The First 50 Years: A History
– C. H. Mackintosh

Those who wonder what went wrong in recent times may be enlightened by CHM's comments on the low spiritual condition among the brethren in 1850-75,

• just before the decisive decade of divisions – 1881-90,

• and a comparison with the declining spiritual condition among the brethren in the years preceding 1959.

G.A.R.

Others, again, were led to search the Scriptures, and to compare what they found in these precious writings with the existing conditions of things around them in the entire professing church,

• and they were not only led, but forced to the conclusion that the whole professing church was in a condition of utter and hopeless ruin –

• that there was not a single ecclesiastical polity, not a single clerical order, not a single theological creed, throughout the length and breadth of Christendom, that could stand the test of Holy Scripture –

• that there was no such thing to be found as a faithful expression of the Church of God as seen in the New Testament –
  • no expression of the One Body, no such thing as an assembly of believers gathered simply to the Name of Jesus, and practically owning the presence, power, rule and authority of the Holy Ghost.

Further, as regards the grand question of ministry, they looked in vain throughout the various religious systems, for anything approaching to the truth as taught in the New Testament.

• Whether they examined the Greek, Latin, Anglican or Scotch Establishments, or, on the other hand, the various popular bodies of the day, they found that
  • whether under the title of Bishop, Priest, Deacon or Minister, human authority was absolutely essential to the exercise on every branch of ministry, so-called.

• If a man possessed all the gifts of the apostle Paul himself, he dared not preach or teach Jesus Christ, unless he was licensed or authorized by man;

• whereas, on the contrary, though destitute altogether of spiritual gifts, nay, even of spiritual life itself, yet,
  • if authorized, ordained, licensed or approved by man, he might preach and teach in that which professed to be the church of God.

• Man's authority, without Christ's gift, was quite sufficient. Christ's gift without man's authority was not.

All this they found was diametrically opposed to the Word of God.

• When they turn, for example, to such a Scripture as Ephesians 4, they found, that ministry, in all its branches, had its source in a risen and glorified, Head in heaven.
  • "To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ".

• Not a syllable about human authority or human ordination, in any shape or form – not a sound of such a thing, or anything approaching to it, but the very reverse. It is simply "the gift of Christ" or nothing at all.
  • "Wherefore He saith, when He ascended up on High, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men … and He gave some, apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers".

• It is remarkable that even "apostles" though ordained by Christ in the days of His flesh, are here viewed as flowing from Christ ascended.

Here then, they found the only source of ministry. All the ministerial gifts, all the gifts for edification flow down direct from a risen and glorified Christ.

• There is no human medium through which they can come – no human channel through which they are to flow – no human authority necessary to render them available – no human addition whatever.

• The gifts come down in all their divine integrity from the Head to the members. Man can add nothing to them. He cannot improve them.

• Those who receive them are responsible to exercise them – to wait upon their gift – to cultivate and develop it, with all diligence and faithfulness;

• but, as to any human authority, licence, sanction, or ordination, in order to make the precious gifts of Christ available for His Body, the Church,
  • not only is there no such thing, but it is absolutely and completely opposed to the Word of God and to the mind of Christ.

Amongst those who thus separated from the various organizations were some men of considerable gift, moral weight, intellectual power, and intelligence –

• clergymen, barristers, solicitors, military and naval officers, physicians, and men of high position and property.
• Their secession, as you may suppose, caused a very considerable stir and drew forth much opposition.

• Many a link of friendship was snapped; many a fondly cherished companionship was broken up; many sacrifices were made; much trial and sorrow was encountered; much reproach, obloquy, and persecution had to be endured.
  • I cannot attempt to enter into details, nor have I any desire to do so. It could serve no useful ends, and the records could but give needless pain.

• All who will live godly – all who are determined to follow the Lord – all who will keep a good conscience – all who, with purpose of heart, will act on the authority of Holy Scripture, must make up their minds to endure trial and persecution.

• Our Lord Christ has told us that He came not to send peace but a sword.
  • "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three".

  • And again He tells us that "A man's foes shall be they of his own household".

All this was fully realized in those times to which I am now referring;

• and not only was there this domestic opposition and persecution, but public prejudice in various shapes and forms, entailing much trial, sorrow, and loss.

