EDITORIAL LIFE.
Believing in the power of the press as one of the strongest agents
which, for weal or for wo, is ever brought to bear on the thoughts,
consciences, and outward destinies of men, Mr. Badger and his associates
resolved on the employment of this agency for the up-building of faith,
for the free investigation of Christian theology, and for the
furtherance of wider views of Christian brotherhood than had ever
obtained under the reign of stern, sectarian dogma. The "Gospel
Luminary," started at West Bloomfield, in 1825, had been, in 1827,
removed to the city of New York, and though ably conducted in the main,
the feeling became strong and general in the State of New York, that
something more perfectly adapted to the wants of the people could be
issued; accordingly the "Genesee Christian Association," composed of
some of the most experienced ministers and competent men, was organized
December, 1831, with a constitution and officers, for the purpose of
publishing, purchasing, selling and distributing such books and
publications as the wants of the Christian Connection should, in their
judgment, require; also to assist young men in the ministry with
libraries and such other means of improvement as might be within their
power; and especially did they contemplate, as their first work, the
establishment of a periodical at Rochester, N. Y., whose objects were
announced to be the vindication and dissemination of Gospel truth, the
development of the ability of young men in the department of writing,
and the promotion of a faith which should be at the same time
scriptural, liberal, rational, and evangelical. Of this new monthly
periodical, D. Millard, O. E. Morrill and Asa Chapin, were the Executive
Committee, and J. Badger, Editor. A prospectus for this work, called the
"Christian Palladium," a name sacred to liberty and its defence, was
issued by Mr. Badger, January, 1832, in which he says:--
"The prominent objects of this work will be the defence of
the Scripture doctrine of one God and one Mediator, the
vindication of free and liberal Christianity, the right of
private judgment in religion, and the sufficiency of the
Holy Scriptures as a perfect system of church polity. In
the dissemination of those sacred principles, it will seek
no alliance with proscriptive sectarianism, nor will it bow
to the _ipsi dixerunt_ of fallible men, or ascribe holiness
to any human creed whatever. While it inculcates
Christianity as it is, it will endeavor to show what its
votaries should be; and while it advocates holy truth, it
shall breathe the benign spirit of Him who is the way, the
truth, and the life. While it will urge the necessity of
vital piety and holiness of heart, it shall also show that
these sacred principles directly tend to the union of
Christ's spiritual body, which is the Church. In a word, it
is not to be a sectarian engine, but a free vehicle of
general Christian intelligence."
On the next page, which contains his address to agents, he says, that
"the time when the friends of religious liberty and impartial
investigation of Gospel truth, should adopt every laudable measure to
further those important and benevolent objects, has unquestionably
arrived;" and May 1, 1832, witnessed the circulation of the first number
of his monthly, a neat pamphlet of 24 pages, in goodly attire, and in
excellence of mechanical execution far in advance, we should say, of any
printing we have recently seen from that city. In a letter addressed to
a meeting of pioneers, held in Rochester, October, 1848, to which he was
invited, he claimed to have caused the publication of the first book[46]
printed in that place, when Rochester was only a prosperous village.
This new era, as we may call it, in the public life of Mr. Badger,
though it brought great responsibilities in which he had no previous
experience, found him an easy master of its difficulties. His
qualifications for an editor were, an intuitive and accurate perception
of the character of the class of readers to whom his labors belonged--a
quick recognition of whatever might serve to enrich his pages from the
communications of his correspondents, from publications, and books; a
business tact rarely equalled, which gave system and order to every
department of duty in his office; and to these I will add two other
qualities that in him were exceedingly prominent, namely, the power to
write pages that were full of original force, nerve, life and freshness;
and to _call out_ the ability of other minds, which he could turn to his
own account. He had great facility in inspiring ordinary men, obscure in
life, with the belief that they could write, and often from such did he
get rich and useful gems. His genius could _make_ writers, and many from
his encouragements, and from the practice of writing for his paper, did
become masters of a strong and pointed style, of which they need never
be ashamed. No other man among religious editors could, we believe, get
as much good material from uneducated and undisciplined sources as he.
In his May number he addressed his readers in the following strain:--
"The present is an era of light, and a day peculiar to
prophetic fulfilment. Never was there a time when the
soldiers of the Cross could look forward to brighter
prospects, and never a day when victory over the powers of
darkness was more certain. The rapid increase of Gospel
light, the spread of pure religion, a submission to the
doctrine of the Scriptures, in preference of man-made
creeds, and the spirit of reciprocal love and Christian
forbearance among free inquirers after the word of life,
afford indications of the approach of a more brilliant
era.
