IT is desirable, in view of references already made, and of many which will follow, that some account should here be given of the communities of Christian believers who are herein designated "Churches of Christ."
Early in the last century, Thomas Campbell, a Presbyterian Minister of the Succession Church, who had emigrated from Ireland to the United States, issued in the year 1809, a "Declaration and Address," in which he advanced reasons against all formulas of religious theory or opinion, and urged that the Word of God, divinely inspired, was all-sufficient for the salvation of man, the edification of the Church and the sanctification of the saint. As a result of the opposition in the Synod which this statement aroused, Thomas Campbell formally withdrew from the communion and fellowship of the Church, and, in company with a few of like mind, formed what was at first designated "The Christian Association" of Washington, whose object was the promotion of simple Evangelical Christianity, free from all mixture of human opinions and inventions of men. In this movement Thomas Campbell was joined by his son, Alexander, whose powerful and eloquent advocacy contributed greatly to the success of the cause in America.
In this country, at the same time, a similar movement had commenced in the Scotch Baptist Churches, influenced chiefly through the writings of William Jones, M.A., of London, in his magazine The Millennial Harbinger; but it was not until the year 1833 that Mr. Jones came into personal contact with "the Disciples" of America, through meeting, in London, Mr. Peyton C. Wyeth, who, as a friend of Alexander Campbell, was able to put Mr. Jones into communication with him.
From the correspondence thus begun between these able men, a more determined advocacy of Scripture truth followed, and as a result, a number of the Scotch Baptists left their former associates in order to form Churches of New Testament order. Amongst the earliest was James Wallis, of Nottingham, the grandfather of Sydney Black, who, with others, formed in 1836 the first gathering in this country to bear the name of "Church of Christ." Other Churches afterwards became associated under the same name, and in 1842 the first Conference was held at Edinburgh, when enquiry showed the existence of some 50 such Churches, with a membership of over 1300. After an interval of five years, a second Conference was called in 1847, and ever since a General Conference of Churches of Christ has been held annually up to the present year, 1911, when at Leicester 200 Churches reported a membership of nearly 15,000 members. The movement has made specially rapid progress in America, while it is well represented in Australia and New Zealand. The latest returns for the World show nearly 12,000 Churches with a membership of 1,350,000.
Within the limits of this short sketch it will be impossible to do more than present a brief outline of the propaganda of these Churches, and it is given here in order that the reader may understand the cause which was so enthusiastically espoused, and so strenuously maintained, by the subject of this book. The following is taken from an article written by Sydney Black in the Review of the Churches in March, 1893, and is interesting as showing both his manner of writing, and his view of the movement with which he was associated:-
"The 'Churches of Christ' are Churches set for the unqualified restoration of Primitive Christianity, in all its pristine simplicity and purity. In order to do this they discard and discountenance all human names, creeds, and confessions of faith. They maintain that the Christian institution was absolutely perfected, as to its faith, polity, ordinances and worship, from the first Pentecost after the ascension of our Divine Lord, until the death of the Apostle John, and that it is capable of no subsequent development or improvement. They hold, however, that in relation to the 'region of expediency' there is considerable latitude for diversity of method in applying Christianity to the special exigencies of the age and of the times in which we live. But there must be no violation of Christian principle. The principles of Christianity are inelastic. The methods of their application are by no means stereotyped.
"The Churches are one with Chillingworth in affirming that 'the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible contains the religion for Protestants.' Each Church is a self-governing, self-supporting and self-edifying body, and is independent of any conference, synod, council or other legislative assembly.
"In their contention for the organic union of all obedient believers in the Son of God, the Churches hold the absolute essentiality of adopting the names, both as individuals and Churches, which are found in the New Testament Scriptures. They avoid any such distinctive names as Calvinists, Lutherans, or Baptists. As individuals they adopt such New Testament names as 'Christians,' 'Saints,' 'Disciples,' or 'Brethren,' while the congregations in their corporate capacity are known as 'Churches of Christ,' 'Churches of God,' or 'Churches of God in Christ.'
"In relation to human creeds, they hold their utter inutility on the following grounds: Firstly, if a creed contain more than is in the Bible, it contains too much. Secondly, if it contain less than is in the Bible, it contains too little. Thirdly, if it contain the same, then the inutility of the creed at once becomes apparent. And, fourthly, if intended to render the Bible more explicit as to what is to be believed in order to salvation, then they hold it impugns the wisdom and judgment of the Holy Spirit, who has vouchsafed to us a simple revelation of the Christian system in the New Testament.
