parties, but as members of the body of Christ, recognized no other founder, but the institution was called by divinely appointed names that gave glory unto God-such as the church of the Lord, the Churches of Christ, the Church of the Living God, the General Aaaembly of the Church of the Firstborn. The members of this blood-purchased institution wore the name of Christian and were exhorted to glorify God on this behalf. Christ being the founder and head of the church had only the authority to make its laws, and never delegated this to any man or set of men so far as the Bible reveals. Therefore, he alone had the power to state the terms of admission. He declared these to be (a) faith based upon hearing God’s truth,Romans 10:17; (b) repentance,Luke 13:3; (c) confessions,Romans 10:10; and (d) baptism, a burial in water,Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:27.

Remembering these great characteristics of the New Testament church let us consider the plea of the Restoration and its de velopment in the 19th century. The Restoration began with the pioneering work of James O’Kelly in North Carolina, who with his followers d e clared themselves henceforth to be guided only by the New Testament. He was followed by Abner Jones in Vermont and New Hampshire, who, unknown to O’Kelly, made virtually the same plea for religious dependence upon the New Testament for all matters in the church . However, by far the moat important thus far discussed was Barton W. Stone and his association with the Springfield Presbytery. This led to his renunciation of the Calvinistic creed of faith and, therefore, to his break with the Presbyterian church. We read last Sunday the excerpts from the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery in which it willed its own death and declared henceforth its members should be guided by the Scriptures . This occurred in the year 1804.

Two other great leaders came several years later than these above mentioned, and arrived at the truths of the Restoration by much the same process that these earlier proponents of the plea had done, that is, by study of the Scriptures and following their directions. These two were Thomas Campbell, the father, and Alexander Campbell, the son.

Thomas Campbell, the father of Alexander, was born in County Down, Ireland, of parents who originally had been Catholic, and had become members of the Church of England. Being an exceptional child he early decided to give himself to the ministry, but because he disliked the cold formality and worldliness of the Anglican Church, he became a candidate for the Presbyterian ministry . Having studied in Glasgow, he continued his studies in the divinity school of the Seceders, a branch of the Presbyterians. Due to a breakdown in his health Thomas Campbell was later forced to leave his family behind and come to America. It happened that the Presbyterian Synod was in session at his arrival in Philadelphia, and he presented himself to it as a duly ordained Presbyterian minister of the Anti-Burgher group-one of the divisions of Presbyterians at that time. He was received and sent to Washington County in western Pennsylvania to labor. Upon his arrival he found so many Presbyterian churches without the benefit of the communion services that he began to make ready to assist them in this. However, he had one fault which got him into trouble with the church authorities, and that was that he believed that the Bible was the only true and sufficient guide for man religiously. Strange as it may sound, that very faith made one of their leaders prefer charges against him stating that he did not support the creed of the church-but taught the Bible. He was censured by the presbytery and he carried his case to the synod, believing in the righteousness of his plea to unite the various factions of Presbyterianism, and in a masterful speech declared his conviction not "to teach anything as a matter of faith or duty but what is already expressly taught and enjoined by divine authority." However, the synod likewise censured him for his stand, and being persecuted, he withdrew from the Presbyterian church and preached as an independent. Gathering around him those who agreed with his principles, he met at the home of Abraham Altars, and in the speech made the famous declaration which has since become a sort of slogan for those who plead for restoration-"Where the Scriptures speak we speak, where the Scriptures are silent, we are silent." This group of followers banded themselves into the Christian Association of Washington on August 17, 1809, and proceeded to draw a statement with regard to their purpose. This was the famous Declaration and Address. In the beginning it stated that the association was formed for the sole purpose of promoting simple evangelical Christianity free from all mixture of human opinions and inventions of m en . It also prescribed the time of meetings and the means of supporting the work. However, the Address is the most important part of the work, The introduction, written by Thomas Campbell, is a masterpiece of clear thinking. Exhorting to religious unity he said, "Oh, that ministers and people would but consider that there are no divisions in the grave, nor in that world which lies belond it; there our divisions must come to an end, there we must all unite. Would to God we could find it in our hearts to put an end to our short-lived divisions here, so that we might leave a blessing behind us, even a happy and united church. What gratification, what utility in the meanwhile, can our divisions afford either ministers or people? Should they be perpetuated until the day of judgment, would they convert one sinner from the error of his way, or save a soul from death? Have they any tendency to hide the multitude of sins that are so dishonorable to God and so hurtful to His people? Do they not rather irritate and produce them? How innumerable and highly aggravated are the sins they have produced, and are at this day producing, both amongst professors and profane. We entreat, we beseech you then, dear brethren, by all those considerations, to concur in this bleued and dutiful attempt." (2)

1. Unity of the Church-’That the church of Christ on earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one; consisting of all those in every place that profess faith in Christ and obedience to Him in all things according to the Scriptures, and manifest the same by their tempers and conduct."

2 Christian Fellowship-’"That although the church must necessarily exist in distinct societies, locally separate one from another, yet there ought to be no schisms, no uncharitable divisions among them. They ought to receive each other as Christ hath received them to glory."

