Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-04-24

ours by the tyrannUuS domination oil creed
and dogma over the human mind and con-
science and life.
Lord Macauley tells us how Professionalism
for three long centuries Won no new victO-
ries how IL failed to hold the territory it had
gained in useless debates about empty ritual
iStic forms and garbs.
The CampbeIls found all of Protestant
Christendom disrupted and marshaled into
numberess factions, with not only competing
but hostile interests and enterprises. with no
common basis of structure, no unity OF sys-
tenn, no unity of aim, its resources scattered,
its vast forces dissipated hopelessly I'm aim
less strivings for denOminatiOnal advance
meni, forgetting the one crest ensign liited
up As a guide to the nations, it set its divided
forces beneath numberless banners bearing
thousand warning legends and devices. No
where was the voice of harmony heard, but
the harsh slogan of hating and hateful clans
rent the peaceful air. With the zeal of Red
Cross knights, the leaders rushed upon many
an embattled ecclesiastical field. Calvinist and
Arminian. PresbuterOs and Bishop. Baptist
and PedO- Baptist filled the very heavens with
the dissonant jangle of battle-aXe and mail.
Woe to the hereto who fell into the way OF
these Knights Errant. Woe be'ide him,
whose tongue was unsklled in the language
of Ashdod.
They found the church embarrassed and
burdened with theological absIrdities,
and standing chln-deep in the muddy stream
of savage and unhOly debate. The whole re-
| ilSlOuS Ol lne tHsWdtucu III tuC
baSest fOlies and degrading superstitions,
lntolerable rubbish invented by the trainers
of unintellieible philosophical qulddities and
murky formularies, and labelled creeds.
They saw in all thf>, the benetcent purpose
of the Gospel, infinite in its mercy and love,
the conversion and regeneration OF the race.
antagOnized, unbelief and its manifold evils
generated. Prof. Draper, whom l suppose
not to be altogether friendly to religion, yet
may still be no improper witness in the case,
fnr 10 f,,Ta af InuSf fN frnT "a N
enemy, says, in discussing the baleful ten
denotes of communism, nihiliSm and social
ism, manifes!lng themselves with their des-
tructive and disorganiZing aims, not alone
in Europe but in our country, that they are
begOtten by the total extinction of religious
belief All of these in their worst forms aim
| at the total extinction Of the present order
and the introduction of chaos. They deny
God and Right, the state and property.
marriage and the family. giving US instead
and unrestrained lust. The unbelief from
which all these spring, is accounted for in
these words: "During the lapse of ages the
plain and simple demands of primitive
Christianity had been burdened with many
Pagan fictiOns or legends that outraged com
mon sense. For awhile these enforced by
ecclesiastical authority, gained reluctant
credit, but an inevitable day came at length
| in which they were found out. Such things
cannot happen without producing an intel !
lectual revulsiOn or revolution. There is
risk that with the fraudulent much that is
true may be swept away. The strain upon
I human creduality, the outrage of common
sense was too great; It's result we see In
the widespread religious unbelief OF sc
many thousands of men," So he accounts
for the unbelief, so also for the vicious anG
destructive drift SO patent in our modern
life. And who can safely gainsay these
statements! Much to be deplOred anG
, grieved over, but are they false? 1t is moi
! charged that Christianity pure and simple
as it primitlvelv existed is responsible fO
this sad state of things, but the accumulated
| human inventions gathering about II, ant
l. eclpsing its glory and power and light. If
indeed. unbelief Is produced by the multi
plication and enforcement of theological tenet
| and metaphysical schemes of doctrine, il
such an order of things, how shall we eX
v pect the complete triumph of the Messiah,
: Kingdom, and ''see the glory OF all land
il flow into it,; have hope for the finished
: deliverance from the bondage Of sin. unde
n which whole nations have SrOaned, and sick
e ened, and died, and eTlshed from the mem
3, Dry of men, and how is the creation subjected
o to vanity to be delivered from the bondage
:. of corruption and be introduced into tn
: glory of the liberty of the sons of God
, These were the questions raised in tin
d minds and hearts of the Campbells and thei
: felOw-workers as they studied the state
It religions in their day.
p How shall the conversion of the world b
Ii realized! Taking the prayer of the Lor'
j. with its rich and measureless meanings
e namely, that all might be converted, kept
u sanctified and glorlfied. 10 accomplish thi
If marvellous ascensive development, the unio
: of all believers Is the necessary condition
is precedent. l pray that they all may be on.