"The Churches of Christ hold further that the only confession of faith recognised by the New Testament Scriptures is the 'rock' confession which Simon Peter made at C'sarea Philippi: 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' They maintain this to be an all-sufficient and all-embracing confession of faith, and that this great foundation truth must be confessed with the mouth in order to obtain the remission of sins.
"They also emphatically plead for the organic union of all followers of the Lord Jesus upon the well-known seven-fold basis enunciated by the Apostle to the Gentiles, in Ephesians 4:4-6. 'There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism: one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all and in you all.'
"In contending for this simple basis of union, they lay special emphasis upon speaking where the Scriptures speak, and being silent where the Scriptures are silent in all matters relating to the faith, institutions, and polity of the Church of Christ. They plead that in things essential there must be unity; that in things doubtful, there must be liberty; while in all things, there must be unselfish love.
"In their proclamation of the saving Evangel they feel morally compelled to lay special stress upon the conditions of salvation laid down by Jesus Christ in His parting behest, and invariably enunciated by His inspired Apostles. They hold that there are several co-operating causes at work in the salvation of mankind. On the Divine side there is the moving cause - the pure, disinterested love of God. There is also the procuring cause - the free gift of the Divine Son. On the human side there is the qualifying cause - faith evolving a determination to follow the Lamb everywhere. There is also the receiving cause - the Heaven-appointed ordinance of Christian immersion. They use this last word because they reject both sprinkling and pouring, and take this course on the authority of the scholarship of the ages. They hold that baptism administered to believing penitents is, in the words of good old John Wesley, 'both a means and a seal of pardon,' and on this point they are pleased to propagate the teaching of that revered pioneer on Acts 22:16. Hence every member of this great movement is an immersed believer.
"The Churches of Christ discard completely what is rightly known as the 'one-man ministry.' They equally repudiate the idea of an 'all-man ministry.' They select and ordain elders as bishops to rule the Church; deacons and deaconesses to wait upon their respective ministries; and send forth evangelists as ex-officio members, labouring for special seasons with the various congregations. The bishops are either professional men, commercial men, artisans, or independent gentlemen, who up to the present have invariably vouchsafed their services entirely unremunerated. Some of the evangelists are paid. They live to preach, and do not preach to live. The evangelists simply control and organise their own department of work, viz. evangelization, and in no sense rule the Church. The Church, through the bishopric, governs her own affairs. Liberty to preach, teach, expound and exhort is extended to all members capable of edifying. Judgment as to capability is of course vested in the bishopric. The bishops are also of necessity the pastors who feed the flock of God. The work of Christian women is recognised and encouraged within the prescribed New Testament limits.
"The Disciples tenaciously believe that the New Testament enforces the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, and that this constitutes the great focus-point of the Christian institution. They hold that the Lord's Supper is only open to those who have attended to the Scriptural conditions of pardon, and are walking before God consistently. The Churches absolutely refuse any financial assistance for evangelistic, or distinctly ecclesiastical purposes, from the general public. The Lord's Supper and the Christian fellowship are co-extensive with membership in the Kingdom of favour. They are the exclusive prerogative of the Ecclesia of Christ. The members of the Churches are anxious, however, for the most part, to co-operate with all philanthropists and lovers of humanity in the various beneficent, social and rescue movements of the day."
The little town of Leominster, in the county of Hereford, was the scene of Sydney Black's first evangelistic effort. There would not seem to be much prospect of success for the establishment of a new Church in a small town of 7,000 people, in which at the time there were already twelve different denominations, but it was the pleading of an earnest and devout sister, Mrs. Randall, who had formerly been a member of the Chelsea Church, that influenced Mr. Black in his decision to commence there. His coming and subsequent activity soon aroused much interest in the little place. The Town Hall was filled night after night by an audience at first curious to learn of the new Faith, but of whom many came later with awakened interest and enquiry to learn "if these things were so." The emphasis placed by the preacher upon "believers' immersion" aroused especial attention, which was greatly quickened by the altogether unusual sight of a public Immersion in the River Pinsley, on a Sunday afternoon in the month of March, 1883, before a concourse of considerably more than 1,000 people. Four confessing believers in Christ thus obeyed the Saviour's command. Such a rite, conducted with the utmost solemnity and decorum, caused the religiously minded of the town to search the Scriptures, and many saw for the first time the place and importance of Baptism. Discourses were delivered to disprove its necessity by some of the Ministers of the surrounding Churches, but the influence of the young Evangelist was so strong that the meetings continued, and ultimately a Church was formed.
