IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. I/a 1.0 I.I 1.25 ilM ilM m |||||Z2 12.0 1.8 1-4 IIIII.6 V] <^ /a /a el % y /A '^ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHJVI/ICJViH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historiril Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techn.ques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ D Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e et/ou pelliculie Cover title missing/ Le titre de couve I I Coloured maps/ I I Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur D^: Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ ere de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) D D Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avec d'autres documents / D D Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La reliure serr^e peut causer de I'ombre ou de ta distortion le long de ia marge inti&rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela dtait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmdes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires; L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a M possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6thode normale de filmage sont indiqu^s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Pages restored and/o( Pages restaurdes et/ou pellicul^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxei Pages d6color6es, tachetdes ou piqudes I I Pages damaged/ I I Pages restored and/or laminated/ r~n/ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ □ Pages detached/ Pages ddtaohdes C2f Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ D D Quality in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. una pelure, etc., ont 6t^ film6es A nouveau de fa9on d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu6 ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X ./ 12X 16X 20X 24X >X 32X 9 itaiis s du lodifier r une Image Th3 copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks io the genero! ty of: Nova Scotia Public Archival The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition anr^ legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grflce A la g6n6rosit6 de: Nova Scotia Public Archives Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la cotidition et de la netteti de l'exemplaire U\m6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last ppge with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. IS Les exempiaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprim^e sont film6s en commen9ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exempiaires originaux sont film^s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol -^ (meaning "CON- TINUED "), or the symbol V (meaning "END "), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole —^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbole V signifie "FIN", ?^"s"s, p'«tes, charts, etc., may be filmed at il "'^^•^ ent .eduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely inc'udea in one exposure are filmed beginning \t\ the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de rdJuction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. errata to pelure, }n d n 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ml tS-: 5K' 'Mt'e^Jmaai St.-, •!: rv:;.;-^ REMARKS OH JOHN NELSON DARBY'S CHURCH FELLOWSHIP AND DISCIPLINE. ALf^ HIS RRKETKWI, DOrTRFNES ON THE PERSON OF THE SAVIOUR EXAMINED AND EXPOSED BV 3EVERAL OF HIS FOR- MER ASSOCIATES ANI> FELLOW LABr)UEUS. BY S. F. KENDALL. *^ •(Vn.»<» from man whose breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be acconritecj of." I»aiah\i: 22. "One is yonr Master, even rhrlst. and all ve are brethren." Jesus Christ. _V\_A. -■ri- I 'TJ? * i CHARLOTTETOWN, P. E. I. : GEORGE BREMNER. PRINTER, PRINf'E STREET. 1871. AK ^ .K33 ''» }\V,i- ■ '' '.^iii I WOULD offer a few words of explanation to my beloved brethren in Christ in Great Britain, etc., who will doubtless feel pained that any thing further should be written on this (to them, as to myself) most painful subject. And truly, had I consulted my own personal feelings in the matter, nothing could have been less acceptable than assuming the responsi- bility of the present task. Yet even these revered and honored brethren will appreciate my position, when realizing the fact, that all their sad experience at home for so many years f connected with the spirit of defamation, etc., together with the bald and bold assumption, — " We are the People," with "judging the question," "judging the evil," "Have you judged the question?'* etc., etc. — old, stereotyped, and hateful phrases ; utterly unmeaning and untruthful as used by the party in question; yet used unblushingly and con- stantly, to beguile and mislead the unwary, are being re-enacted on this side the Atlantic, with perhaps an infusion of young blood under the direction of elders ; and that these are prosecuting their course with a zeal generally characteristic of the human element in fierce partizanship on religious matters ; many no doubt unconscious of what they are really doing, viz : — ^violence to the truth ; and thus dishonoring God whom they think in their blind ignorance they are serving. H iT. PREFACE. It has been felt by some brethren weighing the matter before the Lord, that it would be for the interest of truth to give extracts, condensed as far as may be, from the pages of several brethren, who, long associated with Mr. Darby and party, have been at length, since 1866, obliged in faithfuliies.n to the Lord, and their own well matured convictions of duty. to leave the party and give their reasons for so doing. It will be seen therefore that a united testimony from several brethren for many years in the closest fellowship with Mr. D., is borno with melancholy unanimity to the fact of the very serious errors into which he has been allowed of God to fall, — errors almost identi al with those of Mr. B. W. Newton, his op- ponent originally on prophetic subjects ; together witli my own experience, and facts relating to the unhappy divisions from 1845, to the present time. S. F. K. Stdnky, Cavk Brbton. R. N. a.. October 1st. 1871. ^ I D z^ REMARKS, &c. ISTORY repeats itself. This is true, whether regfarded from a political, moral, or religious point of view. Jeuome, one of the early Fathers of the Christian Church, writing with relation to the latter, says, — "Searching the ancient histories, I can find none WHO HAVE more rent the Church op God than those WHO SUSTAINED THE OFFICE OF MINISTERS." The following pages will but too sorrowfully shew that this has been pre- eminently the case with reference to certain gifted men of the present da}'', who once met together as brethren beloved of God around one common centre, professedly acknowledging but one Master, even Jesus ! and the Holy Spirit as their Sovci'eign Teacher, testifying, through sanctified channels, of and for Christ in the midst of assembled worshippers. Impelled by concurrent circumstances over which we seem to have no control, and in deference to the judgment of godly br(!thren Avho feel the urgent necessity that something should be done, we reluctantly address ourselves to the very painful duty imposed on us by those whom we would still love as brethren of one common Lord ; but who have unhappily, sadly, and sinfully Ave believe, entered the arena of controversy and unhallowed strife with their brethren. They say, (as all separatists plead) "for the glory of God"( ?) — they may think themselves sincere! We believe, however, for " PARTY PURPOSES ;" which, alas, can be but too sadly proved as regards them in a multiplicity of instances. The present pressing necessity for these pages has grown out of a visit by the author to Canada and the United States, during the autumn of 1870 ; and more recently and especially, by the visit of Mr. Oldright, senior, of Halifax, to Chnr- lottetown ; and still more recently by that of Mr. Buchanan, an Evangelist from Engliiiul, via Il.ilifax, accompaniotl by a christian brother, Mr. Hill. Mr. Buchanan presented a letter of introduction from Mr. Oldright, jiniior, of Halifax, to Mr. Bremner, of Charlottetowii ; the purport of which letter shewed plainly the object of the visit, viz : to influence Mr. Bremner and christians meeting with him injuriously against asserabKes of christians with whom they were in direct fellowship, and to draw them within their own party, if possible. Mr. Buchanan, a comparatively young man, with a certain training, it would appear, and knowing little beyond that training, — for I will not allow myself to charge him with delibemto or intentional misrepresentation, — entered upon the work assigned him by his eldei*s with an assiduity worthy a l>etter cause. I ought to observe, Mr. Oldright, senior, commenced this work last fall, and left certain con- troversial pamphlets behind him for the enlightening of those intended to be specially influenced thereby. Mr. Bremner wrote to me on the subject, asking for light ; and in reply I sent him the following letter : — I sal sal stJ r| el frti in] usj bel onl rcfl sei "Sydney, C. B., April 26, 1871. "DiAB Brothkr in Chkist; "As regards the visit of Major Oldright — I can quite understand the nature of it, and the old old charges of that party against brethren who could not, as God-fearing men, and responsible before and to God, recognise Mr. J. N. Darby's action, and first schism at Plymouth, in 1845. I saw Mr. Trotter's pamphlet 17 years ago, while staying a few days the guest of Mr. W. Kelly, in Guernsey. From Mr. Trotter's pamphlet, together with Mr. Darby's, Mr. Wigram's, and Mr. Deck's, all on the one side, in connection with close questioning of Mr. Kelly, one of Mr. Darby's most active men, — I was constrained to ask him 'whether, with bis extensive knowledge of the order and actings of the Jesuits from the first to the [then] present time, he had ever found amongst that order anything more morally dishonest than were to be found in the actings and writings of the men above named ?' I then was compelled to 'judge of their evil' from the lips of one of them- selves, and the writings of others named. Mr. Kelly bowed his head, when I put this question, apparently in deep and painful thought. I was obliged to appeal to him a second time for an answer, when he X, to Chnr- . Biichnnnn, >Hnio(l by a •resell tod a of ILilifux, t of which "O infliicnco injunoiisly *y were in )wi\ p'lrty, man, with ttlc beyond har^o him . — entered J assiduity . Oldiight. irtain oon- ig of those . Breinner in reply I 1871. erstand the »t brethren )re and to Plyinouth, staying a • Trotter's r. Deck's, Mr. Kelly, ask him actings of ver found ere to be I then of them- his head, )ught. I when h« said, * I cannot certainly justify very much that has been done and said and written on tlio subject.' • Then why,' I rejoined, in sub- stunce, 'attempt to profess, and thus delude people, U8 you have Erofessed to me, that you and your party have iho glory of Ord at eart and only this ? Does God require duplicity, and must I say, fraud, that is, deception, to build up ilis cause and maintain His truth in the world ?' This is but a sample of much that transpired between us during the week or more I was with him. I might explain, we hud been old friends and fellow-labourers a few years before, and I had only just returned from abroad in 1K51, knowing almost nothing, really, of the ' Hethcsda question ' which had occurred during my ab- sence from England. " On my way to Guernsey, I had spent a Lord's day in London, and broken bread with a company of believers, many of whom I had known many years before at Rawstorne Street Meeting (which had been broken up in the meantime by the divisions which had taken place) ; these Christians having no sympathy whatever with Mr. Newton, and being vcrif dtci'lud in tlii-ir tvntiinontj afjniiial his evil dortrine ! They could not, however, endorse Mr. Darby's actings, which was their great crime in his estimation, and others. For break- ing bread with them, I was shut out from communion in Guernsey. While in (Juernsey, Mr. Kelly brought the * Hethesda question' before me in different phases. (You must understand that this was he second art at division on the part of Mr. Darby). I was always opposed to his first act of division, knowing it to have benn brought about on account of a personal quarrel between himself and Mr, Newton on prophetic questions — the two men violently opposed to each oth«!r on these questions, and both of them — as is well knotvn — endeavouring and determined to break up each other's influence in Plymouth and elsewhere; and, of course, on the ruim of one, build up a system for SELF ! " This will in a measure explain Mr. Trotter's pamphlet (not Captain Trotter's — they are different men, both now deceased), about 'Sectarian,' 'Clerical,' etc. actings. This was in 1845. Mr. Groves had written a letter to Mr. Darby in 1836, I think, com- plaining of the same tendency in him, and warning him against th« spirit he then exhibited, shewing that it could only lead to evil results. The truth is, both these gifted men were undoubtedly influenced by a sectarian spirit, and determined to break down each other, to build up around themselves individually. The proofs are abundant on this head. It was not then a question of heresy in doctrine on the part of Mr. Newton at all. His evil doctrine had not been brought to light, and was not till more than a year after Mr. Darby had established a divided party around himself, and set up a schismatic table. Mr. J. L. Harris was the person who eventually exposed Mr. Newton's evil doctrine; after which, Mr. Darby took hold of it and made capital for himself out of it, to build up his posMoii and strengthen his party ground. H« now attempted to gain over to him on (his new charge, ntany who had opposed his action in tho fii'ft division. Some were drawn to him — • others, Hceinp the working of his system, opposed his efforts, saying, ♦he wns not tho person, being iiinisolf oxconuniinientod by his own act of division, to lend in tho maiter.' Tliis led to a strife of tongues, and from tiiis point all who would not accept liis stand-point ond dictum in tlie matter have been characteristically defamed, both by tonguo and pen. With my knowledge of facts, I do not believe more bitterness of spirit or more determined effort at untruthfulness has ever existed in any of die unhappy divisions of tho church sirice tho apostles days (save perhaps only in Romo and in the days of the nonconformists), than through Mr. Darby and his party of zealots. "I should have said, I knew nothing of Mr. Mullcr personally, or of • Hethesda,' till I left (Juernsey at the above date, 18r)4, when I told Mr. Kelly, after hearing all he hui to say, and reading all ho had to offer, on tho one side, that I should pass through Bristol on my re- turn to London, and seek an interview with Mr. MuUer and Mr. Craik, and gain such information on tho other side of the question as I coud,, and seek guidance from the Lord for my future course. Mr. K. appeared agitated when ho heard this, and said, * Oh then you are lost, — I have no hope for you.' * I said, if your cause is a good one it will bear examination, if not, it will not, and deserves to be rejected.' So wo parted. "My interviews with these two godly men, and the perfectly open manner in which they replied to all my questions, pro and cov, satisfied me that they had been greatly misrepresemed and abused, because they had rejected Mr. Darby's dictum and overbearing manner towards themselves and finally towards the IJethesda meeting. 2'ltey dhlindly told me that no person or persons holdiDc/, or sijmpatlnzing with Mr, Nexutons errors, were admitted at Btthcsda. Mr. Mnllcr told me personally he ivas utterly opposed to Mr. Newton's views — he considered they were dangerous. I could write much more, but I will only add — Mr. Darby now stands before the Church and the world charged in his writings with the same errors he charged upon Mr. Newton ; arrived at, however, from different points of thought. Many of his old and strong helpers have left him on this account, e. g. — Messrs. Dorman, Hall, Gilpin, and several others. They charge him with errors equally pernicious with anything from the pen of Mr. Newton. In this I see the hand of God. • ««««#«««« " I am quite prepared to meet Mr. Oldright in public or otherwise, in P. E. Island or Halifax to discuss the question." Mr. Bremner read this letter to Mr. Buchanan, who, after hearing it, desired to read it alone at his leisure. At this point I would fain still be charitable — for perhaps unused to certain proprieties he, without permission, copied the letter, or parts of it ; and still oblivious of the position he had ' wn to him—. fTorts, Pairing, I by his own '« of tongues, nd-point and ned, both by not boliflve ntruthfulness church since (lays of the f zealots, ionaily, or of when I told 1 he had to >1 on n)y re- d Mr. Craik, n as I coud,, 0. Mr. K. len you are i a good one be rejected.' •fectly open 07?, satisfied ed, because ner towards 1/ didinctly g with Mr. ?r told me considered )n]y add — rged in his ; arrived is old and Dorinan, )rs equally this I see otherwise, ho, after At this unused )ied the u he had now placed himself in, told Mr. Bremncr that " God had put a sword in hii* hand to use for llini, through this letter.** IIow far he has used this sword — must wo say, surreptitiius- hj obtained? — he is the bcHt judge. On my arrival in Charlottetown, and finding how matters stood, I desired Mr. Bremner to call on Mr. Buchanan, and offer him an opportu- nity to meet me and tlie brethren interested in his visit ; when he would bo free to offer all he had to say on this un- happy subject — 1 reserving the right to reply and rebut all statements where truth demanded it. To this oflcr ho utterly refused compliance, or to meet me at all on the subject. Mr. Hill had gone into the country : I now proposed to him, through Mr. Bremner, to meet Messrs. Oldwright, Hill, and such others of their party as they deemed proper, either in a private or more ijublic manner, with christians, either in Halifax or Charlottetown, at such time and place as they should decide upon. This was also refused by a singular statement as coming from such a source, viz : — " That they {i.e. their body or people) had given up answering all controversial subjects — they left the nuttter in the hands of God — they kneio they were right" etc. This was the purport, if not tho precise words used — the latter, Mr. Buchanan did use for himself at least, with an emphatic motion of the hand, — so Mr. Bremner informs me. Yet in the face of this state- ment these people were then, by male and female agency, industriously engaged giving ov lending publications to the prejudice of christians, the representative of whom they dared not now meet in a truthful manner for discussion, though on the spot to meet them friendly, yet truthfully and faithfidly as a servant of God. One other irregularity I may mention. Of course Mr. Buchanan's right to l)e at the public meeting on Lord's day morning, if he felt so disposed, is un- questioned ; and I knew not till after its close that a stranger (to me at least) present, who appeared interested, and noted one remark of the speaker in his pocket book, was really Mr. B., so it transpired however ; but that he should wish to obtrude at an afternoon private meeting that had been suggested, simply as a stranger, to listen to what we might say relative 10 to the points with which he stood so intimately connected, after having refused to meet me and the brethren on the subject, is passing strange. The meeting at first contemplat- ed, however, was not held, it being judged better to spend Monday and Tuesday evenings together, of which fact he was, I believe, apprised, though not officially. Before going into the main facts of this most sorrowful controversy, I may present extracts from other letters to christians who desired information. The first is to an elderly lady whose mind had been disturbed by misrepresentations. •'Let me say then, dear sister in Christ, howerer sorrowful it may be for me to write, I do write of what I personally know ; beinj^ conversant with the facts at the time. The first very sorrowful and unhappy schism was consummated by Mr. J. N. Darby. * * 3Iessrs. Darby and Newton had established schools of thought diverse the one to the other for some time, and had succeeded in measure to draw away minds from the simplicity of truth, and establish themselves as centres of attraction on prophetic subjects. This, then, was the first great evil, culminating in final division in the fall of 1845. Mr. Darby was urgently admonished and entreated with tears, by many truly godly men of position and education, not to cause a division ; he would not hearken to counsel or reason; .and, utterly ignoring much of his previous teaching, finding he could not carry the body of believers with him, he, in self will it is to be feared, thrust himself out from the assembly at Plymouth, and established a meeting on his OWN CHOSEN GROUND OUTSIDE THE 3lEEriNGS of ' Brethren,' as then designated. "A year Later, when Mr. Newton's evil doctrine about the person of the Lord was brought to light by Mr. J. L. Harris, Mr. Darby took this as a favorable opportunity to incorporate it with the old quarrel, and thus together make a strong case for himself and against Mr. Newton. Some brethren were won over to him ; others would not recognise in him a Leader, and still condemned his first action in schism, and told him plainly that ' lie was vol the person to act in the matter, seeing he himself was alreadij outside the meetinrfs of Brethren hy his own rash act of Sklf-Excommunica.tion!' This plain dealing did not suit him, and he could not brook it; and from this point — now over twenty-two years, viz: from 1848-9 — all the evils of 'sitting in judg- ment' upon brethren who would not, and could not, as godly men, acting in the fear of God, receive his action and dictum, commenced. Honored names, such as George Mnlier, Henry Oraik, and hundreds of others: men of grace, of recognised position and power as servants of Christ in the Church of God, have been, since the above date, characteristically and systematically misrepresented in a manner calcu- lated to make angels weep over Bint of brethren againtt brethren; unc 11 y connected, thren on the t contemplat- ter to spend I fact he was, >st sorrowful 3r letters to to an elderly rcsentations. Towful it may know; being sorrowful and _ * * 3Iessrs. liverse the one asure to draw themselves as n, was the first 5. Mr. Darby )y many truly division ; he ignoring much the body of ist himself out >eting on his ;hreu,' as then ; the person of r. Darby took ! old quarrel, it Mr. Newton. recognise in ism, and told tter, neeing he ' his own rash did not suit t — now over ting in judg- 1 godly men, commenced, nd hundreds r as servants above date, lanncr calcu- ut brethren; ( yea, 'because the Master tarried,' servants smiting fellow-servants with the tongue and breath of calumny in the most unlovely and un- christian manner, accompanied with a Jehu-likc zeal, weU worthy (if under sanctified influence) a better cause " This state of things still continues, and is transmitted in all its characteristic spirit wherever Mr. Darby's influence extends. Finding, as he must, his cause failing on the Continent of Europe, in England, and elsewhere, he has, it would appear, selected the American Conti- nent, together with the West Indies, for special efforts. I met this influence in Canada during the past summer, bearing with it its bitter fruit, viz : — ' biting and devouring.' Young converts (we will trust) to Christ have had their first and dawning aspirations heavenward cramped aud chained to a party which must of necessity, judging from past experiences, weaken their christian sensibilities, injure their souls' spiritual growth, and bring them finally into a state of spiritual bondage far more terrible than they can at present comprehend. A true brother in Christ, — though never with ' brethren,' so called, — Dr. Stow, of Boston, — now with Jesus, — in his admirable book on ' Christian Brotherhood,' writes, — ' The sectarian spirit reduces the great mind — it would the mind of an angel — to narrow dimensions, by restricting its contemplations, its solicitudes, its aims, its eflPorts to insignificant matters, often microscopic points, unbefitting the dignity of itd nature and the glory of its destiny.' " I could write mucli more, and relate what is too painful, of hearts smitten with grief; of intellects ruined for life ; and death mercifully coming to the relief of others : but I forbear. I cannot doubt for myself at least, that Mr. Darby — deluded, at first, by that terrible tyrant, ' Intellectual Pride ! ' together with an innate love of potver, and led on by a naturally strung will — is now, in his old age, driven, as poor Edward Irving of sorrowful celebrity was, before the force of his own violent faction ; and has also, undoubtedly, been r^Uowed of God, whom he has so greviously di.shonorcd (unwittingly, we will hope) by dividing God's flock for parly purposes, to