John Nelson Darby

“ Was ever such nonsense palmed on people? And yet one of my reasons is because they do not judge evil nor exercise discipline, as it is as to Ebrington Street. Mr. Newton’s alleged evil, and to my mind proved evil, deserved to be judged, and so did other evil, and it was not, but was avoided and refused to be judged. When the brethren, who certainly treated me with very little concern, whatever they did Mr. Newton, said I must be judged too, I made no difficulty: but nothing could induce Mr. Newton to allow it, and they had no courage to go any further. ”

“ Nor shall I say a word of the meanness of courting the pity of strangers, by publishing every word they can scrape together, out of its context, when for years they have been calumniating their brethren, and undermining them everywhere as subverting Christianity, and it has been borne with. And when resisted openly and honestly, crying out as if they were persecuted and oppressed. Does any one believe that they have not accused of falsehood, for example, myself, Wigram, Sir A. Campbell, over and over again. ”

“ The system which so judges is alleged to maintain the unity of the Church. This may exist in different degrees, and in different circumstances. But it always attaches divine authority more or less to official position, and thus puts man in the place of God by attaching His name to man. It is not spiritual energy in man putting souls through Christ in direct relation with God, with the Father. There spiritual affections are happy and blessed. It is man eclipsing God, getting between Him and the soul. Not man revealing God, but the authority of God attached to man. ”

“ He can originate nothing, but he can build up with vast sagacity an immense system, out of the corruption, suited to the evil which is in us; yea, and stamped with the character of the evil in us to which it is so suited. What would money be without avarice? Or worldly power without ambition? Superstition without a natural principle of religiousness in the heart of man? Such a system may be a vast fact in the economy of divine government considered as a judgment, as Mahommedanism: or a subtler corruption, as Popery, pregnant with greater mischiefs ”

“ I think it still sadder if the person in question be one who has been looked up to in the Church. It tends to shake confidence in all. But judgment has been refused in every shape to save character. If it be said that I, after the April meeting, when Sectarianism was avowed before fourteen of us, ought to have brought it before the body; I have indeed nothing to reply, but that I refrained at the instance of others, particularly Mr. Rhind, to spare Mr. Newton. Here I have always felt I may have been wrong. Further, I still state that unity has been denied, practically denied. ”

“ Truly godly people may be the instruments of helping on a system which is truly Satan’s. No one can doubt that Cyprian, who laid down his life for Christ’s name, that Augustine, that Bernard, were godly men. Yet, though one opposed Rome episcopally, and the last declared Antichrist was risen there, no one can doubt that they helped on most eminently Satan’s work in Popery. They did not perceive the bearing of certain points on the meaning and testimony of the Spirit of God.
Further, I do not call every evil I find a direct and posi­tive work of Satan. ”

“ I do not think a mind for which holiness has any charm at all, will ever love the detailing or publishing evil: and, if one has any heart, most surely not what has passed among those he loves: but God’s truth and his Church are sacred things. ”

“ The denial of the doctrine positively stated where the influence exists, as held in any such sense, or its explanation, is the very thing that marks the power of evil. With this will be found the attributing to those who hold the truth, every kind of doctrine they abhor, where there is influence enough to have their statements believed. Popery is the plain example of this. Another mark, whatever the apparent devotedness, yea, and real devotedness sometimes, is that the spirit of the world is acquiesced in. ”

“ Orthodox truths may, as we have seen in one of the cases I have supposed, be maintained : but as it is the work of the Holy Ghost alone to present Christ to the soul, so that it should be in the power of that living faith which sets the soul in blessed fellowship with the Father, in true joy, leaving the impress of its own everlasting nature upon it, which the Holy Ghost can alone give, and the Holy Ghost alone maintain, the consequence is that such communion with Christ is lost, and the conscience ceases to be before God. ”

“ At all events, what is here related is with other facts that which has led me into the position I am in; and I give them as substantially a thoroughly authentic and true narrative of what has passed. I have only to add, that the ground of evil doctrine or teaching, and the unsettling the souls of saints on every thing precious, and even vital, is acquiring every day very greatly increased weight in my mind. ”

“ Good works will be found generally much pressed, and that in a systematic way in which it works for and into the system. Truth, I mean truthfulness, will ever be wanting. This I have always found where the work of the enemy is. Connected with this is the pressing much certain doctrines, when it is safe, which form the bond of the institution, and denying them in the alleged meaning, or explaining them away, when they are pressed on them by those who detect the evil. ”

“ But Popery and Puseyism are the work of the enemy, though you may, and doubtless would, find many dear persons among them. Of course the degrees of evil or power may vary. I speak of its character and source merely.
Satan originates nothing. That is God’s prerogative. The work of Satan is to mar and break down what God has wrought, when that is left, as an effect produced, to the responsibility of man. God created Adam. Satan spoiled the work through man’s folly. ”

“ I have myself been laid by, unable to read and write, so that, for my own part, I have been necessarily more particularly thrown into His hands, so that things should be more immediately judged as in His presence; viewed as they are seen there; and that what does not become His presence should alarm the conscience : man become little, but the saints exceeding precious. ”

“ I have remarked that it is the art and skill of some men to turn every conscientious man, every one who cannot, or will not become an instrument, into a radical or a schismatic. But it is a sad state of things. I could name persons here, that were denounced to us as radicals and busy bodies, that I have found
when not tortured and harassed in conscience, as quiet, unassuming, happy Christians as possible. ”

