First principles and perfection

Front matter

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I UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA.

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Chapter I. Intkoductoey

I DESIRE to submit to the readers of the " Christian Standard " a series of articles on the "Principles of the Doctrine of Christ." This language, quoted from Hebrews vi. 1, may be more literally rendered "the word of the beginning of Christ," as in the margin of the Revised Version ; but the meaning of the two renderings is substantially the same. The word of the beginning is in fact the first principle of the gospel, as originally proclaimed.

The immediate context of the passage above cited suggests that these principles are Jundamental; that it was upon them as a foundation that Christianity was built up; or that it was out of them as seed truths that it was developed.

Consequently, it is only by studying and understanding them that we can hope to reach a clear and full comprehension of the Christian religion, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.

It should be noticed that the specification of principles given in the same context ("repentance from dead works,'^ and " faith towards God,'^ with some others) is not exhaustive of the subject, but illustrative of the writer's meaning. The items mentioned were quite sufficient for his purpose, serving as they did to exemplify the kind of things which he would have his readers " leave,'' that they might " go on to perfection.'* But it is scarcely necessary to say, especially to any one who is not " unskillful in the word of righteousness," that some extremely important principles (such, for instance, as faith in Christ) are not included in this list, although to a well instructed Christian they may be implied. I shall therefore feel justified in studying this great subject in its historical presentation and development, ^\t\io\x.t confining myself to the allusions and specifications given in the above cited Scripture.

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It shall be my object to conduct the investigation with all needful care and pains; and while I hope not to be tedious, I shall occupy as much time and space as may be necessary to give a perspicuous and orderly presentation of the whole subject.

On many accounts it is deemed important, not only by myself, but by others in whose wisdom I confide, that this work should be undertaken. The Christian Churches, or the people known as Disciples of Christ, who maintain and propagate the principles which I am herein to present and discuss, have established a character which naturally excites inquiry. They have not only exhibited an unswerving Christian and Biblical conservatism, but they have demonstrated, by almost uniform, certainly by very remarkable success, that they possess elements of influence and power which can not be ignored by religious society, and which are beginning to command respectful attention and consideration from the leaders of religious thought. What I have to say, therefore, may be regarded as to some extent responsive to this state of mind and feeling.

I also have in view that large class of serious and reflective persons, not members of any church, but who feel their responsibilities, who appreciate, at least in a general way, the importance and value of the Christian religion, and who, while caring nothing for the peculiar doctrines and conflicting claims of different sects, would still love to know and to receive the essential truth. They may be in perplexity and mental difficulty. The jars, discords and rivalries among the churches may even have generated sober and honest doubts. May it not all be a delusion? Is there any sure and certain right way? If so, can it be found? And can it be known when it is found? To such persons the first principles of the gospel, clearly set forth, and sufficiently supported by holy Scripture, will be almost like a new revelation from heaven, resolving their doubts, relieving their perplexities, banishing their darkness, and exhibiting in light and beauty the whole way of life and salvation.

Among the Disciples themselves, also, there are weighty reasons wliy those principles should be given a prominent and conspicuous

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place; and why they should be viewed from different angles, and exhibited in different lights. It is true that none of us can be said to be wholly ignorant of them. They have been discussed and advocated over and over again ; in some instances with indiscretion and ad nauseam; but in general, with thoughtful care and considerate adaptation. They have been viewed by minds of singular clearness and penetration, and supported with pen and tongue by men of great learning and strength. I can not hope to surpass or even equal the able writers who have preceded me in this field. They have reaped the harvest; I come, like Ruth the Moabitess, to glean after them. Still, however wisely and skillfully they wrought, the special value of their work grew out of its adaptation to the times and circumstances which called for it. Now the times have changed. A new generation has come forward. Peculiar conditions and circumstances have arisen. In some respects the tone, spirit and attitude of the churches have been modified. "Works which were formerly read with delight, and appreciated by every one at their true intrinsic value, are now seldom read at all, especially by the young, and when read seem to have lost something of the flavor and freshness originally possessed by them. In this rapid age it takes but a few years for such productions to go out of date. And therefore, if what I may say shall have no greater value, it must at least, and for a time, have the value of recency.