fall into speculations too, equally obnoxiom with those of 13. W. Newton, or Edward Irving, about the blessed person of the Lord Jesus Christ ; speculations which every wise and truly enlightened christian must recoil from with just horror and reprobation." The above has been somewhat amplified beyond the original. One other extract written eight years ago may, perhaps, suffice to throw light upon a disputed point not generally understood. Mr. Darby had been represented in print as "The Founder of 'the Brethren'" — hence the following error by a leading editor of a christian journal : " Be it under- stood then, that Mr. Muller belongs to that class of Baptists called * Darbyites ' or ' Plymouth Brethren.' " My answer to this was as follows : — 12 "John Nelson Darby was a Clergyman in the Church of England (ho might have been a lawyer originally). Having seceded from the • Establishment,' he visited many places as an evangelist, and met frequently with christians who recognized that scriptural name alone, in many parts of England, Ireland, etc. He was received by them on the scriptural basis — ' Receive ye one another as Christ also received us to the glory of God.' {Rom. xv. 7) ; and as a professed and known teacher of evangelical truths, permitted to exercise his gifts for the good of others as opportunity offered. Being, however, a man of great force of character, constitutionally so, (like his godfather. Lord Nelson, only differently directed) he soon became conspicuous as a teacher, both at Plymouth and elsewhere — and in different religious communions — for a time. Frequently crossing the British Channel on evangelistic tours, he occasionally passed through Bristol, and was received at such times by the Church meeting at Bethesda Chapel, as a brother in the Lord, on the common ground of christian brotherhood of all true christians ; and was also invited to preach the gospel as a servant of Jesus Christ. Beyond this, there never was anything LIKE PARTY-FELLOWSHIP WHATEVER; ou the Contrary, when he shewed symptoms of the ruler! and a schismatic tendency to force his rule upon the consciences of others, the Church meeting at Beth- esda, with hundreds of other assemblies, protested against and utterly repudiated his assumption to authority. Probably from this well known fiict, may be found the reason ivlij/ those acting under his guid- ance should inveigh, in the manner ascribed to them in the Belfast Covenanter, against Mr. 31uller and his work at the orphan houses on Ashley Down. "As respects Mr. B. W. Newton, he stands, relatively so, pretty much in the same position as Mr. Darby. Both these updoubtedly gifted men have strayed — sadly strayed — from the right pr.ih. They have sought ' to draw away disciples after them,' instead of drawing to and uniting in Christ as servants of God and brethren in common in Christ ; and as such, living and laboring with power, as they might have done, for the good of the Church universal in its scriptural union to Him who bought her with iiis own blood, who is the only Head — Jesus our Lord ! And as a certain result, they have buth been allowed of God to fall into fatal error, almost identical, though arrived at from different points of thought ; and now they stand as beacons of warning before the entire church of God. ' Let him that thinketh he standcth, take heed lest he fall.' (1 Cor. x: 12.) " In simple justice, however, to Mr. Newton, it should be said : he, finding himself shut out from the brethren, morally so, at least, though not formally excluded, at an early period of the troubles, withdrew from any further association with them, and has for very many years occupied the position of an iudepeuduut minister in Palace Gardens Chapel, London — 18 ch of England Bded from the ^elist, and met 1 name alone, ed by them on also received professed and ise his gifts for ever, a man of 3dfather, Lord spicuous as a !rent religious ish Channel on stol, and was da Chapel, as brotherhood 9 gospel as a AS ANYTHING iry, when he lency to force ;ting at Beth- ist and utterly om this well nder his guid- n the Belfast an houses on ily so, pretty undoubtedly pr.th. They of drawing to 1 common in s they might riptural union only Head — been allowed rived at from IS of warning he standeth, should be en, raorallj arly period iation with position of , Loudon — '. so I h; ve been informed. Had Mr. Darby acted with similar consideration for his own best interest, and, must we say, with like moral honesty too? — when he j^r*-^ thrust himself outside the brethren and established "a sect " around himself (hence the natural ap'^cllation, " Darbyism," which now, and for many years past, uas been attached to that party), he would have saved himself many unhappy reflections, and an accumulation of sorroAvs, which I should suppose, even for him, with large powers for endurance, must well nigh crush him at times, the brethren would certainly have been relieved from a world of affliction, and a common christianitv saved from a dark blot and a great scandal on its name. It is in vain, however, to moralize. The schism was efi*ected by him, and has been continued in the name of " Brethren " ; hence the all sorts of confusion existing on the minds of those who have written, on the subject, not intentionally wrong state- ments ; but by implication, they have in their writings (not aware of facts) attached err .-o m doctrine, and in practice too, to a company of christians who have no more to do with said errors (otherwise than to condemn them) than the writers themselves. Preparatory to giving extracts of false doctrines into which these two able men, B. W. Newton and J. N. Darby, have respectively fallen, I will refer to a circumstance which occurred in Jersey, in 1855, illustrating as it does, progress in a wrong course. Passing over many months of bitter trial and sorrow to the assembly in Jersey, because they had been led to act rightly before God in bursting the bonds of a spiritual tynwuiy, by receiving a brother to communion Avho was conscientiously opposed to iNIr. Darby's course of action : I was returning from the Lord's Day morning meeting in company with this brother, the Hon. C. Paget, and F. Naylor ; both being ser- vants of Jesus. We were met by Mr. A. Stewart, the [then] active agent of Mr. Darby and party in Jersey. I had not seen Mr. Stewart for some years ; he having left Guernsey on a difficulty with Mr. Kelly ; I had also been abroad. I was a principal opponent of his iu his first difficulty with Mr. £. ; 14 now, however, after six years' absence, I found them both united in close action on the Darby question. We were there- fore still opposed on the latter ground. lie professed surprise to find me "iu such company" as the above ; and especially 8o, as "haviug been such a close friend of ]Mr. Kelly." I rejoined, "I was the friend of Mr. K. in a righteous cause ; I am still so iu kindly feelings, but I cannot be with him in a wrong course." "Oh," said he, "I see where you are, — from this time then we must be strangers if v.c meet — I now leave you to your own day dreams." ( ! ) Poor man, my answer might now be considered prophetic — though disclaim- ing the power of prescience : " Mr. Stewart," I rejoined, *' the day is fast approaching when ^Ir. Darby and all his active agents will find they have been digging pits for others into which they will themselves fall. T/ici/ know they are falsifying their brethren, who are as free from Mr. I^ewton's fearful errors as themselves, — or of tolerating them in others. But judging from the unhol}^ spirit manifested by jour party — for I must use this term — I fear it is only a question of time, when God will, in righteous judgment, allow Mr. Darby and his supporters to fall into the same, or similar errors, or even worse, than are charged against INIr. Newton with too much truth." What has followed? Messrs. Kelly and Stewart (both men of ability : the former, once a diligent student at Oxford under Dr. Pusey, and intended for the Episcopal Ministry ; the hitter, for some years a popular Presbyterian Minister, but subsequently met with " brethren ") have been separated by a most painful course of procedure (a second difiiculty with the two men) ; resulting too, finally, in Mr. Stewart's utter severance from the party he sought 6o efiectually to serve, in, I am bound to say, a most God- dishonoring course in Jersey. "Where do Mr. Darby and hi? supporters stand to-day? Charged, and the charges brought home with fearful and most damaging proof which cannot be gainsayed, by some of the most able, learned, and leading men of his party for very many years, with holding errors almost identical with those of B. W. Newton, and equally subversive of the teachinga of the word of God. 15 ind them both I These men, e. g. — Mr. W. H. Dorman, Mr. P. F. Hall, IVe were there- BMr. Gniiiand of Lausanne, Mr. Gilpin, and several others, jfessed surprise ■ will isijoak for themselves in extracts from their published and especially I pamphlets. Mr. Kelly. | ^^^ ^j^, Dorman, in his pamphlet of G7 pages, viz. : " The close of twenty-eigiit years of Association with J. N. D. : and of Fellowship and Ministry amongst those who adopt his Doctrines concerning the Sufferings of Christ." " Belle Viie, March 2nd, 1866. " Beloved Brother, — I little thought when I expressed to you my feelings of satisfaction at the close of our recent correspondence, that should so soon be obliged to trouble you again upon the subject, ut I find, strange to say it, that up to that time I had been reading your papers on the sufferings of Christ, under a perfect illusion of mind, which was only dispidled by my sitting down again quietly to mark hat expressions in them I thought might be corrected. I can account or this only by my having come to their perusal with the full impros- 11'- r iTirtv ^'"" °" "'y '"i"^^ ^^ your doctrine on the subject, derived especially •^ <^ . '^ ] 'rom your comments on " The Books of the Bible," as they appeared ' a question ot ^ jriginally in ' Tlie Present Testiitiouij: Since the publication of the 3nt, allow Mr. ' 1st Volume of your SS\*/»(Y'S(s' I have been able to read but little in 'ime or similar ^ li'it way, nor indeed in any other, until lately ; and then my studies, ' f vr . AT . f ' if I may call them so, have been in another direction. It has utterly nst xMl. i>e J)assed from my mind, as to any practical effect — though I must have nown it generally — that you had adopted an almost entirely iwio riuciple in your interpretation of th-j Psalms as they appear in the d Volume of the 'Sipiopnis.' But I was familiar only with that which s applied to their interpretation, as they came out at Jirht, in '2'Ae ~rescnt Tesiiinonij.'' Until since I wrote to you in my last, I had not he least adequate conception of the extent of the change of your views jihtcous cause ; be with him in icre yon are, — re meet — I now Poor man, my hough disclaim- t," I rejoined, i-by and all his r pits for others know they are n Mr. >Jewton's them in others. Messrs. Kelly once a diligent itended for the ears a popular rith" brethren") 3C of procedure f*" ^i'<^ sufferings of Christ. I may refer as an example, to Psalm ting too, finally, arty he sought ay, a mostGod- i stand to-day? xix, and cii. as they were written at first and as they are given now. : Consequently, as yuu would perceive by my private notes, and by the * yay I wrote to you, that I fancied your icurds were perpetually at war rith your meaning. Other considerations, you will of course think, Itught to have corrected such a notion. Perhaps so : — I can however, aow only say that, so it was. Further than this, I may add, there feigned in my mind up to this time, a kind of absolute confidence that vith fearful and |t was next to iniiiossible you should really hold any thing that was saved, by some irrong. And I dare say I am not alone in this conviction. f I ■ n-ji'tv for A " ll'^w^^'*^'"' the effect upon my mind now is to make me thinl V "'^ . , HI all probability, your terms are more carefully selected to e; t identical with jversive of the ik that, express rhat you mean, and are more accurately weighed, than they could lave been by any but the originating mind of the doctrine. Of fir~ 16 if' I ( course there are limitations existing in your mind, and modifying considerations, and an accurate perception of the delicate nature of the ground you were traversing, that it is next to impossible .another mind, learning it only from you, should possess. But without these, if any one else were to attempt to give a just view of your thoughts, it is likely enough that he would do it in the language of bald and revolting heresy. " It is at this point my increased difficulty begins. If I objected so strongly before, when I thought it only a question of the employment of terms ; you will understand at once that my objections are not weakened by a transfer of them from the terms in which the doctrine is expressed to what I think is. the doctrine itself. If the question had been only about what you i,,ive written on the suflFtriiigs of Christ, taken by itself, I might in my condition of health have been well content to leave it alone, whatever my thoughts might have been upon the subject. IJut it is not so. It i'' implicated now, since Newton's writings about it were condemned as heretical, with the fundamental principle of our special association — a principle which over rules and over-rides every other, when the consideration arises of who shall, and who shall not, be received to fellowship. This changes the whole aspect of things in regard to it. " It must be a strange principle of moral righteousness that will allow a man from day to day to go on repelling with unrelenting severity the most distant connection with an evil, whilst he is at the same time conscious of being in the very closest association with what he suspects to be but a modification of the same thing. This is no hypothetical case ; and I must say thatno upright conscience can long bear the strain which is thus put upon it. •' This then is, as I apprehend it, my exact case ; I cannot any longer be exposed, by the exigency of my position, to be called upon to refuse solicited fellowship to christians, in other respects upright and blameless, not because they hold Mr. Newton's doctrine, or have the least leaning towards it, but because they cannot abjure all association with those who at some time or other have received into fellowship persons, who in some way or other have been connected with Mr. Newton's doctrine : — -while I at the same time more than fear that there is such an approximation of your own doctrine towards it as would lead nineteen persons out of twenty, of ordinary minds, if they duly considered it, to pronounce it to be mainly the same thing. " Such severity may have been necessary heretofore — I do not pronounce upon it — but I do not feel myself able, as things are, any longer to carry it out. "I write this in all brotherly affection and confidence, and I trust to your christian candour to put a right construction upon it. It is not for me to say what you oucjht to do, because I cannot put myself in your position ; I only suggest that I think you might, very consistently, accord to Hall his desire, that you should withdraw the papers on ' The Sufferings of Christ ;' at least that 17 id, and modifying delicate nature of inpossible .inother Jut without those, of your thoughts, ;uage of bald and If T objected so )f the employment ibjections are not ivhich tiie doctrine If the question uffiriiips of Christ, li have been well lit have been upon w, since Newton's 1 the fundamental ich over rules and ises of who shall, changes the whole eousness that will with unrelenting nhilst he is at the iociation with what ling. This is no )nscience can long se ; I cannot any to be called upon resj)ects upright octrine, or have innot abjure all ve received into been connected time more than doctrine towards rdinary minds, if the same thing, ofore — I do not e, as things are, nfidence, and I truction upon it. ecause I cannot lit I think you that you should t :' at least that part of them in which the doctrines inculpated are treated. This would be acknowledged by us both as a fruit of God's gracious mercy to us in our distress, and would set his mind and my own at rest upon the subject. " liy y""r own shewing, it has nothing to do with the faith of a christian directly. These are your words, in answer to the question whether the first two kinds of suffering explain all that the Psalms contain in reference to the sufferings of Christ: "They do give all that we have to say to as christians, and hence the difficulty many christians find in entering into anything further.' As to your expla- nations I have heard and read them again and again, without removing in the least degree the real difficulty of the doctrine, as presented in your published statements. I read most carefully your explanations to correspondents in the '■Bihln TrcaHiDij,' before I wrote to you in the beginning of February, and I have read them equally attentively since, especially to see if I could find any relief from the pressure of your statements as to Christ's being under wrath from God not atoningly, (for this you have certainly stated, as well as that he was smitten of God not atoningly,) and also as to his entering into the exercises (having the experivnce as I think) of persons imperfectly instructed in grace and at a moral distance from God — but I have found I think the pressure rather increased. I know that you have not said in tiirma — that 'Christ was at a moral distance from God in order to learn the feelings of men who are.' I speak only of what I think the terms in which you have expressed yourself involve." — p. 6-9. '• My difficulty lies in your having put the Son of God under ' wrath and indignation,' and ' smiting from God,' and confession of sins too, not in atonoment — not vicariously — not as a substitute— but I must say personally — albeit it was what you call ' governmental wrath.' Still it was wrath that the Son of God was under, and ' a wrath that but for atonement would have coalesed in final wrath.' I don't urge I the consequences of this putting of this solemn matter; but 1 do ask I what am I to do with this doctrine which your language unequivocally I teaches? Is this right about Christ? Far as your intentions and I thoughts may be from re-producing a modification of Newton's doctrine, I I ask what is this but the penalty of connection with the 'exiled I family'?"—^. 12-13. '} "The link of connection between your doctrine and Newton's, you yourself have forged, so that you need not resort to ' the devil' * to put the thought into my head. You have done it thus : You make I your doctrine and his distinctive of a true and a false Christ. You I take the worst features of his (not unjustly), and the best features of '> your own (not designedly), to show it; and then you bring the whole I force of this distinction to bear upon the severest course of discipline I that I think was ever pursued in the church of God, Now if the fT^ \ ' •f^imm u necessity of the one's position, and the voluntariness of the other's had been only used as a general distinction between the two to guide the judgment of people, 1 for one should not have reclaiuiod. hut when it is made the sule basis of our differential communion, the sole ground of an unyielding and unsparing discipline, it becomes the conscience, it forces it, to look a little more dec{ily into the matter. And further, if your doctrine has given any ground of a suspected approach to the other, it is all the more imperative. It will be necessary to bring into the balance, on the one side, every one of your inculpated expressions, as giving the sum of what you teach; and on the other side to give a place to any mitigating expressions (if there be any) on the part of Mr. Newton.- liCt any one in his civil capacity imagine the action of a law that compelled him to separate himself in every possible way from a black man because he was black; and at the same time com- pelled his association with a col()red man, and to pronounce him to be xvh'de. The hardship would not be in thinking the black man black — about that all are agreed, but in thinking the colored man to be abso- lutely white; and it would be aggravated still further if one hud to enforce this judgment upon other people under severe penalties, in spite of their remonstrances. "If you throw off all responsibility as to this on the brethren and say 'it is their discipline,' I can only say it recalls a passage in ' Gihbo)is Decline and Fall,' which I read in my youth — 'The Roman Caesars surrounded their throne with clouds and darkness humbly professing themselves the accountable ministers of the senate, whose decrees they at the same time diclatcd and olnycil.' Now I believe most thoroughly, as you say, that your feelings and desires are to be the servant ol' all, and to be yourself anything or nothing so they may be helped on their heavenly road. But this is only one side of the actual truth. Your circular letter did inaugurate our present position and discipline — and on the very point of the doctrine in question. But I need not say more on this. The history is patent. As to people being delivered from connection with 'licthcsda' — and 'loose principles' (I am afraid of those phrases, so ambiguous and undefined) — I can rejoice heartily when it is by the power of your ministry. It stamps no currency on the abstract principle in question. If you had been on 'the other side' — provided always ]>eople are not indifferent to Christ and holiness and true doctrine — they would have had to speak of their deliverances too. God would have blessed your single- hearted desire for Christ's glory amongst them in spite of the professed, and in some respects imi)ortant, differences of ecclesiastical principles." —p. 16-17. " That there is a doctrine spread over the pages you have written on the sufferings of Christ, that, in the fair construction of sentences, when gathered up. is equivalent to what I have stated in the extract from my letter wliich you have quoted, is to me dvmonfitrahh; and that you hold a doctrine on the sufferings of Christ, which if you reject in i f 19 3f the other's had :wo to guide the 1110(1. ]iut when 1, the sole ground s the conscience, ;r. And further, 1 approach to the sary to bring into att'd expressions, er side to give a ) on the part of lie the action of ry possible way same time com- louiice him to be !ick man black — man to be abso- icr if one had to >enalties, in spito le brethren and Is a passage in li — ' The lloman arkness humbly 3 senate, whose Now I believe !sires are to be ling so they may one side of the present position tie in question, patent. As to la' — and ' loose i and undefined) ur ministry. It til. If you had not indifl'erent Id have had to icd your siiigle- f the professed, ical principles." u have written n of sentences, in the extract rahh; and that f you reject in the terms of its statement by others, you do not care to state in more than the half-eiiigiiiatical tonus I have referred to, as employed by yourself, it is impossible for me not to believe. "However, it may shorten debate if I say at once, that my con- victions compel me to reject your whole premises as a valid ground for your conclusions concerning the sufferings of Christ, as presented in your third division of that solemn subject. 