"All dissenters from civil despotic governments have been
regarded as rebels, and all dissenters from ecclesiastical
tyranny and oppression have been denounced as heretics and
infidels. Some of the purest men that have ever honored
this mortal stage of existence, and some of the purest
sentiments that have ever elevated human thought, have been
sacrificed upon the unholy altar of priestcraft and
superstition. We should evidently be wanting in charity
were we to represent all as illiberal who are stationed in
the ranks of orthodoxy. Such are not our views; for we are
convinced that many, very many, thus circumstanced, know
and highly appreciate the value of Gospel liberty, and were
it not for the anxious watchings of those who 'bear rule,'
would have burst their chains asunder.
"We are dissenters from the corruptions the church has
accumulated in the wilderness. Its unscriptural creeds and
doctrines--its cruel and oppressive government--its unholy
and proscriptive spirit--its fanatical and superstitious
ceremonies--its worldly show and empty parade--its
unwarrantable pretensions and unnecessary divisions, we
shall endeavor to expose in a prudent manner, and show our
readers 'a more excellent way!' We shall endeavor to take
the medium between a blind fanaticism and a cold formality,
and in all cases the Holy Scriptures shall be the man of
our counsel; and we shall use every exertion in our power
to persuade our readers to be enlightened, rational,
liberal, charitable, kind, experimental and practical
Christians.
"Christian liberty will be a leading topic in the
Palladium, as genuine religion can breathe freely only in
the atmosphere of freedom. There cannot be imagined a
greater treason against heaven and earth, than for men,
under the pretence of a superior sanctity, to plot,
contrive, and provide for the control of human thoughts,
actions and hopes, by infusing into the minds of their
brethren and equals the delirium of superstitious fears of
God, and the poison of cringing subserviency to man. The
churches which have attempted this, have displayed the
worst effects of ambition, selfishness and sensuality; and
the states which have submitted to it, all the debasement
of servility, ignorance, and even of crime. Men should
dread nothing but sin, and submit to no authority not
delegated by themselves, except that of their parents and
their God. The Palladium is not designed to espouse any
party in politics; yet it may have occasion at times to
speak on the subject of Civil Government, so far as that
species of government has a direct bearing on Christian
liberty."
In this bold, independent, out-spoken manner, the Editor of the
Palladium unfurled his banner both to the friendly and the adverse
breezes of the church and the world; and though he well knew how and
when to be politic, his paper had no disguise of sentiments. Up to the
mark of his own enlightenment it had a bold, free, and therefore an
effective utterance on the errors it attempted to correct, and the
truths it aimed to set forth.
As one object of Mr. Badger's monthly was to develop the talent of young
writers in the cause he represented, in his first number he commends to
their observance a method of improvement, containing seven distinct
rules, which are worthy of repetition in this volume, as many of the
same class may still be profited by taking them into consideration. He
says to them:--
"1st. Devote some part of each week to writing on some
important subject. 2d. Express your ideas in as few words
as possible, render the sense clear, use plain and familiar
language, but lively and impressive figures. 3d. Often
revise and improve your former compositions. 4th. Keep your
ideas clear and distinct, and avoid tautology. 5th.
Occasionally submit your best compositions to your more
learned and experienced brethren; and never be offended,
but always thankful, for any new idea or correction. 6th.
When you write for the press, keep a copy of your
communications, and when they are revised and published,
carefully compare your copy with the editor's improvement.
7th. Always keep in view the great object of all our labor,
which is to make men good."
Let these seven rules of wisdom for young writers still be remembered,
as those that are able to discipline and to improve their power, and
particularly the last, which gives to writing an earnest and a truthful
character.
Assisted by a few practical writers, and by such contributions as he
could get from others, he continued his work successfully, presenting a
good variety of matter; essays on moral and theological themes, letters,
extracts from the best authors, poems, news from churches, and so forth.
This first volume presents among its writers the names of Kinkade,
Morrill, Millard, Walters, Barr, Flemming, Miles, Jones, McKee,
Purveyance, Henry and others, whilst on its pages are able extracts from
the pen of Channing, from the Christian Examiner and other periodicals
of the time; and at the close of the year, April, 1833, the editor, in
an address headed by the impressive lines,
"'Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours,
And ask them what report they bore to Heaven,
And how they might have borne more welcome news,'"
was enabled to say:
"We now have associated with this establishment a greater
number of correspondents than there is in any other of our
acquaintance. Our periodical has received the approbation
of some of the oldest and most experienced ministers in the
connection. Several liberal periodicals have favorably
noticed us. Many young men have used their pens for the
first time (for the press) to adorn our pages. Our old
brethren who have long been dormant, have come forth as
from the silence of the tomb, have spoken again and
stretched forth their palsied hands to our assistance.
Kinkade's last trembling lines were for our use. In his
wise counsel we commenced; and in his dying moments a
fervent prayer was raised for our prosperity."
