Alexander Campbell, leader of the great reformation of the nineteenth century

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Preface

The richest heritage of any people is the lives and memories of the good and great who have preceded them. This is especially true of those who have helped to the possession of new lands, or the discovery of new truths, or the establishment of new principles.

Such a heritage the young people of our Endeavor Societies have in the leaders of the religious movement which, in the early part of this century, led to the establishment of the Christian Church. Though the history of that movement does not yet span a century, no religious body has a richer calendar of saints than we. Many of them may have been lacking in the conventional graces of society, and in high scholastic attainments; but in the genuineness of their sympathies and in their familiarity with God's two great books — nature and the Bible — all were, in the highest and truest sense, gentlemen and scholars.

First among these worthies must ever be placed that grand man, to whose faith, originality and genius our religious movement owes its origin, Alexander Campbell, the Sage of Bethany. To bring the story of his life within a compass that would enable busy people to become acquainted with him, has been the end sought in this volume. With a literature so rich in material, this has been no small task. The sixty volumes which grew up under the genius of Mr. Campbell, including the Christian Baptist and Millennial Harbinger, are rich in biographical suggestion. In addition to these the author is indebted to Dr. Richardson's valuable " Memoirs. " All he claims is to have gathered, from these sources, the most important events in this great life, and to have compressed them within a space that may encourage every lover of truth to sit, for a season, at the feet of one of its most earnest defenders.

Rock Island, III., Nov. 25. 1897.

Contents

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Preface v

Introduction ix

Introduction

'T'he time has not yet come when Mr. Camp- * bell can be fairly measured and assigned his true place in Christian history. There are those among his admirers who regard him as the greatest religious teacher of the century; others, animated by the antagonisms of earlier days, or not especially acquainted with his work or the people he rallied to the platform of Christian unity, would deny him any conspicuous place among the makers of modern Christian thought. Somewhere between these positions the truth lies, but we are yet too near the man himself to secure a true perspective. It is only fair to say, however, that those who knew most of Mr. Campbell's life and work, and have the largest admiration for him, await with confidence the verdict of the future.

Meantime there is no question that he was a true prophet of his time. It is the privilege of some men to perceive the greatest needs of the Church of Christ in their day, to give happy and forceful expression to thoughts that are lying unexpressed in the minds of many around them, and by vigorous advocacy call the atten-

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x INTRODUCTION

tion of scattered sections of the church to the truth they have discerned. This is the function of a true prophet of Christianity. It was the work of Mr. Campbell. He did not create the idea of Christian unity. Many minds had grappled with it since the Reformation caused the great breach in the Church. The reformers themselves felt the dangers of division and sought to heal the rents in their forces. Protestants and Romanists worked at the problem, as the correspondence of Leibnitz and Bossuet witnesses. The labors of Richard Baxter in England, who organized associations for the cultivation of unity among Christians, and wrote pamphlets to the same end, are representative of what many men in different places were seeking to realize. Milton's dream of a simpler faith and a more united church dawned upon other minds. It is a commonplace of our history that other movements in America for freedom and apostolic Christianity preceded Mr. Campbell's work. He did not create the idea, but he gave it the first full expression and adjusted it to other questions whose relation to it was intimate.

Mr. Campbell was convinced, both by his own observations and the experiences of his father in Britain and America, that the greatest hindrance to the progress and success of the church was the lack of unity. Power that should have

INTRODUCTION xi

been employed in combating sin and bringing in larger measure the Kingdom of God, was wasted in sectarian strife. But the desired unity among the followers of Jesus was not to be secured by the mere proclamation of its desirability. It must be sought by a return to apostolic standards of thought, speech and conduct. It was not an attempt to reproduce the faulty and partial life of the churches in Jerusalem, Corinth, Galatia or Rome to which Mr. Campbell set himself and rallied his friends. It was an appeal to Christ and to apostolic standards of teaching and conduct. On such a platform it was believed Christians could unite in the service of the common Lord. The principles accepted by all believers as essential to fellowship with the Savior were regarded sufficient as a bond of union. Convinced that peace could be restored to the divided church only by a restoration of the apostolic programme, Mr. Campbell labored to secure a larger acquaintance with the New Testament on the part of all who would co-operate in healing the divisions of the Church. The New Testament w^as seen to be the rule of belief and conduct, and to it, as the law and testimony, the appeal was evermore made. This will explain the fact that Mr. Campbell gave more attention to the subject of Apostolic Christianity and its re-establishment xii INTRODUCTION