“ Nine-tenths of the saints out of Plymouth would take the statement as true: and I should be very sorry to think that they would suppose it possible to be otherwise, until forced to it. I have yet a difficulty myself, in believing the things I know to be true. At Plymouth the majority were Mr. Newton’s party at all cost. If any separated themselves from it, they were not spoken to, nor owned as Christians. Even their temporal interests, injured as far as possible. ”

“ I said as an enquiry into sectarianism, any could enquire as well as me, any judgment on Mr. Newton’s conduct having been avoided. Being pressed, I began by stating, that what I objected to was the sectarianism (I had previously declared to Mr. Harris, that I would not enter on the prophetic question as a doctrinal thing; it was a moral question to me) . ”

“ No one else has. Nobody doubts that I think the table in Ebrington Street one which I cannot hold communion with. I have left it. Can any thing be plainer. The present narrative will say why; which I have never done yet. I have stated that they deny the real unity and holiness of the Church of God. I say so still. The Lord will judge who is right in this. They may escape by the support of a party, but it is not the position of any one, nor the numbers which support him, which can make evil good, or good evil, or clear the conscience of the Church of God. ”

“ I do not like the expression “going to meet the Spirit,” but the devoted brother who used it expresses in it (badly, I think [14] ) the substance of an all-important truth, which those who cavil at it have been assiduously undermining: and, I may add, in such language as, I am bold to say, no one under the guidance of that Spirit could use, and which expresses real unbelief as to the substance of the matter. ”

“ The spirit of adoption and blessed assurance of salvation in the knowledge of Him will never be. It may survive such a system for a time, but it cannot be identified with such a system when matured. To be with God, while always rendering the soul submissive [errata 2] , must render it independant of man, that is, it asserts no rights, but, when the need is, it says, we ought to obey God rather than man. The first of these works of Satan, then, is the pretence to the extraordinary operation of the Spirit. ”

“ Now it may happen that there may be only one habitually able to edify in a body, though it is a sad thing if there be no diversity of gift in a large body, but a regular alternation of two, and, if absent a sort of manager left, for so it really was, and the speaking prepared as previously considering the state of the congregation and preparing a discourse, and such was the ground avowedly taken with me as the right thing, when I arrived, is certainly not that dependance on the Spirit which characterized the profession of the brethren. ”

“ In that too itself, I dare say, several good men are labouring, because they do not by spiritual power discern Satan’s craft, who has a lovely religion for the flesh, a religion fairer to men’s judgment and loveliest natural feelings than God’s, which acts entirely on the conscience, and gives all glory to Christ. ”

“ The same plan was resorted to at the April meeting. I was said, by Mr. Newton, to have charged all with Sectarianism, because a person could not be a sectarian alone. This, though unfounded, had some semblance of reason in it; but a man may surely tell falsehoods alone. I charged Mr. Newton with Sectarianism alone. ”

“ It is clear there can be no other unity of all saints since the creation than unity in heaven. And that is what they have most assiduously taught as to the Ephesians. They have insisted that prophets in chap. ii. verse 20 means Old Testament prophets; and the whole Epistle to apply to all saints from beginning to end. It is quite clear, therefore, it has nothing to do with the present unity of the Church by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. If they deny this teaching, the answer is, it is a dishonest denial. We have all heard it, whatever their partisans may say. ”

“ I appeal solemnly to all the brethren who came to enquire. Either their statement to me, that is of several of them, was an invented calumny, or this article is a direct positive falsehood. From first to last, Mr. Newton took this ground. As to the tenth: my answer is, you do. Mr. Newton has published in his thoughts on the apocalypse what, as an expression of thought, is justly so designated. The grand doctrine of Buddhism is that a sort of absorption into Deity is perfect bliss. Now, Mr. N. states that the glorified saints will be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, using the terms. ”

“ There is evil unconfessed and unjudged; evil, I judge of the very worst kind, speaking of evil in a Christian assembly, and I suppose there must be Scriptures for leaving it, or we should never have been gathered at all. I will only add, as much has been said in print of Mr. Soltau’s asking Mr. Harris to stay, that he asked Mr. Harris to stay, to help him to resist Mr. Newton, against whom he felt unable to make head alone, and he stated to Mr. Hill, that all the evil had come from letting him have his own way. Here you have the history of Plymouth. ”

“ It is possible that in a narrative extending over a year and a half, embracing many people, and even places, some inaccuracy of detail which may occasion cavil, may have escaped me. I have given too many names not to give the fullest opportunity of confirmation or correction, indeed always save where charity demanded their suppression, or in the case of females. Engaged in such a business I had no need to conceal those of brethren. They must take their share when they acted in public. ”

“ Thus the actual possessors of the power of the institution, in its then state, really take the place of God. His power is vested in them as far as it acts on earth. Divine condemnation attaches to all who act independently of them. Direct dependance upon God is unallowable. ”

“ This may be always remarked, that where there is a work of the enemy even saints always fall into it if they do not treat it as such. It has power over the human heart, and where there is not in the soul the power of the Spirit to judge it as the positive mischief of the enemy (and so it will be judged where that power is) there the soul will fall into it, as if it were more perfect truth than what the Spirit teaches. ”

“ See the early judaizing of the Church, traced and detected in the Epistles to the Galatians and Colossians, and elsewhere. And see in the Galatian churches how the saints fell into it. See the same thing in Popery. And here I would explain a little further. It does not follow by any means that there are no truths held by those who fall into such a snare. Many important truths may be held by them. Nor is it to be thought for a moment that true saints of God are not liable to fall into these snares. On the contrary, what makes it important to consider them, is that they affect the saints of God. ”