Having completed a well-executed volume, for whose pages over one
hundred correspondents had written, Mr. Badger regarded his periodical,
surrounded as it was by increasing encouragements, as being established;
and, though pledged to the vindication of sentiments some of which
provoke the thunder of theological strife, he calmly takes the motto,
"Fear not! the good shall flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds."
May, 1833, the second volume of this publication commenced; and until
its removal, by the united compromise of the east, the north, the south
and the west, to the town of Broadalbin, Montgomery County, N. Y., in
the spring of 1834, it was issued monthly from the press of Marshall &
Dean, at Rochester; and with such ability and interest was it conducted
that the General Convention at Milan, N. Y., October, 1833, resolved,
under the name of the "Gospel Palladium," to establish a weekly paper,
of which Mr. Badger was unanimously chosen editor.[47] As we glance over
the pages of this volume, we notice the discussion of some very
important themes, such as the natural immortality of man, the doctrine
of the Trinity, the freedom of the human mind, the basis of
Universalism, the derived existence of Christ, the subject of Christian
liberty and union, the reasons for ministerial ordination, and themes of
similar weight, with journals and letters of religious intelligence in
large number. It were a lengthy task to present a paragraph or two from
all the editorials; his replies to his opponents, his strictures on the
Monroe Baptist Association, his views of ordination in reply to Mr. Kay;
all these are accessible to those who own his monthly; we only say they
are usually such as _he_ only could have written.
In an article on the "Deformities of Sectarianism," he indulges in great
plainness of speech, using language which at times has the sharpness of
satire, yet the candor of honest belief. Looking at the sectarian
phenomena, he says:
"What a compound of spite and piety! at war with all
dissenters, and at war with themselves! In many instances,
'They preach, and pray, and fight, and groan
For _public_ good, but _mean_ their _own_.'
"'How has the fine gold become dim! How has the salt lost
its savor! How are the mighty fallen!'"
We omit the strictures given on the different systems and organizations
of the times.
In answer to a request of the committee of the Milan Convention, the
Genesee Christian Association ordered the removal of the Palladium to
Union Mills,[48] Montgomery County,[49] N. Y., that being the central
position between the east and west selected by the people of New England
as a location of compromise, and acceded to by the people of the west.
The Genesee Association assigned to him the entire control of the paper
and its responsibilities;[50] and in May, 1834, it took the form of a
large octavo, with double columns, a form it has retained until now, and
went forth in semi-monthly visits to cheer the hearts and teach the
minds of several thousands.
During the time of its publication at Rochester, Mr. Badger discharged
jointly the duties of pastor and editor; and in the rural town of his
after residence he did the same, being early and late in his office,
often, as creditable testimony affirms, sixteen hours a day; and on
Sunday, no sentence of his sermons was languid or weary. It is moderate
to say, that his manifold resources were not exhausted by the different
and various directions in which they were used.
In the closing number of Volume II, Mr. Badger expressed the opinion
that the ground occupied by the Christians is a medium between the wide
extremes which several sects have assumed. It is probable, indeed, that,
were the two general positions of doctrinal orthodoxy and rationalistic
reformers brought into contrast, it would be found that the position of
this denomination is midway between the two extremes, having in it the
evangelical element of inward salvation through Christ, and the
operation of the Holy Spirit, and with it the rigid demands of reason in
regard to the accordancy of theological statements with themselves, and
with all known truth within and without. They discarded Socinianism and
the mere religion of the intellect on the one hand, and, on the other,
the unquestioning submission of the mind to the authority of
time-honored and creed-embalmed opinion. Whilst they rejected the
supreme and self-existent deity of Jesus as inconsistent with the
eternal supremacy of Him whom Jesus worshipped, they revered the
unmeasured presence of the high divinity that dwelt in him; and, whilst
they denied the doctrine of arbitrary grace, they affirmed the full
dependence of man on the direct agency of God, of his illuminating word
and sanctifying spirit, for his salvation. They seemed to unite, to a
large extent, the light of the reason on subjects of belief, with the
most earnest piety and zeal for the salvation of sinners, regarding, in
all discussions of sacred themes, the Scripture testimony as final and
supreme.
The Christian Palladium, now at Union Mills, by the agreement of a
general convention, representing different parts of the country, did
not, as was contemplated, become a weekly paper, but a semi-monthly. In
this form, Mr. Badger was its editor until May 1, 1839, making in all
seven years' service in the editorial field. Though there had been and
were several periodicals published under the auspices of the Christian
denomination, the Christian Herald, of Portsmouth, N. H., the Gospel
Luminary, of New York, the Christian Messenger, of Georgetown, Ky., and
the Christian Banner, of Vermont, none ever wielded the influence, nor
displayed the same continuous course of mental energy and interest, as
did the Palladium, when under the control of Joseph Badger, its first
editor; and perhaps we might, taking all things into view, add to this
title the name creator and founder, for, though it sprung out of the
necessities of the denomination, under the assistance of several minds,
it was his laborious toil and managing genius that gave it permanence
and successful progress.[51] We would not claim that Mr. Badger was free
from editorial faults and errors; these he had; but, what is not small
in the success of any person, he had the ability to make even his errors
interesting and entertaining; nor were his truths ever dull or drowsy.