Moreover, the important distinction between preaching the gospel to the unconverted and teaching the Lord's people – so little understood or acted upon even now – began to be forcibly illustrated, and with the most blessed results.

• The evangelists and the teacher waited, each upon his own proper work – souls were converted, and believers were built up on their most holy faith.

• Worship, too, and 'the communion of saints', began to be understood. The Lord's people met, on the first Day of the week, to break bread, and found the presence of Jesus to be a divine reality in their midst.

• Of course, none were admitted to the table save such as were believed to be true Christians, sound in faith, and godly in walk.

All this attracted much attention. Many wondered whereunto it would grow. Some prophesied that it would all soon come to nothing. It was but a bubble on the stream of time, which would speedily burst.

• It was deemed utterly impossible that a number of people, without any ecclesiastical framework, any palpable organization, any clerical order, any visible head, any confession of faith, could ever get on together.

• How, it was asked, can your meeting go on? Who is to preside? Who is to keep order? You will have people popping up in all directions to speak, or pray, or give out hymns. It must prove a perfect Babel.

Such were the dark suggestions of many unfriendly and unbelieving prognosticators; but they did not prove true.

• People who attended the meetings were mightily struck by the fact of scores or hundreds of people assembled, without priest, parson or president, and yet no disorder, no confusion, no jar, no hitch.

• The Lord Himself was there. He was allowed His proper place as President, and He took it and filled it to the joy, comfort, blessing and edification of His beloved people, who preferred Him to any human device.

I need hardly say that here and there, mistakes were made. The weakness and folly of mere nature occasionally displayed themselves in the meetings.

• Just as, in the life of the individual Christian, notwithstanding the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, there are mistakes, evil, failure and infirmity,
  • so in the assemblies of brethren, as we can easily understand, there would be the exhibition of that which was not of the Spirit although in the main, the Spirit's presence and rule were owned and felt.

• The enemy, we may be sure, would take special pains to introduce confusion into the assembly, in order to bring discredit on the ground which the assembly occupied.

Still, I can say, on looking back over an experience of 35 years, the order and power of the meetings were wonderful;

• while as to the mistakes and failures, I found a thousand-fold worse in the organizations around, and that too, not mourned over as failure but viewed as the legitimate fruit of human arrangement.
• The brethren had not human order or arrangement, yet the solemnity and order of their meetings were most striking.

• Many of those who attended their meetings as spectators, could not be persuaded but that there was after all, some pre-arrangement, some recognized order; but I can solemnly declare there was no such thing.

• We could never tell, when we entered the meeting, what its order, tone or character was to be. I speak only of the meetings of the assembly for worship and communion.

• As to those meetings which were convened on individual responsibility, for preaching or teaching, the case was wholly different.
  • The order of such meetings was always pretty much the same. It was entirely a matter of individual responsibility.

I have given you but a very hasty and meagre sketch of an intensely interesting movement in the church of God.

• I have referred to the rise of those called "brethren". In my next I shall speak of their further history and its lessons.

Moreover, as they gave themselves to the free and prayerful study of the Word of God, apart from their preconceived theological views, they very soon began to find the Bible a new Book.

• Deep, precious, and long-lost truth began to pour its living light upon their understandings.

• The grand doctrine of the Church – its place, portion, and prospect; the operations of the Spirit of God; the proper hope of the Church, namely, the coming of the Bridegroom, the Bright and Morning Star, as distinct from the destiny of Israel and the earth –

• all this came forth with great clearness, the vividness, and power, and attracted a large measure of attention in the various sections of Christian profession.

• In short, it was a most distinct, powerful, and blessed action of the Holy Ghost, the influence of which was felt to the ends of the earth.

Of course, there was intense opposition, especially on the part of the clergy and ministers of all the denominations.

• 'The Brethren' (so-called) were designated spiritual Ishmaelites, whose hand was against every man, and every man's hand against them.

• They were looked upon as the most bitter, the most bigoted, the most intolerant, sect in Christendom; and this while protesting loudly against sectarianism.

• Various nicknames were bestowed upon them, such as 'Plymouthists', 'Darbyites', 'New Lights', and various other names, derived from certain prominent individuals in different localities.

