The first effect of discovering from the word of God what the calling, position, and hopes of the church are, must be a deep sense of the contrast between what man calls the church, and what the church really is in the light of the New Testament scriptures.
So it was with a few Christian men in Dublin in the early part of this century. The Lord, we doubt not, had been dealing with their souls for some time, and preparing them for the reception of many truths which had been long lost to the children of God. They were, no doubt, worthy members of their different communities, sound in the faith, devoted, and unworldly; but they began to see, in the clear light of God's word, that to remain where they were would be a practical denial of what the church is. Thus were they led of God to separate themselves from the existing religious systems with which they had been severally connected, and bear witness to the heavenly relations of the Christian, and to the nature and unity of the church of God. Unlike the mere abstractions of the ascetics, it was a moral separation from the world and from the religion which it sanctioned. Even the confessors at an early period of the church's history, and the Reformers and Puritans at a later, had no wish to leave the communion of the Established Church, provided she had agreed to reform abuses. Most of them were excommunicated; but when a change of government brought religious liberty, they gladly returned to their pulpits and benefices.
But as many of those who took the place of separation are still alive, we can do little more than state the origin of the community, and give a brief outline of its progress. We must hold character to be sacred, and we know that prejudice is strong, and that the feelings of all must be respected. Therefore we shall endeavor to avoid as far as possible everything that might give offense to anyone. But of that which has appeared in print, and been written by themselves, we may freely speak, Their writings, in the form of books, tracts, and periodicals, are abundant, and widely spread over the face of Christendom, so that their views may be easily ascertained. We shall not quote, as many have done, the opinions of their enemies as a fair estimate of their character, any more than we would accept the opinion of a bigoted Roman Catholic about the character of Luther.