His friends wanted to read what he had written from the magnetism common
to friendship when it centres in an original man, and his opponents and
enemies,--for he had not a few of this class,--would, from some other
attraction, hasten to the perusal of his lines, as if they were
impelled by a curiosity to know what would come next. I judge that
friends and foes, on opening his newly-issued paper, were very much in
the habit of _first_ reading what he had written.
At the General Convention already spoken of, there originated, in the
merging of many local interests into general, and especially in the
importance ascribed to questions touching the general weal, the idea so
often alluded to in Mr. Badger's editorials, under the name of "General
Measures." By consent of all, his paper was the representative of the
general interest, in contradistinction to whatever was local; and to
overcome local prejudices was one of his determined aims. Among the
methods he adopted to unite the east and the west in the bonds of a
stronger amity, was that of inducing young ministers of talent in the
west to locate in New England, and men of influence in New England to
take western fields of labor. "I wish," said Mr. B., in May, 1835, to
the writer of this memoir, "to get all the ministers I can in the west
to settle in the east, and all the eastern ministers I can to settle in
the west. In this way I can conquer the local prejudices."
"Religion without bigotry, zeal without fanaticism, liberty without
licentiousness," are the words that blaze on the flag of Mr. Badger's
editorial ship, which, though usually accustomed to peaceful cruising,
was by necessity, at times, a man-of-war. In exposing imposition, in
opposing formidable ability if arrayed against what he regarded as vital
in religion, Mr. B. was very decided; and none who had to contend with
him much or long, ever looked with indifference on his power to achieve
his ends. His weapons of war were various; if they were not always
polished with the finest logic, they were such as did execution and
brought success. Satire, humor, wit, not unfrequently lent their aid to
his controversial labors; yet it is difficult, it is even impossible, to
find a single article in which these abound, that does not, when
divested of those qualities, possess a sufficiency of substantial
argument to render his position a strong one.
In glancing over these pages, of 1834-5-6, it is evident that the
subjects discussed are those in which the feelings of the writers were
strongly engaged. Education for all men and education for ministers was
very independently vindicated, though the idea of the competency of
schools to impart all the qualifications needed by a minister of
salvation, was justly and strongly denied; instead of an entire human
reliance, the minister was advised to remember his dependence on the
Holy Spirit, whose office to illuminate the human mind beyond the
teachings of man, and to purify the human heart beyond the power of
earthly guardians, has never yet ceased on earth. Mr. Badger's writings
show him to be a decided friend of general education, of the cultivation
which science and literature impart. They declare him to be an active
friend of this culture for young ministers, for it has not only the
advocacy of his words, but of his deeds also. In June, 1839, he aided
the introduction of a resolution at the Conferential Assemblage, held at
Rock Stream, Yates County, N. Y., which called for the appointment of a
number of persons to investigate the practicability and the propriety
of establishing a literary institution in the State of New York, in
which the common and higher branches of science should be taught, for
the intent, as explained by the speakers who discussed the question,
that young men who were to devote their lives to the ministry might,
unembarrassed by the narrowness of a sectarian platform, secure to
themselves the accomplishment of a good education; also, that the friend
of liberal Christianity in the State and elsewhere might enjoy the same
privilege. Beyond the benefit of the culture of science, he spoke
cautiously, thinking it no benefit for a young man to learn and to drag
after him through life, a dead, dogmatic system of theology. I remember
to have heard him say on that occasion, "Let it not be thought that the
end of this institution is to teach theology. We will make _men_, and
let God make ministers." These were his words. It is well known that the
movement at that time made resulted in the establishment of the Starkey
Seminary, which, embosomed in the elegant scenery of the Seneca Lake,
continues still to be active and prosperous. At Union Mills, he took no
common pains to give influence and character to the Academy, which,
under his encouragement, and the encouragement of a few others, had
opened in that place. In 1844, he became one of the trustees and a
member of the visiting committee of the Meadville Theological School,
which offices he held until his death. But, perhaps, in some other place
in this memoir, we may state more fully his ideas of ministerial
education. It was indeed characteristic of his taste, the republication,
in 1833, of Mason on Self-knowledge, and Blair on the Grave, which he so
generally introduced among young ministers. Instead of giving them a
dry bone of theology to pick, he handed them a live book to read, and
"to place, for a season at least, next to their Bibles," in esteem,
which was founded on the old Grecian text, "KNOW THYSELF."
