THERE is no such thing in this country as Campbellism, nor is there any such body of people as Campbellites. There is a people in this country that have gone back to our Lord to learn what he gave to the apostles and authorized them to preach, and to the apostles and learned what they preached to the world, and what they taught the church; who receive what the apostles preached and taught, and believe it in full; no more, no less. In this they claim to receive the religion of Christ itself, as he and his authorized ambassadors set it forth. They receive and believe it on the authority of its divine founder, the Lord, from heaven, and enforce it on all who hear them, as the only complete, perfect and divine system in the world; the only true religion; the religion of Christ itself. They claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, children of God. The body to which they belong is simply the body of Christ, the kingdom of God, the church. Christ is their head; their infallibility. They believe on him. They obey him. They hope for all he has promised, and fear all he has threatened. To be in him is to be in his body, in the kingdom, in the church, to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. They receive him and all he has said, but reject all that did not come from him. This is no Campbellism, nor Methodism; but the religion of Christ itself. That is what we are for, and we are for it because it is from God, and has the authority of God in it.
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
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About This Book
A curated anthology of sermons, debates, tracts, and miscellaneous religious writings arranged by subject and indexed for quick reference. Selections treat biblical authority, church order and practices (such as baptism and communion), pastoral responsibilities and preaching, moral exhortation, repentance and salvation, missionary effort, and reflections on life’s brevity. Short homiletic pieces blend doctrinal argument with practical counsel and urgent appeals for immediate personal and communal reform, offering guidance for Christian conduct and for those engaged in ministry or church renewal.