3. Terms of Communion-"That in order to do this, nothing be enjoined upon Christians as articles of faith, nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them in the word of God. Nor ought anything be admitted as of divine obligations, in their church constitution and manag ements, but what is expressly enjoined by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles upon the New Testament church either in expressed terms or approved example."

4. New Testament Sufficient-"That although the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are inseparably connected, making together but one perfect and entire revelation of the divine will for the salvation and edification of the church and, therefore, in that respect cannot be separated; yet as to what directly and properly belongs to their immediate object, the New Testament is as perfect a constitution for the worship, discipline and government of the New Testament church and as perfect a rule for the particular duties of its members, as the Old Testament was for the worship, discipline and government of the Old Testament church and the particular duties of its members."

Repudiating the right of men to make laws for the church this group set out to follow expressly the teaching of the New Testament. Certainly when we consider that these things were written in 1809 before the time of the Restoration pl ea in its fullness it is amazing.

Thomas Campbell states in his Address, "Nothing ought to be received into the faith or worship of the church, or be made a term of communion among Christians that is not as old as the New Testament." Regarding admission to the church he states, "That it is not necessary that persons should have a particular knowledge or a distinct apprehension of all divinely revealed truths in order to entitle them to a place in the church; neither should they for this purpose be required to make a more extensive profession than their knowledge; but that on the contrary, their having a due measure of scriptural self-knowledge respecting their lost and perishing condition by nature and practice, and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in, and obedience to Him in all things according to His word, is all that is absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into His church."

Alexander Campbell and his mother and family came soon from Scotland to join Thomas and thus in Western Pennsylvania began the work of the Campbells. Alexander had been educated in Glasgow University and was an exceptional student. When his father revealed unto him his stand on religious matters the son was very much impressed and joined hands with his father in pleading for the authority of the Scriptures. Later becoming convinced that immersion was the scriptural form of baptism he with his father were baptized in Buffalo Creek on June 12, 1812.

Alexander and his father did not seek to do anything more than teach the Scriptures, and thought since the Presbyterian had rejected them they would cast their lot with the Baptists, where they remained until several years later, at which time the Baptists withdrew from them for refusing to uphold anything except the word of God. Alexander Campbell rapidly became the leading champion of the Restoration, advocating the principles his father aet forth in the paper, the "Christian Baptist." He became one of the foremost Bible scholars of his day and also distinguished himself as a great debater. Always desiring the truth, he held several discussions with leading religious advocates. His chief debates were: the debate with Robert Owen on the Evidences of Christianity; the debate with Bishop John B. Purcell on Roman Catholicism; and the discussion with N. L. Rice on the Design of Baptism, infant Baptism and the Work of the Holy Spirit. Robert Owen was a foremost socialist thinker of his day who had established a utopian community in Indiana. Challenging the American ministers to defend the integrity of the Scriptures he found a ready opponent in Alexander Campbell. The debate is noteworthy for containing Campbell’s twelve-hour speech delivered at several meetings on the Christian system. The debate with Purcell, bishop of Cincinnati, was held in 1837, in Cincinnati on the Roman Catholic religion. It was a wonderful discussion since Purcell was one of the foremost Catholic scholars. Concerning Campbell, Archbishop Purcell later said, "Campbell waa decidedly the fairest man in debate I ever saw, as fair as you can possibly conceive . He never fought for victory, but seemed always lighting for the truth, or what he conceived to be the truth. He never misrepresented his case nor that of his opponent, never tried to hide a weak point, never quibbled." Such a statement from his opponent is a real tribute to Campbell’s fair and honest effort to find the truth.

Alexander Campbell was interested in Christian education and founded Bethany College in order to train the young in the ways of Christian thinking and living. He kept the issues of his religious journal before the people to provoke thought and have a better understanding of the Restoration and its ideals brought to their attention. He did not found a denomination, nor was he the head of any church. He did not formulate any creed, nor did he erect any organization. His whole desire was to find out what New Testament Christianity was and to try to bring about the same thing in his day. His life was filled with much useful service and preaching in the interest of undenominational Christianity.

Let it be clearly understood that the Campbells and Scott, Smith, along with many other early Restorers, were simply men, and like the reformers are only to be followed as they followed Christ and His teachings. We all have the Scriptures and are required to speak where they speak, and remain silent where they are silent. The churches of the Lord Jesus Christ are pleading that all the lines which divide men may be wiped out, and the creeds which are man-made may be abolished, in order that all might unite on the word of God. No sort of superficial union will please the Father, for the only real unity can come when we cast aside the doctrines of men and do the commandments of Him who is our Master. The churches of Christ are not following the Campbells or any other man or set of men. It is the whole desire of this group of undenominational Christians to work for the unity for which Christ prayed so earnestly. "For the truth shall make you free" with freedom that is liberty indeed. At the close of this series we bid you consider, whether you are lending your life and inffuence to the practice of the truths of the New Testament or are you fostering the parties of men? Let us "speak where the Scriptures speak and be silent where the Scriptures are silent."