1 object, in limine, that a whole class of the sufferings of Christ based wholly on the theory of a non-existent, future prophetic Jewish remnant, should be forced upon me as divinely taught in Scripture; while the author of them at the same time acknowledges that they have nothing to do with the grounds r f the common christian faith, as taught by the apostles. I object to it as the doctrine of (h'tcloimicnl, on the most sacred subject, and in the most mischievous form. It is development, no doubt, from professedly Old Testament sources : — but still it is dcvdupmvnt, and that of Christ; and 1 must hold it on that ground to bo self-judged, according to the apostolic canon, *let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from t!ie beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.' "Your doctrine is not that which we have heard from the beginning. " You may not have hoard of it, but your doctrine is already bearing its bitter fruits. In one gathering Christ's position under God's governmental dealings, was presented in terms so correspondent to those of Mr. Newton, that the doctrine would have been imputed to that source, only the young man who unconsciously was treading this ground, was known not to have read Mr. N.'s writings, nor to have been ever associated with tliose who had. And I know for certain also, that some younger brethren in a meeting for their mutual edifi- cation lately, in reading the history of the crucifixion, were apportioning out carefully the sufferings of Gethsemane to the Jewish remnant — and those of the Cross to the Church. I know that this will be as great a sorrow to you as it is to me." — p. 20-21. " A great deal may be conceded to Mr. D. I have been willing all along to concede much to him. But will he ask me, or will those who in London have stood godfathers to his doctrine, ask me to con- cede that an argument may be good at one time for the rejection of a doctrine, and at another time (ten years after) make nothing against its receptiim ? I leave them and him to settle the consistency of this, while I pass to another point of my examination. " If there be one thing clearer than another it is this, that the revelation which God has given us in the Scriptures addresses itself to people of common understandings, and not to the subtle-minded J. and the erudite. Erudition and metaphysical subtlety may have their 1 place in the explication of the divine word, but it is prima facie • argument against the truth of any doctrine when the grounds of it i are invested with clouds and mystery. That is not a true scriptural 20 doctrine tho basis of which in scripture cannot be made plain to the apprehonsiotiH of plain poople. But Mr. D. has said that " not one in a hundred of tlic brethren understands my doctrine.' I know not whether he says this in conimendation of it or not, but from all I have met with I am disposed to think that his verdict is perfectly true. " liut then there results a double injury from enforcing this doctrine as true — an injury to the voniicioivcn of those who understand, and reject it ; and an injury to the souls of those who without understand- ing adopt it." — p. 24-2'). ' "These doctrines, as I have shown, are the doctrines of 'develop- ment,' by which they are in the outset self-judged, and self-condciiincd. But they are much more than this They have come to be in fact — I do not say in purpose — the distinctive ground of communion with all those that are especially associated with iMr. D. \\ do not like to say 'the Darbyites,' though it might save circumlocution, and I think that they have fairly earned the title]. The case is this : — One teacher amongst tho brethren brought in an array of doctrines concerning the suflfcrings and experiences of the Lord Jesus Christ, derived, as we have learned, from his study of the I'salms; and demanded for them a reception as presenting a fuller development of Christ than the New Testament contains. Another teacher, from his counter-study of tho Psalms, has brought in aho an array of doctrines on precisely the same subject.s — viz: the sufferings and experiences of our Lord — which he demands shall be received as the presentation of 'a true Christ,' in opposition to the other, who is declared to have presented ' a false one.' As a matter of history the present distinctive communion of Mr. D.'s followers commenced by the rejection of the one system of doctrines, eighteen years ago, and the rejection of the congregation of Bethesda Chapel, Bristol, on account of these doctrines; and it has been carried on ever since on the basis of the same continued opposition. And now, as it seems, there is to be added the reception, and enforcement as far as is dared, of the other system, which is brought in with the greater inconsistency by its author because it is based upon grounds, which when opposing his former antagonist, he utterly condemned. How far the one approximates to the other, it will be the work of subsequent pages to show. What I ask here is : — Amidst all this puzzle of contending systems, about this most solemn of all subjects, why should I not as 'a little child' of John's Epistle, earnestly refuse to receive either ? Is it not enough that they are alike opposed to that which has been 'heard from the beginning'? «« * * * « ■» ■» # * "As to the.se doctrines, however, it might be replied, W hy do you not let them alone, and content yourself by the individual repu- diation of them ? I would gladly have done this, and so have avoided the thorny path I am now pursuing, if such liberty had been granted to me. But it was not. Mr. D., it is true, has urged as a reason for quietaess on the subject, that he is not undergtood hj the brethren, 21 lade plain to the 1 that " not ono tie.' I know not it from all I have erfectly true, cinp tliis doctrine understand, and ;huut understand- nes of 'develop- 1 solf-condciiined. 3 to bo in fdvt — communion with ri do not like to tion, and I think is: — One teacher js concerning the , derived, as we nandod for them rist than the New nter-study of the on precisely the s of our Lord — tation of ' a true \ have presented ir-Z/ye communion the one system the congregation octrines; and it same continued ed the reception, system, which is or because it is r antagonist, he to the other, it ; I ask here is : — his most solemn John's Epistle, h that they are the beginning'? # * id, Why do you individual repu- so have avoided d been granted I as a reason for y the brethren, ind that he does not teach the doctrines. But has he not sternly Refused to withdraw them ? and has he, in the course of eight years, lone any thing but reassert and reprint them } licsides, ho is unable impart his own discretion to his followers, or to impose on them lis own rules of caution. The seeds which he has sown broadcast in such a soil are ripening on every side, where the special influence of lis piety and genius and labours and name prevail. His seconds may ^ndeed be driven to say, when met by opposition to these doctrines, that ' they are but Mr. Darby's views, and not to be contended for as irital truth.' [Did any one ever hear that they were ' onhj Mr. Newton's views,' when his doctrines were being examined and condemned ?] Jut whenever they find a willing ear instead of opposition, objections ire anticipated, obnoxious features are softened down, analogies are suggested, and no explanation is spared, nor gloss withheld, which is calculated to give them the character of ' vital truth ' to unsuspecting linds. If I had found these doctrines latent and inert, it would have )een my wisdom to leave them so, whatever mischief] might forebode fthey would work another day. But this was far from being the case. Mr. D. acknowledges they have no ground in the New Testament, and says they have nothing to do with the common faith of Christians; land yet with a fatuity, as it seems to me, that is perfectly unaccountable, insists on there being received as aflFording the sole ground and lirection for the administration of the most active course of discipline that is being carried on by the brethren as a Christian community. "I think in this I do not assert too much. For it must be remera- )ered that since these writings gave occasion for their author to be uharged with holding a modification of Mr. Newton's error, the position )f those who are associated with him has been a very painful and a rery anomalous one. It has of necessity kept the two systems con- stantly in view — especially on the part of the leaders — except in cases phere the fiat of authority was felt to be enough as a ground of action, id the dictum of a leader, once pronounced, a sufficient guide for [the judgment in every possible case. So that now, if the brethren Bontinue the stringency of their discipline on this point, I can conceive »f their doing so only on two grounds. They may either have fairly examined the two systems, and satisfied themselves that there is nothing In common between them, but that the one presented perfect truth and the other perfect error; or failing this, they may think it enough that ;one of the writers has himself said, the one system presents ' a false Christ,' and the other ' a true one ;' and so act on this authority. Either jway my position is made out that this doctrine, in the one form or the ;Other, implicates itself with the whole ground of the communion of Mr. D.'s followers, and is the only rule of discipline — or exclusion from fellowship — in cases that are of everyday occurrence. " It is surely an extraordinary position for a Christian Teacher to find himself in, or to be allowed by others to assume — that after hav- ing acknowledged that the system of doctrines he has presented, in a special division of Chrifst's Sufferinga^ has nothing to do with the oom- I iliii' 22 mon faith of Christijin«, should ncvertholoss refuse to withriraw these doctrines, or modify the .statoinont of thorn, thouirh ho is told, in the deepest sorrow, that his refusal to do so will occasion still further divisions, on the score of a refused complicity with error — but that they should still remain as the distinctive ground of Christian com- munion, and, as I have said, the only f^round of a discipline that has reached hundreds of Christians in the most painful ft.rm, who it must ^-«;be acknowledged abhor the doctrines which this discipline was intended to guard against, equally with those by whom it is enforced I I confess that it is a position which — from whatever motives maintained — whether from a determination that no one shall dispute his will, or from a sense of what is demanded by his own consistency, or from the foar of shak- ing t!io«ie notions of infallibility with which his followers have invested him — is utterly iiToconcihiblc with any principles of Christianity that I have ever found presented in the Divine Word. I am satisfied that there cannot be two conclusions on this point amongst ('hristians who exercise their judgment in the fear of God and in reference to the authority of His Word, and whose minds the obliquities of a false system have not warped. " But to the doctrines themselves. First of all it must be considered what was their origin. Thoy took their rise, not from any direct Divine revelation containing thorn at all, though this is the only admissible ground of any doctrine. JJut this is not even pretended as their basis. They were originated simply to meet an intellectual veccssitj/. An adopted prophetic theory, and an interpretation of the Psalms in con- sistency with that theory, alike in the case of B.W. N. and of J. N. D. originated the respective doctrines. But for a prophetic theory and the exegesis of the Psalms, in neither case would they have been ever thought of Mr. N. first in order of time attempted to meet this necessity, and with what results we have sorrowfully seen. Mr. T)., following in his wake, has also attempted to meet it, and with what results we are beginning to see. "This perhaps may be the proper place for the introduction of an extract from a well-known Christian writer, which may be thought to throw some light on this particular point : "'The principal errors that have disturbed the church may, no doubt, fairly be attributed to motives springing from the pride or perverse dispositions of the human heart ; but often a mere intellectual enthusiasm has been the real source of false doctrine. "' Errors generated in this manner possess, commonly, some aspect of beauty, or of greatness, or of philosophical simplicity to recommend them ; for as thoy were frarired amid a pleasurable excitement of the mind, so they will have power to convey a kindred delight to others. And such exorbitances of doctrine, when advanced by men of powerful or richly furnished minds, conceal their deformity and evil tendency beneath the attractions of intelligence. But the very same extrava- gances and showy paradoxes, when caught ap by inferior spirits, pr< [the hei th iiit( loo init imp blai bis fun: ti in t gen rea! and tog ter intei ifion to withflrnw theno ho is t()l»l, in tho iision still further h error — but thnt if (Christian coin- liscipline that has ri.nii, who it must plinc was intended forced J I confess intainod — whether 11, or from a sense II the fear of shak- irers have invested Christianity that [ am satisfied that •st Christians who reference to the (juities of a false lust bo considered any direct Divine } only admissible ded as their basis, nl 7iecrssihf. An ic Psalms in con- i. and of J.N. D. hetic theory and y have been ever ;ed to meet this seen. Mr. T)., t, and with what itroduction of an ny be thought to church may, no om the pride or mere intellectual only, some aspect ity to recommend xcitement of the elight to others. men of powerful id evil tendency y same extrava- inferior spirits, presently lose their garb, not only of beauty, but of decency, and eho,, thenisel.cs in the louthsonio nakedness of error. The mischief of heresy is often more active and cunspiouons in second hands than in those of its authors; and the reason is that it is u.sually the child of intellectualists — an inoffensive order of men; but no sooner has it been broujrht forth and reared, than it joins itself, as by instinct, to minds of vuljrar quality, and in that society s«iou learns the dialect of impiety and licentiousiu'ss. The hcrcsiarch, though he may be more blameworthy, is often much less audacious, and less corrupted, than Ills followers; for he perhaps, is only an enthusiast; they ha.'c become fanatics.' ■' The heresy that is now being introduced (for heresy it has become in the legitimate application of the term) will be no exception to the generic character whicli this writer has given of it. I do not for special reasons here turn aside to the way in which it has already expanded nd exfoliated in the second hands who are in Mr. D.'s absence seeking lO give it currency. It is only required to wait a little and its charao- er will become apparent. " Together then with his special prophetic theory K. . D. has adopted new principle in tho interpretation of the Psalms — new to himself DS well as new to other interpreters — which demands that Chtist should be viewed as smitten by God, not in atonement : and even cut off by tho hand of God in governmental wrath, and in suffering on the crosa — not in substitution, not in atonement." — p. 27-32. " It was his prophetic theory, and its accompany'.ng principle of interpretation of the Psalms, which lud Mr. B. W. N. through a terra- incofjnila of Christ's sufferings, that issued in his revolting christian minds generally from him, and his getting the brand-mark of heresy attached to his doctrine, and obloquy to his name. Mr. D.'s theory of prophecy, though ditterent from Mr. N.'s, with its accompanying principle of interpretation of the Psalms, led him also through this fame terra-incognita of Christ's sufferings, and the result to him is, „ hat many Christians who have hitherto been helped and profited by ,^is writings have become, through his new doctrines, startled and jftlarmed. And if it may be thought that, through higher abilities and igreater wariness, he has escaped the melancholy fate of his predecessor, ©ne thing is certain, that he has thrown up no causeway on which it ivill be safe for any Christian to travel after him — and he has left no .piiap of the road which would not lead into infinite perils if attempted Hko be followed. Every effort of man's mind to analyse the person of Christ, of necessity ends in the same result. ' No man knoweth the ■^on but the Father!' "Any comparison of the two systems, I know, is greatly resented Jby Mr. D., who publicly declared that those who instituted it were I* fools or knaves.' But this aside. It will be thought by Christians, "who do think, that those two systems are not so very wide apart, which I t 24 both commenced in a prophetic theory ; are both based on a peculiar interpretation of the Psalms; have both their distinctive remnants; and have both led to a common result, viz., that of each author having' been led by his system to give a kind oi fifth gospel — a gospel supple- mentary to the gospels of the four Evangelists — a gospel of the inner- sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nobody can deny that these are common characteristics of the two systems; however dissimilar in some other respects they may be." — p. 34-35. " I am not at present arguing the point whether Mr. D.'s doctrine concerning the sufferings of Christ is false and heretical or not. I am not called upon to do so. I have only to do with one point, as I have already said once and again, namely, its approximation to Mr. Newton's doctrine so far as to make it i.npossible for me — whatever others may do — to take the one doctrine as the exposition of ' a true Christ,' and the other of ' a false one.' But this is the reception for both the one and the other which Mr. D. demands. This doctrine, whatever its character may be proved to be, is no barren metaphysical dogma: Mr. D. knows it well. The living, inexorable law of discipline which guards the grounds of fellowship of all who are especially associated with him, took its rise eighteen years ago in the rigid exclusion of the one doctrine ; and it will be hard to show how it can be righteously maintained, in conjunction with the acceptance and maintenance of the other. At any rate it is impossible for me to regard any longer this law of exclusion as having anytliing whatever to do with the maintenance oi purity " doctrine: on which ground it was at first ostensibly inaugurated." — p. 36-37. " I had no notion when I wrote the last sentence how readily the followers of Mr. D. could vault over what seemed to me an insuperable difficulty, and a contradiction to the force of every passage in which the cross is doctrinally used in the New Testament. I am told that there were three hours on the cross during which our Lord was bearing sufferings not atoning. There were also three hours in which he was enduring atoning sufferings, viz., from the sixth to the ninth hour. He then emerged from these sufferings, and dismissed his soul in peace. In terms, this wrs expressed to me by a young gentleman fresh from Mr. D.'s inspirations, and who assured me that his own views and Mr. D.'s perfectly coincided. To my sorrow I have since learned it from Christians of unquestioned piety and intelligence, and have heard it also in all simplicity avowed by the uninstructed poor. If there were nothing else, the prevalence of this doctrine alone would utterly debar me from sitting down at the Lord's table where by possibility all my spiritual sensibilities and reverence for my Lord's adorable sufferings, which none but God can fathom, would be in danger of being outraged by its announcement. I make no farther comment on the profanity of these abhorred speculations, where every heart should wonder and adore. But I ask any Christian person to I f6 ftsed on a peculiar tinctive remnants ; each author having — a gospel supple- gospel of the inner- deny that these are 'ever dissimilar in Mr. D.'s doctrine 3tical or not. I am ne point, as I have on to Mr. Newton's latevcr others may a true Christ,' and n for both the one trine, whatever its taphj'sical dogma : 3f discipline which pecially associated id exclusion of the jan be righteously ]d maintenance of regard any longer er to do with the nd it was at first e how readily the me an insuperable passage in which I am told that ■ Lord was bearing 3 in which he was le ninth hour. He ]is soul in peace. leman fresh from s own views and e since learned it gence, and have tructed poor. If rine alone would table where by 30 for my Lord's om, would be in make no farther -ions, where every ristian person to consider what is involved in this pretended accuracy and refinement in dealing with the cross. First, atonement is not simply by the cross — though it is always used by the New Testament writers as the very symbol of atonement. It is wrought only by three hours of specific suff'ering upon the cross. Next, it as accomplished without Christ's death ; — communion, as it is said, ha.?ing been restored before Christ dismif;sed his spirit, which was suspended during the period of his [bearing wrath. Next, we have atonement without blood-shedding, [but 'without the shedding of blood is no remission'] for Christ's blood (was not shed until after his death, and from his pierced side 'forthwith ^ came there out blood and water.' Let the brethren see to it in what I these fatal speculations, so gliby and flippantly uttered, as I have : heard them, will assuredly land them ! •i ' *' Here, by this system, people are taught — and not in vain — to 'i divide the cross. Under its influence they give away to a future Jewish ^ remnant under Antichrist the sufferings of Gethsemane. Perhaps ; they have assigned to the slain remnant the three hours of Christ's i non-atoning sufferings, to shew that he cau sympathize with them in : death, too, because his death in atonement was not sufiicient. But I ; will not pursue these unhallowed speculations any further. Infinitely anore near to the emotions awakened by the reading of this history in ithe gospels is the language of the 'Litany': — 'By thine agony and i)loody sweat ; by thy cross and passion ; by thy precious death and iburial; by thy glorious resurrection and ascension,' &c. At least we piave no refinenent here, and all is left in its integrity. But this tern stops tot at the dividing of the cross. It divides also the erson of Him who hung upon it. If not, what is the meaning of the 'ollowing passage ? ♦ Christ took human life in grace ; and in this life e took sin upon him. Sin belongs, so to speak, to this life in which hrist knew no sin. But he dies — he quits this life. He is dead to pin, he has done with sin in having done with the life to which sin fbelonged. Raised up again by the power of God, he lives in a new Icondition, into which sin cannot enter, being left behind with the life %e left behind.' — '■Synopsis,' Vol. III., p. 454. This is not the way Bcripture speaks of Christ's death, or of Christ's life. It never, so far as I know, speaks of ' a life he left behind.' It could not, fo ■ he Was ' the eternal life which was manifested unto us.' Moreover, he himself says in the prospect of his death — his death for sin, and his f death to sin' also — ' I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power jto lay it down, and I have power to take it again.' That is it is Jfcsserted that the life which he laid down was the life that he took again; and not that he ' left one life behind,' and took another. The life in which the Lord Jesus lived on earth, he lives in hea en. There iwas no ' life that he left behind.' He lived on earth once, and he lives 3n heaven now — and, however different the conditions, it is the same •life. To say that it is not, is to say that he was not always ' the iBternal life,' or to divide the person of the Lord. Such reasonings, 26 t I llii I am satisfied, can only lead souls, that are not specially kept of God, either to socinianism, or a subtle infidelity, or to seek repose for their thoughts in the infallibility of faith which Rome professes to present. " But this is a dijrression, which I should not have made except for the conviction that both points-arise from that excessive theorizing on the Word of God which it is my object, as strongly as I can, to condemn. " I now resume. To the extract given above on the 69th Psalm, Mr. D. adds, 'Here the difficult 1/ presents itself fully I '' I cannot but add it is a difficulty which ought to have led him not only to pause, but to suspect the soundness of his hypothesis, when it required him to demand that Christ's confession of sins, and the cross itself, should be distinguished from his atoning work! If it required all Mr. D.'s power of abstraction to master this difficulty for himself, what of the mass of his readers ? And on what ground does he demand that it shall be received as the basis of a new doctrine about the sufferings of Christ, if it be not on the ground of his own infallibility ? It is plain that he was arrested at this point. And it is equally plain that this is the point of his divergence. " In proceeding with his remarks on this psalm, he says, 'We read verse 26, they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and speak to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.' Here we have evidently more than man's persecutions. They take advantage of God's hand upon the sorrowing one to add to his burden and grief. This is not atonement, hut there is sorrow and siuitinq from God. Hence we find the sense of sins (ver. 5) though of course in the case of Christ they were not his own personally but specially the nation's — in a certain sense we may say ours, but especially the nation's sin. But we have the clear proof that they are not atoning sufferings ; because instead of suflfering in the place of others, so that they should not have one drop of that cup of wrath to drink, others are associated with the Lord here in them. 'They persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and speak to the grief of those''-^' whom thou hast wounded.' When men are wounded, too — when Christ is the companion with them — not a substitute for them — then atonement is not wrought, nor the wrath of condemnation endured. Yet God, has smitten and wounded. It is not merely that man has caused suflfering. — 'Sufferings,' p. 36. "Now here, in the first place, it is to be observed that we have not Christ's association with the remnant at all, but with the nation. Mr. D. says we have here ' especially the nation's sin.' But what has become of the specialty of the suflferings and experiences of a future remnant, to meet which these suflferings and experiences of Christ have been with so nmch labour invented ? They have vanished entirely; and we are told that these suflferings of Christ which are not atoning, are for sins, which ' in a certain sense are our sins, but *Tlic Septuagint version, which the Latin Vulgate literally follows, gives an entirely different turn to the iiassiige, taking away every shadow of the thought of others being associated witli Christ in the psalm. I n V Q ii it 0( to in h «0 «1 th •Ul •03 ipc tbi Do lac. doi •Ii the *.la v^a by tru mo kin 97 lecially kept of God, seek repose for their professes to present, ave made except for jessive theorizing on trongly as I can, to on the 69th Psalm, (//?