THE CHRISTIANS AND REFORMERS UNITE
A new period has now dawned in the movement for the union of all
Christians by the restoration of primitive Christianity. The Baptists
had thrust from their fellowship those who had embraced it and they were
forced into a separate existence. Every preacher among them was filled
with a zeal to plant churches after the primitive order wherever they
could get a large enough company together.
The work spread principally from two centers, Ohio and Kentucky. From
Ohio it was carried into New York and Pennsylvania; and westward into
Michigan, northern Ohio, and Indiana, and Wisconsin. From Kentucky it
was carried eastward and southward into Virginia, Maryland, the
Carolinas, Tennessee, and Alabama; and westward into Indiana, Illinois
and Missouri. The movement spread chiefly in a westward direction from
Kentucky and Tennessee along the lines of emigration. Very often a
sufficient number of emigrants to establish themselves into a
congregation after the primitive order found themselves together in the
same neighborhood and began at once to meet together for mutual
edification and the spread of the truth.
While it was well known that there were many things received and
practiced in common there had been no special effort to bring about a
union between them. In 1824, at Georgetown, Ky., Mr. Stone and Mr.
Campbell first met. When they compared views, it seemed that there were
irreconcilable differences between them. Stone thought Campbell was
heterodox on the Holy Spirit, and Campbell suspected Stone's soundness
on the divinity of Christ. But on a more careful investigation, they
found these differences more imaginary than real, and they joined hearts
and hands and God blessed them with the most important work since the
apostolic age. With the kindly feelings towards each other, the work of
union between their brethren was well on the way when it was begun. And
so, after a number of friendly conferences, it was decided to have a
meeting of representative men at Georgetown, Ky., to continue for days,
including December 25, 1831. The results of this conference were so
satisfactory that another was convened in Lexington, January 1, 1832. In
these gatherings the spirit of the Master was supreme.
At the Lexington meeting, at an early hour the house was crowded. Stone,
John T. Johnson, Samuel Rogers, G. W. Elley, Jacob Creath, "Raccoon"
John Smith, and many other worthy men were there, all guarded in thought
and purpose against any compromise of truth, but all filled with the
spirit of the Master: "That they may all be one; even as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world
may believe that thou didst send me." It was decided that one man from
each party should speak, setting forth clearly the grounds of union, and
Smith and Stone were selected as the speakers. After this had been
announced, the two brethren went aside, and conferred in private.
Neither knew what the other would say in the critical hour which had now
come upon the churches; nor did either, in the moment of solemn
conference, ask the other to disclose his mind, touching their
differences, more fully than he had already done. It was decided between
them that Smith should speak first.
The occasion was to Smith the most important and solemn that had
occurred in the history of the reformation. "It was now to be seen
whether all that had been written and said and done in behalf of the
simple gospel of Christ and the union of Christians was really the work
of the Lord, or whether the prayers of Stone and Johnson were but the
idle longings of pious, yet deluded hearts; whether the toils and
sacrifices of Smith were but the schismatic efforts of a bold
enthusiast, and whether the teachings of Campbell were only the
speculations of a graceless and sensuous philosophy. The denominations
around mocked, and declared that a church without a constitution could
not stand, and that a union without a creed was but the chimera of a
dreamy and infatuated heresy."
At the appointed hour, Smith, realizing the tremendous importance of the
occasion, arose with simple dignity, and stood before the mingling
brotherhoods. He felt the weight that rested upon him. Every eye turned
upon him, and every ear leaned to catch the slightest tones of his
voice. He said:
God has but one people on the earth. He has given to them but one
Book, and therein exhorts and commands them to be one family. A union
such as we plead for--a union of God's people on that one Book--must
then be practicable. Every Christian desires to stand complete in the
whole will of God. The prayer of the Savior, and the whole tenor of
his teaching, clearly show that it is God's will that his children
should be united. To the Christian, then, such a union must be
desirable. But an amalgamation of sects is not such a union as Christ
prayed for and God enjoins. To agree to be one upon any system of
human invention would be contrary to his will, and could never be a
blessing to the church or the world: therefore the only union
practicable or desirable must be based on the Word of God as the only
rule of faith and practice. There are certain abstruse and speculative
matters--such as the mode of the divine existence and the ground and
nature of the atonement--that have for centuries, been themes of
discussion among Christians. These questions are as far from being
settled now as they were in the beginning of the controversy. By a
needless and intemperate discussion of them much feeling has been
provoked, and divisions have been produced. For several years past I
have tried to speak on such subjects only in the language of
inspiration, for it can offend no one to say about those things just
what the Lord himself has said. In this scriptural style of speech all
Christians should be agreed. It can not be wrong; it can not do harm.
If I come to the passage, "My Father is greater than I," I will quote
it, but will not stop to speculate upon the consubstantial nature of
the Father and the Son. "Have this mind in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: who existing in the form of God, counted not the being
on an equality with God a thing to be grasped," I will not stop to
speculate upon the consubstantial nature of the Father and the Son. I
will not linger to build a theory on such texts, and thus encourage a
speculative and wrangling spirit among my brethren. I will present
these subjects only in the words which the Lord has given me. I know
he will not be displeased if we say just what he has said. Whatever
opinions about these and similar subjects I may have reached in the
course of my investigation, if I never distract the church of God with
them or seek to impose them on my brethren, they will never do the
world any harm.
