DARBY was given a title for Orders from the large, straggling parish of Calary in the mountains of County Wicklow of which he became curate. Here he found just that congenial sphere of labor and scope for his energies which he desired. Living contentedly in a peasant's cottage on the bog, he threw himself heartily into all the varied duties of his office. Earnest and diligent in his ministrations, strict in churchmanship and conduct, he speedily won a place in the hearts of the poor by his sympathy and considerateness. In the enjoyment of his work he spent his patrimony in schools and charity, and during the year of his diaconate he exercised a generally beneficial influence over the whole locality. He was no mere hireling or official, but an indefatigable laborer in the service of GOD. Every evening almost he was to be found teaching the peasantry in the cabins scattered amid the bogs in the remote outskirts of the wild country parish he served, seldom returning to his own humble lodging before midnight.
He would no doubt have settled here quite contentedly amongst the wild Wicklow mountain peasantry but for " the Divinity which shapes our ends, rough hew them as we may." GOD was fashioning a vessel for a wider, almost world-wide, sphere of usefulness. This, however, would only be clearly seen in His own good time and way, and another fifteen months were to elapse before that way was opened.
Meanwhile the year of his diaconate swiftly passed, filled with busy service; then Darby went up to the city to receive the priest's orders at the hands of the Archbishop which should qualify him for the performance of all the duties of the clerical office.
His restless inquiring mind had, however, from the day of his ordination been disturbed as to the position of an Established Church, but in the enthusiastic discharge of his duties, and the special activities in connection with the Home Mission of that day, these disturbing thoughts had been partially stifled.
Like John Wesley, much of John Darby's traveling in the wild remote outlying parts of his extensive parish was done on horseback, and this played a great part in what diverted the whole course of his after life. It was an accident happening to him on one of these journeys which precipitated the crisis. His horse shied violently, and in swerving aside flung its rider with great violence against a door-post causing severe bodily injuries. These necessitated his going away to Dublin for surgical treatment. Here he was detained for some time, and now, during the long period of convalescence, the disturbing thoughts as to the Established Church and his own clerical position returned with unabated force and urgency. The period of enforced leisure while unable to leave the house, afforded an opportunity to examine them more thoroughly.
This is what he says about it: " During my solitude, conflicting thoughts increased; but much exercise of soul had the effect of causing the scriptures to gain complete ascendancy over me. I had always owned them to be the Word of GOD... the careful reading of the Acts afforded me a practical picture of the early church; which made me feel deeply the contrast with its actual present state; though still, as ever beloved by GOD."
By and by, as convalescence proceeded, he was able to move about on crutches, and made acquaintance with several like-minded young men of whom more will be said later.
Darby spent the remaining months of convalescence at the house of his brother-in-law where his sister nursed him back to health. By this time he had inwardly broken with the Established Church but had joined no other. The Bishop of Cashel good-humouredly rallied him on leaving labors. France, where as an octogenarian he still visited, and where his last Continental journey was made in 1880, is represented in the list by Paris, towns and villages on the Pyrenees, Nismes, St. Hippolyte du Fort, etc.; Holland, by Rotterdam, whence on a journey to London he notes a very stormy passage delaying his arrival for some twelve hours or more. It was not such easy, luxurious, punctual traveling in Victorian days for those whose calling led them to " do business in deep waters," as in our own day. Italy also was visited by him, Florence being one of the cities where he ministered the word. In the British Isles the record of his travels would fill pages of this small volume. To name a few representative places London, Oxford, Cambridge, at both of which latter University cities he contacted men who afterward were widely known either for their worldly advancement or for their unworldly disregard of wealth, titles and fame in the world for the sake of the Name. Bristol, where he preached in 1832 at Bethesda and Gideon Chapels with much joy, only fearing (what in the light of events sixteen years after reads strangely now) the narrowness, which he felt might hamper the work of Geo. Muller and Henry Craik in that city. He says: " The LORD sent us a blessing, and disposed the hearts of the saints much towards us at Bristol, and many also to hear. We preached in both chapels. The LORD is doing a very marked work there, in which I hope our dear brothers M. and C. may be abundantly blessed, but I should wish a little more principle of largeness of communion. I dread narrowness of heart more than anything for the church of CHRIST, especially now."
Plymouth, of course, had many visits from J. N. Darby during the first dozen years of Providence Chapel there; Guernsey too, where his lifelong henchman W. Kelly afterward resided, and Hull, Hereford, Liverpool, Glasgow and Keswick afford the barest sketch of towns visited by this indefatigable laborer " in word and doctrine "; while his own native Isle was practically covered in his zeal for CHRIST and love of the Irish people. Dublin, Limerick, Mayo, Clare, Kilkenny, Athlone, Clonmel are but names selected at random. These abundant labors occupied fifty years of strenuous days and months. He enjoyed his work, and the enjoyment increased as strength began to fail, his last happy visit to the Continent, as we have remarked, being when over 80 years of age. He also visited Spain once or twice, but here his unfamiliarity with the language, which he himself confesses in one of his letters, somewhat handicapped him.