But reverting back to the pages of the Palladium, we find that Mr.
Badger, as editor, not only presided over, but took part, in a
discussion on the subject of Divine or Spiritual Influence; a subject
which, in those years, claimed attention from the somewhat successful
agitation of Mr. A. Campbell's system of theology, in the west. Mr. C.,
from the commanding talents with which he advocated his positions, from
the reputation he had gained as a controversialist,[52] and from the
liberality of his new views in some respects and their originality in
others, it happened that a large number of ministers and churches who
belonged to the Christian denomination, in the west and south, together
with a few minds so inclined in the Eastern and Middle States, began to
look to Mr. Campbell as _the_ light of the age--as a new spiritual Moses
sent to lead Israel through his wilderness. It is not uncommon, indeed,
for the uneducated to magnify the powers, and to assign undue
consequence to an originally endowed and educated mind, especially when
such a mind is possessed of eloquence and boldness, qualities that
always impress strongly the mass of mankind. Many churches in Kentucky,
and some in other States, embraced his views; nor can it be questioned
that Mr. Campbell presented many truths, and in an attractive dress, to
the people of the west.
In this system it was premised that divine influence reaches man wholly
through the intellectual powers; that conversion is wholly from the
force of knowledge and motive offered to the understanding; that the
Holy Spirit which once inspired the ancients, never in these years
directly reaches man as once it did; that God only penetrates the sinner
by the agency of the word recorded in the Old and New Testaments; that
it is only through these ancient words that the Eternal Spirit works
upon the world's darkness and degradation. To these ideas we may add two
others, which are, that there is no divine call to the ministry; that in
or through the act of water baptism, in the form of immersion, sins are
remitted. Whilst Mr. Badger and his associates agreed with Mr. C. in
reverence for the Scriptures, in the free investigation of sacred
themes, and in the rejection of human creeds as tests of fellowship,
ideas in whose conception and utterance they were many years his seniors
and predecessors in the field of theological reform, they took religious
experience as their basis, affirmed the free present agency of the Holy
Spirit in the world, man's free access to God, and the forgiveness of
sins on the conditions of faith and repentance, previous to, and
independent of, the outward baptismal rite. Without attempting to enter
upon theological investigation, that being foreign to our purpose, we
would say, that we seem to deny that God is a sun, we impair the force
of his eternal rays, by obliging him to shine forever upon the world
exclusively through the atmosphere of ancient Palestine. The sun pours
out each day afresh. So is God a sun, radiating for all men, not through
the ancient word-medium exclusively, but through _many_ media. His
_deeds_ certainly ought to be as expressive of his spirit as his words;
and are not creation and providence full of his deeds? God governs the
material universe not by ancient but by _present_ agency and action. Let
this fact stand as the type of his manner of ruling and blessing in the
universe of moral and intellectual being; for it renders no injustice to
the past, since the condition of both nature and spirit in this
nineteenth century holds its lawful and inviolable connection with all
the past eras and epochs that either nature or spirit have known. What
is religion worth if it opens no fresh and living communication with
Heaven? Is there nothing but a _word_-ligament to unite the living soul
with its living God? Is the Holy Spirit a retired agent, no longer
mindful of his ancient offices? Are his abilities lost? Are there no
fresh inspirations of holiness and truth?
Mr. Badger's remarks on the word-theory of Mr. Campbell are various;
sometimes one or two paragraphs only, sometimes several columns are
employed. Though these are not thrown into systematic argument, they
were pointed and effective, and through them all, one idea is prominent,
that religion of the inward life, that a true religious experience, are
opposed to a system so intellectually speculative, and which tends to
chill and discourage faith in a free access to God, and in his direct
holy influences on the soul. This idea, based in experience, was his
principal reliance.
In 1836, he preached a sermon on Rom. 8: 26: "Likewise the Spirit also
helpeth our infirmities," in which he set forth the idea, which
frequently occurs in his writings, that human nature is too weak to
resist error, to encounter temptation, and to bear life's sorrows from
its own strength; that its imperfections demand an immediate spiritual
aid, which he contended was promised in the system of Christianity, and
realized by all who live by faith and walk in newness of life.