//' I cannot but not only to pause, vhen it required him 3 cross itself, should jquired all Mr. D.'s himself, what of the 1 he demand that it about the sufferings infallibility? It is is equally plain that ' We read speak to I, he says, litten, and re we have evidently tage of God's hand grief. This is not nl. Hence we find case of Christ they lion's — in a certain sin. But we have because instead ould not have one associated with the thou hast smitten, wounded.' When ion with them — not t, nor the wrath of ictmnchd. It is not p. 3G. 1 that we have not th the nation. Mr. n.' Hut what has riences of a future periences of Christ ey have vanished hrist which are not are our sins, but Dd lows, pives an entirely I tlioiigut (rf' others being specially the nation's sin.' Then, after all, this • sorrow and smiting roni God which is not atonement,' is for our sins, but especially the ins of the Jewish nation. Need I proceed any further ? There is othing lacking in this elaborate system but (ntth ; and it is therefore vain thing to seek in it the consistency of truth." — p. 40-44. "Mr. Newton said that Christ had the experiences of what an nconverted elect person ought to have, if he felt justly. But this, rhatevcr absurdity there may be in the proposition, does not come ip, by fiir, to the pas.sage I have just cited. It may be said that it is mpossible Mr. D. shouhl hold a doctrine so monstrous as this. I trust is. But that it i.? what he has written, both as to its terms and its lonnexions, any one may satisfy himself by reading the paper roferrou in 'The ItiliJe Treasury:' — a paper which if .Mr. D. did not actually rite, he adopts as his own, and says VAe trnfh' is more deary stated it than elsewhere. Now when some of Mr. D.'s oldest fellow- bourers have tried their utmost with him to get these expressions rrected, or withdrawn, but in v;»in, it will readily be conceded by all hom devotion to a party has not blinded that, if ho does not hold cse doctrines, there must be something dreadfully wrong and out-of- int soi.ae where ' I must here, for 3Ir. D's own sake, return to a point which I have ready noticed in my letters to him. He says (p. 59 of '■The Sitffer- gs of Chris/,') ' I got one paper stating that my lanyuarje is to the iffect that Christ suffered from God apart from atonement. This irprised me somewhat, and I looked at the papers and I found. But the moment he (Christ) is sufi'ering from God because of atone- lent for sin, it is exactly the contrary.' The sophism contained in lis reply has already been pointed out in my letters. It is here oticed solely as to the question of fact. The objector had said your languaye is to the eff'cct that Christ sufi'cred from God aparfc 'om atonement.' Now this is Mr. D's language, ' This is not atone- lent, but there is sorrow and smiting from God.' Now if it were a octrine that he intended at that time to maintain, why does he say, t surprised me somewhat,' when it wag imputed to him ? But if he ought it wrong, why did he not fairly confess that ho had stated in ^anguage' what he did not mean, instead of mystifying so plain a atter by quoting from one paper, language that is utterly contradicted the language of .another ? Even an Apostle's course was not so tfanscendental that he could not stoop to so common a point of Bdorality as to show that his word toward the Corinthians was ' not jBa and nay.' — p. 46-47. •^ " Now Ift any Christian look into these details of the Gospels, or #en as they are amplified in Mr. D's pages as referred to. and let Mm say how much he finds of ' such suffering for example as is seen % the case of Job' — a man under the discipline of God for his good ! 28 i i And let him ask what consonance he finds hetween these sufferings of our blessed Lord, and the sufferings of a Jewish remnant judged by God and chastened for their sin, under Antichrist for their rejection of their Messiah ? And let him ask especially, in what way or at what point is Christ here presented as suffering under God's govern- ment, so that ' to Him government became wrath' ? I confess, that turning to the Gospels for the instruction of my spirit in the real sufferings of Christ, I have not only been instructed and humbled in adoring wonder, but I have found it the most effectual way to the entire dispossession of my mind of all this system of imaginary and factitious sufferings, by which these simple and affecting accounts of God's Spirit have been overlaid. To me this dissection and mutilation of the Cross is what my whole spiritual nature shrinks back from, as alike contrary to Scripture, and fatal to the reverence which becomes the soul in contemplating this profoundest mystery of Divine, redeeming love. " But this kind of speculation has especial attractions for the pruriency of the human mind, though prejudicial in the highest degree ia to the simplicity of faith. From what I have already seen I am as satisfied, that if God's special mercy do not interpose to prevent it, these drctrines will soon become the distinguishing dogma of the followers of Mr. ground of his bf al t D. They are held forth and defended mainly on the -r i superior intelligence in Scripture. Already their » ' reception is looked upon as a proof of higher illumination. In this » • way there is a premium offered to the vain and immature to profess ■. them. In some instances they are boasted in as ' new and glorious truths ? ' But this is common to every heresy, which presents its _f| truths for the illuminated. It seems as if every feature that _ the reception of Mr. Newton's doctrine at first, must ^ esoteric accompanied ^ _. _. , needs attend the resusitation of it in its present form. Mr. Mc Adam's « preface to a tract exposing Mr. Newton's doctrine, as quoted by , , Captain Hall in his pamphlet entitled " Grief upon Grief," might for , its appositeness have been written but yesterday, instead of near twenty .^ ' years ago. Human nature repeats itself. The precise laudations of .r the one doctrine have been revived in order to be applied to the other; and the very same denials and evasions in its defenders have also painfully reappeared. J " But let me say to my younger brethren especially, for whom I am^j^j, bound to care, that profound intelligence and superior illuraination|jjg show themselves, in connection with divine truth, in superior ability gj^,^ to present the grounds in Scripture for whatever doctrines are soughtj^^^g to be enforced. Archbishop Usher once said to his clergy, 'You see,jjj_j my brethren, how much learning is needful to make these things^jjj plain.' The profoundest truths of tlieologi/ are capable of beingj^i^^ presented in the simplest and most colloquial style ; however different^|j^^ it may be in writings on human science. The Scriptures generallyguj. are an example of this, and the writings of the Apostle John are aj^j special instance. In nothing perhaps has Mr. D. in his long life ot^f ^ m n these sufferings of remnant judged by it for their rejection in what way or at nder God's govern I confess, that f spirit in the real ted and humbled in ffectual way to the m of imaginary and affecting accoants of Bction and mutilation irinks back from, as e reverence which )t mystery of Divine, attractions for the in the highest degree already seen I am ierpose to prevent it, shing dogma of the "ended mainly on the ure. Already their lumination. In this ligious controversy, been more distinguished than by his ability in ringing the plain Scipture testimony to bear against what he is apposing. It is this peouliarity, when he has had Scripture with him, at has brought him off victorious in most of the conflicts in which has been engaged. But in the maintenance of his present doctrines is exactly the reverse. No one can deny that these are based on me occult meaning of Scripture which no one hitherto but himself s been able to penetrate. Consequently when proof from Scripture demanded for them, there is none to offer, but such as assumes the hole question, and instead of being a proof, needs itself to be proved, know of no ground for the reception of these doctrines but that of r. D's alleged deeper insight into the divine word. If I were pre- rod to coniniit myself to such a principle as this, of course I must prepared, irrespective of what Scripture appears to teach, to go lloiigtlis to which his superior genius will engiige to carry me. lam / prepared to travel (his road witli even Mr. D. as my guide. IIow n I tell what further developments of doctrine his active mind may ake in the next ten years, contradictory to what he now announces; his present .speculations are contradictory to what went before ? '' I have not felt myself particulary called upon in this examination prove that these doctrines are false and heretical. It is puough if lave shown that they make any approach to those formerly held by r. Newton. Mr. D. has long ago settled for himself, and for others f •i^'niigiuc, what character he thinks attaches to tlinn. Consequently immature to protess j|^j,„ij ^^ ^^^^ extreme of perversity to conclude that, because 1 have ' new and glorious j^^^j^^j ^, ^^,j ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^^. j^jr. ]). has taught concerning the ]J^ P , J^erings of Christ, I have made any advance toward that which was It every teature that ^|^ ^^ ^^^^^ , ^j^ ^ Thousrh in justice I am bound to say, that ■•trme at first, must^.', f ,, a i. c '• i * r *• e i ■ ^ / * ■hr n» * J ' alBKlst all the apparent contusion and contradictions or /Hs statements m. Mr. McAdams"*^ ... .y ^ , been so long in unbrokoii * . brotherly affection. How should I ? Neither with Mr. D. is it anj personal question. As a servant of Christ I esteem and honour him. and ever shall. Like many others, T am greatly his debtor in the ''^' truth; and it is with no grudging spirit that [ make the acknowledg- ment. If his present position amongst l)rethren is such as I believe i,(\ no Apostle would ever assume, tliis may be the fault of his follower; ipt. rather than his own. Still he is not lord of my conscience, and mine ev( is the clearest case of conscience. I cannot any longer pursue to 'tin fcis tenth generation' peo))lc who have no more to do with Mr. Newton': doctrine than I have, nor any more leaning toward.s it — merely becausi ^j, they cannot endorse Mr. D.'s decree, issued eighteen years ago, as t the way in which the evil must be dealt with if thoy would maintaii themselves in his association. iMy heart lias been withered by th( necessity of schooling Christians — young and old, ignorant and well informed — in the myterios of an act of discipline of eighteen years standing, and in endeavouring to show the present bearings of ' tli' Bethesda question' and 'tlie neutral party' — hateful phrases as the have become. At first, of course, all tiiis was pursued as necessary t ' the maintenance of purity of doctrine and of 'a true (Christ' among.* ure those who took part with Mr. D. in his position, and principles, aii' clisi acts; and I honestly thought it so myself. But this guise is no\ me utterly and rudely stripped away." — p. 58-59. <. was He 'id of 1 2nd. Mr. P. F. Hall, — one of Mr. Darby's oldest an jj^j most efficient helpers, and for mav.y years known as an abl vnu minister of Christ, ere any vronbles commenced — in hi -' aga Dialogue of 50 pages, entitled " Crrief npon Grief." w.i "iJf . F., I hear a report that the ties which have so lonl^jfet bound you to others in worship and service, have been weakening fojijdi some time, and are now broken. Is this true ? 81 gainst Mr. D., or to liavc boon perfectly hies, however iridif- !ut I have road tlio ; to no one on earth t upon the goodness 'itli His people, ami- whole lite has been' lay bo, I know not, have said, where I alone as my jruido. 1 1 have acted dtiriiij; I anything to briny /. lint your association with others was not merely for a testi- ony against Mr. N.? "i^. Certainly not for that merely ; but all ecclesiastical union — c. union in worship and service, was maintained on the undcrstand- g that while all other Christians might be admitted, any one, bow- er remotely connected with him, or even indifferent to the danger of s doctrines, must be excluded as defiling. "3r. And did you not think this to be right and act as others d? "J^. I do not admit the thought of defiling, but I do entirely that ere there is false doctrine, or complicity with it, strong ground of nsure should be niaintained, even to separation if necessary ; and it just because I so think, that I now dare not remain in alliance with ose who I believe teach doctrines which are quite as bad. "if/. Tell me then what these doctrines are which so oflPend you ? "JP. There are three to which I give the first place, and which e more than enough (if there wore no others) to awaken grief and stress in the hearts of all Christians, and to justify — even to force |e to the step I have taken, ;| " 7^/r,s^ ; — That after Gothsemane and hrfore the cross, our Lord JOlh smitten by .Jehovah as the ,' converted, or half converted remnant of Israel — exercises which none vi but a sinner could have, though in sume sort converted — making Ilin CI 'enter into,' or 'pass through' tliose painful and penitential exercisoi th arising from a personal sense (on their part) of sin and wrong ; and ec( further, giving Him to 'enter into' and share the sinful experience' en of unbelief and distrust of God"s mercy — i. e., to feci what they felt Aj. as penitent and only half trusting sinners. i§ "M. Enough. If you can prove that this is taught, you havf •** reason enough for what you do. Tell me where ? '**'' . Wt "7^. The passages I quote to you are from the ^Synopais,' and s ^ Pamphlet on the ^Sufferings of Christ,' and 'TAe Present Testimony,'— X. and from these but in part — though enough I should think to alarn ^ and convince you. xi- " Jf. But there are many beautiful and true to set against them ben are there not ? in t "i^. Indeed there are. The first two classes of our Lord's suffer n>y ings are admirably given, and there are beautiful contradictions an(Mc] not a little confusion in the last, or third class. Still, the bad part i not like something fallen in accidentally and as out of place, and whicl «. ma}' be taken away without danger. On the contrary, it is the livinj«^,, part and argument for the defence and proof of this comprchensivtfgg^ third class of our Lord's sufferings — never heard of, I believe, til^ u, propounded, though in a different way, by Mr. N at Plymouth, an'q0j, opposed at that time, as alike false and useless, by those who now teacl^f^f, it. It is a system, and a coherent system, formed out of a prophetujugj dogma, and interpretation of the F^salms, the lamentations of Jeremiah Tth;, and one New Testament scripture to fit the dogma. A.nd you wilyedi soon see that these are no careless, fragmentary statements, easily pi'the aside ; but the vital parts and proofs of a system — elaborate and welgnff, related in all its parts, and which does, as I think, what the old one olf/^yo Mr. N. did — destroy the meaning and value of our Lord's expiator^b^ii) sacrifice, to maintain itself. audi " Listen, then, to my first quotation, and weigh it well. It is fronpow Psalm cii. in the * Synopsis.' The verses in the Psalm itself are aitiri onour. md then it becomes ut as suffering wliat i way rendering Him jr one else, by placing; !nalties, and so con- act. Mses of soul of the exercises which none verted — making Iliit penitential exercises sin and wrong ; and le sinful experience' are an abominatioii, . allow : — ' I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with who was guiltless.^ rerping, because of Tliinc indignation and I'ln/ wrath : for I'lion hast 111, and to cut off the fted nio up, and cast nie down. My days are like a sliadow (hat cclineth : and I am withered like grass. He weakened my strength 1 the way; he shortened my days. I said, O my God, take me not way in tlie midst of my days,' &c. The 'Syiiojisls' says of this 'lie time is the iiinnedidte approacli of the cross. He looks to Jehovah, rho casts Him down, whom He called to the place of the Messiah, ut who now meets indignation and wrath. This is far beyond looking t suffering as coming from the hand of man. Nor is it His expiatory orh, thnii(/h that which wrought it is here — (he inflignation and wrath. is Himself, His own being cut off as a man.'' In the original French ynopsis, it is, " Abandonne sous la Colere de Dicu,' — abandoned der the wrath of God. Again, in p. 66, of 'jfV/c Sufferings of 'hrist :' — ' Though government and atonement for sin, are two distinct ings, yet that government, and the tcrath home in atonement, icotikl alesce nccessarilly if atonement were not already made ; for what n finally the government of God as to a sinner and his sins be ? ' feel what they fell mgain, in Psalm xxxi. in '■Present I'estinwny .• ' — ' I do not think v. 10 expiatory, but as enduring in fact the consequences belonging to it is tauffht vou havf ffcording to the just government of God. It appears to me that it is i fa ' >' jfjjfi ,/,j i/)(, aspect of atonement that His sufferings are here viewed, but • » A "P^^'^'*" *^ ^^'^ ''"'"" 7"^'"'^^"^' sufferings, as fnling part in the actual position he 'Synopsis, ^"aj j| fj^^, j.f,„ij^ant, being Himself this remnant' in the perfection of the PiTse?*/ i('.sri»io?(.?/, — A^upjijg ^jj,jj, b{,g.,,„(j them, consequently exposed to the attacks of lould think to alarn^ wicked, of the enemy, and at the same time acknowledging all tois as the just result of Israel's ways, the penalty cf ichich He u^as to set against them tAiring in grace. . . . His heart recognised the jnst Jiand df God ii|this state of things.' Verse 10 is, ' My life is spent with grief and of our Lord's sufferHfe' years with sighing. My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, 1 contradictions andjd my bones are consumed.'"— /j. 5-10. Still, the bad part_ i: | it of place, and whid f ♦« 'Ryt j ^ju ^^ow go on, and quote to you the passages from the rary, it is the ^'^^''^}^z*mvffe rings of Christ' (p. 26) on this last question, as a prominent this comprehensivt^ture iti the third class of suffering.—' The third condition in which rd of, I believe, til||ji,;,n may be looked at morally, is as suffering, though awakened, N at Plymouth, an'qi|j(.ijPfjod, and upright in desire, under the exi I 34 Profitably Icnrneil in the knowlpflpo of our vndchu eas, guiU, sin, pnwcrlcKiiH'isii rifldinsf rril, ovon wliPii wo would whnt is j;nn(l, &c. &c Miiu iniglit l)C lujulc to 'puss tlirougli' it uixlor tlic govcrniufiit oi God, to Irani irliiit he was, whnt sin is, and what the power of evil, under wiiieh lie has been lying, is.' "These, then, are tin oxorcisos of snul which the remnant will 'pass through.' The oxjjrcssion, 'passed througli,' is tlie sauio .t* given to our Lord. ' Christ has passed through all these kinds of suffering.' i "J/. I instinctively shrink from such thoughts, and I have soor' others do so, but I can hardly cx[)lain why: but as to Job as an illib tration of the remnant's sufferings, aiul our Lord's participation i M them, I reply in the words of Mr. 1). to .Mr. N in \H\1 : — ' Hut wlia "? were Job's sorrows ? Were they not personal diseijdine — Satan K . loose at hiniseU' — his was no suffering on account of others — he wii the occasion of his own sorrows (I do not speak of any type now and confessed himsell', when he saw God, to be a sinner, and repenti in dust and ashes.' And, of course, if Mr. N. is so strongly coi demned by these words, they fill back with all their force on thos who condemned him." — 1>. 11-15. "At the risk of tediousness I beg you to recal thi.i_ that government, and not atoningly. — p. 38-39. -1.- tiOT " F. One word more, then I have done. Try and present t(f«ft yourself the picture of a sufferer beyond all sufferers, in the followiti^trf distressingly touching words : — ' j\Iy days are consumed like smoke « and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, anc^ji] withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason o^q^ the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. For I havi^^j eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, becausi^^ of Thine indignation and wrath : for Thou hast lifted me up, am^^i^ cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth ; and I an withered like grass.' (I'salm cii.) ' Save me, God ; for the water; are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is ni®'* standing : I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me'*®' I am weary of my crying : my throat is dried : mine eyes fail while ■** • wait for my God.' (Psalm Ixix.) Will you yield to the thought tha'*** these are not the cries of our Sin-bearer, that they are nrt atoning' sufferings while they are thus wrought by God's hand, by God'^®* • 87 ^ suffcrinpB from the lioiii^h I hIiouM have a iiiiulo him lieretical e for our hIms, would' » of time, Mr. D. Hays US. lias nothing to do Christ Himself." difference between ruth, as you think it,j lie penalties, or bothj a distinction hetwcoc uent inflictions on ib ' both — and not aton- r, on this point — tli( N. (if I undorstaii ip^nation and wrath, but that they are only descriptive of a new lird class of suffering from which atonement is excluded, and which, cp an is the distress, has a character wholly arid entirely contrasted h atonement ? * •' M. It is all too clear to mo : and what havo you done ? Have u been to the writers to expostulate, and to try to get these ctrincs recalled? F. For three years I have kept my distress very much to myself, rhaps wrongly, but in the hope that as I had heard of others being trouble too, their remonstrances might have boon effectual. During most part of last year, I have again and again remonstrated, and 8(7/' entreated by letter, to no purpose, and njy correspondence scd with the request that ho would print some paper which I could ow, to the effect — that he did not hold, or mean to teach that our rd was ever smitten by God's hand, save atoningly, but that ho light such a statement 'false and heretical.' I a&ked this only Ities all His life (th b«(iiuse ho told me in his last letter that he did not hold any such n a period that is ni doctrine, and I very much wished to believe this, and thought such a (1 to boar the separat'irtilteincnt might clear the way for something better; he would not pie's sins. oAnsent to do this, and so I am forced to explain my reasons in this .vrath at a much lato'*'"- liiif wrath (though li '■'M. But ought you not, before leaving those with whom you have 1 the cross. Some .ibaen so long a fellow-worshipper, to call them together, and explain ions coalesced was nJOUrself to them ? • up to that tiiiie ; thn ,.^,, j^ j ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^U acquainted with my reasons, as shown in on H""' Ihcre "'''^^tUfi dialogue with you, will not this meet the spirit of the course you \t IS in tins 0"'.'/ 'tMnk fair, and demanded of me ? Meetings for the purpose are too riglitcous S""^f' '""" "httty, and often passionate, and I have seen so many end {)i disr/race, ■)ur Lord smitten l':ff^f^( f could not readily encounter any more — for the sake of truth and charity I could not. This paper can be read quietly, and with reflec- tion, and fairly weighed ; and as to leaving, if the doctrines were Try and present t^^frsed anywhere, I should hasten back, and this is practically rers, in the followin^liJBcient, is it not ? onsumed like smoke i ^/- But are you not afraid of controversy, or of all the wrath, and leart is smitten, anfp^.^pg ^orse, that your opposition to these doctrines, will bring on )read. By reason Oy^i 5 Dq y^u not call to mind the threat in the preface to the skin. For I "^'■'^Sk/c rings of Christ r — 'If I have to take my adversaries up, because ith weeping, oecaint^ ^f^m p(j,.^y q„ ^/jg^Y warfare, and Satan is using them for mischief , I it lifted me up, an^ declare / tvill not spare them: ! ! ! declineth ; and I an |;„ ^ , . , <. God • for the waters •*•*'• ^ cannot think of myself in any sense as an adversary — at e where there is n:®^* ^^ ^ *"^ ^O' '' '^^ ^^ *'he doctrines only, not to those who teach 'floods overflow me^ip"' > *"^ I ^™ "ot anxious about results. If this brings conviction line eyes fail while '^"5'' ^^^ve all to him who is the author of these doctrines, my joy to the thought tha'^ be great : if not I can bear my grief apart. I seek, though in a hev are nrt atoniii^'*!'