The Tri-lemma;
OR,
DEATH BY THREE HORNS
BY J. R. GRAVES
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CAMPELLITES
They Find Themselves in a Tri-lemma—They Are Not Agreed Whether They Ought to
Baptize Excluded Baptists Coming to Them or Not—In Some States They Do, in
Others They Do Not—They Can Not Tell Whether the Baptisms of Baptists are Valid
or Not and Save Their Own.
This modern sect was originated by Alexander Campbell, in Bethany, Virginia, in
1827. A short history from
unquestioned sources will be useful to those who have to meet the assaults of
this preeminently bellicose sect:
“Mr. Campbell was born a Presbyterian in Scotland, and was educated for the
ministry in the University of Glasgow.
He set sail for America in 1809.
Landing at New York, he proceeded to Pennsylvania, where he commenced his
labors in this country. Soon after
he became a citizen of West Virginia, and while still a Pedobaptist he gathered
a small society at Bush Run. During
this period he made an unsuccessful attempt at reformation upon the following
principles: “Faith in Jesus as the true Messiah, and obedience to Him as our
Lawgiver and King, the only test of
Christian character, and the only bond
of Christian union, communion and co-operation, irrespective of all creeds,
opinions, commandments, and traditions of men.”—Chy. Res., p. 9.
Of this attempt Mr. Campbell says: “On this bottom we put to sea, with
scarcely hands enough to man the ship.
We had head winds and rough seas,” etc,--Chy. Res., p. 10.
After his failure in this attempt at reformation, he decided to unite with the
Baptists; not because he was one in
principle, but because he regarded them as “being favorable to his views of
reform.” Accordingly, in 1812, he
was immersed by Elder Luce, a Baptist minister, without the action or authority
of any Baptist Church, and contrary to invariable and recognized law and usage
of Baptist churches. I will quote
from the Memoirs of Mr. Campbell, written by his son-in-law, Mr. Richardson:
“Wednesday, the 12th day of June, 1812, having been selected, Elder
Luce, in company with Elder Henry Spears, called at Thos. Campbell’s on their
way to the place chosen for the immersion which was the deep pool in Buffalo
Creek, where three members of the Association had formerly been baptized.
Next morning, as they were setting out, Thos. Campbell simply remarked
that Mrs. Campbell had put up a change of raiment for
herself and
him, which was the first intimation
given that they also intended to be immersed.” * * Alexander had stipulated with
Elder Luce that the ceremony should be performed precisely according to the
pattern given in the New Testament, and that there was no account of any of the
first converts being called to give what is called a ‘religious experience.’
This modern custom should be omitted, and that the candidates should be
admitted on the simple confession that ‘Jesus is the Son of God.’
Elder Luce had, indeed, at first objected to these changes,
as being contrary to Baptist usages,
but finally consented, remarking that he believed they were right, and he would
run the risk of censure. There were
not, therefore, upon this occasion, any of the usual forms of receiving persons
into the church upon a detailed account of religious feelings and impressions.
THERE WAS, INDEED, NO BAPTIST CHURCH-MEETING TO WHICH ANY SUCH
‘EXPERIENCE’ COULD HAVE BEEN RELATED.
Elders Luce and Spears, with Elder D. Jones, of Eastern Pennsylvania,
being the only Baptists known to have been present.”—pp.396-398.
Mr. Campbell and his father continued members of the Bush Run Society, which he
had organized previous to his immersion by Mr. Luce, until the next year, when
it, with all the Campbells, upon the presentation of a satisfactory creed or
confession, were received as a Baptist Church into the Red Stone Baptist
Association. Not until 1823 did Mr.
Campbell commence putting forth his peculiar views of baptism in order to the
remission of sins, and his new system of Christianity, and in 1827 the Baptists
expelled him and all who embraced his unscriptural views.
Campbellites of this day deny this, claiming that they withdrew from the
Baptists, but Mr. Campbell declares that he, with all the brethren of the
reformation, were excluded, not of
their choice, but by constraint.
“They [the Baptists] declared
non-fellowship with the brethren of the reformation this BY CONSTRAINT, NOT
OF CHOICE, they were obliged to form societies out of those communities that
split upon the ground of adherence to the apostolic doctrine.”
This is Mr. Campbell’s own testimony.
It was out of those who, like himself, were excluded for heresy, that Mr.
Campbell originated his scheme he calls a church.