The gifted and egotistical young man, William Hunter, originally from
Ireland, who became an eloquent orator and editor in behalf of those
views, Mr. Badger disposes of very easily. He tells him, that if he
should live twenty years longer and happen to read one of his
prospectuses, he will see that his youthful swells run rather high, that
these now "are enough to make an old man's head swim." And, when
reminded by Mr. Hunter that old sailors should not complain of swells,
and that unless he held fast to the rigging and looked aloft, he would
fall overboard within one year, Mr. B. calmly inquires, "Oh, friend
William! and will ye verily have us all overboard in one year? Then,
indeed, and ye will have us all in the water--according to thy theory,
friend William, that is a very safe element. Shall we not be in a fair
way for heaven?" Mr. Hunter offers to show, on one page of the
Palladium, from the Bible, that he believes in a spiritual religion, and
that Mr. Badger believes in a spiritless one. The latter replies, that
the work promised is weighty, and that his doubts concerning his
astonishing skill will be lessened if he will first exhibit some proof
of spirituality on one of his own pages, before coming to take the mote
from his neighbor.
The allusions of Mr. Campbell, in his "Millennial Harbinger," show that
he was by no means indifferent to Mr. Badger's antagonism to his cause.
One allusion taken from his notes, December, 1837, on his eastern tour,
in which he styles Mr. Badger the "redoubtable captain," will suffice.
He says:--
"Mr. Badger has been one of the leaders in this glorious
struggle of walking by the Bible alone; but these brethren
(and I could name others with them) are determined not
merely to profess, but to walk in all the commandments and
ordinances in the Bible. We intend, in the next volume, to
pay some more attention to the great apostasy from the
Bible alone, now commanded by the redoubtable captain, who
sails sometimes under this flag, and sometimes under that.
However, the New England brethren are not ignorant of his
devices, and are not likely to marshal long under his
Palladium, inasmuch as he seems not to relish the
simplicity nor authority of the Nazarenes."
The permanency and stability of Mr. Badger, questioned in this
paragraph, all who know anything of him must concede to be conspicuous
traits of his whole career in life. He was a man of no great and sudden
changes. Perhaps a paragraph or so from his reply may serve to show his
manner of dealing with a strong assailant.
"Mr. Campbell had succeeded in drawing away so many
Christians in the west, that his expectation of success
among the intelligent people of New York and New England
was very great. But he toiled all night and caught nothing.
The enterprise was a failure; and his disappointment and
chagrin were so great that since his return to the west, in
speaking of eastern men and measures, he gives strong
symptoms of insanity, and some of his articles abound in
cruel, unworthy invectives and misrepresentations.
"But the most diverting thing, is to see his means of
knowing, and his pretended knowledge of the state of things
at the east. He spent but a few days in New England; yet he
pretends to know the state of society, the manners and
customs of the people throughout that wide extended portion
of our continent. But what churches did he visit?
Astonishing to tell! He spent a few days in Boston; a few
hours at Salem and Lynn; and we have never heard of his
making a moment's call on any other Christian church in New
England. Yet he speaks in broad terms and says: 'The
Christians in New England need only to be taught the way of
the Lord more perfectly.' What does this foreigner, this
man of the west know about the condition of the churches in
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and good old Connecticut,
having never entered a chapel or cottage in either of those
great States? But he continues: 'Much is wanting in _many
places_ to bring them nigh to the platform of Apostolic
usage and authority.' MANY PLACES! This sounds well from a
stranger, such as himself. Why did he not teach our
brethren the way of the Lord more perfectly? Why did he not
bring them to the Apostolic platform? Why not push his
inquiries further? Alas, alas! he had seen enough of New
England sagacity; it was not the soil for the seed he had
brought. Therefore, he turns upon his heel and leaves the
good people of Lynn to manufacture their own shoes, and
those of Salem to manage their own witches."
The following paragraph, which succeeds what I have inserted, was
partially quoted by Bishop Purcell in the celebrated discussion between
himself and Mr. Campbell on the Roman Catholic religion,[53] held at
Cincinnati, January, 1837, which, with several other quotations from the
same paper, goes to show that the Palladium, which he introduced as the
organ of a numerous body of Christians, had not failed to impress the
Catholic Church as being a work of strength in Protestant literature.
"He frequently speaks of 'the Bible alone;' but this is not
a term generally used by the brethren in New England, and
is taught by few except Mr. C. We never knew our brethren
to boast of walking by the Bible alone. This we regard as
an error, let who will proclaim it. We say give us the
Bible, but not alone. Let us have a God, a Christ, a Holy
Spirit, and a ministry to accompany it. There was a law
given to the Jews; also, a testimony, which they were bound
to observe. The testimony of the inspired prophets did not
contradict the law, but taught and enforced the same great
truths. The ancients were to walk by the _law_ and the
testimony, which was called a _word_, (Isa. 8: 20). So the
New Dispensation presents the written Word and the Spirit
of God as the perfect law by which the saints are to be
governed. Thus we preach the Spirit and the Word.
"We have frequently heard," continues Mr. B., "the
followers of Mr. C. talk about carrying the Gospel in their
pockets, meaning the Bible; but such are not like Christ's
ministers, who have the 'treasure in earthen vessels.' The
Gospel is the power of God unto salvation."