*' '^'^y indeed, to get the truth clearly discerned and followed by od's hand by God'N*® '^^^ love it, and commit myself and my ways to Him by whom St le n iiii I ■ nil ! f 38 all things are justly weighed. Tired with strife after strife wheJ had hoped to have met, not truth only, but a sensitive champions^ of its sacredness, and surrounded by broken and withered hope| hold down iny head and turn to Him whose grace is sufficient everything, with an earnest cry that lie will enable me to bear, unruffled spirit, and an unquenched love, the ' hard speech5s,'| harder accusations, that may be cast, either on my motives, conduct, or my faith." 3rd. "Translation of a letter from Mr. Guinand, Lausanne, to Mr. J. N. Darby." " My dear Mr. Darby, these are not suppositions — they are fad See what has been the result ever since 1848, wherever your authori has prevailed. I am myself, for the crime of resistance, of the numb of your 1 00,000 excommunicated ones. Ever since 1 848, this preteiulf thought of God, wliich is to be read nowhere but under your pe I which has for its sanction neither the example of the apostles nor aiiJ text of Scripture, leads you to discords, to separations, to excoiij munications which cease not to multiply themselves. It has inducfl you to exercise, in a matter of discipline, the most absolute d ^ootisii' When speaking of it respecting any one, this fatal sentence fl( /s fro-^ your pen or falls from your mouth, '■He is a Bethesdite!' Thatij enough. Without any other enquiry, the accused person is declar^ guilty, and your adherents are constrained to excommunicate him wi the whole assembly of which he is a member; and more than tlii , every assembly where that sentence would not be put in executioip so that the only liberty which remains to your adherents is to bef| the yoke in silence, and in order to conceal from themselves hf^ much their conscience is smothered under this pressure, they atteiii to see in it God's thought — a light refused to their blind victinisyc * progress in spirituality,' a zeal necessary for the maintenance fa the Unity of the Body! 'n " It is not easy to see in this state of things a Biblical pictur;* impossible not to see in it a picture worthy of the Vatican. The Pof*' would laugh in his sleeve at your proceedings, whilst recognizing t-*i own in them ; he founds his edifice upon tradition, whilst your aerW scaffolding rests suspended in space, where, making up for the silcn of Scripture, the thought of God recommences tradition under a nai^f made for the purpose of avoiding offence. (V * # * * a " In 1858 you published in England (I had the good fortune tojf ignorant of it for four years) that towards the close of His life, t^) Lord Jesus was subjected to the wrath of God, and endured the ra of Satan, as the Jews will endure them under Antichrist. ( 39 rife after strife when , sensitive championsliij 1 and withered hopesj e grace is sufficient fa enable nie to bear, wif the ' bard speeches,' er on my motives, ml om Mr. Guinand, positions — they are facl|^ !, wherever your authorif resistance, of the nunil)| since 1848, this pretendl ere but under your pe.| e of the apostles nor af 9 separations, to excoi^ uselves. It has inducff jinost absolute d ^potisii fatal sentence fl( /s froi a Befhesdite!' Thati used person is declar| excommunicate him wil )er; and more than this ot be put in executioij ur adherents is to bel from themselves hfl s pressure, they atteinl to their blind victinisf the maintenance il lor lings a Biblical pictuifj the Vatican. The Pof whilst recognizing ~)ition, whilst your aerPI| laking up for the silen . tradition under a nac' the good fortune to ^e close of His life, ti and endured the ra ^, LDtichrist. This was, by a dash of the pen, to embellish the Gospel account th an event of which neither the Apostles nor the whole Church 'e ever had the least suspicioii. The date, even, of this event does escape you. Without hesitation you place it after the Transfig- ition. One guesses Wt^ ; — the Transfiguration of the Lord, and le voice which was addressed to Him from the midst of the excellent iry,' scarcely denote that until that moment God had turned His Lth against the Beloved Son of whom He says, ' Hear ye Him !' ' You urge very particularly that this wrath of God against Christ no connection at all with atonement. '•'■ In 1852 you had, in your ' Observations on the 88th Psalm,' sady spoken of ' a governmental wrath of God to which Israel was yected,' and into which the soul of Jesus entered, according to the force of that which this wrath was from God. In London, before printing, I took the liberty of personally isenting to you some observations, which have remained without lult. It was at that time but a sentence risked in a whole volume. im that moment you made progress, and this ' leaven ' has had time Laven (he whole lump.' I* In England, the Brethren have not all seen therein a * progress [spirituality.* Objections, protests, have made themselves heard. las been written, ' This is B. W. Newton's doctrine.' The case was perplexing; for when B. W. N. had taught that Christ been the object of the wrath of God, apart from atonement, iriorly to the Cross, you cried out, and not without reason, — iresy ! Blasphemy ! ' You excommunicated and caused persons ixcommunicate — God knows how much. When it is yourself that teaches that Christ had been the object ihe wrath of God, apart from atonement, anteriorly to the cross, to be a truth, a precious truth ? Or else, to be consistent, ought not to exclaim, ' Heresy ! Bl.sphemy I' and excommunicate yourself? If, in this respect, your language is similar to that of B. W. N., arrived at it, I know, by a different path. The one places this ilous wrath of God before the baptism of John — the other, after the \sfigHration : a question of time. The one sees Jesas exposed to 'oni his birth ; the other assures us that Jesus exposed himself to sympathy for Israel — a question of mode. But, in the issue, it lither way, the wrath of God against Jesus, anteriorly to the Cross, apart from all atonement. Is it enough that that which is heresy and blasphemy in the mouth me should be truth, precious truth in the mouth of another ? it ! circumstances excepted, a mere question of whose mouth it is ! are you to get out of that? Hearken — this language never leeded at all out of the mouth of God : who, then, suggested it to iman mouth ? i i i i ! 1 1 40 " In your book upon the Psalms, printed at Vevay in 1862, we rea at p. 12, that which to my great rejrret I am going to transcribe • It is in the act of death that the sufferings of Christ for the sake ( ' righteousness, and that to which He exposed Himself in order to b ' able to sympathize with the faithful remnant, when it suffers undc ' the governmental hand of God and expiation for sin, meet. Chri; * suffered unto death. Then He made also atonement for sin (J. N. D.) " Have I been able to reproduce these lines without the pen fallin from my hands ? " What ! in order to save this fable of tlfl wrath of God again; Christ apart from atonement — a fable which you at first transferro from the Transfiguration to Gethsemane (assuredly before the Cross you have yet had the hardihood to dissect the death of Christ — t separate from it a non-expiatory part, let us utter the sentence as yoc disciples have uttered it) a non-expiatory death, and also an expiatorJ part, an expiatory death. In order that no one may possibly bj mistaken, you have written, ' Christ has suffered unto death : He thej ALSO made atonement for sin.' "This 'also' — did it proceed from the mouth of God ? If not, wl placed it under your pen and in your mouth ? " That which I transcribe is not (you know it. well) a solitar phrase, maliciously extracted from a volume. No : it is the favorit subject of the whole book. The Psalms never lead any one astra; but we may be led astray in the Psalms. " That which astonishes me is not that Christians reject thes: novelties; it is that, making all allowances for the infatuation fo depths, for the vaunt of progress in spirituality, for the care wit which persons have succeeded in powdering this bitter pill with tl sugar o{ the sympathies of Jesus, for the irresistable impulse of partj spirit, for even the fear which you inspire — there should be fouc men capable of overcoming their repugnance (I know what I a; saying) to such an extent as at length to admit them, and, perhap to admire them. " At the foot of the Cross, the soldiers of Pilate, who had ju crucified Jesus — Romans — Idolators — avoided rending the robe the Lord to distribute the fragments. They drew lots for it ; ar. you, Mr. Darby, paying less respect to His death than these idolato; did to His robe, by one stroke — I was going to say with a sacriligeoi hand — you rend the death of our Lord into a fragment non-expiatoi and also into a fragment expiatory. "I would not at all blame you for having covered, and not set fort your doctrines, if I could believe in your coming back to theologic modesty. Would to God that you had not only veiled them, bi buried them forever ! This is what would have allayed fears once f( all, and would have done you honor in the sight of God. hi fii n U> at aft N< fa m Oi •i 41 ^evay in 1862, we rea m going to transcribf )f Christ for the sake c Himself in order to b ■ t, when it suffers undc for sin, meet. Chriij io atonement for sio •'Alas! we are not yet come to that. If you condescend to admit at you have possibly ' expressed yourself wrong upon similar sub- lets,' it is for the purpose of affirming so much the more categorically, ' I do not see any thiiig at all to withdraw from the teachings them- ves,' — you wish to say, ' nothing whatever to retract,* otherwise we all agree upon this point, viz.; That there is nothing at all, no good ipecially, to be reaped from them. " And since there is nothing to retract, will you tell me if it is in ethsemane, i. e., before the Cross, that Jesus was exposed to the ath of God, apart from atonement, or whether upon the Cross ? r the one of necessity shuts out the other. '* My dear Mr. Darby, how critical is your position ! Besides the edly before the CrossBcessity of allaying just fears, you have a cogent reason for veiling be death of Christ — tftur new doctrines, viz. — the danger of seeing your own thunderbolts back upon yourself, or of witnessing the crumbling to pieces of t fatal discipline, to whose triumph you are incessantly immolating sh victims. " Will the day ever arrive, when, the veil being rent, your partizans ill be obliged to confess to themselves that, as to the point of the ath of God against Christ apart from atonement, you have fallen the same error as B. W. Newton, and that if it be a heresy, a sphemy, in the mouth of the one, it is a heresy, a blasphemy, in mouth of the other ? l" Then comes one of two things : — " Either, findingyourself guilty of the same delinquency as B.W. N., pie will judge you as worthy of suffering the same penalty, and the ws of your inexorable discipline will fall violently on your own d : — i"Or else, in order to spare you so humiliating a shipwreck, they will ow overboard this discipline as an invidious freight which sinks the p into an inevitable abyss. 'When in November, 1862, (I was quite ignorant up to that moment) reading your English work upon "The Sufferings of Christ," ing tried to convince myself that you were contending against B. N., fxom an anxiety to keep one of his more revolting errors from ing an entrance amongst your adherents, when, by correspondence conversation, I made the withering discovery that (thanks to your hings) a certain number of leaders of meetings were infatuated ut this wrath of God against Christ apart from atonement ; when ast I read in your volume upon the Psalms, published as a sort of IV Year's gift for 1862, that the death of our Lord Jesus Christ was a^this and that and also for atonement — it remained with me, as a * # ffliire matter of duty, to warn the Brethren against it, and to induce ered, and not setfori^«i to reflect. ' This is the duty which I discharged in writing my ' Letter to- the thren,' and by a consequence which will astonish no one, I have, t deserves, rejected this discipline against which I have for a long e, but in vain, made representations to you. without the pen falling wrath of God agairs you at first transferrw^ ter the sentence as yon \ I, and ALSO an expiator \ one may possibly li id unto death : He the| li of God ? If not, wl ] low it. well) a solitar No : it is the favorii er lead any one astra; Christians reject thes for the infatuation fo lity, for the care wit lis bitter pill with tl :)le impulse of part; here should be fouti' (I know what I ai lit them, and, perbap Pilate, who had ju: rending the robe drew lots for it ; am 1 than these idolatoi( say with a sacriligeoU ragment non-expiatoi\ ng back to theologic; uly veiled them, bi3 allayed fears once fd ft of God. ;i li: ni Ti 1 ? II M n 42 " You are, then, under the necessity of covering with a veil the essential points of your doctrine, and of exacting a blind obedience without allowing either hope or means of coming back to Scripture, oi to the rules which it marks out for us ; or else, you are in danger ol seeing the rigours of your discipline fall upon your own self, or, (a vexation not less great, perhaps, in your eyes) you will see this discipline, for the support of which you have to this moment sacrificed everything, fall to pieces. , " When the veil shall drop . . . what confusion I " I asked for a Conference in which, Bible in hand, we might ex amine your discipline and your novel doctrines. " In order to grant something to me, or in order to deliver thf Brethren from my troublesome opposition, you then, for the purposi of chastising my disrespect for your discipline, caused a sentence o: excommunication to be passed upon me. " Excommunication is your summary proceeding. It is the thoiigli ?! of God, smiting whoever protests against your discipline and agains; |J| your doctrines. " It is written, ' Hear the word of the Lord, ye who tremble at Hi; • word : Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my Name'; ^ ' sake, said, ' Let the Lord be glorified ; ' but He shall appear to you- *• •joy, and they shall be ashamed.' (Is. Ixvi. 5.) **' " Now that you have, by means of your Pamphlet, entered the lists ^i^ I no more ask for a Conference — I propose one to you, and I inviti . you to it. „ " We will discuss at it the points which form the subject of thi; ^^ letter, and any others besides, if it may be agreeable to you, bu jyj anything which may be advanced which has not the sanction of a direc: <>jf text of Scripture, shall be considered as going for nothing. ^i " This is a weapon which you will do well to procure for yourself If the Bible is on your side, it will be very easy for you to reduce ni( to silence. e^ " I propose to you this Conference at Lausanne, for Tuesday, thf , 18th of next September. It shall be, at your option, either limited oiJl^ public. "By a limited Conference, I mean a meeting of persons whom, oiLj either side, we will request to be present. In order to fix a number f i let us say 50 persons — 25 of your choosing, 25 mine. Let us invit(|j^ to it some individuals to whom the Hebrew and Greek text are familiar », " If you prefer a Conference entirely public, we will hire at ou common expense, a room sufficiently large for admitting some hundred < of persons. ^ " I beg you to let me know, before the end of the month, if possible whether you consent to this Conference. " " Believe me, it should be time to cast a glance into the future. ^w 43 iring with a veil the- ig a blind obedience ; back to Scripture, or| you are in danger o(; ydur own self, or, (aj ;s) you will see tlih. this moment sacrificed j infusion ! 1 hand, we might ex order to deliver the^ then, for the purposi caused a sentence of ing. It is the though discipline and against ye who tremble at Hif you out for my Name's e shall appear to youi ) )hlet, entered the lists to you, and I invit( m the subject of this igreeable to you, bu le sanction of a direc: or nothing, procure for yourself for you to reduce nii nne, for Tuesday, tin (tion, either limited o: of persons whom, oi der to fix a numb or mine. Let us inviti reek text are familiar , we will hire at on uitting some hundreds he month, if possible :e into the future. . , . . Our heads are growing grey, lou are a few years ort of 70 ; the term of life is at hand. Soon you will be in Heaven, ill you magnify yourself there in the presence of that multitude of ethren, who, less happy than I, will have scarcely known you but by anathemas and your excommunications ? Think you that in )ur javen the Lord ratifies them, and that he would make for you there title of glory for this noxious zeal displayed here below, at the ex- cuse of peace, of love, of truth ? at the cost even of the full efficacy the death of the Saviour ? " 4th. " Divers and strange Doctrines stated and examined. By Tertius." 'For a full, and as appears to me, a just also and convincing imatc of what is held and taught by Mr, J. N. Darby and some of adherents, respecting both a certain class of non-atoning sufferings ribed to the Lord Jesus, and also the doctrine of the Cross, the der is referred to the two pamphlets whose titles are given below.* '• But there has also emanated from the same school a further class teaching, not less new and peculiar than the former, and bearing not s closely upon fundamental truth. These two branches of doctrine M^ in close moral relation to each other, inasmuch as both alike affect me Person and work of our blessed Lord ; but specifically they are timely separate, as will be seen. Meanwhile the fact of their existence, l^d their wide acceptance also as a higher order of evangelic teaching, dfmands imperatively a calm investigation of their character. I shall fw set forth briefly the grounds of my own conviction that the authors the papers presently to be noticed, stand committed to statements W^ich involve — ^** I. A dividing of Christ's Person. -r" II. A heterodox estimate of the Incarnation, as expressed in ol|-tain remarks on the life and nature of the Lord. ' III. A contradiction of the Scriptural doctrine of His enduring ssiahship. ;*' IV. A new and untenable theory respecting the dying of the ]^d ' to sin '; and *^' V. A false description of his risen life, and in immediate con- Ijlption with this, an erroneous statement of the same doctrine in its lication to the believer. « # « « « ,^' Now although my immediate object is to prove only that these ters divide in iheir teaching the sacred person of the Lord, I cannot '♦ 'The Close of Twenty-eight Years of Association with J. N. D., Ac, by t ' Cirief upon Urief, by F. k\ U.' London: Uoulston A WriKbt." W. II. D.,» I J "I, I il I I' ! ilij > I !,!;| !! !■ I! 44 but feel that in these two passages alone, I am confronted by a cloi of errors all at once. For first, we have the Lord set, without ai limitation or reserve, ' in the place or condition of the first Adaii and ' dying there.' But if such expressions are to be taken in the simple force, they teach (as Mr. Newton taught) that, the Lord w obnoxious or liable to death, because woman-born ; i. e., that dea was the natural sequel of His birth — a mere variety of Irving' s hcres For A.dam the first knew death only as a sinner; to live therefore an to die in his conditiony is (may the words be forgiven, for assuredly th thought is far from the heart of Mr. D.) to live and die in sin; an that this is no unfair deduction from the writer's words is evidnni since besides the assumption of the first Adam's place and conditioc he ascribes to the Lord that very nature which, he says, the believe has to judge — 'I see Christ taking it for me,' &c. Taking ivhat The reader must determine by the context. " Again, the doctrine of sin and its removal by atonement, is her stated in a manner quite at variance with the testimony of Scriptur. For whereas in the words of God we read such precious assurances a these : ' He hath laid on Hiin the iniquity of us all ;' ' Himself bare oi^ sins in his own body on the tree ;' ' IJy the which will we are sanctifiej by the offering of the boay of Jesus Christ once for all,' &c., tL teaching of this and similar passages in these writings is, that f' ' attached ' or ' belonged ' to a certain ' life ' which Christ took, and Z the quitting of which life the work of atonement is made to consisjj and that this life being once laid down is ' left ' for ever — or in otliL words, the instrument of our deliverance is broken and abandoned L. Him who used it, and a part of Hinudf is, as it were, forfeited ac^ left in the hand of the enemy, as the price of His thus diminishL. honor as the Captain of our Salvation ! a. " Nor is this cast of teaching peculiar to Mr. D.: it appears to haitj been extensively adopted and often repeated, though not always in i\n\ same terms. One further example is here added, from another writi^ of the same school. ' In giving up His life He gave up also the s attached thereto, so that it is effectually put away, having been left ,o the grave, from which He arose triumphant in the power of a new //;j|k to which righteousness as distinctly attaches itself as did sin to tliK life which He gave up on the cross.' * These writers differ in detah, but are essentially agreed. Both leave the life which Jesus laid dowg,, in the dust. 3Ir. M., however, confers upon the Lord a new Jvif% (whether human or divine he does not say) while on the hypothesis tp Mr. D. that which is gone has no successor. As to the dismal attcn'Ji ation of sound doctrine (if indeed so mild a term is adequate in suijii a case) which speaks of either *sin' or 'righteousness' attaching *a life* of our Lord, instead of Himself bearing sin and expiating ♦' by His precious death, and Himself being essentially the Lord o^ Righteousness, it is left to the spiritual judgment of the reader. f fl " * Mackintosh's Motes on Genesis. Fourtli Edition, p. 64." „ t •^i> 45 . confronted by a cloiv Lord set, without an; ion of the first Adam, re to be taken in thei: rht) that, the Lord m i-born ; i. e., that deat?* riety of Irving' s /tcrcsjl ;r; to live therefore an, rgiven, for assuredly tli j live and die in sin ; an j •iter's words is evidontj ii's place and conditiocj ih, he says, the believe e,' &c. Taking ivhat ral by atonement, is her| testimony of Scriptur' ih precious assurances ii is all ;' ' Himself bare on ich will we are sanctific^ 3t once for all,' &c., tlij ese writings is, that s vhich Christ took, and (lent is made to consis'j| ft' for ever — or in otlifj. roken and abandoned ' 3 it were, forfeited anj of His thus diminisbcjj P.: it appears to ha| though not always in tl led, from another writi JHe gave up also the s Iway, having been left jf the power of a new Ui\ ielf as did sin to tli,] writers differ in detaj which Jesus laid dowj the Lord a new Uji lile on the hypothesis .s to the dismal attcn] lerm is adequate in sut Iteousness' attaching ing sin and expiating^ isentially the Lord or int of the reader. I Edition, p. 64." How different the Lord's thoughts were as to the giving and Ruming of His life, the simple reader may gather from such Scrip- res as John x. 18, and Acts ii. 27, 31 ; in which latter passage the krd 'soul' is the same as that translated 'life' in the former.*" [3-7. For a moment let us turn to contemplate a self-drawn portrait of ipired apostolic zeal and devotedness. Paul had a charge commit- to him, and a course to run, and to finish that course with joy was goal of his ambition, as a minister of God and a divinely furnished inipion of the faith. As to the limit of that course, his own words us explicitly that it was ' to testify the gospel of the grace of God ;' ile as respects the attainment of his aim, and the fulfilment of his [st, we have the deep-drawn utterance of his calm and solemn joy, lis parting words to his dearly beloved son : ' I have fought the id fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.'f But with respect to the special class of sufferings which this Iter ascribes to our Lord, and in the delineation of which he has irred the charge of heresy, it is by his own admission not contained ^he gospel of the grace of God, J i. e., it lies outside the sphere of kstolic testimony; yet by him, and his more devoted followers, it is [tended for as part of 'the truth,' and opposition to it is avowed to 10 better than resistance to the Spirit, and an instigation of the fil. Plainly then the author and persistant maintainor of this view ipies one of two positions; either he has a divine commission and lority to extend the ancient limits of true testimony, or he is aAv (vator in a guilty sense. But the former of these suppositions iv sluded for the true disciple, by the fore-gone declarations of the rit : the faith to be contended for has long since been delivered in jompleteness to the saints. Any additions therefore to the teach- lof God's messengers is not development of divine thought, but a irture from the faith. Nor is this sad but necessary reasoning less applicable to the (ts of new doctrine which form the subject of this paper. For of [five positions which have been examined, not one receives the Itest countenance from apostolic teaching, while some, as has been rn, contradict the Lord himself, as well as His inspired scribes, in Yet denunciatory language has been levelled by their defend- igainst those who question these positions as strong, or even iger than those directed against the opposers of the ' sufferings,' alternative is fairly and plainly open to the reader, to be deter- ^d according to his conscience in the sight of God. ^vxf/ His proper humnn life or soul, as distinguished from Cw^ which He aally has nnd is. In the divinely-pennitted taking; of this life consists His ; thoiigli it was Christ, and not a part of Him, who died (tliey killed the Prince f), and its resumption, according to His word, declares Him to he in fact what truth of His person He ever was: 'the Mesurrection and the Life.'