Ever since the rise of the sacerdotal system, there have been, from time to time, companies of believers who sought return in a greater or lesser degree to the simplicity of apostolic days. Something of this character appears in the Priscillianists of the fourth century, the Paulicians, the Waldenses and others. In Reformation days, the Anabaptists and the separated Churches in England were on these lines. After the great gospel awakening of the eighteenth century, it seems that God began to raise similar exercises, which expressed themselves in spontaneous movements in various places. The following details are based on a pamphlet, printed in 1820, which was a reprint of the correspondence in question.
In 1818 a body of Christians, meeting apparently on simple, scriptural lines in New York, wishing to discover other, similar companies in other parts, sent out a circular letter couched in the following terms:
“The Church professing obedience to the faith of Jesus Christ assembling together in New York.
“To the Churches of Christ scattered over the earth to whom this communication may come, grace, mercy and peace be multiplied from God the Father, by the Holy Spirit through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Dearly Beloved,
“Participating in the attention that has been, of late years, excited among the disciples of the Lord Jesus to the consideration of the Holy Scriptures and the obedience therein exhibited, as connected with the belief of the gospel, we have been led, by the mercy of God, to separate from various religious connections and denominations and to come together into one body, that in the fear and reverence of His authority we might walk as a Church of Christ in this city, continuing in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers.”
The letter, which was written to tender their love and esteem and to invite correspondence from any similar company anywhere, proceeds to indicate that they had been going on in this way for seven years, though meeting together previously in a less definite way. They then give an account of their procedure and order of worship, which seems to have been an attempt to follow, as closely as they could discover it, the order recorded in the New Testament. The Lord’s supper was taken in simplicity. The letter is dated March 1, 1818, so they began to meet in the manner described in 1811. A simple but unequivocal confession of faith was demanded of all who adhered to them. They had recognized elders and deacons but no minister. Other similar companies existed in America. Twenty-two companies replied, mostly from Ireland, several from Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, and one from Manchester in England.
Waterford’s reply expressed pleasure at finding a similar body to themselves in New York. This company numbered forty and had begun twelve years previously, but only for the last six had they followed scriptural principles. They had no appointed elders or deacons but broke bread in an informal way.
Glasgow’s reply was in a similar strain, but it claimed that such gatherings had been in vogue for thirty to forty years (which would go back to 1780) but there was division on the question of meeting without pastors. They numbered then 180. This particular company held that pastors were not necessary.
A reply from Kilkenny stated that in 1814 some had been led to leave the public Church through the gospel preached by a minister of the Establishment. Their order and procedure were very similar, and they followed apostolic practice as nearly as they could. While they had no elders, they hoped in God’s time such would be raised up.
A reply from Dublin intimated that a hundred had been associated for eight years. “It was,” they said, “as though a copy of the laws of Christ’s kingdom had been discovered under the rubbish of antiquity.”
A company in Edinburgh said they began twenty years previously but originally had a pastor. More recently, however, this was discontinued in favor of the elders and deacons, as in the New Testament. Their first step as to scriptural order was to begin to break bread every Lord’s Day.
A similar gathering in Manchester began in 1810, with thirty-three breaking bread.
Those in Paisley began in 1795. Thirty to forty similar companies existed, they said, in Scotland.
Those in Dalkeith expressed the opinion that there were few places of any size where believers were not to be found who were seeking to follow the Lord’s ordinances in this way.
In Cork there were two companies, one insisting on elders and the other holding that any brother should be free to take part as led.
From this interesting document it is clear that at the end of the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century many companies of Christians had begun to leave the denominations of Christendom and return in some measure to the simplicity of apostolic times. The spontaneity of this movement, its widespread character — for there is evidence it was not confined to Britain and America — and its consistency with the Word of God marks it out as a movement of the Holy Spirit. What ultimately happened to these particular companies of believers we cannot say, but many were doubtless absorbed in a later and more intelligent movement of which we must now speak.
It began at the end of 1827, and God raised up men of outstanding gift to teach and shepherd those who then returned to the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and the breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:4242And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)).
The great revival of gospel truth in the latter half of the eighteenth century had opened the eyes of thousands, and with the Holy Scriptures then available almost to all and more widely read than, perhaps, ever before, it seems that in the ways of God the time was ripe for a revival of another kind, namely, the revival of the truth of the Church as the Body of Christ. The gospel revival paved the way for this Church revival.
Light was now thrown on truths almost, if not entirely, lost sight of by the great mass of Christians since the days of Paul. The truth of the Lord’s second coming and the whole of the prophetic scriptures were illuminated in a remarkable way, and the heavenly character and calling of the Church were brought into relief.