The Christian System - Chapter 2
THE BIBLE
I. One God, one moral system, one Bible. If nature be a system, religion is no less so. God is "a God of order," and that is the same as to say he is a God of system. Nature and religion, the offspring of the same supreme intelligence, bear the image of one father; twin sisters of the same Divine parentage. There is an intellectual and a moral universe as clearly bounded as the system of material nature. Man belongs to the whole three. He is an animal, intellectual, and moral being. Sense is his guide in nature, faith in religion, reason in both. The Bible contemplates man primarily in his spiritual and eternal relations. It is the history of nature, so far only as is necessary to show man his origin and destiny; for it contemplates nature, the universe, only in relation to man's body, soul, and spirit.
II. The Bible is to the intellectual and moral world of man, what the sun is to the planets in our system;--the fountain and source of light and life, spiritual and eternal. There is not a spiritual idea in the whole human race, that is not drawn from the Bible. As soon will the philosopher find an independent sunbeam in nature, as the theologian a spiritual conception in man, independent of THE ONE BEST BOOK.
III. The Bible, or the Old and New Testaments, in Hebrew and Greek, contains a full and perfect revelation of God and his will, adapted to man as he now is. It speaks of man as he was, and also as he will hereafter be; but it dwells on man as he is, and as he ought to be, as its peculiar and appropriate theme. It is not, then, a treatise on man as he was, nor on man as he will be, but on man as he is, and as he ought to be; not as he is physically, astronomically, geologically, politically, or metaphysically; but as he is and ought to be morally and religiously.
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I. One God, one moral system, one Bible. If nature be a system, religion is no less so. God is "a God of order," and that is the same as to say he is a God of system. Nature and religion, the offspring of the same supreme intelligence, bear the image of one father; twin sisters of the same Divine parentage. There is an intellectual and a moral universe as clearly bounded as the system of material nature. Man belongs to the whole three. He is an animal, intellectual, and moral being. Sense is his guide in nature, faith in religion, reason in both. The Bible contemplates man primarily in his spiritual and eternal relations. It is the history of nature, so far only as is necessary to show man his origin and destiny; for it contemplates nature, the universe, only in relation to man's body, soul, and spirit.
II. The Bible is to the intellectual and moral world of man, what the sun is to the planets in our system;--the fountain and source of light and life, spiritual and eternal. There is not a spiritual idea in the whole human race, that is not drawn from the Bible. As soon will the philosopher find an independent sunbeam in nature, as the theologian a spiritual conception in man, independent of THE ONE BEST BOOK.
III. The Bible, or the Old and New Testaments, in Hebrew and Greek, contains a full and perfect revelation of God and his will, adapted to man as he now is. It speaks of man as he was, and also as he will hereafter be; but it dwells on man as he is, and as he ought to be, as its peculiar and appropriate theme. It is not, then, a treatise on man as he was, nor on man as he will be, but on man as he is, and as he ought to be; not as he is physically, astronomically, geologically, politically, or metaphysically; but as he is and ought to be morally and religiously.
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posted by Ken | 9:29 PM
5 Comments:
Are we simply reading the CS or are we trying to understand what AC is all about?
I have nothing against simply reading this work . . . but it would be nice to also know where the man is coming from.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com
I'm not reading The Christian System to find "what AC is all about". Instead I'm interested in the reasons and arguments that are offered in support of his "reformation". I want to learn what principles were utilized.
Frankly, pointing out what great a guy Alexander Campbell was isn't going to be of much help for unity among Christians.
But you are free to post any insights you may have. Going back to chapter 1, does it seem to you that Campbell presents the argument that unless one has a comprehensive knowledge of the universe on can't speak authoritatively on anything? What of the idea that Christianity has a certain "order" to it willed by God?
"Now we may say with propriety say, that as it respects God, there is an understanding distance. All beyond that distance cannot understand God; all within it, can easily understand him in all matters of piety and morality. God, himself, is the centre of that circle, and humility is its circumference.
"
Is that statement really true? Wouldn't there be a distance where one could understand some things and not others. Using the analogy of the speaker and "hearing distance", it seems to me that there is a distance at which nothing can be heard, a distance in which somethings could be heard, and a distance in which everything could be heard.
Ken -
Hi, grew up in one of the Restoration Movement progeny (instrumental independent Church of Christ/Christian Churches). I have since come to embrace the Orthodox faith as truly the return to 'primitive' Christianity.
You said above: I want to learn what principles were utilized.
In any approach certain presumptions will often appear.
One of the primary presumptions that Mr. Campbell seems to have brought to his movement was the sense that the Protestant canon of the OT was normative, rather than that which the early Church used and which the apostles and Christ seemed to quote generally from, i.e., the Septuagint. I have not, in my reading through this document and other writings in the Millenial Harbinger, found much discussion of canon, its formation, or the effect certain presumptions surrounding it may have on 'the Christian System.'
Since Mr. Campbell in his later essay on Christian Unity (but I'll maybe make more comment on assumptions in that when you get there!), he makes the plea to found unity on scripture alone (as we used to say - speak where the scriptures speak and remain silent where they are silent), the issue of OT canon may become rather relevant.
Here, I am specifically only pointing out his presumption in III of this chapter where he says: The Bible, or the Old and New Testaments, in Hebrew and Greek, contains a full and perfect revelation of God and his will, adapted to man as he now is.
Eric,
Thanks for joining in! I agree that, basically, chapter 2 is simply presumptive. Campbell doesn't offer evidence just a declaration of truth (as he sees it). Dare I say dogma?
Of course, his main audience and perhaps exclusive audience almost certainly would be fellow Protestants so his assertions would not be criticized.
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