After some months of wholehearted labour, the work in Leominster was for a time continued by others, while Sydney Black, in company with his father, visited Paris, to which place he had been attracted by a remarkable work of evangelism begun and carried on by Monsieur and Madame Jules De Launay. By a close and independent study of the Word of God these two had arrived at practically the same view of truth as that held by the members of the Churches of Christ, and for some time they had carried on a successful Mission and had established a Church. One may be sure this work and its services were of great interest to the young English Evangelist. It would be wonderful to him to see the growth of a Church of simple New Testament Faith and order in a city almost wholly given over to pleasure and dominated religiously by what he would consider the negation of Christian truth, and we find in his letters such references to this work as show how it stirred his ardent, impulsive nature. Had his knowledge of the French language been but equal to his desire for service there is little doubt that Sydney Black would have been glad to have become a "fellow labourer" with the worthy founders of the Mission.
After this holiday change, Midsummer found Mr. Black back again in Leominster pursuing the energetic campaign of the early spring; immersions still followed his faithful testimony, and the Church grew steadily in numbers and in grace.
A year later we find the young preacher addressing large congregations both indoors and in the open air in the town of Kington, and, with more success, in the town of Ross, where he was instrumental in leading a close communion Baptist Church to assume the New Testament name, and to enter into co-operation with the Churches of Christ. During this period the work in Leominster was well maintained, in addition to Gospel Meetings in the surrounding villages. It was for Sydney Black a period of hard but happy work, supported as he was by the gratitude of those whose lives his message had changed, by the affection of his friends, and by the knowledge of his parents' prayers. He found an unrestrained delight in his labours for his Master and rejoiced that he was counted worthy to be the harbinger of the simple Truth through the countryside. It was good for him that he should have found his first sphere of work where the sweet air, fragrance and quietness would help him to discover his powers and to build up his body for the more strenuous years to come.
Early in 1885, in answer to an urgent invitation, Mr. Black began a special evangelistic effort in the city of York, preaching in the Victoria Hall and Corn Exchange. It would seem a bold thing to attempt to establish a new cause in a cathedral city, yet it was not without success, as in a few weeks a Church with a membership of more than forty believers was started. The next two years were mainly given to this work, the little flock growing steadily in numbers until it was found desirable to build a Meeting House for a more permanent location.
The records show that during this period visits were paid to other centres where the enthusiasm and startling energy of the Evangelist aroused much attention. Many immersions followed his preaching in Gateshead-on-Tyne, Birmingham and Nottingham. At the last-named place he was present at the General Annual Meeting of the Churches, and presided with much acceptance over the Sunday School Session, delivering a highly practical and characteristic address, in which he anticipated the present-day appeal to the Churches to provide for and pay special attention to the young.
In addition to the care of the work in York, Mr. Black endeavoured to promote a Church in Scarborough, but without success. We find him also delivering discourses during the week in Knaresborough on such subjects as "The Great Commission," "The Church of Christ," "The Doom of Sectarianism," "Shall the Saviour's Prayer be answered?" Nothing could daunt his restless energy; at the least sign of an open door, Sydney Black at once plunged through to see what lay beyond. He had absolute faith in the message he was called upon to deliver, and with the optimism of youth backed by a fine animality he was ready to preach everywhere. No matter how unlikely of success the work at first might seem to prove, he would go on and leave the rest with God.
As an instance of his energy take the account of a week's visit to South Wigston, near Leicester, in April, 1887. Fifteen set discourses were delivered in the period, with shorter addresses in the villages in railway workshops and in a boot factory. Working men had a high place in the regard of the young preacher, and wherever he could find an opportunity to speak to them he always did so. At York, by the permission of the General Manager of the North Eastern Railway Company, he regularly addressed hundreds of their employees in the dinner-hour, and throughout his life his influence over the workers was always most marked. He seemed to have the power of arresting their attention, and of inducing them to seriously consider their standing before God. There are many such men today, stalwart upholders of their Master's Name, pillars in the Church of God, who owe their first impulse towards holiness to the word of Sydney Black.
In addition to the places referred to, we find a work begun in 1888, in Harrogate, easily accessible, owing to its proximity to York. Here the Albert Hall was taken, and interesting meetings held. In a few weeks over fifty were added to the Church.
Not content with this, Mr. Black is found preaching at Wortley and Bradford, stirring up existing Churches, infusing new life and hope by his buoyant faith and determined advocacy. Visits were also paid to Dewsbury and Batley.