It may be proper to add that, if spared to prosecute this undertaking, I expect to do so in my own way. I shall not seek after novelty, nor to avoid the paths which great and good men have trodden before me; and no doubt 1 shall generally, if not always, find myself in their company; but I shall not slavishly follow them. The nature of the subject, and the importance of the circumstances which call for its present discussion, demand that it shall be studied and treated de novo.

Finally, I can not forget that the spirit of Christian unity is becoming daily more and more potential in religious society. Even the ministers of the different churches — who have hitherto exerted a repressive influence upon this spirit — are beginning to feel its force, and to

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anticipate the joy of its full development. And now that some of them, nay, that many of them, are coming toward us, as it were, with flags of truce, and words of love, rather than as of old with clubs and taunts, it would ill become me to meet them with blows and reproaches. If it was ever proper and necessary to present and advocate the principles of the gospel in the spirit and with the bearing of controversy and belligerency, it is not so now. It is not a time of war, but of peace ; a time in which we may hope to " sit down together at the feet of our common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his spirit, and to transcribe his life in our own." We believe that the great fundamental principles for which we have so earnestly contended, and which have given us so much satisfaction and strength, are catholic in their nature; that by a divine adaptation they are fitted to and needed by every creature in all the world ; and that it requires only a dispassionate consideration of them, free from bias and prejudice, for all to see that they are indeed what we believe them to be, " the truth as it is in Jesus."

CHAPTER 11.

AUTHORITY.

In approaching the investigation upon which we are about to enter, it is necessary first of all to consider the question of authority ; for we can but acknowledge and feel that the subject itself is one which, from its very nature, is beyond the range of our own unaided thinking. We must have instruction and guidance. No philosophy, however profound and far-reaching, could ever lead us to the principles of the gospel of Christ. They belong to a different and higher sphere, beyond the boundaries of the realms both of consciousness and of observation. It is true that they come at length to be brought within the domain of consciousness, generating their delightful experiences, and leading the mind to intelligent and fruitful observation. But they must be brought there. Primarily, we can not go to them ; they must come to us. Left to themselves, our loftiest powers are wholly unable to solve hnmanity's most solemn problem. As already intimated,

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no system of philosophy ever did or ever could make known to a human being what he must do to be saved. On this subject we are dependent, absolutely and entirely, upon revelation.

Furthermore, as we did not and could not originate the principles of life and salvation ; as they did not arise in us, and do not primarily belong to us, we have neither the right nor the competency to modify or change them. On the contrary, believing as we do that they were given to us from above, and given by Him who is the source of all light and truth, of all knowledge and wisdom, as He is of all saving grace and power, there is nothing that we can legitimately do but honestly study, gratefully embrace and faithfully observe them.

In this investigation we assume that the Bible is the desiderated authority. We assume it because those whom we shall address will not call it in question. If we were seeking to influence avowed infidels and skeptics, it would be necessary, first of all, to argue the point which we now take for granted, and give our reasons for believing that the Bible is the word of God, and its authority absolute and final. But, happily for our purpose, this preliminary work is not here necessary. We occupy ground which is common to all whom we shall especially address — the divine inspiration and authority of Holy Scripture.

It may be necessary, however, in order to relieve the subject of possible complications, to pause for a little while upon the meaning of inspiration; for while all reverent piety admits the fact of inspiration, and rejoices in it, there is room for wide divergence of opinion as to what the fact implies; and it is still an open question, In what sense is the Bible inspired?

Without pausing to notice the growth of the doctrine of inspiration as exhibited in the writings of Jewish theologians, church fathers, the schoolmen of the middle ages, and the theologians of the Reformation period, it will suffice to consider that at present all the nice distinctions and finely drawn discriminations of the past are generally disregarded, and the whole matter seems to be resolving itself into an issue between two theories :

1. That the very words of Scripture, just as they were originally penned, were dictated by

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tbe Holy Spirit — ^the writers being his passive instruments.

2. That the writers themselves were inspired with the knowledge of the truth, and were moved by the Holy Spirit to give expression to that knowledge, but in their own language; he, however, superintending the work, and preserving them from error ; and that where the truth was of such character that it could be acquired by ordinary means, without the necessity of immediate revelation from heaven, this superintendence of the Holy Spirit sufficed.

