As the contents of these three letters have, without my leave, through the instrumentality of those to whom addressed, been made public, there can be no breach of delicacy in my using them.
I add a few explanatory remarks, and print them as an answer to the question put to me by many, " What sufficient warrant could you have had for the act of withdrawal from Ebrington Street?"
They contain a brief account of the act of my withdrawal, but none of the details of the many months' deep exercises of conscience upon other facts connected with quite other matters (some of which are, as yet, known only to few, but), all of which will appear in their true light shortly.
The cause of withdrawal was not difference of judgment upon the prophetic question; neither was it a question of doctrine; my act of withdrawal took place solely and simply because a new and a human church system had been introduced, and one which appeared to screen guilt. I am thankful for this; because while it forced me to separate from the congregation as such, it left me free to have fellowship with any as individuals in the congregation. They are all accredited as Christians; and I can accredit them as such without a question. Moreover, the present question is one of common interest to all Christians.
There is a system called Independency or Congregationalism, the distinguishing peculiarity of which is this-that "each congregation is to be independent of others."
Provided this independency, the one of the other, of the churches is maintained, the system of " the denomination of the Independents" admits any and every variation. In one congregation of Independents there might be a presbytery; in another, a dictator; in another, bishops, priests, and deacons; in another, managers; in another, "brotherhood and liberty of ministry." The form. which holds inside the congregation matters not-the point of peculiarity which distinguishes the system, is each congregration is sufficient for its own edification and rule. The Brownists received Christians as such, and had liberty of ministry. When Mr. Dorman was about to leave Islington Chapel, I heard some one say, "Why leave because you want liberty of ministry, our principles permit that." Yes, they might permit liberty of ministry to those that were of that congregation; so far the Holy Ghost was free;-but they did not allow those whom He had gifted and set in other congregations, if' they came, to interfere, by sole virtue of the common connection of the one congregation, and the other, with the body in Christ. I give, as proofs that Ebrington Street is an Independent cause:-
First, What Mr. Newton distinctly told me: " I had no right to interfere to help some of the 300 poor Saints who (once of Ebrington Street) were in perplexity of mind, on account of certain grave charges laid by Mr. Harris and Mr. Darby (though he, Mr. N., said he meant to do nothing); and he assigned as the reason that I did not belong to the congregation in Ebrington Street, or its organs." See also Sir A. Campbell's letter.
Secondly, Some intelligent Independents, in Plymouth, distinctly recognize that this is the case in Ebrington Street.
'Thirdly, The theory of the thing is avowed in Thoughts on the Apocalypse, p. 23:—
" This order was what has since been called metropolitan. The Church at Jerusalem, like a sun in the center of its system, had other Churches, like so many planets, revolving round it. It was strictly a mother church, and therefore, when the church at Antioch was in difficulty, it sends Jerusalem for direction, and receives an authoritative reply: 'It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and to us.' This then was a relation that could not be fitly symbolized by two candlesticks unconnected, equal and alike. One candlestick, with many branches and many lamps, would have been a more appropriate emblem; and this is the character of the symbol employed to represent Jerusalem when she shall nationally assume her metropolitan position in the millennial earth. To her alone it belongs, and for her it is reserved by God.
" But when Jerusalem had rejected the testimony of the church, St. Paul was raised up to carry the truth among the Gentiles. He preached the same Gospel; but he established a new order among the churches which he gathered. This order was not metropolitan. Seven Gentile churches are represented by seven candlesticks of gold, separate one from another-all equal-all alike.; connected by no visible bond, neither revolving round any common center. They were independent one of another; but not independent of Him who invisibly walked amongst them, and who was able to preserve the likeness to Himself, and to one another, which His grace had given them; to keep them what He had made them, alike in faith, manners, and testimony."
See also " The Examination" of this book by Mr. Darby.. But in addition to this, the peculiar form of independency assumed in Ebrington Street is such, that its organs can and do crush inquiry when they please, and in several cases, lately, they have done so, contrary to the consciences of very many sober and godly brethren.
London, 14th January, 1846.
[The following letter to Mr. Newton wag written on the 12th; but I did not send it; because brethren Campbell, Code, Potter, Rhinde, and Parnell, thought. they could act from inside the congregation in Ebrington-street: they were men of God, and, wishing them success, I refrained from every act which I thought could impede it.]
20th December, 1845.
My Dear Brother,-When I left London to come hither, I did so with the thought, first, of challenging the grounds of secession of Mr. Darby from the table, and of Mr. Harris from service, in the hope of preventing a schism; and, secondly, if possible, of attempting reconciliation.