Early in 1888 the thoughts of the Evangelist began to turn to his native city, and we find him in the month of May of that year, back again in London, after five years' absence in the provinces. These years were perhaps the happiest in his life: difficulties did not exist, doubts did not assail, health was buoyant and forces never tired. It was specially fitting, therefore, that Sydney Black should offer his life at its best to the most desperate problem which has ever confronted Christian men, the Evangelization of London. He brought to this all the gathered experience of his first five years, his strength of body, his clearness of mind and his boundless energy. The Town Hall in the King's Road, Chelsea, was taken and filled on thirty-two Sunday evenings by a crowd of interested hearers, and the services proved fruitful of much good. More than one hundred were immersed, the local papers gave much prominence to the work, and something in the nature of a revival spread throughout the neighbourhood, for other Churches experienced a quickening of life. Every household in the locality was visited and much discussion followed on the New Testament Church and the way of admission thereinto.
The services in the Town Hall were held at intervals during 1888-1889, and were destined to prove the foundation of the permanent work in West London known later as the "Fulham Cross Mission," to which lengthy reference will afterwards be made. From this time the claims of London began to be more and more pressing, and upon the spiritual ear of Sydney Black there seems to have fallen the cry of the vast, suffering, sinning, multitude; for, during the next two years, though we find him preaching elsewhere, he is more often in London, encouraging the converts of his Town Hall Mission, talking of a possible permanent work, planning how to raise the money needful, debating whether he should visit the American and Australian Churches in order to arouse their interest and sympathy. The idea was there, and with him to have a glimpse of a possibility was at once to plan a way to make it a certainty.
The desire for a permanent centre of Evangelistic and Social Work in London was further strengthened by contact with a little Mission conducted by working-lads held at 17, Field Road, Fulham, where he had been invited to give an Anniversary Address. In such a neighbourhood it was a wonderful thing that a mere handful of lads, very ignorant of everything save the one thing which constitutes true wisdom, should be found, as they were, in a dingy basement room, intent on the salvation of their companions and associates, and eager to follow Jesus. To these lads, the eager, affectionate, impetuous speaker came as a very messenger from Heaven; they hung on his every word, and as he declared the whole counsel of God, without hesitation they accepted the fuller light and joined in Christian fellowship with the Church in College Street, Chelsea, continuing, however, as a Mission Centre in Field Road, until they removed to a more suitable and commodious room in Greyhound Road.
About this time Mr. Black first became acquainted with Miss Mary Hugill, of Chelsea, who had for years superintended and carried on a "Preventive and Rescue Home for Women." This lady had for some time been interested in New Testament Christianity, as a result of her attendance at the Town Hall Meetings. After much thought she decided to unite with the Church of Christ in College Street, and, not content with her own joy, she taught others the better way, so that in December, 1889, she, with eleven others, her helpers and several of those she had rescued, were added to the Church. This brought Sydney Black into touch with a terrible side of London life, and if anything were needed to confirm him in his intention to commence a work in London, the facts and experience he now gained were more than sufficient to do so.
The thought of such an enterprise seems to have created a sense of insufficiency in his mind. How could he with his limited opportunities and education hope to succeed where others of far more brilliant parts had failed? In his answer to this question we can discern something of the belief in himself, based upon his unbounded faith in God, which always characterised him. He could improve himself educationally by a course of study at Oxford, afterwards the opportunity would be made clear to him.
With his mind full of the possibilities of a great work for God in London, Mr. Black left for Oxford in September, 1889, to take a course of private tuition under Professor W.H. Fairbrother, M.A., of Keble College, and to attend his lectures at Lincoln College, as also those of Principal Dr. A.M. Fairbairn at Mansfield College. To both of these thinkers, Mr. Black constantly acknowledged his indebtedness, and always referred to the training and knowledge he gained as of incalculable service to him. His stay in Oxford was not long, for he was too impatient and eager to begin his work in the greater world of London to spent precious hours in the Lecture Halls and shades of the classic city. In a sense it was a pity, for a year or two of close study would probably have harnessed his enthusiasm, and shown him the way to use his great powers with more conservation of energy. He might have lived longer had he learned to brook the wise restraint of ordered study. But it was not to be. Preach he must, and would. During his stay in Oxford, he was frequently to be heard at the Martyrs' Memorial, in St. Giles, declaring the way of Christ and His Apostles. Those who knew him during this period have spoken to the writer of the high esteem in which he was held by students and Professors alike.
