Brethren,
Suffer a word of exhortation! The Lord has a controversy with us! At the very moment when we are calling ourselves “The Brethren,” and speaking of our origin, progress and testimony, the Lord is shaking us to our very center. I am afraid many of us have no higher thought, corporately, than that we belong to the Brethren, who began fifty years ago, and when we compare such a thought with Scripture we cannot find it, except as 1 Cor. 1 shows it to be, a wretched sectarian thought — human wisdom which needs to be judged by the cross. In our conversation together we talk lightly of the sectarian name, Plymouth Brethren, put upon us, and soon, I am afraid, we shall go further and accept it, as a matter of little consequence—it is only a name! Suffice it to say that 1 Cor. 1 utterly condemns it; it strikes at the root of the fundamentals of Christianity, and is a copy of the human wisdom of the Greek philosophers (see chaps. 1 and 2 of 1st Corinthians). It strikes at the root of the true nature of the Church as shown forth in ch. 3. Of God are ye in Christ Jesus, who of Him is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). We do not belong to a teacher or a company of teachers, however blessed, but we belong to the Temple of God, and the Holy Spirit of God dwells in it. We are not “The Brethren” (called Plymouth Brethren by sectarians and the world in reproach) who had their origin fifty years ago; but we are “Brethren” amongst the many brethren of God’s large family which existed before; who, by God’s grace, have been delivered from the Church’s Babylonish captivity of many years, and have returned to the original ground of the Assembly being seated in heavenly places in Christ, to confess the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as the source of unity, the God and Father of the whole family of God scattered or gathered (Eph. 1:1-18); to confess Christ as the Head of His body (Eph. 1:19-23; 2:1-18); and to confess the Holy Ghost as the Builder and Inhabitant of the house of God (Eph. 2:19-22). Our origin is not of teachers, however blessed and owned of God, who were used mightily of Him fifty years ago to revive truths long buried amidst the rubbish of the professing Church, but of the God who called Peter, Andrew and John by His sovereign grace (John 1); who delivered Christ up to death for our offences, and raised Him for our justification (Rom. 4:25); and who afterwards called Saul of Tarsus from the glory, delivered him out of the Jewish and Gentile world which had rejected Christ, and sent him forth from the glory as one united to Christ, to bear witness of His glory and of the union of the saints with Him as His body and bride. Our position is not in a body that had its origin fifty years ago, but in the Christ who, after telling Mary the new relationship formed in the words,
I ascend unto my Father, and to your Father; and to my God, and your God (John 20:17-20),
came unto the midst of His assembled brethren, and breathed the peace upon them which He had made for them when He died on the cross, and of which He gave a proof to them in His wounded hands and side. We are in the Christ who breathed peace the second time upon them, as the Son sent from the Father, breathing into them His own life of resurrection, thus connecting them with Himself a the risen Head of the new creation. We are in the Christ who, after this, ascended up on High as man, and sent down the Holy Ghost, as the promise of the Father, to dwell in them. So that now the new fully established family of God could each, individually and mutually cry “Abba, Father!” (John 20:19-22; Acts 1:4).
At the same time the Holy Ghost baptized them all into one body, and builded them together to be His habitation on earth. Such is our origin, such is our position! To this family, and to this body, and to this house alone do we belong, and to this we are called to bear testimony as well as to the One who is the God and Father of it. Oh, noble origin! oh, high descent! Brethren, forget it not; let no man take your crown!
The progress of the Church of God I trust you know well. I need not dwell on it. It spread wonderfully, but, alas! as it spread it declined. Zealous about putting away evil, alas! it left its first love, and the candlestick was threatened to be removed. The evil, stayed for awhile by persecution, broke out afresh in the Church getting joined to the world, by the hired leaders of Christendom. An evil system then sprang up in the very midst of the House of God, teaching idolatry — Babylonish captivity spread over the Church. The truth of the real unity of the body of Christ, and the coming of the Lord was lost, and all was midnight darkness. The cry of the Reformation sounded and there was a partial coming out, but again lapsing into a name to live and moral death reigning over the profession. Then the Holy and True One’s voice was heard, and a remnant of the sheep followed, and returned to Christ alone. But, brethren, remember, it was a remnant coming back, and not the whole. We are “brethren,” a returned remnant come back to Christ, but not “the brethren,” much less “Plymouth Brethren,” as a new body. Such has been the sad history of “the brethren” and of the house of God. And remember that there is a sad future before the House of God. Laodicean lukewarmness is to follow, and to run on parallel with, Philadelphian trueheartedness to Christ, till He comes. What is the great distinguishing mark between the two circles? It is thus with Philadelphians; Christ is all, and His Word; with Laodiceans, “the brethren” are all, as they say,
I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing {Rev. 3:17}.