than lie did to Christian Union. In his plan the one was the necessary antecedent of the other. While Mr. Campbell exhibited a high degree of mental independence, and departed to a startling degree from the established religious customs of his time, he was a true child of his period in his ways of thinking, and the formative influences about him in early life are distinctly discerned through his entire career. Chief among these are to be named the sterling characteristics inherited from generations of sturdy Scotch and Huguenot ancestors; the atmosphere of a Christian home in which the highest regard for Divine things was maintained; the supremacy of the philosophy of John Locke in the thinking of the time, with its rejection of Cartesianism, its appeal to fact, its theory of knowledge as the result of sensation, thus becoming the foundation of the Scotch School of philosophy and the percursor of Burkeley and Hume, Reid and Hartley, and whose influence is traceable in the Encyclopaedists and Kant; the impress of the Covenant Theology, that modification of Calvinism, brought from Holland, and widely diffused through Scotland after the Secession, with its insistence upon a progress of revelation in the Bible marked by Covenants; the principles of the Independents, represented on different sides by Glas, Sandeman, Walker, Hill and the Hal-

INTRODUCTION xiii

danes; lastly the divided condition of the churches in Scotland and Ireland, where Presbyterianism was broken into a score of fragments, not to speak of other communions; all these forces wrought in Mr. Campbell's making. Of some of them he was conscious, and expressed his indebtedness, as to Locke. Of others he seems to have been unaware, or at least not impressed with a sense of obligation. Especially is this true of his theological views. Yet no man ever made more free and independent use of the material at hand. It was this singular combination of elements, native and acquired, together with a deep earnestness in seeking to be led by the Spirit of God, that made him distinctively the prophet of his time. The place of the Disciples of Christ among the religious forces of the time is one of growing importance. Much -has been done to widen the influence of the propaganda in behalf of Christian unity. This sentiment is one of the watchwords of the hour, and without claiming the entire credit for this condition, the Disciples may fairly discern one of the causes in their labors. But the work is not done. The result has not yet been attained, and the plans for reaching it are almost as varied as the sections of the church. It ought to be in such a time as this that the maturing energies of the Disciples may be applied with fresh vigor to the problem.

xiv INTRODUCTION

The desirability of closer unity among God's people is no longer an open question. How can it be attained? It is believed that the apostolic programme furnishes a sufficient basis for fellowship, and that in the courteous but persistent advocacy of this method of unity the Disciples find a sufficient and imperative sanction for their message to the world. Only by such advocacy can they be true, not alone to the memory of Mr. Campbell and his associates, but to the platform of New Testament Christianity, which is of infinitely greater importance.

The present volume is a contribution to a larger knowledge of Mr. Campbell and his times. Few have leisure or opportunity to read Richardson's two volumes, and, moreover, much may now be added to the subject which was not then accessible. This book ought to result in a largely increased acquaintance with the beginnings of the movement, and help many among the Disciples of Christ to vindicate afresh the position which they occupy among the religious forces of the time.

Herbert L. Willett.

Disciples' Divinity House, Chicago.

ALEXANDER CAMPBELL.

i.

EARLY DAYS.

T^he author of a religious movement which, within the space of three-quarters of a century, can claim a million adherents, is deserving of the consideration of all thoughtful people. When that movement rises, not on the tide of popular favor, but in the face of the most bitter opposition, the genius that could inspire it is doubly deserving of our attention. Such have been the trials and triumphs of the Christian Church, which, with its vast membership and multiplied agencies for the regeneration of the world, is to-day a monument to the faith and genius of Alexander Campbell, and which assures him an exalted place among the world's religious leaders.

The village of Ballymena, nestled among the hills of Northern Ireland, furnishes the starting point for the life-story I am to tell. Just beyond its borders was a humble cottage, surrounded by a few acres of land, in which, more than a hundred years ago, two worthy young people, Thomas and Jane Campbell, began life together. Both were blessed with a noble ancestry, and brought into that home a treasure of more value than wealth or title, a deep religious purpose and sterling qualities of character which shine with splendor wherever found.

Thomas Campbell had descended from that valiant Scotch stock, the Campbells of Argyle, which covered itself with glory in the days of Scotland's political and religious struggles. Some two or three generations prior to his birth, his branch of the family had emigrated to Northern Ireland, where, though not distinguished, it maintained its integrity, and gave to society many valuable members. Jane Corneigle, to whom Thomas Campbell was wedded in 1787, was of no less worthy descent. Her ancestors were Huguenots, who, in those terrible days of persecution that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, had chosen exile from their beloved France rather than surrender their faith. After their settlement in Ireland her people were the devoted friends of liberal education, establishing and fostering schools, where the Bible, along with the common branches, was carefully taught. Both, thus endowed by birth, were of the stuff suited to the hardships through which they were destined afterward to pass.

