Not long since we published in The Steward an old tract by Mr. J. N. Darby, entitled: "Separation from Evil, God's Principle of Unity." Some time after its first publication Mr. Darby wrote of this tract: "It saw only one side of the matter, as it seemed to me." In order to present the other side, Mr. Darby published a further tract bearing the title of this article. We hope, with the Lord's help, to give our readers the substance of this second tract, put a little more briefly than the original: but we would like to impress on our readers the extreme importance of both tracts. The originals may be seen in the First Volume of "The Collected Writings of J. N. Darby.”
Mr. Darby says: What I think important to be understood is, that the active power that gathers is always grace—love. Separation from evil may be called for: in particular states of the Church, when evil is come in, it may characterize very much the path of the saints. But this in itself is never a gathering power. Holiness may attract, but power to gather, is in grace, in love working. Gathering is the formative power of unity, where it does not exist. I take for granted that Christ is owned as the Center. The first of these two tracts refers to the state of the Church of God at large, not to any particular persons in it.
There are two great principles in God's nature, owned of all saints—holiness and love. Holiness is, I may be bold to say, the necessity of his nature: love is its energy. God is holy—He is not loving but love. We make Him a judge by sin, for He is holy and has authority; but He is love, and none has made Him such. If there be love anywhere else, it is of God, for God is love. This is the blessed active energy of His being. In the exercise of this love He gathers to Himself, for the eternal blessedness of those who are gathered. He shows it forth in Christ, and Christ Himself is the great power and center of it. His counsels as to this are the glory of His grace; His applying them to sinners, and the means He employs for it, the riches of His grace. (See Eph. 1:3-7) And in the ages to come He will show how exceeding great these were in His kindness toward us, in Christ Jesus. God is displayed in the glory of His grace, and need is met by the riches of His grace.
But before speaking of the special object before me in this tract, allow me to say a few words about the sweet passage in Ephesians, to which I have referred. We are blessed in Christ, and God Himself is the center of the blessing; and in two characters. See Eph. 1:3 to 7. He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. As God of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see His character: as Father we see His relationship. The Lord Jesus had said: "I go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." In Ephesians He goes on to their unity in Christ: there He speaks of them as brethren. Thus in these two characters, He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, none left out, in heavenly places, the best and highest sphere of blessing, where He dwells; not merely sent down to earth, but we taken up there. Wonderful portion, sweet and blessed grace, which becomes simple to us in the measure in which we are accustomed to dwell in the perfect goodness of God.
Then there is relationship in Christ, and His is that of Son. Hence in Him we are predestined to the adoption of children to God Himself, according to His good pleasure. This is the glory of His grace: He has shown us grace in the Beloved. But actually He finds us sinners; and He puts sinners in this place of wondrous relationship. What a thought! Here His grace shines out in another way. In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. This is what we need to enter into the place where we shall be to the praise of the glory of His grace: and this is according to the riches of His grace: for, as we have seen, God is displayed in the glory of His grace: need is met by the riches of His grace.
What follows is the inheritance which belongs to us through this same grace. The Holy Ghost is the earnest of the inheritance, but not the earnest of God's love: this is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.
But now let us consider the tract under discussion. I cannot conceive anything more indisputably true, as far as human statement of truth can go. It seems to me that one who would deny the abstract principles of this tract is not on Christian ground at all. Is not holiness the principle on which Christian fellowship is based? And the tract is really that. But two other points I believe are important to bring out—one, in relation to man: the other, to the blessed God. The first is this: human nature we all own, and in a measure know, is a treacherous thing. Now separation from evil, when right, which I now assume, still distinguishes him who separates, from him from whom he is separated. This tends to make one's position important, and so it is: it is my position, and the mind being occupied with what has rightly been important to itself, tends to make, in a measure, separation from evil a gathering power, as well as a principle on which gathering takes place. This it is not, except as holiness attracts spiritual souls.
There is another danger: a Christian separates from evil, I still suppose, in a case in which he is bound to do so. It is the evil which drives him out, hence he is occupied with the evil. This is a dangerous position. He attaches it, perhaps anxiously, to those he has left, to give a clear ground why he has done so. They conceal, cover over, gloss, explain. It is always so where the evil is maintained. He seeks to prove it, to make his ground clear; he is occupied with evil, with proving evil against others. This is slippery ground for the heart, to say nothing of danger to love. The mind becomes occupied with evil. This is not holiness, nor separation from evil, in practical internal power. It harasses the mind, and cannot feed the soul. Some are almost in danger of acquiescing in the evil through the weariness of thinking about it. At all events power is not found there. God separates us from evil, but He does not fill the mind when it continues to be occupied with it; for He is not in the evil. The mind may say, "Let us think of the Lord and drop it." And thus we may get a measure of quiet and comfort; but in this case the general standard and tone of spiritual life will infallibly be lowered. Of this I have not a shadow of a doubt. God's horror of it is lost in the mind, and divine power and communion proportionately lost. The testimony fails and is lowered. This is the widest evil—where there is conflict with evil not maintained in spiritual power—and creates the most serious difficulties to extended unity; but God is above all.