— John xi. Dmuns i. 4." I Tim. iv. 7." Bee the quotation at p. 8 of Mr. Dorman's pamphlet." !.ll 11':! ' " i i Mfi|['|!i !l iliif III '■* I I i " It is needful now to consider for a little space, this strange bJ sadly interesting phenomenon on its moral side. A richly gifted an < once highly honoured servant of Christ, and who holds still a lar;:li place in the affectionate remembrance of many who once learned frmf his lips, in happier days, a sounder gospel than his later writings teacfis is found, at the latter end of his career, teaching things which he ougll not, and in danger, as a consequence of his fur extended influence, becoming the founder of a school of doctrine which threatens morl and more widely, to diverge from the standard of apostolic testinioml For of the readiness of some at least of his adherents to embrace anl give currency to his opinions (with the rash amplifications and reclj lessness of expression which usually mark those who dispense erroneoif teaching at second hand) we have already some alarming proofs. An is there nothing to account for this heavy token of the Lord's dil pleasure ? I feel that such a question is superfluous to the godly anl thoughtful reader; yet it may not be amiss for a fool to give hi explanation of the stroke from which he is smarting in the compan of wiser men. I would say then briefly, first, that there has been ai attempt to perfect in the flesh what was begun in the Spirit, and wiif the usual result; and secondly, that what is now making so many ead to tingle is but an avenging by the Lord of His own neglected warninl to us all."— p. 24-26. "In the Bible Treasury* for August, 1866, it is said with referen'^ to the Lord Jesus, 'before He left Gethsemane the ivhole power Satan was totally destroyed.'! Then it must be asked (without stoppii^ to speak of his power over others), how came the Lord to die? Ilv Satan then nothing in the cross ? Did the Serpent not ' bruise t heel,' as well as tempt the Spirit of the 'woman's seed'? The simf* jj believer who treasures in his heart the Apostle's assurance that it w 'by means (not of His anticipative agony in the garden, but) of deat that the Deliverer destroyed 'him that had the power of death, that*' the devil,' may well feel staggered by this statement; which is, hc^*! ever, but a natural fruit of the theory propounded in the writings '*•? *the sufferngs of Christ ' But here, as in other cases, human ide contradict the Word of God."— p. 31-32. fae " * The pnblication in which the papers on 'The Snfifeiings of Christ' originally * peared. 661 " t Since this paper left my hands I ha\e learnt Ih.at the editor of B. T. ascribes hqi word ' totally ' to an error of the press : it should, he says, be ' morally.' "Accepting, as I nm bound to do, this emendation, what meaning, I must ask, are to attach to such a statement ? For it is certain that the ' power of darkness,' distint *' visible in all th.it passed from the moment wlieu Judas and his followers appear attained its acme in the crucifixion scene. If the writer only means that when tlie '* ** devotion of the Just One had been finally resolved, nnA he set His face deflnitiig • towards Calvary, the Adversary's power was as good as gone, because presently to"- destroyed (as it respects God's saints) through his own last effort against Christ, evOIII believer will agree with him. But in suggesting this interpretation I feel by no me. ^^ sure that 1 correctly represent the writer's mind " It is the (as I judge)/a/se prominence assign given rise to this assertion, and others of a still more questionable kind." "It is the (as I judge)/a/se prominence assigned to Satan at Gethsemane whidiOW ill 47 • Teaching of thiH kind, if received into the soul, will affect its ciples in one of two ways: it will unsettle and distress them through felt impossibility of attaining an adequate conception of the Lord's sonal sufferings, on which atonement according to this view, cifically depends, and hinder indefinitely their true peace (for solid ce cannot rest on what is in itself unknown), or it will puff up the ural imaginations of those who easily adopt it, with the flattering ion that they are enjoying a more elevated species of gospel than .t which nourishes the faith of ordinary christians. It is the very ure of Esoteric doctrines to foster spiritual pride; and that the "iar views of this school are of this description is evident both the acknowledgment of its leader that not one christian in a dred apprehends his teaching on the Lord's sufferings, and from commiserating tone in which the writer of the article now under notice speaks of the dullness of those who find a difficulty in g'iizing and accepting these later and (as he imagines) more exact faithful expositions of the Gospel, I will borrow, however, from this paper one very just reflection, ch shall be given in the writer's own words, with reference to the boastfulness of Peter on the eve of his denial of his Master : s ! in divine things there is no more certain forerunner of a fall self-reliance.' Even so, my brother, and well it becomes us all ear this carefully in mind. And now let me ask you to look dily at least, if not admiringly, at the seven hurtful leaves of vanity h form the crown of doctrinal pretension now distinguishing the ly to which you are attached ; a party which by some special enchant- t of the arch-deceiver continues to suppose itself in a peculiar sense true representative of the unity of Christ's body, the Church, and lirror of sound doctrine in a day of blasphemy and rebuke. Your ent creed contains, among other forms of doctrine, 1. A Christ who is said to have known the subjective experiences Saint ignorant of grace, who suffered wrath and indignation at hand of God apart from atonement, and who therefore, on this anded in the writings '»f^. could not suffer atoningly for others. ther cases, human ide ♦*2. A Christ whose 'act of death' does ' not properly ' constitute h#i work of expiation or atonement. A Christ whose ' death to sin ' is something distinct from that ih 'was necessary' to the work of atonement (though, as we have , they say atonement depends on 'something else'), and who was, over, death-smitten ' as Messiah, as a man,' apart from his atoning space, this strange bi . A richly gifted an irho holds still a larg who once learned fro: his later writings tead I things which he ougk; • extended influence, rl •which threatens morl of apostolic testimom herents to embrace an niplificatiops and reel who dispense erroneo B alarming proofs. AnI ken of the Lord's dii fluous to the godly an' for a fool to give h! larting in the compai that there has been a in the Spirit, and wii »w making so many eal own neglected warniiiji it is said with refereni me the whole power asked (without stoppii the Lord to die? H 3erpent not 'bruise tl an'sseed'? The sim e's assurance that it wl 16 garden, but) of dead power of death, that i atement; which is, ho* rings of Christ' originally he editor of B. T. ascribes , be ' morally.' T^k. power of Jiarkness,' distiiK fi to me that what I have said will be received by every true christis^ that his object is ' to present the truth which is found in : '. word, in such a manner that the weakest christian may see that ^'' ' " ♦ HoBea iv. 11, 12." lied,' and having don man life' and vope] ' over ' and ' gone ' as lot in Christ personalH I divine life' of Christ] ; surely 'is not goodj ', is examining this ne! lany a breach. But Hj ken to the Spirit's worl ve received from lliai rt' no less than 'whoif- idered far from Him i: ipirit of gracious suppl ir faces towards Zion w ch at our hands, and h is own friends. Yet H g to restore and comfai -p. 35-37. « Every christian believ| ly it to the remnant | Id than wise. For if s| to dwell longer on tt li existing facts, do ya faith,' that God suic^ account as Messiah, i il work ? Did ever su^ il ? or that the Holy 0* t by a sense of their i« to speak more concise^ ice before God, and tlf pS are specimens of wl [rath on Christ which v Ipeared in Mr. Newtoj unraingled heresy,' H" 1 every christian believfj * * .jed paper, and the re| Le -which fills a part o.f trelevancy to the point! troversy,' says, ♦ it seet jby every true christiai which is found in [ listian may see that yif^ lay is scriptural,' and that * the church of God ought not to be de- lved of the virtue of these precious fads,' it is necessary to reply l'., by his own admission, the third class of Christ's sufferings is a bject of * difficulty,' that few comparatively, of his readers compre- id his views ; that, so from being plain and scriptural, they are not ly * new to most,' but ' in many cases new ' to his own mind also ; * It none of this peculiar teaching is comprised in * what we, as chris- 18, have to say to,' or that, in other words, the entire scheme ia culative, and beside the gospel of Ood. Now it is my comfort tp Seve that few christians, strong or weak, will perceive that ' facts* iting to the Lord Jer'us Christ, of which His own apostles plainly no cognizance, are * precious ' to those whose chief praise must Ir bo to continue in the things which they have heard." — p. 39-42. )ince engaged on this painful task, a pamphlet by Mr. fly has come to hand, headed, " Brethren and their Tra- cers." pass over the controversy with the Rev. F. Whitfield, as rt from our present object, but cannot forbear a noteworthy bearing on my own position while in Guernsey, in 1869, the heading of said pamphlet. Passing an evening with ids who had in the lapse of years been converted to God, [were now in association with Mr. K., they asked "what le to leave the brethren ? " — and " had I joined a body people holding grave errors, etc. ? " I saw at a glance by unsophisticated simplicity that an imposition had been btised on them. They knew not the real facts ; and so IS possible were kept in ignorance, as indeed many, very Jy persons have been, and are at the present time, in that 3m. I replied in substance thus: "No, I have not left )rethren." " But," said they inquiringly, "you are not the brethren here — you are not with Mr. Kelly and rs?" "No," I again replied, "that is true, but the simple )n is, that while I occupy the original ground on which »ren met in Guernsey, Mr. K. and others with him, have Wished a party-fellowship on Mr. J. iV. Darby's plat- \; and are therefore no longer what they once were, but fact, a faction, with whom I could not meet and retain le same time a truthful and consistent course before " • Sufferings, pp. 86, 6».»' !' (■ ii ii I ii)ii ' i lis God 1" Thoy were greatly surprised ; and with fartlit questions on their part, and the still farther evidence of the being mystified and deceived, I was obliged finally to say i few words : "The truth is, you have been greatly impost upon by some one. M «'»"3. Darby and Kelly and others that party know well t hey are ' traducing their brethren that they have done so lor years ; and God has judged thei for it ; for Mr. Darby and his party now stand convicted the plainest possible proofs of having fallen into errors I doctrine equally pernicious with those of B. W. Newton, an from which errors, those against whom thoy have waged cruel and bitter war of words for years, have been happi and graciously kept by a loving and just God." Mr. Kelly, in this pamphlet, enters upon the " Newtonis^ and Bethcsda question " with his usual ability ; and I niii add, sophistical reasoning in measure [see p. 23-7], very justly indeed denounces B. W. Newton's heresy ; a* reasons logically and p T^ntly enongh upon the errors, ot I will present a few acts, but must refer my readc, to the pamphlet itself tot the whole. He says, p. 24 : "If commeDt were needed on this evidence of strange and poisont doctrine about our Lord, I would point (not to those who wr " exposures of it, but) to the printed confessions of at least three wo?' known men (Messrs. B., D., and S.; ministerially associated in tQi closest way with Mr. N.),* who owned publicly, and in the most 8olei||, manner, that the doctrine was an elaborate system, permeating tli.^ view of a very large part of scripture, and quite as deadly, if r^. more so, than had been charged One of them warned people affo^l ingly, that those who rested on what they had taught for years co not be saved." Again, on receiving or rejecting brethren, he says, p. 2^^ "Now we have always excepted cases of real ignorance. But wiwi could justify receiving persons of intelligence who came straight fri«i his party, eulogising and circulating the very tracts which contai[;ia the anti-christian doctrine already described? Bethesda recerd* them in the most determined manner," etc. , e [To this strong and unwarranted statement we oppose f^' following : " Persons known as holding Mr. Newton's ern- * Messrs. Batten, Dyer, and SoUau separated from Mr. Newton at an early dnte oL" controversy, on the ground of his deep and dangerous errors. Mr. Batten joinert "*' Darby— the others opposed his unscriptural position. [S. F. K.I |j 81 .St and with farth(||Hf(5 never been received or retained at Bethcsda." — Bristol her evidence of tlir^e f„j i^Q^d Conffleton.] r_- 1 /!.....1lir 4-rv aelieve Mr. Kelly ditor 1 and therefore in the same year that Mr. K. wrote pamphlet — "Brethren and their Traducers." 1 1 hus then, it will be interesting and deeply melancholy too ee, that at the very time he published his tractate (and Irs before indeed), the same evil doctrines in another form made headway in his accepted party-fellowship ; by which ij|)y godly minds therein were greatly disturbed and dis- jged finally to say i •een greatly impo I Kelly and others ucing their brethren''^ jod has judged thei V stand convicted fallen into errors )f B. W. Newton, an' n they have waged •s, have been happi! St God." upon the "Newtoni ' ability; and I »>J^gej. .^,,^1 ^hus things continued till 1866, when, after 3 [see p. - J" jjjj^ jj^j^j bitter sorrow endured, and every proper means Newton s e t y , ' 3jj|^j,gte(j ^^ meet the erroneous teachings of their leader and 1 upon tne e , (^^j-g ; sever il able, and for many years close and warm lust reter my "riiBids and active supporters of J. N. Darby and his system. He says, p. • g,^ forced oui 'tie his ommunion, with the solemn chjirge, ppily, but too truly made ; that " he was teaching errora lly dangerous and deadly as were those of his old gonist, B. W. Newton." These errors have been clearly distinctly stated and presented to Mr. D. and his party. HAVE THEY BEEN MET? We will again refer to Mr. ; of strange and poisonc| not to those who wrcj ns of at least three \ve^ terially associated in y, and in the most solei system, permeating tlij quite as deadly, if f em warned people affd d taught for years coi- hren, he says, p. 2| eal ignorance. But wl e who came straight fri tracts which contaii sd? Bethesda recei tement we oppose t Mr. Newton's errcg. 1 Newton at an early tJnte ofg terrors. Mr. Batten jmnert" [S. * . "■' ly's pamphlet. He says, p. 21, on this very subject : i'urther, 2 John is decisive that it is not enough to be personally in the faith. Even a woman, the elect lady, is instructed by Lpostlo as to her direct responsibility, if any one sought her or fellowship who brought false doctrine about Christ. ' If come any to you, and bring not this doctrine [of Christ], receive lot into your house, neither bid him God speed : for he that |th him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.' That is to say, finciple is distinctly laid down, that the person who religiously jnances those who confess not the Christ of God, becomes a par- ;of the evil deeds of the deceiver, even without necessarily imbib- le evil doctrine. Indeed a spiritual mind would feel that dreadful [is to be misled for a time into such heresy, he is incomparably I guilty who, professing to hold the true doctrine of Christ, consents 'lowship with the man who denies it. ' Now ye say, we see, !l ; M'll ii' : sir 111!: 4 liif nipiiii s^ therefore your sin remaineth.' Now this is the attitude of ' Brethren |h towards the alleged blasphemer and his partizans. Jf we suppose for Ttj moment that the blasphemy is a fad, 2 John not only vindicates tti__ course complained of, but shews that it is an imperative duty, whic** admits of neither hesitation nor compromise. Had the elect ladifoi spite of the Apostolic warning, deliberately received one who brougi not the doctrine of Christ, she would have at once become identifie with the guilt of the deceiver, and its consequences. In vain the plf4« j that she was herself a godly christian, and sound in the faith : still tl word pronounces — a ' partaker of his evil deeds.' She would, knoi"! ingly in this case, for her own ease have committed herself to an a of high treason against the Lord ; she would have yielded to ovef^ communion with that which to the last degree dishonored His persot«| and thus till she had cleared herself from the sin, in the sight of Go and man, she would have sunk morally to the level of an accomplice If she had better light, so much the worse to behave as if she h:^*.' none. To receive her, under such circumstances, would be to pa|^ ticipate in similar wickedness ; it would be receiving her not to t: glory of God, but to His shame, because it would be barefaced i difference to the affront put upon His Son. And 'whosoever denie the Son, the same hath not the Father.' ' He that honoreth not t Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.' * Brethren' ha«]|f given pretty strong proof that they do not make light of ecclesiastic evil, by separating from all associations which involve departure frc God's word ; but they refuse to put such questions on the same pis \ form with deep, damnable, fundamental denial of Christ. The Wo of God, not any theory or rule of ours, is the warrant for both. E "' we follow our thoughts or our natural wishes, it is folly to suppc that we should pursue a course which separates us from hundreds a thousands) who would desire to be with us on condition of our letti ^i them tamper with this treason against the Lord." * ^^ llw Again then we ask, with deep sorrow of heart — •' IIcII« have these charges of heresy — of error in doctrine eqiiulj bad and dangerous as B. W. Newton's (taught, alas /by Jhe Darby for years) been met by the author of the abo »» extracts — and those who, with him, have for very ma^P| years been identified with J. N. Darby in his determlDfr^ course of flagrant hostility to his fellow-christians, who, pr**^ ferred righteousness, grace, and truth to his unholy dictifee and untruthful ways? Let another of Mr. Darby's ^^ associates and partizans answer the question. Mr. GiLPttei had been greatly grieved by the errors of Mr. D., and sotijou under great difficulties to bring the facts and the en;**'^' * The last clause is entirely gratnitous, and utterly untruthful. [S. F, £ 58 attitude of * Brethreii| s. Jf we suppose for , ^ t only vindicatea th| mperative duty, whicf Had the elect ladjf jived one who brougt| ince become identified icea. In vain the plej d in the faith : still tk 8.' She would, knojl tted herself to an ad liave yielded to ovej lishonored His persow n, in the sight of Gm level of an accomplicj behave as if she li| ices, would be to pa| jeiving her not to ould be barefaced i| nd ' whosoever denief that honoreth not t| lira.* ' Brethren ' ha| :e light of ecclesiasticj involve departure frft lions on the same pl» of Christ. The Wo| warrant for both. I" it is folly to suppf s us from hundreds condition of our letti^ >' # ^v of heart — •' Hi ill doctrine equa taught, alas 1 by M [JTHOR of the abo have for very ma^ y in his detcrminii.; fore the consciences of the leading members of the London beting; or, "the one Assembly of God in London." (??) cfibrts were quite unsuccessful. Finally he received the lowing letter ; — "May 25th, 18G6, 14, COLLKC'.K TkKKACE, ISLINGTON, LONIJOX, N. rom E. Cronin; Geo. Owen; C. McAdam; IJiitler Stoney; W. Kelly; IE. Dc'iiiiy; Andrew Milli-r; II. McCnitliey; and G. V. Wigrani. iv.wi ViiuhnvM IN Tin; Loito. •• We liave read ai d coiisidoied your letter to our brother Mr. Darl)y. and liis letters to you. We are not. aware 'tlnit the subject Itlie sutieriii<>s of C'lni.st is everywlieie rife, or at least in nniiiy places in many minds.' So far as we know, this statement is unwarrant- stri>n,u:. Here, tlie state of thin;is is the very contiary, and we |i(it be eontent to allow our brother. J. N. D. to withdraw himself from \nder such plea, U, !is not true in the place where we are. We know |of any consciences so troubled, nor is lliere anythiuy in the wrilin*Wf with regard to the ' Sufferings of Clnist" extract, and tlie separation , aW^en wralh and atonement ill the Synopsis extract, which I consider )f Mr. D., ana SOlliould l)e entirely objectionalile even if applied to supposed Sufferings of and the eri'v'*'^'^" '^'^ '^'^ Messiah King directly from God ou the cross, iu contrast to IS #)niug suiiurhigs. "Yours in Christ Jesus, srly untruthM. [S.F.K ^ "GEORGE B. GILPIN." :acts ■ift' iH 54 1.: ■■;; i Rii : 11 He seceded in deep distress and sorrow ; and writes as follows : — *' And now as the Spirit of God has characterised the mother, in Rev. xvii. 5., so I now put a stamp on one of the ilaughti'rs, so far as it has developed itself, and I write upon its forehead 'IRRESPON- SIBLE CORRUPTION.' The latter word I use in a spiritual sense. " As to what had heen done, I did not ask for the judgment of the nine brethren only, or any limited number of that kind : I tried, if I could, to get at the conscience of the Church: a conscience might be found there sometimes, when that of leaders is paralyzed. "As to Mr. Newton's doctrine, I did not myself that I know men- tion his name in the pamphlet. If he was wrong, and 3Ir. Darby's doctrine of the same character, what's proved of the one, touches the other : but I have spoken already with regard to the pamphlet, and subsequently I propose exhibiting Mr. Darby's doctrine on its own ground, "I return then to the ground of ' Irresponsible corruption,' and on that ground withdraw: in the part already referred to we have a word bearing on the Mystic Babylon, and I re-echo that word, Rev. xviii. 4, 'Come out of her, my people.'" Thus we see the tables turned, and the very men (Mr. Kelly, a leading man of the numl>er) who have for 28 years and over, been Mr. J. N. D.'s willing helpers in carrying out his unholy and unchristian discipline, wherever he or they could obtain a footing, now engaged, to their own utter condemnation and shame, in shielding and supporting their Leader from the just consequences of his own perversions of truth, and the fatal errors into which he has been permitted to fall. Truly the language of the Psalmist is in point here. " He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealings shall come down upon his own pate.' Psalm \\\. 15, 16. "He that covcreth his sins shall not prosper : but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Prov. xxviii .13. " Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word : your brethren that hated you; that cast you out for my name's sake, said, let the Lord be J glorified : but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be J ashamed." Isaiah Ixvi. 5. ii(. 55 writes as le mother, in crs, so far as RKESPON- iritual sense. Tiiient of the "l tried, if I nee niigbtbe d. * I know men- . Mr. Darby's e, touches the pamphlet, and lie on its own iption,' and on ^e have a word 1, Rev. xviii. 