Some fifteen years ago a few of our more advanced men gradually
commenced opening up to our benighted minds, the fact, that A. Campbell
was not the great man we had thought he was; that he was not the
scholar we had thought; that some of his chief ideas were erroneous,
and that we should have much trouble in _undoing_ what he had _done
wrong_. We were growing up many young men, and being illiterate and
unlearned, we knew not but we had over estimated A. Campbell, and
that some mighty men were rising among us, that would throw him in
the shade. But we had one comfort all the time, and that was that we
were not alone in the opinion that A. Campbell was a man of superior
learning and parts. We noticed that he attracted the fire of the great
guns of the infidels, the Universalists, the Roman Catholics, the
Methodists, the Presbyterians, and sectarians in general. He attracted
the attention of the great men of Christendom, distinguished the hills
of Bethany, and gave them a name that will extend down to the end of
the ages. No man on this continent called forth anything like the same
amount of attention he did, for the space of forty years. It was not a
mere fortuity that gave him notoriety, but sound learning, correct and
abundant information, persistent and determined work, with a fixed and
settled purpose, to which he addressed the energies of his life. He was
a mighty man in the highest sense, and to this the impression he made
on the people of this great country, will testify till the Lord shall
come.
We have been amused with two classes of men among us. Those of one
class were adjusting themselves for the mantle of A. Campbell to fall
on them when he would depart. Had that mantle fallen on one of them,
he would have appeared like a boy with his father’s great coat on—it
would have fit nowhere. The other class are finding his errors and
going beyond him. But it is remarkable, that in almost every instance,
these _advanced_ men prove to be wrong themselves. Instead of their
discovering some _new truth_, they resurrect some _old error_. We do
not think it is advancing very far ahead of A. Campbell to resuscitate
the Romish and Restorationist idea of an obscure Scripture. We
frequently think of the man’s invention, that claimed that he could
grow sheep _without wool_—it is more curious than profitable.
It is not _inventive_ genius we need in the Church, nor _explorers_ to
_invent_ something new, or to _make discoveries_; but we need humble
and honest men, who know and love the truth, and will press it on the
world. We know humble men, of but limited talent and information, who
are building up churches, reforming men and women, and bringing them to
God. We know also men of considerable learning and talent, who do not
turn a bare dozen to the Lord in a year, and who build up no churches
nor anything else, but who are starting subtleties, speculations and
questions to no profit, but only tend to subvert the hearer. Why can
men not be content with the plain truth, the precious truth that makes
men wise to salvation, through faith in Christ? It is easily learned,
easily preached and readily believed and obeyed to the salvation of
the soul. It is for the people, the whole people, and adapted to them.
The kind of greatness we need, is that which manifests itself in
preaching great truth in plain and easy terms, and bringing it to the
comprehension of the people. The command is, and will be till the Lord
comes, “Preach the word.”