A Letter from John Campbell
Let us now turn a leaf and contemplate the dawning of a glorious day – the Rising of the Sun of righteousness, with healing under His wings. On the evening of 26 January 1795, the Lord appeared as my deliverer. He commanded and darkness was turned into light. The cloud which covered the mercy seat fled away. Jesus appeared as He is! My eyes were not turned inward but outward. The gospel was the mirror in which I beheld Him. When the Lord first visited Saul on the highway, he knew in a moment that it was the Lord. So did I; such a change of views, feelings and desires suddenly took place in my mind, as none but the hand of an infinite Being could produce. Formerly I had a secret fear that it was presumption in me to receive the great truths of the gospel; now there appeared no impediment. I beheld Jesus as the speaker in His Word, and speaking to me. When He said, Come, I found no difficulty in replying, Yes, Lord; Thy pardoned rebel comes.
If not the grace of God, what else could effect such a marvellous change? I chiefly viewed the atonement of Jesus as of infinite value, as a price paid for my redemption and cheerfully accepted by the Father. I saw love in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all harmonising in pardoning and justifying me. The sight humbled and melted my soul. Looking to what I felt was no help to my comfort: it came directly from God, through His Word.
The following evening, about nine o’clock, while sitting before the fire, writing to a minister friend, I had such a charming, surprising view of sovereign, pardoning, redeeming, unmerited mercy that I was hardly able to bear it. The great doctrines of redemption, as stated in the Bible, opened to my view in a way I never experienced before. I beheld a crucified Jesus nigh me in the Word. I threw away the pen, and turned to see this great sight. I looked steadfastly to the Lamb suffering for me. So much was I overpowered with the magnitude of the discovery of eternal, boundless love and grace in Christ that I felt a difficulty in breathing.
This view of my redeeming God in Christ completely swept away all the terrible horrors which had so long brooded over my mind, leaving nothing behind but filling me with a joy and peace more than human – truly divine. I sat pensive, at one time beholding the pit from whence I was redeemed; at
1This is the second part of a letter written to John Newton on 1 July 1795 and taken, with editing, from The Free Presbyterian Magazine for December 1902. The first section, printed last month, told of a severe spiritual trial that Campbell (1766-1842) had endured. This final section speaks of the deliverance he experienced. Campbell later became a minister and settled in London. He became prominent in the London Missionary Society.
another, the hope to which I was raised. My soul rushed out in wonder, love and praise, emitted in language such as this: Wonderful mercy! Why me? What is this? Thanks be to God, who giveth me the victory through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Shuddering at sin, as pardoned; wondering that ever I could have been guilty of such transgressions, I continued sitting, wrapped up in silent wonder. For long afterwards, when I thought of my hopes, I leaped for joy; I really had a glad heart. This visitation also created an extent of mildness and complacency in my temper that I never felt before. I felt a burning love rising in my heart to all the brethren in Christ, with a strong sympathy to all such as were not born of the Spirit. I earnestly breathed after their being brought into the family of Christ.
A light quite new to me shone upon Scripture. Passages which formerly appeared hard to be understood seemed plain as ABC. Earthly crowns, sceptres and thrones appeared quite paltry in my eyes and not worth desiring. I felt a complete contentment with my lot in life. I trembled to think of any abatement of my faith, love and feelings; it required resolution to be resigned to remain long in the world. Indeed I could scarce admit the idea of long life; I feared the trials and vicissitudes connected with it, but was completely silenced with that noble saying of our reigning Redeemer, “My grace is sufficient for thee”. I saw I was fully warranted to mind the things of today, leaving the concerns of tomorrow to His wise disposal. I felt it easy to introduce spiritual conversation wherever I was and to recommend Christ wherever I went. I saw that everything acceptable to God, or comfortable to ourselves, was the product of God’s power. I saw the folly and criminality of being too much in company, though composed of the best people in the world. I feel nothing more conducive to internal peace and prosperity than a regular, meek, even way of life.
