AMONGST the many meetings which sprang up all over the country in the early days of Brethren, the one at Plymouth became the most prominent. " About the year 1831," says Mr. Darby in a letter to a friend, " I went to Oxford where many doors were open, and where I found Mr. Wigram and Mr. Jarratt. Subsequently in calling on Mr. F. Newman I met Mr. Newton, who asked me to go down to Plymouth, which I did. On arriving I found in the house Captain Hall, who was already preaching in the villages. We had reading meetings, and ere long began to break bread. Though Mr. Wigram began the work in London, he was a great deal at Plymouth."
Their first meeting-place was called " Providence Chapel," and as they refused to give themselves any name, they were called in the town " Providence People." When the brothers began to preach the gospel in the open air and in the villages around, no small curiosity was awakened to know who they were; there was something new in their preaching and in their way of going to work. But as they belonged to none of the denominations, they were spoken of as " Brethren from Plymouth." This naturally resulted in the designation, "The Plymouth Brethren," which has been applied to them-sometimes in derision-ever since. " One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren;" here we have the title which the Lord Himself gives His disciples. (Matthew 23:88But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (Matthew 23:8).) As the numbers increased, the little chapel was bought and enlarged considerably.
A strong opposition was soon manifested against the new movement, especially on the part of the clergy and ministers of all denominations. Nor need we wonder: the ground occupied by Brethren was felt to be a standing testimony against their whole state and practice, and many were stirred up to say hard and untrue things against them, with the view of neutralizing the blessed work which God was doing by their means. But these efforts of the enemy-as they usually are-were overruled to increase the general interest in the new preachers, and to attract numbers to their various meetings. The blessing of God evidently rested on the labors of the Brethren at that time; many were led to separate from the different denominations of the day, and gather round the new center, the name of the Lord Jesus; though, on the part of some, it may have been with very little intelligence, or exercise of conscience, compared with those who originally took that ground. But they were dissatisfied with what they had been going on with, and longed for something better.
There was great freshness, simplicity, devotedness, love and union, among the Brethren; and such features of spirituality have always a great attraction for certain minds; and many, of course, who united with the Brethren had very undefined thoughts as to the nature of the step they were taking. But all was new: Christ was owned as their only center, and the Holy Spirit as their only teacher. Thus they gave themselves to the study of the word of God, and experienced the sweetness of Christian communion, and found the Bible-as they said-to be a new book. It was, no doubt, in those days, a most distinct and blessed work of God's Spirit, the influence of which was felt not only throughout this country, but on the continent, and in distant lands.