The Propositions

The bold lead-in summaries are editorial aids; Campbell’s wording is unchanged.

Prop. 1. The church is essentially one. That the church of Christ upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one, consisting of all those in every place that profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the scriptures, and that manifest the same by their tempers and conduct, and of none else, as none else can be truly and properly called Christians.

2. Local societies, yet no schism. That although the church of Christ upon earth must necessarily exist in particular and distinct societies, locally separate one from another, yet there ought to be no schisms, no uncharitable divisions among them. They ought to receive each other as Christ Jesus hath also received them to the glory of God. And for this purpose, they ought all to walk by the same rule, to mind and speak the same thing, and to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.

3. Only Scripture as terms of communion. That in order to this, nothing ought to be inculcated upon Christians as articles of faith nor required of them as terms of communion, but what is expressly taught and enjoined upon them, in the word of God. Nor ought any thing be admitted, as of divine obligation, in their church constitution and managements, but what is expressly enjoined by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles upon the New Testament church; either in expressed terms, or by approved precedent.

4. The New Testament as the church’s constitution. That although the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are inseparably connected, making together but one perfect and entire revelation of the Divine will for the edification and salvation of the church, and therefore in that respect cannot be separated. Yet, as to what directly and properly belongs to their immediate object, the New Testament is as perfect a constitution for the worship, discipline, and government of the New Testament church, and as perfect a rule for the particular duties of its members, as the Old Testament was for the worship, discipline, and government of the Old Testament church, and the particular duties of its members.

5. No human laws where Scripture is silent. That with respect to the commands and ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, where the scriptures are silent, as to the express time or manner of performance, if any such there be, no human authority has power to interfere in order to supply the supposed deficiency by making laws for the church. Nor can anything more be required of Christians in such cases, but only that they so observe these commands and ordinances, as will evidently answer the declared and obvious end of their institution. Much less has any human authority power to impose new commands or ordinances upon the church, which our Lord Jesus Christ has not enjoined. Nothing ought to be received into the faith or worship of the church, or be made a term of communion amongst Christians, that is not as old as the New Testament.

6. Inferences are not terms of communion. That although inferences and deductions from scripture premises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God’s holy word, yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of Christians farther than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so. For their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power and veracity of God. Therefore, no such deduction can be made in terms of communion, but do properly belong to the after and progressive edification of the church. Hence, it is evident that no such deductions or inferential truths ought to have any place in the churches confession.

7. Human creeds not terms of communion. That although doctrinal exhibitions of the great system of divine truths, and defensive testimonies in opposition to prevailing errors, be highly expedient, and the more full and explicit they be, for those purposes, the better. Yet as these must be in a great measure the effect of human reasoning, and of course must contain many inferential truths, they ought not to be made terms of Christian communion; unless we suppose, what is contrary to fact, that none have a right to the communion of the church, but such as possess a very clear and decisive judgment, or are come to a very high degree of doctrinal information. Whereas the church from the beginning did, and ever will, consist of little children and young men, as well as fathers.

8. What is required for membership? That as it is not necessary that persons should have a particular knowledge or distinct apprehension of all divinely revealed truths in order to entitle them to a place in the church, neither should they, for this purpose, be required to make a profession more extensive than their knowledge. But that, on the contrary, their having a due measure of scriptural self-knowledge respecting their lost and perishing condition by nature and practice, and of the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, accompanied with a profession of their faith in, and obedience to him, in all things according to his word, is all that is absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into his church.

9. Mutual love among the professing. That all that are enabled, through grace, to make such a profession, and to manifest the reality of it in their tempers and conduct, should consider each other as the precious saints of God, should love each other as brethren, children of the same family and father, temples of the same spirit, members of the same body, subjects of the same grace, objects of the same divine love, bought with the same price, and joint heirs of the same inheritance. Whom God hath thus joined together no man should dare to put asunder.

10. Division is a horrid evil. That division among Christians is a horrid evil, fraught with many evils. It is anti-Christian, as it destroys the visible unity of the body of Christ as if he were divided against himself, excluding and excommunicating a part of himself. It is anti-scriptural, as being strictly prohibited by his sovereign authority, a direct violation of his express command. It is anti-natural, as it excites Christians to contemn, to hate, and oppose one another, who are bound by the highest and most endearing obligations to love each other as brethren, even as Christ has loved them. In a word, it is productive of confusion and of every evil work.