It should be added that there are persons (of them the writer is one) who believe that neither of the above theories will hold good in its application to every part of the Bible ; and that it requires both to cover the whole of the sacred volume.

The twentieth chapter of Exodus will serve to illustrate my meaning in very few words. Here, if we credit the record, we are obliged to believe that " God spake all these words *' ; that he actually enunciated and dictated the identical words which follow, namely, the ten commandments — that is, from the first to the seventeenth

IS FIRST PRINCIPLES.

verse inclusive. But now, when we reach verse 18, we can but recognize that we are on a different plane. It reads: "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking : and when the people saw it, they removed and stood afar off.'' Certainly this is a faithful record of what took place. It is the truth ; but the knowledge of this truth was derived from observation rather than revelation. Moses saw what was done, and, moved by the Holy Spirit, he was led to put it upon record ; and if, under the superintendence of thut Spirit, he was preserved from mistake or error, we have the exact truth of the case, although the words may have been his own.

And so throughout the whole Book : when we read it with discrimination and reflection, we see that in parts it records what God immediately revealed, and what he said ; in other parts, what holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; in others still, mere historical information, giving incidents and narratives — telling what was said and done by good men and bad, by angels and demons ; but the entire

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record " inspired " — that is to say, the Holy Spirit, by his superintending influence, directed and controlled the writers as to what should be recorded and what should not ; and so strengthened their memories and guided their hands as to preserve them from error in making the record.

But it matters not what particular theory of inspiration we may favor — what special phase of the doctrine we may regard as best accordant with the facts — if we do but hold fast to the conviction that the Bible is not an accident, nor yet the product of mere human genius, but that in some high and altogether peculiar sense it is the work of God, containing his word, revealing his will, and teaching his truth ; and that the Holy Spirit who, in some way, presided over its composition, pervades it still, and imparts himself through it.

We should read and study it, therefore, in the spirit of profound reverence, believing that when we have reached its true sense and meaning, we have acquired the very truth of God, from which there can be no appeal. Nor should we forget that however controlling and conclusive its authority, and however high and sacred ite revelations, it is all written in human language — retaining the current sense of the words which it uses, and combining them into propositions and sentences, according to the rules and laws governing human compositions. This fact suggests the sure and safe way to its proper understanding and interpretation. We are to observe in our investigation of its meaning the same rules and laws which were observed in its composition.

CHAPEER III.

THE STARTING PLACE.

It is important to bear in mind that the true historical beginning of Christianity, considered as an institution, is not found in the first chapters of the four Gospels, but in the last. This institution or church was founded and widely spread over the earth before any of these Gospels had been written; and it was founded by the application of those very principles which are the subject of our present investigation. It is true that the wonderful facts which came subsequently to be recorded by the evangelists were well known by the apostles. The Christ had come into the world — God's only begotten Son — and had lived and taught among men. His chosen disciples had listened to his instructions, had witnessed his miraculous works, had been near to him in his sufferings and death, and had seen him again and again after his resurrection. On one of these occasions — the last one, at the close of his earthly work and mission, and lust before he went back to live

' -^ 21 forever with his Father in Heaven — he gave commandment to his apostles, and sent them forth into the world. He commissioned them as bis embassadors, giving them special instructions as to what they were to teach and what they were to do in his name; and it was the execution of this mission which resulted subsequently in the establishment of the church and the propagation of the Christian religion. This, then, was the starting place. It was the initiation of the great movement which has so wonderfully and powerfully affected the world; and we may expect, consequently, to find in this commission, either explicitly or implicitly, all the essential elements and '^ first principles" of the doctrine of Christ. It shall be my object, therefore, to study it, first in its terms — to weigh and consider with all possible care the language of the document itself; to see what it means — what the Saviour meant by it ; and then, secondly, to go with the inspired apostles out into the world, as they were engaged in the execution of it, in order to see how they understood it. I can not doubt that, if we engage in this task in the proper spirit, free from all bias and

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prejudice, and in humble dependence upon God, we shall be guided into the certain knowledge of those great principles which constitute the very essence and stability of the Christian religion.

We have in the Synoptic Gospels three separate versions of the commission. The reasons for this we need not pause here to consider; suffice it is to say that they are mutually supplementary to each other, and we may understand that together they give us all the elements of that most important and fruitful deliverance. I will quote them here, once for all, as they stand in the Revised Version.