There is such a thing as an ugly corporate I, which needs judging by 1 Cor. 1, as well as the individual I, the old man of Romans.
Oh, then, let your testimony be simply Christ and His Word, leaving, nothing out, not neglecting Peter’s testimony about the rejected Jesus, now exalted, and going to sit on David’s throne, made Lord and Christ, in the meantime, giving salvation and remission of sins (see Acts. 2:30-38; 4:6-12; 5:30-32); and thus establishing the kingdom of heaven in its present shape; holding fast Paul’s testimony, as blessedly many of you do, proclaiming an opened heaven, the second man seated there, righteousness and the Spirit ministered from thence, and the Holy Ghost come down uniting believers to Christ in heaven, and to one another on earth, with the blessed hope of the return of the Son of God from heaven, the Bridegroom of His Church, to introduce her into the Father’s house before the judgments, and then to return with Him to reign over the restored earth. Brethren, let us not talk of our testimony, but proclaim it as the testimony of God, and we shall continue, to have the Holy and the True One’s smile. The love of the brethren, Philadelphia, will reign really in our midst, and towards all the scattered brethren; we shall continue to get the open door which no man can shut, and we shall be the only circle of people that, as a corporate thing, will escape the judg- ments. All other individual Christians will also; but Philadelphia only as a corporate body will cease to exist on the earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns (see Rev. 3:10). Oh, then, hold fast the name of Christ; don’t let a false presumptuous name be put upon you. The beautiful name of Christ the Holy One and True is sufficient, who is not ashamed to call us “His brethren” — but remember! amongst many other scattered ones, as much, “brethren” as ourselves, though not manifesting it together. Again I say, suffer a word of exhortation, and may the faithful God lift up the light of His countenance who has called us unto the fellowship of His Son. Such is our origin, which, if we are a true witness, we shall bear witness to; such has been the progress of the Church to which we belong, and such is its testimony. But we are only “brethren” (amongst many others who are scattered) who have returned to Christ, to bear testimony to the grace that has called us back, and bears with the whole, and that will bring every brother, scattered or gathered, “the brethren,” to glory. A. P. C.
How often many of us have said, “I believe in communion of saints,” when we did not know we were saints, and thought it meant something hereafter in heaven. The Scriptures, however; have corrected our thoughts. We do not find fellowship or communion of saints in the Old Testament, nor in the Gospels. It begins after the ascension of Christ and the coming down of the Holy Ghost. The meaning of the word is shown us in Luke 5:10, when the Holy Spirit uses it to show that James and John were co-partners with Simon in the boat.
Read — Mark 4:34-41
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Luke 8:22-25
Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
In resurrection He gathers His brethren, and fifty days after He sends down the Holy Spirit to lead them into the fellowship to which all His redeemed ones are called by our faithful God — the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 2:9.
Soon a great company profess His name, and speak “of the year of our Lord,” but the multitude is mixed, and many forsaking the doctrine of the apostles commence building a ship for themselves, to accomplish the voyage across the sea.
So we find “the early Fathers,” the successors to the Apostles, who add their own teachings to the Apostles’ doctrine. Their ship gets so bad that by and by new ships are built on “National Lines,” and some of their crews also bring in other doctrines, and ships are multiplied. Others become occupied with personal holiness, and inscribe on the flag of their ship, “To me to live is Holiness.”
An “Alliance” is formed to rejoice in this great flotilla, and an “Association” endeavors to make a mighty catamaran out of the whole.
Some, at length, through the Spirit’s leading, give up all the modern ships, and, gathering around Christ alone, they find the ship which was provided at the beginning, but had been lost sight of and neglected, and enjoy His presence in their midst — His path being the path of fellowship. These find themselves in rougher seas than when in their former ships, and the Master is apparently asleep. A portion of the crew, to avoid a big wave, raise the cry, let us drop the apostolic doctrine, “There is one body and one spirit,” and lowering a boat for independent companies of believers, away they go. Other big waves follow, and two other boats are lowered to the cry, “We separate from unrighteous judgments,” and they each pursue their own course; the remainder, trusting Christ in their midst ride over these stormy billows.
Now, some on the shores of Galilee, seeing boats lowered, say, let us build a new ship, “with Christ for center, and Jesus in the midst,” and let us sail out and pick up the boats. So they set themselves to this work. Another says; I cannot tell whether Jesus is in the ship or in one of the boats, but I know it is not right to build ships, so I shall cross over alone, trusting to His Word, that He will sup with me and I with Him.
We hear of only one ship arriving on the further shore, but no doubt, though the Master has been grieved with those who left His ship, He will gather all His own company around Him to be forever with their God.
Unbelief cries out loudest. The Master quietly reposes on His pillow. Let us wait like Him.
A beloved brother, now with the Lord, has warned the crew against painting the boat.