11, The causes of corruption and division. That, in some instances, a partial neglect of the expressly revealed will of God, and, in others, an assumed authority for making the approbation of human opinions and human inventions, a term of communion by introducing them into the constitution, faith, or worship, of the church, are, and have been, the immediate, obvious, and universally acknowledged causes of all the corruptions and divisions that ever have taken place in the church of God.

12. The path to the church’s purity. That all that is necessary to the highest state of perfection and purity of the church upon earth is, first, that none be received as members, but such as having that due measure of scriptural self-knowledge described above, do profess their faith in Christ and obedience to him in all things according to the scriptures. Nor secondly, that any be retained in her communion longer than they continue to manifest the reality of their profession by their tempers and conduct. Thirdly, that her ministers, duly and scripturally qualified, inculcate none other things than those very articles of faith and holiness expressly revealed and enjoined in the word of God. Lastly, that in all their administration they keep close by the observance of all divine ordinances, after the example of the primitive church, exhibited in the New Testament without any additions whatsoever of human opinions or inventions of men.

13. Lastly. Circumstantials as human expedients. That if any circumstantial, indispensably necessary to the observance of divine ordinances be not found upon the page of express revelation, such, and such only, as are absolutely necessary for this purpose, should be adopted, under the title of human expedients, without any pretence to a more sacred origin, so that any subsequent alteration or difference in the observance of these things might produce no contention nor division in the church.

From the nature and construction of these propositions, it will evidently appear that they are laid in a designed subserviency to the declared end of our association and are exhibited for the express purpose of performing a duty of previous necessity. A duty loudly called for in existing circumstances at the hands of everyone that would desire to promote the interests of Zion, a duty not only enjoined, as has been already observed from Is. 57:14, but which is also there predicted of the faithful remnant as a thing in which they would voluntarily engage.

“He that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain; and shall say, cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way; take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people.” To prepare the way for a permanent scriptural unity amongst Christians, by calling up to their consideration fundamental truths, directing their attention to first principles, clearing the way before them by removing the stumbling blocks, the rubbish of ages which has been thrown upon it, and fencing it on each side, that in advancing towards the desired object, they may not miss the way through mistake or inadvertency, by turning aside to the right hand or to the left is, at least, the sincere intention of the above propositions.

It remains with our brethren, now, to say how far they go toward answering this intention. Do they exhibit truths demonstrably evident in the light of scripture and right reason, so that to deny any part of them, the contrary assertion would be manifestly absurd and inadmissible? Considered as a preliminary for the above purpose, are they adequate, so that if acted upon, they would infallibly lead to the desired issue? If evidently defective in either of these respects, let them be corrected and amended till they become sufficiently evident, adequate, and unexceptionable. In the meantime, let them be examined with rigor, with all the rigor that justice, candor, and charity will admit.

If we have mistaken the way, we shall be glad to be set right, but if, in the meantime, we have been happily led to suggest obvious and undeniable truths, which, if adopted and acted upon, would infallibly lead to the desired unity, and secure it when obtained, we hope it will be no objection that they have not proceeded from a general council. It is not the voice of the multitude, but the voice of truth that has power with the conscience that can produce rational conviction and acceptable obedience. A conscience that awaits the decision of the multitude, that hangs in suspense for the casting vote of the majority, is a fit subject for the man of sin. This, we are persuaded, is the uniform sentiment of real Christians of every denomination. Would to God that all professors were such, then should our eyes soon behold the prosperity of Zion; we should soon see Jerusalem a quiet habitation.

Union in truth has been, and ever must be, the desire and prayer of all such. Union in Truth is our motto. The Divine Word is our Standard; in the Lord’s name do we display our banners. Our eyes are upon the promises; “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Our humble desire is to be his standard bearers, to fight under his banner and with his weapons, “which are not carnal; but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” even all these strong holds of division, those partition walls of separation which, like the wall of Jericho, have been built up as it were to the very heavens to separate God’s people, to divide is flock and so to prevent them from entering into their promised rest, at least in so far as it respects this world. An enemy hath done this; but he shall not finally prevail; “for the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” “And the kingdom and dominion, even the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, and they shall possess it forever.”

But this cannot be in their present broken and divided state, “for a kingdom, or an house divided against itself cannot stand, but cometh to desolation.” Now this has been the case with the church for a long time. However, “the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his heritage, but judgment shall return unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.” To all such, and such alone, are our expectations directed. Come, then, ye blessed of the Lord, we have your prayers; let us also have your actual assistance. What, shall we pray for a thing and not strive to obtain it?