• But all this was a mere effort of the enemy to neutralize the influence of the ground occupied by the Brethren, which was felt to be, and really was,
  • a standing testimony against the state and practice of the various religious bodies of the day –

  • a positive declaration of the utter and hopeless ruin of the professing church,

  • and the folly of attempting to form churches, and ordain ministers, without so much as a shadow of authority or power to do so.

However, it was not the opposition and persecution from without that Brethren had most to dread. These rather tended to strengthen their hands, and draw them together.

• Times of persecution have always been healthful times for God's people. So these early Brethren found it.

• There was much love and practical sympathy among them, very little formality, very little of what we may call 'red tape and routine', very little 'Brethrenism';
  • but much real love and care for one another, great simplicity, beautiful freshness, and true devotedness to Christ and His cause.

But the arch-enemy had his eye upon them, and marvellously soon the bitter fruit of his subtle wiles began to appear.

• Almost from the outset he commenced, in the very midst of the Brethren themselves, a deep work,

• the manifest design of which was to undermine and set aside those grand truths which, as I most fully believe, the Lord was bringing out by the ministry of the Brethren,

• namely, the unity of the body of Christ; the presence of the Holy Ghost in the assembly, as distinct from His presence in the individual believer; and the special hope of the Church, the coming of the Bridegroom for His people, as distinct from His appearing in judgment upon the world.

Against these most precious and glorious truths the enemy raised up an intense opposition, and that, strange to say, in the very place from whence Brethren had received their special nickname.

As you are doubtless aware, there was a congregation of Baptists who met for worship at a chapel called 'Bethesda', in Bristol. There was an associated body meeting at 'Salem' Chapel; but I shall speak of both under the name of Bethesda,

• and further I shall do so is briefly possible, inasmuch as my sole object is to bring out the great principle at stake, and not, by any means, to dwell on persons or places which can only possess an ephemeral interest.

Well, then, some years previous to the time above referred to, this Baptist congregation was received into fellowship with Brethren – received as a body.

• The whole assembly, professedly and ostensibly, took the ground occupied by Brethren.

• I do not mention names or to descend into minute details; I merely give the great leading fact, because it illustrates a most important principle.

It has been my conviction, for many years, that this reception of a congregation was a fatal mistake on the part of Brethren.

• Even admitting, as I most heartily do, that all the members and ministers may have been most excellent people taken individually; yet I am persuaded that it is a mistake, in any case, to receive a whole body as such.

• There is no such thing as a corporate conscience. Conscience is an individual thing; and unless we act individually before God, there will be no stability in our course.

• A whole body of people, led by their teachers, may profess to take certain ground, and to adopt certain principles;
  • but what security is there that each member of that body is acting in the energy of personal faith, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and on the authority of the Word of God?

• It is of the very last importance that, in every step we take we should act in simple faith, in communion with God, and with exercised conscience.

• Indeed I cannot but believe that one special cause of weakness in the various assemblies of Brethren is that numbers have come on the ground who are not in the power of the truth in their own souls, and they act as a dead weight and a hindrance.

• But, most clearly, it is a grave mistake to receive a whole body of people into communion where there is no opportunity of testing the spiritual state of the individuals composing that body.

We had a very striking illustration of this in London, in the year 1853.

• A congregation of Baptists desired to take the ground occupied by Brethren; and they did so.

• But hardly have they taken this step when the brother who had built the chapel and gathered, by his preaching, the congregation, perceived the mistake.

• He immediately called the assembly together, and told them that both he and they must act on their individual responsibility before Lord.

• In pursuance of this statement, on the following Lord's Day, the chapel was locked, and the people were compelled individually to consider their ground and their proper course of action.

Now, some would pronounce this a very bold step; but it was a noble step; and the sequel proved it to be the right step – the only right step.

• In the course of a few weeks – weeks, no doubt, of profound exercise of soul and deep and painful searchings of heart – that whole congregation –
  • with two are three exceptions, and those, I believe of a doubtful character –

• not in a body, but individually applied for fellowship at the various assemblies of Brethren, and each case was taken up on its own merits, and tested by the Word of God.

• Then the brother to whom the chapel belonged, kindly lent it as a convenient meeting place for Brethren.