As this is not a panegyric of Darby we " paint warts and all " as Oliver Cromwell is reported to have ordered in the portrait of himself, since no one is quite perfect not even the reader of this biographical sketch of " a truly great man." The following incidents are a sample of the " warts," which are part of the portrait of this truly great man of GOD in the labors abundant with which this chapter deals.
A London surgeon told the writer a story of a Bible Reading which Darby was giving in the States. A number of ministers were present paying great attention to him. One of them, Rev. Dr. G. F. Pentecost broke in with a question as the meeting proceeded. Darby replied briefly, but his questioner not quite grasping the relevance of the reply, asked him to kindly repeat it. This he did, but Pentecost remarking that he still could not clearly see the point, asked for a third and more detailed explanation. Arrested by this in the full flow of a most interesting argument, Darby rather spoiled things by very tartly retorting, " I am here to supply exposition not brains," or words to that effect.
It is interesting, too, to know that while in Chicago on one occasion Mr. Darby was invited by D. L. Moody to give a series of Bible readings in Farwell Hall. These were attended by many lovers of the Word of GOD, but unfortunately suddenly came to an abrupt end as the two clashed over the question of the freedom of the will. Mr. Darby held to what Mr. Moody considered extreme Calvinism on this point, affirming that so perverted was man's will he could not " will " even to be saved, and he based his contention largely on the texts " Which were born not... of the will of the flesh... but of GOD "; and " It is not of him that willeth.. but of GOD that showeth mercy." Mr. Moody insisted that man as a responsible person was appealed to by GOD to turn to Him and would be condemned if he did not. Ye will not come to me that ye might have life," said Jesus to those who refused His message. " Whosoever will " is the great gospel invitation. The controversy became so heated one day that Mr. Darby suddenly closed his Bible and refused to go on, thus losing one of the great opportunities of his life, as it will seem to many.
Separating from Mr. Moody, Darby did not hesitate to condemn Mr. Moody's work in his characteristic way. In his letters he warned his followers against it as likely to bring a great increase of worldliness into the Church. It is a striking instance of how prejudice can blind and mislead an otherwise great man. Were he alive to-day how surprised he would be to see the work begun by the great warmhearted evangelist a veritable bulwark against both worldliness and apostasy. Mr. Moody ever confessed his indebtedness to the writings of the Brethren for much help in the understanding of the Word, but it was C. H. Mackintosh and Charles Stanley who had the greatest influence. The writings of the former he always highly commended. Still no unprejudiced mind can deny that there has been a drift at Northfield since those days.
Another American leader whom Mr. Darby met was Dr. Daniel Steele, the great Methodist divine, and advocate of Wesleyan perfectionism. He was at first greatly delighted with Mr. Darby's downright earnestness of purpose and vast knowledge of the Word and attended many of his readings in Boston. But he could not accept the doctrines of grace and considered Mr. Darby's teaching on the two natures and the believer's eternal security utterly false.
One day when Mr. Darby was expounding 1 John 1, 7 showing that the subject dwelt on there is " where you walk, not how," Dr. Steele interrupted with the question, " But, Brother Darby, suppose a real Christian turned his back on the light, what then? " " Then," replied Mr. Darby, " the light would shine upon his back! "
Mr. Darby, however, had the greatest patience with the poor, unlettered, simple believers, and at Bible Readings was frequently known to help an uneducated brother out with his questions, and to go patiently over the same ground again and again until the difficulty was cleared up. Occasionally, but rarely, his stock of patience ran out with those of another class whom he thought were inclined to temporize with the truth under consideration.
The life of every thinker and teacher in whose nature any marked strain of mysticism appears refuses to be exhaustively treated under the forms of strict chronology. This is specially applicable in the case of Darby, who was so intent on the actual business of living that what has been preserved of his long and varied career is entirely due to the care of others. He objected to being photographed and apparently had no time nor inclination to keep a diary. Words uttered on his deathbed to a physician, " CHRIST is my object in life," describe his whole course. Like the Apostle of the Gentiles, Darby could say, with half a century of public life to confirm it, " To me to live is CHRIST," and so to the end, but this did not save him from troubles. He and his work were consistently misunderstood as was to be expected in a Christendom which prizes all those worldly honors that he counted as being valueless. Yet his unrivaled gifts of exposition could not be denied, and of these he was not unconscious.