One of the first facts which struck me after my arrival, was that a separation in the body of the congregation meeting in Ebrington-street was already in part an accomplished, and not only an anticipated thing.
Owing to the detailed explanations of their conduct given by Mr. H. on the Friday evening, and by Mr. D. when sent for by the saints on the Monday evening [of neither of which meetings I was aware ere I left town], about one hundred and twenty had withdrawn to their own rooms, there to await results-some eighty more seemed prepared to do likewise; and about one hundred more were disaffected.
My observing that God had already permitted this, became a new and an important, though most sad item, in my mind.
In answer to the thought condemnatory of such a step, Paul did not separate from Corinth or the Gal. 1 found that the final actings of these two (D. and H.) had not taken place till every testimony, as they thought, in their power had been given, and in vain; and until their quiet continuance where they were would have been a sanction, as they thought, to the evil.
The position which I took hereupon, and have tried to hold, was this—to catch things as they were when I came; and to prevent, 1st, the separation becoming formal and fixed by the spreading of another table; and, 2dly, any in their neglected state wandering to the establishment, etc.
I have felt very much, especially during the last five days, how deeply your feelings, as a man, must, at this present time, be in exercise and pain, and have this testimony of true sympathy for you, that I have prayed and waited upon the Lord for you.
I desire to grieve that my present letter will add to your sorrow. Fourteen years ago I bought Raleigh-street Chapel, and lent it, as I then said to you, for the use of brethren, so long as there was continued consistency with their then principles.
At present I do not say whether I think the departure of the congregation in Ebrington-street from its principles is only apparent or real; or, if real, whether or not it is remediable. Time will show whether or not God will, according to my earnest desire and prayer, clear consciences there enough to make practice harmonize with profession. But I do feel that I have a formed judgment with regard to yourself; and sad as it is to me to write it, one which prevents my having any assurance with regard to you as holding a place of ecclesiastical service. Accordingly, my conscience is not at ease while I leave Raleigh-street in your hands.
"To the Brethren and Sisters breaking bread in Ebrington street Room.
“Beloved Brethren and Sisters,
"I am sure that your hearts have been kept in a state of much distress and agitation by the charges lately brought against our beloved brother Mr. Newton, by Mr. Darby, reflecting on his moral honesty; and, if what I now state should, in however feeble a measure, be made the means of allaying such feelings, I shall be most thankful. To this end, I rejoice in being able to inform you that those charges have been, to my mind, most satisfactorily answered, and that I believe our beloved brother to be entirely innocent of the imputations which have been thus cast upon him.
I am, beloved brethren and sisters,
" Your affectionate brother in the Lord,
" H. W. Soltau.
" 7, Woodside, Plymouth, 17th Dec. 1845.
" Should any of you desire to know the grounds on which I have come to the conclusion stated above, I shall be happy to afford you any information.
" Having come to the same decided conclusion with our brother Soltau, on the charge above referred to, we cheerfully unite with him in the preceding testimony.
" J. E. Batten, " W. B. Dyer,
" J. Clulow."
[Some of the poor at Plymouth observe that it is a pity that this testimonial is not from the many brethren from distant places who have gone into the case, instead of from four who are, in measure, involved in the same charge as Mr. N.]
Partial delusion (acting upon a peculiar mind, little acquainted with itself, and holding a situation beyond that which God has assigned it) may be the cause; but the course pursued has destroyed in so many the conscience between right and wrong, that, till the evil is judged, I must, in self-preservation, stand apart from it.)
I wish it to be understood that this act of mine is meant to express no judgment as to the congregation at Ebrington-street. It refers simply to yourself-and to yourself not as an individual Christian, so much as a servant among saints.
Till I see what the congregation does, H. Soltau, a friend of your own, will perhaps accept the loan I thus recall from you.
With many prayers, not I hope to be relaxed for you, in much sorrow, yours in the Lord,
G. V. W.
If any expression calculated to irritate your feelings is in this letter I am not aware of it, but would ask your forgiveness for it.
To Mr. B. W. Newton.
[A copy of this was sent in the foregoing.]
My Dear Soltau.-Fourteen years ago I bought
Raleigh-street Chapel, and afterward lent it, under conditions, to our Brother N. I think these conditions have been infringed upon his part. I do not mean, in saying this, to blame him, but to explain why I wish the congregation which has met there to have the use of it, as lent to you, and not to him.
While I doubt whether the congregation has renounced its primitive principles or not, I would not withdraw it from them on any account. Will you accept the loan of it for the time being, then, and be a go-between me, Newton, and the congregation, etc.? G. V. W.
