 |
|
The Brethren
John Nelson Darby was one of the most notable believers
among the Brethren. In his booklet entitled “The Nature and Unity of the Church
of Christ” it is evident that as early as 1828 the Brethren discerned something
substantial concerning the New Testament pattern of assembling together. This
was a great step in the recovery of the proper local church life.
After one year in 1828, Darby published a little book
called “The Nature and Unity of the Church of Christ.” This little book was
the first among thousands of books published by the brothers. In this book
Darby clearly declared that the brothers had no intention of setting up a new
denomination or union of churches. He said:
In the first place, it is not a formal union of the
outward professing bodies that is desirable; indeed it is surprising that
reflecting Protestants should desire it: far from doing good, I conceive it
would be impossible that such a body could be at all recognized as the church
of God. It would be a counterpart to Romish unity; we should have the life of
the church and the power of the word lost, and the unity of spiritual life
utterly excluded…. True unity is the unity of the Spirit, and it must be
wrought by the operation of the Spirit…. No meeting, which is not framed to
embrace all the children of God in the full basis of the kingdom of the Son,
can find the fulness of blessing, because it does not contemplate it—because
its faith does not embrace it…. Where two or three are gathered together in
His name, His name is recorded there for blessing
Further, unity is the glory of the church; but unity
to secure and promote our own interests is not the unity of the church, but
confederacy and denial of the nature and hope of the church. Unity, that is of
the church, is the unity of the Spirit, and can only be in the things of the
Spirit, and therefore can only be perfected in spiritual persons….
But what are the people of the Lord to do? Let them
wait upon the Lord, and wait according to the teaching of His Spirit, and in
conformity to the image, by the life of the Spirit, of His Son. Let them go
their way forth by the footsteps of the flock, if they would know where the
good Shepherd feeds His flock at noon.
In another place Darby said:
Because our table is the Lord’s table, not our table,
we receive all whom God receives, all poor sinners fleeing to the Lord for
refuge, not resting in themselves, but only in Christ.
(Watchman Nee, Orthodoxy, 71-72)
Next Page
|
|
|
|
|