1. " And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying. All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you : and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt, xxviii. 18-20.)

2. "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.)

3. "Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the Scriptures; and he said unto them, Thus it is Tvritten, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send forth the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye in the city, until ye be clothed with power from on high.'' (Luke xxiv. 45-49.)

We can not doubt that our Lord imparted to the apostles, on the occasion to which I have alluded, all the terms of this commission, i. e., everything mentioned in Matthew, in ]\Iark, and in Luke; but the Holy Spirit, perhaps in order to induce us to study and compare these sacred records, has caused them to be written in part by one evangelist and in part by the others.

A brief and, for the present, quite superficial comparison of these versions will serve to show that, from Matthew's alone, we should not know

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how disciples were to be made; and while it reveals the obligation imposed upon the apostles to administer baptism, it does not disclose the motive which would induce men to submit to or desire baptism. From Mark's version alone we should have no baptismal formula; nor should we know that the baptized would sustain the personal relation of disciples to the Lord; and from neither of these versions should we learn that repentance was to be preached. From Luke's version we learn nothing about belief , or the consequence of disbelief; nothing about baptism; nothing about discipleship ; but we do learn that the word " saved/' as used in Mark, has the special signification of "remission of sins," and that this is closely connected with repentance. "We also learn that the apostles were to be witnesses of the facts of the gospel ; that they were to begin in Jerusalem, but not until after they should be clothed with power from on high.

If now we merge the three versions into one, and arrange their several items in what seems to be the natural order of their presentation, we shall have the following tabulation :

1. The apostles were to tarry in Jerusalem until they should be clothed with power from on high.

2. They were (first in Jerusalem and afterwards in all the world) to " preach the gospel," involving the Christhood, the sufferings and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

3. They were to bear personal "witness" to the facts of the gospel, and to confirm their testimony by the written word — their minds having been opened to understand the Scriptures.

4. They were to expect that the gospel thus preached and witnessed would, in many cases, result in ^' belief," in others in " disbelief," to be followed by "condemnation."

6. Those who believed would, as the natural consequence, though it is not here stated in terms, become distressed on account uf their personal sins.

6. Such persons were to be told in the first place to "repent," and in the second, to be ^' baptized" in the name of Christ, and ^' into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

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7. Upon compliance, they were to be assured of the "remission of sins/^ or that they were " saved '^ from their sins.

8. As the result of all this, they would be recognized as "disciples" of Christ, and, as his disciples, they were to be "taught" to observe " all things that he had commanded."

9. In the execution of this commission the apostles were assured that their Lord would always "be with them," even "unto the end of the world."

From this brief summary of the commission, it is evident that some things in it must, of necessity, be confined exclusively to the apostles — such as their personal testimony to the facts of the gospel, and their miraculous endowment from on high; both of which, however, were for the sake of establishing those great and fundamental principles of the gospel — also contained in the commission — which are of universal and unchanging obligation. These we shall next take up seriatim. And surely if Christianity was developed out of them, and if it is still maintained and perpetuated by them, they must he worthy of our most thoughtful and serious consideration.

CHAPTER IV.

THE GOSPEL.

The word gospel, as used in the New Testament, is to my mind one of the strongest incidental proofs of the supernatural origin and divine inspiration of that sacred volume. It is indeed a significant fact that no philosopher, even the most eminent, was ever led to call his system a gospel, much less the gospel ; and obviously for the reason that it was not a gospel. However wide the range and application of the term philosophy, as used by us — whether we consider it as the product of observation or of speculation — it is in any case but a result of human thought. It originates with man. But the word gospel, as it comes from the lips of Christ and the evangelists, points directly to an origin outside of man, and remote from him. It i? good news — glad tidings — joyful intelligence; and, like all intelligence or news, therefore, it is brought in from without — from afar ! It comes from a region which to mere philosophy is foreign and unknown — a region in which primarily it neither moves nor can move. But in the New

Testament, and in the New Testament alone, the word in this high sense is of repeated occurrence. It seems to arise spontaneously, and to be used as a matter-of-course ; to be used as the natural and only proper word to express the stupendous fact that Heaven was speaking to Earth, and speaking in terms of love and salvation. And it will doubtless occur to the reader that both the nature and origin of this gospel are beautifully indicated by the proclamation of the angel to the shepherds: ^'Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy/' I bring you! I bring you from above ! My message is good news from Heaven !