= all that believe Oh me through their word
v that they may be one, that the world ma
: bsiiere, that the world may knOw that Tho
e has sent me. Here is the key, the punctuI
: sdliens, the source and fountain OF the Who'll
v movement with which you aud l are identi
. fed. Starting from these two relate
e conceptions our work has developed into il
t, present proportions.
CHRISTIAN UNION.
s There are great many questions wit
e which we have been closely identified an
IS that have largely entered into our historical
Is y religious life, not at all thought of by thes
u men in the inception of the movement.
Is great many of our people have greatly mis-
. conceived the purpose of Mr.. Campbell. On
\. | of our own preachers once said to me tn.
II Mr.. Campbell was the only man among l
) who saw to the end of the proposed wOrl
!' The man who thinks our mission is to bel
u, settle the disputed problems of speculatiI
~ theology or similar questions has mistake
al al divided state of Christendom the necessity
nc | the conversion OF the world to God, tie uniC
III If aU Christians upon u sufficient and trt
basis, differentlates the mission OF the CAM
! n 1
ia everything that the undertaking meant f,
10 mankind. This idea was deemed by his COZ
Vi Vi tempararies as utterly chimerical. He Wi
Us compared to Don QuiXote and the frenZie
Sweeds. Yet it was large purpose of a b
IL brain and noble heart. Bearing unmovt
the scorh and contumely of his age; his ey
with keener than an eagles vision; his Va
s' and far-reaching mind, sweeping onward b
yOnd his contemporaries with stronger ths
+ eagles wings, saw and cumprehended Il
hat 10 for bod lnI ifs snI
4 f1ict wholly undreamed OF and unseen by Il
purblind theoOgues of his day. This desi
vi Of union was, so to speak. The primOrdi
IS germ out of which all after development
la came. The Campbeirs from II careful stut
IRE of the church Of the New Testament. arrive
az 1t conception OF it, thus stated. ''Tl
Is, church of Christ upon the earth Is essenti;
ns ly, Intentionally and cOnstltuionally zone
re rhis would doubtless accord with the co
Us sensus of the church, Papal or PrOtestar
lie But did they find realized in the churches
n constituted this diviney revealed idea of Il
indvisibility of the church of the living Go,
od They found, indeed, in the existing order
things, q condition wholly at war with Il
;; Biblical conception OF the church. This sta
ht of antagOnlsm they deemed crime again
ne heaven, and largely, especially because of Ii
o' fact that existing differences afforded
Il ground of Justification for separate demon
nd national existence. DIR. Hodge in the Centu
ue for March, 1856, speaks on this wise. 1.-The
various denOminatiOnal forms of the livIl
'te church are ali one in their essentials and d
is' fer only Ill their accidents" this is an o
Ill story and an old claim reasserted. And if
vi be true, how can the separate existence of
ne these parties in various denomnationai forl
n he justified If the differences are only tn,
.ut accidents, and consequently yalueless? \
e' >uming the truth of DR.. Hodges stateme
'c- | the distracted condition of the church
iii Christ is not only without excuse, but it is
,s. mmeasurable crime against the Body
Is, Christ.
k- Our Fathers expressed their view of {
me case in their own dav III the following stat
re- ments; the condition was:
lct l. ti-Christian-BecauSe it DESTROY
pal the unity of the visible Body of Chri
as- There is one Body" in its essence and ,
as sanic structure.
OF ,. Anti-Scriptural-Bec it violated t
oh Divine intention, indicated in the Mesial
W prayer, "that all may be one," and .'let the
On he no schisms among you" OF the apostles,
ns 3. Anti -Natural-He that is of tue O
rs Body, is begotten of God, and he that is
vi begolten, loves not only Him that begat, b
ti- him also that is begOtten. He loves all I
ict children of God; but was this the spirit
er- sect fifty year, ago: But even we, in AN a
me where all these religious wars and hates a
ice dying out, where we wish TO commend a
ole enterprise to the general public. say that it
hu 'unsectarian." Why. save that a confess
Se, moral and spiritual ugiiness is in the thing:
'hu Anti-natural - Because they produc
us, alterations and strife, bitterness and Sc,
'is, hatred>, contentious and wars; in past tim
'hu the most savage and brutal in the scar
oe- records of the earth. 1t is not pleasant ey
oie to think these things much less saw them b