4, ry men (Mr. for 23 years 11 currying ont cr he or they | 2\v own utter | pporting their I perversions of )een permitted inthere. "He be ditch which own head, and his own pate.' is sins shall not them shall have ord of the Lord, that hated you; let the Lord 1)e Lud they shall be FARTHER CORRELATIVE EVIDENCE. The following is from a dear, and justly venerated servant of Christ — Mr. D. Waltiiku, of London, — now beyond the strife of man and party feuds. Ills last letter to the author, written not long lx>f(ne his death (only a few months since), is fraught with wisdom and godly prudence even on this present subject ; in which it will be clearly seen how warmly attached he had been to Mr. J. N. D. and G. V. Wigram ; yet, faithfulness to God, and His Christ, led him to oppose their course of action from the first. He saj^s, " I am rcsij^ned to the being debarred the visits and fellowship of many to whom I have been under oblijration [as teachers] that I j would always acknowledge. How humbling it is to see the influence I of eminent gift in drawing after it those of whom we hoped better [things. A mind gifted with insight in the deep things of scripture {with difficulty sacrifices fellowship with such men as J. N. D., JG. V. W., &c. Still let us own tlie dear children of God who will [not bow to J. N. D.'s passionate edicts. We ought by this time to have learned the blessedness of dwel- lling together in unity. It is, I repeat, hiimliling to hear of one and [another spiritual christian drawn aside by (]>/t ; and as to attainment tin truth, there are many blessed truths which the Lord can shew us lat we have but little apprehended. Let us — you and I — and those pe love, esteem it a good thing to bear the reproach cast on Christ's jeople, and with them to suffer affliction by unjust suspicions. We (and I speak for inanij) are no partizans. It were well if our Exclusive brethren' were as free from the dictation of J. N. D. and >thers as we are from ' Bethesda' and its respected leaders. " Now, beloved brother, I bid you affectionately farewell, trusting ibrough grace to meet when con)muMion will be unbroken and jleparation not known. Yours in much affection, D. Waltiier." ^ jMay this justly revered brother — ^a man of counsel and found Avisdom — now with Jesus ! — yet speak to our hearts |nd consciences in the above extract ; and may many isten — so listen — as to be emancipated through his teaching, pom the hard hondage of a spiritual despotism and delusion rhich are unhappily but too apparent to every enlightened •nscience, in connection with the above names, and the stem inaugurated and sustained by them. We will now present a published paper of this truly HBHH I :;i'i H:'y\ 56 devoted and ftiithful servant of God, who has for so many years witnessed a good confession of Jesns Christ ; and who, " being dead," shall yet witness to us in the following pages, viz : — "'Divers Weights Brought Out and Broken.' " FoK sometime prior to 1845, Mr. B. W. Newton had been building up a school of teaching opposed to that of 3Ir. J. N. Darby, on 'Prophecy.' In 1842, iMr. N. published 'Tliouchts on the Apocalypse.' Mr. D. followed by 'An Examination of Thoughts on the Apocalypse.' "In the winter of 184")-G, Mr. Darby made an open division at Plymouth. Mr. D. did this, not on the ground of any particular doctrine, but of Cicrin;/ on the part of Mr. N. " More than a year later, Mr. N.'s peculiar doctrine was brought tn light by Mr. Harris publishing notes from a lecture by B. W. Newton on the Gth Psalm. These notes had been taken by a sister present. "On the exposure of the doctrine, Mr. Darby threw himself into the fore-front of the opposition to his old antagonist. Some of Mr. Newton's chief friends withdrew from him, and he himself put forth a partial retraction ; but his peculiar doctrine, touching our Lord's experiences, remained unretracted. " Mr. Newton's doctrine was now (i. e., from the autumn of 184G) decidedly and generally disowned : he himself was not formally put out of communion ; but it was understood that he would not be received •without clearing himself by confession. At JkUiesda, Bristol, there was so much of agreement in action, — that any coming from under Mr. N.'s teaching were examined as to whether they had imbibed the evil doctrine. "In 1848, certain brethren who agreed with Mr. Darby, required further of the leading brethren at Bdkcsila, that they should publiclv and corporately judge Mr. N.'s tracts. This they declined doing, ami gave reasons. 3Ii'. Darby then issued a circular, and the requisitionists seceded from communion. Under some change of circumstances tlif leaders at Bethesda afterwards publicly judged Mr. Newton's tracts; and declared that they would not receive the upholders of them. "It was nftrr this (i. c, in March 1849) that it was required o: brethren in Orchard Street, London, that they should refuse CitristiaK coining from Bdhssda. They declined compliance, and were at oncf separated from by Mr. Darby's followers. The same parties quicklj went the length of refusing to receive any Christian, however souni in faith, who felt free to break bread in a meeting where any-nx coming from the open meetings was allowed to break bread. B; 'open' is meant not shut against the Christians of Bethesda. " This is 'the Bethesda question.' Let a Christian present hinif^f at the table in a meeting of Mr. Darby's followers, stating that In fecla free to break bread with A> who has broken bread with B, ^lii I: V 57 3 for so many! •ist ; and Avho, | llowing pages, j Broken.' lad been building J. N. Darby, on the Apocalypse' the Apocalypse.' open division at )f any particular le was broujiht to )y IJ. W. Newton a sister present. Y himself into the . Some of Mr. limself put forth a ching our Lord's autumn of 184G) ; not formally put uld not be veceivcd sda, Bristol, there Dniinji from under had imbibed the .. Darby, required py should publicly leclined doinf^, anJ 1 the requisitionists circumstances tlif r. Newton's tracts; ders of them. it was required o: lid refuse Ciirhtian> e, and were at onci me parties quicklr ian, however soum :ing where any-or,' break bread. B; s of Bethesda. ian present himse'; vers, stating that lif bread with U, wk breaks ' read with Geo. MuUer and others at Bristol, — and he will lave the proof. I pass over ten years of trial — cruel misrepresentation — and illl the miserable fruits of division among Christians. "About the end of 1848, some attention had been drawn to an Urticle in the 'Words of Truth,' (Vol. Ill, pages 3r)7-;561)*— an Irticle never denied to have proceeded from iMr, Darby. It was lowever passrd lnj as mere faulty expressions, from inadvertauco consequences. " IJut in 1 u * If, in the face of these facts, any Christians shall judge that a brother is deserving of being put from the Lord's table for not follow-l ing Mr. Darby, I must count their love for Christians small indeed! I They can only excommunicate from a sect ; and to be outside allscch'i is not a bad position. Sects have generally originated with gifteJ| men ; it is so in this case. But let brethren ask themselves tlie| question — What if in following (jift, we are found sinninr/ a(jriimi Christ ? Are these brethren really guarding truth of doctrine in their awful breach of charity ? Alas ! ' I'heir roioera have brought them ink deep waters ! ' " Christ gave c/if/s for the edifying (not scattering) his body. Pawn really of Christ is mighty in bringing down high thoughts, and makiii: us incapable of sinning against Him. There may be power accompany ing delusion. It was said to the church in Philadelphia, ' Thou ha.>; a little strength, and hast kept my word.' " Happily for Christians, they still have ' the Word,' and no mastc: on earth, — but One in heaven, to whom Paul commended them (Act; xx), and to whom I, in my insignificance, would common i the reador I feel unworthy to give counsel ; but would gladly see a return to tlu practice of receiving Christians on the ground of what each one is bj pigm his faith, continuing to warn against all questionable associations j^f^{\^ *Let all your tilings he done with love,' was the word of a true Apostle {y^c, "D.W. ..( " P.S. For twenty-seven years I have moved among ' the Brethren, qoent It will be readily conceived that I pass unmontioned many sorrowfu *' things. If anything here stated can be disproved, it shall be puhlicl after confessed. To those who question the facts, I offer to refer the evi of ,Ci dence to any half dozen Christian men whose names we may open upo: fi in the Directory." tF 18 01 and ( purp( hi ISO '"Mk. J. N. D. ; Doctrines ALSO : A Sketch of some of his Recent By T. Ryiiii. " The following dialogue was suggested by questions lately put I] an intelligent Christia'i young man to the writer ; it therefore tnke the form of question and answer. The contents themselves will, t any one concerned, make the necessity for considering the subject self-evident, the things referred to being very grave — but the autlici disclaims all unpleasant or unkind feelings of a personal natur^ towards any one, not being himself personally connected with ar^ party ; therefore he gladly omits certain words and expressions whiaj were objected to in the first edition. " Q. What first caused divisions amongst 'the Brethren'? Wtf^t " A. Certain individual and ecclesiastical errors at Plymouth, as j|io| ** Q. Were they not caused by doctrines fundamentally erroneou!*»| 59 ,11 jadge that sp le for not follow-l 18 small indeed If e outside all sechM lated with giftedf : themselves the? I sinning arjaini- f doctrine in theii hrought them ink his body. Powa lights, and makinj power accompany- ■Iphia, ' Thou hasi )rd,' and no maBtc: jended them (Atti iiimoni the reader ;ee a return to the lat each one is b; nable associations of a true Apostle. "D.W. ong' the Brethren, ed many sorrowfii it shall be puhliA er to refer the evi s we may open upos IF HIS Recent estions lately put \] r ; it therefore take s themselves will t idering the subject ive— but the autho : a personal natur connected with an; id expressions whit !" A. Mr. Q. l«'A. Brothren'? ors at Plymouth. wnentally erroneous' •' A, No ; those doctrines were not discovered for months after, " Q. Who discovered them ? A. Mr. H.; but Mr. D. used them afterwards to further the .vision he had previously made upon other and difiForcnt grounds. • Q. Did Mr. N. teach at Plymouth doctrines fundamentally oneous, and on what subject ? ' A. Yes : on the sufferings and experiences of our Lord, as scribed in the Psalms — a kind of semi-Irvingism. Q. Has Mr. D. taught anything peculiar on this subject ? Yes : he has taught doctrines on the same subject just as bad N. Where are they to be found ? In ' The Bible Treasury' for 1857-58. « The Bible Treasury* one of the organs of Mr. D.'s party ; also ' The Present Testimony,' i|d ' The Girdle of Truth." ' "Q. And what did his brethren do about them ? A. They called a special meeting in the following year for the pose of reprimanding him and questioning him; but Mr. D. cora- ined of illness, and did not attend. He afterwards praised the thren for their laudable zeal in the matter, and thus the affair has n silenced ever since. 'Q This meeting and the necessity for it is denied, and conse- ntly Mr. D.'s absence from it is denied also ; what say you? ' A. The meeting referred to was the first public meeting called r the articles appeared in The Bible Treasnri/ on ' the sufferings hrist,' and took place in Bristol. Mr. B. of Liverpool, took there the author some half-dozen questions to put to Mr. D. touching e views. When t'', brother returned to Liverpool, he said that Ift. D. complained of gout in his eye in London, and did not come to BWstol, Since then we have heard no more of such a meeting, and tl^iinatter has since been silenced. As to the necessili/ for it, that is ther affair ; if persons have come now to acquiesce in those views, y one knows that at the time there was a sensation about them, ed the two succeeding letters of Mr. D. prove it. Bible Treasury^ 77-179. 1858. Q. How do they prove it ? A. In one of them Mr D. speaks of the ' alarm ' felt by certain stians at the reconsideration of these doctrines, and he strives to ft them. In the other, some even had the hardihood to ask rvhat e difference ? ' The inquiry made is, what is the difference een the doctrine of the paper and Mr. N.'s? The question s the need of making the matter clear to those who have been pied with it. The answer is very simple ; the doctrine of the pr is exactly the opposite of Mr. N.'s. 31r. N. taught, that Christ, orn an Israelite and a man, was at the same distance from God rael and man, because He was one of them — was exposed to the 60 consequences of it, and passed through the experience of an uncon- verted elect man .... had the fierce displeasure of God resting on him, as born one of the people.' * But I believe that in grace at the close of his history when his life work as presented to Israel, accord- ing to promise and gracious service towards man, was brought to a close, lie the object of divine favor entered into the sorrows of his people.' How he entered into them, and what those sorrows were, we have seen in the text. Both agree that our Lord was without sin or spot or stain in himself, and that what he undertook, he undertook voluntarily ; but one brings him into those terrible experiences, judici- ally or objectively; the other brings him into tiicm by sympathetic assimilation or subjectively. But both agree that He actually experi- enced them ; so that I have not misrepresented Mr. N. or Mr. U., say what they may. Now if some at the time were alarmed, and if others saw no i-eal difference between the views of Mr. N. and Mr. 1)., how conies it to pass that there was no necessity to hold a meeting to question Mr. D. on the subject? Did Mr. ]).'s ipse dixit quiet this alarm, and satisfy these anxious consciences without further trouble ? and if the many have since acquiesced in them, it only proves that when party runs high, we are not apt to ' cease from man: ' still I am bound to say that some amongst them reject these views altogether. "Q. And what have Messrs. N. and D. taught fundamentally erroneous } "A. Mr. N. has taught on the 6th Psalm as follows : ' But another interesting and important question is, the manner in which Clirist wag personally chastened and afflicted whilst the servant of God in the earth; for, it was not merely the sufferings he had. because his soul entered into the condition of things around him, but there was quite another question — the relation of God to him whilst thus suffering. For a person to suffer because he serves God is one thing, but the relation of that person to God, and what he is immediately receiving from his hand is another ; and it is this which the 6th Psalm and many others open to us. They describe the hand of God stretched out as rebuking in anger and hot displeasure — and remember this is not the scene on the cross.' This is 3Ir. N.'s doctrine, extracted from Mr. Trotter's Tract, 1850, p. 14. " Q. And what has Mr, D. taught fundamentally erroneous! •'A. Mr. D. has taught that ' man may be looked at morally in three conditions : — first, as a sinner under condemnation ; secondly, as a saint through grace partaker of the divine nature, &c ; and thirdly, as suffering, though awakened, quickened, and upright in desire, under the exercises of a soul learning, ivhen a sinner, the difference of good and evil under divine government in the presence of God, not fully known in grace and redemption, whose judgment of sin is before his C3'es — exposed to all the advantage that Satan can take of him in such a state: and Christ has passed through all these kinds of suffer- ings. Bat what met the first condition, that of a sinner under con' 61 demnation, he went through as actually bearing sin, and so enduring wrath vicariously for others that thoy might never have it to endure. — miile TriaRnrij, 1858, p. 132. This last sentence is right enough as applying to the first case ; but he applies it to that only. "Again, 'Now here the judgment of God against them (/. e. the Jews), the sense of guilt under a broken law and national unfaithful- ness, the full power of Satan and the darkness it brings, all rest on the spirit of the people, &c. All lliii exercise Christ entered into so as to be able to help them. Thus the full jnrhpiioil of cuil is luroiifiht in them in hope of goodness and mercy prophetically revealed. ^Vho is to furniish ihoK(jhls,fccl!iifjn, faith, hope, which can be known to be acceptable and a sustaining ground of faith till they look on hira whom thoy have pierced, and find peace ? The answer to this ques- tion, as well as tlie groundwork of atonement, is found in Clirist,' — JJible 'Treasury, 18o8, p. lU:'—p. 1-3. I in three ly, as a [thirdly, 2, under good lot fully Ifore his him in sutfer- ler coii- " Q. Will not Mr. D. deny the conclusions now deduced from these doctrines ? " A. Very likely he will, and so will Mr. N. There is no man, at least ( hristian man, who utters erroneous sentiments on foundation truths that won't deny the conclusitjns which may be drawn from them, inasmuch as all men know but 'in part,' and divine life and the grace of God survive some of the worst things. Moreover, one and the other may appeal to other publications ; but still these doctrines are strictly defined, " Q. Have not men of great note gone as far astray on fundament- als as Mr. N, or Mr. D.? "A. Yes truly : Pearson on the Creed, Drs. Clarke and Candlish and others, all standard authorities in Christendom have said just as wrong things as either of them. The truth is that till of late years the minds of western Christians have not been much exercised in such questions ; albeit it were always better to worship than to analyse profound mysteries ; whereas the minds of Eastern Christians have been long conversant with them. It is not, then to be wondered at that those who first assayed to enter upon them should err exceedingly. Thus, Mr. N., trying to avoid the error of Mr. Irving, has himself written false doctrine which remains unconfessed and unretracted ; and 3Ir. D., in trying to avoid the error of Mr. N., has himself written false doctrine which remains unconfessed and unretracted. Yet, one has learnt this — that men are not to be reckoned as heretics, unless they persist in error, or make a party to it, for the balances of the sanctuary should be equal. " Q. But has not Mr. D. lately sounded a slender note of con- fession ? " A. Yes ; aware that some are already disposed to outstrip the master, and step farther in error, Mr. D. sounds a slender note of coufession, and writes to a sister who complains of the excesses of a 62 l.^'i^ m .).; certain brother in this respect. He says: " I may add, that I am so profoundly convinced of man's incapacity in this respect, that it is outside the teaching of tlie spirit, to wish to define how the divinity and humanity are united in Jesus, that I am quite ready to suppose that, with every desire to avoid, I myself may liavc fallen into it, and in falling into it, said something false in what I have written to you.' — Bible Treasury, 1861, p. 368, Letter on the Humanity of Christ. " This is very good, but it is a pity Mr. D. did not arrive at the same conclusion long ago ! but better late than never ; and it is to be hoped, when he says so much for a letter, with the contents of which brethren on all sides, and Christians in general agree, that he will have grace to confess and retract, and his party will have grace to repudiate those things which he has actually said and done, to compromise the faith, and change the Word of God. " Q. Will you, then, sum up the points to which this sketch refers? "A. Yes ; the first is, that Mr. D. has taught, in a series of articles written in 1858, that our Lord, in his life, passed through in his soul, and not vicariously, the exercises of a sinner with the judgment of God before his eyes — that is, that he had in his soul the subjective human consciousness of sin and its consequences ! " The second is, that in the Oirdle of Truth for the same year, Mr. D. has taught, that all our sin is gone in the giving up of the Adam- life of our Lord ; and in this consists ' God's work for the sinner,' — the atonement ! " The third is, that Mr. D. has had the temerity to add to, to change and alter the Word of God without any authority whatsoever, and that upon a famous passage which afi'ects the very foundations of the faith itself on the point it touches. '* One does not impute design or motive to Messrs. N. and D. in the foregoing ; to their own Master they stand or fall in this respect, and to no one else ; but as far as words go, facts lie out as much on one side as on the other — facts which undermine the truth, and which the enemy can make use of at any moment." — p. 13-15. Other pamphlets of importance in their bearing on this sad subject might be referred to : e. ff. " A Caution against the Darbyites." Ist and 2nd Edition, by J. E. Howard. "Heresy, What it is, and Who are the Heretics. By C. Paget." "Notices of some Recent Doctrines among the Brethren, by D. Walther." But I must refrain, and refer only, in an Appendix, to two others; viz: "Darbyism: its Rise and Development," &c. by Henry Groves. And, "The Exclusive Brethren: their Origin and Discipline.'* ^v"* i '' > G3 Other writers* pamphlets lie before us ; but the heart sickens to follow through the tinide of abuse and untruthful- ness of such presuming young men as J. S. Oliphant, and like type. Oh that they could be content to sit at the Master's feet, and there learn lessons of wisdom and truth- fulness of Him, and so follow Him, as " little children," onward towards a "young manhood" in Christ Jesus, that He may yet be able to use them as servants in the great harvest-field of the gospel, and so learning of Him, as finally to become " fathers " in knowledge and sobriety — elders within the Church of the Living God. Thus my painful task is being brought to a close. Much, much more could be written of my own personal knowledge touching this most sinful and unhappy schism, but I gladly forbear. The Lord only knows how much of real sorrow this has cost me. IS THERE A RAY OF HOPE IN THE FUTURE? Some dear brethren, loved ones of the Lord (on both sides we will hope) still ask the question "Can there be re-union?* — they long for it, and hope against hope! — I did so myself, I well remember pressing the same question with a heart full of sorrow upon Mr. Kelly in Jersey, in 1854, on the " C. Paget case " ; when I felt the sacrifice of every thing personal — Yea ! life itself would be of small considera- tion compared to the solemn question at issue — and the calm, firm, determined manner in which the negative was given, viz : " It is impossible ; the breach [ the second division ] is complete ; neither will give way ; and God's honor must be maintained at all cost." From that moment I felt there was no hope, — for Mr. Kelly was an authority of the temper of the body and platform he so faithfully represented. I also felt he was committed to a course of action which was not op God I My whole soul recoiled from his accepted position- though I had not then so fully proved its falsity as I afterwards did. I write this with extreme pain. Yet, how- over, the question may be asked again and again by loving hearts and truly faithful men of God : " Is there a Meeting- 64 place — II iniitiial ground for unitod prayer and Reconcilia- tion ? My answer must be : " What is not i)().ssil)Io with man IS pos.siblo with (jod." Afy (Inn conviction is, that the evils and the errors have been porniittcU of (jod to fall upon us ( as all of like character have from the earliest times ) as special chastisements for nci^lected privileges, abused mercies, and ihid fear/ul (Icjxninre from God — tiik idolising of INTKLLKCT i\ TKACiiF-iiS ! 