But this is not all, even as to holiness. Real holiness, perhaps in all cases, is distinguished from natural conscience, because it is not merely separation from evil, but separation to God from evil. The new nature cannot live on itself: it must have an object, and that is God. Now this changes everything; because it separates from evil—which it abhors when it sees it—because it is filled with good. This does not enfeeble its separation, but it gives another tone to the abhorrence of the evil, for being in possession of good, it is not forced to think of evil, but may put it quite out of mind and sight. Hence it is holy, calm, and has a character of its own, apart from evil, as well as abhorrent of it. With us this can only be by having God, in Christ, as our object. We are occupied with good, and hence holy, for that is holiness; and, therefore, easily and discerningly abhorrent of evil, without occupying ourselves with it.
Hence you will find, that when it is in power, love precedes and makes holy, whether it be mutual, or the enjoyment of it in the revelation of God. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." (1 Thess. 3:12, 13). So also in 1 John 1:1 to 6.
(Part 2)
In our last Number we have seen that Separation from Evil does not give the power of gathering: and we have seen also that "Holiness is not merely separation from evil, but separation to God from evil." We closed Part 1 of this article with a reference to the first 6 verses of the First Epistle of John: and perhaps we cannot begin Part 2, in a better way than to quote this Scripture:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it and bear witness, and skew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”
Now here the separation from evil, walking in the light, in God's character, as revealed in Christ, in Whom the life was the light of men, is fully insisted on with lines as clear and strong as the Holy Ghost alone knows how to make them. He who pretends to fellowship, and does not walk in the knowledge of God, revealed in Christ, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But what makes the fellowship? This keeps it pure—but what makes it? The revelation of the blessed Object and Center of it, in Christ. John was speaking of One who had won his heart, who was the gathering power into fellowship with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. He knew and enjoyed by the Holy Ghost, what the Savior had said—"He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father." This was infinite, divine love; and through the Holy Ghost he had communion with it, and told it out, that others might have fellowship with him: they joined in that fellowship. Now that, I apprehend, was gathering power. The Object to Whom they were gathered, necessarily involved what follows. So he closes the Epistle: "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding to understand him that is true, and we are in him that is true; that is, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." The gathering power of good comes before the warning. This is the more remarkable, because in a sense, this Epistle is occupied with evil: it was written concerning them that seduce you.
Holiness, then, is separation to God, if it be real, as well as from evil; for thus alone we are in the light, for God is light. When the prodigal son came to himself, he said: "I will arise and go to my father." If it is restoration, "If thou wilt return, return unto me." Hence in all true conversion and restoration, love comes in. However dimly seen, or however little the work of conscience is understood, it is love brings the lost one back to the father; the wandering one to God. We want to get back to God; there is forgiveness with Him that He may be feared: otherwise despair would drive us further away. Indeed, what would, or could, restoration be, if it were not restoration to God? But in the full sense of being gathered, that is, the fellowship in which we all join, it is clearly the blessed Object Himself Who so gathers. We are to have fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Thus hearts are drawn to the one Object, and in their common delight in Him, their fellowship exists.
The principle of the former tract which we are now considering is this: that in doing this: in being gathered to this blessed Object, we must separate from evil. It is the "this then-is-the-message" part of 1 John 1:5, that we have before us in that tract. Since "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all," we must separate from evil, if we would walk with Him. So Christ says, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Here we see our Object, our Center. Here was perfect love; but also entire separation from all sin and condemnation of it. "In that he died, he died unto sin once,"—separation from the world, and deliverance from the whole power of the enemy. It is perfect love drawing from everything else to itself, or, rather, to Himself. Christ is now in the heavens, and our gathering through the cross is to Him there, in the good, where evil cannot come. There is our communion, our fellowship—entering into the Father's house in spirit.
And this, I believe, is the true character of the assembly, for worship in its truest sense. It remembers the cross, it worships, the world left out, and all in heaven before God.
Christ gave Himself that He might gather into one. I believe what separates the saint from evil, what makes him holy, is the revelation of this Object, through the power of the Holy Ghost, and thus his soul is drawn to that Object as good, and thereby the evil is revealed to him, and makes him judge it in soul and spirit. This is not merely an uneasy conscience, but sanctification. That is, sanctification is resting, by the enlightening of the Holy Ghost, on an Object, which by its nature, purifies the affections by being their object—indeed, creates these affections through the power of grace.