Now, then, several things in connection with the rise of Campbellism that
deserves especial notice:
THE WHOLE SECT IS MANIFESTLY AND CONFESSEDLY
WITHOUT CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
1.
According to all the principles that
characterize Baptists, neither Alexander Campbell nor his father was
scripturally baptized.
2.
Mr. Luce had no authority from Christ or a Christian Church to baptize Mr.
Campbell as he did, and therefore the act was null and void.
The Church that ordained Mr. Luce, nor the Church he served as pastor, gave him
a shadow of authority to go forth and baptize whomsoever he deemed qualified,
even after hearing from them an experience of grace. The
credentials—commission—that a Baptist minister receives from a church is to
preach the Gospel and to administer the ordinances—i.e., when called upon by a
church to do so. This is
understood, because all Baptist churches hold that the ordinances are church
ordinances, in and under the control of each church.
It is claimed that he may administer one ordinance, as baptism, to whom
and where he sees fit, then he is equally empowered to administer the Lord’s
Supper when and to whom he pleases, for the principle can not be divided.
Mr. Luce had no authority to baptize Mr. Campbell, and therefore the
immersion he performed in Buffalo Creek was not Christian Baptism.
3.
But suppose I grant what some claim,
that Mr. Luce, being an ordained Baptist minister, was thereby authorized to
baptize. It must be admitted that
the Church granted this upon the express or implied understanding that her
minister should require the same evidence of regeneration of heart that she
herself required; not less, and certainly upon no evidence whatever.
But Mr. Campbell refused to give any evidence of sins remitted or
regeneration of heart, for he had no such evidence to give.
He did not profess to be in the enjoyment of pardon, nor did he profess
that he had any evidence of regeneration of heart previous to his immersion.
Therefore his immersion by Mr. Luce was no Christian baptism, even if I
grant that Mr. Luce had scriptural authority to baptize him, for Mr. Campbell
was not a qualified subject.
Had he even gone before a Baptist Church, and by it been received and
immersed, the act would not have been scriptural baptism, unless it had been
upon and into a profession of conscious regeneration—a heart ‘sprinkled from an
evil conscience.” But, upon his own
theory,
MR. CAMPBELL NEVER WAS BAPTIZED.
He says:
“Remission of sins can not be enjoyed by any person before immersion.
Belief of this testimony is what impelled us
into the water, knowing that the
efficacy of His blood is to be communicated to our consciences in the way which
God has pleased to appoint. We
stagger not at the promise, but flee to the sacred ordinance [water of baptism]
which brought the blood of Jesus in
contact with our consciences.
WITHOUT KNOWING AND BELIEVING THIS, IMMERSION IS A BLASTED NUT—THE SHELL IS
THERE, BUT THE KERNAL IS WANTING.”—Christian Baptism, p. 521.
Mr. Campbell’s baptism, then, according to his own theory, was a
blasted nut, for—1st Mr.
Luce never immersed him for any such purpose.
No Baptist Church or Baptist minister ever baptized to bring the blood of
Christ in contact with the conscience of his subject, or to procure for him the
remission of sins or regeneration of his heart.
Mr. Campbell himself, at this time, 1812, did not know or believe any
such doctrine. He had never thought
of it in his wildest imaginations.
It was years after his baptism before his preaching or writings were tainted by
these heretical conceptions.
Therefore Mr. Campbell, himself being his own judge, was never scripturally
baptized, nor were any of his first ministers or followers, and consequently
since a pure stream can not flow from an impure fountain, the Campbellites of
this age are all unbaptized and without authority to baptize.
But Campbellites, as well as Protestants, are impalled upon the middle
horn of a tri-lemma—they can not tell whether the baptisms of Baptist are from
heaven or of men. For—
Baptist churches are the true churches of Christ or they are false ones.
For if they are true churches, Campbellite societies evidently are not, but
schismatics, that have been excluded from these true churches, and consequently
are without authority to preach or to baptize.
If Baptist churches are false, as Mr. Campbell declares, and multitudes of his
societies that immerse Baptists who come to them, then Mr. Campbell was both
unbaptized and unordained, as are all his ministers today, and without the
shadow of authority to baptize: and therefore the whole denomination, being
unbaptized, are no church of Christ in any sense.
A false church can not administer valid baptisms or ordinations, and Mr.
Campbell and his ministers received theirs from the Baptists, whose churches and
baptisms they deny to be scriptural!
Will not Campbellites ask themselves this question, when they re-immerse
our excluded members,
WHO BAPTIZED MR. CAMPBELL?