• Of course, he had, during the time the place was closed on Lord's day morning, carried on his individual work of preaching and teaching, as he does to this day;
  • and, blessed be God, since that time, that dear spot has been made the birth-place of hundreds of souls, and a blessed feeding-place for the lambs and sheep of the beloved flock of Christ. May it continue to be so till He comes!

How very different was the case of Bethesda!

• A testing time came. Deadly error was taught at Plymouth – error touching the position and relations of our Lord Jesus Christ –
  • error which placed Him – I shrink from penning the words – under the curse and wrath of God all His days and that not vicariously, but in virtue of His association with Israel and human family.

I cannot bear to go further into the terrible doctrine taught at Plymouth, or to transfer to this page the expressions in which that doctrine was presented.

• I have no desire to use strong or stern language in reference to individuals; but I must say to you that I consider the doctrine quite as bad as Socinianism itself; at least the former as well as the latter leaves us without the Christ of God.

• It is useless to talk of distinctions, for if we have not the Christ of New Testament, we have no Christ, no Saviour at all.

• Arius or Socinus may deny the Deity of our adorable Lord and Saviour; Irving may deny His pure and sinless humanity;
  • a Plymouth teacher may present Him in a position and in a relationship which would make Him need a saviour for Himself – may God pardon the very penning of the lines! May He pardon the man who taught such horrible doctrine! –

• They all deny the Christ of God. They blaspheme His Person and His Name. Their doctrines are to be held in utter abhorrence by every true lover of Jesus.

Well then, this deadly error was taught at Plymouth; and, moreover, the holders and teachers of this error were received at Bethesda.

• A few faithful members remonstrated, protested, and entreated that such doctrine should be judged, and its teachers put out of communion. It was all in vain.

• Ten of the leaders wrote a letter – the well-known Letter of the Ten – well known, I mean, to those of us who were called to wade through those deep waters.

• In this letter, which was adopted by the great bulk of the congregation at Bethesda, they refused to judge the doctrine. They said, 'What have we at Bristol to do with doctrines taught at Plymouth?'

• In a word, they committed themselves plainly and palpably, to the ground of neutrality and indifference, as regards our blessed Head; and independency, as regards His beloved body.

Such was the ground set forth in the Letter of the Ten – a document prepared by ten intelligent men, adopted by some hundreds of Christian people, and which, I believe, remains, to this day, unrepealed and unrepented of.

• It is true that, after the sad mischief was done, and fifty or sixty of the Lord's people had left Bethesda rather than sanction such a wretched principle or ground of fellowship,
  • the leaders held what they called seven church meetings for the purpose of examining the tracts in which the error was taught, and one of the leaders said that "according to that doctrine, Christ would need a saviour Himself".

• But the Letter was never withdrawn – never repented of; and hence it remains to this day, as the studied and deliberate statement of the real ground of Bethesda fellowship,
  • which is, to my mind, simply indifference, as to Christ, and independency, as to His body the church.

I purposely refrain from giving the names of persons, and from entering into any details as to the conduct, manner, or spirit of individuals.

• As regards all these things, we can believe there were faults on all sides. I must confess I have no taste for dwelling upon such things.
  • And further, I may assure you that I am not conscious of a single atom of bitter feeling toward any individual.

• I am writing after an interval of 27 years, and I desire to confine myself to the great principle involved in the whole case of Plymouth and Bethesda.

• I have not depended upon hearsay in the matter. We all know how things may be coloured and exaggerated in the heat of discussion.

• But there can be no question of colouring, exaggeration, or heated discussion, in reading the Plymouth tracts which contain what I must designate abominable doctrine,
  • or in reading the Letter of the Ten which sets forth the miserable principles of neutrality, indifference, and independency.

The fact is, Bethesda ought never to have been acknowledged as an assembly gathered on divine ground;

• and this was proved by the fact that, when called to act on the truth of the unity of the body, it completely broke down.

• And not this only; but had the members of the congregation been more animated by true loyalty to Christ they would have risen as one man to expel from their borders every trace of the doctrines which blasphemed their Lord.
• I am quite prepared to believe that numbers were totally ignorant of what they were about; that they meant well, and had no true apprehension of what was involved.

