The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-19

ficient response to his preaching.
leaving here and there converts to
lis persuasion, but not always numer-
Gus enough to form congregation.
II the consecration and self-sacrifice
Of the ministry marked this period
the religious apathy, the infdelity
and Indifference OF the people. the
reaction from the Revolution, was in
dark contrast. The incident which is
at the fountain head of the move
ment called the Disciples OF Christ
would pass today unnoticed and inef-
fsctive amid the changSt conditions
OF the churches but then 1t glared
with strange and startling promt-
hence, fraught with consequence.
Extremes Begct Extremes.
Thomas Campbell was living H.
lustration Of the fact that extremes
heget extremes He grew up in an
atmosphere OF intolerance, into a
narrow sect which styled itself "Seced-
ers." and which divided into separate
factions upon every issue presented
to 1t. His father was an intolerant
and domineertng man. who said he
"worshipped God according to act of
Parliament" and who had little pa
thence with any but his own belief.
In this respect Thomas Campbell was
unlike his father, hts brethren and
his times His heart was troubled
Christian. Nc had become noted as
ever the enmity and divisions among
peace maker and advocate OF union
that is. among his own brethren,
before he came 10 America. The OPP
portunity for religious freedom drew
him ana some or his neighbo~s to
the little settlement at Washington.
is ay1so ~
established himself as a minister, in
full connection with tho Seceder Pres
bytery of CHARTERS. II so happened
that once brother minister went
with him on a preaching tour Up the
Allegheny River They arrived at a
settlement where there was church
f their own. but where most Of the
inha hitants had no church home. On
Sunday after the sermon, Thomas
| Campbell spread the Lords Table ana
Invited all Christians who felt them
selves worthy, to gather around as one
family and commune together The
highly orthodox preaching brother
with him, the Rev. DR.. Wilson. of the
Seceder. Anti Burgher~ Church, zeal
ous for the Testimony" borne by his
church. and indifferent to the heart
hunger of the heretics around that
table. objected strenuously and per-
sistently, until Thomas Campbell was
publicly censured by his Synod and
finally driven by the opposition of his
preaching brethren to dissolve con.
nection with it Now, all that Thomas
/ Campbell then did, and all that ne
/ intended to do, is all that the LIS
ciples Of Christ have done and al
that they can ever do-~to provide q
meeting place for all Christians
where the Lords Table is spread II
+ the Lords name for all the Lords
people. To interpose no human re-
stricton, nor exact a partisan agree
ment: neither to compromise with
/ defective teaching, nor to compound
with error but assuredly to recognize
! the essential right OF every Christian
in his relation to the Lord Jesus, and
to reverence the authority OF the
! Lords ordinance as coming from the
/ Lord Himself. through His word
| \ elimination of Protestant
| Tendencies.
The Disciples are the elimination
/ Of the various Protestant tendencies
which began In the Puritanism OF the
sixteenth century and came to Amer
/ lea through Scotland. Because the
movement is the product OF various
/ movements begun almost at the same
| time ut n ttfererrt SECTIONS of the coun-
try, their plea has been sometimes
| misunderstood. There Is 20 doubt
that Sandemanian teaching as to the
nature Of faith and the influence OF
the Holy Spirit had some influence
upon n few of~their preachers. In
this view, faith is nothing more thar
an intellectual assent to historic fact
and the operation OF the Spirit in con-
version an impersonal effect OF tes-
tlmony and argument upon the mind
This purely mechanical conception OF
4 the Gospel and the exercise of the