Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-03-15
[From the Wheeling In,elIigencerl
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL.
A Brief Sketch Of His Life and
Public Career.

This remarkable man-so well known 70
the religious world for the last half century
died at his residence near the village OF
Bethany, Brooke County, sixteen miles from
this city, on Sunday night last at fifteen
minutes to twelve o'clock, in the seventy
eighth year Of his age. go.
health. but his end wss accelerated by u re.
cent severe cold against the fatal effects to
which his long over taxed energies struggled
ia vain. He began to sink very noticeaby
moro than week ago, but up to the very
last his wonderful vitality resisted the APP
proach of death. and 10 the language OF one
who watched With him, the struggle was gi.
gantic to the close. Few men ever possess
ed greater strength of constitution. he had
never known. until recontlys what it was to
suffer bodily ailment. For more than forty
years, at one. time in his life, he had not
been confined to his bed by illness for a
single day. And yet no man ever taxed his
strength more constantly or more severely.
From his earliest manhood, and for more
than sixty years of bis life, early and late,
Mr.. Campbell was an incsssant worker. His
endurance was wonderful. Very little rest
sufficed for him, so perfect and harmonious
was the organization of his physical and
mental powers.
The results of bis lifelong labors are fa-
miliar to the reading religious world. His
leading works are on the shelves Of every
book store, and nlthe library of almost every
clergvmen. Those most generally known to
the public are his debates, especially those
with Archbishop Purcell on Roman Cathol-
icism; with Robert Owen, the celebrated
Rice, we'll known Presbyterian clergy
man nc hia ,nisnolla pnn,,o rwarEs fhnsa
most widely circulated are the Christian
System his work on Baptism, and his
translation of the New Testement. But it
was not as the author of any special book,
or as a participant in any of his great de-
bates. that Mr.. Campbell was chiefly and
most prominently known to the world. He
was the recognized head ofa new religious
sect. as it was generally esteemed, called
familiarly the Campbellite baptist 1enomin.
ation--7but called by himself, and the mem
bership of the church, the Disciples. This
denomination took its origin from the teach
ings of himself and his father more than
half century ago, and now numbers, it is
said, well nigh half a million of adherents,
who are especially numerous in the States
Of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Ken
lucky and Tennessee. Their peculiarties
as people are that they discard all human
creeds and confessions of faith, and take the
Bible alone as perfect and all sufficient
rule of faith and practice, esteeming all
commandments and traditions Of men as
necessarily fallible, superogatory, and in
derogation of the all-sufficiency as we'll as
the express iniunctions of the Word of God
hu other beeuliarity is that they partske oi
the Sacrament of the Lords Supper every
Sunday or First Day the Week. They be-
lieve also that Christian Baptism can only
be performed by immersion-and that there
is no warfatt either in the example of Christ
himself, or in the teachings and practice Ol
his Apostles, for any other baptism. In
fant baptism they reject because the com
mand is to repent and be baptized, and
baptism therefore, they hold, can only fol
, low repentance.
The foregoing is a very brief outline of the
views first taught and expounded by Alex
, ander Campbell and his father, as religious
refOrmers, half century ago, and since adopt
ed as we have seen, By large mass o'
people in this country and in Europe. The
arguments aud details of these views are to be
/, found in work called the Christian Sys
, TEN the fundamental work, so to speak
, Of the Disciples as denomination. The
; same views, especially as regards baptism
are only ampfed and discussed in anothe
first published in serial form, and since re
vised aud colated as sort Of text book b!
tho denomination.
-. Alexander Campbell was born in tn
!, County of Antrim. Ireland, in the year 1883
!, and was educated as was his father befor
: him. at the University of Glasgow, Scotlan,
I, both ef thcm as Presbyterian clergymen
Thomas Campbell, the Poet, was rela
q tive and classmate of his father. On tn
i one side his ancestry was of Scotch origin
: and on the other Hugenot French. He i'm
migrated to this country in the year 1906
. two years after his father. bringing wit
: him his mother aud youngest brothers an
sisters, and settled at first in Wsshingto
!. County, Pennsylvania, near the spot in thi
a State to which he soon afterward removed
o and on which he has lived continuously fc
h more than half century. The spot, no.
h the village of Bethany, was then wild an
:. secluded locality amid the hills, shut ou
!. almost from the world by the abrupt cliff
,. that overhang it, and the sharp windings {
Buffalo Creek, which, at that day, being ur
,r bridged were often not fordable. 1t was
~ this romantic and remote spot in the ne
y world to which he had come, amid peacefi
agricultural pursuits, and in the prosecl
) tion Of those studies beftting his calling
)l ullnlSter OF tue OoSpel, tnat hiexanu'
o Campbell's long and eventful public care,
. began, with suspicion on his part, we ms
D. add, that he was to become one of tho
great pioneers in the world of reform tn
have appeared at rare intervals in the hi
tory Of mankind, and have had power
a " the sole lever Of thought" to upheave Il
VS. weights Of ancient traditions, long accept,
80 formulas and copsecrated theories, from ii
30 mind of society. He began as Martin L
in ther and John Wesley began, not as wdul
o. be revolotionist, but as reformer Of his ov
. immediate household offaith. - He loo
~ ed forward to no new denomination,
ot simply to the correction of vital errors al
innovations that had been fastened upon b
primitive gospel as preached in the pulp
sr- of that day. Martin Luther proclaim
ID classification by faith" and the echo a.
effects of that then startling proclamati
went far beyond his own conception and &C
al, troll. And thus Alexander Campbell,
m like manner, startled those with whom
was 10 communion, by the declaration Ii
'eS I" Chrstirn Union can result from nothi
IN short of the destruction Of creeds and COM
an sions of faith Iiaasmuch as human creetis a
bumon confessions hare DESTROYED Chr