At the time of the birth of their first-born, Alexander, in 1788, the future offered little encouragement to them. Thomas Campbell had already dedicated himself to the work of the ministry, but, in the interval of preparation for that work, he was compelled to devote his energies largely to school-teaching, with meager compensation, combining with the duties of teacher, as opportunity afforded, the work of ministering to the spiritual needs of his neighbors. He was Presbyterian in faith, having at an early age identified himself with the Seceders, a branch of that church. His mind from youth was one of deep religious cast. There had early been developed a sincere and earnest love for the Scriptures. As the claims of a religious life began to present themselves, he passed through that intense mental agony which was then thought to be indispensable in seeking acceptance with God. When at last his doubts and fears were dissipated, it was as if his whole nature was flooded with the sunlight of God's love. From that moment he felt himself wholly called of God, and henceforth dedicated to his work, and bent all his energies to the training of mind and heart for a life of service in the ministry. As was to be expected, the home-life of a nature so deeply religious but reflected his loyalty and devotion to the Christ. It will be seen that the early life of Alexander Campbell found its development in an intensely religious atmosphere. In the family Christ was something more than a name. He was an abiding Guest, and his Word was a treasure whose aroma filled the home with fragrance. A part of the home regime was the daily memorizing of the Scriptures by the younger members of the family. In this way young Campbell was brought up to regard with profound reverence the Word of God, the logical sequence of which was his great life-work of seeking to restore it to its rightful place.

The exalted ideal of Thomas Campbell is seen in his refusal to thrust the family in the way of temptation for the sake of gain. While battling with adversity, he was offered the position of tutor in the family of the Governor-General of Ireland, with a large salary and an elegant residence; but the offer was promptly declined, lest it should endanger the morals of his children by placing before them the fascinations of worldly pride and fashion.

When Alexander was about ten years of age, the family, after many vicissitudes, was established on a farm near the city of Armagh, in the midst of the field of labor to which Thomas Campbell had been called as pastor. The region is described as one of the most beautiful of Ireland. Its rich farms, its lofty hills, its secluded valleys, its sparkling lakes, presented a scene of varied and untiring beauty. Here the boyhood of Alexander was chiefly spent and the foundation of his great learning laid. It is to be presumed that the father and mother, devoted as they were to the highest interests of their children, were his first instructors. But with the increasing duties of his pastorate, the father found it necessary to make other provision for the instruction of his son. Determined that he should not lack opportunity for gaining an education, he was sent to such schools as the vicinity afforded, and later put in an academy, then conducted by his uncles, Archibald and Enos, in the town of Newry, some ten miles distant.

At this period the future reformer manifested none of those traits of intellectual superiority that afterward distinguished him. His rather over-fondness for sports seems to have interfered seriously with his educational progress. He loved the freedom of out-door life better than his books. A rod and line had much more attraction for him than the daily tasks of the school-room. Study became a drudgery, and his persistent negligence filled his father with deep concern. The one anecdote related of his boyhood illustrates both his own indifference and his father's impatience. The French language had been added to his other studies, and on a warm day he sought the shade of a tree as the most suitable place to prepare his lesson in " The Adventures of Telemachus." Falling asleep and dropping his book in the grass, he was unconscious of the approach of a cow, until the animal had seized and actually devoured it. Upon reporting the loss, his father not only severely punished him for his carelessness, but further reprimanded him by telling him that "the cow had got more French in her stomach than he had in his head," a fact which he was not then able to deny. As a last resort, his anxious father, " to break him into his books," determined to put him to work on the farm. He was consequently taken from school and sent to the field. The plan at first seemed destined to miscarry. The change pleased Alexander. He loved the farm. His heart, tender and fresh, beat a responsive note to nature, and he was for the time satisfied with the calling that brought him near to nature's heart. The years thus spent in healthful physical labor were, however, not misspent. They proved to be no small factor in the making of the man, and in his equipment for the place he was ultimately to occupy as a leader of men; for under the invigorating influence of out-door life he gained in health and vigor, laying the foundation of that iron constitution that served him so well in the unremitting labors of later years.