I have the more cheerfully resolved on this course, because the gospel
is a system of facts, commands, and promises; and no deductions or
inferences from them, however logical or true, forms any part of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. No heaven is promised to those who hold them,
and no hell is threatened to those who deny them. They do not
constitute, singly or together, any items of the ancient and apostolic
gospel. While there is but one faith, there may be ten thousand
opinions; and hence if Christians are ever to be one, they must be one
in faith, and not in opinion. When certain subjects arise, and even in
conversation or social discussion, about which there is a contrariety
of opinion and sensitiveness of feeling, speak of them in the words of
the Scriptures, and no offense will be given, and no pride of doctrine
will be encouraged. We may even come, in the end, by thus speaking the
same things, to think the same things.
For several years past I have stood pledged to meet the religious
world, or any part of it, on the ancient gospel and order of things as
presented in the words of the Book. This is the foundation on which
Christians once stood, and on it they can, and ought to, stand again.
From this I can not depart to meet any man, or set of men, in the
world. While, for the sake of peace and Christian union, I have long
since waived the public maintenance of any speculation I may hold, yet
not one gospel fact, commandment, or promise will I surrender for the
world. Let us, then, my brethren, be no longer Campbellites or
Stoneites, New Lights or Old Lights, or any other kind of lights; but
let us all come to the Bible, and to the Bible alone, as the only book
in the world that can give us all the light we need.
When Smith had concluded, Stone arose, with his heart filled with love
and hope, said:
I will not attempt to introduce any new topic, but say a few things on
the subject presented by my beloved brother. Controversies in the
church sufficiently prove that Christians can never be one in their
speculations upon these mysterious and sublime subjects, which, while
they interest the Christian philosopher, can not edify the church.
After we have given up all creeds and taken the Bible, and the Bible
alone, as our rule of faith and practice, we met with so much
opposition that I was led to deliver some speculative discourses upon
these subjects. But I never preached a sermon of that kind that really
feasted my heart; I always felt a barrenness of soul afterwards. I
perfectly accord with Bro. Smith that these speculations should never
be taken into the pulpit; and when compelled to speak of them at all,
we should do so in the words of inspiration.
I have not one objection to the ground laid down by him as the true
Scriptural basis of union among the people of God, and I am willing to
give him, now and here, my hand.
And as he spoke these words, he extended his hand to Smith, and it was
grasped by a hand full of the honest pledges of love and fellowship, and
the union of these two bodies was virtually accomplished. It was then
proposed that all who felt willing to unite on the principles enunciated
should signify it by giving to each other the hand of fellowship, and at
once the audience joyfully joined hands in joyful accord. A song was
sung, and, amid tears of inexpressible happiness, the union was
confirmed.
Following this meeting, some further friendly conferences were held by
means of committees, and by arrangement the members of both churches
communed together on February 19, agreeing to consummate the formal and
public union of the two churches on the following Lord's day. During the
week, however, some began to fear a difficulty in relation to the choice
of elders and the practical adoption of weekly communion, which they
thought would require the constant presence of an ordained
administrator. The person who generally ministered to the Christian
Church at Lexington at this time was Thomas Smith, a man of more than
ordinary abilities and attainments, and long associated with the
movement of Barton W. Stone. He was at first, apprehensive that the
proposed union was premature, and that disagreements might arise in
regard to questions of church order. The union was therefore postponed,
and matters remained for a short time stationary, but it soon became
apparent to the Christians that there were no exclusive privileges
belonging to the preacher as it concerned the administration of the
ordinances, and Thomas M. Allen, who enjoyed the esteem and confidence
of the entire brotherhood, induced them to complete the union and to
transfer to the new congregation, thus formed under the title of the
"Church of Christ;" the comfortable church house which they had
previously held under the designation of "the Christian Church." This
wise measure secured entire unanimity, and the formal and public union
was consummated on February 26, as had been previously arranged, when
they again broke bread together, and in that sweet and solemn communion
again pledged to each other their brotherly love.
At Paris, Mr. Allen also effected a union of the two churches and the
union at Georgetown, Lexington, and Paris soon led to union throughout
the state. This desire for unity was greatly furthered by the efforts of
John Smith and John Rogers, who had been appointed at the Lexington
meeting to visit all the churches and hold meetings in conjunction with
each other. Their work was wonderfully successful throughout Kentucky in
uniting the two bodies. The effect of this union was very great on those
who had never made any profession of religion. Multitudes became
obedient to the faith throughout Kentucky, and an impetus was given to
the cause by the union of the two peoples, which served to illustrate
the overwhelming power which the gospel would exert upon the world if
all the sad divisions among those who claim to follow Christ were
healed. The sectarians of Kentucky, who had foretold a speedy disruption
of the union, were surprised to find their prophecies unfulfilled, and
not less grieved at the inroads continually made upon their own power,
which, from this period steadily and rapidly declined. It is worthy of
mention that at the time these events were happening in Kentucky, the
spirit of union was prevailing over sectarianism in a number of other
states also. Every preacher among them was a missionary and traveling
evangelist.
"This union of the Christians and Reformers was not a surrender of one
party to the other; it was an agreement of such as already recognized
and loved each other as brethren to work and worship together. It was
the union of those who held alike the necessity of implicit faith and of
unreserved obedience; who accepted the facts, commands, and promises as
set forth in the Bible; who conceded the right of private judgment to
all; who taught that opinions were no part of the faith delivered to the
saints; and who were now pledged that no speculative matters should ever
be debated to the disturbance of the peace and harmony of the church,
but when compelled to speak on controverted subjects, they would adopt
the style and language of the Holy Spirit." It was an equal and mutual
resolution to meet on the Bible as on common ground and to preach the
gospel rather than to propagate opinions.
Transcriber's Notes
--Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
--Added some entries to the Table of Contents to correspond to section
headings.
--Silently corrected a few palpable typos.
--In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.