[At halt-past ten, on the night of the 26th, I saw brother A. Campbell, and understood from him that Mr. Newton had opposed him in his proposed attempts to clear the consciences of the saints as to the charges laid upon them by Mr. Darby and Mr. Harris. Among other reasons, upon the ground " that the church at Ebrington-street was independent of the church in Exeter." At which place, since leaving Plymouth, brother C. had resided. That he, C., meant to leave and state his reasons. As brother Campbell's letter is printed, all can judge for themselves.
On the morning of the 27th I went to Mr. Soltau, and said that my Sunday meetings for humiliation had hitherto prevented a second table being spread; that I heard this was to be done on the morrow; that thereby all question would pass out of the sphere of judgment of individuals or of the church into the Lord's hands; that, though I had refused to go to Ebrington-street at all this visit (in my visit in June I had been there), I was now prepared to yield to his urgent request and do so, cast my lot in, and endeavor to take up the whole of the work brother Harris had left. My sole condition was, that I knew that there was some court of appeal; brethren Darby, Harris, and Campbell had left, laying charges-the neglect of which criminated the congregation. I would neither sanction the appearance of sin, nor appear to brave the charges of three such men and of many others. If I was told; the congregation as a whole, or the brothers in it, or the working brethren, or sixteen or twelve godly and impartial men, might hear the charges, I could go in and break bread on the morrow; for then, in a few hours, such godly assembly would have said and handed out their verdict, either " the charges are true," or " the charges are false;" or, " the charges, if true, are not tangible to us from want of being evident."
I stated what charges most pressed upon me, as in the following letter.
I understood that my brother did not see how, under the present circumstances of Ebrington-street, such a thing could be done; I might " appeal to Mr. Newton."
My answer was, " I have done so; but let me ask, If our brother Mr. N. had been currently accused, through these towns, of (the most unlikely thing in the world) shop lifting, and you four were accused of being accomplices, should I have no redress in the congregation of Ebrington-street, for the Lord's glory or the saints' consciences?"
After further conversation, I left, not knowing whether I would go down next day, and, after breaking bread, raise the question in Ebrington-street or not. Two things weighed in my mind against doing so, first, that I am conscious of natural love of such a scene of difficulty; and, secondly, that the testimony of brothers Darby and Harris had drawn out from, and not produced action inside of, Ebrington-street. How far was this God's ordering? After prayer, I decided to write this note, which not only states my ground of withdrawal, but in its being accepted WITHOUT ANY REMONSTRANCE or entreaty, does MUCH MORE; so I judge, at least.]
My Dear Soltau,-I have come to the conclusion that the congregation in Ebrington Street has given up the principles it was originally built upon, and gone to the opposite. Upon this ground, I recall the loan' to it of Raleigh-Street building.
The April letter to Clulow I look upon as an open avowal of sectarianism by Mr. Newton, though not so distinctly made as he has since done by word of mouth. And in the fact, that there is no one to whom I can appeal in Ebrington Street to try the question, Is not Mr. Newton a causer of divisions?-Soltau, Batten, Dyer, and Clulow " being accomplices" save to themselves-I find the sorrowful necessity of withdrawal, if I would retain a clear conscience.
Yours in the Lord, &c.
I am willing to undertake the preachings there to-morrow.
On giving this letter into our brother's hand at the prayer meeting in Raleigh Street, I said that the time of taking possession was to me immaterial [I then expected to have to lock it up as an unused building], whenever its present engagements were ended would do; or I would take the responsibility of the preaching on the morrow if they liked. Our brother distinctly said, that he would prefer its being so, and that he would rather give it up at once under this impression, I went to preach there on the Sunday afternoon.
These, so far as I can remember them, are the leading facts connected with my act of withdrawal. The hinge of all is a new ecclesiastical polity having been introduced, and acted upon, and avowed in Ebrington Street, new, and opposed to what I had known there from the beginning.
The old principle was dependence upon God in mutual dependence of all the members of the body of Christ.
The new principle is that of independency. That each congregation is sufficient for its own edification, rule, and discipline, whatsoever form, in other respects, it may take. I was told myself by two, in plain words, I had no right to interfere in the congregation in Ebrington Street, because I was of London. Sir A. C. was told the same as to himself, because he was of Exeter. And the theory of this is vindicated in the "Thoughts on the Apocalypse." Ebrington Street congregation is as a congregation of independents" ruled by a Dictator who can suppress inquiry into any charges which rise against himself as evil; and who in point of fact does so; and I am not an " independent congregationalist."
Of the five reasons which made withdrawal from Ebrington-street appear to me needful, I have stated that on which the act of withdrawal took place; it is the one which is of most common interest to the people of God.
On the others I shrink from entering, though prepared to do so if the saints demand it, or if circumstances make it imperative.