There is a critical period in every young life, which, safely passed, gives promise of a career of usefulness, but which, beset as it is with foes, often leads to disaster. At this dividing of the ways, Alexander Campbell, a youth of some sixteen summers, had now arrived. His future hung upon the course chosen. It was with anxious, prayerful solicitude that his father watched the result, and with justifiable pride that he discovered an awakening thirst for knowledge in the growing boy. His intellectual nature, which he possessed in rich endowment, at last began to assert its claims. The books which had been thrown aside were taken up with renewed interest. A desire for literary distinction possessed him, and he confidentially declared his purpose to become " one of the best scholars of the kingdom."

The pathway along which he now bent his steps was not easy of pursuit. The educational advantages of the community in which he lived were limited, the family resources meager, and a course at the university apparently beyond his reach. But in this emergency the resources of the father were not wanting. He supplied the lack of larger opportunities by personally superintending his son's intellectual development. What an encouraging example these two present, father and son in loving companionship, courageously surmounting all barriers, that they may quaff together the sweet waters of the perennial spring of truth ! But for the wisdom of the father in this struggle, the world had in all probability been robbed of the splendid achievements of the son.

At this fireside university the traits of mind that afterward were so conspicuous in the genius of Alexander Campbell began to display themselves. They were intense mental activity, an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and a remarkably quick and retentive memory. His power to grasp and retain the results of his reading has been surpassed by but few men. It is related of him at this early period that, as a test, he committed to memory sixty lines of blank verse in fifty-two minutes, so that he could repeat them without missing a word. But this remarkable power, which he retained through life, was not the mere accident of genius. It was the result of the most painstaking effort. To develop this faculty he accustomed himself to daily memorizing extracts from the best authors, and thus, early in youth, beside the mental discipline gained, his mind became a storehouse of the best thought and the most chaste language of English literature. As a further aid to memory and thoughtful reading, it was his custom to copy in his notebook extracts from his reading, passages which particularly pleased him. In this way he provided that intellectual furnishing which gave beauty and power to his uttered thought.

The process by which he was now being trained in scholarly pursuits was necessarily slow. Such was the occupation of the father that interruptions often occurred. The duty of attending to the spiritual needs of the church to which he faithfully ministered, besides looking after and providing for a large family, left little time for this labor of love. And now that the family wants might be supplied, it became necessary for the father to supplement his meager salary as pastor by a return to the school-room. A suitable location for an academy having been found in the village of Rich Hill, two miles distant from the parish to which he had for several years ministered, he removed his family thither, and soon witnessed the growth of a flourishing school. All this made heavy demands upon his time; but, notwithstanding, he managed to perfect his son in the preliminary English branches, and to give him such instruction in Latin and Greek as would enable him, should opportunity ever present itself, to enter the classes of the university.

That this work might go on, it became necessary for Alexander to come to his father's relief by rendering such assistance as he could in the academy. So thorough was his mastery of the common branches, that at the age of seventeen he proved himself a most competent teacher and valuable assistant. But while occupied with the daily cares of the school-room, he did not allow himself, for a moment, to swerve from his purpose of gaining an education. He pursued with unflagging energy his own special course of studies, still under his father's guidance. As the seed-time of life, he felt the importance of every moment of sowing, and, therefore, availed himself of every accessible source of knowledge, as well as every fragment of time. While others slept, he communed with the spirit of learning. During these busy days he was accustomed to pursue his studies far into the night, and usually arose at four in the morning to resume them. The work of self-education, the only educational privilege he seemed likely ever to enjoy, thus became a passion with him. But to imagine that the old buoyancy of his nature had been vanquished in this passion, is to mistake the temper of the youth. Along with his love of intellectual pursuits, but always, hereafter, in subjection to it, he carried his intense fondness for out-door sports. His athletic frame made him a favorite among his companions in physical contests of the times, which to the young people of to-day would seem rather strange forms of amusement. He was famed for the size of the snow-balls he could make and the force with which he hurled them in their playful battles. Among the farmers of the neighborhood he easily carried off the championship in sowing grain, an exercise of which he was fond and an art in which he was expert. But along with these antiquated amusements, he also delighted in the use of rod and gun, proving himself an Isaak Walton and Nimrod, both in one. It was by these healthful diversions that he was able to pursue his arduous labors in the school-room and the study, with unimpaired physical vigor.