Referring to the charge of fluctuation he says:--
"Mr. C., we never belonged to the Presbyterians of
Scotland; we never united with nor dissented from the Red
Stone Association of Baptists. But, dear sir, has not your
whole life been one scene of reforms, deforms, and changes?
Just look at your equivocations on Calvinism and the
Trinity; turn to your correspondence with Mr. Grew and all
your opponents, and blush, while you talk about any man
'who sails sometimes under this flag, and sometimes under
that.' This, sir, comes with a very bad grace from your
honorable self."
It is not my wish to revive the passions of past controversy, but the
antagonism of Mr. Badger to certain features of the cause which Mr.
Campbell represented in the west was so conspicuous a part of his
editorial life, that the chapter here opened could not well be completed
without some allusions to and quotations from it. No one doubts that his
paper influenced thousands not to embrace the system of his
distinguished opponent.
In 1837 and 1838 he discussed the question at length, "THE CHURCH THE
HIGHEST TRIBUNAL," making a distinction between _a_ church and _the_
church, denying that the former is the highest tribunal, and qualifiedly
conceding this honor to the latter; that is to say, a particular church
may be incompetent to act upon questions which the large assemblage of
ministers and particular churches might act upon with wisdom and safety.
These articles were indeed an able vindication of the doctrine of
associated action, of conferential organization; they called out a vast
deal of discussion, and whatever may be thought of the justness of his
position, none can deny that his articles produced a very strong
impression on the public generally. The great danger of large
associative bodies is the usurpation of power over individual rights;
but he claimed to protect the individual and to secure his rights
through the associative action for which he plead. Both sides were heard
in this discussion.
The Catholic question, the subject of temperance, slavery, ministerial
education, and historical sketches of the denomination, each had a share
of attention. Dr. Channing's letter on the Catholic question, originally
in the Western Messenger, was published in his columns, printed in small
pamphlets and scattered over the country. Also his letter to Mr. Badger
on the principles and wants of the Christian denomination, which, to a
good extent, may be called a treatise on education, was called forth by
Mr. Badger's direct request, and, excellent as it was as a whole, it
received from him friendly and independent strictures on points wherein
he regarded Dr. C. as being misinformed. The Palladium, in the hands of
Joseph Badger, was an organ of power mightier than had ever been wielded
in the same cause before, and altogether more so than the same paper has
ever been since. We think the editor speaks truthfully in saying, "The
secret of its success is its adaptation to the wants of the people. It
now has a larger subscription than any two periodicals have or ever had
in the Christian or Unitarian societies on the globe." It is almost
unnecessary to add the most _practical_ evidence of its success, namely,
that through the provident management of its editor, it was financially
the source of a very respectable income. Let us hear what impression
this paper made on the other side of the Atlantic. Rev. John R.
Beard,[54] of Manchester, England, under the date of June 1, 1838, wrote
as follows:
"I have long desired to find a moment to address you a few
lines. I feel a deep interest in the cause to which you and
many other excellent men are devoted; and I do hope and
trust that the great Head of the Church will abundantly
bless your praiseworthy labors.
"In your alienation from creeds of human formation, you not
only have a feeling in common with the Unitarians of
England, but in my opinion have assumed a position at once
eminently Scriptural and of great and pressing need in the
actual state of the religious world. The New Testament
Scriptures ought to be the only standard of faith and
doctrine with followers of Christ; and aware of the
fallibility which must attach to every mere human
interpretation of Holy Writ, I feel that the great work is
to command allegiance to the great Protestant principle of
the sufficiency and paramount authority of the Bible, and
particularly of the writings of the Evangelists and the
Apostles. I cannot but look on your efforts and successes
with high gratification, and in the chills of a colder
moral atmosphere and the dissatisfactions of a necessarily
less productive field, I sometimes half wish myself in the
midst of you.
"While others contend," said Mr. B., "about the
supervacaneous part of religion, we will encourage the
enjoyment of its more exhilarating radiancy." "We are
reformers; we must and will be reformers. We are determined
never to be guilty of a cringing subserviency to the Man of
Sin, nor to bow to any idol of superstition which frail men
have imposed upon the Church of God. The Palladium will be
_Doctrinal, Historical, and Practical_. Much attention will
be bestowed on the culture of the youthful mind, and the
improvement of young ministers and young writers."