I cannot close this detail without adding that, in the time of my affliction, the doctrine of election appeared irritating and confounding; now it appears marvellously glorious and truly humbling. I pity Arminians, and every person who is offended with this doctrine, however secretly. It is a convincing proof to me that there is a great defect in their faith and love, and a lack of submission to plain Scripture. In my worst time I saw election to be a truth, only I wished it had not been true, and often it seemed a check to every exertion; but to deny that it is contained in the Bible appears to me next door to downright Deism.2
I now stand on a shore of comparative rest. Believing, I rejoice. When in
2A belief in a God who, following creation, has left it to itself – as a watch, after being wound up, is left to run down.
search of comfort, I resort to the testimony of God; this is the field which contains the pearl of great price. Frames and feelings, like other created comforts, pass away, but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. What an unutterable source of consolation it is that the foundation of our faith and hope is ever immutably the same! The sacrifice of Jesus is as acceptable and pleasing to the Father as ever it was. To this sacrifice I desire ever to direct my eye, especially at the first approach of any gloom or mental change.
After my deliverance, my ideas of many things were much altered, especially about faith. I perceive that this principle in the mind arises from no exertion in the man, but the constraint of evidence from without. The Spirit takes the things of Christ and reveals their reality and glory in such a manner to the mind of man that it is not in his power to refuse to believe. It is no mighty matter, nor is it in any way meritorious, to believe that the sun is shining when our eyes are dazzled with the beams. The internal evidence of the truth of revelation had ten thousand times more effect on my mind than all its external evidence. There is a divineness, a glory and excellence in the Scriptures that is perceived by enlightened minds; yet they cannot so describe it as to make it intelligible to an unregenerate person.
Formerly the major part of my thoughts centred either on the darkness I felt or the light I enjoyed; now they are mainly directed to Jesus and what He had done, suffered and promised. And I do find that, when the eye is thus single, my whole frame is full of light.
Formerly, I felt a constant propensity to talk of my doubts, fears, darkness etc; now I feel a similar inclination to hint at my enjoyments, faith, love, triumph etc.
Formerly I had a certain kind of pleasure in hearing people complaining, talking of their bondage etc; now it tries my patience, for the foundation of faith and hope appears so immovably firm. At the same time, I hope I possess tender sympathy for all such, and my prayer is that Jesus may loose their bonds and set them free.
I plainly perceive the truth of what you have more than once told me: that a name among men is a poor thing. It can give no relief in temptation, nor in a dying hour. I never till now saw occasion for that Divine exhortation, “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Lk 21:19). But after taking a survey of eternal happiness, I see much need of patience to wait till my appointed moment will arrive.
Formerly when a friend or a minister, especially the latter, said a certain feeling was an evidence of grace, I snatched at it and took comfort; now nothing of this kind affects me unless I perceive that it is evidently founded upon Scripture.
While remarkable visitations continue, I believe the subject of them will be remarkably humbled; but after they have passed he is apt to be proud and boast of these very things which ought to operate in an opposite manner. Such is human depravity. Witness the case of Paul, who got a counterpoise to his rapturous discoveries (2 Cor 12:1-10). Of this you kindly cautioned me some months ago, when I did not so well understand it.
My mind is wonderfully led out to gaze at the admirable skill of God in His works of creation. I perceive a fund of wisdom displayed in the formation of a pile of grass, or a solitary weed on the roadside. As for His works of providence, they appear a second revelation, only not written.
Now to finish this long letter, I solemnly declare I had no more hand in my deliverance from my dismal situation than the child unborn. My attention was invisibly, instantaneously and powerfully drawn to the truth; I saw it to be God’s truth – God’s truth and truth to me. I now hold communion with God as my Father, Jesus as my Saviour, the Holy Spirit as my continued helper and sanctifier, with confirmed angels and men as my brethren. I value the communion of saints below. All is the doing of the Lord and shall eternally be wondrous in my eyes.