Bible Truths Illustrated by J. C. Ferdinand Pittman

—
:
:
BIBLE TRUTHS ILLUSTRATED
tians upon this basis. The proposition urged upon the religious
world by the Campbells was, to begin anew ; to begin at the beginning;
to ascend the stream to the pure fountain of truth, disregarding
all decrees of popes, councils, and synods; all traditions,
perversions, and corruptions ; to work, not a reformation of the
church as sought by Luther and Calvin, but its complete restoration
at once to its original purity and perfectness. The conclusion
was that the union of Christians for which the Master
prayed could result from nothing short of the destruction of
creeds and confessions of faith, inasmuch as human creeds and
confessions had destroyed Christian union : that the teaching of
the apostles is the only and all-sufficient means of uniting all the
people of God, and the union of Christians with the apostles'
testimony is all-sufficient, and alone sufficient, to the conversion
of the world to Christ. F. D. Power.
739. The churches in this Restoration movement aim to
restore the Bible to its primitive place in producing penitents,
guiding them unto salvation and in giving to the churches all
instructions needed for their edification and guidance. It will
be noticed that this modern movement for Christian union does
not seek to introduce new doctrines into the religious world. It
seeks rather the restoration of the old Jerusalem gospel with its
doctrines, ordinances, and fruits. Its promoters thoroughly
believe in all the truths accepted by evangelical bodies, and
simply strive to remove the sectarian growths that have fastened
themselves to the old ship Zion during its course through the
centuries. Among its favorite mottoes are these
No book but the Bible.
No creed but the Christ.
No name but the divine.
No plea but the gospel.
No aim but to serve.
In
Christ—unity.
In opinions—liberty.
In all things—charity. — Henry F. Lutz.
740. "It is often said : 'Oh, names are nothing !' I reply
'Just so ; human names are nothing, and for that reason they are
profitless and may be set aside as of no service. . . . Let the
266