1 " Ccasc/ froiu man whose breath is in his nostrils," is still a needed admonition, so freciuently forgotten — or at least so constantly unheeded — by even children ()l"(iod and heirs of the Kingdom. Hence the sad, sad results : sevcrcnco of those who should — who ought to bo united ; and deep dishonor done to God and to His cause. And all this, in the face of the in-coming flood, that subtle scepticism, and rampant godlessness everywhere ai)i)arent ; and which will, ere long, sweep over the land Avith demoniac- al fury — overwhelming, if possible, everything religions with the blackness of blasphemy from the pit — the rankest Atheism: ^^ There is no God!" Against all this the real followers of the Lamb should be united! — heart, soul, and spirit, — united in visible manifest testimony for God and His Christ. I need not say with what joy I should hail any real effort towards soothing the troubled waters, and healing the unsightly and deeply painful wounds of the above unhappy controversy ; but it must be reality — pride of heart and in- tellect must be brought low ; Yea ! sit in the dust before God. Backslidings of heart and life must be confessed and forsaken. Man, any man, must be forgotten in view of truth- fulness, and a truthful following of God. If Mr. Darby, Mr. Xewton, and others who have fallen so loio by the lifting up of themselves — intellectually so — can be won back to the simplicity of truth, and truthful ways, wo >v.'M ft \^ Qod with all our hearts. And here I would n \\\\ idorse a statement of Mr. Kelly's, in "Bn " ir ducers." In p. 25, he M'rites, "No heretic I i kuo ver t himself to debase Christ : neither Arius n , Socii iiis — neither Mr. Irving nor Mr. Newton." He might liavt idded with equal propriety at the time of writing (for the deep error was ther Ilis real ig the »IW iii- ifore and •uth- arby, 'ting se a ers." nself Mr. jqual thei 65 but too mnnifost), "nor Mr. Darl)}', nor those partiznns of his who havo followed him in teachings ccjnally bad and dangcrons." For one, I have never inipnted pcrsonnl (dieuntion of heart from Christ to either of tijese men speelally in qnes- tion. Probably, down deep in tiic seeret ehambers of caeh heart, there is, j^ersomilhj, real love for Christ; and a rest- ing only and entirely on IIisi as "God manifest in the FLRSii " — their only and all-siifjicient Saviour; henee IIk is still the onhj foundation of their Sf)nls : their only hope before God. Their deep error individnally has been, allow- ing the intellcet to revel where "angels bow and worship;" heneo illusion and darkening of couneil have followed. Why not then, we may Avell ask, seeing as they nnist what evil they have both wrought, what desolations they have been instrumental in consummating, fall prostrate before God, as the guilty King David did in other circumstances, saying, "I have sinned against the Lord !" and receive as he did tho blessed assurance, "The Lord also hath put away thy sin." Is it so much easier for a deeply guilly moral transgressor as David Avas, to confess his guilt, than for an intellectual transgressor to confess, "I have sinned?" It does, alas, appear so. David's sin, his folly, yea, his great wickedness was brought to light : we read of it to-day as a solenni admonition to ourselves : but he was pardoned — pardoned by a gracious God against whom he had knowingly and guiltily sinned. Tho no less sad, sad effects of ijitellectual transgressions are patent to every one. Could angels Aveep in heaven, what bitter tears would flow there ! what a sea of waters, of deep, deep sorrow woidd surge np in heavy waves of anguish over the Newton-Dakby sins ; their heresies ; and consequent divisions within the Church of God ! But, "there is forgive- ness with thee that thou mayest be feared." Oh that these once mighty men in truth (and we will still hope) in love to God and Christ, may even yet be brought to the Saviour's feet, as " little children ;" and then once more used as true servants of the Master iu building up what shall never be 66 destroyed — even " truth and righteousness " — in the Kingdom of God, and of our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. What joy — intense joy — would this impart to angels who stand in the presence of Jehovah I and oh I brethren, Avhat a cloud — a dark, heavy cloud — would be lifted from thousands of drooping and bheding hearts on both sides of this most unhappy controversy ; and what a testimony for God and truth might yet be borne "Avhile Jesus tarries," which, with God's blessing resting upon it, would be felt, and owned, and acknowledged bv tens of thousands of Christians who veani in spirit for better things than they possess, or can find any- where : viz., a firmer faith in God ; a deeper love fcr His truth ; a holier life ; a Jesus-owning walk ; yea, being — and manifesting to the world what Christians are indeed called to be " Letters of Christ known and read of all men." Then in the midst of all the conflict of mind and thought, amid overturnings and overturnings, which threaten at times to uproot everything truly of God and His Christ, with, alas, a wide-spread and still culminating worldliness in christian circles (the present bane of (3very church), together with a growing and daring impiety mi dealing with the truths of iieaven, oftentimes amounting to (covertly, perhaps) a blank infidelity, propounded alas, by many who bear the christian name, and are recognised as ministers oi Him who is essen- tially "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." Yet, amid all these aboundings of evil, which the truly godly in all Christian circles deplore and confess before God, realizing their individual privilege to " ival/c with God," they may yet become "burning and shining lights;" yea, in them, "Light AND Truth" lived out before God, and in the world, would then bear alowr its own heaven-born imprint ; and Jesus ! — Jesus only ! the "Mighty Victor" finally, would indeed be the "Alpha and Omega [of the heart], the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." APPENDIX. Extracts from a pamphlet, entitled, "Darbyism : its Rise AND Dl/ELOPMENT, AND A REVIEW OF ' TlIE BeTIIESDA Question.' By Henry Groves." " 'Tlie requiremeiit that we should investljjate and judjfe Mr. Newton's tracts, appeared to some of us like the introduction of a fresh tent of com- munion. It was demanded of us that, in addition to a sound confession and a correspondin>j walk, we should as a body, come to a formal decision about what many of us might be quite unable to understand.' " We will only further observe here how distinctly those who have been stigmatized as careless in preserving the sanctity of Church fellow- ship, and of the Lord's table, maintain to the fullest extent, the necessity of a sound confession of faith, as well as of a corresponding holiness in walk; for it has been asserted, that while laxity in morals is carefully watched against in Bethesda, laxity in doctrine is thought little of. Nothing can be more false, and more contrary to simple matters of fact which continually occur, to prove the extreme sensitive- ness of the leading brethren in every matter affecting vital truth. It was feared that this requiremevt to judge would become a test of com- munion, and so it has proved in the case of all who have bowed their necks to the yoke of Mr. Darby's anti-christian discipline. This result, which was inevitable from the course pursued, Bethesda instinctively shrunk from : and in order to preserve their simplicity as it is in Christ, determined to keep themselves clear of all and every objection, general or particular, that the Word of God bound not upon their own individ- ual conscience This at onco led them to reject the command to judge a matter as they were told, ' becaus'i the Church had judged it,' the argument ever made use of by Popery, to enforce its decrees — the Church ever being in every case the same, 'Those who think as we do.' " ♦ We remembered the Word of the Lord, that 'the beginninhing to belong neither to tbe party of Mr. Newton, nor to that of Mr. Darby. It was too independent a place to be tolerated for a uionient by those incipicntly aspiring to the exalted position of ' the one Assembly,' that was to be ruled over by some Diotrephes or other, one or more. There is no greater crime than independence with certain minds, and hence the cry of 'independence' so often raised against IJothosda. 'Sir. AVigraiii in reference to this writes, ' The aim of Hethesda is still to make a party positively apart from us * all, and apart, I judge too, from Mr. Newton,' ••' " — j'^- 41-42. " The following remarks on the Letter of the Ten, and on Mr. Wigram's comments on it, in the ' Present Question,' as written about the time, we here give in a note, as a co-temporary witness, which may be of value. " 'Wo could write niiuli in ref(rc?ioo to tlii< pajier, ' Tlio T.ettcr of the Ten,' and to I lie notes and conmicnts ninicxcd to il in lliu' I'rc-enl (-inestion,' l)ut wv cannot ti list onr.-t.'hcs to coniiiarc Ilie holy calinncss and scriptural reasoniiiji- (>!' tlic text, with tlic nnliallowcd raiic and iiiianilioriscd do.iiina- tism of the c<)iiimciitator. S.iltice it to say, tliat this innch ahnscd letter contains not a sentence on which a candid mind can found the charge of adherence of any kind, or in any degree, to the heresy. Its cliief object Is to state the causes of the now illingiiess. of those who sinned it to lay the subject before the clinrch. Any one is at liberty to ditter from these bietlireii in jiidiiineiit, and to tliinl< that under the clicnmstances of the case, if iiii,i;ht have been better, out of coiidescension lo weak brethren, to resigji Iheiiiselves to the painful task of exaniiningthe errors in question; but let it be reiiiembered that these brethren were occnpietl with far nobler and more iiseliil labors, and that liaviii.u- sat at the feet of that 'i'eacher whose eomniandluent is • Love one another," they naturally shrunk from following in the footsteps of those who beginiiiitn- with ajiparent zeal for the honor of the great J lead of the ('liurch. had ended witli heaping abuse on the members of His body, a!:d with brinuiii;;- some of the bilterest fruits of the llesli, — anger, wrath, malice, clamour, and evil-si)eakiiig. — to a perfection. \vlii(.'li. happily, is seldom to be found among those who pro- fess to follow Christ." — From a tract entitled ' Prove All Things. &c..,' p.p. 4, 5, i)ublis;hed by Partridge and Oakey, Paternoster How, London, 1850." — p. 45. " Shortly after the reading of the Letter of the Ten to the church, Mr. Darby came again to Bristol, and had an ii'terview with both Mr. Muller and JMr. Craik, in which he again urged the taking up of the tracts by Bethesda, and passing a church condemnation on them. The reasons already given were repeated, and finding their judgments were not to be changed, he sought to intimidate by the threat of separating from thcni all those believers in other places, with whom " * Letter bearing post mark Feb. 2, 1819, sec ' The Bath Case, p. 10,' printed by Ejiea, Brighton." 6d for years they had held christian fellowship. Those who have learnt to have to do with God alone, are not easily to be moved by either the persuasions or the threats of man. They stand on a Rock and allow the waves to beat around. Having failed to induce these breth- ren to carry out his wishes, he started off on his unholy errand, and surely ' destruction and misery have been in his ways.' At one place as in Stafford, he led those meeting there into his views, at another as in Kendal, he failed. From one place to another he went, sowing discord and strife, seeking to enforce everywhere the adoption of his course towards Bethesda, which has, in its consequences, and in the miseries it has caused, cast into the shade all that had taken place in Plymouth. Assemblies of saints, one after another, were placed under the bann of excommunication, for no other sin than not being able to see that Mr Darby was right, and Bethesda wrong. The eyes of many ran down with tears, and the hearts of many were broken, at this proud high-handed dealing with the consciences of others, and this trampling in the dust the rights of every conscience but its own." —p. 47. church, )th Mr. of the , The nients cat of whom lyEjles, '• We now come to the second stage of the inquiry in connection with Bethesda. The charges made by Mr. Darby and his party were : 1st, that Mr. Newton's doctrines and those holding them, had been admitted into fellowship ; and, 2ndly, that, as a church, they had refused to judge and condemn the tracts. The first charge we have shown to have been without foundation, and as for the second, the course had been justified for the reasons given in the 'Letter of the Ten.' Towards the latter end of the year, however, the aspect of things had altered. By the unceasing efforts of the Darby party, the tracts which in April, May, and June, wore comparatively unknown, had been so circulated, that all had become more or less conversant with the subject; and the brethren were further charged with indiffer- ence to the Lord's honor in connection with the introduction of error. The result of this was, that the minds of very many were disturbed and perplexed. The discussion of questions which it had been wished to prevent, had thus been introduced by the actings of others, over whom the Bethesda brethren had no influence. In July, 1848, also had appeared ai.other tract of Mr. Newton's, in which the erroneous statements of the tracts then under reconsideration had been repro- duced, only in a somewhat modified form. This removed much of the uncertainty as to the views held by Mr. Newton, and facilitated the investigation of his doctrines. These considerations led Mr. Muller, Mr. Craik, and the other leading brethren, to regard it as needful to take up as a church matter, that which before it had not been deemed desirable to do; and in consequence several special meetings of the church were held, commencing on Nov. 27, and ending on Dec. 11, 1848. At the first meeting. Mr. Muller, after prayer, stated thd reasons which had led them to call the church together, to investigate the painful subject of Mr. Newton's tracts, and explained the relisolit 70 which now led them to do that, which in the middle of the year they had declined doing. ^| "At the first two or three meetinjDrs Mr. Muller spoke almost exclusively, reading from the tracts, pauo after page, pointing out as he went along, what inferences were legitinuitoly d(!du(;ible from what was read, and which, if they wore allowed, the Lord liiniself would need a Saviour; and while those influences might have been disaHowod by 3Ir. Newton liimsolf, in judging of his views, they must necessarily be the guide in leading to a decision on them. During the remaining four or five meetings, sixteen of the brethren spoke, and gave their views as to the tracts, entering very fully into the questions at issue. The result of these deliberations was, that the following conclusion was arrived at: 'That no one defending, maintaining, or upholding Mr. Newton's views or tracts, should be received into communion.' Of this decision Lord Congleton writes : ' This conclusion was given out two or three times by the brethren droves, Muller, and Craik.' This public announcement we particularly would bring to notice, because it has been asserted by many, ignorant of the facts of the case, that the judgment thus arrived at was merely the private judg- ment of a few, whereas it was much more to be rej- arded as expressing the judgment of the diarchy than was the Letter of the Ten. # * * iS' * * « "It would have been imagined that the whole controversy between Bethesda and her opponents, as far as they were concerned, would have been brought to a close: the investigation which was demanded had taken place, and the conclusion come to, to admit none holding Mr. Newton's views. The ostensible object had been gained; the real object had not, and that was submission, subnn'ssion it was said to the church, but in reality to a party. This was avowedly stated at a public meeting in connection with the Letter of the Ten, when these questions were under discussion. It was asked by one of the Bethesda brethren, ' Why should we judge a matter that has taken place at Plymouth?' It was repli 1, ' Hecause tlie church has judged it.' 'And what is the Church r' asked Mr. 3Iullcr. The answer given was, 'Those who meet as we do' Mr. Muller replied, 'That is not my view of the church,' and Mr. Meredith further remarked, ' I should consider, holding such a view of tlie church,^ as going com- pletely back to Popery.' Bethesda had acted for themselves in the matter before God, and sought to obey His word, but they had not obeyed 'the voice of the church!' and Mr Wigram writes, Feb. '2nd, 184*J, 'You may depend upon it that the aim of IJethesda is, to make a party positively apart fiom us all, and apart, I judge too, from Mr. Newton.' He w"« quite prepared to allow that they aimed at keeping aloof from Mr. ;wton, and his charge against Hethesda resolves itself into a wish on their part to act apart and stand apai :^ from those to whom he belonged; and if this implied the rejection of tl e assumed exclusive place of the church on which they wore taking tlioir stand, and by meana of which they sdught to enforce their decrees on all 71 said stated when of the taken ndged xiiswer That ed, 'I com- n the d not ■2nd, make m Mr. seping solves those unied stand, Ott all those with whom they consented to hold fellowship, it nrnst be acknowledged Mr. Wigrara was right. *«■«'»#*#* " Since 1849 nothing has occured to disturb the peace of the saints meeting in l^ethesda and other places in Bristol connected with it; and those principles of holy independence of man in the things of God. which the brethren have sought to maintain in the church, and for the benefit of the church at large, have taken root, and the real fellowship of the church in the oneness of the spirit has been increas- ingly sought after, and by the grace of God increasingly felt, in much happy fellow.>Iiip with all saints, irrespective of party, name, or denomination : and tliose fundamental truths, touching alike the divinity and humanity of the blessed Lord are held, preached, and contended for earnestly, as the faith once delivered to the saints. Those who know most of the church at Bethesda will testify to the earnestness with which a godly discipline seeks to keep alive among the saints a deep sense of the value of foundation truth, and of the imperative necessity of a godly consistant life in all admitted to church fellowship. " The following remarks made by the late Mr. Craik in reference to these separations, written at the time, we transcribe for the instruc- tion of all. " ' Since we have been separated from both parties (t. e. Mr. Newton's and Mr. Darby's), there has b(;eu much quietness amongst us; the Lord is present in our meetings; souls are constantly added to the cbnrcli. We meddle not with tliinns too bi<;li for ns; as iu ourselves lost and guilty, we nnd\e Jesus our only refn,<>e. We meet to exiiort one another, and to wait patiently on God; wc pid)lisli tlie jjiad tidinys to the world, and the Lord gives tesiimony to the word of His ion and disorder. I do not apprelicnd I am mistaken in sayinti'.' Tliis Pniniililol i^ well ik'-i-rviiiK nttcu- tivo i)erii.-;il, toiri'tlicv u it'^ tlic notes mihI eonniieuts on this letter wliieli i^ unilei' review. It i?) sold ))y S. \V. .S|)nri , M'est stieet, sliellield. " tr.'iptiiin UmII, wrilin^r ol' Mr. DiirhyV vie\\ s.siiys, ' So like .are they to Mr. Xewton'a doctrines, Ih;it even Inid they nut lieeii as had in iiieni-elves as t .inilw t'leni to be, I plioidd lie quite nnahle to ni'iiinlain llie idace ol' wli.it is called leMiniony apainst JMr. New Ion while connected with those who hold what 1 think to lie as had.' We hope onr brother will soon he led out ol his tesinaony ns affiiiiist Jlr. Newton or any one else, into a gimple testimony tor Christ, wliiuU would clear hid path of mauy dillicultius that seem stil) to encoiupasa it.*' lings 1? to rby's unong mt is ath of who and right- n by their cffiolf), nttcn- cvicw. wton's bp, I s^l Mr. le our elf^e, ba that 75 own craftiness, fools, permits the accuser to stand where the accused stood, and allows Mr. Darby to occupy the place of the heretic. His own discipline, righteously carried out, would at onco exconiniuuicato not only him, but all those who maintain fellowship with him. "It is no nncommnn thing f;>r those guilty in any mutter to attempt to conceal tlieir own departnr((s from truth and uprigiitnoss by an un- usual zoal against the (l('lin(|Moncies of others, supposed or real, aud so we find Mr. Darby while lying under tiie imputation of having put fortli unsound statements, writing of Hetliesda in the letter to Mr. Spurr already quoted from in page 63 as follows: — "'The evil at IJefliesda is tlie mostunpr'ncipled admission of lilasphem- ers against (lirist. tlic coldest h many eliristians may he entangled in it. Every (piestion of elnirelies and unity disappears before tlie (piestiou of IJetliesda. Jt is a question of C'lirist. Failli i-overned my i)atli as to it, but I have s<'en its fruits in Ameri('a. tlie VVest Indies, France. Switzerland, and in a measure in India. I liave >eeii il tlie sjjring and sni)port everywhere of nnprineipledness and evil, and all w iio are under its Inlluence turned from upriglitness and truth.' " llic man v:hn here, accnacs others of admitllng blasphemers, is accused hy his own followers of maiiitnivinf/ tlie venj same blasphemies, which he false})/ sai/s that Bethesda. has admitted ; is himself defiled, and has himself been turned from vprirjlituess aud. truth, b>/ the shewing of his own friends ! How easy to charge others with nnprineipledness! and were it our purpose we could retort the charge accompanied with facts known to some. There is a wickedness in this style of writing that its parade of the name and honor of Christ only makes the more intensely evil; those who can lift the veil and read what lies written, not on the surface but underneath, loathe and abhor the unholy prox- imity with which the Most Holy is brought into connection with the unhallowed, profane actings of pride; but there are those who are led by their feelings and whose judgment is blinded, and this display of holy zeal at once deludes and deceives such. We allude to this here, where faith is claimed for the perpetration of actings of the greatest church wickedness, considering the light possessed, that has darkened the page of church history for many a long year. But God's estimate of the faith claimed is to be read in the light of the delusions of all kinds, into which he has allowed him and his followers to be led; into the assumptions of "The one Assembly"; into false teaching on the sufferings of Chri.-it; into a proud schismatic discipline separating from those who bow not down to their id(d. It is God who has cast them dov.n, not man; it is God who has hardened and blinded, as he ever will, the wilfully hardened and blinded, who have already refused to feel and refused to see. Let the spirit and tone of the extract given, be examined in the light of present events and passing revela- tions, in which God would have us learn that 'he shall have judgment without merey that shewed no mercy,' for he would teach us that 'mercy rcjoiceth against judgment.'" — p. 71-73. 7ft Extracts from a pamphlet entitled, "The Exclusive BllETIIIlEN : THEIR OuiOIN AND DISCIPLINE." "Mr. Darby's adherents speak of 'the wicked and unpodly ways of Betliesda in rcferenco to the licrcsy.' They accuse tliat (!hurch of • having i(ientificd itself with the false teacher, his party and his deeds' — of 'fellowship with blasphemous doctrine about ('hrist,'* and so on. Now these are very awful accusations, but are they true? It becomes all who hear them, to pause before they believe them, according as it is written, ' against an Elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses,' and ' in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.' " Even human law requires that we hold a man innocent till he is proved to be guilty; and let it bo remembered, assertion, however strong it may be, and however oft repeated, is not proof. If these assertions were trne, ' exclusive ' discipline would bo pardonable, if not altogether justifiable, for the Church is * the pillar and ground of the truth,' and if she should be jealous in the maintenance of one truth above another, it is of the truth concerning the Lord Jesus. He humbled himself to the dust of death to raise her to a throne of glory. He is the centre and object of all God's counsels, His well beloved and only begotten Son. Had she a thousand lives she should be willing to spend and sacrifice them all, to maintain and defend His divine glory, and preserve intact the truth of llis finished work ! " Blessed be God, therefore, for any true zeal for the name and glory of Jesus, displayed in this chequered controversy. But zeal may run into extravagance ; it is fire — a good servant if used to con- sume dross, but an awful tyrant if it attack the house or the city. Zeal is not always according to knowledge. It is sometimes 'strange fire; ' a fruit of the spirit, if pure and genuine, but more easily counterfeited by the flesh than many others. " We do not hesitate to affirm that these awful accusations are not true; and more, that nothing but the blinding influence of party spirit can account for the way in which they are urged year after year, although long ago they have been proved to be untrue. *' The documents published at the time, are sources of evidence now available for those wlio are not acquainted with the facts when they transpired. These documents distinctly prove — " I. — That from the first the leaders at Bethesda condemned Mr, Newton's doctrine. We quote their own words : — " ' We utterly disclaim tlie assei-tion that the blessed Son of God was involved in tlie guilt of the first Adam, or that He was born under the curse of the broken law, because of His connection willi Israel. We hold Him to have been always tlie holy one of God, in whom the Father ^,^>^^wa8 well pleased. We n_o of no curse which the Saviour bore, except that " * ' The Bethesda Fellowship in 1865.' " 77 though pe now they Mr. was lev the We "'ather bt that w hich he eruUircil as the surety for sinners, according to tliat S< ripture * lie wiiH iiiiide a curse for us.' We utterly reject the thought of Ills ever /iiiviii^' li!i(i the experiences of an iniconverted person, and maintain that wlillc He siiil'ered outwardly the trials connected with His beins a man and an I«raelile, still in His feeling's and experience as well as in His external character, he was entirely separate from sinners I '—'■Letter of the Ten,'' 1848. " II. — That persons known as holding Mr. Newton's errors, were never received at Bethesda. •' 'In reply to the second reason (for secession) that persons may be received from riymouth, holdln)? evil doctriiuvs, we are happy in beinpr able to state that ever since the matter was ajifitated we have maintained, that persons coming from thence, if suspected of any errors woxild be liable to be examined on the point; that in the case of one individual, who had fallen under tiie susi)icion of some brethren amon<; us, not only was there private intcicoinse witli him, relative to his views, as soon as it was known that he was objected to, but the individual referred to, known to some of us for several years as a eonsistant Christian, actually came to a meetini9 nipWMIiAM SSSS piijJi !» a» i r-^ » n