During the time the London scheme was forming and maturing in Mr. Black's mind, he was busily preaching and lecturing through the country, in addition to the special services he was holding at intervals in London. We find him at South Wigston in the spring of 1889, at Leominster in May of the same year, at Bettws-Diserth, in Radnorshire, shortly afterwards, ever proclaiming the same evangel with the force and energy of a son of thunder. In August of this year at the Annual Conferences of the Churches of Christ, held at Leicester, he read the Conference Paper on "The Position and Work of Sisters in Evangelization," in which he advocated the right of Sisters to liberty of speech in all public work, both within the Church and in the world. The paper was marked by all the peculiarities of language and hyperbolism which were so characteristic of the writer, yet it carried conviction to many; and though at the time the older brethren antagonised his conclusions vigorously, he had sown a seed, the fruit of which became evident in the year 1911, when at the Annual Conference held in the same town, Sisters were to be seen on the platform, addressing the gatherings, supporting resolutions, and were elected to serve on several of the Standing Committees of the brotherhood. Time's revenge, of a truth!
The year 1890 was a busy one for the Evangelist. In the intervals afforded by the several vacations of his Oxford course, Mr. Black was mainly occupied at Leominster, arranging for the General Annual Conference to be held there in August. It was a bold thing for the little Herefordshire Church to undertake to provide for and entertain the two hundred or so of brethren who would assemble, and it is true to say that it was only due to the enthusiasm of Sydney Black that the idea had first been entertained and afterwards so successfully carried out. In July of the same year he is again at South Wigston holding a Ten Days' Tent Mission with great success. Nearly 4,000 people from the district round were reached and lasting good realised by many.
With the coming of August the Annual Meeting fully claimed Mr. Black's attention, and after the "hardest three weeks of his life" the Conference was a triumphant success. On this occasion the Churches decided upon a bold and vigorous forward movement, in an endeavour to raise £5,000 during the ensuing year, to be expended upon Evangelization, incited thereto chiefly by the eloquence of Sydney Black, who further urged the wisdom of personal appeal by deputations to the Churches. To this advocacy he devoted the autumn and winter, visiting many towns and delivering in two months no less than sixty-four discourses, urging upon the Churches greater generosity and enterprise in the work of making known the glorious Gospel of the Grace of God. These meetings were productive of great good, and kindled a flame of desire for bold and more aggressive effort. The whole community felt the influence of the impassioned appeals of the young Evangelist, and from Carlisle in the North to Hastings in the South, came promises of financial help with many other tokens of awakened interests. Mention must also be made of a Ten Days' Gospel Mission, undertaken in the month of December of this year in the town of Nottingham, at the request of the United Gospel Mission, the P.S.A. Class, and the Young Men's Christian Association. The meetings held in the Albert Hall and the Circus Street Hall aroused great interest in the town: thousands thronged to hear the Gospel Message presented in what, to most, would be a new and striking manner. New Testament truth was made clear to many with the result that some were constrained to confess their Lord in Believers' Immersion, amongst them a young lady missionary who was leaving in a few days for service in China under the China Inland Mission. Mr. Black's ministry was warmly approved, even by many not in church fellowship with him, for its large views of truth and for the intense earnestness of his appeals for personal consecration. To use the words of the President of the Joint Mission Committee, Mr. Black was commended as "being eminently fitted to tell out the story of the Gospel, to expound Scripture Truth, to win Christian people to seek a further knowledge of God's Word and to devote their hearts and lives to His Service." In all, some 13,000 people were present at the seventeen services.
At Leominster Annual Meeting the opportunity for laying the foundation of the London Mission upon which he had set his heart came to Sydney Black through a conversation he had with a Mr. Illingworth of Melbourne, Australia, who had been deputed to convey the Greetings of the Australian Churches to the Sister Churches of this country. Confiding to Mr. Illingworth his great desire for the establishment of such a work, and at the same time laying before him some of his difficulties as to ways and means, Mr. Black was warmly encouraged to visit Australia, and was assured that he would receive a hearty welcome and the interest and financial support of the Australian Churches in the Mission Scheme. The thought of a world-wide tour amongst the Churches of Christ had for some time been in Mr. Black's mind, and it only needed the suggestion and approval of Mr. Illingworth, to cause him to begin such a tour immediately. He would preach Christ in as many lands as he could; that should be his first business; after that he would plead for the poor, the degraded, the hopeless and forlorn of London. To decide with Sydney Black was to begin, so without any delay all necessary arrangements were made, and on a cold dark morning in February, 1891, he started on his tour round the world.