These and similar passages may be regarded as the landmarks of his
editorial action; and through all his seven years' course, it will
appear that the Palladium never lost sight of its cardinal idea as taken
from the old apostolical discussion, "That Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of the living God." One proof of its decision and energy lies in the
violence and depth of feeling that, in some instances, were awakened
against it. "It is," said its editor, "the bane of the Catholic, the
Campbellite, the disorganizer, and the proud sectarian; and it is
generally known in the camp of the enemies of Christian liberty." When
Mr. Badger made an assault, which he never did without believing he had
good reason so to do, the party receiving it was at no loss to know
_who_ it came from, _when_ it was received, and _what_ it signified. We
like to see everything thorough after its kind; let a blow be a blow,
let a smile be a smile.
On leaving the editorial chair, May 1, 1839, he returned to his newly
purchased and agreeable residence at West Mendon village, now called
Honeoye Falls, in Monroe County, N. Y., where he became, in 1840, the
pastor of a prospering church which had recently been formed in that
place. Six months before leaving the Palladium, he had announced the
intention of being for a few years an evangelist. Speaking of himself in
the third person, he said:
"His circuit will be principally within the following
limits: From Quebec on the north, to Georgia on the south;
and from Maine on the east, to Arkansas and Missouri on the
west. To be at liberty to travel and preach the Gospel
again, as in the days of his youth, is the height of his
ambition; and this is his desire above all things of
Heaven."
In his farewell address, April 15, 1839, he says:
"'And so, without more circumstance at all,
I hold it fit that we shake hands and part.'
"I now take up my pen to address you for the last time, as
Editor of the Christian Palladium, with a feeling of strong
attachment to each and all of you, and a fervent desire for
your present and future happiness. We have travelled a long
journey and encountered many difficulties together, and at
length have arrived at that point where that sacred
relation we have sustained to each other is to end, and our
connection as editor and patron is to be severed forever."
In reviewing the past, he claims to have used no disguise, to have
spoken plainly and independently on all subjects, though at times, he
concedes, a little too severely with certain opponents, it being
necessary to regulate controversy with reference to the opponent one has
to combat, and to answer some persons by Solomon's celebrated rule.
These occasional severities he candidly regards as the greatest errors
in all his editorial labors. He justifies the cool and unimpassioned
tone of the Palladium during the high excitements of the abolition
agitation, and expresses a willingness that his position and procedure
on that subject should be put to the test, that on them he is willing to
hazard his reputation, believing that the duties of the Palladium did
not require it to enter the arena of the new political warfare.
"On Church Government and the powers of Conference, we have
bestowed special attention, and occupied much room, and
given our opponents a fair hearing. If we thought there was
one single argument left unanswered on which disorganizers
rely, we would now, on leaving the editorial chair, give it
due consideration. We have opened this door wide; there has
not been a single argument or statement of the opposition
left out, which has been presented for publication. This
discussion was called for, and has been of utility to the
Christian society, as our Conferences have since put on new
strength and the churches taken new courage. This poor
worn-out slander which a few heated partisans have set on
foot, that our Conferences have assumed improper authority
and interfered with the domestic or internal affairs of the
churches, is proved, by long experience and common
observation, to be a fabrication of error, a false alarm
sounded for party purposes. But our opponents on this
question are vanquished; and though the struggle on this
question has been long and arduous, we shall ever look upon
our labors on this point with interest and satisfaction."
"We feel such a strong attachment to the great Christian
family for whom we have so long provided our humble repast,
that the task is truly painful to take leave. You have been
our friends and the friends of a noble cause; you have
sustained us and advanced truth. You have frequently prayed
for our success, and your prayers have been heard, and now,
though our relation in one respect is changed, yet we still
will be one in spirit, and unitedly labor for the
advancement of the same common cause, keep our eye on the
mark and meet in glory. When our toils are done, when we
lay low in the grave, then may the cause in which we have
labored exert a universal influence; liberal truth spread
throughout the world,--and the Palladium's humble banner
wave in triumph over the crumbling ruins of sectarism and
be the herald of Liberty, Union and Peace. Beloved patrons,
Farewell!"
Thus ended seven years of severe editorial service, through which we
discern the action of a shrewd, intelligent, energetic and active mind;
all in all, the ablest and most efficient editor of whom the history of
the Christian denomination may boast. He was, indeed, constitutionally
kind, yet on dishonesty and imposture, especially if they came under the
sacred garb, he was boldly severe, this being his favorite, chosen motto
on all such occasions:
"Strip the miscreants of the robes they stain,
And drive them from the altars they profane."
One has only to look at the character of the same periodical from the
time he left it until now, to be convinced that his place has never been
supplied; that the same amount of concentrated interest has never, to
this date, been awakened; and, when we reflect on the energy, the life
and the hope its pages inspired in the communities whose sentiments it
faithfully pleaded, we are strikingly reminded that on earth nothing is
so valuable as a _man_, and that no cause is ever mighty except through
decision, through force of character and force of expression, in setting
forth the ideas and principles which may enlighten and save.