Later on, when the Babe in the manger had become a man, and had entered upon his ministry, he speaks of " the gospel of the kingdom," the good news that " the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And still later, when he had wrought redemption for the human race, and had triumphed over death and the grave ; when he had been made perfect through sufferings, and become man's only but all-sufficient Saviour — this constituted the good news ; and hence it was called "the gospel of Christ" — the glad tidings concerDing Him who was sent by the Father to be the Saviuur of the world ; of Him who Game from heaven to seek and to save that which was lost. And it was these wonderful and wholly exceptional characteristics of his history — what lie was, whence he came, what he said, what he did, what he achieved — that constituted ihe elements of " news " in the apostolic proclamation. He therefore bases the commandment to preach the gospel upon these historical facts; that he was the Christ, as shown by the perfect correspondence of his life and work with the written word ; that, still in accordance with this word, he had suffered, and risen again from the dead ; that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to him, and, consequently, that in his " name '^ (now above every name) men might procure the "remission of sins." These fundamental facts, with all that they involved — God's infinite mercy and gracious disposition — were to be universally heralded, proclaimed, preached ; and by such preaching — foolish and impotent as it might seem to be in the eyes of philosophy — it pleased him to save them that believe. And this preaching itself— the preaching of the cross — at once expressed and imparted, displayed and conveyed the wisdom of God and the power of God. In no sense therefore was it "after men," or according to man's wisdom. And I doubt if we have been a' tie even yet to appreciate how much this " foolishness of God is wiser than men."

I presume that very few, if any, of us have fully succeeded in overcoming wiiat seems to be a sort of natural proneness to attach undue importance, in matters of religion, to the merely outward; to forms and ceremonies; to the spectacular — something that may be seen — something that is presented, or, at any rate, presentable, to the eye! But God's wisdom is manifested in this : that in order to save the soul, he addresses the ear !

I am happy to believe that the more thoughtful and considerate among the people of God are coming to a better appreciation and realization of the fact that raen can not be saved., that is to say, can not be brought baek into communion with Him who is essential Spirit, otherwise than by the preaching of the gospel.

In the realm of mere material things it may be true, as Addison says, that " our sight is the most perfect and most delightful of all our senses ;" that it " may be considered as a more delicate and diffusive kind of touch, that spreads itself over an infinite multitude of bodies, comprehends the largest figures, and brings into our reach some of the most remote parts of the universe." But with all this, the eye, it will be noticed, is still limited to "bodies," to "figures," to the shape and size and colors of things, and, in fact, to the outside only of even these. But the living voice comes from within, and it bears along with itself a portion of that internal spirit out of which it is born ; and it bears it through " the hearing of faith," into the very innermost spirit of him who hears. I do not forget that the voice may be recorded by the use of conventional symbols which are made to represent words, and which, by a figure of speech, we have come to call words. In fact, however, they are but suggestive signs of the real words. Still, we are so familiar with what they signify, we connect them so instantaneously in our thought with the signs for which they stand, that we can look upon them with our eyes, and drink in their meaning. The mind seems to hear^ while the eye beholds. For this reason the written or printed document, perused in the quiet and stillness of the closet, may have great value, and may exert salutary influence ; but for the highest effect, for the best results, for the attainment of the great end contemplated by the Saviour, all experience and observation have shown that nothing is equal and nothing is comparable to the actual and literal preaching of the gospel. With deepest and most consummate wisdom, therefore, the Lord ordained that, as the very first principle of salvation, as the initiation of the whole process, the gospel should be preached. And with all our Bible Societies and printing presses we shall never be able to dispense with this part of the commission. There is no possible substitute for it. Whatever else we may do or leave undone, whatever changes may take place in our condition or circumstances, and whatever modifications or developments may be made in our conceptions of ecclesiastical and doctrinal subjects, it must still remain true, that, while we recognize the authority of Christ, and bow to him as our King and Lord, it will be solemnly incumbent upon us, either in person or by representatives, to " go into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation."