About This Product
Former title: The Brethren: Their Origin, Progress, and Testimony.
Introduction: It is always a relief to the mind, in studying the history of the church, to be able to trace with any measure of certainty the silver line of grace, and the operations of God's Spirit in those who have taken a prominent part in its affairs. This was a rare privilege during the long dark night of the Middle Ages; but with the dawn of the Reformation the working of the Holy Spirit became increasingly manifest. The word of God was appealed to as the only authority in matters of faith and salvation; and the great Christian doctrine of "Justification by faith alone" became the foundation and corner-stone of the Reformation in the sixteenth' century. By means of this truth the power of popery was subverted, and the nations of Europe delivered from its tyranny.
Every right-minded Christian, who has studied the great revolution of that period, will certainly not fail in thankfulness to God for the mighty work which was then accomplished by His grace, through the faith and the endurance of the Reformers.
We must ever honor with admiring gratitude those faithful witnesses who labored to spread the pure light of the gospel in opposition to papal superstition, infidelity, and immorality, backed by the power of the civil sword, and in the face of imprisonment and death. The awakening and the agitation of mind were so general, and all in the direction of truth and holiness, that the most unbelieving must own that such a Reform could only have been produced by causes more than human, and of the most powerful efficacy.
But the leaders of that great movement overlooked many of the most important doctrines of the word of God. The vital truth of salvation through faith in the sacrifice of Christ, without the merit of good works, was so startling, so overwhelming, to those who had been educated in the superstitions of Romanism that they seemed to think no further truth was needed. They taught that the atoning work of Christ satisfied the justice of God, reconciling Him to rebellious man, and that all who had the full assurance of faith in this truth were saved. It does not appear that they ever laid hold of the precious truth that it was God's love to sinful man which led Him to send His Son to die in their stead, that they might be reconciled to Him. This is the grand foundation truth of all gospel testimony. Had there been no love, there would have been no Savior-Jesus, no salvation, no glory. But "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
God never was the enemy of man, and needed not to be reconciled, though He did need and did provide a propitiation for our sins. Many sweet thoughts flow from this blessed truth; the child of faith can fall back, not only on the work of the cross as his resting-place, but on the heart of God who loved him and sent His Son to die for him. In 2 Corinthians 5 we read, "that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." The first word we hear from an offended God after man had sinned, is, "Adam, where art thou?" Man was lost-God was seeking him. This was the first action in the work of redemption; indeed, the grand feature of redeeming love.
Table of Contents
1. Note 1
2. Note 2
3. Introduction
4. Reformation of the Nineteenth Century, The
5. Prophetic Truth
6. Church Truth, The Effect of
7. "The Brethren"
8. Overruling Hand of God, The
9. Brethren's First Pamphlet, The
10. Effect of This Pamphlet, The
11. Brethren's First Public Room, The
12. A. N. Groves and the Brethren
13. Reading Meetings
14. Our Recollections of the First Reading Meeting We Attended
15. Prayerful Study of the Word of God, The
16. Spreading the Truth, The Various Means of
17. Origin of the Title "Plymouth Brethren", The
18. Separation From the World, The Effect of
19. Spirit of Clericalism, The
20. Character of Mr. Newton's System, The
21. Division at Plymouth, The
22. False Doctrine Detected
23. Bethesda and Her Rules
24. Letter of the Ten, The
25. Division, The
26. Bethesda Professedly Clears Herself
27. Two Camps, The
28. Testimony, The
29. Results of the Testimony, The
30. Work of the Gospel, The
31. Opinions of Less Prejudiced Writers, The
32. Southern Review, The
33. Gleanings From the Writings of Brethren
34. Lay Preaching
35. Ordination
36. Ministry
37. Levitical Priesthood and the Ministry of the Gospel, The
38. Ministry, The Source of
39. Forgiveness of Sins, The
40. Provision of Grace for the Family of Faith, The
41. Christian Position
42. Testimony of Scripture, The
43. Redemption, The Results of
44. True Ground of Peace, The
45. Righteousness of the Law and the Righteousness of God, The
46. Subjection to the Word of God
47. The Church of God
48. Practical Working of the Assembly, The
49. Prophecy
50. Three Spheres of Christ's Glory, The
51. Coming of the Lord and the Rapture of the Saints, The
52. Millennium, The
53. Past and Present State of the Professing Church, The
54. Great White Throne, The
55. Reflections on the Testimony of Brethren
56. Conclusion