In the cross we have these two great objects perfectly brought out. Love is clearly shown, the blessed object which draws the heart to Christ; yet the most solemn judgment of and separation from all evil: such is God's perfectness—the foolishness and weakness of God. The love of God attracts us, and attaches us to Himself, while evil in all its horror and forms, is perfectly abhorred. The soul goes with its sin, as sin, to love: and goes because love has shown him it is sin, because He was made sin for us. This is the power that separates from evil, and ends all connection with it; for I die to all the nature to which I lived. Hereafter I live in blessed activity in love.
Thus we see the Object that gathers and gives fellowship; and surely our fellowship, our communion, is in that which is good: and as heavenly, no evil is there. Here, no doubt, we realize it but imperfectly: but so far as it is not realized, fellowship is hindered, for there is no fellowship in the flesh. Hence it is said: "If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship one with another." But we cannot come out of darkness, except by walking in the light, that is, we walk with God: and God is love, and were He not, we could not walk with Him, in the light. So we see that God's love in Christ is the Object which gathers us unto Himself.
(Part 3)
Part 2 of this article ended with these words: "God's love in Christ is the Object which gathers us unto Himself." This is true: but it is not only the Object which gathers,— it is also the activity which does so. The Word says: "My Father worketh hitherto and I work." It is this activity of Love which is the power of gathering. He gave Himself.... "that he might gather into one the children of God which were scattered abroad." Even to Israel He said: "How often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." Here we have not only the attractiveness of Love, but the activity of Love, which acts, gives itself, in order to gather; in this we are allowed to have a part. It is this, while sanctifying and maintaining His holiness, that reveals God, and gathers weary souls.
Now this alone is the proper principle and power of gathering. I do not say the ground on which souls are gathered; for that is clearly holiness— separation from evil, in which alone communion is maintained. But love gathers: and this is as clear to a Christian, as that it gathers to holiness, and on the principle of it. Sin does not gather to God, nor the law; and one or other is all man's state, unless grace acts. Besides, Grace alone fully reveals God; and without Grace that to which we are gathered is not manifested. Grace alone reaches the heart, and brings it to God. All short of this is failure. It is Christ who gathers, and hereby know we love, because He laid down His life for us.
The law did not tell man that God is Love. It spoke of responsibility, and that meant only failure. It said, "Do this and live." It was perfect in its place, but it did not tell what God was, nor what man was. That remained hidden: but that is the truth. The truth is not what ought to be, but what is. Sin, grace, God Himself, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, are revealed as they are; also man's disobedience, and utter, hopeless ruin; but also God's unbounded grace: truth reveals all as they are. But Grace is the acting power that is alone capable of revealing truth: for Christ being here is grace: and His working is effectual grace. Now, with such an Object, and such a power to gather, the gathering must be into unity: for He gathers unto Himself. The Word of God is plain: He "should die... that he should gather together into one the children of God who were scattered abroad.”
These things characterized the power which gathers. Christ, though the truth itself, yet while here, was lonely truth: presented grace was rejected grace: the corn of wheat abode alone. But when Christ died, redemption was accomplished and atonement made. He was no longer `straitened'; the grace and truth shut up, so to speak, in His own heart, could now flow forth freely. The highest love was shown; and sin in man, instead of hindering, was the very object for which it was displayed. So thus He gathers. God's righteousness takes the place of man's righteousness; divine life takes the place of mere human life; and God finds His glory in Salvation.
Grace reigns through righteousness. Now, this it is which gathers by the cross. Souls are united to Christ in heaven by the Holy Spirit, who dwells in each believer, and so unites to one another.
This, I believe, is what Ephesians shows, only it begins with the divine glory, the true source of all; so this Epistle begins with God's purpose in love, to have us in heaven in glory; and brings in redemption itself as that which is needed to bring us there. But this does not alter the love which is acting to bring us into this blessed and heavenly unity; and so is itself heavenly, and connected with God's glory. It is holy according to the holiness of His presence.
When the High Priest took the blood of the sin-offering into the holiest of all, its body was burned without the Camp. This denied all relationship of God with man, as he was: yet it is a picture of the cross. Then gathering into one began. He slew the enmity— as between Jew and Gentile— and reconciled both in one body to God; and so we have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ordinances always separate according to human holiness; Grace unites according to divine holiness.
In the full divine sense, without grace, there is neither truth nor holiness (out of God, of course, I mean), except as holiness may be applied to the elect angels, nor can there be, because it is impossible that a sinner can be with God except on the ground, and by the power and activity, of grace.
The power of unity is grace; and, as man is a sinner and departed from God, the power of gathering is grace— grace manifested in Jesus on the cross, and bringing us to God in heaven; and bringing us in Him who is gone there. This is holiness: certainly the cross was not acquiescence in evil.
Affectionately yours in the Lord.
J. N. D.