With the unfolding of mind came the consideration of those serious problems which always present themselves for solution where the Word of God is known. From a youth, Alexander had known and revered the Scriptures. As we have already seen, an important part of the family life was its daily study. Its message had been brought home to him through the worthy example of pious parents. His father, who had become his inseparable companion, was " a pattern of good works," admired and beloved by all who knew him. His mother exerted a no less molding influence upon his religious character. Long after her death, in his declining years, he paid this tribute to her memory:

" She made a nearer approximation to the acknowledged beau ideal of a Christian mother than any one of her sex with whom I have had the pleasure of forming a special acquaintance. I can but gratefully add, that to my mother, as well as to my father, I am indebted for having memorized in early life almost all the writings of King Solomon, his Proverbs, his Ecclesiastes, and many of the Psalms of his father David. They have not only been written on the tablet of my memory, but incorporated with my modes of thinking and speaking." x

In time he began to seriously meditate upon his own religious obligations. As his convictions deepened he became greatly concerned about his own salvation. Of his religious conflicts and triumphs at this period, he, many years afterward, gave the following account:

" From the time that I could read the Scriptures, I became convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. I was also fully persuaded that I was a sinner and must obtain pardon through the merits of Christ or be lost forever. This caused me great distress of soul, and I had much exercise of mind under the awakenings of a guilty conscience. Finally, after many stragglings, I was enabled to put my trust in the Saviour and to feel my reliance on him as the only Saviour of sinners. From the moment I was able to feel this reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ, I obtained and enjoyed peace of mind. It never entered into my head to investigate the subject of baptism or the doctrines of the creed." 2

With Alexander Campbell, this beginning of Christ's service was upon a religious basis that

l Life of Thomas Campbell. 2 Memoirs, Vol. 1, p. 49.

broadened and deepened with each increasing year, until it became the absorbing passion of his life, the flame that shot up illuminating his whole nature, the theme that never ceased to inspire his tongue and pen, and that to the end of his life consumed all his thought and energy. Having accepted Christ, he accepted him for service, and immediately united with the Presbyterian Church, to which his father ministered, that he might aid in its triumphs and contribute to his Master's praise.

II. University Life

\\ 7e come now to a series of circumstances that changed the whole current of Alexander Campbell's life, and made possible his dream of classic attainments. Misfortune after misfortune overtook his father's family, which, in the end, proved to be the leadings of Providence towards a complete preparation for the great work that was to consume his energies.

In the midst of the increasing duties of church and school at Rich Hill, the father's health gave way, threatening a termination of his career of usefulness. As a last resort, his physicians recommended a sea-voyage, in consequence of which his mind turned towards the new world. But from such a step he naturally shrank. He was a man of warm nature and strong attachments, and the thought of severing old ties, and especially of separation for a time from his family, to whose welfare he was devoted, was painful to him, indeed. At this point, Alexander helped his father to a decision by declaring his own intention of emigrating to America as soon as lie had attained his majority, and by further assuring him of his readiness to continue the school and look after the welfare of the family during his absence. So, after much prayerful consideration, and many misgivings, it was finally decided that Thomas Campbell should immediately embark upon the voyage across the Atlantic, and that as soon as a suitable location had been found in the new world, the other members of the family should follow. On this errand he started out, leaving his native land in the early spring of 1807. After a voyage, at that time reckoned as a remarkably quick one, of thirty-five days, he landed in Philadelphia, and immediately proceeded to Western Pennsylvania, whither several of his old neighbors had preceded him. Here he met with a hearty welcome, and found the conditions for a time favorable for the reception of truths he long had cherished as indispensable to the ultimate triumph of Christianity.

In the meantime, the cares and support of the large family fell upon the shoulders of Alexander, who, though but an inexperienced youth of nineteen, assumed the new responsibilities with the wisdom and discretion of one of maturer years. Among other duties which his father's departure placed upon him was the management of the Academy which he assumed until the close of the term. As months wore on and no arrangement had as yet been made for the removal of the family, Alexander, anxious to improve his time, accepted the position of assistant in the school conducted by his uncle Archibald, at Newry, some miles distant from his home village. While thus engaged, word came from his father, bringing assurance that a new home had been provided, and urging the family to make immediate preparation for the voyage. This was in March, 1808. But before the final preparation was completed misfortune again overtook the Campbells. The community was visited by a scourge of small-pox, which invaded the Campbell home and delayed their departure until autumn. When all were convalescent, another attempt was made to join the father, which at first promised to be successful. The family were permitted to embark on one of the slow sailing vessels of that time, for a longvoyage, with a promised reunion, in the end, in a happy home in the new world.

But here another calamity befell them. They were scarcely out of the harbor of Lough Foyle, before a terrible gale swept the vessel in which they had sailed on to the rocky coast of Western Scotland. After three days of alarm and uncertainty, they were stranded upon a hidden rock, and left to the mercy of wind and wave. For hours the fortune of the ship was imperiled, no one knowing at what moment the vessel might go down. Signals of distress were given in vain, and all were in momentary expectation of death.