William Blair Neatby

“ Wigram laid stress on the fact that by the Letter of the Ten the whole church at Bethesda stood committed to all these heresies. He contended that Christ was as a root out of dry ground only to the eye of an unbelieving world; and “of Henry Craik I still desire,” he says, “to hope better things than that the Nazarene ... would have been ‘as a root out of a dry ground’”. A further complaint was that “where Scripture says He, referring to the person of the Christ, God manifest in the flesh, the statement says, ‘his humanity,’”—although as a matter of fact the statement says nothing of the kind. ”

“ Newton’s views, and in some points a partaker of them, as to render it impossible that he could guard with any energy against them. The result is, that members of Ebrington Street, active and unceasing agents of Mr. Newton, holding and justifying his views, are received at Bethesda, and the system which so many of us have known as denying the glory of the Lord Jesus (and that, when fully stated, in the most offensive way) and corrupting the moral rectitude of every one that fell under its power—that this system, though not professed, is fully admitted and at work at Bethesda. ”

“ Assemblies of saints one after another were placed under the bann [sic] of excommunication for no other sin than not being able to see that Mr. Darby was right, and Bethesda wrong. On reaching Leeds, he issued his lithographic circular, bearing the post mark of August 26, 1848, cutting off not only Bethesda, but all assemblies who received any one who went there.”
This circular is one of the great documents of Brethrenism, inaugurating as it does the unique discipline with which Mr. Darby’s name will be associated as long as he is remembered amongst men. ”

“ The winds of this desert world blew around Him, and as the tender sapling gradually grows to maturity of height and vigour,—so Jesus advanced through the several stages of infancy, childhood, and youth, to a state of maturity in age and stature. ”

“ And if this be admitted by receiving persons from Bethesda, those doing so are morally identified with the evil, for the body so acting is corporately responsible for the evil they admit. If brethren think they can admit those who subvert the person and glory of Christ, and principles which have led to so much untruth and dishonesty, it is well they should say so, that those who cannot may know what to do. ”

“ If, on the other hand, it announced a change of policy, the change could only consist in requiring of all candidates for communion that they should entertain the same opinion as the church at Bethesda, not on the theological points, but on the meaning of Newton’s writings. The Jansenists long before had been willing to condemn the “five propositions”; but this was not sufficient; the Pope required that they should also declare that the five propositions were to be found in Jansenius. It is surely plain that a mere question of fact (revelation apart) should not be made de fide. ”

“ Newton’s errors are only those of a rash speculative intellectualist, who is yet sound at heart and seeking to honour Christ, it will be no cause of regret that I have refused to have fellowship with those who have been seeking to crush rather than to recover him ”

“ These gentlemen, well-known friends of Newton’s, had been in the habit of communicating at Bethesda Chapel whenever they passed a Sunday in Bristol. Darby had a few firm adherents even within the flock of Müller and Craik, and some opposition was made to the application. Finally, Captain Woodfall was admitted, on the ground that he had been travelling on the Continent and might be presumed to be ignorant of the state of the controversy; but it was determined that Mr. Woodfall must first be visited, and his “soundness” ascertained. ”

“ The good man was certainly not a responsible teacher, nor did I ever know a man of weight to set Holy Scripture on one side with quite so much definiteness and completeness; but I have heard much that glanced in the same direction. Newton had a sense of this peril, and in spite of his serious errors, he was quite entitled to feel in other particulars that he was standing in defence of the Catholic faith. And if in condemning Newton’s errors Craik were (as Wigram implies) slower and quieter than Müller or good Mr. ”

“ Meanwhile the execution of Darby’s decree was going rapidly forward. In the preceding spring, a division had been forced at Bath under the influence of Wigram and Sir Charles Brenton, the translator of the Septuagint. Bellett and Captain Wellesley tried in vain to keep up the neutral policy on which the meeting had decided, and Captain Hall paid a visit from Hereford in the interests of peace generally. Wellesley was considered “an exceedingly dangerous person,” because though he deemed Newton’s tracts erroneous he was not able to see the “extreme danger” in them that some saw. ”

“ Upon what grounds persons holding them are admitted and the errors refused to be investigated, if such be his judgment, I must leave every one to determine for themselves. I only ask Is it faithfulness to Christ’s sheep? Further, while it is true that Mr. Craik may be by no means prepared to assert that Mr. Newton’s doctrines are all according to the truth of God, and that I have no reason to say that he is not sound in the faith, yet it is certain that he is so far favourably disposed to Mr. ”

“ Darby came again to Bristol, and had an interview with both Mr. Müller and Mr. Craik, in which he again urged the taking up of the tracts by Bethesda, and passing a church condemnation on them. ... Finding their judgments were not to be changed, he sought to intimidate by the threat of separating from them all those believers in other places, with whom for years they had held Christian fellowship. ”

“ The investigation seems to have been laboriously thorough. Seven church meetings were held between November 27 and December 11, 1848.
“At the first two or three meetings Mr. Müller read from the tracts, page after page, pointing out as he went along what inferences were legitimately deducible from what was read, and which, if they were allowed, would vitiate the atonement; and while these inferences would be disallowed by Mr. Newton, in judging of his views, they must, if legitimate, necessarily be their guide in leading to a decision on them. ”

“ If ... righteousness has so fallen in the streets that you cannot attain unto the standard of Christian morals, of first communicating a brother’s faults privately to himself, before you expose him publicly, at least seek not to. ”

“ Indeed Darby’s circular alienated many influential men who might have tolerated, even if they could not have approved, his strange course at Plymouth.
When it became known that Groves had been admitted at Tottenham, Dorman wrote to John Howard, intimating that Tottenham came under the ban of excommunication. The ground of action was that Groves was “identified” with the “condition of things at Bethesda”. Ere long this would have been quite enough of itself, but as yet a makeweight was still of some value. ”

“ Müller and two of his colleagues had received in June an application from “a number of brethren at Rawstorne Street, London, and elsewhere,” professing to act “as separate individuals,” asking for a meeting open to all parties concerned, to be held “either in Bristol or elsewhere”. Müller’s reply bears date July 18, and may therefore fall either before or after his last interview with Darby. He writes: “We are ready to afford full explanation of the course that has been adopted at Bethesda to any godly enquirers who have not committed themselves as partisans of Mr. Darby and Mr. ”

“ The conclusion of the investigation did nothing to better the case of Bethesda in the eyes of its persecutors. The “independent” principle was still admitted; and (we may surely add) Darby’s decree was still refused. Yet Darby himself wavered. In July, 1849, he called on Müller at “the New Orphan House, No. 1 , ten minutes before one o’clock”. They shook hands, and Darby said, “As you have judged Newton’s tracts, there is no longer any reason why we should be separated” . Müller answered, “I have this moment only ten minutes’ time, having an important engagement before me ”

“ This principle had been to receive the “personally sound”. Two considerations called for this individualising treatment. In the first place, in churches where errors of a more or less abstruse character are taught, the bulk of the congregation will generally be found to know nothing about them. In the second place, there are many people who might regard the doctrines with abhorrence, without feeling justified in resorting to a suspension of ecclesiastical relations. ”