• But if an ignorant pilot is urging the vessel upon the rocks, it is poor consolation to those on board to be told that he is a most blameless well-meaning man.

Such, then, is a very brief and condensed statement of the real ground of what is called The Bethesda Question.

• Of course, Brethren everywhere had to face it. There was no getting out of it. It had to be looked at straight in the face.

• To many it proved a terrible stumbling block. They never could see their way through it.

• For my own part, I felt I had just the one thing to do, namely, to take my eye off completely from persons and their influence, and fix it steadily upon Christ.
  • Then all was as clear as a sunbeam and as simple as the very elements of truth itself.

• I have never had a shadow of a doubt or hesitation, as to the course adopted in the main, or as to the great underlying principles;
  • but I can quite understand and make allowance for the difficulties of souls just setting out on their course, when called upon to encounter the Bethesda question,

  • particularly when I remember how hard it is, generally speaking, to get a thoroughly dispassionate and unprejudiced view of it.

• But this I must say, as a result of a good deal of experience and observation, I have invariably found that where a person was enabled to look at the matter simply in reference to Christ and His glory, all difficulty vanished.

• But, on the other hand, if personal feeling, affection for individuals, anything merely natural, be allowed to operate, the spiritual vision is sure to be clouded, and a divine conclusion will not be reached.

But then it is often said, when a person is put away or refused, 'Do you not consider him a child of God?'

• I answer, No such question is raised, the "The Lord knoweth them that are His, and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity".

• We are not called upon to pronounce as to a man's secret relations with God, but simply as to his public walk before men.

• If an assembly denies its responsibility to judge the doctrine and walk of those 'within', it is not an assembly of God at all, and all who would be true to Christ should leave it, at once.

Hence, therefore, we can see that 'exclusivism', so far from being a dreaded bugbear, is the bounden duty of every assembly gathered on the ground of the Church of God;

• and those who deny it prove themselves to be simply ignorant of the true character of the House of God, and the immensely important distinction between the discipline of the House and the unity of the Body.

And here is just the difference. I do not believe that the Brethren are the Church of God;

• but they are on the ground of the Church of God, else I should not be amongst them for one hour.

• They occupy a position which ought to command every saint of God in Christendom.
• What should prevent all Christians from coming together on the first Day of the week to break bread, in the unity of the Body of Christ, and in dependence upon the guidance and power of the Holy Ghost?
  • Is not this what we find in the New Testament? And, if so, why should we not follow it?

• Do I want to see the church restored to its pentecostal glory? By no means. This was the delusion of poor Edward Irving. I never expect to see the church restored;

• but I long to see Christians departing from error and iniquity, and walking in obedience to the precious Word of God. Is this expecting too much? Nay, I can ever be satisfied with anything less.

And yet, it is not that I consider the Brethren any worse than their neighbours;

• but, when I consider the high ground they take, the conduct and character ought to be correspondingly high. This alas! is not the case.

• Our spiritual tone, both in private life and in our public reunions, is sorrowfully low.

• There is that sad lack of depth and power in our assemblies. There is excessive feebleness in worship and ministry.

I cannot, nor do I want to, go into details in the way of proof or illustration.

• I content myself with the statement of the broad fact, in order that our souls may be exercised as to the real cause of all this.
• I fear there are many contributing causes. I believe the vast increase in our numbers, within the last twenty years [1850-75], is, by no means, an index of an increase of power. Quite the reverse.

• No doubt, we have to be thankful for the increase – thankful for every soul brought into what we believe to be a right position. But then we need to be watchful.

• The enemy is vigilant, and he will seek to introduce spurious materials into our midst in order to bring discredit on the ground, and cast dishonour on the Lord.

• In the various denominations around us the inconsistencies of individuals are in a measure hidden behind the bulwarks of the system.
  • But Brethren stand fully exposed, and their failures are used as an argument against their ground.

• The grand point for us all is to be humble and lowly, dependent and watchful. Let us remember those precious words to the church of Philadelphia,
  • "Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name".

• May we remember it! May we be kept very little in our own eyes, clinging to Christ, confessing His Name, keeping His Word, serving His cause, waiting for His coming!

C.H.M.